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Document C2008/271/01

Minutes of the sitting of Monday, 17 March 2008

OJ C 271, 25.10.2008, pp. 1–3 (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

25.10.2008   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 271/1

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF MONDAY, 17 MARCH 2008

(2008/C 271/01)

(The sitting opened at 11.05 a.m.)

Formal inaugural sitting

The following addressed the Assembly:

Mr France Cukjati, Speaker of the Parliament of Slovenia, Mr Janez Janša, Prime Minister of Slovenia, Mr Wilkie Rasmussen, Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament (by video message) and Mrs Glenys Kinnock, Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

(The sitting adjourned at 12.05 p.m. and resumed at 3.15 p.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs Glenys KINNOCK

Co-President

Sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The Co-President welcomed all the participants.

1.   Composition of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The Co-President announced that the list of Members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, as forwarded by the authorities of the ACP States and the President of the European Parliament, would be annexed to the minutes.

2.   Accreditation of non-parliamentary representatives

The Co-President announced that the authorities of the ACP States had sent a list of non-parliamentary representatives. In accordance with Article 17(1) of the Partnership Agreement and Article 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, she proposed that these representatives should be recorded and their names listed in an annex to the minutes.

The Joint Parliamentary Assembly agreed to this.

3.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes: Gill (for Jöns), Hutchinson (for Ferreira), Isler Beguin (for Irujo Amezaga), Leinen (for Gröner), Maldeikis (for Zaborska), Mauro (for Coelho), Peterle (for Ventre) and Yañez-Barnuevo (for Gurmai).

4.   Adoption of draft agenda (ACP-EU/100.210)

Speakers: Deva, Martens, Martínez Martínez, Co-President Kinnock, Co-President Rasmussen and Polisi (Rwanda).

The draft agenda was adopted as shown in these minutes.

5.   Approval of the minutes of the 14th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (OJ C 58 of 1.3.2008)

The minutes were approved.

6.   Co-Presidents' announcements, including decisions taken at Bureau meeting on 16 March

The Co-President outlined the decisions taken at the Bureau meeting on 16 March:

—

by vote, to keep the second urgent item, the situation in Chad, as a debate with resolution;

—

to authorise the following reports for the standing committees:

—

Committee on Political Affairs: challenges to the democratic accommodation of ethnic, cultural and religious diversities in ACP and EU countries;

—

Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade: the state of play on Economic Partnership Agreements and their possible impact on ACP countries;

—

Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment: the social and environmental impact of climate change;

—

to authorise the Co-Presidents to attend high-level meetings representing the JPA pending the adoption of a definitive text at a subsequent Bureau meeting;

—

to organise a JPA election observation mission to Angola on 5 and 6 September 2008 subject to the EU being invited to send an Election Observation Mission;

—

to proceed with the first regional meeting of the JPA in Windhoek, with funding from the European Parliament (not EDF funds);

—

to accept the offer of Vanuatu to host a regional meeting directly after the 16th Session in Port Moresby;

—

to send a letter to the President of Burundi and to the Speaker of the National Assembly condemning the recent attacks on opposition politicians and calling for guarantees for their safety;

—

to ask the legal services of the EP and the ACP to provide legal opinions on whether renegotiation is possible after EPAs have been initialed;

—

to write a letter to Commissioner Mandelson regretting his regular absence from JPA debates on EPAs, with copy to President Barroso.

The Co-President announced the Workshops for 19 March, welcomed the observers from the East African Legislative Assembly, announced the deadlines for amendments for the session and explained the system for the allocation of speaking time.

Speakers: Ribeiro e Castro and Gomes.

7.   The current position in the EPA negotiations and the follow-up to the Kigali Declaration: debate without resolution

The Co-President gave a brief introduction to the subject, and expressed her regrets that the European Commissioner for Trade was not present for the debate.

Speakers: Maertens (European Commission), Humphrey (Barbados), Dombrovskis, Dalrymple-Philibert (Jamaica), Hutchinson, Ali (Ethiopia), Cavuilati (Fiji), Hall, Sithole (South Africa), Lahai (Sierra Leone), Zimmer, Baldeh (Gambia), Diallo (Guinea), Schmidt, Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Martens, Assarid (Mali), Borrell Fontelles, William (Seychelles), Dekuek (Sudan), Schnellhardt, Absullahi (Nigeria), and Seck (Senegal).

Mr Maertens (European Commission) responded to the debate.

8.   ACP Parliaments' views on 10th EDF programming and ACP Country Strategy Papers: debate without resolution

The Co-President introduced the subject.

Mrs Lahai (Sierra Leone) and Mr Assarid (Mali) reported on the discussions held in their national parliaments.

Speakers: Talagi (Niue), Baldeh (Gambia), Baum (European Commission) and Oumarou (Niger).

9.   The International Criminal Court: debate without resolution

The Co-President introduced the subject.

Speakers: Swaak-Goldman (office of the ICC Prosecutor), Donat Cattin (Parliamentarians for Global Action), Mayer, Leinen, Straker (St Vincent and the Grenadines), Dekuek (Sudan), Deva, Assarid (Mali), Jimenez (Dominican Republic), Gomes, Lahai (Sierra Leone), Martínez Martínez and Awudu Mbaya (Cameroon).

10.   Report by: Mr Mohamed Ali (Ethiopia) and Mr Alain Hutchinson

Mr Hutchinson and Mr Ali (Ethiopia) presented the report.

Speakers: Njobvu (Zambia), Mugambe (Uganda), Bowis, Borrell Fontelles, Ernesto (Mozambique), Aubert, Assarid (Mali), Novak, William (Seychelles), Schnellhardt, Danata (Cameroon), Baum (European Commission), Fernandes and Diallo (Guinea).

Mr Ali (Ethiopia) and Mr Hutchinson wound up the debate.

(The sitting closed at 7.20 p.m.)

Wilkie RASMUSSEN and

Glenys KINNOCK

Co-Presidents

Sir John KAPUTIN and

Dietmar NICKEL

Co-Secretaries-General

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