Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-16-Speech-3-028"
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"en.20000216.2.3-028"2
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"Mr President, the reports call to account, however they also testify to the growing inconsistency between the development policy of the Union and that of its Member States. People may say that the elimination of poverty is the common denominator but that is more of a pipedream than reality. The fact is that over the past 20 years the number of poverty-stricken people has not fallen, rather it has increased to 1.4 billion.
An honest appraisal of North-South policies cannot get away from the fact that the gulf between the richest and poorest countries has grown wider. Instead of describing this as a direct consequence of neoliberal politics, emphasis is placed on the need to define the concept of “good governance” more clearly, where development aid is concerned. Nevertheless, I ask myself what moral right or claim we have to do so, when the necessary criteria, those of democracy and rule of law, are taking a few knocks themselves in the EU Member States?
Corruption is flourishing, party coffers are being plundered, and EU funds are presumably being diverted into election campaign coffers. We need to take a long, hard look at ourselves before we are in a position to establish realistic criteria. Nor should we forget that the EU Member States are not getting closer to making 0.7% of GNP available for development aid, on the contrary, they are getting ever further away from this goal.
It also seems to me to be regrettable that the report does not say a word about the arms trade – others have already mentioned this. In plying this trade, not only do the industrialised countries, in conjunction with the ruling castes in many ACP countries, stand to make huge profits, but a vicious circle is also set in train that we ought not to forget. Firstly, weapons are delivered, then violent conflict breaks out until, ultimately, troops from the states supplying the arms are deployed, and then everything starts all over again.
I would particularly like to support the observation Mr Corrie makes in his report to the effect that we have good reason to see that Cuba is given a fair hearing regarding its application to join the ACP states. The report underlines the changes that are beginning to take place there. We should not take our cue from the USA on this issue, rather we should rely on our own instincts more, and not create new and higher hurdles.
Commissioner, it is a good thing to demand and achieve coherence of policies. However, we will also create coherence if the Commission does its policy work in conjunction with Parliament, and this, to my mind, is where there are major tasks in store for us, which I intend to involve myself with."@en1
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