Brussels, 13/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The 48 Heads of State and Government who are to meet on Friday in Madrid for the second EU/Latin America/Caribbean summit (see EUROPE of 11 May, p.7) will adopt an action plan for the implementation of a "strategic partnership", a political statement and a declaration on the "common values" of the two continents. The texts should be approved, on the European side, by the General Affairs Council meeting in Madrid on Thursday evening.
For now, both parties are still seeking to come to an agreement on points of difference. Cuba still expresses reticence about the wording on human rights to be included in the declaration on "common values", and the Caribbean countries, it seems, have doubts about the paragraphs devoted to the death penalty. The Central American and Andean countries are for their part seeking to obtain, in the political statement, a commitment by the European Union on opening trade talks. Their aim is to ensure there will be negotiated trade prospects for them after the 2004 deadline of the generalised system of preferences, whereby the EU grants them unilateral tariff concessions. The EU should, in Madrid, simply propose the launching of negotiations on cooperation agreements and political dialogue, together with measures to facilitate the implementation of commitments that will be taken in the context of multilateral trade talks launched by the WTO in Doha.
Reflecting the themes which will be at the heart of the debates, the summit is to announce the following initiatives:
Strengthening of the multilateral system for coordination of the positions of both continents at international meetings. Both parties are expected to undertake to promote the conclusion of all international agreements on terrorism and to strengthen their cooperation to combat drug trafficking. The Summit should also prepare for the coordination of positions for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, and restate the parties' commitment to contribute to the success of the new round of WTO multilateral negotiations.
The fight against social inequality. The European Commission is to propose at the summit a new initiative aimed at developing the capacities of the public authorities of the Latin American countries in this field. With a budget of EUR 30 million for the period 2002/2006, the initiative would be aimed at creating an information base on less advantaged populations; developing a methodology that is applicable to public spending; identifying targeted policies on poor populations; organising seminars to promote the sharing of experience between authorities, NGOs and fund providers; diffusing information to regional governments; and developing training actions.
Education. The launching of a study grant programme, ALBAN, will be announced at the summit. With a budget of EUR 88.5 million over 9 years (2002/2010), the programme will distribute EUR 19,200 on average for each grant from the academic year 2003/2004, for third cycle studies or advanced professional training in Europe.
The European Commission develops the content of these initiatives in its regional strategy document for Latin America, adopted in April. In the programming document, it presents the broad lines of its action for the period 2002/2006, within the budget of EUR 280 million foreseen for Latin America, and defined by the financial perspectives. The four areas of priority intervention will be: 1) the creation of networks between players of the civil society (EUR 161 million over four years) in the economic field (through the AL-INVEST programme for promoting the creation of joint ventures) and the academic field (ALFA programme); and 2) the reduction of social inequalities (EUR 30 million), through the initiative to be announced in Madrid. The Commission recalls in its document that growth in Latin America "is not accompanied by a corresponding rise in the income of the population" and that 200 million people out of 500 inhabitants are considered to be in a situation of poverty. It criticises the lack of effectiveness of public policies in the field of social exclusion (legislation, land rights, recognition of languages and cultures, etc.); 3) the preparation and prevention of natural disasters and reconstruction (EUR 40 million); and 4) the creation of an observatory for EU/Latin American relations (EUR 1.5 million). Actions should also be developed to foster sustainable energy management in Latin America (EUR 20 million) through the sharing of know-how. For Latin America as a whole, "CO2 emissions per capita are 2.6 tonnes compared to 1.9 tonnes in the OECD", stresses the Commission.