# C_2006330EN.01000401.xml

| 30.12.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 330/4 |
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30.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 330/4

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MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF WEDNESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2006

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF WEDNESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2006

(2006/C 330/03)

(The sitting opened at 9.11 a.m.)

(The sitting opened at 9.11 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr RADEMBINO-CONIQUET

Co-President

Co-President

1.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes: Badia i Cuchet (for Ferreira), Budreikaitė (for Kułakowksi), Bushill-Matthews (for Coelho), Evans (for Dobolyi), García-Margallo y Marfil (for Herranz García), Hegyi (for Van Lancker), Klass (for Langendries), Lavarra (for Arif), Mauro (for López-Istúriz White), Morgantini (for Wurtz), Myller (for Rosati), Pomés Ruiz (for Gaubert), Posdorf (for Ribeiro e Castro), Seeber (for Schröder) and Zaleski (for Wijkman).

2.   Approval of the minutes of Monday, 20 November and Tuesday morning, 21 November 2006

Speaker: Bushill-Matthews

The minutes were approved with a small change in format.

3.   Statement by Mrs Paula Lehtomäki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development (Finland), President-in-Office of the EU Council

Mrs Lehtomäki made a statement on behalf of the EU Council.

4.   Statement by Dr Onofre Rojas, Minister of State and National Authorising Officer of the EDF (Dominican Republic), for Mr Casimir Oye Mba, Minister for Development Planning and Programming (Gabon) and President-in-Office of the ACP Council

Dr Rojas made a statement on behalf of the ACP Council.

5.   Question Time — Council

Three questions had been put to the ACP Council.

Dr Rojas answered the following questions:

Question No 1 by Mrs Carlotti on regional ACP-EU conferences.

The authors of Questions Nos 2 and 3 were not present.

Sixteen questions had been put to the EU Council.

Mrs Lehtomäki answered the following questions and supplementary questions:

Question No 4 by Mr Lehideux on the amount of aid allocated in 2007 to ACP countries affected by the reform of the common market organisation in sugar;

Question No 5 by Mrs Gomes on impunity in Africa;

Question No 7 by Mr Van Hecke on Somalia;

Question No 8 by Mr Gahler on policy on Zimbabwe and people in need;

Question No 9 by Mr Jardim Fernandes on the Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste (East Timor);

Question No 11 by Mr Martínez Martínez (for Mrs Valenciano Martínez-Orozco) on political dialogue on illegal immigration and measures adopted;

Question No 13 by Mr Bushill-Matthews on fighting illegal immigration from Africa;

Question No 19 by Mr Schmidt on clandestine migration;

Question No 15 by Mr Cornillet on the counterfeiting of medicines;

Question No 16 by Mr Bowis on health and disability issues and Country Strategy Papers;

Question No 17 by Mr Agnoletto on the Abuja Declaration on public spending on health and the European Development Fund;

Question No 18 by Mr Agnoletto (for Mr Holm) on the anti-terrorist diplomacy of the European Union.

The supplementary questions by Mr Bowis on Question No 16 and by Mr Agnoletto on Question No 17 were also answered by Dr Rojas on behalf of the ACP Council.

The following questions were not followed by supplementary questions:

Question No 10 by Mrs Goudin on EU fisheries policy in third countries;

Question No 6 by Mrs Carlotti on political prisoners in Eritrea;

Question No 14 by Mr Lehideux (for Mrs Polfer) on Frontex and development.

The author of Question No 12 was not present.

6.   Debate with the Council

Speakers: Willmott, Naib (Eritrea), Akpovi (Benin), Jardim Fernandes, Milebou-Aubusson (Gabon), Tiheli (Lesotho), Mzembi (Zimbabwe), Gahler, Nguema Owono (Equatorial Guinea), Geingob (Namibia), Gomes, Sylla (Mali), Co-President Kinnock, Mayer, Sebetela (Botswana), Lehtomäki (EU Council) and Rojas (ACP Council).

7.   Report by Mrs Ana Gomes and Mr William Duguid (Barbados), on behalf of the Committee on Political Affairs, on small arms and light weapons and sustainable development (ACP-EU/3892/06/fin.)

Mrs Gomes and Mr Duguid (Barbados) presented their report.

Speakers: Gahler, Sylla (Mali), Jöns, Nguema Owono (Equatorial Guinea), Van Hecke, Deng (Sudan), Schmidt, Nduwimana (Burundi), Morgantini, Ali (Ethiopia), Korhola, Mayer and Baum (Commission).

Mr Duguid (Barbados) and Mrs Gomes wound up the debate.

(The sitting adjourned at 1.10 p.m. and resumed at 3.10 p.m.)

(The sitting adjourned at 1.10 p.m. and resumed at 3.10 p.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs KINNOCK

Co-President

Co-President

8.   Urgent topic 2: The review of negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

The Co-President announced that, owing to technical problems, it would not be possible to hold the planned videoconference with Commissioner Peter Mandelson in Brussels. However, his speech would be delivered by a representative of the Commission and subsequently distributed to Members.

Speaker: Schlyter.

Dame Billie A Miller, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Barbados), made her statement.

Mr Claude Martens (Commission) read Commissioner Mandelson's statement.

Speakers: Sturdy, Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Carlotti, Mesfin Namatra (Ethiopia), Hall, Cavuilati (Fiji), François (St Lucia), Schlyter, Agnoletto, Mporogomyi (Tanzania), Martens, Conteh (Sierra Leone), Schmidt, Deva, Dombrovskis, Osei-Ameyaw (Ghana), Schnellhardt and Larue (Seychelles).

Mr Martens and Dame Billie responded to the debate.

9.   Report by Mrs Eija-Riitta Korhola and Mr Achille Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), on behalf of the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment, on water in developing countries (ACP-EU/3916/06/fin.)

Mrs Korhola and Mr Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) presented their report.

IN THE CHAIR: Mr AKPOVI

Vice-President

Vice-President

Speakers: Bowis, Lavarra (for Arif), Jiménez (Dominican Republic), Hall and Conteh (Sierra Leone).

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs KINNOCK

Co-President

Co-President

Speakers: Aubert, Morgantini (for Wurtz), Aylward, Bushill-Matthews (for Coelho), McAvan, Klass (for Langendries), Scheele, Abdourhamane (Niger), Novak, Roithová, Seeber (for Schröder), Awdu (Cameroon), Veneto and Baum (Commission).

Mrs Korhola and Mr Tapsoba (Burkina Faso wound up the debate.

(The sitting closed at 6.20 p.m.)

(The sitting closed at 6.20 p.m.)

René RADEMBINO-CONIQUET and

Glenys KINNOCK

Co-Presidents

Sir John KAPUTIN and

Dietmar NICKEL

Co-Secretaries-General

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