Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-15-Speech-1-097"
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"en.20000515.6.1-097"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in recent years South Africa has made a historic leap forward by abolishing the apartheid system and establishing a new political order based on the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy. If the people of South Africa have regained their freedom, this is, of course, for the most part thanks to their persistence and courage, as well as to that of their leaders, but also, it must be said, to the political and financial support provided by European Union Member States for the reform process in South Africa.
Quite clearly, the cooperation agreement signed on 10 October 1994 was a strong message that we sent this people treated so badly by history. I must confess that the slow progress in Council negotiations for its renewal leaves me rather puzzled.
Our duty to show this country legitimate solidarity must not and cannot be sacrificed on the altar of national trading interests. On the trade agreement, which, need I remind you, we endorsed by a large majority in this very Chamber last October, we must avoid disagreements which obstruct the adoption of this cooperation regulation. Such an attitude would be tantamount to appalling blackmail on the part of Europe and would not be true to the spirit behind the new development and cooperation agreements with the ACP countries, i.e. establishing contracts which respect the identity, culture and dignity of each partner.
With regard to the regional cooperation aspect of this regulation, I should like, in turn, to draw the Council and the Commission’s attention to the risks of economic destabilisation which may be engendered by the regulation, and even more so by the trade agreement with South Africa. We shall have to be particular attentive to the effects that these agreements may have on the ever vulnerable balance within the Southern African Customs Union. I am also thinking of Namibia and Swaziland, and even Lesotho and Botswana, which are a long way from receiving the same amount of aid from Europe. I feel that the European Union must, as a matter of urgency, take steps to arrive at an agreement with the authorities of these countries in order to compensate for any losses.
Finally, in conclusion, acknowledging our rapporteur for his clear-sightedness and for his talents as a negotiator, I should like to express my complete agreement with him on the need to remedy the existing legal vacuum to enable these agreements to come into force. We must put an end, as a matter of urgency, to these long months of hesitation and delay, seen as so many negative signs by South Africa’s fledgling democracy, which expects more from Europe than narrow calculations in order to safeguard limited interests."@en1
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