European Parliament resolution on a development strategy for Africa (2005/2142(INI))
Date: 2005-11-17
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: Africa, EU aid, democratisation, development policy, economic growth, governance, peace, poverty, social policy

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4.
Demands the immediate release and full freedom of movement and expression for Aung San Suu Kyi,
Hkun Htun Oo, General Hso Hten, other political leaders and all political prisoners held by the State Peace
and Development Council (SPDC);

5.
Insists that the SPDC immediately initiate a meaningful dialogue with the NLD and ethnic groups to
bring about a return to democracy and respect for human rights, including ethnic minority rights and state
rights in Burma;

6.

Insists that the EU's Common Policy on Burma be strengthened immediately by:

(a) officially stating that the EU will not accept any outcome of the military's National Convention unless
the minimum conditions laid down at the Sixth ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting are met, due demo-
cratic process is guaranteed and the NLD and other representative pro-democracy parties are free and
able to attend;

(b) encouraging a blanket prohibition in Council Regulation (EC) No 1853/2004 of 25 October 2004
concerning additional restrictive measures in respect of Burma/Myanmar and amending Regulation
(EC) No 798/2004 (1) on EU-registered companies making new investments or extending loans to all
Burmese state-owned enterprises;

7.
Calls for a high-ranking EU envoy to be appointed to work towards securing the release of Aung San
Suu Kyi, Hkun Htun Oo and other political leaders, to develop a comprehensive EU strategy on Burma
enabling humanitarian aid to be delivered to the people of Burma from within Burma and through cross-
border strategies, and to bring about a transition to democracy and respect for human rights;

Deeply regrets the fact that the Government of Burma has not yet undertaken all the relevant
8.
measures to allow the Joint Government of the Union of Myanmar — International Labour Organization
Plan of Action for the elimination of forced labour practices in Myanmar to come into force;

Calls on the EU to endorse the report and resolution proposed in the abovementioned report ‘Threat

9.
to the Peace — A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma’;

Urges all members of the ILO within the EU to seriously review their relations, under Article 33 of

10.
the ILO Constitution, with Burma, as called for by the ILO;

11.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of
the ASEAN and ASEM member states, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, Aung San Suu Kyi,
the NLD, the SPDC, the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

(1) OJ L 323, 26.10.2004, p. 11.

P6_TA(2005)0445

Development strategy for Africa

European Parliament resolution on a development strategy for Africa (2005/2142(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000, which sets out the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as criteria established jointly by the international community
for the elimination of poverty,

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— having regard to the successive Human Development Reports drawn up by the United Nations Devel-

opment Programme,

— having regard to the report by the UN Millennium Project Task Force headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs
entitled ‘Investing in Development: a practical plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals’,

— having regard to the March 2005 report of the Commission for Africa entitled ‘Our Common Interest’,

— having regard to the 2004-2007 Strategic Plan of the Commission of the African Union (AU), adopted
on 7 July 2004 at the third Summit of African Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia,

— having regard to the African leaders' October 2001 document: ‘The New Partnership for Africa's Devel-
opment’ (NEPAD), which was declared a programme of the AU at the first summit of that organisation,

— having regard to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Devel-

opment (ICPD),

— having regard to the European Programme for Action to Confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis

through external action (2007-2011) (COM(2005)0179),

— having regard to the Coherent Policy Framework for External Action to Confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria

and Tuberculosis,

— having regard to the Economic Report on Africa 2004 entitled ‘Unlocking Africa's Trade Potential’ by

the UN Economic Commission for Africa,

— having regard to G8 Africa Action Plan, released on 27 June 2002 by the Group of Eight in Kananaskis,

— having regard to the Progress Report by the G8 Africa Personal Representatives on implementation of

the Africa Action Plan, released on 1 July 2005 by the Group of Eight in London,

— having regard to the Gleneagles Communiqué, released on 8 July 2005 by the Group of Eight in Gle-

neagles,

— having regard to the European Commission's Report of 29 October 2004 on the Millennium Devel-

opment Goals 2000-2004 (SEC(2004)1379),

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament
and the European Economic and Social Committee of 12 April 2005 entitled ‘Speeding up progress
towards the Millennium Development Goals — The European Union's contribution’ (COM(2005)0132),

— having regard to the European Community's Development Policy Statement adopted by the Council and

the Commission on 10 November 2000 (currently under revision),

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament,
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 13 July 2005
entitled: Proposal for a Joint Declaration by the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission
on the European Union Development Policy — ‘The European Consensus’ (COM(2005)0311),

— having regard to the Conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) of
22-23 November 2004 and of 23-24 May 2005, and the conclusions of the European Council of
16-17 June 2005,

— having regard to the successive UNCTAD reports on Economic Development in Africa,

— having regard to the action plan drawn up at the Africa-Europe Summit held in Cairo on 3-4 April

2000 under the aegis of the Organization of African Unity and the European Union,

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— having regard to the EU-US Declaration entitled ‘Working Together to Promote Peace, Stability, Prosper-

ity, and Good Governance in Africa’ of 20 June 2005,

— having regard to the document: ‘Why we need to work more effectively in fragile states’, published in

January 2005 by the UK Department for International Development,

— having regard to the study entitled ‘Ending Africa's Poverty Trap’ (1),

— having regard to Articles 177 to 181 of the Treaty establishing the European Community,

— having regard to its resolutions of 26 October 2000 on the Commission communication to the Coun-
cil and the European Parliament on cooperation with ACP countries involved in armed conflicts (2), of
25 April 2002 on the financing of development aid (3), of 3 September 2002 on trade and devel-
opment for poverty eradication (4), of 15 May 2003 on capacity-building in the developing countries (5),
of 15 May 2003 on the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament on
education and training in the context of poverty reduction in developing countries (6), of 3 June 2003
on the implementation of macro-financial assistance to third countries (7), of 14 January 2004 on the
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) (8), of 31 March 2004 on Governance in the Euro-
pean Union's development policy (9), of 13 January 2005 on debt relief for developing countries (10), of
24 February 2005 on action against hunger and poverty (11), of 24 February 2005 on the Commission's
legislative and work programme for 2005 (12), of 28 April 2005 on the Annual Report on Human
Rights in the World 2004 and the EU's policy on the matter (13), and of 6 July 2005 on the Global
Call to Action: Making Poverty History (14),

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Development and the opinions of the Committee on

International Trade and the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A6-0318/2005),

A. whereas the EU has committed itself to increasing its level of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to
0,7 % of GDP by 2015 (0,56 % by 2010), and to allocating at least 50 % of the increase to sub-Saharan
Africa; and whereas such increase must go hand in hand with improved quality, effectiveness, trans-
parency and visibility of aid,

B. whereas the EU is by far the largest donor in Africa, but is lacking the necessary leadership and vision

to build a coherent approach,

C. whereas, in order to promote sustainable development, African governments themselves bear the pri-
mary responsibility for good governance, the fight against corruption, and investment in poverty reduc-
tion in their countries; and whereas the principle of African ownership is therefore essential in EU-
Africa relations, but needs a different approach in well-performing and in fragile States,

D. whereas the Third AU Summit of African Heads of State and Government has adopted a Strategic Plan
defining 23 priority programmes to be carried out between 2004 and 2007, which constitute a com-
prehensive roadmap for achieving economic growth and development on the continent, covering also
civil society and the continent's ties with the international community in tackling poverty, disease,
unemployment and illiteracy in Africa,

(1) Sachs, J. et al: ‘Ending Africa's Poverty Trap’, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2004 (1), pp. 117-240.
(2) OJ C 197, 12.7.2001, p. 390.
(3) OJ C 131 E, 5.6.2003, p. 164.
(4) OJ C 272 E, 13.11.2003, p. 277.
(5) OJ C 67 E, 17.3.2004, p. 255.
(6) OJ C 67 E, 17.3.2004, p. 285.
(7) OJ C 68 E, 18.3.2004, p. 86.
(8) OJ C 92 E, 16.4.2004, p. 315.
(9) OJ C 103 E, 29.4.2004, p. 550.
(10) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0008.
(11) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0052.
(12) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0053.
(13) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0150.
(14) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0289.

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E. whereas the Commission has launched a process of consultation with African organisations around its
proposed Africa strategy, but this consultation has regrettably not been extended to the ACP countries
or to African civil society,

F. whereas in March 2005 the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council (Ecosocc) was launched, with a
general assembly representing 150 African civil society organisations at national and regional levels and
representing also the African diaspora,

G. whereas poverty reduction through the achievement of the MDGs must be the cornerstone of EU
development policy, and hence of an EU Strategy for Africa, also in the areas of peace and security
and economic empowerment,

H. whereas poverty reduction strategies in Africa must address the many complex causes of poverty, some
of which have to do with internal African situations, others with the way in which the international
donor community functions; and whereas, therefore, the new Africa strategy should address the causes
of poverty, prioritizing national efforts to eradicate poverty as part of an organised and coordinated
international approach,

I. whereas the costs of gender discrimination are highest for low-income countries as women are at the
heart of development, caring for and supporting their families and playing a central role in rural
economies and food production, but often have no access to education, basic health care, particularly
reproductive health care, the economic system and property rights,

J. whereas the effectiveness of EU development aid depends to a large extent on coordination and leader-
ship in different policy areas, regions and countries, both between Member States and the Commission
and between Member States themselves, and on greater coherence between other EU policy areas and
development policy,

K. whereas the 2000 Partnership Agreement between the ACP countries and the EU, signed in 2000 in
Cotonou (the Cotonou Agreement) is an ongoing long-term cooperation, with a framework offering a
broad range of principles, policies and instruments for poverty eradication,

L. whereas an Africa strategy should be geared towards economic progress for the whole continent, but
the majority of African States are fragile and suffer from structural instability, and will therefore neither
attract investment nor develop a private sector, and whereas that Africa strategy should have a special
approach to the needs of fragile states in order to avoid their further lapsing into poverty and violence
and consequently destabilising their neighbours,

M. whereas many African countries find it difficult to absorb critical developmental aid in fields such as
education, health, public management and administration; and whereas there is, therefore, a need for
good and effective governance, corruption eradication and effective human resource training,

N. whereas most African countries spend more on servicing debt than on basic social services; whereas,
however, debt relief alone is not a panacea and does not in itself create resources, reduce poverty or
promote development,

O. whereas there is a large diversity of African cultures and whereas development cannot be achieved
without a proper understanding of those cultures, including the role of religious and ethnic commun-
ities,

P. whereas in most African countries, the dialogue between governmental authorities and civil society

remains difficult, thereby hindering the process of democratisation,

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Q. whereas, in order to be credible, accountable and transparent, a strategy for Africa must also include a
detailed implementation action plan with a clear timeline, a detailed indication of the means and finan-
cial resources to be mobilized (including financial commitments by the Member States), an indication of
the different levels of intervention (local, national, regional, pan-African) and their respective roles, and
an indication of a genuine joint monitoring mechanism to assess progress (involving Parliament and the
AU),

Principles and institutions

1.
Stresses that the EU needs to develop a differentiated approach, distinguishing between cooperation
partnerships in political, social and economic stability for well-performing States and partnerships towards
such structural stability for fragile States;

2.
Stresses that the EU should approach well-performing States as equal partners in a relationship based
on full ownership, to enable them to maximise efforts in achieving the MDGs (e.g. through budget and
sector support), and that fragile States must be approached in a relationship based on a level of ownership
and using policy instruments compatible with the prevailing circumstances; notes that budget aid, especially
in fragile States, must carefully be assessed on a case-by-case basis so as not to favour military expenditure,
thus prolonging conflicts; wherever possible, the Commission and Member States should strive to move
along the spectrum from project aid to sector-wide approaches, and from these to direct budget support;

3.
Recognises that donor community efforts should complement the shift and impact of renewed African
self-confidence manifested in the newly created institutions, the AU and the regional bodies; reaffirms that
political will, in donor countries as well as in Africa, is the key factor for reaching the MDGs;

4. Welcomes, in this respect, the 2004-2007 Strategic Plan of the Commission of the AU, and urges the
European Commission to direct the actions proposed in its own strategy towards supporting financially,
logistically, technically and in terms of human resources the institutions of the AU and the initiatives and
priorities worked out by them (such as NEPAD), rather than proposing new donor-driven initiatives and
parallel structures;

5.
Emphasises that an integrated EU strategy for Africa must also address the lack of coherence between
other policy areas and development policy, and indicate how other policy areas can contribute (both in
terms of policy setting and in terms of financing) to the implementation of the strategic development
plan, aimed at poverty eradication, for the continent;

6. Welcomes the EU Member States' commitment to the ODA target of 0,7 % of gross national income
(GNI) and encourages the Commission and the Council to monitor efforts to achieve this target; further calls
for a continued investigation into innovative sources of finance which could provide much needed funds
beyond the 0,7 % target;.

Stresses that addressing the lack of coherence should also include addressing issues such as export

7.
subsidies, tied aid, debt burden, export credits and commercial use of food aid;

8.
Calls for increased coordination of European aid between national and EU-level strategies and actions,
but also between Member States themselves, to avoid aid fragmentation and duplication, and to enable the
EU to assume the global leadership role it ought to play in the fight against poverty;

Stresses the need for budgetisation of the European Development Fund, which would make for a

9.
better utilisation of funds and reduce the gap between commitment and payment appropriations;

10.
Stresses, in this context, that the Commission must not position itself merely as the 26th EU aid
donor but must establish itself as a reference point for coordinating and ensuring the complementarity of
aid, as part of a joint programme based on ‘The European Consensus’; and calls for intensified efforts, as a
matter of priority, to identify the value-added of Community aid, and to identify EU donor leader(s) for
specific thematic issues and partner countries;

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Calls for the necessary mechanisms to be put in place in order to implement policies on coherence,

11.
coordination and complementarity that will enhance the effectiveness of EU development cooperation;

Calls on the Commission to support fully the drive for harmonization amongst donors, according to
12.
the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2 March 2005 by the OECD/DAC, which stresses that a very
important part of the harmonization agenda consists in aligning donors' assistance firmly behind locally set
priorities; stresses that delivering aid through local systems is part of improving the local institutions and
making them accountable;

13. Welcomes the establishment of specific units within the AU secretariat that will be instrumental in
speeding up and improving AU development policies and calls on the Commission to support their estab-
lishment and functioning;

Good governance and capacity building

Stresses the overall needs for capacity building, especially in the fields of administration, healthcare,

14.
education, economics and democratisation, in the public as well as in the private sector;

15.
Stresses the prominent place which financial and technical support must have in order to strengthen
administration, accountability and transparency at local, national, regional and pan-African levels (including
in the AU and its institutions);

Stresses that the construction of a functioning State must go hand in hand with support for civil
16.
society, in order to ensure the sustainability of democratisation; calls for particular attention to be given to
the dialogue with religious communities and churches, considering their cultural importance in Africa;

Stresses that the construction of a functioning state respecting the rule of law must go hand in hand
17.
with support for civil society, in order to ensure the sustainability of democratisation; calls for particular
attention to be given to the dialogue with religious and ethnic communities, trade unions, local movements,
non-governmental organisations, and international organisations;

Stresses that national parliaments and civil society organisations should play an important role in

18.
planning, prioritising and scrutinising development cooperation policy,

19.
Emphasises that the guiding principles of the EU development strategy for Africa should be based on
social and political dialogue determined by democratic values as enshrined in the Cotonou Agreement and
in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, without which no sustainable African development is possible.

20. Welcomes the aim of reinforcing the capacities of national and regional parliaments and stresses the
role of Parliament (together with the Commission) in all EU initiatives to this effect;

21.
Supports the principles of genuine partnership, ownership and policy dialogue; underlines that
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) of partner countries should be prepared by the countries them-
selves with the close participation of democratically elected parliaments and civil society organisations;

22.
Underlines the crucial role of women in agriculture, health care and education on the way towards
achievement of sustainable development, stresses the need to involve women at all stages of not only devel-
opment policy but in all political decision-making processes, including planning and assessment;

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23.
Recalls that respect for human rights by countries in receipt of EU development funds is essential
and urges the EU players involved in development assistance, while drawing up and monitoring projects
funded or co-funded by the EU, to consider the progress — or the lack of progress — made with regard to
human rights by such countries;

24.
Stresses the need for the EU to work towards a democratisation of international institutions in order
to achieve a stronger representation of developing countries' interests, and in particular the need to urge for
democratisation of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization;

Social infrastructure

25.
Emphasises that the availability and affordability of basic health care services is an absolute condition
for the successful implementation of health policies in Africa; stresses therefore the need for national Afri-
can health programmes to focus on basic healthcare (both curative and preventive), availability of safe water,
sanitation and sexual and reproductive health; emphasises the need for special efforts to assure access to
basic services for the poorest and most vulnerable populations in Africa;

26. Welcomes the policy proposals of the new EU Programme for Action to Confront HIV/AIDS, Tuber-
culosis and Malaria and calls for effective programme implementation and adequate budget allocations;
reiterates that cooperation is required with the organisations working towards these objectives, such as
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the Vaccine Fund and the Roll Back Malaria Part-
nership;

Stresses the important role of access to sexual and reproductive health in order to attain the MDGs

27.
on maternal health and child mortality;

Urges the Commission to ensure that the EU is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that basic
28.
education is free and compulsory; insists that this must be combined with substantial new resources and
more targeted spending of existing resources;

Calls for increased and appropriate use of information and communication technology (ICT), to be
29.
used in innovative ways to extend health care to rural and remote areas, and to introduce e-education
(as called for by NEPAD's eAfrica Commission) as an alternative to traditional education delivery systems
in a bid to achieve qualitative education for all;

Stresses that alongside efforts in basic education, attention should be given to higher education, in

30.
order to ensure a sufficiently educated workforce in basic education and health services;

31.
Stresses the need to protect the development and ensure the social protection of children as a basic
feature of the development strategy for Africa, given that more than 50 % of the population of Africa are
children and points out that a significant factor in combating poverty in the long term is to invest through
education in the human capital;

Stresses that the Commission should spend at least 20 % of the development funds it allocates to

32.
Africa on basic health and basic education;

33.
Stresses that the EU needs to implement concrete policies and programming addressed to reduce the
spread of HIV/AIDS and its impact on children, their families and the communities they live in since the
impact of HIV/AIDS threatens to undercut the development gains in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa;

Calls on the Commission to support the initiative for an African Decade of Disabled Persons, which

34.
was adopted by the Organization of African Unity during its 35th session, held in Algiers in July 1999;

35.
Stresses the need, in order to break Africa's cycle of poverty, of an unprecedented level of investment
in this generation of children and their survival, development and protection at the centre of policy and
practice;

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Considers that investing in girls' education is the most effective development strategy since educated

36.
girls generate smaller an healthier families, leading to increased productivity and poverty reduction;

Stresses the importance of the education of girls and women for improving health, including such
37.
aspects as sexual and reproductive health, and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as
HIV/AIDS, and diseases related to the water supply and sanitation, such as tuberculosis, malaria, cholera and
diarrhoea;

Economic growth

Urges that full account be taken of the fact that most African countries are heavily dependent on
38.
primary commodities, which are particularly vulnerable to price fluctuation and tariff escalation, and
stresses the importance of diversification,
the development of processing industries and small and
medium-sized enterprises;

39.
Asks the Commission to carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of EIB financing instruments
under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, including the new Investment Facility, in furthering the EU's
development policy objectives. While performing its duties in pre-assessing EIB operations, the Commission
should carry out an evaluation of EIB lending against Country Strategy Paper priorities for each ACP
country;

Underlines the importance of creating a stable and predictable investment climate — inter alia
40.
through respect for the law, for property rights and for rules concerning intellectual property — to achieve
sufficient and sustained foreign financial inflows and thus create jobs, reduce the ‘brain drain’ and create an
environment conducive to stable economic growth; stresses the importance of micro-finance to build a
strong middle class to sustain economic growth;

Believes,

in order to reach a level of competitiveness which could make Africa a full partner in
41.
international trade, that a sustainable development strategy should be built to combat poverty in Africa,
which takes into account the real needs of the population, based on economic integration within regions to
stimulate growth by the creation and sustainment of domestic and regional markets and exploiting econ-
omies of scale;

Emphasises the importance of tourism as a vehicle for economic and social development; calls for

42.
tourism to be fully integrated into EU development policy;

43.
Stresses that a successful conclusion of the WTO Doha Round must contribute positively to devel-
oping countries, in particular in Africa; and believes that this includes applying Special and Differential
Treatment to developing countries and abolishing all trade-distorting agricultural subsidies;

44.
Agrees with the Commission's approach to infrastructure in the widest sense of the definition,
including water, energy, ICT and transport; insists, however, that large investments in infrastructure must
be systematically preceded by assessment studies on their contribution to economic development and
poverty reduction and must be better balanced with the funds allocated to social infrastructure such as
basic education and health;

45.
Underlines that an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as a development-centred tool for liberali-
sation has the potential to promote economic growth in Africa; in this context, calls on the Commission to
address concerns with regard to the lack of accompanying measures for compensation for tariff losses,
support for capacity-building, technical assistance and other supply-side constraints, the continuation of
non-reciprocity in market access and, if necessary, the extension of the negotiation timetable; calls, fur-
thermore, on the Commission to actually deliver figures on the financing of accompanying measures and
to strengthen technical assistance to allow a better outcome;

46.
Asks the Commission, within the ambit of the negotiations of the EPAs and WTO, to strengthen the
technical assistance to ACP countries to allow a fair and transparent outcome; calls again for better technical
and structural support for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in order to help them in their global market
access;

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47.
Asks the Commission to support African countries in the ambit of the WTO negotiations with a
strategy to protect their agriculture up to the point of self-sufficiency, in order to guarantee a decent income
for small farmers, increase local production, guarantee food security and proceed to selective market open-
ings, as has been the case in Europe;

48.
Recalls, as established in the WTO Doha Declaration, in the conclusions of the International Con-
ference on Financing for Development (Monterrey, 2002) and of the World Summit on Sustainable Devel-
opment (Johannesburg, 2002), that developing countries, especially African ones, should be provided with
technical assistance aimed at building the institutional and regulatory capacity required to capture the bene-
fits of international trade and preferential arrangements.

Stresses that the EU should look for further possibilities in its trade and agricultural policies to give
49.
developing countries more opportunities for economic growth, and urges other countries to do likewise
within the ongoing WTO negotiations, especially with regard to the LDCs;

50. Welcomes the renewed commitment on granting 100 % debt relief to 18 of the poorest and most
heavily indebted countries made at the meeting of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Afri-
can Development Bank; calls for the expansion of debt relief commitments to those governments which
respect human rights and the principle of good governance, and prioritise poverty eradication on the basis
of MDG-needs; stresses that all debt relief should be additional to increases in ODA;

Underlines the positive role that Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) can play in development and in

51.
strengthening the problem-solving capacities of countries;

Peace and security

Calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive approach to conflict prevention and recon-

52.
struction as an integral part of partnerships towards structural stability for fragile States;

Underlines the importance of regional bodies in providing a ground for maintaining a peaceful
53.
environment; emphasises the need for support to the regional bodies to establish a harmonised regulatory
framework to fight the proliferation of light arms and landmines;

Agrees that the Africa Peace Facility, created in 2003 by the AU Heads of State at the Maputo
54.
Summit, needs to be strengthened and encourages other civilian mechanisms to contribute to conflict pre-
vention, resolution and management in Africa, with increased, flexible and sustainable EU funding; empha-
sises that development policy is one of several tools for addressing the root causes of insecurity but that it
should not be subordinated to security policy; notes, however, that all expenses from the Community's
development cooperation budget and the European Development Fund must comply with the criteria for
eligibility as ODA defined by the OECD/DAC;

Emphasises the importance of EU electoral observation missions in conflict prevention and in the
55.
promotion of democracy; calls on the Council and the Commission to increase the global European Initi-
ative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) budget line with a view to intensifying support for the EU
electoral observation missions, stresses that election observation mission conclusions must be duly reflected
in the formulation of European external policies;

Stresses the need for coherent regional and national strategies for disarmament, demobilisation, rein-

56.
tegration and reinsertion (DDRR) to support the stabilisation of post-conflict situations;

57.
Stresses that an integrated EU strategy for Africa represents a binding framework for a coherent
policy of the European Union and its Member States; takes the view that the application of Article 96 of
the Cotonou Agreement to a Partner State prevents any EU Member State from continuing to cooperate, in
parallel, with that country's police, military or other security forces or from resuming cooperation before the
measures concerned have run their course;

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Environment/natural resources

Underlines the need for increased EU efforts to tackle the enormous environmental challenges faced

58.
by many of the poor, who are often totally dependent on natural resources for their survival;

59. Welcomes, in this context, recent Commission commitments — long overdue — to go from word to
deed in regard to environment mainstreaming, and to put strategies for the promotion of sustainable devel-
opment high on its agenda;

Implementation

60.
Requests the Commission to combine its strategy for Africa with a detailed implementation action
plan with a clear timeline, a detailed indication of the means and financial resources to be mobilised (includ-
ing financial commitments by the Member States), an indication of the different levels of intervention (local,
national, regional, pan-African) and their respective roles, and an indication of a genuine joint monitoring
mechanism to assess progress (involving Parliament and the AU);

61.
Insists that this implementation plan must cover all of Africa, including north Africa, sub-Saharan
Africa and South Africa, for which at present separate regulations and agreements exist (the MEDA Regu-
lation, the Cotonou Agreement, and — for South Africa — the Trade, Development and Cooperation
Agreement and the EPRD Regulation), and separate responsibilities at the level of the Commission, and
requests the Commission to indicate how these will be coordinated and aligned in order to contribute to
the implementation of the priorities set forward for the whole continent by the AU;

62.
Points out that the essence of the proposals contained in the Commission's above-mentioned com-
munication depends on the implementation of existing national and regional programmes, and regrets that
in this respect no new proposals have been made to improve their implementation, or to adapt their goals
and programming of actions to the new priorities, and that no review of the existing Country Strategy
Papers and national and regional indicative programmes has been proposed as a consequence of this new
strategy document and the new developments in Africa (particularly the creation of the AU and its institu-
tions);

63.
Expresses disappointment at the lack of ambition of the proposed financial framework: the Commis-
sion only envisages the possibility of mobilizing increased financial resources for the ‘post-9th EDF period’
and does not discuss the possibility of using debt relief as a means for mobilizing additional financial
resources for the MDGs;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of

64.
the Member States, the AU and the ACP.

*

*

*

P6_TA(2005)0446

Community development policy

European Parliament resolution on the proposal for a Joint Declaration by the Council, the Euro-
pean Parliament and the Commission on the European Union Development Policy ‘The European
Consensus’ (2004/2261(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament,
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled: Proposal for
a Joint Declaration by the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission on the European
Development Policy — ‘The European Consensus’ (COM(2005)0311),

— having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (CESE 1072/2005),