Brussels, 23/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The political situation in Haiti, climate change, energy and reinforcing multilateralism within international institutions were on the agenda of the meeting between the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU and of the countries of the “Río Group”, in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) on Friday 20 April.
Haiti. With a gross domestic product evaluated at 450 dollars per head of population, Haiti is the poorest country of the American continent. The Commission announced a donation of 230 million EUR for this country for the period 2007-2013, which will be invested in infrastructure and in the consolidation of the institutions. The proposal was also made that this country, which is on the border of the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, negotiate its accession to the Río Group. “Haiti is still at an unstable turning point in its development”, said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Affairs Minister, after the working session. Stating that this country still needs the solidarity of the international community, he added that its government needed to implement “additional reforms”.
“The Commission is particularly pleased with the constructive dialogue of this ministerial meeting between the EU and the Río Group”, said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner for External Relations, stressing the “maturity” of relations between the two regions. The joint commitment to “reinforce the multilateral principles” does not constitute “just words in the air”, she said, referring to “human rights” and the fight against trafficking in “drugs”. Concerning energy and climate change, Mr Steinmeier pulled no punches: “this is a theme which will make us all winners or all losers in the long run. Our interdependence is clearly visible here”. He went on to state that the most important thing is to multiply the exchange of experience on renewable energy and promotion of energy efficiency. Panama is said to have made a proposal for the EU to fund projects focusing on alternative renewable energy in Latin America, such as ethanol and bio-fuels, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
The Río Group, which was set up in 1986, is a political forum made up of the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Foreign affairs ministers from the EU and this political forum are meeting up every two years. The next ministerial meeting of the Rio Group will take place in 2009 in Prague as part of the future Czech presidency of the EU. The last meeting in the EU took place in Luxembourg in May 2005 and examined the political situation in Haiti (EUROPE 8957).
The Santo Domingo meeting was also used to examine cooperation between the EU and certain Central and Andean Community countries. Mr Steinmeier said that the launch of negotiations for the conclusion of association agreements was imminent (EUROPE 9323). On Monday 23 April, the General Affairs Council gave the green light (see other article for trade negotiations). Negotiations for the Andean community will begin in La Paz, Bolivia at the end of May at the joint EU/Andean meeting. EU representatives and Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, the Mexican minister for foreign affairs, also mentioned the possibility of reinforcing their cooperation in international for a on subjects such as climate change, energy security, human rights and migration. EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, on a trip to Mexico, criticised the US project for building a wall along the border with Mexico to fight illegal immigration (EUROPE 9409). The EU/Mexico association agreement has been in force since July 2000. Discussions with Mercosur are at stagnation point because of their implications in WTO trade negotiations.
Ms Ferrero-Waldner presented the new European strategy for Latin America for 2007-13. This is based on the following: promotion of social cohesion, regional integration, human rights, sustainable development (protection of forests and biodiversity). With an envelope of €2.69bn, it will be divided up as follows: €234 million to Bolivia for promoting local economic development and fighting drug production; 160 million to Colombia (EUROPE 9408); 137 million for SMES and modernisation of the education system in Equator; 132 million for Peru to modernise institutions and social integration in the most deprived areas. €50 million in aid will also go to promote regional integration and fight effectively against drug production. (mb)