Case: Policy coherence in general

12-01-2011 ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly calls for PCD

Between November 30th and December 4th Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) met with parliamentarians form African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Resolutions on free and independent media, on technology transfer, new technologies and technical capacity building with regard to climate change, on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), on food security, and on the security problem in the Sahel-Saharan region were adopted in the 20th session.

Fair Politics wants to draw attention to the fact that Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) was mentioned twice specifically in the resolutions. In achieving the MDGs the EU has to undertake steps to ensure coherence between its trade, development, common agricultural and common fisheries policies to prevent negative impacts on ACP countries’ development. In the resolution on food security this is once more repeated.  

There were several questions asked beforehand to both the European Commission and the European Council with regard to PCD. MEPs Catherine Bearder (ALDE) and Gabi Zimmer (GUE/NGL) asked the Commission about child labour in the cocoa industries in West Africa. MEP João Ferreira (GUE/NGL) wants to know what the Commission is going to do to ensure food sovereignty and security in the ACP countries. There were also several questions for the Commission about trade agreements. Enrique Guerrero Salom (S&D) wants to know what the status of the EPA negotiations are. MEP Ole Christensen (S&D) wonders in the light of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which was part of the Lisbon Treaty, if the Commission thinks there is a good balance between human rights and trade agreement policies with third countries. Joseph Owona Kono, a member of the Parliament in Cameroon, asked to both the Commission and the Council how it is possible that the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) have already been introduced in Latin America, but have been postponed for the ACP countries.

The questions for the Council are mostly trade related. Joseph K. Mugambe (Uganda) is wondering about the future of the EPA, since there is a deadlock in the negotiations. Besides, Achille Tapsoba form Burkina Faso wants to know what steps the Council has taken to involve parliamentarians from ACP countries in the EPA negotiations. A non-trade related question was posted by Enrique Guerrero Salom (S&D), who asked how the EU is going to tackle the difficulties arising from poverty and  migration. According to Salom, this would be an excellent topic for the upcoming EU-Africa summit. Lastly, Iva Zanicchi (EPP) asked both the Council and the ACP Council how they are going to decouple the costs of R&D for medical innovations from the prices paid by patients. Patents are currently used to cover these costs. However many people cannot afford these expensive medicines.

Fair Politics welcomes the questions asked by ACP politicians, but cannot handout points in our monitoring system to them. Therefore MEPs Catherine Bearder (ALDE), Gabi Zimmer (GUE/NGL), João Ferreira (GUE/NGL), Ole Christensen (S&D), Enrique Guerrero Salom (S&D), and Iva Zanicchi (EPP) are recognised as Fair Politicians for their concerns expressed. For each question asked the MEPs earn one point in our monitoring system. 

Here you can find the full list of questions asked to the Commission and the Council.

Here you can find the final resolutions.  

Monitor fair: ALDE, GUE/NGL(2), S&D(3), EPP