2003/150/EC: Decision No 3/2002 of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers of 23 December 2002 on the reallocation of unallocated resources as well as uncommitted interest subsidies from the Eighth European Development Fund (EDF)
Date: 2002-12-23
Institutions: ACP Council of Ministers
Subjects: ACP countries, European Development Fund, debt reduction, financing of aid, interest rate subsidy, peace, regional cooperation, use of aid, venture capital

L 59/24

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

4.3.2003

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

DECISION No 3/2002 OF THE ACP-EC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

of 23 December 2002

on the reallocation of unallocated resources as well as uncommitted interest subsidies from the
Eighth European Development Fund (EDF)

(2003/150/EC)

THE ACP-EC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS,

Having regard to the Fourth ACP-EC Convention, signed at
Lomé on 15 December 1989 and amended by the Agreement,
signed in Mauritius on 4 November 1995, and in particular
Article 195(b), Article 219(2)(d), Article 245(2), Article 257
and Article 282(5) thereof,

Having regard to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, signed at
Cotonou on 23 June 2000,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

By Decision No 1/2000 of 27 July 2000 (1), the ACP-EC
Council of Ministers adopted transitional measures for
the period from 2 August 2000 until the entry into force
of the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, envisaging the
anticipated application of certain provisions of the Part-
nership Agreement as well as the continued application
of certain provisions of the Fourth ACP-EC Convention,
as revised by the Agreement, signed in Mauritius on 4
November 1995. Article 2 of that Decision states that
provisions of the Fourth ACP-EC Convention, regarding
the ACP-EC Council of Ministers' power of decision on
the use of unallocated resources from the 6th, 7th and
8th EDFs, remain applicable. Decision No 1/2000 was
extended by Decision No 1/2002 of the ACP-EC Council
of Ministers of 31 May 2002 (2).

By Decisions Nos 1/1999 of 8 December 1999 (3) and
2/2001 of 20 December 2001 (4), the ACP-EC Council
of Ministers allocated resources
to debt alleviation
mechanisms in favour of highly indebted ACP countries
for a total amount of EUR 1 060 million. In order to
allow for
the pledge
announced by the Community through the initiative
taken in 1999 and supplemented in 2001, it is necessary
to allocate supplementary resources to the debt reduc-
tion facility.

implementation of

full

the

(1) OJ L 195, 1.8.2000, p. 46 and
OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 150, 8.6.2002, p. 55.
(3) OJ L 103, 28.4.2000, p. 73.
(4) OJ L 56, 27.2.2002, p. 19.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

To ensure that the Community continues to contribute
to efforts of conflict prevention and resolution and
peace-building, it is appropriate to allocate supplemen-
tary resources to this end.

To ensure the continuation of risk capital operations, the
necessary funds should be available to cover the financial
requirements until the entry into force of the 9th EDF.

To ensure the continuation of the activities of the Centre
for the Development of Enterprise (CDE) and the Tech-
nical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
(CTA), the necessary funds should be made available to
cover the financial requirements for the 2003 financial
year.

To continue the implementation of regional cooperation
in regions that have insufficient resources under the 6th,
7th and 8th EDF, the necessary funds should be made
available to cover the financial requirements until the
entry into force of the 9th EDF,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Debt relief

An amount of EUR 125 million shall be taken from uncom-
mitted interest subsidies from the Eighth European Develop-
ment Fund for debt alleviation in favour of ACP countries
which are eligible under the initiative in favour of highly
indebted poor countries, in accordance with Article 66 of the
ACP-EC Partnership Agreement.

4.3.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 59/25

Article 2

Conflict prevention and resolution and peace-building

An amount of EUR 25 million shall be taken from uncom-
mitted interest subsidies from the 8th EDF for actions in the
field of conflict prevention and resolution and peace-building,
in accordance with Article 11(2) and (3) of the ACP-EC Partner-
ship Agreement.

Article 3

Risk capital operations

An amount of EUR 50 million shall be taken from
1.
uncommitted interest subsidies from the 8th EDF for risk
capital operations.

2.
After the entry into force of the Financial Protocol to the
ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, any uncommitted balances
from the allocation for risk capital operations referred to in
paragraph 1 shall be transferred to the allocation for intra-ACP
cooperation under the 9th EDF.

Until the date of entry into force of the Financial Protocol
3.
to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, repayments of loans
financed from the allocation for risk capital operations referred
to in paragraph 1 as well as repayments of loans financed from
the allocation for risk capital operations created by Decision
the ACP-EC Council of Ministers of 15
No 2/2000 of
December 2000 (1) shall be added to the general reserve (unal-
located resources) of the 8th EDF. After that date, such repay-
ments shall be added to the envelope for long-term develop-
ment, as indicated in Article 3(a) of the Financial Protocol.

Article 4

CDE/CTA

After the entry into force of the Financial Protocol to the
2.
ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, any uncommitted balances
from the allocations referred to in paragraph 1 shall be trans-
ferred to the allocation for intra-ACP cooperation under the
9th EDF.

Only the amounts actually committed will be considered

3.
as an advance on the 9th EDF.

Article 5

Regional cooperation and integration

1.
An amount of EUR 25 million shall be taken from unal-
located 8th EDF resources (general reserve), as an advance on
the 9th EDF envelope for regional cooperation and integration,
as specified in Article 3(b) of the Financial Protocol to the ACP-
EC Partnership Agreement.

2.
After the entry into force of the Financial Protocol to the
ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, any uncommitted balances
from the allocation for regional cooperation and integration
referred to in paragraph 1 shall be transferred to the allocation
for intra-ACP cooperation under the 9th EDF.

Only the amounts actually committed will be considered

3.
as an advance on the 9th EDF.

Article 6

Necessary measures

The Chief Authorising Officer of the EDF is requested to take
the measures necessary to give effect to this Decision.

Article 7

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

The following shall be taken from unallocated 8th EDF

1.
resources (general reserve), as an advance on the 9th EDF:

— a maximum of EUR 15,2 million to contribute to the

financing of the CDE budget in 2003,

— a maximum of EUR 14 million to finance the CTA budget

in 2003.

Done at Brussels, 23 December 2002.

The Chairman of the ACP-EC
Committee of Ambassadors by delegation, for the
ACP-EC Council of Ministers

Poul Skytte CHRISTOFFERSEN

(1) OJ L 17, 19.1.2001, p. 20.