26.10.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 254/3

---

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF TUESDAY, 26 JUNE 2007

(2007/C 254/02)

(The sitting opened at 9.16 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr RADEMBINO-CONIQUET

Co-President

1.   Substitutes

The Co-President announced the following substitutes: Goebbels (for Ferreira), Hutchinson (for Rosati), Morgantini (for Holm).

2.   Statement by Mr Louis Michel, Member of the Commission with special responsibility for development and humanitarian aid

Mr Michel made a statement on behalf of the Commission.

3.   Question Time to the Commission

Altogether 24 questions were put to the Commission.

Mr Michel replied to the questions in writing and gave oral replies to the supplementary questions by the following authors:

Question No 6 by Mr Agnoletto on ratification of the 10th EDF;

Question No 1 by Mrs Morgantini on the EU-Africa joint strategy;

Question No 4 by Mrs Carlotti on ACP Parliaments and the EDF;

Question No 14 by Mr F. Schmidt on budget support;

Question No 20 by Mr Bowis on rights of persons with disabilities;

Question No 16 by Mr Mayer on the importance of water;

Question No 17 by Mrs Aubert on illegal fishing activities;

Question No 2 by Mrs Deerpalsing (Mauritius) on EPA negotiations;

Question No 3 by Mr Hutchinson on the 10th EDF and EPAs;

Question No 8 by Mr Schlyter on EPAs;

Question No 25 by Mr Thwala (Swaziland) on EPA agreements;

Question No 15 by Mrs Hall on cotton;

Question No 21 by Mr Fernandes on East Timor;

Question No 22 by Mr Van Hecke on the peace agreement in Sudan and African migrants to Europe.

The following questions were not followed by supplementary questions:

No 12 by Mr Schnellhardt (for Mrs Roithova) on civil society participation in national indicative programmes;

No 18 by Mr Cashman on the impact of biofuels.

The authors of questions Nos 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 19, 23 and 24 were not present.

4.   Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 12th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, held in Bridgetown (Barbados) from 20 to 23 November 2006 (APP/100.015)

The Commissioner referred to a document that had been distributed detailing the follow-up by the Commission to the resolutions adopted in Barbados.

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs KINNOCK

Co-President

5.   Debate with the Commission

Speakers: Top (Guinea), Schnellhardt, Mugambe (Uganda), Cavuilati (Fiji), Straker (St Vincent and the Grenadines), Sebetela (Botswana), Goebbels, Oumarou (Niger), Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Gahler, Sithole (Mozambique), Toga (Ethiopia), Mafura (Lesotho), Rodgers (Suriname), Van Hecke, Grabowska, William (Seychelles) and Baldeh (Gambia).

Mr Michel responded to the points raised in the debate.

IN THE CHAIR: Mr RADEMBINO-CONIQUET

Co-President

6.   Urgent topic No 1: the situation in Darfur

Mr Michel opened the debate with a statement.

Speakers: Schroeder, Carlotti, Top (Guinea), Berend, Kinnock, Straker (St Vincent and the Grenadines), Morgantini, Aylward, Thwala (Swaziland), Schnellhardt, Borrell Fontelles, Hall, Michel (European Commission) and Dekuek (Sudan).

(The sitting adjourned at 12.55 p.m. and resumed at 3.07 p.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Mrs KINNOCK

Co-President

7.   Approval of the minutes of Monday 25 June 2007

The minutes were approved.

8.   Statement by Mrs Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany), President-in-Office of the EU Council

Mrs Wieczorek-Zeul made a statement on behalf of the EU Council.

9.   Statement by Mr Mohlabi Kenneth Tsekoa, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations (Lesotho), President-in-Office of the ACP Council

Mr Tsekoa made a statement on behalf of the ACP Council.

10.   Question Time to the Council

Two questions had been put to the ACP Council.

Mr Tsekoa answered the following question and supplementary question:

Question No 2 by Mr Bowis on the inclusion of civil society and the European Development Fund.

The author of question No 1 was not present.

Fifteen questions had been put to the EU Council.

Mrs Wieczorek-Zeul answered the following questions and supplementary questions:

Question No 10 by Mr Mitchell on budget support;

Question No 8 by Mrs Deerpalsing (Mauritius) on conclusion of EPAs;

Question No 11 by Mr Fernandes on relations between the European Union and Cape Verde;

Question No 13 by Mr Van Hecke on impunity;

Question No 14 by Mrs McAvan (for Mr Cashman) on human trafficking;

Question No 16 by Mr Bowis (for Mrs Roithová) on measures implemented by the Council in relation to gender and environmental issues;

Question No 18 by Mr Bowis on climate change;

The following questions were not followed by supplementary questions:

Question No 12 by Mr Martínez Martínez (for Mrs Carlotti) on the crisis in Darfur — application of sanctions;

Question No 17 by Mr Mayer on the importance of water in combating poverty in Africa.

The authors of questions Nos 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 20 were not present.

11.   Debate with the Council

Speakers: Scheele, Sebetela (Botswana), Bullmann, William (Seychelles), Mitchell, Folga Ildevert (Burkina Faso), Cavuilati (Fiji), Sturdy, Abdi Said (Djibouti), Goya (Democratic Republic of Congo), Smith (Liberia), Wieczorek-Zeul (EU Council) and Tsekoa (ACP Council).

Decision: The Co-Presidents would write a letter to the development ministers of all EU and ACP Member States asking them to expedite ratification of the revised Cotonou Agreement.

12.   The state of play in the negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs): debate (without resolution)

Speakers: Wieczorek-Zeul (EU Council), Tsekoa (ACP Council), Thompson (European Commission), Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Dombrovskis, Nyassa (Cameroon), F. Schmidt, Sebetela (Botswana), Borrell Fontelles, Martens, William (Seychelles), Sturdy, Schlyter, Van Hecke and McNish (Jamaica).

13.   Address by Mrs Gertrude Mongella, President of the Pan-African Parliament, followed by a debate

Mrs Mongella addressed the Assembly.

Speakers: Gahler, Thwala (Swaziland), Morgantini, Conteh (Sierra Leone), Grabowska, William (Seychelles), Van Hecke, Martens, Gröner and Cheron (Haiti).

Mrs Mongella replied to points raised during the debate.

(The sitting closed at 7.20 p.m.)

---