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The European Union's role as a major development actor continues to grow. It is the second largest distributor of overseas development aid, behind the US. We welcome the priority given in the 2005 EU Consensus on Development to providing aid to the poorest countries, and to Africa in particular. The UK and other member states now need to ensure that they deliver those commitments.
The EU is at the centre of international trade negotiations which will shape relationships between developing countries and the developed world for years to come. The EU must be guided by development needs in these negotiations; it should reach out to developing countries and allow their concerns to be aired and addressed.
We welcome the renewed effort the WTO membership, including the UK, is putting into securing a deal in the Doha Development Round. Time, is however, short: the likely window for a deal is just a few months. Transparent and inclusive negotiations, continued political will and flexibility in key dossiers such as agriculture will be decisive in securing a deal. In parallel to the negotiations, the UK and other developed countries should continue to consider a development package, separate from or in addition to an overall deal, as an alternative means of guaranteeing some of the hard-fought-for development gains for the world's poor.
The EU is negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements with regional groupings of African, Caribbean and Pacific states. The period for negotiating the Agreements has been substantial. But in this critical phase of the negotiations, the EU must not abuse its position of strength and should not force ACP states to make progress on the New (or Singapore) Issues or on regional integration at an impractical pace. The negotiations are behind schedule and we believe the EU needs to have contingency plans in place, including extension of the WTO waiver, should the negotiations not be concluded within the deadline.
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