Mr President, Commissioner, I would like to begin by saying that my feelings about this debate are bittersweet. On the one hand, Mr Deva has defended this own-initiative report which he has worked on for a long time with great dedication and taking up many interesting contributions. I would particularly like to highlight the consultations he has held with all the governments of the developing countries in order to hear their opinions and suggestions, in particular what these countries expect from the Millennium Round. The result is this report, which comes with the unanimous backing of the Committee on Development and Cooperation, to be voted on tomorrow. But allow me, Mr President, to mention the less pleasant aspect of the issue. In the recitals, the rapporteur mentions more than twenty documents, resolutions and international agreements of recent years which demand more decisive action to fight poverty and the list is not exhaustive. 22 years have passed since Willy Brandt presented his impressive report on North-South relations. Since then, things have only got worse. We know about the examples of success, but unfortunately there are many, many more cases which show that, after decades of persistent growth, this world has never been less egalitarian; never has the distribution of wealth been as uneven as it is now. I therefore believe that we cannot continue merely to make proposals, even if they are as interesting as those made today by Mr Deva. The problem of poverty throughout the world – including Europe – is not economic; it is a political problem, which requires political and global solutions. It is pointless to seek the people responsible, as is currently happening in Johannesburg. We do not have guilty and innocent parties here, just victims. And all the rest of us are guilty to a greater or lesser extent. The financial resources approved in Monterrey, which have been mentioned by the representative of the Commission, represent a step forward, but everyone agrees that they are insufficient. The international organisations cannot continue to be the guardians of orthodoxy while one country after another falls victim to crises, not just in Africa, but also in Central America, South America and in other regions. I wonder why the representatives of the European countries, which constitute a majority in the International Monetary Fund, are not able to opt for new formulas which speed up the development of the poorest countries and those countries which are becoming poorer as a result of bad government and corruption. The regional economic blocs, apart from our own European Union, are not living through good times. We only need think about Mercosur or the Andean Pact. We must be tougher in our demands for progress in the direction set in Doha, in order to bring about greater openness in the markets, which will stimulate world trade. We must apply pressure in order that those who have resources may contribute more of them. The Commissioner has mentioned the data relating to the European Union, which are certainly the most important data given for development aid in the world. But the trend is not satisfactory, Commissioner. Official development aid in the European Union has been decreasing over recent years. Therefore, the data are as you say, but the trend illustrated by the current data is not acceptable to us. We must promote and stimulate more democracy and the development of human rights, of health, of food and of education for all. Also, and above all, in the developing countries. We must fight aggressively against corruption in all its forms, which exists without doubt in the least developed countries, but which also exists – and this is more reprehensible – amongst us. I agree very much with Mr Deva’s comments on the greater involvement and co-responsibility of the large multinational corporations, but I must say that many of these leave much to be desired, and that their actions now move in the opposite direction. These are the essential elements if we are to shed light where there is only gloom (to recall Conrad), but let us demand more action, more decisions and fewer words.

Political group: PPE-DE