Brussels, 23/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's development committee is calling for a financial instrument that is proper to the overseas countries and territories (OCT), that is, quite separate from the European Development Fund, which currently finances not only cooperation with the 79 ACP (African/Caribbean/Pacific) countries but also that with the OCT. Meeting in Brussels on 22 September to reach a stance on the draft budget 2012, the committee backed the amendment submitted by Maurice Ponga (EPP, France). “This is a powerful political signal that the development committee is sending to the budgets committee - one that says we need a financial instrument for OCTs”, the MEP from New Caledonia was pleased to state.
With this amendment endorsed by a very large majority (19 votes for, 1 vote against), the development committee calls for the setting in place of a cooperation instrument dedicated to the overseas countries and territories in so far as the objective of their association with the European Union, as foreseen in Article 198 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, is not to combat poverty but to promote economic and social development and establish close economic relations between these territories and the EU as a whole. (AN/transl.jl)