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PAF ProActive File - Regular News Update from Eurostep

No. 306
14 March 2003

1. Civil Society from the South urges the President of the Convention to preserve acquis communitaire on development goals

Following the discussion on the values, objectives and competences of the EU in the plenary sessions of the Convention of the Future of Europe on 27th of February and 5th of March, a delegation of representatives of civil society from developing countries, who are partners of Eurostep, have written a joint letter to Mr. Giscard d’Estaing, President of the Convention. The letter urges him to include a number of points in the EU Constitutional Treaty in order to preserve the acquis communautaire on development goals.

On the one hand it seems clear that the debates in the last informal plenary session of the Convention on the 5th of March were in line with some of the concerns of southern civil society, as the group urged the President of the Convention to “ensure that all future activity of the EU is strictly in conformity with its development goals, in accordance with the principle of coherence”. But Southern civil society also urges Mr. Giscard d’Estaing to go further in the Constitution by ensuring that “development policy and humanitarian assistance remain adequate and independent political and administrative aspects within the institutional set up of the future Europe”.

See http://www.eurostep.org/strategy/future/letter%20civ%20south.htm

2. East and Souther African civil society organisations meet on the Cotonou Agreement

A regional meeting of civil society organisations and regional networks from East and Southern Africa will take place in Maputo on March 20-21, 2003. The main objective of the meeting is to map out a way forward for civil society action in the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, (the Cotonou Agreement), which covers aid and trade relations between the European Union and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Civil society's concerns in relation to EU-ACP cooperation were put forward during civil society meetings in Gaborone 2000 and in Brussels in 2001. The Gaborone Statement to SADC and EU Foreign Ministers, signed by over 40 civil society organisations, states that:

"The relationship between Africa and Europe remains both unequal and inequitable. Such is the widening gap between the two, that the concept of partnership is illusory. .. objectives such as those set out in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement of "integrating ACP countries into the world economy" threaten to undermine regional integration and marginalize ordinary men and women from participating in the mainstream economic and political activity. .. We note the spaces being created for civil society participation in these processes, and are determined to use these spaces effectively. "

The Maputo meeting aims to put together a framework for action to take these issues forward at the regional and national levels, particularly around the areas of advocacy, information and research. The meeting will also tackle the issue of capacity building Thematic areas of the meeting will be on a) the most recent developments on the trade negotiations; b) economic cooperation and regional integration; c) EU-ACP aid programmes, particularly the country strategy papers as a framework for development cooperation activities; d) political dialogue

The meeting is co-organised by the FOCCESA Economic Justice Network, the Economic Justice Coalition (Mozambique), the Institute for Global Dialogue (South Africa) and MWENGO (East and Southern Africa). For more information, please contact: Nancy Kachingwe (MWENGO): [email protected]

3. EU Trade Commissioner pascal Lamy visits India

The objective of EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy’s visit to India this week is to identify areas of common interest and co-operation, in advance of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun (Mexico) next September. Mr Lamy expects to meet with India’s Minister of Trade, Minister of Agriculture, members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee and representatives from the business community and civil society.

Regarding multilateral issues, EU and Indian representatives will examine the opening up of markets for trade in industrial goods and services. The EU and India will also discuss how to provide more flesh and bones to the promises made to developing countries on Special and Differentiated Treatment.

On a bilateral level, India and the EU, are currently preparing an action plan, based on the recommendations made by business communities on improving trade and investment. Some points to be tackled are Indian quotas on a certain number of European products, non-tariff barriers that clash with the different European sectors such, notably cars, steel, foodstuffs and sanitary standards.

4. In brief

The European Parliament’s Development Committee will organise a mini-hearing on the European Commission’s Communication on the Participation of Non-State Actor’s EU Development Policy on 18 March at 9 am. Eurostep’s Director Simon Stocker is among the panellists.
DWHH a member organisation of Eurostep will organise a workshop on the Cotonou Agreement and Civil Society on behalf of Eurostep in Haiti on 18 March. The workshop, which will include presentations from the EU Delegation in Haiti and the Haitian National Authorising Officer will tackle issues such as the involvement of civil society in the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement, priority sectors of intervention for civil society, and civil society monitoring of the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement.
The European Commission has granted € 8 million in humanitarian aid to Colombia. Most of this aid will be used to provide food, bed sheets, cooking sets and hygiene products for around 200 000 people in the country who have been displaced by the conflict. Financing will also be directed to promote social integration of displaced persons in reception areas. Since 1985 almost three million people have been forced out of their homes and more than 300 000 newly displaced in 2002.
The institute of European Environment Policy recently produced a report for the World Wildlife Fund, in which it states that the new fishing agreements that the EU is trying to negotiate with four African countries (Senegal, Angola, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe) are better than the earlier ones but still not sustainable environmentally, socially or economically. The agreements do not set limits for catches.
The EU contribution to alleviation of the humanitarian crisis in sub-Saharan Africa has reached € 412 million. The aid is allocated to countries affected by food shortages, poor climatic conditions, political and economic problems, and the impact of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho.
The European Commission is granting almost € 2 million to Congo-Brazzaville for alleviation of the Ebola virus and financing of President Sasou Nguesso’s troops and militia. Aid for the victims of the ongoing conflict will focus on displaced persons and vulnerable people in rural areas. About 100,000 people living in the conflict zone are currently inaccessible to aid workers. At the end of this month Congo will host the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
The European Parliament’s Development Committee will organise a hearing on Education for All on 18 March at 3PM. The Hearing will discuss the Commission Communication on Education and Training in the Context of Poverty Reduction in Developing Countries. See http://www.europarl.eu.int/hearings/20030318/deve/programme_en.pdf for further information.