| This weblog shares information on key ACP-EU programmes and events from Brussels relevant to agriculture and rural development in ACP countries. Date : [DATE] CTA Brussels Newsletter Main events in the week
- 18th Brussels Briefing on Humanitarian Assistance and Rural Development
- Our video guest: Mr. Mamadou Cissokho
- Main ACP-EU events for the week of 19th to 23rd April 2010
- EU urges responsible foreign farmland investments in Africa
- EU wants to help small farmers in developing countries
- Something's Rotten in European Supermarkets
- EU-LAC Officials Meeting on Science and Technology
- EU under fire over 'broken promises' on health aid
- EU Faults Mkapa On EPA
- Lyon kicks off debate on European farming policy beyond 2013
- European Commission comic book on humanitarian aid
- African highways and information superhighways
- Scholarships for ACP policymakers for top class training in microfinance
- Future of Europe's farming policy under the spotlight
- Fish industry voices concern over foreign fish and falling prices
- EC services issue an analysis of the main innovative financing options
- How Development Assistance from France and the United Kingdom has Evolved
- Multilateral banks to continue economic support
- Caribbean rum in grave danger
- Newer EU members add value to Europe's development policy
- Kenya lined up for slice of Sh3bn deal
- EU summit 'fails to deliver' on climate change and poverty
- Consensus on post-2013 CAP still elusive
- 18th Brussels Briefing on Humanitarian Assistance and Rural Development
2010-04-16 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Aid effectiveness
The 18th Brussels Development Briefing will be on natural disasters, humanitarian assistance and rural development and will take place on 12th May 2010 (8h30-13h00) at the Borschette Center, Room 1A. This Briefing will discuss Humanitarian needs and responses looking first at recent trends and challenges and innovative and responsive approaches to future challenges. The earthquake in Haiti as many other recent natural disasters have highlighted the fragility of some States and the need for strong institutions able to strengthen risk reduction mechanisms and disaster preparedness and increase the effectiveness of response to disasters. The need for coordination and effectiveness in interventions by donors and actors is also key issue. We would like to share lessons learnt from recent experiences as to minimize the scale of future negative impact and long-term recovery. We would like to look at the impact on rural development and also the role of agriculture and rural development in rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts. Panellists will come from various organizations such as the World Food Programme, the FAO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. We will also receive insights from DG ECHO and DG Development officials. For more information contact boto@cta.int or pruna@cta.int and read material online at http://brusselsbriefings.net Read more Video material Past Briefings
- Our video guest: Mr. Mamadou Cissokho
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development
Our video guest this week is Mr. Mamadou Cissokho. He is the honourary President of ROPPA a network of Peasant organizations and Producers in West Africa. He is also the facilitator of the “Pan African Platform for the farmer of Africa”. It is this context that we met Mr. Mamadou Cissokho at the European Commission in Brussels. In this interview, Mr. Cissokho presents the historical origins and the current objectives of this new platform. Interestingly, the cration of this new platform goes along with the revival of the African Union and the NEPAD. As Mr. Cissokho puts it, it represents an endeavour to promote a civil society led regional integration. However, Mr. Cissokho points out that is about solidarity in autonomy. Hence, this new platform aims to coordinate common positions with regards to continetal issues, without being a confederation in which regional organizations would dissapear, according to the principle of subsidiarity. Mr. Cissokho launches a call to support the activities of this new forum, whose constitutive assembly will be held on the 24th of May, 2010, in Addis Abbeba under the Chairmnship of the President of the African Union Commission. Watch the video ROPPA Declaration of the Platform
- Main ACP-EU events for the week of 19th to 23rd April 2010
2010-04-15
European Parliament (Strasbourg): - 19th to 22nd April: Plenary Session - 19th April: Extraordinary Meeting of the International Trade Committee EU Presidency: - 19th to 20th April (Luxembourg): Council of Agriculture and Fishing - 23rd April (Spain): Edition II Africa Lives ACP Secretariat (Brussels): - 22nd April: Committee of Ambassadors For more information please consult the calendar on our webpage http://brussels.cta.int/ Plenary Session at the EP Spanish Presidency of the EU ACP Secretariat
- EU urges responsible foreign farmland investments in Africa
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Food Security, Rural development
The European Union has urged foreign investors in agricultural land in developing regions such as Africa to respect local human rights, livelihoods and resources. Sharp rises in global food prices in 2008 prompted major food importers such as Saudi Arabia, China and South Korea to lease farmland abroad - often in Africa - to secure food for their populations. But critics including the EU have warned that such deals, described by some as land-grabbing, are often not transparent and can compromise the livelihoods of local farmers in developing countries. The paper proposes a new EU policy framework for combating food security problems in developing countries. It said support should focus on increasing food production by small-scale farmers in countries at risk, particularly in Africa and South Asia and called for an "ecologically efficient intensification" of food production by smallholder producers, especially women farmers, by providing better access to resources including land, water, credit and other agricultural inputs. But it said such intensification should not promote technologies that are not sustainable or are incompatible with national capacity to regulated and manage risks. Other EU priorities should include a 50 percent increase in support to "demand-led" agricultural research, and a focus on improving the nutritional quality of food. Source: The Guardian Read more Land grab or development opportunity? What is food security?
- EU wants to help small farmers in developing countries
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development
To increase food security in developing countries, the European Commission has suggested that small-scale farmers must be supported and efforts must be made to ensure that their land rights are respected. Most of the world's poor and hungry live in rural areas, where small-scale agriculture constitutes the main economic activity, notes the European Commission in a policy paper published on 31 March. As a consequence, the Commission believes "sustainable small-scale food production should be the focus of EU assistance to increase the availability of food in developing countries".The policy paper on food security in the developing world was adopted as part of the EU executive's 'spring package' on development and in the framework of this year's mid-term review of the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG). One of those goals is to halve the proportion of the world's population that suffers from hunger by 2015. The paper notes that EU aid should prioritise "sustainable and ecologically efficient" farm intensification approaches, by optimising agricultural inputs and supporting integrated pest management, improved soil and water management and stress-resistant crop varieties, for example. Source: Euractiv Read more Policy paper on food security Agriculture and development
- Something's Rotten in European Supermarkets
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade
The majority of European supermarkets failed to take adequate responsibility for labour conditions and fair-trade relationships in their food supply chains, a new report revealed. The report, "Checked out: Are supermarkets taking responsibility for labour conditions in developing countries?" by Consumers International, examined six European countries and asked whether consumers found it easy or hard to make sustainable choices. It revealed an inadequate and, at times, contradictory approach to addressing unacceptable labour conditions in the developing world. Leading supermarkets in Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain were surveyed on their policies relating to labour conditions and trading relationships in developing countries. Although European consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact that their choices can have on others, it is clear that supermarkets' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives do not always apply to all products. Overall, supermarket policies and codes of conduct fail to ensure that trading relationships are fair. Only six out of 17 companies reported that their policies include the provision that contributions for promotions should be voluntary. Only five out of 16 companies include a commitment to a living wage, and only three reported a complaints mechanism. However, there was also evidence of good practices. Relatively speaking, Coop Italia was found to have the most consistently good policies overall, followed by Coop Denmark. The report also shows that there is a need to incorporate issues of sustainability into all levels of decision-making. Source: Inter Press Service News Agency Read more Report Check Out Fair Trade
- EU-LAC Officials Meeting on Science and Technology
2010-04-15
EU-LAC Senior Officials Meeting on Science and Technology, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 25-26 February 2010, and next steps towards the Summit. The European Union-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Science and Technology, 25-26 February in Buenos Aires was part of the official EU-LAC Summit preparation agenda. It was of particular relevance given that the Summit scheduled for 18-19 May 2010 in Madrid is focused on "Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion". The SOM produced concrete proposals for consideration of the S&T Ministerial Meeting scheduled for 13-14 May to endorse these inputs to the Summit Declaration and Action Plan. The key decisions were the adoption of an amended version of the White Paper prepared essentially by the two co-presidencies (Spain for Europe and Argentina for LAC) in consultation with the European Commission and country representations on both sides of the Atlantic. Source: European Commission Read more Read the White Paper ACP-EU science and technology
- EU under fire over 'broken promises' on health aid
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Archive
European governments must devote 0.1% of their income to providing universal healthcare in the developing world, according to campaigners who accuse EU leaders of failing to prioritise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 deadline for meeting the MDGs appearing on the horizon, there has been increasing political pressure to live up to commitments made a decade ago. Last week (31 March) the European Commission pledged to step up its efforts to tackle health problems in the developed world, but activists are unconvinced."Europe has a great record on policy documents but a woeful record when it comes to delivering," according to Frazer Goodwin of the Action for Global Health campaign. Goodwin says the EU should earmark 0.1% of GNI – a measure of national income – specifically to health care in the developing world, helping to slash preventable illnesses such as HIV, TB, infant mortality and death in childbirth. In turn, countries receiving aid should agree to devote 15% of their national spending to health care, he adds. Source: Euractiv Read more EC's call on health actions Health and development
- EU Faults Mkapa On EPA
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade
The European Union (EU) has defended the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) saying the arrangement does not aim at re-introducing colonialism in Africa. Instead, the EU delegation in the country said that to the contrary, the arrangement is meant to boost Africa's economy. This was in response to this paper queries following the recent remarks by former President Benjamin Mkapa in Nairobi, warning east African states to be wary of EPA as it was another Europe form of colonising the continent. Speaking at the Pan African media conference organised by Nation Media group two weeks ago, President Mkapa warned that EPA was meant to stifle Africa's growth.He described EPA, which is being championed by the EU, could be another "scramble for Africa", and was likely to weaken the regional bloc economically. But European Commission told this paper that EPA is concerned with promoting the regional integration process and notably supporting measures taken by regional groupings themselves to open up trade with their neighbours and the wider international community. "While they may have been born out of necessity - driven by the need for any preferential measures given by the EU to be WTO compatible - they are also an integral part of the comprehensive partnership between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of countries," said EC when reacting to The Citizen queries. SOurce: The citizen Read more EAC-Trade EPA Negotiations
- Lyon kicks off debate on European farming policy beyond 2013
2010-04-15 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development
A draft report for the European Parliament recommends the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget amount be maintained at 2013 levels, but gives few details about regulation.On Monday, 12 April, MEPs in the Agriculture Commission began debating a draft report on the future of the CAP after 2013. The author of the report, British Liberal George Lyon, emphasizes the need for a strong CAP that ensures development “across all European territory” and has a significant budget. The report identifies five key building blocks, namely: Food Security and Fair Trade, Sustainability, Agriculture across Europe, Biodiversity and Environmental Protection, and Green Growth.The report highlights that “food security remains the central challenge for EU agriculture” in the context of increasing world population. In addition, the report recommends that “the CAP must provide immediate responses to the effects of the economic crisis on farming businesses such as the lack of access to credit for farmers, constraints on farm incomes, and increasing rural unemployment”. In contrast, the document offers fewer details about the regulatory measures that will be needed. Nevertheless, Lyon believes that “there has to be a minimum safety net within the future framework of the CAP in order to manage extreme market price volatility”. Source: Euractiv Read more Lyon Report CAP post-2013: public consultation
- European Commission comic book on humanitarian aid
2010-04-15
A fictitious tale to illustrate how the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) responds to crises from a humanitarian interest angle - this is what "Hidden disaster" is about. Its author is Belgian comic book artist, Erik Bongers. This free-of-charge publication exists for the moment in five language versions: English, French, German, Dutch and Italian, and can be ordered online at the EU Book Shop. Source: European Commission Read more ECHO
- African highways and information superhighways
2010-04-14
The Third Meeting of the Steering Committee of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership took place in Tunis, Tunisia on 7 April and focused on ways to build and consolidate African infrastructure, which has been labelled a cross-cutting priority for the eight EU-Africa strategic partnerships. Source: European Commission Read more EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund EIB
- Scholarships for ACP policymakers for top class training in microfinance
2010-04-14
Scholarships for ACP policymakers for top class training in microfinance. Application open. For the fourth year in a row, the EU/ ACP Microfinance Programme is offering scholarships for Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) policymakers to participate in the Boulder Microfinance Training Programme that takes place in Turin, Italy, from 19 July to 6 August 2010. The Boulder Microfinance Training Programme, which is hosted by the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO), is considered one of the best international microfinance training programmes. It offers a specific courses dedicated to policymakers, and is taught in English and French by respected microfinance experts.The scholarship is worth 3,100 Euros and covers the tuition fees for the three week training. Selected candidates need to demonstrate they can cover their own travel, accommodation costs and per diem, and that they are proficient in English or French. Eligible candidates are government officials from Sub-Saharan ACP who make, or implement, policies that impact on access to finance, including senior staff of Central Banks, Supervisory/Regulatory bodies and Ministries of Finance. How to apply: Eligible ACP policymakers, who wish to attend the Boulder Microfinance Training, and need a scholarship to cover their tuition expenses, can apply by filling in the pre-registration form. The deadline for application is May 10, 2010. Read more ACP-EU Microfinance Programme EuropeAid-ACP
- Future of Europe's farming policy under the spotlight
2010-04-14 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development
The share of the EU's budget for Europe's Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) has been cut from 75% in 1985 to around 40% today. The number of farms however has doubled with the accession of the 12 new EU countries and the CAP faces new challenges regarding climate change and the economic crisis. MEPs discussed its future on 12 April with Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos.The CAP was reformed in 2003 and a subsequent "Health Check" performed in 2008. It was modernised by removing production restrictions and equipping it to face new challenges such as climate change and protecting biodiversity. Under the Lisbon treaty agriculture falls under co-decision and MEPs have gained power over the agriculture budget. MEPs will decide, together with the European Union governments, on the future course of the policy. Attention is now shifting to food security, with world demand for food expected to double by 2050 according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation. The EP will express its views by next summer, just before the European Commission is due to present its proposals. Source: European Parliament Read more Lyon report Agriculture and Rural Development
- Fish industry voices concern over foreign fish and falling prices
2010-04-14 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Regional Fisheries
Concerns about foreign fish being sold in Europe and what to do about the future of Europe's fisheries industry were aired in a hearing held by the Fisheries Committee on 8 April. Over fishing, plunging stocks and falling prices have created a perfect storm battering the fisheries industry. Many of their representatives were in Brussels to set out their stall to MEPs. The hearing was held in response to a consultative Green Paper by the European Commission, which sets out a possible future course for Europe's Common Fisheries Policy. Over 40,000 people in the 27 countries of the European Union work in the industry and will be affected by the reforms. Source: European Parliament Read more Green Paper DG Fisheries
- EC services issue an analysis of the main innovative financing options
2010-04-13
The European Commission services published a staff working document assessing the main sources of innovative financing under discussion. The analysis shows that for some of the instruments a "double dividend" of both raising revenues and improving market efficiency and stability could be reaped, in particular by putting a price on risk-taking in the financial sector and on carbon emissions. It also emphasises that global coordination will be essential for a successful implementation of most instruments of innovative financing. It shows, however, that actions at the EU level alone should not be discarded. Source: European Commission Read more Innovative financing at a global level Financing Climate Change
- How Development Assistance from France and the United Kingdom has Evolved
2010-04-13 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Aid effectiveness
France and the United Kingdom are influential backers when it comes to the global governance of aid to developing countries. A short history of the contributions made by these former colonial powers to ODA is presented, covering the institutions concerned, strategies conducted and funding provided. These institutions have undergone complex changes since the initial phase of making “improvements” in the colonies up until recent reforms. Their ambitious strategies, grounded on considerable research, have received attention from a multilateral audience, turning the colonial question into a global issue. The vision of aid in both France and the UK is broader than is conveyed by the calculations that are carried out by the OECD’s DAC. Though subject to political contingencies, aid from these countries amounts to a substantial contribution that seeks to respond to various development needs. Source: International Development Policy Series Read more French Development Agency DFID
- Multilateral banks to continue economic support
2010-04-13
Leading Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the International Monetary Fund, meeting at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg, mapped out their plans to support a sustainable global recovery and agreed the Copenhagen Accord is an opportunity for action to finance measures to combat climate change. On the global economy, they noted signs of recovery and agreed enhanced cooperation among the MDBs and the IMF played an important role in preventing a wider systemic crisis. They concluded the global economy remains fragile and MDBs will need to continue to play a counter-cyclical role in 2010. In this context they welcomed the agreements on capital increases of the ADB, EIB and IADB and looked forward to the conclusion of negotiations on replenishing resources of the AfDB, EBRD and the World Bank Group. Beyond the immediate demand of responding to the crisis, the MDBs remain focused on crisis prevention, supporting sustainable growth and development and, in particular, the need to combat climate change. Source: European InvestmentBank Read more African Development Bank Interational Monetary Fund
- Caribbean rum in grave danger
2010-04-12 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade
All rum producers in the Dominican Republic and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are facing the grim prospect of losing their markets in Europe. Having convinced Caribbean’s negotiators to sign a full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the 27-nation European Union (EU) on the basis that it was not necessary to include specific language on rum because it was covered in Declaration XXV in the Cotonou Convention. The EC is now reneging on its undertakings and many rum companies face a grave financial crisis. CARIFORUM countries – the independent member states of CARICOM plus the Dominican Republic – agreed to a full EPA in December 2007 under considerable pressure from the EC including the threat that if they did not sign, a higher tariff would be applied to their vital exports, such as sugar, rice and bananas making them uncompetitive with other countries. Source: Caribbeannetnew Read more EU-Cariforum EPA Caricom
- Newer EU members add value to Europe's development policy
2010-04-12
About 60 percent of development aid in the world comes from the EU. And new member states are adding more money to the Development Fund. But can their own experiences with transition contribute to aid effectiveness? In spite of the staggering amount of aid (billions annually), it still remains difficult to quantify the European Union's success in Africa. One thing is certain; the EU is yet to optimize its ability to contribute to development and the eradication of poverty on the continent. As a result, measures have been introduced to develop a coherent policy for development and avoid contradiction and competition in the aid sector. In 2008, during the Czech Presidency, the EU Commission began to compile a European Transition Compendium (ETC) - a document that "will collect examples of best practice for the newer member states that would be useful for emerging and developing countries in transition." Source: Deutsche Welle Read more The European Consensus on Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs
- Kenya lined up for slice of Sh3bn deal
2010-04-12 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, ACP-EU Trade, Food Security
Kenya will benefit from Sh3.2 billion (32.5 million euros) released by the European Commission to train African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) farmers on food safety as hygiene concerns take centre stage. This is the second phase of Pest Initiative Programme (PIP), whose objective is to support exporters from ACP countries to comply with the European Union’s sanitary standards for fresh fruits and vegetables. The initial phase supported 85 beneficiaries in Kenya including export companies, smallholder support organisations, service providers and public sector bodies. Mr Pietro Nardi from the European Commission delegation said in spite of the success of the first phase, challenges are still ahead. He said the growing concern of European consumers towards environmental and ethical issues translates into constant upgrading of rules and regulations related to distribution of fresh products. Source: Daily Nation Read more Key sources on Food Safety SPS Information Management System
- EU summit 'fails to deliver' on climate change and poverty
2010-04-12
Europe's political leaders have been accused of "once again failing to deliver" on a range of policy pledges, ranging from poverty reduction to climate change. The attack, by different European NGO groups, comes after the recent EU summit in Brussels. No new action was agreed at the summit which assessed the state of play post-Copenhagen with leaders EU merely restating their target of 20 per cent emissions reductions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, with a conditional offer of 30 per cent cuts if other countries increase their commitments. Sonja Meister, climate campaign coordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe, said, "These figures are not consistent with what science and climate justice demand, and will not help achieve progress in international negotiations." She said, "Heads of state once again failed to deliver Europe's fair share of the finances needed to enable developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. "The meeting simply repeated the insufficient offers of €2.4bn short term finance, mostly repackaged development aid." Source: The Parliament.com Read more Friends of the earth DG Environment
- Consensus on post-2013 CAP still elusive
2010-04-12 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development
In the absence of consensus at this stage on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Spanish EU Presidency had to make do, at the Agriculture Council on 29 March in Brussels, with presenting its own conclusions on market management measures and improving the way the food supply chain operates. On the first point, it had not even contemplated the adoption of Council conclusions, but on the second, it tried unsuccessfully to have conclusions approved. In both cases, the most liberal member states refused to play the game. The “majority” of the 27 ministers find that the CAP is “sufficiently” market oriented and recommend that a “safety net” and existing instruments – possibly revised - remain in place for the entire agro-food sector, according to the Spanish Presidency’s conclusions on post-2013 management measures. The Belgian and Hungarian Presidencies support and “subscribe unconditionally” to these conclusions. The text, which sums up the exchange of views by ministers at the previous meeting, on 22 February, states that “some” member states support the creation of new tools: strengthening of producers’ and joint trade organisations, establishment of “standard contracts” in the sector to improve its functioning and the transparency of prices, income insurance and operators’ earnings. Source: Europolitics Read more CAP after 2013 Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
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NOTE If you have questions or suggestions, please write to us at : boto@cta.int For more information on the full range of CTA activities please go to http://www.cta.int/ More information on CTA activities in Brussels at : http://brussels.cta.int/ CTA is an institution of the ACP Group of States (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) and the EU (European Union), in the framework of the Cotonou Agreement and is financed by the EU. Copyright © 2009 Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU. Email:cta@cta.int The opinions expressed in the comments and analysis are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of CTA. You are currently subscribed to the CTA Brussels Newsletter.
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