Madame Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me start by saying how grateful I am for this opportunity to tell you about the development policy programme which Austria will be pursuing during its Presidency of the EU. I should like to take this opportunity to set EU action on development, and the tasks before us, in a broader context. I should like to stress at this point that this action is the result of joint efforts by the EU Member States, the European Commission and, especially, the European Parliament.
The United Nations Millennium Declaration contains eight development goals: for the first time, the Heads of State or Government have set precisely quantifiable development goals, and laid down a timetable for reaching them. As a result, this Declaration has galvanised our joint development efforts. The discussions which are going on, both in-house within the EU and at the United Nations, are focussing on a number of issues:
Since the Millennium Declaration was adopted there have been a series of important UN summits and major conferences: I am thinking, for example, of the World Summit on Sustainable Development or the UN Conference on Development Finance in Monterrey and the World Trade Organisation's busy timetable. In all these areas, the EU has managed to take up an active position and develop its own profile, independently of the other major donors.
During the past year a series of forward-looking policy decisions have been taken, both within the EU and internationally. For me, the most important was the decision by the European Council in Brussels that, following on from the European Council in Barcelona in 2002, official development aid should again be raised, to an average of 0,56% of Gross National Product by 2010. This is a remarkable commitment by the European Union and its Member States to provide the financial underpinning for their demands and ideas on development. It is especially gratifying that the ten new EU Member States, which had quite a different approach to development cooperation in the past, are taking full part in the discussions and are also ready to contribute financially. Another decision which I regard as every bit as important is the European Union's decision to adopt a basic policy document, the European Consensus on Development, setting out for the first time a joint programme basis for development cooperation by the European Commission and the Member States. With the Strategy for Africa adopted before the end of last year, the European Union showed that it is now prepared to work out joint policy concepts, in line with demands for consistency in the EU's external relations.
These far-reaching internal EU political decisions formed part of the international negotiating processes of the past year, especially the 2005 World Summit, at which the United Nations discussed how to meet the UN development goals in full and on time over the next 10 years. However, the decision of the OECD-DAC, set out in the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, and the world trade round in Hong Kong were also important milestones.
Ladies and gentlemen,
My introduction has been rather wide-ranging: last year was a time of fundamental policy decisions, but now comes 2006, when we have to put all those decisions into practice.
Although probably much less spectacular, we shall be judged by future generations as to how much and how far we actually implemented these decisions. Only if the Member States,the European Parliament and the European Commission act together can we rise to this challenge.
If I may, I should now like to deal with the specific implementing measures:
The European Union wants to put the various financial instruments which have developed over the years onto a new modern and transparent footing, and I think it is quite right to want to do so. For the sake of efficiency, some measures are to be amalgamated. As you know, the Commission has suggested that there should be only six financial instruments in future. In so doing, it is following the principle, which has developed over time, of "concentric circles" in EU external relations. In a development context, the interesting thing is the development aid instrument currently under discussion between the European Parliament and the Member States. The Austrian Presidency is well aware that this is a sensitive issue for both sides. The aim is not to cut back Parliament's rights. The important thing is to find ways of simplifying the existing system. We have read the rapporteur's report which was circulated a few days ago with great interest and we shall try to work towards a compromise that everyone can live with.
Just as important as work on the new finance instruments is the issue of the budget for the 10th Development Fund. As you know, this discussion was delayed until the end of 2005 because the Member States wanted to wait until agreement was reached on the financial perspective. At the European Council in December the Heads of State or Government not only reached agreement on the financial perspective, but also decided that in future, development aid for the ACP States should not come from the general budget, but from the 10th EDF. We are in close contact with the European Commission so that a proposal for the financial protocol and the internal financing agreement can be submitted to the Member States as soon as possible. Time is short, because we have to ensure a seamless transition between the programmes currently running under the 9th EDF and the 10th EDF. At the same time as dealing with financial matters, the Commission has to tackle country programming in the ACP area quickly. Since adoption of the European Consensus, and on the basis of the Paris Declaration I mentioned previously, there are efforts afoot to bring the Commission's country programmes and those of the Member States within common country framework programmes. We welcome this development and shall press ahead with it as best we can.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The continent of Africa has been, and still is, a development priority for the European Union. This is in line with the United Nations Millennium Goals, especially as two thirds of the world's poorest countries are in Africa. All the more important to turn the European Union's Strategy for Africa into reality. The Austrian Presidency is working on an implementation timetable. As a complement to that, the European Commission must apply the existing sector strategies, fine tuning them where necessary; in any case, the strategies will be measured in terms of the tangible results and successes of international cooperation. Here I could mention the planned strategies on "infrastructure", which we feel should also include sustainable energies, and also those on "good governance and democracy" and issues of "gender equality".
Country programming and sector strategies are important, but it is of course just as important that the European Union should make its contribution to promoting stability. We want to take the discussion on the future of the African Peace Facility forward on two fronts:
No discussion of the development policy challenges currently facing Sub-Saharan Africa can avoid mentioning HIV/AIDS. This terrible pandemic, which is treatable, but still not curable, even today, is the greatest single obstacle to development in Southern Africa today. It is the main reason why many development indicators in this region are negative and it threatens to destroy hard won achievements in the development field. Last year the European Commission prepared its action plan. In 2006 the aim, as in so many fields, is to put the plan into operation.
One issue which will be occupying international attention during 2006 is immigration. It is on the agenda for the EU-LAC summit in Vienna in May. It will also be the central theme of a meeting between the European Union and the African countries envisaged for the second half of the year, and there will be a high-level dialogue on "International Migration and Development" in New York on 14 and 15 September 2006. Although it will be the Home Affairs Ministers who will be speaking on our behalf at these meetings, I believe that there are aspects of the debate to which development cooperation could make a useful contribution. Last autumn's Commission communication provides a useful working basis in this regard, and was taken up in the subsequent Council conclusions. We shall use our best endeavours to see that these conclusions are speedily put into effect.
In my introduction I mentioned the tradition of concentric circles in EU external relations. Africa's importance for the European Union in the development context must not be allowed to obscure our view of other regions. Following its communication on Africa, the Commission has agreed to draw up similar communications on the Pacific and the Caribbean countries. We look forward with interest to these Commission communications and will do our utmost to see that the Member States discuss them with the same care and attention as the communication on Africa. Our goal must be gradually to develop consistent and comprehensive external policy approaches for all regions.
The major external relations event of Austria's Presidency will be the summit meeting between Member States of the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean in Vienna in May. Invitations are going out to Heads of State or Government from 60 countries. A fairly ambitious agenda is to be discussed by groups of 20 Heads of State or Government each. The topics will include democracy and human rights, multilateralism, drugs, the environment, energy, our trade relations, together with development issues and education, science and culture. However, the summit is not just designed as another meeting for the two regions to consider where and how we can achieve better and closer relations. It is also designed as a means of tackling our joint responsibility: in what areas can, indeed must, the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean countries work together to make things happen and achieve results at global level?
The European Commission recently submitted an ambitious communication on Latin America. Another communication on the Caribbean, which I hope will be just as ambitious, is to follow soon.
We were very interested to learn of the proposal by the 17th EU-LAC Interparliamentary conference for a Euro-Latin American parliamentary assembly to be set up in the near future.
Discussions on achieving the development goals set in the UN's Millennium Declaration have made us more aware that official development aid is not enough: other measures are needed. On trade particularly, there are factors that could make a major contribution to reducing poverty and increasing prosperity.
The WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong made progress towards a successful conclusion of the Doha development round, although there is still much to be done. One achievement made in Hong Kong which will help to turn the Doha negotiations into a "development round" was the adoption of a development package, in line with demands by the EU.
The EU's "everything but arms (EBA)" initiative has now become an example for other industrialised countries to follow suit and open up their markets to products from the poorest developing countries. Furthermore, the initiative is being extended to competitive developing countries. The development package, with its "aid for trade" pledges, also gives development projects a boost. These should facilitate the integration of developing countries into world trade.
In close cooperation with the European Commission and the Member States, the Austrian Presidency will make vigorous efforts to bring the negotiation process to a successful conclusion of the Doha development round by the end of 2006.
The European Union is also prepared to break new ground in the area of trade. We consider the approach which was developed jointly by the European Commission and the ACP States to establishing regional economic partnerships to be the right way forward, and believe it will encourage stability. It will be important - and this is also one of the goals of our Presidency - for the Member States to control the discussion process at each stage. Further, we must ensure that in establishing these regional trade zones, development policy aspects are taken into account.
In considering the enormous challenges that lie ahead of us in the field of development and the substantial sums to be made available, in particular by the EU and the Member States, we must not forget that, as far as the investment of resources is concerned, we are answerable to a highly critical public. Ultimately, good arguments are needed to explain why, when the budget situation in many EU countries is difficult, these resources are being used for development cooperation. It is all the more important to be able to show that the resources are being used in an efficient, effective and transparent manner. The need for action arises time and again in this area. Allow me, therefore, to end my short overview by assuring you that the Austrian Presidency too will do everything possible to take this discussion forward both within the EU and internationally.
Let me conclude by assuring you that we are prepared at all times to work closely with you in the coming months, but also after the Austrian Presidency of the EU has ended.
We owe you this not only on account of the respect you deserve as freely elected representatives of Europe, but because this is our only chance of meeting the challenges which lie ahead of us together.
Thank you for your attention.
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