1.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION DEFINES PRINCIPLES FOR INCREASED COOPERATION
WITH THE UN
The
European Commission this week adopted a Communication to the
European Parliament and EU Council on the guidelines that it
recommends for increased co-operation between the European
Community and the UN on development and humanitarian aid. The
document entitled “Building an Effective Partnership with
the UN in Development and Humanitarian Affairs” sets out
three fundamental principles, which the Commission believes
should guide future cooperation between the two institutions.
These are:
§
A selective policy - The Community will seek to strengthen
its co-operation with the UN agencies working in fields in which
the Community has added value.
§
Predictability – By clearly identifying the priority
fields for long-term cooperation, the EU and the UN will be able
to enjoy a more predictable flow of financial contributions.
§
An active presence - The EU should explore new
opportunities to effectively take part in the work of the
decision-making bodies of the main UN agencies.
The
EU Commissioner for Development, Poul Nielson, in a speech at the
European Parliament, this week, stated that achieving the
abovementioned principles would require, inter alia:
a.
The conclusion of negotiations on the clause on verification to
ensure that Community inspectors have satisfactory access to
information;
b.
The re-negotiation of the EU-UN 1999 framework agreement, mainly
to place emphasis on co-financing operations.
The
Commission proposes to finance the programme of the UN agencies,
duly selected, in the context of the UN reform. On this Mr
Nielson said, “I trust we shall be able to count on the
flexibility of UN negotiators …We cannot sign a blank
cheque over to the UN”.
The Commission communication is to be presented to the EU
Development Council on 30 May.
The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, on his part, has welcomed
the communication.
2. EU SETTLES
BANANA DISPUTE WITH ECUADOR - ECUADOR TO LIFT RESERVATIONS
TO WTO WAIVER FOR ACP-EU TRADE ARRANGEMENTS
The EU and Ecuador
have announced that they have reached an agreement on their
dispute over the EU banana trade regime(s). (See PAF 226) This
according to a Commission press release builds on intensive
contacts between the European Commission and Ecuador in the last
year, and on the understanding reached between the European
Commission and the United States on 11 April.
According to the
press release The
Understanding between the EU and Ecuador is fully compatible
with the one reached between the EU and US earlier this month.
“On the one hand, major planks of the Understanding reached
with the US draw directly from elements proposed by Ecuador in
its consultations with the EU last year. On the other, the
Understanding with Ecuador recognises Ecuador's rights as the
principal supplier and sets out, in detail, the qualification and
management provisions governing the “non traditional
operators””.
According to the
Commission, Ecuador has pledged to work actively to secure
acceptance of the EU's request for the necessary WTO
authorisation. A tariff-only system is scheduled to take effect
on January 1, 2006. The European Union will begin negotiations
with producing countries necessary under WTO rules in good time
to introduce the tariff-only system from January 1, 2006.
Among the
provisions of the Agreement are the following:
§
Ecuador takes note that the European Commission will examine the
trade in organic bananas and report accordingly by 31December
2004.
§
Upon implementation of the import regime described in paragraph
C, Ecuador's right to suspend concessions or other obligations of
a level not exceeding US$201.6 million per year vis-à-vis the EC
will be terminated.
§
Ecuador will lift its reserve concerning the waiver of Article
I of the GATT 1994 that the EC has requested for preferential
access to the EC of goods originating in ACP states signatory to
the Cotonou Agreement; and will actively work towards promoting
the acceptance of an EC request for a waiver of Article XIII of
the GATT 1994 needed for the management of quota C under the
import regime described in paragraph C(2) until 31 December 2005.
§ The EC and Ecuador consider that this Understanding constitutes a mutually agreed solution to the banana dispute.
The Commission will
now table the necessary proposals to the Council of Ministers and
the European Parliament in order to fully implement the agreement
as soon as possible. Welcoming the agreement, European
Commissioner for Trade Pascal Lamy, European Commissioner for
Agriculture Franz Fischler, and Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Heinz
Moeller said: "It
is now possible to say that the major parties to the long running
banana dispute have been able to agree on a solution that
represents a fair balance between the competing interests.”
For further information see http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/miti/dispute/bana_ecu.htm
3.
UN LDC III CONFERENCE AND KEY/EUROSTEP NGO FORUM EVENTS –
MAY 10-20, BRUSSELS
| 10-12
May 170
Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels |
NGO
Forum Plenary Assembly |
| 14
May 11:00-13:00 Swissotel,
Rue Parnasse 19, 1050 Brussels |
Meeting
on ‘A new deal’ - This meeting will look for a
way in which to enforce the issues taken into
consideration in the LDC Conference, the WTO process, and
finance for development in the context of the Rio
Conference - Organised by Danish Association for
International Co-operation (MS) |
| 14
May |
UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan speaks at UN Conference on
LDC III Conference Tel: +32 2 502 4061 |
| 14
May Swissotel, Rue Parnasse 19 |
Meeting
on Market Access |
| 15
May 11:00 to 13:30 Swissotel, Rue Parnasse 19 |
Meeting
on Civil Society: European – Asian partnership
–Organised by Hivos |
| 15
May 14:00 to 17:00 EFTA Building, 74 rue de
Trèves, 1040 Brussels |
Meeting
on Globalizing Poverty: the Reality of Aid -
Organised by Eurostep, UNDP and Social Watch |
| 16
May 11:00 to 13:30 Swissotel,
Rue Parnasse 19 |
Meeting
on The targets for education for all
Organised
by Global Campaign for Education |
17 May 10:30 to 12:45 and 14:00 to 17:30 18 May 09:30 to 13:30 EFTA Building 74 rue de
Trèves |
Workshop
on Meeting the challenges and opportunities of civil
society participation in ACP-EU Cooperation - Organised
by Eurostep |
| 20
May |
Closing
of NGO Forum |
4.
IN BRIEF
Sustainable
development was included in the 16 priorities of the forthcoming
Belgian Presidency of the EU (July-December 2001) identified
Belgian Prime Minster Verhofstadt in a speech, to the press, this
week. The PAF will endeavour to bring you more news on the
Belgian Presidency in the near future.