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The Commission’s long-awaited proposal
to simplify EC aid has raised fears that the changes could undermine the EU’s commitments on poverty alleviation and
sustainable development. The new proposal sees the
current array of geographic and thematic budget lines reduced down to just
six financial instruments. These will form the framework for the future
funding of aid-related issues. Under the new structure,
most developing countries will be funded through two of these instruments: 1) Development
Co-operation and Economic Co-operation¹ – replacing all thematic Regulations,
including those on tropical forest, environment and gender; the Asia and
Latin America (ALA) Regulation; and the European Development Fund (EDF)
– if this fund is integrated, as currently proposed, into the Budget; 2) Stability
Instrument² –
partially replacing actions on human rights issues, this instrument aims to
tackle crisis and instability in third countries. But while both the Commission and civil society groups agree that more flexibility in aid spending is needed, the draft Regulations hand over key powers from the EU’s only democratically elected body – the Parliament – to its executive body – the Commission. For by collating some issues under a single Regulation and removing others from the co-decision procedure, Parliamentary involvement in future decisions will be greatly reduced. This leaves the Commission free to define priorities for co-operation with no obligation to consult civil society. 1 See:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2004/com2004_0629en01.pdf 2 See: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2004/com2004_0630en01.pdf |
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On 9 November 2004 the 1 For more information see
http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/improving/partf/greenbuy/24a.htm 2 Available at: www.fern.org |
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ECAs
back suspect mill Research in The
Tesso Nilo park, located
in Sumatra’s Riau region, represents the
largest remaining lowland forest in The research, carried out by the Indonesian NGO Network Forest Rescue Alliance Riau, was conducted in July 2004. It provides further conclusive evidence for the urgent need for ECA reform. |
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Species and habitats to
lose LIFE The Commission’s new financial programme for environment, LIFE +, looks likely to have
serious implications for wildlife conservation in many Member States. This
September's proposal will replace the current LIFE programme
from 2007-2013. Under the existing LIFE programme,
LIFE-Nature contributes funding for the implementation of the Habitats and
Birds Directives, including Natura 2000, filling important
funding gaps for issues falling outside the remit of the EU's
Rural Development and Structural funds. Yet while the Council previously
adopted Conclusions stating that LIFE should be enlarged, the new LIFE + sees
LIFE-Nature more or less scrapped. So while future funding for managing Natura 2000 sites will come from rural and regional
funds, there will be no designated funding for conserving habitats or
species. After 2006, species and habitats falling under the Habitats or Birds
Directives, but which are not designated Natura
2000 sites, will no longer fit into any funding programmes.
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Land
reform oversight The Commission’s new ‘Guidelines to support land policy design and reform processes in
developing countries’¹
were presented on 19 October 2004.
However, while the Guidelines’ unequivocal
language on links between poverty and unequal land distribution is welcomed,
FERN is concerned that the role of EU policies in undermining land reform in
the South receives no mention. This is strange. The Guidelines acknowledge
the political nature of land tenure, point out that land policy reform is
fundamental to equitable and sustainable development, and are explicit about
factors resulting in land re-concentration: lack of trade and agricultural
policies which support small farmers; predominance of export-related
agriculture; government withdrawal from providing rural extension services.
Yet for some reason the Guidelines do
not make the link between these “key” issues and the EU policies
on trade, aid, climate and investment which have brought them about. FERN suggests that the
Commission has another look at the concept of cause-and-effect. 1 COM(2004) 686 final |
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Trade limits The Commission has developed a new proposal to
reduce import tariffs for certain products from developing countries. The aim
is to promote exports while encouraging sustainable development. The proposal is an extension
of the existing Generalised System of Preferences
(GSP) beyond forests.¹ The new GSP+ will require beneficiary
countries to ratify and implement 27 key international conventions including
16 labour standards and human rights conventions as
well as 11 ‘sustainable development’ conventions including the
CBD, CITES and Kyoto Protocol. Tariff reductions are immediately granted to
countries ratifying all 16 labour and human rights
standards and 7 of the remaining conventions. All conventions must be
ratified before January 2009. Unfortunately, while such
incentives should be strongly supported, the impact of GSP+ will be limited:
The 90 or so countries with an existing or pending bilateral trade agreement
with the EU will be removed from the list of potential beneficiaries. 1 GSP aimed specifically to
improve forest management by granting lower tariffs to countries managing
their forests sustainably. To date, only one
country ( |
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NEWS IN BRIEF Carbon trading challenged: Representatives from around the globe came
together in October 2004 to challenge the assumption that carbon trading, now
the central pillar of international climate commitments, will avert a climate
crisis. The
Durban Declaration on Carbon Trading,
which outlines the inadequacy of carbon trading to slow climate change, is
available for sign-on at: www.sinkswatch.org Sawn timber ban: September
2004 saw exiting Indonesian Forestry Minister Muhammad Prakosa
announce an export ban on Indonesian sawn timber. While the ban seems as
likely to protect Indonesians discuss FLEGT: October
saw Indonesian NGOs present their conclusions on the Forest Law Enforcement,
Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process to NGOs, industry and policy-makers
during a 12 day tour of New publication: FERN
is pleased to announce the publication of its new briefing paper Blood from a
stone: can the new EU Directive on Public Access to Information force ECAs to open up?¹
The paper assesses the potential and
limitations of the new Directive² for forcing European Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) to open up their characteristically secret
operations. 11
Available at: www.fern.org 22 Directive 2003/4/EC of 28 January 2003 on Public Access to Environmental Information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC |
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22 November: Stakeholder
Conference: Post 2012 Climate Policy for the EU. 30 November: Workshop:
Export Credit Debt campaigning. EURODAD Annual Conference. 6-17 December: Conference
of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP10). |
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EU Forest Watch is
published by FERN, the forest campaign group focusing on EU policy. |
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