Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-156"
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"en.20000411.6.2-156"2
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". – Let me refer to some of the specific points made in the debate. Mrs Kinnock mentioned the forthcoming meeting in Dakar on basic education. As part of our preparations for that meeting I have gone through the bulk of what we are doing on primary education in Africa and I am happy to say that I am in a position to express something positive about what I have seen in the Commission. We are doing much more than I had expected and I would be happy to inform Parliament about the portfolio of primary education activities in which we are involved in Africa. This is not to say that we could not do more but it is much better than the picture in general.
Secondly, with reference to Mr Rod, who said that the longer we discuss more people will die of AIDS in Africa, I only have five minutes. I have discussed AIDS in Africa with President Mugabe. It was quite interesting that he openly admitted to me that they are now pursuing a policy of open, honest information on AIDS and HIV, pretty much parallel to what Uganda has been doing with some success. This is not to say that the problem is over but I consider it real progress that one of the statesmen in Africa who, in this discussion, was seen for some time as part of the problem rather than the solution, is now openly saying that he knows he has to change his policy. I am not claiming to portray the whole situation in Zimbabwe but this is an important point.
Mr Miranda reminded us of the indirect effects on the budget for Africa of the concentration on eastern European Balkan problems. In absolute terms, our focusing on Kosovo and other activities has not meant a reduction in what we actually do in Africa. In relative terms this is the case, but we have been able to shield Africa from direct reductions in the volume of what we are doing. I appreciate the support from Parliament to that effect.
Mrs Maij-Weggen mentioned that development aid has progressed over the years. I wish that were true. If we look at total official development assistance, globally it has in fact decreased. We are now down to 0.23% and many governments should and could do more. Against that background it is a privilege to represent the European Union internationally in this field because we have not been part of that downward trend. In total numerical terms, it is foreseeable that we will be increasing what we do in the coming years. This Parliament, our budget, and our activities stand out as a sort of corrective measure to the global trend. We should be proud of that and we should make the most of it in political relations also.
Mr van den Bos and others talked about debt relief and these problems certainly need a lot of attention. I will remind you though that most of the EUR 1 billion, which is the EU’s contribution to the HIPC II initiative, will be directed towards Africa. The EUR 680 million, which is our contribution as a donor, not as a creditor, will all be directed to the African Development Bank earmarked in the special trust fund in the HIPC initiative in order to bail out Africa and make it possible for the African Development Bank to continue servicing the poor countries in Africa. We are doing quite a lot and the problem now is to what extent the G7 countries – who started up the HIPC II initiative in Cologne last year – will deliver, not just as donors but in their more narrowly defined role as creditors.
We welcome the cancellation of bilateral debt, which is relatively easy to decide politically, the difficult part is multilateral debt. This is where the EU, as a donor – not directly involved as a creditor – has been able to lend a strong hand. This is something that should not be forgotten in the on-going discussions. It may not be enough but it is certainly more than any other group of donors has done so far.
Mr Zimmerling mentioned the problem of Nigeria and getting money back. We made some last minute changes to the text in Cairo which strengthened the views expressed and I hope that Europe will be able to give a helping hand in identifying some of this money and getting it back where it belongs. This should be part of international economic governance. Money should not be able to disappear as has been the case.
It was of real importance that the Heads of State and Governments spent two days together. They got along quite well. It was very nice to witness this, which is of considerable importance, not only for the mood between Europe and Africa, but also for the kind of partnership we want to create, which also needs these personal relations. They certainly developed quite well in those two days.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks for the very good cooperation established with the Portuguese presidency during this substantial effort. It was very successful and it has been a pleasure working with the presidency."@en1
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