The ACP-EU Joint Assembly

ACP Activities

Nirj Deva is a Member of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the EU-ACP (Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific) Organisation

Activities in the European Parliament with relevance to ACP countries

Coordinator (Majority Leader) since 1999 of the European Parliament's Overseas Development Committee, which oversees the USD 18 billion budget
Coordinator (Jt Majority Leader) European Parliament delegation to the Africa, Caribbean & Pacific (ACP) - EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
European Parliament Draftsman of the EU Development Budget 2006 (incl. Financial Perspective)
European Parliament’s Rapporteur on WTO and Development since 2000
In May 2003 he questioned the Chairman of the World Bank on the absorption capacity of developing countries.
In December 2003, he hosted in the European Parliament a conference on Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in Developing Countries.
In September 2004 he addressed 200 young people at the international conference of the World Youth Alliance.
He has consistently spoken out in favour of the ACP (Africa Caribbean Pacific) countries who were signatories to the Lomé Convention (now the Cotonou Agreement).

Author of Legislative Reports in the European Parliament (1999-2005) with relevance to ACP countries, on:

· Effective development cooperation and the fight against corruption

· EC lending activities in developing countries

· Draftsman of the European Parliament’s assessment of the WTO Doha round

· Urgent procedure: transfer of decommissioned EU fishing vessels to tsunami stricken region

· Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)

· SMEs in developing countries

· Economic Partnership Agreements

· Major and Neglected Diseases and Poverty

· The Exploitation of children in developing countries, especially child labour

· Tourism and Development

· Untying of aid

· Social aspect of globalisation

· Human Rights clause

· An EU approach to managing economic migration

· Climate change

· Rules of origin in preferential trade arrangements

· Asylum Directive

· Women & Poverty

· Pharma products/TRIPS

· Stability Instrument

· Partnership Instrument

· External & Internal Borders

ACP-EU MEETINGS

Nassau, 11‑15/10/99:

‑ spoke on Future of ACP‑EU relations
‑ spoke on WTO

Abuja, 20‑23/3/00:

‑ negotiated resolution on WTO / Seattle

Brussels, 9‑12/10/00:

‑ shadowed General Report on Globalisation
‑ negotiated resolution on Pacific region
‑ negotiated resolution on Fishing issues (artisanal fishing)

Libreville, 19‑22/3/01:

‑ spoke on Nielson statement on the implementation of Cotonou PA and the reform of EU external aid
‑ spoke on the statement of the President‑in‑office of the ACP Council, Mr Hamutenya (Namibia)
‑ spoke on the WTO negotiations
‑ negotiated resolution on Everything But Arms
‑ negotiated resolution on Pacific region

Brussels, 29/10‑1/11/01:

‑ negotiated resolution on parliamentary dimension of WTO
‑ negotiated resolution on Pacific region
‑ chaired workshop on Sustainable Development and management of natural resources, in particular fisheries and aquaculture

Cape Town, 18‑21/3/02:

‑ chaired the workshop on Sustainable Development
- negotiated joint resolution on the situation in the Pacific
- spoke on the implementation of the European Development Fund (EDF)
- spoke on the situation in the Pacific
- spoke on Trade and EPAs
- spoke on general report on Democratisation in ACP countries

The Hague, 20-25/11/04

- Coordinator of the 28-strong EPP-ED Delegation to the JPA
- Appointed Rapporteur in the Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade, on Agricultural and mining commodities

Edinburgh, 19-24/11/05

- Coordinator of the 28-strong EPP-ED Delegation to the JPA
- successfully negotiated an 11th hour compromise with the ACP side on the Nyassa (Cameroon) / Deva report on Agricultural and mining commodities as follows:

Sugar

The Assembly calls on the EU Council and the Commission to ensure that the reform of the EC Sugar Regime is fair and equitable to all stakeholders, including the ACP and the LDCs, and is respectful of the EU’s legal commitment under the Sugar Protocol. Deva emphasised the urgent need to develop national and/or regional strategies for the development of the commodities sectors including diversification within the sugar sector and PMDT with a view to reducing the ACP States' excessive dependence on the export of raw materials and the consequent vulnerability of their economies. Mr Deva and the JPA noted that the EU’s compensation and restructuring package for the EU sugar sector exceeds €5 billion. The JPA insists that the 18 ACP Sugar Protocol countries, many of whose economies are almost fully dependent on sugar, be given more adequate and timely support, which should be new and fresh money.

Deva and the JPA calls on the European Council and the Commission to provide, on a secure and predictable basis, at least €80m in 2006 and an adequate amount thereafter to enable the ACP sugar supplying states, under the Sugar Protocol, to adapt to the reform, including the financing of diversification within the sugar cane cluster through the production of environment-friendly green energy, thereby ensuring the long-term sustainability, competitiveness and profitability of their sugar cane industry.

Bananas

Deva and the Assembly expresses its grave concern that the very low tariff recently announced for the new banana regime will not preserve remunerative market access for the ACP suppliers, in particular the most vulnerable. Deva and the JPA calls on the EU Council and the Commission, following the rejection by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body of the latest proposal relating to the level of the single tariff under the new ‘tariff only’ banana import regime starting on 1 January 2006, to extend the current import arrangements beyond that date so as to make it possible to negotiate, free of pressure, a balanced settlement that is acceptable to all the parties concerned, in particular Community and ACP producers.

- Appointed Rapporteur in the Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade, on The problematics of energy in the ACP countries, Co-rapporteurs Ms Deerpalsing (Mauritius) and Mr DEVA, scheduled for the 2006 spring session

Speeches in the European Parliament (1999-2005) with relevance to ACP

· Changing the European Investment Bank into a development bank - 6^th July 2005

· Reform of the UN -8th June 2005

· EU Development Budget 2006 -April 2005

· Millennium Development Goals "Quick Wins" -12th April 2005

· World Economic Forum -Feb 2005

· EU Aid for tsunami victims -Jan 2005

· Maldives -Sept 2004

· EU policy on human rights -April 2004

· Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means of the Enlarged Union 2007-2014 -April 2004

· Development Budget 2005 -Feb 2004

· Private and State Undertakings -Feb 2004

· Malnutrition in developing countries -Nov 2003

· Aid for poverty diseases -Jan 2003

· Trade and Development for poverty eradication and food security -Sept 2002

· Sustainable development -May 2002

· UN international conference on development aid -April 2002

· Aid to displaced peoples -July 2001

· Financial regulation EU general budget -May 2001

· EU-UN partnership on development issues -May 2001

· UN conference on least developed countries -April 2001

· Budget 2002 -April 2001

· Human rights -March 2001

· Development Budget 2001 -Oct 2000

· Review of aid to developing countries -May 2000

· WTO millennium round -Nov 1999

· Political situation in East Timor -Sept 1999

Author of Motions for Resolution with relevance to ACP

· Action against hunger and poverty -Feb 2005

· World Economic Forum -Feb 2005

· Debt relief for developing countries -Jan 2005

· EU Trade preferences for the Decade -Oct 2004

· Political situation in Papua Siluwasi -Dec 2002