| 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
- CTA Weblog/Newsletter survey
- Main ACP-EU events for next week (11-17 January)
- Our video guest: Dr. Hans Herren, IAASTD
- Briefing “From Global Food Crisis to Local Food Insecurity”: video material on line
- Tailored approaches to climate adaptation
- New system to better control fisheries and fight against illegal fishing
- Cotonou Partnership Agreement: revision of article on Migration
- Défis Sud n°91 - The Congo will be rural or will cease to be
- Caribbean banana under treat
- EU grants Mauritius aid to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis
- Doha trade talks: defend EU interests, say MEPs
- Fiji signs trade and development agreement with the EU
- Commission launches new series to analyse the CAP
- EU new direct video and audio content search engine
- Liberal & Democrat strategic priorities for new Commission
- Updating Economic Partnership Agreements to Today’s Global Challenges
- Horn of Africa: EC allocates €50 million in humanitarian aid
- Timetable for hearings of Commissioners-designate
- Parliament adopts EU budget for 2010
- MEPs disappointed over weak climate change agreement
- Negotiations EU-Morocco in the agri-food and fisheries sector
- CTA Weblog/Newsletter survey
2010-01-08
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- Main ACP-EU events for next week (11-17 January)
2010-01-08 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Rural development, Aid effectiveness
European Parliament: - 11 and 14 January: Committee meetings - 12-14 January: Political groups meetings EU Presidency: - 11 January: Council of Agriculture and Fishing ACP Secretariat: - 14 January: Consultative Group on Sugar ; Committee of Ambassadors - 15 January: W/G on Sugar + Commission For more information please consult the calendar on our webpage http://brussels.cta.int/ European Parliament EU Presidency ACP Secretariat
- Our video guest: Dr. Hans Herren, IAASTD
2010-01-08 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Environment, Archive, Food Security
Dr Hans Herren is our guest this week. Dr. Hans Herren, an internationally recognized scientist, is the President of the Millennium Institute since May 2005. On the occasion of his participation in the Brussels Development Briefing on food crisis in ACP countries, Mr. Herren is explaining to us the role played by the Institute concerning the Millenium Development Goals. M. Herren presents also the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science & Technology (IAASTD), which is an assessment of agriculture by reviewing the last 50 years in science, technology and knowledge as to better define what we should do in the next 50 years to resolve issues food security, nutrition security and also environmental issues. Go to the Interview More about IAASTD Millenium Institute
- Briefing “From Global Food Crisis to Local Food Insecurity”: video material on line
2010-01-07 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Food Security, Archive
The video recordings of the 15th Briefing session (“From Global Food Crisis to Local Food Insecurity”) are now available. Video material Read more All the Briefings
- Tailored approaches to climate adaptation
2010-01-07 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Environment
Ranieri Sabatucci – who is in charge of the Pacific region at the European Commission’s Development Directorate-General – talks about how climate change will affect different parts of the developing world and the EU’s efforts to help them. Source: European Commission Read more CTA Briefing on climate change CTA Reader on climate change
- New system to better control fisheries and fight against illegal fishing
2010-01-07 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Regional Fisheries, Environment, Food Security
On 1 January 2010, a set of new, strong rules has enter into force to bolster the control system of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy. These rules will give the EU and its Member States new and powerful tools not only to protect the resources of our seas and oceans from unscrupulous operators, but also to protect the livelihoods of honest fishermen who would otherwise be exposed to unfair competition. With no preferential treatment from one country to another and no real temptation to cheat, because offenders will not be allowed to get away scot-free, the new system will enable fishermen to ply their trade under the same conditions, thus promoting a culture of compliance throughout the fisheries sector. Source: European Commission Read more CTA Briefing on IUU Fishing CTA Reader on IUU Fishing
- Cotonou Partnership Agreement: revision of article on Migration
2010-01-07 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Aid effectiveness, Archive
Article 13 on ‘Migration’ is a priority issue for European Union member states in the revision of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA). However, the ongoing revision process scheduled to be finalised at the end of February 2010 does not seem to be even moderately high on anyone’s agenda. This is a shame, as surely it is in the interest of both parties to make the most of this framework for ACP-EU relations that will expire in 2020. The CPA is the largest North-South partnership in the world and with its co-decision, joint management and Non-State-Actors participation principles, is regarded by some also as one of the most progressive cooperation frameworks. Its future after 2020 is nevertheless unclear and the current revision is an opportunity to ensure that it remains relevant in a changing context. Source: ECDPM Read the document CTA Briefing on Development and Migration CTA Reader on Development and Migration
- Défis Sud n°91 - The Congo will be rural or will cease to be
2010-01-06 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, Aid effectiveness
The latest issue of Défis Sud, the newsletter published by SOS Faim, looks at the Congo - a country the size on a continent in the centre of Africa, with tremendous agricultural and rural potential. However, the rulers of the Democratic Republic of Congo need to proceed beyond a mining-based vision of the economy and strengthen the true productive forces of their country, most of which lie in the agricultural sector. At the same time, they must be careful to safeguard the Congo’s fabulous natural heritage. By drawing up an Agricultural Code, the Congolese government is declaring its ambition to find the means to revive agriculture, fisheries and livestock rearing. This dossier highlights the advantages the government possesses and the obstacles it will need to overcome. Source: Défis Sud Read the newsletter Find out more about SOS Faim
- Caribbean banana under treat
2010-01-06 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Environment
Martinique’s banana growers have cause for concern. The European Union has signed an agreement ending the preferential tariffs they previously enjoyed. The conflict between Latin American and ACP banana producers regarding EU customs tariffs had raged for over ten years. The EU rules allowed ACP producers, and therefore Caribbean countries, to export their produce to Europe at very low tariffs. This incensed «dollar banana» growers who were obliged to pay 176 Euros per tonne of fruit. The World Trade Organisation had ruled against the measure several times. Now, as a result of the agreement the Latin American countries will pay 148 Euros a tonne, descending to 114 Euros by 2017. Forced to compete with major international banana producers who can saturate the market with their products, Caribbean producers may be driven out of business. A re-assessment of the POSEI Programme - a programme of special measures to support agriculture in the EU’s outermost regions - is therefore scheduled to take place within the next few days. Source: Orange News Read more DG Trade The Banana Trade War
- EU grants Mauritius aid to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis
2010-01-06 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Aid effectiveness
According to information transmitted to APA in the Mauritian capital Port Louis, the European Union has decided to provide Mauritius with 16 million dollars in financial assistance to mitigate the effects of the world economic crisis. Sources close to the Finance Ministry say the subsidy has been granted under the FLEX Vulnerability Mechanism which set up by the EU to help address the impact of the international economic recession on industrial exports and tourism. Mauritius will receive another EU subsidy in the resource allocation scheduled for next year. The sources indicate that Mauritius is one of the first group of 13 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to benefit from financial help as a result of the European Commission’s decision, and that the EU initially plans to release 239 million Euros. To quote a press release issued by the European Commission in Belgium, “This is the first of a series of decisions on FLEX Vulnerability financing, which is estimated at 500 million Euros and was approved in August 2009 to help African, Caribbean and Pacific countries cope with the effects of the economic crisis.” Source: Afrique Avenir Read more EC Delegation to Mauritius EU relations with Mauritius
- Doha trade talks: defend EU interests, say MEPs
2010-01-05 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Aid effectiveness, Rural development
Success at the Doha trade talks could stimulate economic recovery worldwide, but the European Commission must stick to its negotiating brief on market access for farm and non-farm products and services, said Parliament in a resolution approved in Strasbourg. Source: European Parliament Read more Read the Resolution Doha Development Agenda
- Fiji signs trade and development agreement with the EU
2010-01-05 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Regional Fisheries
Fiji has signed today an interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU. The agreement focuses on trade in goods and provides duty free – quota free access for all products from Fiji to the EU market. It also aims to deepen cooperation in areas such as animal and plant health as well as technical standards. The interim Economic Partnership Agreement was initialled in November 2007 by Fiji and Papua New Guinea which represent the vast majority of the region's exports to the EU. The agreement has been provisionally implemented by the EU since 1 January 2008. Papua New Guinea signed it in July 2009. Under the agreement all imports from Fiji and Papua New Guinea have duty free quota free access to the European market. Fiji will remove customs duties on 87% of their imports from the EU over the next 15 years and Papua New Guinea liberalises 88% in the first year. Source: European Commission Read more Read more (2) EC Delegation to Fidji
- Commission launches new series to analyse the CAP
2010-01-05 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Aid effectiveness, Rural development, Environment
The European Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development has launched a new product, "Agricultural Policy Perspectives" Briefs. The Briefs will discuss policy aspects of the CAP from an analytical angle, linking this to the discussions on the future of the CAP. The first Brief, covers the development of the CAP over the last two decades and considers the current position of the policy following recent reforms and how this will influence future policy changes. This first Brief will then be followed by more in-depth Briefs focusing on different policy areas, such as direct payments, market support, and rural development. Read the document Read more DG Agriculture
- EU new direct video and audio content search engine
2010-01-05 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Archive
More and more videos are finding a niche on the Internet. But how do Web users find what they're looking for? Current video search technologies depend on semantic annotation; videos are manually tagged with keywords and located via a text-based search, a time-consuming and expensive effort. An EU-funded team of researchers is about to change all that. The DIVAS ('Direct video & audio content search engine') project, which received EUR 1.94 million under the 'Information society technologies' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), has developed a multimedia search engine based on advanced direct video and audio search algorithms — so-called digital media fingerprints. Source: European Commission Read more More about DIVAS ICT Results
- Liberal & Democrat strategic priorities for new Commission
2010-01-05 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Aid effectiveness
Addressing journalists, ALDE group leader, Guy Verhofstadt, presented the strategic priorities of the Liberals and Democrats for the incoming members of the European Commission who face a series of hearings in January before being approved. "We need more ambition and a more efficient Union," said Verhofstadt. "The next five years will be critical and the current economic and environmental situation requires a fundamental rethink of how we structure our economy and our society." The ALDE group believes the EU should focus its efforts on five broad priorities: 1. tackling the economic and financial crisis, 2. tackling climate change, 3. fighting for freedom and fundamental rights, 4. rethinking the EU budget and system of own resources 5. promoting a coherent strategy in foreign affairs. Source: ALDE Read more ALDE strategy document More about ALDE
- Updating Economic Partnership Agreements to Today’s Global Challenges
2010-01-05 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : ACP-EU Trade, Rural development, Aid effectiveness
African and Pacific countries continue to negotiate the challenging Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union. These new agreements have the potential to help African countries accelerate their economic growth and develop more resilient economies. However, the presence of negotiating deadlocks or a sense of fatigue as well as the lack of real appetite for these agreements among many African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) negotiators, raise legitimate questions regarding their structure and content, as well as their ability to constitute instruments to leverage economic growth. Read Essays on the Future of Economic Partnership Agreements. Edited by Emily Jones (Oxford) and Darlan F Marti (UNCTAD) published by the German Marshall Fund Economic Policy Program, 19 November 2009. Source: The German Marshall Fund of the United States Read the document More about GMF More about UNCTAD
- Horn of Africa: EC allocates €50 million in humanitarian aid
2010-01-04 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Environment, Archive, Food Security
The European Commission is providing €50 million in humanitarian aid to vulnerable drought-affected people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The funds are channelled through the Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) under the responsibility of Commissioner Karel De Gucht. "We face a disastrous situation in the Horn of Africa that demonstrates the terrible potential of climate change. This crisis, which is happening now, underlines why it is so important to reach agreement in Copenhagen", said Mr De Gucht, European Commissioner in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid. "Large parts of the Horn have had less than 75% of normal rainfall this year, having already endured a series of severe droughts. The population can no longer cope with such extreme and protracted hardship which often comes on top of conflict situations. As a result, more than 16 million people desperately need help. The European Union, as the biggest aid donor to the Horn region, is living up to its responsibility by boosting its humanitarian response." Source: European Commission Read more More about ECHO
- Timetable for hearings of Commissioners-designate
2010-01-04
The Conference of Presidents has adopted the detailed timetable for the hearings of the Commissioners-designate in January. The hearings will take place from 11-15 January in Brussels and from 18-19 January in Strasbourg. Source: European Parliament Read more Read more (2) Timetable of hearings
- Parliament adopts EU budget for 2010
2010-01-04 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Aid effectiveness
Parliament on Thursday adopted the final EU budget for 2010, which will be €141.4 billion in commitments and €122.9 billion in payments. The main challenge for this year's budget was to find the funding for the already agreed but not yet financed economic recovery plan, which will cost the EU €2.4 billion. The 2010 budget is the last one agreed under the Nice Treaty rules. The payments figure represents 1.04% of EU gross national income (GNI). Source: European Parliament Read more Budgets Committee site on the 2010 Budget Text adopted
- MEPs disappointed over weak climate change agreement
2010-01-04 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, Aid effectiveness, Environment, Archive
A huge disappointment is what the European Parliament delegation to the COP15 said about the agreement on climate change which was reached at last in Copenhagen. The outcome and the procedure show an urgent need to reform the UN working method. Source: European Parliament Read more EP website on climate change summit Copenhaguen Summit
- Negotiations EU-Morocco in the agri-food and fisheries sector
2010-01-04 NEWSLETTER_CATEGORIES : Rural development, Regional Fisheries, Food Security
The Moroccan and EU negotiators signed an agreed minute concluding negotiations that have been ongoing for almost four years in view of a future agreement on improving bilateral trade conditions for products from the agri-food and fisheries sector. The conclusion of the negotiations is subject to the approval of the respective authorities. In particular, the agreement will reinforce the position of European exporters on the Moroccan market, particularly exporters of processed agricultural products, representing a major offensive interest for the EU with full liberalisation planned in stages over the next ten years, with the exception of pasta, for which a quantitative restriction is provided. In the agricultural products sector, the agreement will allow for the immediate liberalisation of 45% of the value of EU exports and 70% in ten years. The tinned food, dairy products, oilseeds and fruit and vegetable sector will benefit fully from total liberalisation. The fisheries sector will also be opened up for EU products (91% after five years and 100% in 10 years). Source: European Commission Read more DG Fisheries
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