Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-12-Speech-2-021"
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"en.20061212.8.2-021"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, with the new development instrument we are at last getting a piece of development legislation that will give centre stage to the Millennium Objectives, which represent a pledge we made to millions of children in Africa, a pledge that has to do with education and health care. Unfortunately, the bitter reality is that in recent years, the Millennium Objectives have, rather than coming closer, tended to disappear out of sight, and it was for precisely that reason that we were so tough in the debate on the present financing instrument.
For one and a half years, we debated long and hard about this new piece of legislation; that was no mean feat, and it turned out not to be in vain. In the next seven years, we have one clear European Development Act which, with a clear, thematic programme and a geographic programme accounting together for nearly 70 billion, will map out the course. This is putting an end to 16 different regulations that are difficult to implement and monitor. The new Act has two clear priorities, namely the Millennium Objectives, and within these objectives education and basic health care, areas, in short, that really matter.
The campaigns we have launched in order to achieve this have not been in vain. We have campaigned with school teachers’ unions and many other organisations from the world of education, including Education International, in order to try to make education more central to European development programmes. The same applies to our campaigns involving health workers in an effort to double spending in basic health care. Finally, the Commission has now officially pledged to at least double its spending by 2008, with at least 20% of the geographical budget being spent on education and basic health care. Including the thematic dimension of the Act, this amounts to more than EUR 2.5 billion.
With this new financing instrument, Europe, with its Member States, can now make a difference in Africa. There are still more than 45 million children who have no access to schooling and millions of patients, especially girls, who have to go without basic health care. In 2015, they will enjoy the education and heathcare provision to which they are entitled. This will put an end to the fight I, together with my group, have put up from the moment I took my seat as an MEP in 1999. I would thank all European citizens and organisations who have helped me along the way, ranging from the ‘STOP AIDS Alliance’ to ‘Bono’ – thank you!
On 1 January 2007, we start a fresh chapter, namely that of putting this act, along with all its principles and promises, into practice. This is something to which the Committee on Development will be devoting much of its parliamentary time, both in terms of programming national policy plans and of monitoring their implementation. We do not want a noncommittal attitude. We want 100% commitment from all parties. This is why we do not accept that the programming stage for the period up to 2008 should already be completed. Consultations with civil organisations and parliaments over there and NGOs and our Parliament over here must be done in accordance with the new agreements. This is incumbent on the Commission by law from 1 January. I assume the Commissioner is in agreement with me on this and that he is prepared to confirm this unconditionally.
Ten days ago, the funding of the Global Fund was yet again set to jeopardise the arrangements made in respect of the thematic section for the Act of 2007. Fortunately, with a letter dated 8 December, the Commission asserted its willingness to respect the thematic programming arrangement for 2007. It would be good if the Commissioner were to confirm this, and by doing so, put the mind at rest of the 23 NGOs that will be presenting President Barroso with an urgent note on this matter this weekend. I would wish the President, Mr Mitchell, the Council and Commission good luck with this success. I am also enormously grateful to them for the thorough cooperation; I do hope that this House will reject the cancellation amendment, because I think we made it clear that we no longer accept amendments. This Act is it; let us make it a success."@en1
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