Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-26-Speech-4-032"
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"en.20040226.2.4-032"2
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".
Mr President, the Commission very much welcomes this timely and thoughtful report and I would like to congratulate the honourable Member on his work in producing it. The evolution of the report over a number of years demonstrates the Parliament’s commitment to ensuring that the South Caucasus region attracts the attention it requires. The attention and time given to the report has allowed it to be refined and focused so that it provides an extremely useful policy tool.
The European Commission takes note of the call for a stability pact for the region. When the issue was first raised a couple of years ago there did not seem to be that much support for the idea, and I am not yet wholly convinced that the time is yet ripe to return to it. It certainly has budgetary consequences which we would want to look at in some detail.
Let me conclude my rather rapid overview of the subject by once again commending the rapporteur on his report. I would like to thank him for what I am sure will be an extremely important contribution to the debate on the EU’s policy for the South Caucasus region.
The Commission shares the analysis of the dangers and difficulties facing the region and we are pursuing policies that should encourage stabilisation there. To that end, our country strategies place the fight against corruption, and support for institution-building and poverty reduction, at the very heart of our assistance.
For the region we have programmes dealing with drug trafficking, border management and environmental matters. Unless these key issues are tackled, the chances of achieving stability in the region will be very greatly diminished. We have pursued these objectives since the southern Caucasus counties achieved independence in 1991 and we have devoted over EUR 1 billion of assistance to the region. We will continue to be ambitious in our efforts while working within constraints of the resources provided by the budgetary authority.
Time prevents me from covering each of the many issues highlighted in the report in detail, so I hope the House will excuse me for focusing on what I think are two key points: namely, the relationship which the honourable Member referred to between the Southern Caucasus and the European Neighbourhood Policy, and the role of the Commission in assisting conflict settlement.
On the relationship between the Southern Caucasus and the European Neighbourhood Policy, the General Affairs and External Relations Council, in its discussions of 26 January 2004 on how best to support the new leadership in Georgia, concluded thus: 'The Council invites the Commission, in consultation with the High Representative, and taking account of the EU Special Representative’s proposals, to bring forward a recommendation on the relationship of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to the European Neighbourhood Policy. The Council looks forward to considering this recommendation before the end of the Irish presidency.' I hope that we may be able to bring forward that idea, perhaps in May, but certainly by the end of the present presidency.
I very much welcome that commitment. Accordingly, the EU is closely monitoring developments in all three countries to see whether there is continued progress towards democracy and in the economic sphere. We want to see a credible and a sustained commitment to reform, clearly reflected in concrete steps forward, for example in fighting corruption.
On the issue of conflict resolution and reconciliation, the European Commission continues to provide its full support to the OSCE and to the United Nations in their efforts to solve the Region’s frozen conflicts. I was pleased that we were able to discuss some of these matters with the Presidency-in-Office of the OSCE at the beginning of this week.
We stand ready to assist in post-conflict reconstruction following peace settlements, or to assist measures agreed between the parties to the conflict which would reduce tensions and raise confidence between the two sides. I am very pleased to say that the Commission has recently been able to implement a third phase of post-conflict rehabilitation activities in the Georgia-South Ossetian conflict zone to assist the return of internally displaced people and refugees, and the restoration of infrastructure which will, we hope, help to build confidence between the two communities.
The very welcome appointment of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus in 2003 was an important step for the EU. The Commission is pleased to be fully associated with his work and we value his close cooperation. The report which the honourable Member has presented rightly identifies the need further to develop EU policy for the region; we look forward to participating in this important process with the Special Representative."@en1
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