Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-29-Speech-3-111"
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"en.20030129.5.3-111"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo's geostrategic situation has always, in my view, caused it to be considered as a power with great potential on the African continent. Unfortunately, under the dictatorship of President Mobutu, the country has fallen into economic and political crisis. We should be aware that the GNP per inhabitant has decreased to one sixth of what it was twenty years ago. I believe this to be linked, among other things, to the disappearance of the official channels and administration, so that informal activities have acquired an importance that is unheard of elsewhere.
While it has enormous potential in terms of agricultural, forestry and mining resources – on which subject I agree with my colleague – the paradox is that the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. This situation is, I believe, the result of bad management, including bad management of the economy and of the failing infrastructure, but also of the illegal exploitation of wealth. That is the important thing about the United Nations report. As mining resources are already largely diminished almost all over the world, and exhausted in several countries, those being exploited in the Congo are quite economically attractive, particularly due to the low costs involved in their sale. I think that we have a real responsibility in this respect. The United Nations report warns us about the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of the DRC by private European companies, which is particularly of concern to us, and by neighbouring countries, which also have responsibilities.
In view of the Johannesburg Summit, the provisions laid down by the International Criminal Court and the Cotonou agreements, and in response to this scandal which I believe threatens the global ecosystem and to the reign of poaching and violations of human rights, I believe that the European Union should ask the UN Security Council to initiate proceedings against those who are implicated, particularly by freezing assets and conducting enquiries into pogroms and other acts of violence committed against the people. The Council and the Commission should also equip themselves with a restrictive legal framework and demand, in particular, greater transparency in the way that markets are allocated.
On a more general note, I would like to say that, in this battle in which we are all engaged against physical attacks on people and for peace and sustainable development, the key notes must be the preservation of the environment, social justice and good governance."@en1
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