European Parliament resolution on the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament on a Community action plan for the reconstruction of Central America (COM(1999) 201 — C5-0111/1999 — 1999/2114(COS))
Date: 2000-06-15
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: Central America, EU action, EU aid, action programme, aid to disaster victims, economic reconstruction, natural disaster

1.3.2001

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Thursday 15 June 2000

Instructs its Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries to tackle the question of human
impact at its next

11.
rights in Tunisia together with the Association Agreement’s economic and social
meeting, with the participation of representatives of civil society;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, to the Commission, to the Inter-
12.
parliamentary Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union and to
the European Union’s Mediterranean partners.

11. Reconstruction of Central America

A5-0133/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission communication to the Council and the Euro-
pean Parliament on a Community action plan for the reconstruction of Central America
(COM(1999) 201 $ C5-0111/1999 $ 1999/2114(COS))

The European Parliament,

) having regard to the Commission communication (COM(1999) 201 ) C5-0111/1999),

) having regard to its resolutions of 16 January 1997 on the Communication from the Commission to
the Council and the European Parliament on ‘The European Union and Latin America: the present
situation and prospects for closer partnership 1996-2000’ (COM(95) 495 ) C4-0489/95) and on
the Communication from the Commission to the Council on the renewal of the San José dialogue
between the European Union and Central America (COM(95) 600 ) C4-0102/96) (1),

) having regard to its resolution of 19 November 1998 on the situation in Central America and

EU action (2),

) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

) having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security
and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Committee on Development and Cooper-
ation, the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy
(A5-0133/2000),

A. whereas it is now over a year since four Central American countries were devastated by Hurricane

Mitch,

B. whereas, in spite of the progress achieved in the countries of Central America before the Hurricane
Mitch disaster, continuing pockets of poverty in many of those countries were disproportionately
large, and for this reason the fight against poverty must be the top priority for any reconstruction
project,

C. whereas the Commission should be fully involved in the Stockholm monitoring group and could play
a coordinating role in reconstruction efforts, with a view to preventing the fragmentation of aid, as
well as its partisan or fraudulent use,

D. whereas strengthening European Union assistance to other parts of the world must not prejudice the

Union’s support for reconstruction and rehabilitation in Central America,

E. whereas the amount actually received has been only a small proportion ) in some cases, no more
than 5 % ) of what was promised by governments and financial institutions; whereas Community
reconstruction aid other than emergency aid began to be disbursed only during the past year,

F.

regretting the growing political and military tension between Honduras and Nicaragua, stemming
from long-standing disputes concerning sovereignty over certain maritime areas,

(1) OJ C 33, 3.2.1997, pp. 86 and 91.
(2) OJ C 379, 7.12.1998, p. 272.

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G. whereas the EU and its Member States should operate a phased and substantial increase in the volume
of their reconstruction and development aid to the Central American region, ensuring its additionality,

H. whereas a sizeable proportion of aid from the EU and Member States must be earmarked for promot-

ing employment skills in the countries affected as an important target in their development,

I. whereas some 10 000 displaced persons in the region are affected by the hurricane and need special

care,

J. whereas one of the main obstacles to development in the countries concerned is the pressing weight

of their external debt which, according to the World Bank, was as high as USD 17 billion in 1998,

1.
Expresses its support for the Commission proposal concerning the reconstruction plan for Central
America, which forms part of a sustainable development strategy designed to solve the structural problems
that already existed in the region and which Hurricane Mitch has served to exacerbate;

2.
Stresses that reconstruction should operate in favour of the regional integration process, with a view
to creating an effective interrelation between the natural resources and productive systems of the countries
of the region; believes, therefore, that the European Union should provide the aid required to boost and
bolster regional integration in Central America;

Calls on the Commission to create the necessary mechanisms for reducing the vulnerability of the

3.
most exposed sectors and groups, thus strengthening their ability to deal with any future catastrophes;

4. Makes it clear that the Union’s priority objective in all its aid programmes, via the reconstruction of
communications, energy, road transport, production, rural and community infrastructures, must be the
reduction of poverty and the eradication of extreme poverty;

5.
Calls on the Commission to give special attention to promoting consultation between governments
and civil society, generally encouraging women’s participation on equal terms, and protecting the cultural
and religious characteristics of the indigenous communities, their social fabric and the environment;

6.
Stresses in this context that Agenda 21 has recognised the particularly important role of indigenous
communities and their active participation in the sustainable development process; considers it, therefore,
vital to take account of local knowledge for designing and implementing reconstruction measures;

7.
Urges the Commission to propose that the reconstruction process should become a key element in a
wide-ranging programme for the medium and long-term development of the region; believes that the link
between aid, rehabilitation, development and prevention should determine the actions of the governments
concerned, the integration of the donor countries’ contributions and the EU’s intervention;

8.
Notes that, in the opinion of many experts, the recent spate of severe natural disasters is due to
climate changes primarily caused by environmental pollution generated by the industrialised countries;
stresses that almost all the experts are of the opinion that such natural disasters will become all the more
frequent in coming years and decades unless emissions of greenhouse gases with an adverse effect on the
climate are drastically reduced;

9.
Recommends that the reconstruction and development strategies should take account of the need for
intervention to observe the principle of environmental sustainability, restoring the water basins affected,
avoiding erosion from overexploitation, and combining the different forms of economic and social activity
from an integrated and environment-friendly perspective through a broader diversification of exports from
the countries of Central America;

10.
Considers that there is a need to recognise natural disaster prevention and forecasting as a key
element in achieving sustainable development, particularly bearing in mind the effects of desertification
and rising sea levels as a result of global warming;

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Calls, moreover, for the EU and its Member States to ratify immediately the Kyoto Protocol on the

11.
reduction of greenhouse gases;

Thursday 15 June 2000

Draws attention to the importance of implementing active environmental protection policies in the
12.
countries affected, and urges the Commission to take the necessary steps to ensure that there is a specific
programme for environmental protection in the reconstruction of Central America;

Calls on the Stockholm monitoring group to improve the coordination of aid among the cooper-
13.
ation bodies, and calls for the full involvement of the Commission, as a leading player in the reconstruc-
tion activities in the whole region, in the coordinating activities, which requires the status of member of
the Stockholm monitoring group;

Believes that the Commission should officially become part of the Stockholm monitoring group and

14.
should, from that position, work to develop better coordination of aid to the region;

15.
Stresses the need for proper coordination and control of the various resources allocated to Central
America, in order to achieve maximum effectiveness; draws attention in this regard to the risk inherent in
the management of Community aid by different departments in the Commission;

16.

Considers it essential that the competent institutions conduct internal and external audits;

17. Welcomes the initiative of the EU to limit the risk of fraud and corruption through its decision to
assume sole responsibility for the planning, implementation and monitoring of the assistance provided
under the relevant budgetary line;

18. Welcomes and supports the initiative proposed by the Stockholm monitoring group for the contin-
ued monitoring of the reconstruction efforts in order to prevent the fraudulent and inefficient use of funds;

Urges the Commission and Council to adopt the measures required to ensure that transparency and

19.
the sound management of the earmarked resources govern all aid for Central America;

20.
Reiterates the need for immediate investment in fast-track education, technical training and training
for human and labour resources, especially those in the most exposed sectors, with respect and support
shown for the knowledge, traditions, culture and languages of the indigenous peoples, who represent the
majority in many of the affected regions, and stresses the crucial need for reform and adaptation of educa-
tion systems in line with the current needs of these communities;

Urges the Commission and Council to lay the groundwork for a solution to the ever-present debt

21.
problem and to contribute support for:

(a)

total and immediate cancellation of the non-commercial debt,

(b)

immediate cancellation of as large a proportion as is possible of the commercial debt, in line with the
Club of Paris criteria, and

(c)

establishment of compensation funds for reconstruction and social policies;

22.
Calls on the Commission to submit proposals for a significant increase in the budget adopted for
reconstruction aid, and recalls that the annual decision on entering appropriations for reconstruction in
Central America (B7-313) in the EU budget will be taken by the budgetary authority, taking due account
of the multiannual financial allocation and the principles of sound financial management;

23.
Urges the Commission to submit, within a short period, a detailed appraisal of the action under-
taken thus far, including the amount, purpose and management of the funds, the reforms implemented
and the undertakings to which reconstruction work has been assigned;

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24.
Considers it, furthermore, desirable for the Commission to propose, as part of the strategic recon-
struction plan, measures to increase European Investment Bank funds for the region and to develop all
forms of trade between the region and the Union as far as possible;

Considers it vital to ensure that the process of channelling and targeting aid takes into consideration

25.
the experience of local administrative bodies, NGOs, trade unions and political organisations;

Calls for information concerning the practical implementation of gender mainstreaming in the pro-

26.
grammes, the experience gained and its success or failure;

27.
Recalls that the administrative costs arising from the implementation of the Community Action
Plan for the Reconstruction of Central America and its management must reflect the principles laid down
by Parliament on the subject of redeployment, devolution and technical aid to the Commission, while
respecting the agreements reached within the framework of the current reform of the Commission;

28.
Expresses concern at the build up of delays in implementing the Community Action Plan for the
Reconstruction of Central America, and urges the Commission to provide the human resources required,
with no further delay or reduction in the total agreed amount;

29.
Considers it vital, for the success of the programme, to allocate the staff needed for its management,
i.e. at least six Commission officials assisted by European technical specialists and local staff with the
necessary background;

30.
Considers it essential that the Commission has sufficient human resources for proper implementa-
tion of the Regional Plan for the Reconstruction of Central America, commensurate with the complexity of
the task, its ambitious aims and the need for correct and transparent management; points once more in
this regard to the urgent need for a review of staff levels in the external relations DGs, particularly staff
with experience in areas connected with social development; considers it essential for the Commission’s
personnel and material resources to be significantly increased, not only in the region but also in the central
departments;

Accordingly supports Option 1 as proposed by the Commission; where it is impossible to imple-
31.
ment this option for lack of human resources in the short term, Option 2 could be considered valid and
European experts recruited who are highly qualified in the programme’s areas of action, together with local
agents, with funding from part B of the Community budget; in addition, to ensure the realisation of the
tasks which are a matter for the public authorities, a further six Community officials should be provided
with funding from part A of the budget;

32. Welcomes the decision adopted by the Community on 21 December 1998 to prolong the special
preference scheme for Central American exports until 2002, extending the zero-rated tariff regime for all
industrial products;

33.
Proposes further facilitating access to EU markets for products from the countries of Central
America, for example in the framework of the Generalised System of Preferences or in connection with
the reform of the EU organisation of the market in bananas, and in so doing to encourage, instead of
export-oriented agriculture based on single-crop farming, access to European markets for products
produced in ecologically sustainable conditions, to ensure that trade also contributes to the prevention of
natural disasters;

34.
Recommends that, as regards their territorial disputes, Honduras and Nicaragua should wait for the
ruling of the International Court of Justice and the recommendations of the OAS mediator, refraining in
the meantime from any action liable to increase tension in the region; recalls, in this connection, that a
military conflict in the region would block reconstruction and development work;

35.
Urges Honduras and Nicaragua to give formal pledges to settle their conflict by peaceful and non-
aggressive means pending the ruling of the International Court of Justice, so as to ensure that reconstruc-
tion aid from the Union reaches the areas hit by the hurricane;

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Thursday 15 June 2000

36.
Points out that anti-personnel mines are a persistent problem in Central America and a serious
obstacle to development; for this reason it is important to allocate special funds to the mine-clearance
programmes;

37. Welcomes the decision of the Commission to inform the European Parliament and the Member
States once a year of the state of implementation of the programme, and will monitor closely any further
developments in the region;

38.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
of the Member States and the governments of Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa
Rica.

12. Asylum procedures

A5-0123/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission working document:

‘Towards common

standards on asylum procedures’ (SEC(1999) 271 $ C5-0157/1999 $ 1999/2148(COS))

The European Parliament,

) having regard to the Commission working document (SEC(1999) 271 ) C5-0157/1999),

) having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular Title IV,

Article 61 et seq,

) having regard to the Treaty on European Union and in particular Articles 2 and 6 thereof,

) having regard to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental

Freedoms, adopted on 4 November 1950,

) having regard to the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 relating to the Status of Refugees,

as amended by the New York Protocol of 31 January 1967,

) having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948,

) having regard to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,

Inhuman or

Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted on 10 December 1984,

) having regard to the Council resolution of 20 June 1995 on minimum guarantees for asylum proce-

dures (1),

) having regard to the Dublin Convention of 15 June 1990 determining the state responsible for exam-
ining applications for asylum lodged in one of the Member States of the European Communities,

) having regard to the action plan on how best to implement the provisions of the Treaty of Amster-
dam on an area of freedom, security and justice (2), adopted by the Vienna European Council of
11/12 December 1998,

) having regard to the conclusions of the Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999,

in particular points 2, 3, 4, 8, and 11 to 27 thereof,

) having regard to its earlier resolutions on immigration and asylum,

) having regard to the discussions now taking place with a view to drawing up a Union Charter of

fundamental rights,

) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

) having regard to the report of the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home
Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (A5-0123/2000),

(1) OJ C 274, 19.9.1996, p. 13.
(2) OJ C 19, 23.1.1999, p. 1.