Introduction: EU Presidencies: The Dutch Pass on the Torch to Luxembourg

This month's editorial presents an overview of the main issues that were raised by development NGO's during the previous Dutch EU Presidency and those of the current Luxembourg NGDO campaign. The campaign in the Netherlands claimed a leading role for development cooperation vis à vis other policy areas in the international relations domain, such as security and trade.
The Luxembourg NGDOs will elaborate on the several individual issues addressed in the Dutch campaign, the most prominent being the new Policy Statement of the European Commission and the Millennium Development Goals.


Recommendations of the Duth NGDO Association to the Luxembourg NGDO Platform

During the Dutch EU presidency from July to December 2004, the Dutch EU NGO Association organised the campaign "Europe in the World". In this campaign, Dutch NGOs call for a guiding role for development in European policies. Development co-operation should not be subsumed to trade, foreign relations and security considerations. Below the main recommendations of the Dutch campaign are summarised. In January 2005, Luxembourg will assume the EU presidency. The Dutch EU NGO Association wants to pass on these recommendations to the Luxembourg NGO Platform.

In the area of policy coherence for development

Promote the use of coherence assessment instruments, and apply these to a number of substantial cases, in order to guarantee that decisions in the field of trade, agriculture and security do not have adverse effects on development and the realisation of the MDGs. The development commissioner should play a key role in achieving an equivalent position for development co-operation vis-à-vis other spheres of European external policy.

In the area of reproductive rights and HIV/ aids

Ensure the promotion of sexual and reproductive rights and the integration of sexual and reproductive health and HIV/aids prevention and treatment services as part of a comprehensive health system. This integration and increased investments in such integrated health systems is fundamental to achieving the MDGs by 2015. An increasing and visible EU leadership is required in order to accelerate implementation.

In the area of peace & security

Not divert scarce aid resources to address counter-terrorism and security concerns through a widening of the DAC criteria for ODA and ensure coherence of initiatives in the field of peace and security with development and the realisation of the MDGs. Under the concept of human security, co-ordinated action on security and development is necessary, but with a clear link to a UN mandate and support of the European Parliament.

In the area of corporate social responsibility

Ensure implementation and enforcement of existing corporate responsibility and accountability initiatives, notably the OECD Guidelines and ILO Tripartite Declaration, and develop and reinforce mechanisms to hold EU corporations accountable and assure redress for affected stakeholders of corporate activities, especially those stakeholders outside of the EU.

In the area of children's rights

Make children a clear priority of all EU development action by creating a High Level Representative for Children, compiling a Communication on children's rights in developing countries, creating a coherent policy for the elimination of child labour linked to the provision of formal education to all children, creating a specific policy on children affected by HIV/Aids and the full implementation of the EU guidelines on children and armed conflict.

In the area of protection of essential services

Ensure that Europe does not support and promote the privatisation of essential services such as drinking water and health care through its development policy, through trade policies within the WTO GATS agreement and trade agreements like Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) or the EU Mercosur agreement. Concretely this means a moratorium on GATS and the use of EU development budgets towards developing a positive agenda for the delivery of public essential services.

With regard to the effects of enlargement for EU development policy

The enlargement of the EU brings in big challenges to build up capacities in the new accessing countries on the level of public, political and financial support. Governments and NGOs of both old and new member states in the EU should cooperate to fulfil partnerships and to reach the agreed financial goals for ODA.

With regard to EU development policy and human rights

The EU has a significant role to play in the promotion of human rights by using all instruments it has in its foreign policy. Through concrete actions the EU has the possibility as well as the duty to set the example by taking international human rights law serious. In this light the EU should seriously consider to itself become signatory to the United Nations human rights conventions and treaties.

With regard to the EU Financial Perspectives 2007 - 2013

Maintain an identifiable EU development policy and increase development budgets (ODA) of the member states to the internationally accepted norm of 0,7 % of BNP by 2010 (old member states) and 2020 (new member states).

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2005 Presidency and Solidarity, NGOs mobilise for Europe
Key questions for the Luxembourg Presidency

Millennium Development Goals

The EU has to set out yearly timetables towards meeting the UN target of 0.7% of GNI to ODA for all Members of EU ;
The EU member states have to ensure that additional finance is directed towards meeting the MDGs through more untied aid for basic social services.
Illegitimate debt of developing countries must be cancelled in order to not mortgage the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals ;
EU must ensure an adequate inclusion of a gender perspective in its approach to the review of all MDGs, based on the EC and Member States commitment to the Beijing declaration and platform for action.

Coherence, Trade and Agriculture

A strong commitment of the EU to remove all forms of export subsidies for agricultural products ;
The survival of family farming in developing world as well as in Europe and the US ;
The creation and protection of regional markets with conditions of production and productivity which are as homogenous as possible.
The right and political possibility for the governors of these regional markets to determine and carry out public policies, particularly agricultural policy, and to implement the necessary instruments and mechanisms.

Human Security is Human Development

The objectives are to:
Support the concept of human security, as included in the Dublin Declaration, which provides a comprehensive framework for an integral approach towards development.
Not divert scarce aid resources to address counter-terrorism and security concerns through a widening of the DAC criteria for ODA.
Avoid confusion of roles : the role of the military and that of development organisations should be clearly differentiated.

Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS

The objectives are to:
Sufficiently fund sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programmes including funding for reproductive health supplies in order to implement the Programme of Action of the 1994 "Cairo" International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
Promote sexual and reproductive rights and the integration and linking of sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services as part of a comprehensive health system.
Women's particular vulnerability and their overall social inequality must be addressed in order to curb the feminisation of HIV/AIDS. Sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health care is crucial to preventing an exponential explosion of HIV/AIDS infections worldwide.
Intensified support for the production, development and availability of drugs, such as three-in-one Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) of ARVs, to scale up AIDS treatment programmes not at the expense of HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services, as is now the case.
Provide the full support of the EU and the Presidency for complete implementation of the GAERC 22-23 November 2004 recommendations and conclusions regarding ICPD+10 and HIV/AIDS.

Review of Cotonou and EPAs

The objectives are to:
Ensure that the redefinition of the responsibilities does not weaken the ACP countries' position and that the capacity of the ACP state to be involved in programming, monitoring and implementation is enhanced.
Guarantee and improve the predictability, the monitoring and the transparancy of the current financial aid flows and assure the place and role of ACP state in the programming cycle.
Avoid the introduction of new essential elements that puts an extra burden on the partner state, but support an integrated policy of peace building instead.

Economical Partnership Agreements

Base EPA negotiations on the principle of non-reciprocity instituted in the EU General System of Preferences (GSPs) and the Special and Differential Treatment in the WTO. At a minimum these should preserve current values of market access into the EU, as was committed to in the Cotonou Agreement.
Withdraw offensive market access demands, dropping its demands for reciprocal trade liberalisation and for negotiations on the Singapore Issues of investment, competition and public procurement.
Drop the offensive interest in areas beyond the WTO to which the ACP countries are opposed, specifically the Singapore Issues of investment, competition policy, and government procurement.

Financial Perspectives

Development aid should increase in line with the EU's international commitments towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Development expenditure should be for poverty eradication in developing countries and allocated on the basis of needs of poor people and the attainment of the MDGs.
Development policy should be based on the objectives defined by the Constitutional Treaty, without geographic discrimination.
The European Parliament should be responsible for all development resources to enhance accountability and transparency.
The EU should ensure coherence between policy and implementation, and between actions in different policy areas.

The Institutional Architecture of the Constitution_and the new Commission

The mandate of the Commissioner for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid should reflect the Constitution.
The setting up of the European External Action Service (EEAS) should respect the status allocated to Development Co-operation by the Constitution.

Development Policy Statement

The new Statement must be consistent with the Constitution and provide the primary framework of relations with developing countries.
The review of the Development Policy Statement in 2005 should be an opportunity to promote a broader debate about the European development policy and the role of the enlarged EU in tackling poverty in the world.
The revised statement should have the eradication of poverty through the attainment of the MDGs as overarching objective. It should recognise several requirements to achieve this objective such as the empowerment of women and the mainstreaming of environmental issues.
It is crucial to create enough space for a transparent and timely consultation of all stakeholders, including the European Parliament and civil society organisations.

Civil Society Dialogue

NGOs need to be involved when it comes to discuss the effectiveness and the political orientation of development aid as it is today.
NGOs are asking for a structured dialogue, allowing enough time for consultation and exchanges of views.
'Informative' or 'consultative' meetings with the institutions are certainly helpful, but they should take place at the beginning of the decision-making process, before the final writing is done. This dialogue should become a 'best practice' not only for all Directorate General and Departments of the European institutions but also on National Level.

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Group, movement, tendency (wherefrom it comes from): CONCORD