Brussels, 11/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - Speaking before the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Commissioner Poul Nielson placed emphasis on the need to enhance the effectiveness of aid in the framework of the new development partnership signed in Cotomou. Referring to a genuine strategy to tackle the roots of poverty, he set out as priorities: (1) capacity building and the sound management of public affairs, (2) development of the private sector, (3) account being taken of gender equality and environmental concerns in development policy. In future, financial resources will be focused in a sector programme approach (instead of distributing credits between projects of different sizes), and procedures will be simplified.