Brussels, 10/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - Last week in Strasbourg, the Parliament adopted the report by Richard Howitt (PES, United Kingdom) on the Commission's communication on the participation of non-governmental players in the Union's development policy. Although it welcomes the Commission's intention to strengthen the participation of the civil society in the development process, it considers that this goal cannot be reached without involving non-governmental players in the development of documents relating to this European policy, regional strategic documents for each country, as well as the development of national indicative programmes. MEPs note in this respect that, contrary to all the principles set out by the Commission, the non-state players of the North and the South were not consulted when the communication concerning them was drawn up.
MEPs consider that the dialogue with non-state players must be North/South dialogue, but also South/South dialogue between the local non-governmental players and the national authorities in developing countries. They call for the funds allocated by the EU budget to NGOs of developing countries to be increased in order to improve decentralised cooperation.