Brussels, 30/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - As an economist specialising in international relations and trade and with his experience as a diplomat in Turkey and Egypt, in negotiating Croatia's entry into the WTO, then serving as minister for European affairs and deputy prime minister for European and foreign affairs and more recently as a commissioner in the Barroso II Commission, Neven Mimica sailed through his hearing at the European Parliament for the post of commissioner for international cooperation and development on Monday 29 September. He displayed confidence in replying to questions from members of the development committee, chaired Linda McAvan (S&D, United Kingdom), which sought to test his qualities for a position requiring both technical and political skills.
Development specialist MEPs expected Mimica to prove his commitment and the Croatian Social Democratic politician did not fail in this respect, immediately stating that he was prepared to “conduct a more coherent development policy” in order to respond to the many challenges facing the developing world: eradicating poverty, protecting human, women's and minority rights, failing states and the rise in the threat of terrorism. He said: “If I am confirmed in this position, I will use all my experience and commitment to ensure that the EU maintains its position as development champion. Such leadership is crucial, given the true strategic processes that await us: the post-2015 agenda and the agenda for revising the Cotonou agreement”.
His first priority will be negotiations on the global framework for post-2015 development, which, according to Mimica, should reflect ways of eradicating poverty and ensuring sustainability, whilst incorporating the principles of respect for human rights, equality, democratic values and the rule of law, as well as peace and security. He argued: “It will be necessary to bring all these aspects into a single, universal and comprehensive framework, which will apply to all countries to better help developing countries improve the way they build sustainable and inclusive societies, assume their responsibilities and take ownership of their own development initiatives”. A key element in the post-2015 process will be funding and its implementation, he added, already inviting member states to respect the commitment to collectively allocate at least 0.7% of the EU's GNI to public development aid in the next programming framework. Mimica believes that it will also be necessary for the EU to help its partners increase their national resources through better economic management, through tackling tax evasion and through more efficient tax systems. This new framework must be inclusive: ensuring the participation of civil society, business and citizens.
His second priority: launching negotiations for a revised framework for the Cotonou agreement between the EU and the ACP countries, as well as strengthening the partnership with Africa. Mimica said: “The post-Cotonou agreement framework will have to be adapted to new situations and reflect the results from the post-2015 process. It cannot be a simple extension of what has been done in the past. The ACP group is already thinking about it and we have to do the same”. He appealed for the future framework “to be based on a very strong partnership” that includes good governance, respect for fundamental rights, the fight against tax havens and combating tax evasion. In reply to questions from Adam Koza (EPP, Hungary) and Louis Joseph Manscour (S&D, France) on the subject, Mimica expressed his intention to launch a broad public consultation on the EU's new approach to the post-Cotonou framework. He stated that “we need to adapt the framework to a new situation. We could envisage agreeing on a raft of fundamental principles incorporating the entirety of our cooperation, which would enable us to then develop specific programmes for Africa, certain countries and groups of countries”. (EH)