Brussels, 22/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - "Flexibility" is the key word used by European Commissioner Louis Michel, on the consensus on the development policy which was finally reached at Tuesday's General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). Meeting in their "Development" configuration on 22 November, the ministers managed to adopt the decoration of a "European consensus" on development, despite the divisions between them (EUROPE 9056). The Council also approved the conclusions on the strategy for Europe, proposed by the European Commission.
European consensus: Louis Michel, the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, commented: "the European consensus marks an historical turning-point in the development policy of the Union. Last May, we reached an agreement to do more; now, we have a political instrument allowing us to do it better. What matters now is to translate this declaration into concrete actions, for more coherence and efficiency". Hillary Benn, who chaired the work, and Louis Michel both welcomed the fact that they had not only been able to reach an agreement, but also that "for the first time", Council, Commission and Parliament had worked together in this field. On 13 July, after the broad public consultation in the Member States and the developing countries, the European Commission adopted a communication (EUROPE 8990) proposing a joint declaration by the three institutions on the development policy of the Union. After months of intensive debates within the Council and the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission have reached an agreement on the Commission's text, which will guide the development cooperation activities of the Union, together with all of its partner countries. Hillary Benn voiced his satisfaction with the statement, which, he feels, "once again confirms the preponderant role of the EU on development issues", and which "will improve the management of the funds allocated to the European development aid policy". It is, he added, "due to this common policy that we will be able to eradicate poverty".
On the financial dimension, Louis Michel spoke of the "creation of a fund which will help to make available the financial resources of the Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Member States which so wish". Louis Michel feels that this declaration is "fundamentally important, because it will allow us to work within a single framework, which will necessarily lead to more cohesion and efficiency in development matters". When asked about the delicate issue of the communitisation of development, Mr Michel replied that "there is no point in hoping to substitute the Commission's development policy for what has already been set in place by the various States", adding that it is "vital to show flexibility. In this way, due to the added value they can bring to certain regions or in certain fields, certain States may be called upon to play a particular role. Louis Michel noted that the Commission had called for a wider range of powers in terms of development (environment, education, etc), because the Member States cannot act everywhere. "It is very important for the Commission to have its say", Mr Michel reiterated. The Belgian Minister for development cooperation, Armand De Decker, also welcomed the adoption of this declaration, which "reiterates the principles of good governance and the appropriation of aid by the beneficiary countries". He feels that this declaration will "finally allow the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament to have a joint vision of development policies".
Strategy for Africa: on this point, the Council confirmed its desire to see a genuine development policy brought in for Africa, as it already had done in October at the informal Council of Leeds. This strategy for Africa aims mainly to create a strategic partnership for security and development between the EU and Africa between now and 2015. For the UK Presidency, Hillary Benn pointed out that "this strategy is centred on key requirements to guarantee the sustainable development of Africa", such as peace and security, impeccable and efficient governance, the development of trade, the interconnection of the great infrastructure networks (water, transport, energy, telecommunications), social cohesion and ecological viability. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of facilitating trade for Africa within the context of negotiations at the WTO. Louis Michel stressed that in his view, it is "extremely important that we reach consensus on the principle of appropriation".