WRITTEN QUESTION E-0135/02

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 January 2002)

Subject: Commission proposals for EU action on Haiti's economic future

Haiti is the poorest country in Latin America. It is a country of around seven million inhabitants. Its landscape has been devastated by forestry destruction and corruption and illiteracy are rife. Nevertheless, the coming to power of Jean-Bertrand Aristide brought fresh hope to a country without electric light, drainage or hospitals, although the prosperity promised by the liberation theologian priest has yet to materialise.

After the fall of the Duvalier regime and the hopes generated by Aristide, the scare provided by the recent coup attempt in the country illustrates that the international community must do something to help the country to curb poverty and become less prone to totalitarian takeover attempts.

With this in view, what proposals will the Commission make to help Haiti to reduce poverty and enable democracy to gain a firmer foothold, as called for in many parts of the globe, and what future plans does it have to establish a medium- and long-term development plan for the country?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2002)

Following the general elections held in 2000, the Organisation of American States (OAS), called on by the international community to observe the elections, noted various irregularities and instances of fraud in the electoral process. Despite various statements and demarches by the EU, the Haitian authorities refused to reconsider the outcome of the elections. The Council therefore called on the government of Haiti to enter into consultations under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement in order to review the situation in detail and find out how Haiti intended to comply with the essential elements referred to in Article 9 of the Agreement, in particular the provisions on democratic principles and the rule of law.

Following these consultations and in view of the failure of the Haitian authorities to take account of the EU's concerns, the Council decided to take a range of appropriate measures as regards its cooperation with Haiti. Direct budget aid to the government and major infrastructure programmes were suspended, but a significant part of the Community cooperation programme is not affected by the decision (social programme, support for NGOs).

The measures were taken with the objective of not penalising the Haitian people. The Council decision of 24-25 January 2002 thus provides for a gradual reactivation of all cooperation instruments once an agreement has been reached between the coalition in power and the opposition and once it has been implemented via, inter alia, the holding of general and local elections.

The fight against poverty is at the core of the Commission's cooperation strategy in Haiti. Via the cooperation instruments available and the dialogue between donors and the government, the Commission has encouraged the introduction of sustainable development policies in the country. However, the fight against poverty will not really be possible or effective unless political stability is achieved and that is why such importance is attached to the re-establishment of the democratic process in Haiti.