Strasbourg, 25/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament adhered on 24 October to the European Commission's intention of establishing a long-term strategic partnership between the EU and South Africa, which would be much more ambitious than the current trade, development and cooperation agreement which links the two parties (EUROPE 9221).
Following its rapporteur, Luisa Morgantini (GUE, Italy), who chairs the Parliament's development committee, the plenary session welcomed the new approach, which aims to make South Africa the “anchor country” capable of pursuing shared objectives on African and world issues, taking account of the important role played by the country in its capacity as spokesperson for sub-Saharan Africa in international bodies such as the WTO and the United Nations.
In the resolution adopted on Tuesday in Strasbourg, the Parliament expresses the wish that the strategic partnership envisaged will allow the effectiveness of existing cooperation instruments to be improved in the interests of the South African population and economy, and that it will complete the EU's strategy for Africa adopted by the European Council last December.
In the opinion of MEPs, the principal aim of the action plan which will accompany the strategic partnership should be alleviating poverty, in accordance with the Millennium development goals and the Cotonou agreement which links Africa to the ACP countries, of which South Africa is a “conditional member” (i.e. not eligible for non-reciprocal trade preferences or European Development Fund financing, but a participant in political cooperation and the joint ACP/EU institutions). The Parliament recalls that although the majority of the white population lives in conditions comparable to standards in Western European countries, the majority of the black population lives in conditions comparable to those in the least developed countries, with almost half of the population living below the poverty line. The fight against AIDS must, now and always, be a political priority for the South African government, the resolution stresses.
It also stresses that the action plan should consider the effects of the strategic partnership on the countries in the region and on the ongoing negotiation of economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with the EU.
The Parliament is insistent that South Africa clarify the links between the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the SACU (Southern African Customs Union) and the current trade, development and cooperation agreement in order to put in place a more orderly regional development policy. The Parliament demands that the European Commission clarify the European Union's policy on regional integration organisations, the current bilateral agreement, and the negotiation of EPAs. The EU budget should envisage credits to facilitate the difficult process of commercial integration in the Southern Africa region, MEPs suggest.
The MEPs also want the action plant o take account of the economic differences between the EU and South Africa, in particular in the field of trade, as the WTO does for semi-developed economies, defending special and differentiated treatment which would allow certain customs tariffs and other commercial measures to be maintained to protect their emerging economies.
The European Commission is invited not to insist on the addition of provisions in the revised bilateral agreement which would impede South Africa's economic development or the fight against poverty, not to interfere in South Africa's decisions regarding private sector participation in the provision of basic services, and to learn lessons from the failure of the free trade negotiations between the SACU and the USA, which can be attributed to the Americans' attempt to impose unacceptable conditions on the SACU.
In order to further develop political dialogue between the EU and South Africa, the Parliament suggests that regular exchange visits should be organised with parliamentary delegations in order to enhance mutual understanding of areas of common interest. (an)