 |
Informing NGOs, MEPs, |
|
DG
Trade talks with NGOs from the South On 12 April 2005 DG Trade of the
Commission hosted a civil society consultation meeting on illegal logging,
attended by NGO representatives from The representatives portrayed a
gloomy picture of activities of the timber industry leading to illegal
logging rates of up to 90 per cent in Commission’s FLEGT Action Plan
and in principle positive about the development of partnership agreements
with producer countries, the representatives asked the Commission to –
among other demands - guarantee full and informed participation of NGOs and
local community groups in the development of partnership agreements [1]. Legislation outlawing the import and
sale of illegally sourced timber was seen as an important step to make the
timber industry accountable, as European companies are heavily implicated in
illegal logging activities, notably in This demand was echoed last month by
over 70 timber companies and their federations, such as the UK Timber Trade
Federation, the Dutch Timber Trade Federation, B&Q and IKEA. A joint
statement on 29 March was subsequently produced calling on the Commission to
develop legislation outlawing illegal timber [2]. As the The Commission promised to look into
all the arguments carefully, although indicated that in their opinion
legislation would not contribute to solving the problem due to technical and
political reasons. They also invited all participants to another consultation
meeting to discuss a sustainability impact assessment, carried out on behalf
of DG Trade by Indufor, on the EU’s
trade position, including the EU FLEGT action plan, and its impact on forests
in mid May [3]. [1] Detailed demands of NGOs from [2] Statement available from FERN [3] For more details please contact FERN |
|
Environmental
degradation blocks the road to development goals EU
development goals of poverty reduction and sustainable development will not
be met if environmental concerns continue to be neglected. Instead,
environmental damage will increase poverty. This is not only the conclusion
of the recently published UN Millennium Ecosystem The
package, approved on 12 April, makes proposals in the areas of Finance and
Coherence for Development, with a specific focus on development
goals and highlight the links between poverty, environmental damage and
security. The dependence of the poor on natural resources has to be
understood by Finance Ministries and donors. The
documents note the first challenge for the EU: to address the impact of its
production and consumption patterns. But it's yet to be seen how
‘sustainable’ language used in communications can be translated
into a real improvement of policy coherence. The depredatory EU trade,
agriculture and fisheries policies need to be challenged if the EU wants to
speed up progress towards development goals. To
clearly state its commitment to sustainability, the Commission should make
this goal equal to relieving poverty in the now-under-review EC development
policy. The communication, due out in May,
should leave no doubts about the fact that poverty reduction can only be
reached if pursued hand-in-hand with the fight against unsustainable
development. [1] UN (30 March) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment:
Synthesis Report. [2] COM (2005)132, COM (2005)133 and COM(2005)134 |
|
Commission
must pull its weight The Court of Auditors - the EC financial
watchdog - has urged the Commission to provide better support to partner
countries' delegations and improve thematic expertise. Published on 17 May 2005, the audit [1] analyses
the impact of the ongoing reform of EC aid management (see FW no. 43).
Although it’s too early to see improvements in the quality of EC aid,
the Court considers that in general EC delegations have been
“reasonably” well prepared to undertake management tasks and
responsibilities that were until now addressed by This exercise has led to “a better
understanding of local conditions, risks and opportunities”. Unfortunately, the Commission headquarters are
lagging behind and finding it difficult to move away from managing projects
towards helping delegations. Moreover, as many thematic experts (forest example on forests and gender) are leaving In its recommendations, the audit adds new
elements for the Commission. The Commission should now improve the weak areas
pointed out in the audit. Some of the areas where improvement is needed
include: recruiting staff with appropriate expertise in [1]
http://www.eca.eu.int/audit_reports/special_reports/docs/2004/rs10_04en.pdf |
|
Plantations
in An Amnesty International report released on 30
March, Foreigners in our own country:
Indigenous Peoples in In 2003, violence against indigenous peoples
escalated, with the majority of 23 recorded killings attributed to land
disputes. The AI report points to the involvement of logging companies, land
owners and the military in these violent situations. It refers to the Guarani-Kaiowá, who live on
“some of the smallest, poorest and most densely populated indigenous
areas in The findings of the report underline the need
for EU aid, trade and investment policies that ensure indigenous rights are
respected - a demand frequently voiced by FERN and highlighted in a joint
letter in February [2] from European NGOs working to promote the recognition
of indigenous peoples’ rights. [1] Available at
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR190022005 [2] Available from FERN |
|
NEWS
IN BRIEF Sarayaku
demand protection Sarayaku, an indigenous people in consent and recently reported that Sarayaku opposition to oil extraction in its territory is
an attack on the sovereignty of [1]
http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/2004eng/ecuador.167.03eng.htm On
22 March 2005 environmentalists staged a protest against the Barra
Grande dam, New Publications FERN
has released the first issues in a new series of briefing papers by the
European ECA Reform Campaign Corruption: European ECAs under
scrutiny and The Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan pipeline: exporting an environmental
“timebomb”. This series aims to inform |
|
19/20 April: NGO Meeting on FSC Plantations Review
Process. 1929 April: Stakeholder meeting on the development
and review of EU activities under Forest Focus, 3 May: Seminar in the French
Senate on export credits and sustainable development, 16/27 May: United Nations Forum
on Forests, 5th Session, UNHQ, |
To unsubscribe please send an email to info@fern.org requesting removal from our list. |
|
FERN Brussels, 20 Avenue des Celtes, 1040 Brussels, Belgium. http://www.fern.org/ |