18.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 68/6

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MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2009

(2010/C 68/03)

(The sitting opened at 9.10 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr MICHEL

Co-President

1.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes:

Bastos (for Carvalho), Cashman (for Toia), Czarnecki (for Legutko), Girling (for Ford), Goebbels (for Bullmann), Gomes (for Moreira), Gurmai (for De Keyser), Jäätteenmäki (for Jensen), Migalski (for Vlasák), Ponga (for De Mita), Rinaldi (for Griesbeck), Sargentini (for Jadot), Theocharous (for Kuhn) and Włosowicz (for Hannan).

2.   Approval of the minutes of Monday, 30 November 2009

The minutes were approved.

3.   Global governance and the reform of international institutions

Committee on Political Affairs

Report by Mr Donald Ramotar (Guyana) and Mr Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez

Mr Ramotar (Guyana) and Mr Martínez Martínez presented the report.

Speakers: Vetter (European Commission), Kaczmarek, Sylla (Mali), Castex, Toga (Ethiopia), Schmidt, Ogwal (Uganda), Zimmer, Sithole (Mozambique), Mitchell, Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Durant, William (Seychelles), Gurmai, Sall (Senegal), Ponga, Jean Marie (Saint Lucia) and Gomes.

Mr Ramotar (Guyana) and Mr Martínez Martínez wound up the debate.

4.   Disaster reduction and recovery: debate without resolution

Mr Saroj K. Jha, Programme Manager, World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), made a presentation.

Speakers: Mitchell, Sylla (Mali), Ferreira J., Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Rinaldi, William (Seychelles) and Goebbels.

Mr Jha responded to the issues raised in the debate.

On a point of order, the Co-President announced that there would be an extraordinary Bureau meeting that evening from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

5.   The WTO negotiations and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) - current state of play: debate without resolution

Mr Peter Thompson (European Commission) introduced the subject.

Speakers: Engel, Arif, Manamela (South Africa), Rinaldi, Sylla (Mali), Durant, William (Seychelles), Schnellhardt, Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Mporogomyi (Tanzania), Hoarau, Amon-Ago (Côte d'Ivoire) and Tirolien.

Mr Thompson responded to points raised.

6.   Social and cultural integration and participation of young people

Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment

Report by Mr Manuel Jiménez (Dominican Republic) and Mr Olle Schmidt

Mr Schmidt and Mr Rodgers (Suriname), replacing Jiménez (Dominican Republic), presented the report.

Speakers: Janssen (European Commission), Nedelcheva, Cashman, Bearder, Mohamed Ali (Ethiopia), Rivasi, Ogwal (Uganda), Ferreira J., Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Gahler, Ramotar (Guyana), Haug, William (Seychelles), Motlhale (Botswana) and Amon-Ago (Côte d'Ivoire).

Mr Rodgers (Suriname) and Mr Schmidt wound up the debate.

(The sitting adjourned at 12.40 p.m. and resumed at 3.10 p.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr RASMUSSEN

Co-President

The Co-President welcomed the Presidents-in-Office of the ACP and the EU Councils, Ms Eunice Kazembe and Ms Gunilla Carlsson.

7.   Statement by Ms Eunice Kazembe, Minister of Industry and Trade (Malawi), President-in-Office of the ACP Council

Ms Eunice Kazembe made a statement on behalf of the ACP Council.

8.   Statement by Ms Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for Development (Sweden), President-in-Office of the EU Council

Ms Carlsson made a statement on behalf of the EU Council.

9.   Question Time to the Council

All together three questions had been put to the ACP Council.

Ms Kazembe answered the following question and supplementary question:

Question No 3 by Mr Schmidt on Dawit Isaak.

The following questions were not followed by a supplementary question:

Question No 1 by Mr Arif on the position of the ACP countries on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

Question No 2 by Mr William (Seychelles) on fisheries - monitoring mechanism.

Nineteen questions had been put to the EU Council.

Ms Carlsson answered the following questions and supplementary questions:

Question No 21 by Mr Schmidt on Dawit Isaak.

Question No 13 by Ms Castex on international crisis management in Africa.

Question No 17 by Mr Cashman on decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Question No 18 by Mr Cashman (for Ms Toia) on people with disabilities.

Question No 7 by Sir Louis Straker (Saint Vincent & the Grenadines) on the global financial crisis.

Question No 8 by Ms Zimmer on financing of development cooperation.

Question No 9 by Mr Kaczmarek on ODA.

Question No 10 by Ms Joly on illicit financial flow from developing countries.

Question No 14 by Mr Tirolien on funding to enable the developing countries to adapt to climate change.

Question No 15 by Mr Assarid (Mali) on climate change - aid to ACP countries.

Question No 11 by Mr William (Seychelles) on EPA.

Question No 16 by Ms Sargentini on Somalia.

Question No 22 by Mr Goerens on the situation in Darfur following the official end of the conflict.

Question No 4 by Mr Jean Marie (Saint Lucia) on the impact of the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU/ACP partnership.

Question No 5 by Ms Skerritt-Andrew (Saint Kitts & Nevis) on the second review of the Cotonou Agreement.

Question No 6 by Mr Martínez Martínez (for Mr Guerrero Salom) on Migration - revision of Cotonou Agreement.

Question No 12 by Mr Schnellhardt on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy.

Question No 19 by Ms Ronzulli on democratic accommodation of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in ACP and EU countries.

Question No 20 by Ms Zanicchi on infant mortality: a specific commitment in connection with the fourth Millennium Development Goal.

Ms Kazembe also answered questions No 10, 11, 16 and 19.

10.   Debate with the Council - catch-the-eye

Speakers: Ramotar (Guyana), William (Seychelles), Assarid (Mali), Sall (Senegal), Ferreira J., Naib (Eritrea), Durant, Attard-Montalto, Milupi (Zambia), Callanan, Rivasi, Gomes and Lutundula (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Ms Carlsson and Ms Kazembe responded to points raised.

11.   Situation in Niger

Speakers: Ali (Ethiopia), Bundu (Sierra Leone), Gahler, Zimmer, Castex, Lutundula (DRC), Amon Ago (Côte d'Ivoire), Hama (Niger), Abdullahi (Nigeria) and Co-President Rasmussen.

12.   Urgent topic No 2: The situation in Madagascar

Speakers: Vetter (European Commission), Sithole (Mozambique), Ronzulli, Assarid (Mali), Schmidt, Tirolien, Hoarau, Rivasi, Lutundula (Democratic Republic of the Congo), William (Seychelles), Striffler, Mahazaka (Madagascar), Randrianiatovo (Madagascar) and Co-President Rasmussen.

13.   Country and Regional Strategy Papers for the 10th EDF, including the CSP for Angola

Statements were made by Ana Dias Lourenço, Minister for Planning of the Republic of Angola and Diógenes do Espírito Santo Oliveira, Chair of the Committee for Economy and Finance of the National Assembly of Angola.

Speakers: Ferreira (European Commission), Gomes, De Sousa (Angola), Gahler, Nedelcheva and Co-President Rasmussen.

(The sitting closed at 7.15 p.m.)

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