A letter to the European Commission President Jose ... - Eurostep

Eurostep is a network of autonomous European non-governmental development organisations working towards peace, justice and equality in a world free of poverty. Its
membership, rooted in their own societies, works together to influence Europe’s role in the world, particularly in pursuing the eradication of injustice and poverty. It advocates
changes in Europe’s policies and practice based on the perspectives drawn from direct experiences of an active involvement of its members and their partners in development
in over 100 countries across the world. The members of Eurostep include: 11.11.11 (Belgium), ActionAid UK, ActionAid Ireland, Concern Worldwide, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe
(Germany), Helinas (Greece), Hivos (Netherlands), Kepa (Finland), Manitese (Italy), Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (Denmark), Novib (Nethelands), People in Need (Czech
Republic), Oikos (Portugal), Oxfam GB (UK), Swiss Coalition (Switzerland), terres des hommes Germany.
Part of the act4europe campaign initiated by the Civil Society Contact Group
Mr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso
President
Commission of the European Communities
Rue de la Loi 200
B-1049 Brussels
Dear President Barroso,
Eurostep is a member of CONCORD
Eurostep A.I.S.B.L. 115 Rue Stévin, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel. +32 2 231 16 59 Fax. +32 2 230 37 80
E-mail: admin@eurostep.org Web: http://www.eurostep.org
Brussels, 19 November 2004
Allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the approval of the new
European Commission.
Your experience as Portuguese Prime Minister and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
and Cooperation will be invaluable in addressing the many challenges that the
European Union faces as it seeks to play a responsible global role. The Union's
relations with developing countries must be central to such a role. Global stability
cannot be achieved without addressing the persistent poverty that continues to exist in
many parts of the world, and the associated gross inequalities. The European Union
is based on the recognition that peace and stability can only be achieved through
diminishing inequalities. These principles need to be embodied in the EU's
approaches to the rest of the world, and towards developing countries in particular.
Your Commission will oversee the management of the EU's activities at a time when
some crucial negotiations and decisions will be taken affecting the EU's cooperation
with developing countries. At the international level the review of the UN Millennium
Declaration takes place in September next year where there will be some
expectations on the EU to make some bold and visionary proposals to hasten the
global eradication of poverty and injustice. Within the Union there will be a
commitment made on the size and scope of the 10 th European Development Fund. At
the same time the future financial framework for the EU will also determine the level of
aid that will be possible for EC support for development. These are major events that
will put the credibility of the European Union to the test.
The Constitution for Europe recognises the need for a specific approach to the world's
poorer countries and makes provision for an EU development policy, that is based on
its own objectives and which provides the framework for the Union's co-operation with
all developing countries. While the Constitution will only enter into force after
ratification by all 25 Member States, this can be expected to happen during the tenure
of the current Commission. It is clearly therefore important that the portfolio of the
Commissioner for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid should be
consistent with the European Constitution. The strong status allocated to
Development Co-operation within the new Constitution should therefore be reflected in
the responsibilities allocated to Commissioner Michel.

The new Constitutional treaty lays the legal foundations for a strong and active European
development policy. However, we would like to draw your attention on one point.
Experience has shown that the effective execution of European Union policies requires
collaboration, co-ordination and strict control between the bodies that create policy and
those that implement it. As the European Commissioner in charge of development, Louis
Michel is responsible for DG Development, establishing policies that concern the African,
Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The responsibility for managing relations with other
developing countries will formally rest with other Directorates General and policies relating
to them will be the responsibility of the Commissioners for external relations and for
Europe's neighbourhood policy.
Furthermore in its evaluation of the hearing with the new Commissioner for Development,
the Committee on Development within the European Parliament "expressed its deep
concern regarding the distribution of competences in the new Commission, notably the
reduction of the Development Commissioner's authority over EuropeAid, which is seriously
detrimental to development cooperation".
We are concerned that this division of responsibilities for developing countries between
different portfolios within the Commission will not only lead to inconsistencies in the EC's
relations with developing countries, but will undermine the effectiveness of the EC's aid
programme – particularly in the EC's support for achieving the international development
strategy set out in the UN Millennium Declaration. It is difficult to see how the
Commissioner for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid can effectively ensure
that the EU's development policy is consistently applied towards cooperation with
developing countries if he does not have jurisdiction over EuropeAid, or over the policy and
programming processes for developing countries outside the ACP group.
We hope that with parliament's endorsement for the Commission you will now be in a
position to finalise the portfolios of individual Commissioners to ensure that they not only
reflect the provisions of the new Constitution, but also ensure consistency of purpose with
the policy objectives for which the Commissioners have been assigned responsibility.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Stocker
Director
Cc:
Louis Michel
Commissioner for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid