Brussels, 17/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, President of the EU's General Affairs Council, is to be in Greenland from 18 to 20 August in the framework of negotiations over the renewal of the EU-Greenland Fisheries Agreement. This visit follows the one Romano Prodi made there early-July and precedes the one by the European Commissioner for Development Poul Niselson whose trip is scheduled for the end of the month. Deadlines beginning to be urgent - the current "Protocol" ends on 31 December - official visits are being stepped up, whereas the Council has finally provided the Commission with a precise brief for these negotiations.
Indeed, early-August, the Fifteen adopted the brief that the Commission had proposed end-June (see EUROPE of 29 June, p.14). This brief proposes clearly distinguishing fishing rights from aid to development. The different protocols that have succeeded each other since Greenland left the EU (but not Denmark) in 1985 only mention fishing rights, but these - currently 37.7 million euro a year - were well above the real possibilities for catches, and de facto comprised aid to Greenland, which was not, however, presented as such. The Commission has therefore as brief to introduce such a distinction and to include in the new fisheries protocol a mid-term review (in 2003) of the "aid to development" element, so as possibly to put in place "new instruments".
The new agreement should be finalised at the next negotiating meeting, mid-September, says Greenland's representative to Brussels. Lars Vesterbirk welcomes the fact that the EU has "finally" adopted a negotiating brief, but stresses that, for Greenland, what is most important remains that the Community contribution should remain at its present level. Greenland would of course have preferred a comprehensive agreement this year already, but acknowledges that postponing the revision of the provisions on aid to development to 2003 constitutes a "compromise" between the two positions and will allow them to account of next year's revision of the agreement that ties the EU to Overseas Territories, of which Greenland is part but without receiving any other aid than that provided for by the fisheries agreement. Meanwhile, Greenland would like to "know more about the Commission's intentions for after 2003", and requests that the distinction between fishing rights and the contribution to development is not made before that date.