Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-05-11-Speech-3-011"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050511.3.3-011"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Mr Schmit and Mr Almunia, may I thank those last two gentlemen for their contributions today concerning the World Bank. I really feel that they focused upon what is fundamentally needed. There is no doubt that, five years after we signed the Millennium Declaration in 2000 concerning the developing countries’ basic needs up until 2015 – I was myself one of the signatories – we now have to note that matters have not moved in the right direction. Instead, they have unfortunately moved in the wrong direction in most areas.
Nor is there any doubt that, over the last 15 years, 54 countries have become poorer and one billion people now live on less than two euros per day. The World Bank does not operate as well as it could. It has a series of important reforms under way, but we are still not tackling a number of problems. I completely support Mr Almunia’s emphasis on the fact that Europe can speak with one voice, and I would propose four tasks for consideration that I believe are urgent.
The first task proceeds from the real need we now have in Europe to find a way of taking concerted action in the World Bank. If we do so, we shall have 27.98% of the votes, compared with the United States with 16.39%. At present, the European country with the most substantial share of the votes after the United States is Germany, with 4.49%. I am not talking about a new conflict of interests; I am talking about a far better balance in the World Bank and about our needing, as the second task, to ask for a reform of its lending rules and conditions and, indeed, to insist that this takes place. We must ensure coordination between the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and UN aid to the developing countries. In that way, our efforts will be along the same lines, rather than overlap.
The third task relates to the need we have for reform of the Washington consensus. We need now really to stop making the same demands of poor countries as we make of rich ones and to help construct healthy and strong states in the developing countries which can then embrace the right to share the ownership of development policy. Our fourth and final task, Mr President, is genuinely to take the ILO’s report on world poverty seriously, something that the World Bank too should do. ‘Decent jobs for all’ is the crucial tool for eradicating poverty.
May I conclude by concurring with Mr Almunia and Mr Schmit in saying how important I believe it is for Europe now also to assume the genuine responsibility stemming from the fact that we are the world’s largest organisation providing aid to developing countries. We should share responsibility for ensuring that the World Bank too acts accordingly."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples