# C_2009061EN.01000501.xml

| 16.3.2009 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 61/5 |
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16.3.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 61/5

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MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF THURSDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2008

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF THURSDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2008

(2009/C 61/03)

(The sitting opened at 9.20 a.m.)

(The sitting opened at 9.20 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Ms KINNOCK

Co-President

Co-President

1.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes: Audy (for Coelho), Budreikaitė (for Busk), Czarnecki (for de Villiers), Ford (for Arif), Gill (for Gröner), Goebbels (for Bullmann), Hutchinson (for McAvan), Jäätteenmäki (for Morillon), Lavarra (for Zani), Leinen (for Jöns), Maldeikis (for Louis), Martin D. (for Fraile Cantón), Neris (for Ferreira E.), Olajos (for Mitchell), Pomés Ruiz (for López-Istúriz White), Sornosa Martínez (for Scheele), Sudre (for Gaubert) and Zwiefka (for Záborská).

2.   Statement by the Co-President on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India

Speakers: Co-President Kinnock, Bowis, Gill and Baldeh (Gambia).

It was decided that the Co-Presidents would address a letter of condolences to the Indian authorities.

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

Commissioner Michel made a statement on behalf of the Commission.

4.   Question Time to the Commission

Altogether 17 questions were put to the Commission.

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

Question 1 by Mr O. Schmidt on the effects of the financial crisis on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

Question 2 by Mr Assarid (Mali) on official development assistance.

Question 3 by Mr Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) on the financial crisis.

Question 6 by Ms Van Lancker on the mid-term review of the Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) for the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).

Question 8 by Mr Van Hecke on the credibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Question 10 by Mr Hutchinson on decent work.

Question 12 by Mr Bowis on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Question 14 by Ms Aubert on natural resources.

Question 4 by Mr Leinen on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and civil society.

Question 5 by Mr Ford on the full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Question 16 by Mr William (Seychelles) on the funding for the Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE).

Question 9 by Ms Gomes on human rights violations in Angola.

Question 15 by Ms Neris on European aid following the natural disasters in Haiti.

The authors of questions 13 — Ms Carlotti represented by Mr Hutchinson — and 17 — Mr Jardim Fernandes represented by Ms Gomes — had no supplementary questions.

The authors of questions 11 and 7 were not present.

5.   Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 15th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, held in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Commissioner Michel referred to the document that had been distributed detailing the follow-up by the Commission to the resolutions adopted in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

6.   The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Commissioner Michel made a statement on behalf of the Commission.

Speakers: Co-President Kinnock, De Sousa (Angola), Hutchinson, Bounkoulou (Republic of Congo), Polisi (Rwanda), Aubert, Milupi (Zambia), Schröder, Sithole (Mozambique), Van Hecke, Atim-Ogwal (Uganda), Gomes, Danata (Cameroon) and Enguda Litumba (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Commissioner Michel replied to questions.

7.   Debate with the Commission

Speakers: Audy, Derpaalsing (Mauritius), Martínez Martínez, Jimenez (Dominican Republic), Gahler, Holland (Zimbabwe), Cashman and Jacinthe (Haiti).

Commissioner Michel replied to questions.

The last one by Mr Baldeh (Gambia) on per diems for ACP Members gave rise to a statement by Commissioner Michel explaining that the ACP Secretariat has the responsibility for budgetary management for ACP Members.

8.   Report by Dr Komi Selom Klassou (Togo) and Mr Johan Van Hecke

Mr Klassou (Togo) and Mr Van Hecke presented their report.

Speakers: Kaczmarek, Mustafa (Sudan), Gomes, Enguda Litumba (Democratic Republic of Congo), Ali (Ethiopia), Aubert, Ramotar (Guyana), Zimmer, Zwiefka and Baum (European Commission).

Mr Klassou (Togo) and Mr Van Hecke wound up the debate.

(The sitting closed adjourned at 1.05 p.m. and resumed at 3.25 p.m.)

(The sitting closed adjourned at 1.05 p.m. and resumed at 3.25 p.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr RASMUSSEN

Co-President

Co-President

9.   Co-President's announcements

The Co-President announced that following the statement of Commissioner Michel in the morning on the issue of per diems for the ACP members, he was mandated by the ACP group to send a letter to him, the outcome of which would be announced at the next meeting of the Bureau.

The Co-President reminded the Members that the Bureau had issued a declaration, already distributed, regretting the absence of the President-in-Office of the European Union Council from the session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

10.   Statement by Hon. Lucien Marie-Noël Bembamba, Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs (Burkina Faso), President-in-Office of the ACP Council

Mr Bembamba made a statement on behalf of ACP Council.

11.   Statement by Former Minister delegate for Cooperation and Francophony, Mr Pierre-André Wiltzer, representing the President-in-Office of the EU Council

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

12.   Question Time to the Council

One question had been put to the ACP Council.

Mr Bembamba answered the following question.

Question No 1 by Mr William (Seychelles) on fisheries.

Fifteen questions had been put to the EU Council.

Mr Wiltzer answered the following questions and supplementary questions, some of which were also answered by Mr Bembamba.

Question No 5 by Mr Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) on the financial crisis.

Question No 6 by Ms Van Lancker (for Ms Carlotti) on the Programming of the intra-ACP budget within the 10th EDF.

Question No 7 by Mr Agnoletto on access to essential medicines.

Question No 14 by Mr Schmidt on Dawit Isaak in Eritrea.

Question No 15 by Ms Gomes on human rights violations in Angola.

Question No 9 by Mr Bowis on UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The following questions were not followed by supplementary questions:

Question No 2 by Mr Van Hecke on the global financial crisis and question 3 by Mr Leinen on the financial crisis.

Question No 4 by Mr Assarid (Mali) on Official Development Assistance.

Question No 12 by Ms Van Lancker on funding for family planning, basic reproductive health services and research.

Question No 8 by Ms Neris on regional cooperation in response to the natural disasters in Haiti.

Question No 16 by Ms Gomes (for Mr Jardim Fernandes) on EU-Zimbabwe relations.

Question No 10 by Ms Aubert on natural resources.

Question No 13 by Mr William (Seychelles) on the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

13.   Debate with the Council

Speakers: Naib (Eritrea), Sudre, Veneto, Milebou (Gabon), William (Seychelles), Assarid (Mali), Bembamba (ACP Council) and Wiltzer (EU Council).

14.   Climate Change — impact on small island nations: debate without resolution

Speakers: Saulei (Center for Post Graduate Studies of the University of PNG), Yausause (Climate Change Office, Ministry of the Environment, PNG), Bowis, Bounkoulou (Republic of Congo), Cashman, Baldeh (Gambia), Jouye de Grandmaison, Ramotar (Guyana), Rosati, Assarid (Mali), Jäätteenmäki, William (Seychelles) and Sabatucci (European Commission).

15.   Presentation by European Economic and Social Committee and regional civil society representatives

Speakers: Jahier (EESC ACP follow-up committee) and Anthony (EESC ACP follow-up committee and Fiji trade unions).

16.   Country and Regional Strategy Papers for the 10th EDF

Speakers: Baum (European Commission), Lahai (Sierra Leone), Assarid (Mali), Kombo (Kenya), Danata (Cameroun), Thomas (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) and William (Seychelles).

(The sitting closed at 7.07 p.m.)

(The sitting closed at 7.07 p.m.)

Wilkie RASMUSSEN and

Glenys KINNOCK

Co-Presidents

Sir John KAPUTIN and

Dietmar NICKEL

Co-Secretaries-General

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