# C_2008271EN.01000401.xml

| 25.10.2008 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 271/4 |
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25.10.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 271/4

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MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF TUESDAY, 18 MARCH 2008

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF TUESDAY, 18 MARCH 2008

(2008/C 271/02)

(The sitting opened at 9.10 a.m.)

(The sitting opened at 9.10 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs KINNOCK

Co-President

Co-President

The Co-President announced that the item on the Cotonou Agreement postponed from the agenda of Monday would be taken as the last item on the agenda of Tuesday 18 March. The statement from Mr Abdi, Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, would be taken directly after the debate with the Commission.

1.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes: Attard-Montalto (for Grabowska), Gill (for Jöns), Hutchinson (for Ferreira), Isler Béguin (for Irujo Amezaga), Klaß (for López-Istúriz White), Leinen (for Gröner), Maldeikis (for Zaborska), Mauro (for Coelho), Peterle (for Ventre), Virrankoski (for Lehideux) and Yañez-Barnuevo (for Gurmai)

2.   Statement by Mr Louis Michel, Member of the Commission with special responsibility for development and humanitarian aid

Commissioner Michel made a statement on behalf of the Commission.

3.   Question Time to the Commission

Mr Lutundula (Democratic Republic of the Congo) enquired about the procedure for question time to the Commission. The Co-President informed Members that during question time only those Members who had tabled questions to the Commission were entitled to speak. For the debate with the Commission (item 14) the ‘catch the eye’ procedure would be used.

Altogether 25 questions were put to the Commission.

The Commission had replied to the questions in writing. Mr Michel gave oral replies to the supplementary questions by the following authors:

Question No 10 by Mrs Hall on equal access to healthcare.

Question No 11 by Mr F. Schmidt on EPAs.

Question No 13 by Mr William (Seychelles) on EPAs and Interim Agreements.

Question No 14 by Mr Assarid (Mali) on EPAs and Interim Agreements.

Question No 15 by Mrs Deerpalsing (Mauritius) on EPAs and Interim Agreements.

Question No 18 by Mr Yañez-Barnuevo on trade agreements.

Question No 25 by Mr O. Schmidt on sovereign wealth funds in Africa.

Question No 3 by Mr Jardim Fernandes on financing of the EU-Africa Strategy.

Question No 20 by Mr Hutchinson on the situation in North Kivu.

Question No 21 by Mr Van Hecke on East Congo.

Question No 23 by Mrs Aubert on the pollution of the Niger Delta.

The authors of questions Nos 6, 8, 12 and 16 were not present.

An additional oral question was put by Mrs Zimmer.

4.   Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 14th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, held in Kigali (Rwanda)

Commissioner Michel referred to the document (ACP/100.273) that had been distributed detailing the follow-up by the Commission to the resolutions adopted in Kigali (Rwanda).

5.   Debate with the Commission

Speakers: Jouye de Grandmaison, Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Martínez Martínez, Bowis, Cavuilati (Fiji), Manirakiza (Burundi), Isler Béguin, Oumarou (Niger), Gahler, Kgathi (Botswana), Gomes, Dalrymple-Philibert (Jamaica), Hutchinson, William (Seychelles), Cashman, Klassou (Togo), Seck (Senegal), Tiheli (Lesotho), Borrell Fontelles, Baldeh (Gambia), Jimenez (Dominican Republic), Kollie (Liberia), Humphrey (Barbados), Lahai (Sierra Leone), Diallo (Guinea) and Ngema Owono (Equatorial Guinea).

Commissioner Michel responded to the points raised in the debate.

The Co-President asked the House to decide whether the observer from Cuba could take the floor for one minute as requested. As there were no objections, Mr Marichal made his statement.

Mr Lutundula (Democratic Republic of the Congo) stated, in a point of order, that some countries whose situation was dealt with in the debate had had no opportunity to take the floor or were not present in the debate. The Co-President explained that under this item the ‘catch the eye’ procedure had allowed all Members present to ask for the floor.

6.   Statement by Mr Abdi, Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly

Mr Abdi made a statement on behalf of the East African Legislative Assembly.

7.   Urgent topic No 1: The situation in Kenya

Speakers: Dombrovskis, Mushelenga (Namibia), William (Seychelles), Assarid (Mali), Hutchinson, Lutundula (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Said (Djibouti), Van Hecke, Diallo (Guinea), Isler Béguin, Amon-Ago (Côte d'Ivoire), Zimmer, Naib (Eritrea), Straker (St Vincent and the Grenadines), Berend, Ogwal (Uganda), Toga (Ethiopia), Gomes, Dekuek (Sudan), Dalrymple-Philibert (Jamaica), Kgathi (Botswana) and Kamar (Kenya).

Commissioner Michel responded to the points raised in the debate.

8.   The EU-Caribbean strategy

Debate (without resolution)

Speakers: Humphrey (Barbados), Wieland, Jouye de Grandmaison, Dalrymple-Philibert (Jamaica), Straker (St Vincent and the Grenadines) and Ribeiro e Castro.

Commissioner Michel wound up the debate.

(The sitting adjourned at 1.20 p.m. and resumed at 3.20 p.m.)

(The sitting adjourned at 1.20 p.m. and resumed at 3.20 p.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr RASMUSSEN

Co-President

Co-President

9.   Approval of the minutes of Monday 17 March

The minutes were approved.

10.   Statement by Mr Andrej Šter, State Secretary for Development (Slovenia), President-in-Office of the EU Council

Mr Šter made a statement on behalf of the EU Council.

11.   Statement by Mr Ali Farah Assoweh, Minister for Economic Affairs, Finance and Planning, with responsibility for privatisation (Djibouti), President-in-Office of the ACP Council

Mr Farah Assoweh made a statement on behalf of the ACP Council.

12.   Question Time to the Council

Two questions had been put to the ACP Council.

Mr Farah Assoweh answered the following questions, the first of which was followed by a supplementary question:

Question No 1 by Mr William (Seychelles) on the ratification of the revised Cotonou Agreement.

Question No 2 by Mrs Scheele (for Mrs Carlotti) on the ratification of the revised Cotonou Agreement.

Nineteen questions had been put to the EU Council.

Mr Šter answered the following questions and supplementary questions:

Question No 3 by Mr Jardim Fernandes on aid effectiveness.

Question No 4 by Mr William (Seychelles) on GDP per capita criteria.

Question No 5 by Mrs Jouye de Grandmaison (for Mr Agnoletto) on EPA/Export subsidies.

Question No 6 by Mr F. Schmidt on the revision of interim EPAs before signing and notification.

Question No 7 by Mr Assarid (Mali) on EPAs.

Question No 11 by Mrs Aubert on uranium.

Question No 12 by Mr Hutchinson (for Mrs Ferreira) on the situation in north Kivu.

Question No 14 by Mr Schnellhardt on the mission to Darfur.

Question No 16 by Mr Van Hecke on increasing tensions in Somalia.

Question No 17 by Mrs Gomes on the ESDP mission to Guinea Bissau.

Question No 21 by Mr O. Schmidt on the imprisonment of the Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak.

Question No 19 by Mrs Zimmer on legal migration to the EU for ACP citizens.

The following questions were not followed by supplementary questions:

Question No 15 by Mrs Jouye de Grandmaison (for Mrs Carlotti) on the situation in Somalia.

Question No 18 by Mr Leinen (for Mrs Gröner) on climate change.

The authors of questions Nos 8, 9, 10, 13 and 20 were not present.

13.   Debate with the Council

Speakers: Hutchinson, Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Martínez Martínez, Diallo (Guinea), Isler Béguin, Said (Djibouti), Ribeiro e Castro, William (Seychelles), Farah Assoweh (ACP Council) and Šter (EU Council).

14.   Maternal mortality and the fifth Millennium Development Goal

Mrs Cagar made a statement on behalf of UNFPA.

Speakers: Mitchell, William (Seychelles), Co-President Kinnock, O. Schmidt, Sithole (Mozambique), Aubert, Zimmer, Amon-Ago (Côte d'Ivoire), Klass, Lahai (Sierra Leone), Gill, Ogwal (Uganda), Dekuek (Sudan) and Manservisi (European Commission).

The Co-President announced that the item on ‘Experiences from the European regional integration process relevant to ACP countries’ (Co-rapporteurs: Mr Bornito De Sousa (Angola) and Mr Filip Kaczmarek, Committee on Political Affairs) would be taken on the following morning.

It was also announced that the item on migration and the item on climate change would be included in the agenda of Thursday morning.

The item on the ratification of the revised Cotonou Agreement (debate without resolution) was cancelled, the question having been covered in the debates with Council and Commission.

(The sitting closed at 7.20 p.m.)

(The sitting closed at 7.20 p.m.)

Wilkie RASMUSSEN and

Glenys KINNOCK

Co-Presidents

Sir John KAPUTIN and

Dietmar NICKEL

Co-Secretaries-General

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