PAF ProActive File - Regular News Update from Eurostep

No. 338

5 December 2003

1. OUTCOME OF THE ACP MINISTERIAL MEETING

The group of ACP countries will continue to participate actively and constructively to the post-Cancun process in view of gaining a satisfactory conclusion to negotiations in the framework of the Doha work programme. This was confirmed by Mompati Merafhe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and international cooperation in Botswana, following the 78th session of the Council of ACP Ministers that he chaired. He declared that, ". We don't have the choice but to cooperate on trade issues. We want to cooperate with all those of good faith. We have to give a political boost to kick start negotiations, which will obviously need a compromise on the behalf of all players". ACP Trade Ministers reasserted the importance of a more balanced and fair multilateral trade system, which is transparent and contains a decision-making mechanism that is open to all. They called on the general Council of the WTO to priorities new negotiations on essential issues of interest to developing countries such as special and differentiated treatment, implementation, the particular situation of less advanced countries, the work programme for small economies and rules on regional trade agreements.

ACP countries believed that the declaration that they had published before Cancun is still up-to-date but are ready, if needs be, to adjust their position after suitable consultations. A mandate in this direction was therefore given to their ambassadors in Brussels.The main decisions adopted by the ACP are as follows:

Cotton: A solution needs to be found regarding the devastating effects of export subsidies from rich countries on the economies of African cotton producing countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad). This remains a vital issue for the countries involved and should be dealt with separately and not in the overall negotiations on farming. The Council decided to set up a Ministerial Follow-up Committee on the cotton dossier and mandated the Committee of Ambassadors to prepare an EDF-financed project aimed at strengthening the cotton network.

Market access for non-agricultural products: The ACP is worried by the erosion of preferences that could lead to new tariff reductions, the ACP is requesting the instant carrying out of an impact study and the maintaining of a level of preferences that is sufficient and necessary for allowing gradual and harmonious integration of ACP countries in the world economy.

Singapore issues: The ACP countries do not think that these issues are either the cause of the failure in Cancun or the key for getting out of the impasse but rather a diversion for avoiding the essential questions, which they regard as agriculture and cotton. The group notes that the unbundling of these issues is "irreversible".

2. COOPERATION AND CONSULTATION CLOSED BETWEEN EU AND CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Cooperation between the EU and the Central African Republic has been partially suspended under the article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement. The Council’s decision to this was taken as a result of uncertainty surrounding the return to law and order following the 15^th march coup d’état. Sanctions will apply to road building projects and macro-economic aid under the 9^th EDF. Full aid will not start until democracy is restored and the rule of law returns. This should take place by 2005 at the latest, when the next elections are due.

3. EUROSTEP SEMINAR ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION POLICY ON TALLINN ESTONIA.

Eurostep together with the Open Estonia Foundation and the Estonian Ministry for Foreign Affairs organised a Conference in Tallinn on European Development Policy in the context of enlargement and the Intergovernmental Conference.

Mall Hellam, executive director of the Open Estonia Foundation and Priit Kolbre, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs launched the debates by welcoming a large audience to the “first meeting on EU development Policy in Estonia”. Priit Kolbre stressed the “very good co-operation taking place between the Estonian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Open Estonia Foundation and Eurostep” in the context of this meeting but also in the framework of the Intergovernmental Conference. Simon Stocker director of Eurostep thanked “Estonian civil society for its contribution to the debate on the future of Europe while hoping that this seminar was just the launch of a long term collaboration”.

A large majority of speakers recognised that the Estonian experience of a transition from recipient to donor country was a good opportunity to contribute significantly to EU’s development policy. The Finnish Director General for the Department for Development Policy, Ritva Jolkkonen, stressed the importance of partnership principles in Development Policy. Mr. Kolbre underlined the fact that partnership is a key point for Estonia as “assistance has to be honest, respect needs, be personalised … the best development policy places recipients and donors as equal partners”.

Margit Säre from the Peipsi Center for Transboundary Co-operation, illustrated the role played by the partnership principles in Estonia’s aid by giving concrete examples of development projects in which Estonian and Albanian NGOs were put as equal partners and Florent Sebban a Policy Advisor from Eurostep stressed “the importance given to the Cotonou principles of partnership, ownership and participation by New Member States representatives within the Convention on the Future of Europe”

After the Conclave meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference in Naples and before the last gathering of European Heads of States, which is set to finalise the European Constitution, many debates were centred around the European Constitution and the place of Development in this European legal framework. A large consensus emerged among participants on the fact that the development and humanitarian aid principles within the draft Treaty (artIII-218 and III-223) were satisfactory and Henrik Hololei, chief government counsellor on EU affairs confirmed that Estonia was satisfied with those articles.

However, Norbert Sagstetter from the European Commission and Simon Stocker both stressed that good development and humanitarian principles would not be applicable if the new institutional structure negotiated among Heads of States and Governments within the Intergovernmental Conference was defining development and humanitarian aid as a tool for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), as proposed by the Italian presidency in its amendment suggestion for article I-27. This modification would allow the future European Foreign Minister to adapt external community policies (trade, development co-operation, humanitarian aid) to the objectives of the CFSP.

Such a change in the draft Treaty proposed by the European Convention would make the European Foreign Minister primarily accountable even when s/he was acting on community competencies. Simon Stocker declared that “this proposal would destroy the institutional balance, an important basis of the European Union, and it is contradictory to the Laeken objective of bringing the Union closer to its people”. He concluded saying that “the outcome on this article, expected in the last meeting of the IGC on 12-13 December, is crucially important and will influence our decision on whether to accept or reject the constitution”.