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Presidents Barroso, Borrell and
Blair sign the European Consensus reaffirming Europe's
leadership in Development cooperation
The Presidents of the European Commission, José Manuel
Barroso, of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell i
Fontelles, and of the EU Council, Tony Blair, signed
today in Brussels the first joint Development Policy
Statement (DPS). This "European consensus" will provide
the Union, for the first time in 50 years of development
co-operation, with a common vision of values,
objectives, principles and means for development.
Under the current Treaties, Development Policy is a
shared competence. With the adoption of this Statement
by the three EU institutions, the 25 Member States and
the European Commission will share a single framework
for a more efficient and more coordinated development
policy. The EU is the biggest aid donor in the world,
accounting for 55% of development assistance, 20% of
which is managed by the Commission.
The EU is also the main trade partner of poorest
countries: 40% of EU imports come from developing
countries. The Union is the main importer of developing
countries' agricultural products, more than the US,
Japan and Canada together.
Through this statement, the EU reinforces its world
leadership in Development cooperation. President Barroso
said: "2005 has been a year for development and Africa,
and Europe has led the way in the UN and G8, doubling
aid, increasing aid for trade and securing agreement on
the development package for trade at Hong Kong".
Last Saturday, the European Council endorsed the
Development Policy Statement and decided also that the
Council will make a regular assessment, on the basis of
a Commission monitoring report, of the aid volume
targets agreed in the Council conclusions of May 2005.
With the adoption of the DPS, the European Commission's
Development Policy has achieved its three main
objectives for the first year of President Barroso's
mandate. "To do more, better and faster": this
challenge, laid down in April by Louis Michel, the
Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid,
synthesizes the set of proposals tabled by the
Commission which have successfully gone through the
Parliament and Council. Firstly, in May, the Member
States agreed "to do more" by undertaking to increase
their Official Development Aid (ODA) significantly, with
a new intermediate target of 0.56% of GNI in 2010 and an
ultimate target of 0.7% in 2015. Secondly, on 12
December, the General Affairs and External Relations
Council endorsed the EU Strategy for Africa to boost aid
and accelerate progress there towards the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The DPS
completes this ambitious policy.
Commissioner Michel said: "This is the most important
political advance in the field of Development Policy.
This Commission, under the leadership of President
Barroso, has clearly indicated that it wants to make
Development a priority. It is a small step for each one
of us, but a big step for Europe and especially for
developing countries."
The Development Policy Statement builds on the strong
consensus that now exists on the MDGs and puts poverty
eradication at the centre. It highlights the importance
of the partnership with developing countries and the
promotion of good governance, human rights and
democracy, as a means of harnessing globalisation.
This "European consensus" sets development as a key
element of the EU's external action along with the
common foreign and security policy and trade policy. It
also establishes links between development policy and
other related policy areas such as migration,
environment and employment. It recognises that the EU's
relations with its developing partners require an ad-hoc
'policy mix' of aid, trade and other policies tailored
to the needs of each partnership.
For further information:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/
development_policy_statement/index_en.htm |
