Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department for International Development
FUNDING OF
EC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
I attach a short note in response to Mr Baldry's
query.
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
VERSUS EUROPEAN
UNION
I attach the relevant annex to DFID's Institutional
Strategy Paper on the EC. In brief, activities of the EC are conducted
in areas established by the Treaty of Rome. The single market
and external trade policy (GATT etc) were the core activities
but others have been added, eg environment and, of course, development
cooperation. In some of these areas the EC has exclusive competence
(eg trade policy); in others competence is shared (eg development
cooperation). So that is the legal basis for the EC's programmes
in developing countries.
The EDF is a complication. It was established
outside the Treaty of Rome before development cooperation became
an EC competence. However, for convenience the Commission was
asked to manage the EDF on behalf of the member states. The EDF
remains a voluntary fund outside the EC budget. And the Development
Cooperation section of the Treaty explicitly excludes cooperation
with the ACP from its decision-making provisions.
DFID STAFF IN
BRUSSELS
There are two members of DFID staff in the UK
Permanent Representation in Brussels: Adam Wood and Laurie Lee.
They are on secondment to the FCO and work within the External
Relations section. Other desk officers in that section also deal
with development issues in the regions that they cover (eg Mediterranean
or Latin America), as do desk officers in other sections, eg trade.
Permanent Representations of other member states tend to have
one person dealing with development issues, though that person
is not always from the development ministry.
PUBLICATION OF
COUNTRY STRATEGY
PAPERS
It took a bit of time to clarify this but the
Commission have confirmed their intention to publish their new
Country Strategy Papers on the internet to help improve transparency.
As a formality, the Commission will seek agreement on publication
with partner countries in the coming months. We will be able to
advise the Committee of publication dates in due course.
DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
PROCEEDINGS
We will advise Clare Short of the Committee's
interest in this. There are wider discussions at the moment on
the functioning of the Council which have included the issue of
greater openness. And the Laeken European Council agreed last
week that the Council Secretary General should report in the next
few months on how to improve the functioning of the Council to
take account of enlargement.
Department for International Development
19 December 2001
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