MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

16.3.2006

further to Question for Oral Answer B6‑0006/2006
pursuant to Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez, Margrietus van den Berg, Glenys Kinnock and María Elena Valenciano Martínez-Orozco
on behalf of the PSE Group
on the revision of the Cotonou Agreement and setting of the amount for the 10th EDF - Committee on Development

B6‑0200/2006

European Parliament resolution on the revision of the Cotonou Agreement and setting of the amount for the 10th EDF - Committee on Development

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the modifications of the ACP-EU partnership agreement, signed in Luxembourg on 24 June 2005, and particularly annex I(bis) concerning the ‘multiannual framework of cooperation regarding the revised Cotonou Agreement’,

–  having regard to the Commission Communication ‘Towards the full integration of cooperation with ACP countries in the EU budget’ (COM(2003)590),

–  having regard to the European Council’s conclusions of 15 and 16 December 2005, particularly point 70 and annex II concerning the respective contributions of Member States to ACP,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Budgetisation of the European Development Fund adopted on 1 April 2004, Political challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007-2013, adopted on 8 June 2005 and A development Strategy for Africa, adopted on 17 November 2005,

–  having regard to the commitments Member States made in 2005, and particularly,

-  that the EU and its Member States will reach the UN target of 0.70% of EU/GNI by 2015 which would increase the EU’s contribution to the Millennium Development Goals from € 33 billion in 2003 to more than € 84 billion by 2015 (European Council, June 2005),

• -an intermediate EU target of 0.56% shall be reached by 2010 which would take EU ODA flows to € 67 billion (EU Council Summit, June 2005),
• -the EU and other donors will double aid to Africa and therefore provide Africa with USD 25 billion in ODA by 2010[1] (G8 Summit, July 2005),

–  having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas Annex 1 bis of the revised Cotonou Agreement states that ‘For this period, the European Union will maintain its aid effort for ACP countries at least at the same level as that of the 9th EDF, not including balances; to this should be added, based on Community estimates, the effects of inflation, growth within the European Union, and enlargement to 10 new Member States in 2004’,

B.  whereas, whilst the Commission had initially calculated an amount of € 24.948 million for the 10th EDF for the period 2008-2013 (6 years), the European Council, during its meeting in Brussels on the 15-16 December 2005, agreed on an amount of just € 22.682 million,

C.  whereas this reduction of € 2 billion is in contradiction with the commitments of the Union in regard to Annex 1 bis of the revised Cotonou Agreement and does not reflect the numerous political pledges committed to in 2005 for a substantial increase of development aid,

D.  whereas the ACP countries would not have given their assent to the revised Cotonou Agreement without the inclusion of Annex 1 bis concerning financing, and there is therefore a need for the member States of the EU to stand by their commitments,

E.  whereas the enlargement of the EU to include Romania and Bulgaria is scheduled for 2007,

F.  whereas East Timor acceded to the Cotonou Agreement on 15 December 2005,

G.  whereas the concern expressed by the OCTs concerning their exclusion from the 10th EDF and the uncertainty as regards cooperation between the OCTs and the EU,

H.  whereas the primary objectives of the Cotonou Agreement are the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and the progressive integration of ACP countries into the world economy; whereas all ACP and EU states are committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals,   

I.  whereas political dialogue is of increased importance in the revised Cotonou Agreement and development must support the respect of human rights as well as sustainable development,

1.  Regrets that the overall amount for the 10th EDF decided by the European Council is below the original calculation of the Commission;

2.  Regrets that the plethora of political commitments made in 2005 in support of substantial increases in official development aid (ODA) have not been translated into a substantial increase in the contributions of Member States to the EDF; underlines that the proposed amount for the10th EDF would amount to only 0,028% of Member States’ GDP;

3.  Deplores that, on the one hand, Member States have made commitments to increase development aid but on the other hand, if the level of the 10th EDF remains at that fixed by the European Council, the overall levels of ODA managed by the Commission will go from 19% to just 14% by 2015, it making this a de facto re-nationalisation of development policy;

4.  Calls on the Member States to consider significantly raising their contributions to the 10th EDF;

5.  Calls on the Council and Commission to clarify how the development dimension of the Economic Partnership Agreements, currently under negotiation, will be financed; stresses that any such financing must come from new additional resources that do not affect the current EDF commitments as regards achieving the MDGs;

6.  Urges the Council to provide fresh and new money for ‘aid for trade’ programmes and insists that such programmes should not shift resources already earmarked for other development initiatives, such as the Millennium Development Goals;

7.  Calls on the Council to ensure that the contributions of Romania and Bulgaria to the 10th EDF will be additional once they have acceded to the EU;

8.  Calls on the Council to take into account the accession of East Timor to the Partnership Agreement and that aid directed towards this new country should clearly be additional as regards the formula described in Annex 1 bis of the revised Cotonou Agreement;

9.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to clarify as soon as possible the question of future financing of cooperation with OCTs;

10.  Calls on the Council and Commission to clarify the future financing of the African Union, including what level of financing should come from the MEDA programme;

11.  Recalls that all EDF expenditure must satisfy the ODA eligibility criteria, as defined by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee;

12.  Calls on the Commission to take the lead in ensuring coordination between the Member States in order to enhance the effectiveness of both EU and bilateral development funding;

13.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council of the EU, the EU Member States and heads of Government, the Governments of the ACP countries and the European Commission.

• [1]  In comparison to 2004 levels, this amounts to a doubling of aid