28 May Development Council

Date: 30/05/1996

MINISTERS approved guidelines for EU humanitarian aid policy, defining types of intervention and the links between aid and reconstruction after natural disasters. They agreed that an environmental impact study should be carried out before any reconstruction project was begun. They also agreed that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should be involved at all stages of the aid process, including the rehabilitation phase once emergencies are over.

WHEN making plans for development aid, conflict prevention should be a key consideration, ministers agreed. Early efforts to avoid ethnic conflict should particularly play a part in EU policy towards Africa. Ministers examined their current policy in the Great Lakes region of Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire, and tentatively agreed to prolong the mandate of mediator Aldo Ajello, who they sent to the region in February for a six-month term as EU special envoy.

British Development Minister Linda Chalker blocked a series of decisions at the meeting as part of the UK's policy of non-cooperation over the ban on British beef exports. These included a proposal to give the European Commission permission to begin negotiations on a trade deal with Mexico, and a move to allow the African Caribbean and Pacific/EU industry development centre to pursue its 1996 activities, which carry a price tag of 9.7 million ecu.

THE UK did not, however, use its reserve to slow down adoption of common positions on Latin American and Asian developing countries, the fight against AIDS and initiatives on environment and sustainable development. Ministers agreed to spend 45 million ecu on fighting AIDS from 1997-99, 45 million ecu on preventing soil erosion and protecting wildlife in developing nations, and 240 million ecu to meet urgent needs of Asian and Latin American refugee populations not covered by current EU aid.

CHOCOLATE remains a sticky problem for member states arguing over whether or not to allow vegetable fat to replace cocoa butter for up to 5&percent; of the overall fat content of chocolate. The Belgian, French, Spanish and Dutch development ministers opposed the Commission's plan to do so, stressing the need to maintain their support for the nations in West Africa whose economies depend largely, if not totally, on their cocoa exports, while other member states were in favour of the move.