PAF PROACTIVE FILE    Regular News Update from Eurostep
24 January 2003
No. 299 
1.   European Parliament Development Committee discussion with EU Development Commissioner
The European Commissioner, Poul Nielson presented the Commission’s priorities for 2003 to the European Parliament Development Committee this week. The Commission informed the Committee that health, education, water and energy, which had been set as focal areas of European Commission interventions in 2002, will remain priorities in 2003. On health, the Commission wants to create a single Community policy framework to guide investment in health, AIDS and population growth. Regarding education and training, support will be given to basic education with a strong commitment to gender equality. To be consistent with these engagements the Commission will increase aid volumes, promoting at the same time a greater effectiveness and transparency of aid. A proposal made in November on untying aid is supposed to underpin this approach.
Other policy proposals for 2003 were announced as the following:
The Commissioner also spoke on the reform of the Commission’s external services, stating that process will focus particularly on unifying the external services and the completion of the de-concentration of responsibilities to the EU delegations.
On ACP-EU co-operation, Mr Nielson announced that the European Commission would be presenting a Communication on the case for budgetisation of the European Development Fund this year.
2.    Nielson accuses United States of Lying about EU development policy on GMOs
EU Development Commissioner, Poul Nielson, has refuted Washington’s claims that the EU is letting people starve in Africa by persuading them not to eat genetically modified (GM) food. An article in the European Voice this week has Mr Nielson reacting to comments from Robert Zoellick, the US trade secretary, who claimed earlier this month that famine-struck Zambia is reluctant to accept GM maize in aid because the EU is spreading stories about the dangers of GM foods.
The Commissioner states “According to our view, we don’t see any problem with human consumption [of this food]; We also made it clear that it’s not up to us or any other outside country to prescribe or dictate the policy of any other country”.  According to a Commission source there has been much anger over Mr Zoellick’s claims and Mr Nielson is said to have threatened to start spreading falsehoods about the US if Washington did not stop lying about EU policy.
The row is part of a wider dispute stemming from US anger over the EU’s four-year ban on import of GM crops. The Commissioner has expressed his surprise over the US’s refusal to mill GM maize it offers to Zambia in order to ensure that the maize is used solely for consumption and not for planting. The cost of milling was to be met by the World Food Programme.
Further to Mr Nielson comments, the EU Commissioner for Trade, Pascal Lamy has also written an article in the European Voice. On sending GM maize to Africa, the trade Commissioner states:
“Several issues are at stake. These include in particular, health and environmental consideration and intellectual property rights. .. Rather than trying to impose GMOs on developing countries, the US should consider entering into a broader positive dialogue that would be more conducive to public acceptance of the technology. .. Choices for developing countries should not be limited to accept GM food aid or starve”
Many observers including civil society organisations have criticised the policy of exploiting the vulnerability of developing countries by dumping GM products on developing countries even as the debate on their safety continues.
3.     EU agrees to framework agreement with Bangladesh
The EU this week approved a National Indicative Programme (2003-2005) for co-operation with Bangladesh. The European Commission has earmarked € 411.5 million to finance projects in four priority areas identified with the agreement of the recipients of the aid. The allocation of the funds will be as follows: €120 million to Basic Health; €135 million to Education; €95 million to Food Security and rural development co-operation; €23 million to Trade.
In addition 7.5 million will be allocated outside the priority sectors to support peace, small projects in local communities and also a long-term action plan concerning water and natural resources, and 31.5 million will be used to strengthen democracy.
More information concerning the NIP can be obtained on the following web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/bangladesh/sp/index.htm
4.    In brief




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