Rome, 13/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - The sixth session of the joint ACP/EU Parliamentary Assembly, co-chaired by Glenys Kinnock and Adrien Houngbedji, began work on Monday in Rome. For three days, it will cover a broad range of political, economic and social issues of common interest for the 77 countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and their European partners, in the context of the Cotonou Agreement. The aim of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) is to adopt emergency solutions to two topical issues - evaluation of the WTO ministerial conference in Cancun and negotiation of the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) between the Union and integrated ACP regional entities. Three other resolutions should be adopted on the rights of children, the use of EDF resources, sustainable management and the conservation of natural resources in ACP countries, on the basis of reports prepared by the standing committees of the Assembly (committees on political affairs, social affairs and the environment, economic development, finance and trade).
As soon as the JPA opened, Adrien Houngbedi set the backdrop by saying: "The working structures needed have now been created to allow parliamentarians to be involved in the ACP/EU partnership. There is, of course, still a great deal to be done. The role of the parliamentarians has still to be strengthened in trading negotiations in general and in those of the economic partnership agreements in particular. Liberalisation of trade must not make the current global imbalance worse. It is remarkable that members of the JPA took part in the Cancun conference, and the Assembly should be able to follow EPA negotiations at regional level. These agreements must be seen above all as an instrument for development aimed at strengthening the capacity of ACP countries". Walter Veltroni, MEP and Mayor of Rome, stressed that there are many threats common to Europeans and to ACP States - hunger, health threats and conflicts - and that it is not by looking inwards and by adopting even more stringent legislation on immigration that such threats will be resolved. In his view, the answer lies in cooperation with a view to encouraging economic development, combating AIDS and finding solutions to conflicts. The answer also lies in putting an end to protectionism, and in the concomitant development of democratisation and civil society in ACP countries.
Glenys Kinnock, for her part, recalled the inequality of trading relations between the ACP countries and the European Union (whereas the EU is the main outlet for ACP products, imports from ACP nations account for a minority in the European trade balance), and said that the solution is to be found in the strengthening of the ACP states' capacity. She nonetheless doubted the possibility of trade liberalisation to ensure development if there are no "social security safety nets" for people. She also felt that reciprocity between unequal partners was a trap. Speaking of the failure of the Cancun conference, she considered that the impact of western farm subsidies on ACP countries, which was at the heart of the debates, had made it possible to test the resolve of the industrialised world to find real solutions for development and to note that the Doha ambition has been undermined by the lack of determination to act on substantial issues raised in Cancun. She insisted that, of course, reform of Common Agricultural Policy has improved things but there is still much to be done. It is not, she said, a matter of recommending free trade by maintaining a high level of subsidies. She did, nonetheless, say she was convinced that everyone was a loser in Cancun, as all must face up to the many trade conflicts and to US pressure for concluding bilateral trade agreements. Stressing that the role of the JPA is to look reality squarely in the face and to fight to strengthen the legitimacy of international action in order to achieve just multilateral rules, Glenys Kinnock felt that progress will not be possible until peace and security are guaranteed in ACP countries. She welcomed in this respect the positive developments in several African countries (Sierra Leone, Sudan, Liberia), but deplored the continuing trouble in Somalia, Uganda, Burundi and Zimbabwe. In her view, the role of the JPA is to continue to call for stronger international action to prevent conflicts, to protect civilians and to control the arms trade.
The arms trade was tackled early in the session, during a long debate on children's rights (and especially the rights of child soldiers) - fuelled by the warmly received report by Vitaliano Gemelli (Italy) and Kamuntu (Uganda). The report, guided by an examination of the existing legislation and international instruments as well as the possibilities to implement them, mainly calls for crime against children to be considered as a crime against humanity to be judged as such by the International Criminal Court. It also calls for the creation of a system of early warning indicators to be set in place regarding the situation of children and respect of fundamental rights, and the creation of the post of special Union envoy for children in regions in conflict or in regions where children's rights are violated. EUROPE will come back to this.