Brussels, 22/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, would like the EU to arm itself with a common development strategy, and makes no secret of his hopes that the revision of the political declaration of 2000, currently being prepared to regroup and guide this policy in the future, will serve this ambition. The Commissioner recently announced this to the EU development ministers, at the exploratory debate for the UN summit next September on progress made in achieving the millennium development objectives (see EUROPE of 16 February, p.7). He told a small group of journalists in Brussels on Monday exactly what his intentions are, adding that his project can be achieved if the political will is there.
“Defining a common development strategy does not contradict the treaty, which states that development is a shared field of competency. I do not see why it would be harder to achieve than a common security strategy, in that one does not aim to steal States' strategies, but to push for a harmonisation of the rules, with them”, by favouring synergies and making the most of everyone's added values to the benefit of the partner countries, he observed. What Mr Michel asks of the largest provider of funds to developing countries (the EU provides 55% of State aid to the developing world) is “a common development strategy with common objectives, with more coherence and coordination, providing incentives for constellations of States to enter reinforced cooperations to create a dynamic of convergence”.
In April, Louis Michel will present priority areas, with the focus firmly on Africa, which will be a “laboratory experiment of the new political declaration for development”. The Luxembourg Presidency of the Council, for its part, intends to launch an initiative on “Africa” ahead of the UN summit in September.