Interaction
The ACP-EU Assembly condemns the G20
The financial and food crises, the Economic Partnership Agreements and the conclusions of the G20 summit in London were on the agenda for the members of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly, which met in Prague from 4 to 9 April. The parliamentarians also adopted an emergency resolution on Somalia and the issue of piracy which is rife off the coast of the country.
The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Prague, from 4 to 9 April 2009.
© EC/ACP Secretariat
In her opening session speech, MEP and Assembly Co-President, Glenys Kinnock said: “The ACP countries have clearly not been spared by the economic crisis. They should therefore not be marginalised in the efforts being made to mitigate the impact”. Referring to the promises of aid made at the G20, she expressed her concerns that these funds were in the form of loans rather than grants and that the process was being controlled by the IMF. In an emergency resolution, the members of the Joint Assembly called for development aid from the US$1,000bn package promised by the G20 on 2 April in London to be released quickly and to be made available from new funds.
While the representatives once again demanded greater flexibility from the European Commission in the conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with the ACP countries (see the trade section), they also called on the EU Member States and the Commission to completely redefine their development aid policies to finance the social and environmental consequences of climate change. Netty Baldeh (Gambia), co-author of the resolution with Spaniard Josep Borrell Fontelles, said: “The ACP countries must not repeat the mistakes made by the industrialized countries in developing their economies on the basis of fossil fuels.”
Addressing the real causes of piracy
The representatives also made an appeal to the new Somali government to put an end to the fighting and to allow humanitarian aid access to the 2.6 million victims of the conflict which is ravaging the country. The resolution states that the real causes of the piracy are poverty, unemployment and the decline in the fisheries sector. It calls for cooperation between the European naval forces of the Atalanta mission and the Americans, Russians and Chinese present in the region.
Finally, two days after the memorial of the genocide in Rwanda, the parliamentarians adopted a resolution calling for a legal framework guaranteeing respect for ethnic, cultural and religious diversity (see The Courier n°10).
Bye bye, Mrs Kinnock
The Assembly closed its 17th session by paying tribute to Glenys Kinnock from the UK, who took part in her last meeting as Co-President. The “indefatigable” and “charming” Mrs. Kinnock was applauded by many participants for her work and her commitment to the issue of development in the ACP countries.
