European Parliament resolution on mainstreaming sustainability in development cooperation policies (2006/2246(INI))
Date: 2007-02-01
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: cooperation policy, development aid, development policy, environmental protection, sustainable development

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P6_TA(2007)0014

Mainstreaming sustainability in development cooperation policies

European Parliament resolution on mainstreaming sustainability in development cooperation
policies (2006/2246(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Articles 177, 178, 179, 180 and 181 of the EC Treaty,

— having regard to the Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy adopted by the European Council
in Brussels on 15-16 June 2006, and to the previous EU Sustainable Development Strategy adopted by
the European Council in Gothenburg in 2001 and to the external dimension of the Strategy added by
the European Council in Barcelona in 2002,

— having regard to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation adopted by the World Summit on Sustain-

able Development (WSSD) in 2002,

— having regard to Agenda 21 adopted at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and

Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992,

— having regard to the Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 by Members of the
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States of the one part and the European Community and
its Member States of the other part (1), in particular Articles 19, 23 and 32 thereof,

— having regard to the Millennium Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000, the Mil-
‘Investing in

therein and the 2005 UN Report

lennium Development Goals (MDGs) set out
Development’,

— having regard to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness adopted on 2 March 2005 at the Paris High

Level Forum,

— having regard to the 2002 Monterrey Consensus adopted at the UN Conference on Financing for

Development,

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘EU Aid: Delivering more, better and faster’
(COM(2006)0087), and the Conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council based on
it dated 11 April 2006,

— having regard to the Joint statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the
Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission on European
Union Development Policy: ‘The European Consensus’ (‘the European Consensus on Development’) (2)
signed on 20 December 2005,

— having regard to the EU strategy ‘The EU and Africa: Towards a strategic partnership’, adopted by the
European Council in Brussels on 15-16 December 2005 and the Commission Communication propos-
ing ‘An EU-Caribbean Partnership for Growth, Stability and Development’ (COM(2006)0086),

(1) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.
(2) OJ C 46, 24.2.2006, p. 1.

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— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘On the review of the Sustainable Develop-

ment Strategy: A Platform for Action’ (COM(2005)0658),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘The 2005 Review of the EU Sustainable
Development Strategy: Initial Stocktaking and Future Orientations’ (COM(2005)0037) and its Annex
(SEC(2005)0225)),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Policy Coherence for Development: Accel-

erating progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals’ (COM(2005)0134),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Water management in developing countries

policy and priorities for EU development cooperation’ (COM(2002)0132),

— having regard to the EU Water Initiative launched at the WSSD in Johannesburg in 2002,

— having regard to the European Energy Initiative adopted at the WSSD, and the Commission Commu-
nication entitled ‘On the future development of the EU Energy Initiative and the modalities for the
establishment of an Energy Facility for ACP-countries’ (COM(2004)0711),

— having regard to the Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and the six regions of the ACP

countries due to enter into force in 2008,

— having regard to the Doha Work Programme, adopted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) General

Council on 2 August 2004,

— having regard to the report on the fourteenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Develop-

ment, 22 April 2005 and 1-12 May 2006,

— having regard to the Communication from Mr Almunia to the members of the Commission entitled
‘Sustainable development indicators to monitor the implementation of the EU Sustainable Development
Strategy’ (SEC(2005)0161),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘EU Strategy for Africa: Towards a Euro-

African pact to accelerate Africa's development’ (COM(2005)0489),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Accelerating progress towards attaining the
Effectiveness’

for Development

and Aid

Millennium Development Goals — Financing
(COM(2005)0133),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Speeding up progress towards the Millen-

nium Development Goals: The European Union's contribution’ (COM(2005)0132),

— having regard to the publication of the UN Conference on Trade and Development entitled ‘Economic

Development in Africa — Rethinking the Role of Foreign Direct Investment’ of 2005,

— 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 the 2001 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) report

entitled ‘The DAC Guidelines: Strategies for Sustainable Development’,

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— having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee entitled ‘Assessing the

EU Sustainable Development Strategy’ of 28 April 2004,

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Climate Change in the Context of Develop-

ment Cooperation’ (COM(2003)0085),

— having regard to the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘Integrating environmental consid-

erations into other policy areas — a stocktaking of the Cardiff process’ (COM(2004)0394),

— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Fighting Rural Poverty: European Commun-
ity policy and approach to rural development and sustainable natural resources management in devel-
oping countries’ (COM(2002)0429),

— having regard to the Synthesis Report on the ‘Evaluation of the Environment and Forest Regulations
2493/2000 and 2494/2000’ of November 2004 commissioned by the Evaluation Unit common to the
EuropeAid Cooperation Office, Directorate General for Development and External Relations Directorate
General,

— having regard to the Commission proposal for a Council Regulation concerning the establishment of a
voluntary FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licensing scheme for imports into
the European Community (COM(2004)0515),

— having regard to the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘Integrating the environment into

EC economic and development cooperation’ (SEC(2001)0609),

— having regard to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, 2000,

— having regard to its resolution of 15 January 1999 on EU standards for European enterprises operating

in developing countries: towards a European Code of Conduct (1),

— having regard to its resolution of 1 June 2006 on small and medium-sized enterprises in developing

countries, (2)

— having regard to its resolution of 6 April 2006 on Aid effectiveness and corruption in developing

countries, (3)

— having regard to its resolutions of 18 January 2006 on the environmental aspects of sustainable devel-

opment (4) and of 15 June 2006 on the revised sustainable development strategy (5),

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

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A6-0474/2006),

A. whereas Sustainable Development, as defined by the 1987 Brundtland Report of the World Commis-
sion on Environment and Development, means that the needs of the present generation should be met
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; whereas it is necess-
ary, in particular, to safeguard the earth's capacity to support life in all its diversity, respect the limits of
the planet's natural resources and promote sustainable production and consumption in order to break
the link between economic growth and environmental degradation,

B. whereas the concept of Sustainable Development has been a fundamental objective of the EU since
1997 when it was incorporated as an overarching principle into the Treaty, and as such should under-
pin all policies and activities of the EU,

(1) OJ C 104, 14.4.1999, p. 180.
(2) OJ C 298 E, 8.12.2006, p. 171.
(3) OJ C 293 E, 2.12.2006, p. 316.
(4) OJ C 287 E, 24.11.2006, p. 185.
(5) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0272.

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C. whereas the concept of Sustainable Development does not consider social, environmental and economic
issues as contradicting one another but rather as being interdependent and mutually reinforcing,

D. whereas one of the key objectives of the above-mentioned Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strat-

egy is to actively promote Sustainable Development worldwide,

E. whereas EU development cooperation is aimed at fostering the sustainable economic, environmental
and social development of developing countries and the smooth and gradual integration of the devel-
oping countries into the world economy, and at contributing to the campaign for poverty reduction in
developing countries,

F. whereas the continuation of unsustainable trends in both the developed and the developing countries in
many areas such as land resources, transport, climate change, fisheries, depletion of biodiversity or the
consumption of resources has above all a negative effect on the poor in the developing countries,

G. whereas over 1 billion people, mainly in the least developed countries (LDCs), live in extreme poverty
on less than USD 1 a day, and between 1,5 and 3 billion people live below the USD 2 a day poverty
line,

H. whereas two in three of the world's poor live in rural areas and depend on natural resources for their
livelihood (1), forests support the livelihood of 90 % of the over 1 billion people living in extreme
poverty (2), and over 1 billion people worldwide, mostly in poor communities, depend on fish to supply
at least 30 % of their animal protein (3),

I. whereas the Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows to Africa are still significantly below the

1990 peak and it is estimated that there is a shortfall of between USD 20-25 billion annually,

J. whereas the EU Member States have committed themselves to achieving the ODA target of 0,7 % of
gross national income (GNI) by 2015, and the new Member States to increasing their ODA/GNI to
0,33 % by 2015,

K. whereas the eradication of poverty can only lead to sustainable consumption and resource management
patterns in developing countries if it is embedded in efforts aimed at better levels of education, health
and institutional capacity; whereas combating poverty will only yield positive results if environmental
and natural resources are managed in a sustainable manner,

L. whereas compliance with democratic standards, and the establishment and strengthening of transparent
and efficient State institutions and administrative capacity in particular, are crucial for tackling effec-
tively the economic, social and environmental challenges in developing countries,

M. whereas corruption undermines aid effectiveness, thus undermining EU development policies and con-

stituting a serious impediment to development in EU partner countries,

N. whereas new approaches are needed to make markets work towards attaining Sustainable Development

and the private sector should work towards realising equitable and sustainable societies,

O. whereas the absence of effective legal systems and of economic and intellectual property rights consti-
tutes a major obstacle to establishing an investment climate that can trigger sound economic develop-
ment, and thus social progress in many LDCs,

P. whereas sound development policies and substantial development aid are important, but will not bring
about any changes in Sustainable Development unless they are effectively translated into coherent
development actions in the recipient countries, which need to recognise and sustainably address envir-
onmental opportunities and threats,

(1) WWF (2004) EU Aid: Reducing Poverty Through a Sustainable Environment: Why should EU Aid properly address

the link between poverty and environment?.

(2) World Bank (2002) A Revised Forest Strategy for the World Bank Group, 31.10.2002.
(3)

FAO (2002). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. FAO, Rome, Italy.

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Q. whereas the above-mentioned publication entitled ‘Economic Development in Africa — Rethinking the
Role of Foreign Direct Investment’ demonstrates that linking aid to environmental protection may
effectively reduce poverty,

Thursday 1 February 2007

R. whereas illegal logging causes environmental damage, costs governments in developing countries bil-
lions of dollars in lost revenue, promotes corruption, undermines the rule of law and good governance
and funds armed conflict,

S. whereas 2,6 billion people, or over 40 % of the global population, do not have access to basic sanita-

tion, and whereas 1 billion people use unsafe sources of drinking water,

T. whereas the continuation of pollution, degradation and depletion of natural resources could lead to

conflict situations in many developing countries,

U. whereas the economies of developing countries are weakened by fluctuations in energy prices and
suffer from a lack of energy diversification, with such countries often spending a significant portion
of their trade surpluses on energy imports, something which adversely affects the stable development of
the economies of those countries,

V. whereas strong population growth is one of the challenges for Sustainable Development on account of

the misuse of natural resources, leading to serious environmental degradation,

1. Welcomes the fact that the above-mentioned Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy reiterates
the promotion of Sustainable Development worldwide as one of its key objectives;

2. Welcomes the fact that the above-mentioned European Consensus on Development sets as a primary
and overarching objective of EU development cooperation the eradication of poverty in the context of
sustainable development;

Considers that the promotion of sustainable economic growth and the eradication of poverty while
3.
ensuring environmental protection are among the most crucial challenges of EU development cooperation
policies and cannot be achieved without setting social and environmental objectives, which include environ-
mental protection and fair access to and sharing of the benefits of natural resources;

Stresses that a shift towards more equitable access to and distribution of natural/energy resources is a

4.
precondition for Sustainable Development and an intrinsic element of human dignity;

5. Welcomes the inclusion in Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (1) of a
thematic programme for environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy;

Emphasises the need to ensure that the three components of Sustainable Development, namely envir-
6.
onmental protection, social equity and cohesion and economic prosperity, are properly integrated and
implemented in all development cooperation policies; urges the Commission to regularly review this
process;

7.
Calls for strengthened mechanisms for monitoring progress towards meeting the targets set in the
above-mentioned Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the MDGs, such as a stronger commitment to
Sustainable Development, ensuring the integration of the economic, social, environmental aspects of Sus-
tainable Development, and promoting the rule of law and public institutions and others;

Recalls that Sustainable Development is a cross-cutting issue that requires a strengthening of policy

8.
coherence in all sectors in order to ensure their smooth functioning;

(1) OJ L 378, 27.12.2006, p. 41.

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9.
Stresses that more efforts are needed to combat current unsustainable developments, particularly those
giving rise to greenhouse gas emissions, the depletion of fish stocks and the loss of biodiversity; with regard
to the last, urges all relevant stakeholders to take the appropriate measures to actually achieve the objective
of reversing the loss of biodiversity by 2010;

Urges the Commission to intensify its efforts to mainstream environmental concerns such as natural

10.
resource management in key areas of development policies;

Calls on the Commission to adjust the way in which it provides aid to bring it into line with the

11.
national Sustainable Development strategies of the countries to which it provides that aid;

Calls on the EU to advise developing countries on how to develop their capacity to assess the
12.
environmental impact of their natural resources and resource management policies, which could then be
implemented as part of cooperation programmes with those countries;

Reiterates the critical

13.
demonstrates the EU's commitment towards promoting Sustainable Development worldwide;

importance of monitoring of the EU's world ecological footprint, since it

Emphasises the importance of protecting biodiversity and suggests that this either be added as a new
14.
key issue within the Sustainable Development Strategy, or at least be given special emphasis within the
section on the management of natural resources;

Calls on the Commission to work with ACP countries to prevent illegal dumping of toxic waste both

15.
by local operation and by international handlers originating and operating in the EU;

16.
Emphasises the urgency of helping developing countries to adapt to the challenges of climate change
and to take the necessary steps towards enhanced support for investment in clean and efficient technologies
in the developing world; also recognises the urgency for the EU to meet and go beyond its emission reduc-
tion targets to help limit dangerous climate change, which would impact developing countries and the
poorest most severely;

17.
Calls on the EU to take the necessary measures to help our developing partners to honour the
commitments which they have entered into during the recent world negotiations on a Sustainable Develop-
ment strategy and particularly on combating climate change, from which their people are the first to suffer
(Kyoto, Monterrey, Doha, Johannesburg);

Encourages the development and dissemination of alternative energy technology and emphasises the

18.
urgency of substantially increasing the global share of renewable energy sources;

19.
Calls on the Commission to initiate projects with European corporations specialised in renewable
energy that facilitate and enhance the transfer and use of environmentally-friendly sources of energy for
individual and corporate use in developing countries;

20.
Stresses that infrastructures can be an essential element of Sustainable Development if they comply
with environmental and social guidelines and calls on the Commission to ensure that Strategic Environmen-
tal Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments are undertaken and made publicly available for
every programme and project receiving EU financial support, in particular the EU-Africa Partnership on
Infrastructure proposed by the Commission in its Communication to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment (COM(2006)0376), which will provide support for trans-border infrastructure projects, which could
help to close gaps in regional infrastructure projects and which — in accordance with the above-mentioned
European Consensus on Development — should give all Member States the opportunity to submit appro-
priate project proposals, irrespective of any direct contribution;

Notes that the economic sustainability of each and every infrastructure project — if appropriate, in
21.
conjunction with reforms in charging policy — should be ensured and that ecological sustainability must
not be jeopardised;

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22.
Recognises the number of cross-border and shared water resources in Africa, the vulnerability of
water resources to climate change, over-abstraction, and pollution; calls on the Commission to promote
integrated water resource management within the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure to ensure the
provision of water for human well-being and ecological sustainability;

23.
Recognises that the environmental and social impact of large infrastructure projects can be severe;
suggests that the criteria provided by the World Commission on Dams, which include options analysis and
public participation, form the basis for decision-making in relation to large dam projects;

Calls for an increase in the share of development aid for projects related to raising awareness of

24.
environmental and health issues;

25.
Regrets that the external dimension of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy is not linked more
closely to public health issues such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; stresses that these issues must be tackled
within the EU and globally;

26.
Stresses that the involvement of civil society, NGOs and in particular women in the debate and the
decision-making process relating to Sustainable Development is vital for raising public awareness of the
issue;
insists on the importance of education for cultivating sustainable ecological choices, especially
among poorer populations;

Calls on the Commission to support capacity building and the participation of local communities

27.
and indigenous peoples in developing countries in accessing, controling and managing natural resources;

Stresses that enhanced participation requires transparency in the provision of relevant information

28.
and improved accessibility of EU documents;

29.
Calls for the establishment of sustainable development indicators to be applied in relation to EU
development cooperation policies and for strengthened reporting and tracking mechanisms relating to bio-
diversity and environmental sustainability;

Calls for a far more serious commitment on the part of new and old Member States to achieve the

30.
goal of contributing 0,7 % of ODA/GNI to development cooperation;

Emphasises the importance of achieving compatibility between multilateral environment agreements
31.
such as the Kyoto Protocol and the WTO framework, particularly with respect to the application of Article
XX of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) concerning areas of general exceptions made with
respect to measures such as: (b) measures necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health; and (g)
measures relating to the conservation of exhaustible natural resources if such measures are made effective in
conjunction with restrictions on domestic production or consumption; reaffirms in this respect the role of
impact assessment of environmental sustainability in connection with trade proposals;

Calls on the USA, China and India to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and, jointly with the EU, to assume

32.
responsibility for worldwide Sustainable Development;

33.
Stresses that the EU should reconsider the harmful effect of export subsidies on developing countries,
and particularly on LDCs, and should make greater efforts to abolish them through international trade
negotiations;

Reaffirms the importance of debt relief for LDCs whose governments respect the principles of human

34.
rights and good governance;

35.
Believes that the European Sustainable Development Network could serve as a focal point for the
Member States to exchange experiences and share best practices through, peer review mechanisms, for
example;

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36.
Believes that the establishment of a permanent advisory and monitoring body for Sustainable Devel-
opment, which would include Member States and civil society representatives and would scrutinise the
mainstreaming of the concept into EU policies and programmes, with a particular focus on development
cooperation, would be of great importance and crucial to supporting the Commission's internal Interservice
Group on Environmental Mainstreaming in Development Cooperation;

Emphasises that developed countries should be at the forefront in promoting the concept of Sustain-

37.
able Development;

38.
Emphasises that Sustainable Development goes together with sustainable institutions, hence the need
for constraining measures such as linking debt relief to respect for human rights and good governance;
believes that this could initiate a donor-donor dynamic and constitute development cooperation based on
the principles of equality, partnership and ownership;

39.
Stresses the importance of strengthening Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) as a key tool
for promoting environmental, social and economic development in developing countries; therefore calls for
intensified efforts, together with partner country authorities, in designing policies, programmes and projects
that favour the development of SMEs operating in accordance with the principles of Sustainable Develop-
ment; reiterates its proposal to support and finance regional institutions promoting SMEs;

40.
Calls on the Member States of the OECD to help developing countries by increasing access to
necessary investment flows and markets and through more effective development cooperation programmes;

Encourages a focus on GDP in measuring progress in society to be balanced by an equal concern

41.
about the qualitative aspects of growth, as this is a prerequisite for Sustainable Development;

42.
Emphasises the need for complementary measures such as sustainable fiscal measures and public
procurement and the reduction and progressive elimination of subsidies that are both trade-distorting and
environmentally damaging;

Calls on the private sector of developing and developed countries to adapt and commit to corporate

43.
codes of conduct that publicly outline their contribution to the goal of Sustainable Development;

44.
Calls on the Commission to regularly monitor and report on the effectiveness of the Code of Con-
duct for European Enterprises operating in developing countries, particularly with regard to the implemen-
tation of Sustainable Development requirements;

45. Welcomes the Commission's approach towards promoting issues of Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) internationally; urges, however, the Commission to add value to the CSR issue by drawing up more
binding rules for European companies operating in developing countries, particularly with regard to the core
labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and environmental protection;

46.
Reminds the Commission of the need to base its development programmes on transparency and
accountability, as corruption in developing countries often negatively reinforces unsustainable trends, for
instance in fields such as illegal logging; and emphasises the need to support the establishment of indepen-
dent anti-corruption watchdogs in developing countries by allocating sufficient resources to such projects;

47.
Calls on the Commission to work with Member States to identify and bring to justice those guilty of
importing illegally sourced wood and wood products, and to support ACP Member States in actions to stop
the trade and marketing of such goods;

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48.
Reiterates the importance of Foreign Direct Investment to developing countries and encourages the
Commission and the Member States to design their development policies in a manner that improves the
current state of the economic institutions and the investment climate in developing countries;

49.
Considers that local authorities in developing countries are not always in a position to provide the
volumes of financing required to make major investments in the construction and maintenance of infra-
structure networks, for example to supply water or provide sanitation, and that consequently only supple-
mentary injections of private capital, through public-private partnerships, will be able to provide the requi-
site volume of funding;

50.
Reiterates its call on the Commission to give strong support to the FLEGT licensing scheme and
designed Volunteer Partnership agreements (VPAs); believes that particular importance should be paid to
convincing partner countries to sign VPAs and to join the licensing scheme, while avoiding the possibility
for partner countries to side — step the scheme by exporting to third countries where no licensing schemes
are in place;

Emphasises the importance of enhancing the social dialogue with local businesses in developing
51.
countries in order to foster cooperation and common responsibilities with a view to achieving sustainable
consumption and production and supporting south-south and north-south learning in this regard;

52.
Calls on the Commission to put particular emphasis during the negotiations for Economic Partner-
ship Agreements on strategies that foster greater diversification of exports from ACP countries and support
growth and development models that are environmentally sustainable and socially just;

53.
Reaffirms that, for developing countries, access to energy sources constitutes a key priority; in this
respect, calls for energy access to be promoted via the EU Energy Initiative and by upgrading the profile of
energy efficiency in development programmes;

54.
Stresses that, in a context of anarchic urban growth, urban water and sanitation is a key development
issue, as good practices in the field of democratic governance locally may be built up around local public
services;

Calls on developing countries,

55.
their water
resources, to decentralise water management to local level so as to involve users and decision-makers in
the formulation of water policies at as close a level as possible to citizens' needs;

in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of

56.
Calls for local authorities in the EU to be encouraged to use part of the revenue from charges to
users for the provision of water and sanitation services to carry out decentralised cooperation measures to
finance projects to improve access to water in developing countries;

57.
Calls on the EU to help to draw up strategies to encourage an economic and agricultural develop-
ment path compatible with maintaining or restoring a high standard of water quality, from groundwater to
the water supplied to the final consumer;

Considers it necessary to integrate the concept of Sustainable Development in the research and

58.
innovation process;

Calls on all parties to establish concrete short-term and long-tem sustainable development objectives

59.
and to monitor progress made towards realising these goals;

60.
Believes that in the scope of Policy Coherence for Development and with respect to immigration, the
Member States will come to a common agreement to face the challenge of immigration; recalls in this
respect that special attention should be given to remittances and a possible reversion of brain-drain generat-
ing policies into brain-gain processes; emphasises that the EU should not cause a long-term brain drain to
developing countries;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

61.
ments of the Member States and candidate countries.