Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament follow-up to the first summit between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union
Date: 2000-10-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, human rights, international conference, marginalisation, new technology

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 31.10.2000
COM(2000) 670 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

FOLLOW-UP TO THE FIRST SUMMIT

BETWEEN

LATIN AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

FOLLOW-UP TO THE FIRST SUMMIT

BETWEEN

LATIN AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Preamble

The purpose of this Communication is to set out the general principles and
actions that the Commission intends to take to contribute to meeting the
priorities resulting from the June 1999 EU, Latin America and Caribbean Rio
Summit. It aims to give impetus to the follow-up. The Communication takes into
account the EU’s general policy objectives in Latin America and the Caribbean,
as well as the Commission’s own constraints. It should be stressed that the
Commission does not propose in this Communication a new strategy for
relations between the EU and Latin America/the Caribbean.

1.

Introduction

The first summit of Heads of State and Government of the countries of Latin
America, the Caribbean and the EU, with the participation of the President of the
European Commission, was held in Rio on 28 and 29 June 1999.

The Summit highlighted some common principles and objectives,
including the
universality of human rights , the need to reverse environmental degradation and
foster sustainable development. It reflected the desire to strengthen and diversify
relations that are constantly progressing. Its main objective was to establish a
strategic bi-regional partnership based upon three dimensions:

• greater political dialogue;

• sound economic and financial relations based on a comprehensive and balanced

liberalisation of trade and capital flows; and

• dynamic co-operation in key sectors, especially in the educational, social and

cultural fields and in scientific and technological development .

The Summit concluded with a Joint declaration and an Action Plan setting out a wide
number of priorities covering numerous fields in each of the three dimensions
(political dialogue, economic and financial relations and co-operation). Out of them,
11 key priorities were subsequently selected in Tuusula by a bi-regional group of
high officials, with a view to give more focus to the overall process.

The conclusions of the Rio Summit apply equally to all the parties concerned: the
partner countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Member States of the EU,
and the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission in their respective
areas of competence.

2

A second Summit was approved in principle at Rio and is to be held in Spain in
2002. Progress will need to have been made by then in implementing the Rio
undertakings - a complex exercise given the sheer breadth of the fields concerned.
All the partners must therefore decide:

(1) who will take initiatives in implementing each of the priorities identified and

who will participate in the proposed initiatives;

(2) what are the actual activities proposed and under which modalities;

(3)

how the parties will effectively manage and co-ordinate their initiatives

The main focus of the present Communication , looking ahead to the second Summit,
is to deal with the implementation of the Rio conclusions related to the co-operation
priorities (covering the political, economic and social
the
partnership); the political and economic dialogues will essentially continue within
the existing bilateral and subregional framework.

dimensions of

2.

The Rio Summit and the EU's strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean

The basic strategies in place will continue to apply.

In regard to Latin America,
the guidelines laid down in the March 1999
Communication “On a new EU-Latin America partnership on the eve of the 21st
century”1 were to a large extent confirmed by the Rio Joint Declaration. Efforts to
develop a dynamic relationship between the two parties can therefore continue along
existing lines, taking due account of the disparate nature of the sub-continent and the
need to gear dialogue and co-operation to differing situations while recognising the
need to incorporate the regional dimension more fully into areas of common interest
where an overall approach is warranted or would be more appropriate.

Relations with the Caribbean countries will henceforth be based primarily on the new
partnership and co-operation agreement with the ACP countries, concluded on 3
February 2000 and signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000. However, the new regional
concept introduced in Rio will undoubtedly be useful in encouraging the regional
integration of the Caribbean, including the countries of Caricom, Central America
and the north of the sub-continent.

With respect to trade, above and beyond the bilateral and sub-regional agreements
concluded or in negotiation, the strategy will be to strengthen our future dialogue
with the countries in the region on the WTO and in particular on the question of a
future WTO round. The Commission considers it is time to take this forward in more
concrete terms through a more structured, concrete and regular dialogue at the
appropriate level which would:

a) seek to reach mutual understanding and agreement on the specifics of the
negotiating objectives and agenda for a new round

b) act as a forum for co-operation, co-ordination and exchange of views during the
future negotiations ; and

1

COM (1999) 105 final.

3

c) prepare and supplement ministerial
continue to give overall direction to the dialogue.

level discussions on WTO which would

3.

Progress since Rio

The Summit adopted a two-pronged approach for promotion and implementation of
the Action Plan. It reflected concern to avoid the creation of new structures, given
that the existing institutional framework already comprises numerous forums.

Firstly, a bi-regional group (mentioned above) at senior official level was set up and
will meet regularly (there is no stipulation as to how often) to monitor and work on
implementing the priorities for action on the basis of existing mechanisms.

Secondly, there are Ministerial discussions between the EU and the countries and
sub-regional groups of Latin America, and between the EU and the Caribbean
countries. These discussions are to maintain their present format and frequency under
the agreements in force. Ad hoc Ministerial meetings can also take place on certain
topics of common interest:
research and science were specifically
mentioned in the joint declaration).

(education,

What progress has been made since Rio on the basis of this approach?

Out of the Action Plan, the bi-regional group has drawn up a list of 11 key priorities2.
They encompass fields likely to give added value, rapid results and visibility to
activities in progress or in preparation. However, few initiatives have yet been
launched to give effect to these priorities. Nor has there has been significant progress
with the establishment of co-ordination mechanisms.

The most recent
institutionalised Ministerial meetings since Rio were held in
Vilamoura in February 2000. Each of the bilateral and sub-regional meetings stressed
the importance of the Rio Summit as signalling a new stage in relations between the
the joint declarations and joint official statements reflected the
regions. All
commitment to implement the Rio Action Plan and support the bi-regional group’s
work. As expected, the Vilamoura Ministerial meetings confirmed the political
impetus provided in Rio, while leaving it to the bi-regional group at this stage to
translate the guidelines into specific initiatives.

In the context of these meetings the Commission stressed the need to achieve
progress before the 2002 Summit. It called for a pragmatic approach and for focus on
a small number of sectors likely to yield tangible results. Emphasis was placed on
two political objectives: the promotion of human rights, and co-operation within
international bodies (in particular the United Nations) through mechanisms for rapid
consultation on the most important issues.

To give some concrete example of the implementation of the Rio Summit at this
stage:

2

The 11 priorities are set out in Annex 1. The list was drawn up in Tuusula at the first meeting of the bi-
regional group in November 1999. The second meeting was held in Vilamoura alongside the EU-LA
ministerial meetings in February.

4

–

–

the components of

all
the EU-Latin America/Caribbean co-operation
mechanism for combating drugs have been put in place since that time, in
terms of both content and follow-up mechanisms. This has already led to
Commission financing of a number of projects.

in scientific and technological research, a bi-regional working party (WP) was
set up at a meeting of senior officials in June 2000. The WP’s remit
is
essentially to propose concrete priorities and implementing measures for
discussion by ministers when they meet in 2001. A progress report will be
submitted to heads of state and government at the summit scheduled for
2002.The execution/implementation details will reflect the various types of co-
operation machinery (scientific and technological co-operation, economic co-
operation and development co-operation) available to the Member States, the
Commission and the LA/C countries and must also, naturally, take account of
the scientific excellence of the proposed projects3.

The above account of the progress made since Rio shows the amount of work that
remains to be done to give tangible expression, at the level of all the partners, to the
new momentum that should result from the summits.

4.

Follow-up to Rio: basis for Commission action

First it should be stressed that the Commission is already active to a large extent
in the 11 sectors assigned priority in Tuusula4, as well as in most of the areas
covered by the Rio Joint Declaration and Action Plan. The Summit's conclusions
confirmed the broad aims pursued by the Commission in its policy for the region.

In the follow-up to Rio, the Commission intends to act primarily at two levels:

1)

In the immediate future, in anticipation of the 2002 Summit, the Commission
proposes to step up its action in the following three priority areas: the
promotion and protection of human rights; the promotion of the information
society; and the reduction of social imbalances.

The particular emphasis on these areas seeks to cover the three dimensions of
the strategic partnership (political, economic, social ) and to respond to the
main challenges of the region. The proposed initiatives in those three priority
areas form a coherent package designed to meet a common objective : to place
the heart of the relationship
human development and the civil society at
between the two regions. In this context ,the political initiative in the field of
human rights and good governance cannot be dissociated from the social
initiative seeking to reduce poverty and inequalities, both trying to allow the
most vulnerable groups to play a more active role as citizens. At the same time
the initiative in the economic field seeks to provide the civil society with
modern tools of management and communication, with a view to facilitate its
integration in the national and world economy.

3

4

The INCO Programme can act as a catalyst for mobilising resources in the Member States and fostering
participation by LA/C scientists in the Fifth Framework Programme.
The tables in Annex 2 illustrate this.

5

It should be stressed that, in addition to the three new initiatives, the Tuusula
priority areas will continue to be dealt with through existing co-operation
instruments, including decentralised horizontal programmes5. The latter will be
evaluated in the light of the priorities and the Commission's other political aims
in order to measure their efficacy, their compliance with the principles of
Commission reform and the likelihood that they can yield tangible, measurable
results. It
they should work in synergy with other
programmes. These instruments should also help to support dialogue with civil
society, which was another key priority identified at the Rio Summit.

is also essential that

2)

in the longer term, the Commission will ensure that the priorities identified
in the Rio Action Plan and fine-tuned in Tuusula are incorporated into the
bilateral and sub-regional dialogues established. In principle, this does not
require any special initiative, but rather a continuous and systematic approach
covering all the three areas of the strategic partnership.

The Commission will make sure that it does not look at each dimension in
isolation. The three dimensions should reinforce one another. We shall seek to
ensure consistency and synergy between political, economic and co-operation
dialogue, notably in the pursuit of common goals such as promotion of
environmental protection and sustainable development.

The success of the Commission's overall action will depend to a large extent on
its compliance with certain basic principles, and in particular:

–

–

–

the exercise of subsidiarity, leaving Member States and partner countries
with full financial and operational responsibility for the measures they
wish to undertake. This will require appropriate co-ordination and
complementarity of activities;

maintaining a balance between our general relationship with the region
as a whole and the sub-regional strategies which still apply. The priorities
for each sub-region will be implemented in the framework of bilateral
and sub-regional co-operation;

realism: the Commission has to match its ambitions to its means when
implementing the Rio conclusions. It is therefore essential to concentrate
on key political objectives.

In accordance with above criteria and principles, measures will be developed
both for the region as a whole and for each sub-region.

5.

5.1

5

Stepping up the Commission action in the region as a whole: new specific
measures in the 3 chosen priority areas

In the political field, the Commission proposes taking further action in the priority
area of the promotion and protection of human rights, a key component of the EU's
external policy and the cornerstone of the special relationship between the two
regions. Indeed, the Commission has played an active and visible role in this field

In particular the ALINVEST, ALURE, ALFA and URBAL programmes. With the exception of
ALURE, they will aim to integrate the cultural dimension into eligible activities.

6

through political dialogue as well as co-operation activities such as support to peace
processes, help with the restoration of democracy, and aid to refugees – especially in
Central America.

In general, the situation in the region has improved. But despite the progress made,
respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy remains fragile in some
countries and must be strengthened. In some cases, unfortunately, there has been a
deterioration since the Rio Summit. The EU has expressed its position on those cases
in the appropriate forums. To give concrete expression to the strong commitment
made at the Rio Summit, new "positive" measures must be taken to strengthen
respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic political systems.

Against this background, and building on its past activities,
proposes to step up its action regarding:

the Commission

1.

Promotion of respect for human rights, in particular civil and political rights,
with three particular groups:

(a)

(b)

independent institutions at regional level, including the Latin-American
and Caribbean ombudsmen;

local organisations (whether national, regional or international, including
NGOs) specialising in particular in contributing to forums for dialogue
between civil society and governments, especially in countries where
there is a national plan for human rights;

(c)

regional and sub-regional organisations and institutions specialising in
justice.

2.

3.

Support for democratic political systems, contributing in particular to the
consolidation and modernisation of the rule of law, through support for the
media and press freedom.

The promotion and protection of economic and social rights, in particular by
assisting organisations and bodies responsible for defending the rights of
employees in companies and the economic and social rights of vulnerable
sections of the population.

On this basis and taking account of the positive experience gained in Central
America6, the Commission proposes an EU-Latin America/Caribbean discussion
forum for the promotion and protection of human rights.

The main tasks of the discussion forum will be:

(1) To set in motion a general discussion in the three areas set out above with a
view to identifying more accurately the specific difficulties of the region and
possible responses;

6

Meetings of the committee of independent experts under the existing multiannual human rights
programme in Central America, set up under the San José Dialogue.

7

(2) To encourage the pooling of experience among interested countries and bodies

on the most effective policies in the three fields in question;

(3) To seek, if necessary, new approaches to the long-term development of co-
operation methods between the EU and Latin America/the Caribbean that are
better tailored to the needs of the region;

(4) To submit a report with conclusions and proposals for action to the 2002

Summit.

The forum will be made up of representatives of the interested partner countries of
Latin America/the Caribbean, and the Member States. International, regional or local
organisations and development agencies working in the region, including the Inter-
American Development Bank and the World Bank, will also be invited to participate.

It is also proposed that there should be an ad hoc group of experts whose mandate
will be set by a special group of senior officials which will then endorse the results of
the work7. The exercise should be carried out in the course of 2001, culminating in
the presentation of conclusions and proposals for action to be approved by the 2002
Summit.

Co-operation programmes could subsequently be devised and programmed on the
basis of conclusions adopted at the 2002 Summit.

5.2

In the economic field,
promotion of the information society.

the Commission proposes a specific measure on the

the new opportunities and challenges brought about by
Around the world,
Information and Communication Technology are now recognised and the need to
address the consequential, rapidly changing economic and social structures of this
new Information Society has become a political priority. The need for new policies
and regulatory measures to guide these developments to the advantage of economic
actors and civil society is a challenge for developing, emerging and developed
countries alike, albeit in different forms and with different objectives. The increasing
need for co-ordinated and compatible international approaches to these questions has
been recognised at the EU-Latin America Rio Summit, the recently held Latin-
American Summit in Brasilia, and the European Councils in Lisbon and Feira which
adopted the eEurope initiative with a specific reference to the need for addressing
this at international level.

Public policies will play a key role with the development of appropriate regulatory
frameworks aiming at development of communications infrastructure, the emergence
of high-quality communications services and applications, and the facilitation of
ecommerce. The role of the private sector is two-fold: the main investment in, and
development of, these infrastructures and services, as well as an increasing role in the
development of co-regulatory approaches, together with governments. Beyond the
policy role of governments, they play an important role in the development of social
services, education, health, etc as well as in fighting poverty and urbanisation, and in

7

The group and its mandate should be finalised in the second half of the year.

8

improving the economic position of local communities, each area of which can draw
substantial benefit from the use of ICT.

It will be important for governments to ensure that
their countries are fully
participating in the new global economy and in the resulting dialogues and
exchanges. The EU has therefore much to gain from a full partnership at economic,
cultural, social, and political
level with Latin-America on Information Society
matters.

The growth of the telecommunications infrastructure in Latin America and the
Caribbean is striking. The number of telephone lines per inhabitant is increasing on
average by 15-20% per year throughout the sub-continent. The number of internet
servers increased by 140% in 1999. Local authorities are implementing ambitious
programmes to link schools to the internet. Demonstration projects could feasibly be
carried out in such a context.

The European Commission is already supporting the dialogue, notably through the
São Paulo EU-Latin America meetings on the information society, referred to in the
Rio Declaration. It has also contributed to studies undertaken by information and
telecommunications society operators; and it has contributed through flanking
measures to RTD programmes for information society technologies.

Against this background, the Commission proposes to put forward a programme
called ALIS8 to promote, on the basis of specific cases, the benefits of using
information society technologies.

This programme will:

–

–

–

–

Propose measures to adapt the regulatory environment and related policies to
improve investment
the communications
in, and service offering of,
infrastructure thereby offering broader access to opportunities offered by the
Information Society. Address the requirements for regulatory and policy
capacity at national level and in the context of the Latin-American regional co-
operation and integration process.

Foster the training and education of human resources, as well as capacity
building, in the area of use and management of ICT, in particular in the areas
of education, health, transport infrastructure, government services etc.

Provide support
education, health, urban transport, ecommerce, development of SME’s.

to demonstration projects in priority areas such as tele-

Increase the interconnection capacity between Latin-American, Caribbean, and
European education and research communities.

The arrangements for implementing this priority action are described in Annex 3.

5.3

In the co-operation field, support for the most vulnerable sectors of society is one of
the 11 Tuusula priorities. The Commission has also made the fight against poverty a
key priority of development co-operation9.

8

ALliance for the Information Society.

9

In the past,
the Commission's financial and technical co-operation with Latin
America and the Caribbean focused on conventional projects with social aims such
as rural development, support for refugees and training measures. In the 1990s and
following the formulation of new co-operation strategies for the countries in the
region (Country Strategy Papers), poverty alleviation was given greater priority. New
emphasis was placed on support for the social sector, in particular through activities
in the education and health fields; and on institution building.

Recently the Commission, with other main donors, has become involved in the fight
against poverty by assisting the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC)
programme. In Latin America, Honduras, Nicaragua and Bolivia benefit from this
initiative by undertaking to draw up comprehensive strategies for fighting poverty
(Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers). This practice could be adopted by other
countries in the region even if they do not benefit from debt relief programmes.

The Commission intends to reinforce this new comprehensive approach to poverty
alleviation in the follow-up to the Rio summit.

Despite the efforts of Latin American/Caribbean countries and the support of the
international community in combating poverty in the region, serious social
imbalances remain in most of the countries. Although many of the countries have
experienced significant growth rates and have succeeded in re-establishing a degree
of macro-economic equilibrium as a result of the adjustment policies implemented in
recent years, and despite financial crises, Latin America and the Caribbean remains
the region with the most unequal distribution of income.

Against this background, the Commission proposes:

opening up a new avenue in development co-operation by setting up an EU-Latin
America/Caribbean “Social Initiative” in order to share experiences and best
imbalances and assistance for the most
practices for the reduction of social
vulnerable groups.

The main task of the Initiative will be:

(a)

(b)

(c)

To set in motion a general discussion on the various aspects of reducing
social imbalances in order to target specific difficulties of the region and
to devise possible responses;

To encourage the pooling of experience among interested countries and
bodies on the most effective policies to correct social imbalances;

To seek, if necessary, new approaches to the long-term development of
EU-Latin America/Caribbean co-operation methods better tailored to the
needs of the region (e.g. strengthening economic and social rights);

(d) To submit a report with conclusions and proposals for action to the 2002

Summit.

9

The European Community's development policy - COM(2000)212 final.

10

The Initiative will consists of a series of meetings bringing together
representatives of different groups of social agents: business leaders10,
government officials, academics, trade unions and NGOs. Participants will
come from the interested partner countries of Latin America/the Caribbean and
the Member States. Development agencies working in the region, including the
Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, will also be invited to
participate.

This exercise should be carried out in 2001 culminating in the presentation of
conclusions and proposals for action to be approved by the 2002 Summit

Co-operation programmes could subsequently be devised and programmed on the
basis of the conclusions of the 2002 Summit.

6.

Actions at sub-regional level

The Commission proposes separate sub-regional priorities for which specific
measures could be worked out under existing institutional agreements.

For the Mercosur - Chile area

The main priority is the conclusion of the Association Agreement which will cover
the three dimensions of the strategic partnership. In addition, in keeping with the Rio
priorities, the Commission also intends:

–

–

–

to introduce mechanisms for increased co-operation in international fora on
strategic issues and other themes of common interest;

to establish a structured dialogue and increased co-operation in the macro-
economic field; the aim is to contribute to the financial stability of the region
and to promote regional integration in the economic and monetary fields;

to promote dialogue and co-operation with civil society and economic
operators through trade and business fora like the Mercosur-Europe business
forum,
in addition to similar activities at regional level but avoiding any
duplication in this field.

For the Andean Community

The main priorities will be those already agreed with our partners within the
framework of our political dialogue with this region:

–

level, strengthening democratic institutions and rule of law,
at political
especially in those countries for which the EU has recently expressed concerns.
The political support shown by the EU for the peace process in Colombia will
also have to be translated into operational terms.

10

The EU/ALC Business Summit to take place in Madrid in November 2000, if successful, could be used
as a first experience in this sense.

11

–

–

in the trade field, the follow-up to the Vilamoura decisions. This requires a
study on the state of exchanges between the EU and the Andean Community
and their future prospects, with a view to a possible “post-GSP” trade scheme;

in terms of co-operation, the key issues to be addressed are the fight against
drugs and the prevention of natural disasters.

For Central America

The key priority for Mexico is the implementation of our global agreement with this
country. The Tuusula priorities that will be given particular attention in co-operation
between the two parties are: reform of the international financial architecture and
stability of financial systems, and the promotion of trade and investment. For other
countries in the region we should maintain current priorities (the rule of law/human
rights, support for social policies, and support for integration into the world
economy) in the medium term, avoiding any duplication with measures planned at
regional level. In addition, two Tuusula priorities should take on special importance
in
disaster
prevention/management, and consolidation of the regional integration process. Both
remain a major challenge for the economic and political development of the sub-
region.

co-operation

environment

relations:

natural

and

our

the

For the Caribbean

At political level, the Commission will include the Caribbean countries fully in the
dialogue in the institutions provided for by the new ACP-EU partnership, especially
to focus on particular problems in the area of human rights, democratisation and
It will also maintain Cariforum's annual meeting with the
good governance.
Commission. This meeting currently centres mainly on co-operation issues. The
Commission will consider extending this focus to more political fields, such as the
fight against drugs, security, and conflict prevention.

With regard to commercial and economic co-operation,
the Commission's first
priority in the Caribbean region will be regional economic integration. The eventual
goal is a Partnership Agreement which could include a free-trade area similar to that
provided for in the new ACP-EU agreement. But this is something for the relatively
distant future (negotiations are to begin in 2003). In the meantime the Commission
wants to help with preparation, which could involve support in the following areas:

–

–

–

–

–

Capacity building on trade policy and trade-related issues;

assistance in the formulation of tax reform measures;

transitional budgetary support;

institution building of regional organisations;

programmes to assist the restructuring of the private sector.

In regard to development co-operation, aid programming for the new agreement must
be concluded for all Caribbean countries before the end of June 2001. It will take the
form of national indicative programmes and an indicative programme for the region
as a whole. It is in the regional programme, which by its nature addresses matters of

12

common interest, that the Rio priorities will be most easily reflected, particularly
through institutional support for Caricom; programmes for economic development
and regional competitiveness; and programmes in the area of justice and home
affairs.

The promotion and protection of human rights, the promotion of gender equality and
a proactive attitude to conflict prevention will be cross-cutting issues in the dialogue
with the region and in all co-operation activities. The underlying objective will be
reduction of poverty.

7.

Management of follow-up

At present, overall management and the co-ordination of follow-up action are
primarily the responsibility of the bi-regional group of senior officials. The latter has
met twice since Rio, with the results described above. There is no set frequency for
meetings, but activity could increase as the second Summit approaches.

Ad hoc sectoral mechanisms involving senior officials and specialised working
parties might also be set up at ministerial level. The research and scientific co-
operation sector is the first to have followed in this direction. Others will follow
soon. New activities proposed by the Commission will rely to a large extent on these
sectoral mechanisms.

In that context, it has to be mentioned in particular the ministerial Conference on
higher education co-operation between Europe, Latin America and Caribbean
organised at
the initiative of the French Presidency, with the support of the
Commission11. The contribution of the Commission to that Conference will be
substantial and focus on the enhancement of the existing education co-operation
programmes, namely ALFA, in particular in the field of continuing education with a
view towards life long learning. This is a typical sector which will be highly
supportive for the three priorities defined in this communication. Continuing
education along the life is a crucial support
for human rights (democracy)
information Society (new technologies are a first priority of this type of education
programmes) and reduction of social imbalances.

In general there has been a deliberate choice of lightweight and flexible structures, an
approach warranted by the informal nature of the process, the existence of numerous
forums for dialogue at bilateral and sub-regional level, the desire to see partners take
initiatives proposed by them, and limited administrative
on responsibility for
resources in most of the countries and institutions in question,
including the
Commission.

In regard to co-ordination, the Commission intends to make its contribution within
the structures provided for by the Rio Summit. The success of the three new
measures proposed will depend to a large extent on broad and active participation by
the partner countries and consequently on efficient co-ordination. The latter will
require the involvement of the bi-regional group and the setting up of various groups
of specialised senior officials and ad hoc experts. The Commission will play an

11

Conference organised in Paris (November 2000)

13

active role within these groups on the basis of its proposed involvement for the three
priority areas concerned.

A comprehensive picture of the existing and new initiatives taken by the EU member
states and the partner countries in support of the Tuusula priorities still need to be
established by the bi-regional group. The implementing modalities and coordination
mechanisms of those initiatives need also to be clarified.

The Commission will ensure that the bi-regional group addresses these issues and
will strive for significant progress in this area.

8.

Conclusions

Looking ahead to the 2002 Summit, the Commission is focusing in particular on
three priorities among those identified at Tuusula: the promotion and protection
of human rights, the promotion of the information society and the reduction of
social imbalances.

All other Rio priorities will be integrated into the Commission’s strategies for
individual countries and regions and into co-operation programming, taking
account of the Commission’s own constraints and objectives.

The test of this strategy will be in the tangible results obtained by all the partners
between now and the 2002 Summit. Experience may also suggest the need for
adjustment as we go along. But the aims of the strategic partnership will not change:
to strengthen relations between two regions whose increasing interdependence
warrants the search for joint answers to global challenges.

14

ANNEX 1

Activities to be carried out within the framework of the

"Rio action priorities"

The 11 top priorities selected in Tuusula for immediate action

Priority 1: Deepen and enhance existing co-operation and consultations in international
forums and extend them to all matters of common interest.

Priority 2: Promote and protect human rights, especially those of the most vulnerable groups
of society, and prevent and combat xenophobia, manifestations of racism and other forms of
intolerance.

Priority 3: Women – adopt programmes and projects related to the priority areas contained in
the Beijing Declaration.

Priority 4: Enhance co-operation programmes in the area of environmental and natural
disasters.

Priority 5: Drugs – implement the Panama Global Action Plan, including measures against
illicit arms traffic.

Priority 6: Formulate proposals for bi-regional co-operation directed to establishing
mechanisms to promote a stable and dynamic global economic and financial system,
strengthening national financial systems and creating specific programmes to help the
economically relatively less developed countries.

Priority 7: Promote trade, including SMEs and business forums.

Priority 8: Provide support for bi-regional co-operation in the fields of education and
university studies as well as research and new technologies.

Priority 9: Cultural heritage, EU-Latin America/Caribbean cultural forum.

Priority 10: Establishment of a joint
society.

initiative on particular aspects of the information

Priority 11: Support activities related to research, postgraduate studies and training in the
field of integration processes.

15

ANNEX 2.1

EC FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1995-199912

(Latin America)

Bilateral
activities

Sub-regional
activities

Regional
activities

Total

Priority No 1

Priority No 2

80 128 762

25 102 175

8 247 000

113 477 937

Priority No 3

19 180 000

956 097

20 136 097

Priority No 4

163 061 436

9 562 015

25 673 181

198 296 632

Priority No 5

74 743 689

1 822 756

280 000

76 846 445

Priority No 6

649 830

1 900 000

2 549 830

Priority No 7

26 119 643

28 520 603

86 218 498

140 858 744

Priority No 8

144 665 000

2 685 240

74 560 537

221 910 777

Priority No 9

5 929 840

Priority No 10

1 610 143

740 000

799 500

6 669 840

2 409 643

Priority No 11

1 261 000

8 667 501

80 000

10 008 501

TOTAL

505 601 450

79 216 387

195 758 716

780 576 553

12

In EUR.

16

ANNEX 2.2

EC FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1995-199913
(CARIBBEAN)

Bilateral
Activities

Subregional
Activities

Regional
Activities

Total

Priority N° 1

-

Priority N° 2

16,721,000

Priority N° 3

1,750,000

Priority N° 4

5,836,000

Priority N° 5

5,500,000

Priority N° 6

109,180,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

3,335,000

20,056,000

-

1,750,000

13,489,000

19,325,000

9,243,000

14,743,000

-

109,180,000

Priority N° 7

38,256,000

1,697,000 14

37,561,000

77,514,000

Priority N° 8

18,287,000

Priority N° 9

2,195,000

Priority N° 10

Priority N° 11

-

-

-

-

-

-

44,246,000

62,533,000

4,465,000

6,660,000

-

-

-

-

TOTAL

197,725,000

1,697,000

112,339,000

311,761,000

13

14

In EUR
Programmes for the countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

17

ANNEX 3

Action – Information Society

Implementation procedures

1.

Description of programme

ALIS will include a series of activities aiming at creating the condition for a long
term partnership between the two regions and focussing on the following priorities :
development of infrastructures, training of human resources and promoting contents
and applications, including take-up measures.

Support and contributions will be designed to:

– Promote the regulatory dialogue, especially in the fields of telecommunications
and the protection of privacy, copyright and other electronic commerce related
issues. Technical solutions and new standards pertaining to these regulatory fields
will undoubtedly be implemented in certain projects. Observing them will provide
material for dialogue on these subjects, which are of major importance in the
context of international institutions and will encourage preliminary consultations
between Europeans and Latin-Americans and Caribbean in accordance with the
principle proposed at the Vilamoura meeting in 2000;

– Support the exchanges by convening each year of a bi-regional forum of high-
level decision-makers from the private and public sectors and representatives of
civil society. This forum will enable the European Commission to organise wide-
ranging consultation on the general guidelines and initiatives of ALIS and to give
broader expression to the concrete achievements of, and lessons learned from, the
projects implemented";

– Increase the interconnection capacity of the research communities of European,
Latin-American and Caribbean which make most use on either side of the Atlantic
of
research. By
strengthening this interconnection capacity, ALIS will enable these communities
to contribute to the pilot projects, foreshadowing the future uses of the networks;

the Internet extensively on a daily basis for

their

joint

– Foster the training of human resources in the specific field of Information

society technologies, notably through the university EU-LA networks;

– Implement pilot and/or take up projects in the application sectors completing
the range of measures implemented under other programmes and according to
regional priorities, as stressed recently at several international conferences on the
information society in Latin America and the Caribbean (ITU, IDB, etc.); eligible
field of application would concern :

• Education sector in synergy with national initiatives (cf. 5.1),

• Health, involving local public authorities extensively and combining economic

co-operation and development aid,

• Urban transport, where there is clearly a need for improvement,

18

• Government offices, in particular local government offices which provide the
people in the region with daily services, and for the exercise of democracy,
applications for the opening up of rural areas, which would prevent the creation of
a digital divide in the emerging economies of the region,

• Economic added value activities, such as electronic commerce and cultural

tourism.

In setting up such projects the European Commission will have recourse to the
networks (where these exist) set up under Community programmes : for example,
projects in the education sector should be able to mobilise ALFA resources while
projects in the field of urban transport and administrations should receive financing
to possible adjustments to that programme. Specific
from URBAL, subject
mechanisms should be studied with a view to implementing demonstration projects
in other fields.

2

Stages and timetable

–

–

–

–

–

–

Financing proposal: end of 2000-beginning of 2001

Launch of a call for proposals: second half of 2001

Closure of the receipt of proposals from information society operators:
early 2002

Start of project implementation: mid-2002

Duration of projects: 1 to 3 years

Mid-term review: end of 2003-beginning of 2004

3.

Co-ordination

– With the Member States: via the ALA and EDF committees and ad hoc

Council groups.

– With all

the partners: via the bi-regional group of senior officials. The
Commission will also propose setting up an ad hoc group of experts for the
monitoring and co-ordination of activities relating to the priority information
society sector.

19