Brussels, 26/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - In a policy document approved on Wednesday at the initiative of Commissioner Poul Nielson, the European Commission defined the new European policy guidelines for development aid, which make the eradication of poverty the main goal of Community intervention and focuses Community activity on several fundamental missions in order to achieve greater effectiveness.
To this end, the Commission proposes to gear the future Community policy to three main aims: - development cooperation and financial aid of direct benefit to the poor; - intensified political dialogue; - economic and commercial cooperation conceived to facilitate the progressive and harmonious integration of developing countries in the world economy. It also plans to focus its efforts on fields where Community intervention may present comparative advantages or added value. We give the six areas identified: 1) development trade, 2) integration and regional cooperation, 3) macro-economic policies linked to poverty eradication strategies (mainly the strengthening of social sectors such as health and education, reliable and lasting transport which plays a crucial role in access to basic social services; 4) food safety and sustainable rural development strategies; 5) strengthening of institutional capacities; 6) the good management of public affairs.
To ensure quality implementation of this new development policy, the Commission intends further ensuring that the beneficiaries of the aid are players in the development process, through greater participation in civil society. It will also try to improve coordination between the Community's aid to development programmes, those of Member States and those of other international donors. Finally, it will make sure it avoids inconsistencies between its development cooperation policy and other Community policies that have an impact on developing countries (like trade policy, agricultural policy or fisheries policy), so as to prevent efforts made to play in favour of development being undermined by the harmful effects of other policies.
The document approved by the Commission following several discussions within the college mergers into a single general policy declaration the results of the open consultation of last March on the working paper entitled "The European Community's Development Policy" (see EUROPE of 3 March, p.10) and the paper on the coherence of Community policies which has been expected some time now. It will be presented to the Development Council of 18 May, in the form of a communication to the Council and Parliament.