The fifth ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly, due to take place in Brussels on November 25-28, was cancelled earlier this week over disagreement on the participation of two parliamentary delegates from Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF. The Zimbabwean delegates were granted visas to Belgium, but were blacklisted from entering the buildings of the European Parliament due to EU sanctions against ZANU-PF. The cancellation became reality after the ultimate refusal of ACP delegations to accept this, in spite of attempts between assembly co-presidents Glenys Kinnock of the EP and ACP representative Adrien Houngbedji to reach agreement.

According to Ms Kinnock, the Zimbabwean choice of delegates was provocative, and the cancellation could have been avoided had Zimbabwe sent two other delegates. On the other hand, Mr Houngbedji saw the EP’s decision to uphold the blacklisting as an illegitimate example of European unilateralism. Attempts to reconcile the partners included plans to move the assembly to a different venue, and a suggestion that ACP delegates boycott the opening ceremony. In addition, draft resolutions on Zimbabwe would be withdrawn. The former suggestion was deemed ‘unrealistic’ by Ms Kinnock, whereas the latter was not accepted by the ACP delegations.

The cancellation was deplored by several members of Parliament, notably the Green members of the EP delegation, who in a press statement held that the decision to ban the Zimbabwean delegation was ‘undemocratic and reflects a colonialist and paternalistic attitude to the Cotonou Partnership Agreement’. The Greens felt that since the joint assembly is a body independent of the EP, any decision to alter the working practices should be taken by the ACP Joint Bureau or the ACP Plenary, not the EP. In the same vein, French communist Francis Wurtz criticised Ms Kinnock for avoiding debate on the cancellation.

An ACP press release from 25 November points to the fact that the European Council resolution on Zimbabwe does not encompass people ‘conducting political dialogue that promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe’, and states that this interpretation is in line with that of the Belgian foreign minister. The ACP delegations thus hold that the European side created the situation by upholding the ban on the Zimbabwean delegation, letting a third party interfere in the working of the Joint Assembly. According to the ACP statement, this means the decision to cancel has no legal basis.

In a 25 November press release from Glenys Kinnock, the ban on the Zimbabwean delegation is backed by the EP Resolution of 5 September. Derogating from this position would amount to displaying serious inconsistency towards the European electorate. Quoting EP President Pat Cox, Kinnock furthermore holds that the Zimbabwean delegates were parties to serious violations of human rights and the travel ban should be rigorously enforced. Lastly, Kinnock maintains that the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law are central to the Cotonou agreement and must apply to all parties.

Civil society representatives present in Brussels, both from Europe and ACP countries were concerned that the inability to resolve this situation posed real dangers to the democratic principles upon which the Joint Parliamentary Assembly is based, and to the EU’s co-operation with the ACP group. 

The quarrels notwithstanding, all parties declared their commitment to continued dialogue and co-operation. The next ACP-EU meeting is due to take place in the spring of 2003 in an ACP country.

On 28 November, ministers from 53 African countries and the EU member states gather in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for the second ministerial conference in the context of the EU/Africa political dialogue that was initiated in Cairo in 2000. The main themes of the meeting will include external debt, regional integration and trade, conflict prevention, human rights, democracy, AIDS and environmental issues. High on the agenda is also the preparation of the next joint summit of heads of states in Lisbon 2003.

EU Development Commissioner Poul Nielson is attending the meeting, and is due to visit the three African states of Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mali in the coming week. Nielson will meet with heads of state and government ministers of the countries, as well as civil society representatives. He will also visit EU-funded development projects in the three countries, in such fields as drinking water supply and timber working.

At it’s meeting on 18 November the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted essential elements a clause on joint management of migration flows and on compulsory readmission of illegal migrants.  Such a clause would be included in all future cooperation, association or equivalent agreements concluded between the European Community and other countries.  These elements cover dialogue on migration and the examination of causes for migration flows.  An obligation would also be required for the readmission of their nationals upon request and without further formalities, as well as arrangements for re-admission of third country nationals and stateless persons.  The Council also agreed that the EC should provide adequate assistance to implement this clause.  Negotiating Directives have yet to be given to the Commission on this issue.

The work of the External Affairs Working Group of the Convention is expected to finalise its report in the next week or so.  Following proposals for amendments to the draft conclusion of the group some additional language on development cooperation appearing in the report.  The report calls for a clarification of the objectives of EU development policy, and in this regards recognises that several members of the working group have called for establishing poverty reduction [and the eventual eradication] as the central aim of development co-operation, and that it should focus on low-income countries.  The addition of references to sustainable development have also been included.  This comes at a time when the Civil Society Contact Group are calling for the insertion of sustainable development, applicable both inside and outside the EU, within article 3 of the skeleton Constitution that was unveiled at the end of October.  This call, as part of the act4europe campaign, is directed towards the Plenary discussions in early December.  Sustainable development is an objective of the current Treaties, and civil society organisations say that future objectives have to be built on what already exists.

• Cuba, being the only one of the 77 ACP countries that has not signed the Cotonou agreement, was on Monday 25 November granted the right to partake in the first stage of the ACP-EU trade negotiations as an informal observer. The Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU, which granted the permission, will however reconsider it once the negotiations move beyond the first stage which include all ACP countries, and into the second which will go on at the national and regional levels.

• On 22 November a strategic document and indicative programme was signed between the EU and Djibouti to provide the framework for development co-operation in the period 2002-2007 under the Cotonou agreement. The programme includes development projects and poverty reduction, and allocates 34.8 million Euro from the 9th European Development Fund (EDF). Money from the EDF remains blocked, however, because of failure of all EU member states to ratify the Cotonou agreement.

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