EC/developing countries: aid for population policies and programmes in developing countries

In adopting the recommendation for second reading by Mr Jean-Thomas NORDMANN (ELDR, F) on the adoption of a regulation on aid for population programmes in the developing countries Parliament approved the Council's common position with the following amendments: - it called for organizations which approve of or encourage compulsory abortion or sterilization and infanticide as methods of controlling population to be excluded from Community support; - it opposed the establishment of a IIIa type regulatory committee recommended by the Council and provided that the Commission should be assisted by ALA, MED and EDF committees, depending on the region concerned by the aid and according to the advisory committee procedure. Parliament also pointed out that following the Cairo World Conference on Population and Development in 1994, the Community decided to provide ECU 300 million up to the year 2000 in financial support for population programmes in developing countries. The beneficiaries of this aid will be primarily the poorest and least developed countries and the most disadvantaged sections of the population in the developing countries. �