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The
Civil Society Contact Group (CSCG), which follows the Convention
of the Future of Europe held its last meeting before the summer break this
week after 6 months of intensive work, supported mostly by the Social Platform
of NGOs. During this meeting a sort of strategy was agreed, which could
be summarised in two points: a) Now that the listening phase has ended
at Brussels level, it is time to promote inputs in the Contact Group set
up for each sector; b) There is a crucial need to focus on organising
and promoting work and dialogue at national level. Eurostep
sent a letter to the ex-chair of the Contact group for development in the
Convention – Mr Henning Christophersen. The letter thanks him for having
listened to the NGDOs and points to “the disappointment that the decision
has now been taken not to set a separate Working Group on development”.
Development issues are included in the Working Group on the Common Foreign
Security Policy (CFSP) and therefore the NGDOs will seek “to engage
Mr Dehaene (new chair) and the members of the External Relations Working
Group to pursue further dialogue on the future development policy perspectives
of the Union. However, in the absence of a specific Working Group
on development Eurostep’s letter proposes further discussions in
early Autumn “as a follow-up to the June meeting of the Contact Group
and the hearing with civil society representatives. (See www.eurostep.org)
The
CSCG was set up in February in Brussels with the aim of developing a structured
relationship with the Presidium of the Convention. Eurostep has
been represented since the launch of the CSCG. The objective is to bring
together representative elements of civil society in order to promote their
concerns and to encourage a broad, deep, and regular consultation by the
Convention of Civil society through the work of the forum and the Hearings
(24/25 June). It is composed of four representative European ‘families’
of sectoral NGO groupings, i.e. environmental NGOs, social NGOs, development
NGOs, human rights NGOs and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
It meets regularly and produces work to encourage and promote a meaningful
consultation and co-ordination of all levels of civil society. (See the
toolkit on www.socialplatform.org/Document.asp?DocID=593
as one of the example of their involvement).
The
Convention on the Future of Europe is the body chaired by Valery Giscard
d’Estaing, meeting in Brussels over the next year to make proposals on
the future direction for the EU. One of the tasks is to propose solutions
to the difficulties of EU governance in a broader Union (enlargement) by
amongst others through amendments to EU’s treaties. Part of its work
– which is not seen as its most important some Convention members – is
to listen to civil society actors and provide space and time for their
inputs in the debate on the future of Europe.
2. NADI
DECLARATION ADOPTED BY ACP-EU SUMMIT – PACIFIC NGOS ISSUE RECOMMENDATIONS
PAPER TO HEADS OF STATE
As
expected ACP Head of States adopted the Nadi Declaration at the close of
their Summit in Nadi, Fiji last week (See PAF 280). The Declaration mainly
addresses multilateral trade, debt relief and the forthcoming ACP-EU trade
negotiations. Considerable importance is also given to the forthcoming
UN Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
ACP
Heads of State in the Declaration renew their commitment to place the campaign
against poverty at the heart of all development strategies. In this respect,
regional initiatives such as NEPAD, the Caribbean Single Market and the
establishment of the African Union are welcomed.
On
relations with the EU, the Declaration calls for more frank and regular
dialogue meetings with the EU and appropriate EU ministerial representation
at ACP-EU ministerial meetings. ACP Heads of States state that the Economic
Partnership Agreements that will be negotiated with the EU should consolidate
regional integration processes and include a development component.
The need to improve market access for ACP states and the elimination of
EU export subsidies are also emphasised. ACP Heads of State also express
their concern about EU pronunciations on migration. The move to link
the control of migration to the provision of aid is rejected by the ACP
who call on the EU to initiate bilateral discussions with the ACP states
on the control of migration.
Regarding
the Johannesburg Summit, the Declaration calls on the rich countries respect
their commitment to allocate 0.7% of the GDP to development aid, for an
increase in the untying of aid, and the implementation of the commitments
made at the Rio Summit ten years ago.
On
debt servicing the Declarations calls for an extension of the HIPC initiative
to heavily indebted countries, which are not necessarily least developed
countries. ACP states also pledge to explore ways of cancelling all
intra ACP-debt.
On
multilateral trade, ACP States reiterate the view that any trade liberalisation
in ACP states should be gradual. This should go hand in hand with strengthened
preferential treatment not only for LDCs but also small landlocked or island
countries. See http://www.acpsec.org/fiji/en/nadi-declaration-en.pdf
for a full copy of the Declaration.
Further
to the Declaration, Fiji’s Prime Minister, Laisena Qarasa informed the
press that the ACP Council of Ministers had been given the mandate to ensure
suitable coordination of the ACP within the WTO as well as examine the
possibility of creating an ACP free trade zone.
The ACP Presidency in Office is also entrusted with the responsibility
of representing the ACP at the Johannesburg Summit. The ACP also aims
to organise ACP festival and create ACP cultural foundation as a tool to
promote cultural industries. ACP Heads of States also decided that the
4th ACP Summit would be held in Mozambique in 2004.
On
the occasion of the Summit, Pacific Concerns Resource Centre, which is
the ACP focal point for Pacific civil society organisations, and the National
Council of Women in Fiji, put out paper with recommendations to the ACP
Heads of States. The paper urges the ACP to
arrest any further move for free market capitalism that the Doha Development
Agenda negotiations will be exploring in the future. ACP
member states are urged to be alert that the EU will go beyond the conclusions
made in Doha and in expanding the WTO agenda. ACP member states are
encouraged to consider that the push for trade liberalisation undermines
the very principles of human rights, democracy and good governance, which
are considered as “essential” and “fundamental elements” of the Cotonou
Agreement. Furthermore ACP and EU member states are encouraged to ensure
that gender issues and concerns are incorporated into the framework of
trade negotiations and related activities such as impact analyses, implementation
and review processes.
The
paper also calls on the ACP to adhere and to implement international fisheries
principles towards the long-term sustainability of marine resources. It
is also recommended that ACP states support the Kyoto protocol.
EU
member states are urged to ensure that the ACP related institutions at
national, regional and international levels engage the participation of
non-state actors in all trade dialogue processes through indicative measures
of allocation of resources as evident in programming.Both
ACP and EU member states are urged to institutionalise the participation
of non-state actors in the implementation of Cotonou Agreement at
all levels
of dialogue processes(programming,
trade and political matters) in line with Article 6 of theCotonou
Agreement. For a full copy of the paper contact [email protected]
3. IN
BRIEF
EU
Governments have agreed to a European Commission request to release €
65 million in emergency aid to meet the humanitarian crisis in Southern
Africa, Afghanistan and Palestine.
The
European Commission adopted a communication to fight rural poverty this
week. The Communication emphasises equitable access to means of production,
sustainable resources management, tackling social and political exclusion,
reducing vulnerability to risk; and support to economic sectoral policies
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