Mr President, Commissioner, I am sorry to have to discuss this report this evening, at this late hour, when it was initially scheduled for Thursday, which could have enhanced this debate on development cooperation. Unfortunately, however, this is the way things are. Commissioner, the experience acquired over the past few decades in the field of development cooperation and the lack of significant results in this field have highlighted the need for a change in the focus of development policies, in order to improve the effectiveness of aid, reduce the chasm between rich and poor countries and thus fulfil the objectives of sustainable development that we have set for ourselves. There are certainly many and varied factors preventing the poorest countries from being able to board the development train and win the battle to eradicate poverty: external debt, first and foremost, the great shame hanging over developing countries, the fratricidal wars that devastate so many poor countries, the AIDS pandemic, corruption at every level of public life, but this failure can also be explained by the use of foreign models and the fact that development objectives have in the past been set without the participation of those receiving aid. We should not be surprised, therefore, that the idea of capacity-building as an essential factor in improving the results of development policies has been gaining ground, in particular since the Rio Declaration of 1992, which recognises the fact that a country’s ability to follow the path of sustainable development is largely determined by the capacity of its people and institutions. The Committee on Development and Cooperation, which fully agrees with this principle, therefore organised a public hearing a few months ago on capacity-building and then agreed that a report should be drawn up on the subject, for which I was given responsibility as rapporteur. It should be noted that this report was unanimously approved, since it was unanimous in committee that capacity-building should constitute a fundamental element in development cooperation, essential to ensuring effective aid. In order better to understand the scope of the proposals contained in the report, I believe it should be specified that, in my eyes, capacity-building is first and foremost a new form of understanding and, above all, implementing development cooperation policy which requires a long-term global strategy that is individually tailored for the various players according to the different environments represented by their society. This strategy should aim to improve skills and the conditions required for a country to be able to improve its levels of economic and social growth. All this should take place in support of national efforts to be carried out by each country for itself based on the plan drawn up by each country according to their specific interests and needs along the lines of what is being done, in particular, with strategy documents for each country. The European Union and its Member States – although not only them, but all international donors – should therefore review their cooperation methods and change the focus of their development policies so that capacity-building, as a participative process based on appropriation, constitutes the basis for the policy, with the aim of enabling individuals, as well as bodies within civil society, to develop their potential and the skills that should allow them to achieve the development objectives that they themselves must also be in a position to determine. We should provide them with the means – in a word – to play a leading role in their own development, to which they have a right. In other words, help them to improve their institutional capacities and achieve the level of training that is necessary in order to open the door to development. We should also help them to diversify and improve production capacity, develop infrastructures and the macroeconomic framework required to attract investment, provide them with technical assistance to increase trade capacity so that they can integrate world trade and thus share in the profits it generates. A development cooperation policy focused along these lines constitutes the most suitable instrument for progress to be made towards eradicating poverty and achieving fair, sustainable development for all. That, Commissioner, is why there is a need – I would say an imperative – for a Commission communication in this regard, to instigate action in the field of development aid from the European Union and its Member States and also the various formulas contained in the motion for a resolution on which we are to vote. For it is only by means of these policies, by providing the necessary means for capacity-building, that we shall be able to put an end to the injustice which means that 20% of the world’s population enjoys 80% of the world’s wealth, while 80% are deprived of the right to live in the dignity that is the inalienable right of each individual. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE