EC/developing countries: rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in developing countries

In adopting the report by Mr ANDREWS (RDE, IRL), the European Parliament approved this proposal for a regulation with the following amendments: - Parliament noted that high priority needed to be accorded to rapid aid and that food security and the restoration of basic social facilities needed to be treated as matters of the utmost importance; - to the agents of cooperation, Parliament added specialized international aid organizations and NGOs (it dropped local authorities and other decentralized agents); - particular attention should be paid to operations to reinforce national capacities, particularly through the training of staff and the restoration of basic physical, social and economic infrastructure with a view to sustainability; - a financial contribution from local partners should be sought as a priority in cases where a project was designed as a start-up for an ongoing activity; - mechanisms for consultation should be established by the Commission in order to ensure coherence and complementarity with projects of the Member States and other donors; - the meetings provided for by the regulation should be held in public and the full minutes transmitted to the EP and the Council (within ten days); an annual exchange of views to establish general orientations should be submitted to the relevant authorities and bodies in the countries receiving assistance; - the report to be transmitted to the EP should state the reasons for which operations admissible under this regulation were not funded by the EDF; - this regulation should be reviewed every five years. �