Resolution on the communication from the Commission on the guidelines for the negotiation of new cooperation agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries (COM(97)0537 C4-0581/97)
Date: 1998-04-01
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: ACP countries, EU policy, European Development Fund, Lomé Convention, cooperation agreement (EU), economic cooperation, financial cooperation, poverty, technical cooperation













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51998IP0085

Resolution on the communication from the Commission on the guidelines for the negotiation of new cooperation agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries (COM(97)0537 C4-0581/97)  


Official Journal C 138 , 04/05/1998 P. 0108 





A4-0085/98Resolution on the communication from the Commission on the guidelines for the negotiation of new cooperation agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries (COM(97)0537 - C4-0581/97)The European Parliament,- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (COM(97)0537 - C4-0581/97),- having regard to the Council's resolution on gender and development of December 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action, the results of the Copenhagen and Vienna Conferences, and the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),- having regard to the report of the Committee on Development and Cooperation and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Women's Rights and the Committee on Fisheries (A4-0085/98),A. recalling its resolution of 2 October 1997 on the Commission's Green Paper on relations between the European Union and the ACP countries on the eve of the 21st century - challenges and options for a new partnership ((OJ C 325, 27.10.1997, p. 28.)) adopted by a very large majority and taken into account, to a large extent, by the Commission,B. whereas the first summit of ACP Heads of State and of Government affirmed their commitment to the Georgetown Agreement setting up the ACP Group, and likewise their determination to ensure that future ACP-EU relations provide an effective framework for socio-economic development,1. Fully supports the political guidelines proposed by the Commission for the negotiation of new cooperation agreements with the ACP countries and believes that these guidelines provide an excellent basis for the renewal, updating, and strengthening of ACP-EU cooperation under the new Convention in order to adapt it to meet the challenges of the 21st century;2. Notes with satisfaction that gender issues have been properly incorporated into the proposed policies on poverty alleviation, democracy and human rights, but finds it unacceptable that there is no mention, to date, of gender in trade, macro-economic policy or financial and technical cooperation;3. Welcomes, on the one hand, the recognition of the ACP group as a political entity, and on the other hand, the introduction of geographical differentiation reflecting regional diversities and the increasing role of regional cooperation and integration as a factor for development;4. Reiterates its view that trade liberalization and economic growth alone are not sufficient to reduce poverty, and insists that European development cooperation must recognize the need to grant the poorest people in the world access to and control over resources such as land and credit;5. Recalls and insists on its view that the promotion and protection of universal human rights enshrined in international agreements such as Vienna, Copenhagen and Beijing, and in particular women's rights, should be the basis of ACP-EU cooperation;6. Believes that the EU and the ACP countries have a historical and strategic opportunity to grasp, which calls for the definition of a global agreement, the reasserting of ACP-EU partnership on a new basis and the strengthening of democracy, respect for human rights and of parliamentary and political dialogue;7. Stresses, in this spirit, that in 1991, after signing the fourth Lomé Convention, almost all of the African countries signed and subsequently ratified the Abuja Treaty, which provides for the setting up of an African economic community within 30 years; believes therefore that the cooperation activities to be enshrined in the new EU-ACP convention should take the form of a contribution to the building of this community and the direction it will take, and in no wise oppose the attainment of that goal;8. Stresses the importance of the first meeting of the Heads of State and of Government of the ACP countries in Libreville on 6 and 7 November 1997;9. Notes the fact that the General Affairs and Development Council has affirmed the European Union's commitment to the continuation of the Lomé process, and endorsed several of Parliament's essential guidelines (strengthening the political dimension, making the fight against poverty the cornerstone of the partnership, the effective inclusion of new operators and of the issues of gender, the environment, etc.);10. Considers that the Lomé process is a part of the acquis communautaire, which an enlarged Union will have to build on, in political, economic and financial terms;11. Suggests there should be a full and structured debate on the non-budgetary and non-trade related aspects of the future convention, and that they could be the subject of a permanent treaty;12. Calls on the Commission always to respond in writing to the general rapporteurs report, as adopted, and to send the document to the Joint Assembly for consideration, so as to better ensure proper evaluation of the reports in question;13. Considers that cooperation between OCTs and ACP States must be encouraged in order to improve relations between them and that relations between the OCTs and the Union must be improved;14. Calls on the Commission, furthermore, to consider, formulate and then submit to negotiation the conditions under which the overseas countries and territories (OCAT) and the most remote regions of the EU might best achieve better integration with the economies of the regions to which they belong; such integration could be facilitated by, inter alia, granting the OCAT permanent observer status at the ACP-EU Joint Assembly;15. Calls for a stronger political commitment in favour of renewed EU-ACP cooperation;As regards the political dimension16. Thoroughly supports the proposal to give the new partnership a strong political dimension, to be based on the promotion of the values of democracy and respect for human rights;17. Believes that as the United Nations conferences have underlined, the success of development policies and development cooperation policies requires an integrated vision of the economic, political, cultural, social and environmental aspects and account to be taken of gender-specific interests;18. Believes that the accelerating pace of globalization calls for the promotion of a more equitable partnership and recalls, in this context, that it had advocated, amongst other things, the rebalancing of partnership to favour the appropriation of development by ACP countries and give them more control of their own development, and the strengthening of a responsible and mature political dialogue; considers it essential to take heed of the concerns of the ACP countries, as expressed at the Libreville summit, over the risks of damage to their fragile and vulnerable economies and of disintegration of the social fabric which would arise from a crude application of the WTO rules and obligations;19. Stresses that it had proposed 'the use of contracts in place of the unmanageable cumulation of conditionalities¨, provided that the countries concerned respect democratic principles and human rights, and believes that ACP-EU cooperation must be subject to a new type of conditionality based on the political dimension, in particular the respect of the principles of democracy and human rights and on a wide-ranging evaluation of the efforts being undertaken by a government, and which favours long-term sustainable development achieved through good governance and respect for human rights;20. Fully endorses the proposals on consolidating peace, enhancing security and preventing and settling conflicts; in this context, favours EU technical support for regional security agreements, and calls for the setting up of regionalized mediation structures, in particular of regional listening-posts to monitor ethnic, linguistic, economic, social or religious tensions;21. Proposes that regionalized mediation structures be set up, and in this context suggests that the idea put forward by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD of establishing resource management regimes to adjudicate over conflicts relating to shared resources, such as water, croplands, forests, should be explored further;22. Urges the negotiating partners for the new EU-ACP Partnership Agreement to incorporate into the new agreement a ban on anti-personnel mines for all member countries, a time schedule for the removal of existing mines and a special fund to achieve the goal of a mine-free EU-ACP zone within a reasonable time frame;23. Repeats its proposal that the Commission include provisions to limit and monitor arms sales in the convention, possibly taking the code of conduct put forward by the British Government as a model; notes that many ACP States will require external assistance if they are to develop the capacity to effectively control arms flows; suggests that the EU should consider, inter alia, offering assistance to set up or strengthen laws and administrative measures for regulating and effectively monitoring arms transfers;24. Notes that many ACP States will require external assistance if they are to develop the capacity to control arms flows effectively; suggests that the EU should consider, inter alia, offering assistance to set up or strengthen laws and administrative measures for regulating and effectively monitoring arms transfers;25. Calls on the Commission to include in the new Convention provisions for the realization of the objectives set by the UN Conferences, in particular the undertakings agreed on at Rio in 1992 and Copenhagen in 1995;26. Recalls its request that with a view to the forthcoming Europe-Africa summit, the Union should draw up an African policy covering all aspects, including security;27. Suggests, in the same spirit, that the Commission should propose to the ACP countries, possibly using the channel of the OAU in certain cases, that they themselves propose the criteria for security, limitation of military spending, respect for human rights, combating improper forms of money-making and corruption, guaranteeing free speech and freedom of the press and good governance, which should be the criteria for the non-misappropriation of aid, and failure to respect which would, in their view, involve penalties in accordance with the objectives of Article 130u of the EC Treaty;28. Points to the outcome of the 1993 Vienna Human Rights Conference, in particular with regard to the establishment of the principle of the universality of human rights and the principle that women¨s rights are human rights and urges therefore those ACP States which have not done so to ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women;29. Deems it therefore necessary for the new agreement to incorporate clear commitments to women's rights and the principle of political, social and economic equality between the sexes, on which basis an appropriate gender development policy, including mainstreaming and positive action for women, can be established;30. Believes that if the political dialogue is to be balanced, it must be able to tackle all policies on both sides which may have an impact on cooperation;31. Proposes that the discussion of value now under way with regard to human rights should be extended to other aspects of life (such as legal and political equality for women, the family, the situation of children and the elderly, etc.), within the Joint Assembly and its regional meetings; furthermore considers that, in the context of the dialogue on human rights, special attention should be given to the situation of children and to the defence of the rights of the child in the ACP countries;32. Recalls that the cultures, customs and traditions of the partner countries differ in nature and that a dialogue on values is an essential prerequisite for preparing for the coexistence rather than the clash of civilizations in tomorrow's multi-polar world and for strengthening fundamental rights; in this context, stresses the need to place political and cultural cooperation on a new footing;33. Proposes that the future Convention should provide for procedures and funding to support the strengthening of democracy:- training of judges and lawyers;- aid to help establish and spread non-government-subsidized independent media;- aid to train military, police and gendarmerie personnel in human rights, the preservation of the rule of law and judicial procedures;- support for traditional forms of dispute resolution and justice where these have demonstrated their effectiveness;- support for civil society organizations, including women's organizations;- participation of women in independent political, economic and social decision-making processes;- capacity-building, particularly at municipal level;34. Proposes to introduce the phenomenon of migration, for instance in Africa, among the topics of the political dialogue between the ACP States and the Union;35. Reaffirms its support for the convention's joint institutions, particularly the Joint Assembly, and calls for them to be strengthened as a precondition for the strengthening of the political dimension;36. Believes that this strengthening should take the form inter alia of meetings at regional and sub-regional level, with appropriate links and coordination at all levels, without prejudice to the regular holding of plenary sessions;37. Suggests that the Joint Assembly consider new working methods, including:- setting up a joint parliamentary committee able to meet on a regular basis;- organizing meetings at regional and subregional level with the remit of scrutinizing the implementation of cooperation and the conditions of implementation of the Council's decisions, bringing together both members of parliament and all the operators involved in cooperation;38. Calls for the democratization of the Joint Assembly by means of provisions for reflecting the diversity of opinion in the ACP countries, which at present have only one representative per country, and by securing a balanced representation of women and men on both the European and ACP sides;As regards 'the adjustment of Community policy to make poverty alleviation the cornerstone of the new partnership'39. Approves the Commission's guidelines and lays particular stress on the value of the integrated approach adopted with regard to poverty eradication, gender mainstreaming and environmental impact assessments with the aim of ensuring that basic human needs such as access to clean water, basic education and primary health care are met; welcomes also the importance given to reducing inequalities in access to health care and education;40. Urges, in view of the UN conferences at which various aspects of the situation of women, including the role of women in developing countries, were addressed, that full account be taken of the gender aspect in development cooperation;41. Calls for a reallocation of resources towards investment in social programmes, such as education, health care, training, the provision of clean water, sanitation, housing and the gender aspect, on the basis agreed at the Social Summit in 1995;42. Believes it is particularly important to prioritize the rapid establishment of basic social services in post-settlement reconstruction, to demonstrate to demobilised fighters the benefits of peace, and to give them a stake in the peace process;43. Calls for greater emphasis to be placed in future EU-ACP cooperation on improving access to affordable, high-quality special reproductive health services, in particular family planning, given the large unmet demand in ACP countries for services and information;44. Stresses that there must be clear references in future cooperation to the conditions of children and the development of the population;45. Welcomes the proposal to include the popular economy as a key element of development and cooperation policy as it promotes an increased participation, responsibility and appropriation of economic activity;46. Believes, in particular, that with regard to the eradication of poverty, it is essential that cooperation take full account of urban crisis management in the ACP countries;47. Stresses once again, in this connection, the need to develop a micro-credit system and access to credit by the population, as vital questions which should be dealt with during the negotiations;48. Stresses, pending the proposals of the Joint Assembly, the importance of supporting the cooperation and regional integration processes in the ACP countries and in particular relations with the OCTs; in this context, supports the proposal of a global agreement with a regional structure, in order to take into account the different situations and provide the adequate responses to individual regions;49. Stresses the need to eliminate the one-sided dependence on monoculture crops and to improve self-sufficiency in particular by means of increasingly diversified development, production and supply structure;50. Sees the need to promote not only more efficient food production and processing but also needs-oriented industrial development, accompanied by appropriate measures to boost literacy and enable people, in particular women and girls, to take up and train for professional and skilled manual occupations and by strategies for preventing child labour;51. Notes that the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons are largely overlooked in the Guidelines; believes that future EU-ACP cooperation should make provision for access not only to food, water, sanitation and shelter, but also health care, including sexual and reproductive health care, and the prevention of gender-based violence in both the emergency phase, and the longer term;52. Recalls its suggestion to make the greatest possible use in the struggle to eradicate poverty of leading-edge technologies: hygiene, waste treatment, recycling of scrap and refuse, new varieties of food-producing plants, use of local resources, particularly plants, for medical purposes, 'drop-by-drop watering'; stresses the importance of encouraging research in these areas;53. Proposes that fair trade, as an effective instrument for cooperation, should be given a place in the new agreements with the ACP countries and calls for the Commission to be involved in the promotion and certification of fair trade products;54. Urges the Commission to take whatever administrative measures are required to ensure that the attack on poverty, whether by means of the popular economy, or the advertising of local and not imported products, the development of micro-credit systems and the use of leading-edge technologies is not merely an addendum to more general, traditional cooperation, but is carried out in synergy between the rural and urban areas within the framework of a specific assessment and decision-making procedure, wherever possible in direct collaboration with operators on the ground, local authorities, economic and social operators, including private sector representatives (especially of SMUs), and NGOs;55. Urges the development of policies that can be put into practice quickly for environmental regeneration and the preservation of a healthy environment and regenerated natural resources, in particular strategies for the use of alternative, renewable forms of energy so as to combat increasing air pollution and the disastrous practice of forest clearance;As regards opening up cooperation to economic partnership56. Notes the Commission's proposal to negotiate economic partnership agreements at regional and subregional level, notes the long period normally required for negotiations to conclude free trade areas; is concerned that the Commission's proposal to negotiate regional free trade economic partnership agreements may be premature, impractical and lead to increased poverty and social tension in the ACP States; in particular notes the large adjustment costs for non-industrialised countries, such as lost government revenue and damage to domestic industrial production, which usually fall disproportionately on the poor and vulnerable, and which could result from a rapid transition to fully reciprocal trading relations with the EU;57. Is concerned by the failure to produce rigorous studies on the likely impact which either regional free trade areas or graduation into the Generalised System of Preferences would have on ACP States, in particular with regard to the European Union's commitment to both poverty eradication and conflict prevention, and therefore calls on the Commission to produce such studies and to publish the results widely in both the EU and ACP States;58. Welcomes the Commission's proposal to maintain the current Lomé preferences for least developed ACPs and calls for their extension to cover vulnerable economies of the ACP group such as small island states and countries highly dependent on single commodities;59. Stresses the need for a prudent and gradual move towards reciprocal trading relations with the ACP, and considers that 'economic cooperation agreements' constitute an interesting concept which should be used flexibly by European Member States and the Commission to assist those middle-income ACP States whose level of economic, social and political development makes them unable in the short or medium term to enter into free trade areas with the EU which are clearly compatible with Article XXIV of the GATT;60. Stresses that these agreements, which imply moving towards reciprocity in commercial matters, should be implemented gradually, 'in support of regional integration processes and in phase with them'; nevertheless, considers that the EU must use all possible means to have it recognized that non-reciprocal preferences and protocols are instruments of development until the stated objectives are achieved; notes that, in almost all regions of the ACP, those regional integration processes have barely begun;61. Believes it essential to accompany the process of adaptation and integration of regional markets while maintaining the current trading system (preferences, product protocols and compensation for export revenue losses) for an appropriate transitional period which will not however, exceed 10 years following the expiry of the Fourth ACP-EU Convention;62. Recalls that the inclusion of ACP-EU trade is an essential characteristic of the Lomé Conventions and believes therefore that the early and sudden adoption of the unilateral system of generalized preferences would constitute a backward step and a massive increase in the protectionism of the EU towards developing countries; believes that this can only be avoided, however, if the other trading options are rendered more attractive to non-LLDC ACP States, and therefore calls on the European Member States to ensure that the Economic Cooperation Agreement option is focused on poverty eradication and sustainable development, and that the level of the GSP is improved substantially in the course of the upcoming review;63. Acknowledges the difficulties involved in implementing the Commission's proposals, particularly as regards the WTO rules, but believes that these obstacles can be removed if there is sufficient political will and flexibility on the part of the ACP-EU partners, who together represent at present 71 of the 132 members of - and thus votes in - the WTO; suggests that before any formal negotiation, in-depth contact be established with the WTO to examine the conditions under which the exceptions accepted in the Marrakesh Treaty could be extended; asks that the ACP countries be offered technical assistance to enable them to negotiate with the WTO under the best possible conditions and calls for cooperation between the ACP and the European Union to be stepped up in WTO matters;64. Welcomes the fact that the Council has decided to extend the non-reciprocal Lomé preferences to all the least-developed countries, thus eliminating trade discrimination with regard to these countries, and the recognition that trade preferences should be adopted which pay more attention to poverty and less to former colonial status;65. Endorses the call from the ACP countries to the EU to adopt special and differentiated treatment for the developing countries when applying the rules and regulations governing international economic dealings;66. Considers it essential to affirm the primacy of the goal of sustainable development and to embody it in the governing rules and policies of the international institutions and in the agreements on the operation of world trade;67. Urges the Commission to provide assistance to strengthen the capacity of ACP States to put their case within the World Trade Organization;68. Asks the Commission and Council to fully inform and consult the ACP partners on the impact of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) before signing and believes that the MAI, as it stands now, threatens the right of governments, local communities and citizens to control democratically investment in their economies;69. Reiterates its calls on EU governments not to sign the MAI and asks the ACP countries governments not to apply to join this agreement as it stands;70. Calls for the rules on place of origin, which have seriously hampered the growth of ACP trade both at regional and international level, to be simplified and made more transparent;71. Believes that the EU should provide the ACP countries with technical assistance which would enable them to negotiate under the best possible conditions agreements favouring fledgling industries, guaranteeing normal working conditions and a better environment;72. Draws the Commission's attention to the fact, however, that harmonious development for all the ACP countries should not be determined exclusively or even mainly by external considerations; the balance of programmes and strategies must ensure that growth in domestic production, purchasing power and consumption are encouraged at least as much as exports;73. Welcomes the further integration of aid and trade and the commitment to use technical and financial assistance to remove supply-side constraints which prevent ACP States from taking advantage of trading opportunities, and calls for such assistance to include, inter alia, time-bound and selective protection for infant industries, and long term protection for agriculture;74. Believes that legislative stability with regard to taxation and contracts is an absolute sine qua non for any kind of development, and suggests that any undertaking, group of undertakings, or producers' association believing itself to be the victim of any harmful amendment of legislation in this field should have the possibility of appealing to an ad hoc international court or the court in The Hague;75. Calls for a programme of technology transfer to the ACP countries on a non-commercial basis, backed up by training programmes tailored to real needs; insists that such transfers must be consistent with the requirements of sustainable development;76. Calls for a policy and framework for action for the economic, social and environmental development of coastal areas which is consistent with the programmes adopted by the international conferences of the United Nations and, for the small island states, the 1994 Barbados Conference on the sustainable development of small island states to be established and implemented;77. Reminds the Commission that the Luxembourg European Council called on it 'to study the procedure for establishing a therapeutic solidarity fund under the aegis of UNAIDS to combat AIDS in the developing countries' and calls on the Commission to make provision for the establishment of this fund in the framework of the next convention;78. Urges the Commission and the ACP States to draw up an adequate legal framework to protect intellectual property in respect of biodiversity in the South; such a framework must provide for the establishment of databases containing information on flora and fauna and their natural habitats, the legal protection of national biodiversity and the legal protection of the inalienable rights of indigenous peoples as regards their traditional knowledge concerning the use of animals and plants; the EU must also provide the ACP States with financial and technical support and the necessary scientific know-how, particular attention being paid to the rights of indigenous peoples;79. Proposes to include in the new Convention provisions on the principles of Articles 8j of the Convention on Biological Diversity concerning the preservation of knowledge, innovation and practices of indigenous and local communities and their intellectual property rights of approval, involvement and equitable sharing of benefits of any use of such resources;80. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action to establish a global scheme on reducing debt and in particular to press for more effective implementation of the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC), including earlier and deeper levels of debt reduction, and to ensure that the benefits of debt reduction are channelled into investment in sustainable human development;81. Calls on the Commission and on the governments of the Member States and the ACP countries actively to supervise, possibly backed-up by guidelines and restrictions, banking practice and the interest rates being demanded, particularly from SMEs;82. Stresses that developing ACP production means selling the resulting products; observes that the bulk of advertising in ACP countries is for imported products and therefore asks that programmes be put in hand to ensure the presence of free or subsidized advertising of local products on local public radio and television stations, and the setting aside of time-slots on national channels for that purpose;83. Insists once again on the need to make European Union development cooperation policy genuinely consistent with the Union's other policies, particularly the common agricultural policy, fisheries policy, policy on arms exports, and policies for the environment, gender, debt, human rights, democratization and the rule of law, through the establishment of concrete mechanisms for ensuring consistency within the framework of the future Convention; urges the Commission to take account of the objectives of its development policy when formulating its positions within the WTO;84. Urges that the establishment of rapid warning and prevention systems for natural disasters should be continued and strengthened in the ACP States at both national and regional level;85. Recalls the importance it attaches to encouraging scientific research in ACP countries and the protection of intellectual property in all these countries;86. Considers that a priority for funding should be the development of programmes by the recipient government for the management of natural resources, both renewable and non- renewable, on a sustainable basis and according to the precautionary approach;87. Emphasizes the importance of convertible currencies and calls for measures to support the developing countries in the development of effective and stable currency systems;88. Calls for an objective study to be carried out into the economic and financial implications of the entry into force of the euro for the ACP-EU cooperation partners and, in particular, into how it will link in with the CFA franc zone;As regards the budgetary aspects89. Reiterates its call on the Commission:- to follow up in a tangible fashion the financial information on the European Development Funds which, each year, is forwarded together with the draft budget,- to outline a scheme involving Parliament more closely in the annual estimates of EDF expenditure it draws up;90. Invites the Commission to present, in connection with the organizational arrangements for economic partnership, the appropriate institutional mechanisms and procedures committing all the institutions politically and, in particular, fostering the requisite democratic oversight;91. Regrets that, with regard to the financial implications, the information on the new financial instruments remains incomplete;92. Takes the view that the relevance of these instruments ought to provide the necessary guarantees that expenditure programming will be predictable and that the objectives will be realized on schedule;93. Invites the Commission to present, in the new interinstitutional agreement and the financial perspective annexed thereto, a mechanism for phasing the EDF into the budget;As regards 'the practical procedures for managing financial and technical cooperation, which need a complete overhaul'94. Reiterates the absolute need to render cooperation accountable, transparent, effective and visible and to drastically simplify procedures at all levels;95. Repeats its call for the budgetization of the EDF;96. Calls for the next Convention to establish the principle of an updating of EDF resources which is at least proportional to the demographic consequences of enlargement of the European Union to include new states;97. Calls, in accordance with the United Nations recommendations, for the Member States of the European Union to set as a common and priority undertaking a contribution of 0.7% of their GNP to be made available for official development assistance and calls on their partners in all the relevant bodies and in particular in the OECD to do the same;98. Stresses the need for country-specific strategies to translate Parliament's ambitious objectives into practical action;99. Believes that in implementing the 'contract¨, a very substantial strengthening of the programming of resources as a whole is essential;100. Calls on the Commission to make a distinction between private development operators and non-profit making operators within civil society (associations, European local authorities, universities, etc.) and to tailor its procedures accordingly;101. Believes that major decentralization of financial and technical cooperation needs to be carried out as part of the process of fully involving all cooperation operators both in decision-making and in implementation of programmes;102. Recalls that one of the essential new features of the ACP-EU partnership should be its effective opening-up to new operators, welcomes the Commission proposal to consult non-governmental organizations and to ensure that they are fully integrated into European development cooperation and in this context calls for an active information and transparency policy to be built into the Convention so that civil society has easy access to the information which will enable it to take advantage of the provisions of the Convention; regrets in this connection that the Commission has not, as it had envisaged in its Green Paper, upheld the principle of a financial envelope for non-governmental operators; calls for such an envelope to be set up;103. Emphasizes the importance of specifically targeted civil society involvement in the planning, development and implementation of all measures;104. Calls for a policy committed to transparency and information with regard to persons in civil society, enabling them to benefit from the possibilities of support which will be provided under the new Convention;105. Believes that decentralized cooperation should be treated as a fundamental principle of cooperation in future ACP-EU agreements in a way which is adapted to the various types of players concerned, whether regional or local authorities, associations, NGOs, migrant associations, private operators and enterprises, training institutes or non-governmental development aid structures;106. Stresses the importance of decentralized cooperation as it covers measures and projects which concern citizens' daily lives and promotes initiatives coming from the local representatives of the poorest sections of the population, involving regional or local authorities, associations, private bodies, training institutes and non-governmental development aid structures;107. In this spirit, suggests that migrants, for example in Africa, should not only be seen as a problem but also as actors of development and that their initiatives within their associations should be supported in the framework of decentralized cooperation; thought should be given to improving the transfer of remittances towards their country of origin in order to facilitate their investments and support their development projects;108. Stresses that many specific experiences of aid to return home will open the way for a general policy, based on assistance provided for migrants responsible for productive-investment projects in their countries of origin, of joint development and partnership; training in development-related trades (agriculture, craft trades, etc.) devised in agreement with the country of origin, to which the person is returning, could be implemented in developed countries temporarily accepting these workers in order to facilitate their return and to help them contribute to development;109. Calls for an independent dispute settlements mechanism to be established to arbitrate in disputes involving European development cooperation, including disputes involving the actions of private companies implementing development contracts on behalf of the EU;110. Considers that a priority must be a reorganization of the Commission structure so that all cooperation policies are coordinated by a single Directorate-General;111. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Governments of the Member States and the ACP States.