09/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 5 June, the European Parliament gave a satisfactory report on the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) which, in 2007, met in Wiesbaden (25-28 June) and Kigali (19-22 November). In adopting the report by Alain Hutchinson (PES, Belgium) by 592 votes to 24, with 10 abstentions, the EP “welcomes the fact that in 2007 the JPA provided a framework for an open, democratic and in-depth dialogue on the negotiation of EPAs (economic partnership agreements) between the EU and the ACP countries”. It welcomes the commitment made by Development Commissioner Louis Michel in Kigali to subject Country and Regional Strategy Papers for the ACP countries (for the period 2008-2013) to democratic scrutiny by parliaments, both the EP and ACP national parliaments. A suitable percentage of European Development Fund (EDF) appropriations should be assigned to the political training of parliamentarians and political, economic and social leaders, MEPs add. (L.C./transl. rt)