Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-277"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060614.19.3-277"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Let me say at the outset that it is a most especial pleasure to be able to answer a question from my old friend Mr Martínez Martínez, and I will readily do so, since, particularly over the past few weeks, the subjects of the strategy for Africa, combined with the issues of development and migration, have been right at the top of the European Union’s agenda. Migration has already been discussed this morning in the course of the debates on the future of Europe and on the preparation for the European Council, when I pointed out – as I do again now in response to this question – how important it is that we, when discussing migration, should concern ourselves not only with illegal immigration, important though that of course is, but also the necessity of turning our attention to the development policy dimension of this issue.
Migration was a very important topic at the troika’s meetings both with the African Union and with ECOWAS, when it was confirmed that an EU/African ministerial conference would be held on migration, and agreement was reached with ECOWAS on the establishment of an
working group on the subject.
We attach great importance to the European/African regional conference on migration routes to be held in Rabat on 10 and 11 July, at which we will be giving special support to Spain, and preparations for this are far enough advanced for it to be possible to adopt a joint action plan.
We also, in this context, attach importance to Article 13 of the Cotonou Agreement, which makes mandatory the return of illegal immigrants and also makes provision for dialogue with the countries concerned, on which we, together with Mauretania and Senegal, have embarked.
Tomorrow or the day after, the European Council will be adopting a resolution in favour of pressing ahead at greater speed with dialogue with Africa, which, it is envisaged, will involve ten countries in the west of Africa and four in the east. The intention is that these bilateral discussions and their outcomes should be backed up on a regional and Africa-wide basis, with a follow-up mechanism being established for the Rabat conference and a series of regional conferences held on this subject.
Turning to your question on development cooperation, I would like to observe that the European Union’s monitoring report this year showed that the EU is steering the best possible course towards discharging the obligations into which it entered at Barcelona in March 2002 and increasing public development aid to the point at which it reaches a proportion of 0.33% of individual states’ GDPs and 0.39% of the average across the whole of the EU. I will take this opportunity to repeat that all the targets agreed at the Millennium Summit must, of course, be achieved. These are obligations that must be discharged in full, and, of course, the individual Member States have their own.
Turning to the subject of the economic partnership agreements with groups of African countries, I am very well aware that the issue of such EPAs is quite fundamental in our dialogue with Africa. A few days ago, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, while negotiating the ACP Finance Protocol, we made a particular point of giving undertakings on this issue. The Commission has declared its willingness to make funds available not only from the current European Development Fund but also from the next. We are aware of the most especial importance of this issue of economic partnership agreements with Africa and with developing countries generally. On the basis of the first general review, which is to be carried out in the second half of the year, we will be carrying out a complete analysis of the stage that negotiations have reached, and then we will be able to continue work without delay in what it is to be hoped will be a very efficient manner."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples