Brussels, 31/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The debates that dominated the Development Council on Thursday in Brussels allowed ministers and the European Commission to specify what they plan to do to improve the effectiveness of European aid to developing countries and make conflict prevention an instrument for development cooperation. On Thursday evening, the Council continued discussions on this last subject. We give below an overview of the first results:
Reform of external aid management: The Council adopted conclusions inviting the Commission to continue reform under way in its services and recognising that Member States have a role to play for increasing aid efficiency, mainly by increasing the coordination of their intervention on the ground. The Council calls on the Commission to submit to it each year in the autumn a progress report and an action programme for the coming year.
Anti-personnel mines: The Council adopted a "common position" on two regulations.
AIDS: On the eve of the session, the Council discussed with Gro Harlem, WHO Executive Secretary, on the UN initiative in favour of a world fund for health and for combating AIDS. The joint Commission/Council declaration adopted in the wake welcomes this initiative and announces the EU to this fund with additional resources allocated to combating the three main transmissible diseases - AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
Link between emergency aid and rehabilitation. The Council adopted conclusions that recommend flexibility in country by country strategy documents and in decision making procedures in order to promote the rapid implementation of aid. Flexibility is also recommended in the intervention of ECHO (EC Humanitarian Aid Office) so that humanitarian personnel may, according to the case in hand, assure aid required when the changeover to other instruments cannot be done easily within the period immediately after the emergency period.
Sustainable development: The Council adopted its conclusions on its strategy for integrating environmental policies with a view to the European Summit in Gothenburg, as well as a resolution on sustainable transport in development cooperation, stressing that European aid to this sector in LDC must be consistent with national programmes for eradicating poverty.