Development cooperation with South Africa

The European Parliament adopted the report by Nelly MAES (Greens/EFA, B) broadly approving the proposal. Plenary finally modified the approach of the committee responsible following the intervention by Mr Poul Nielson (Member of the Commission) on some of the Parliament's amendments. Following this statement, Nelly Maes withdrew amendment 3 (concerning proposals for the continuation of development cooperation with South Africa, and also the future renegotiation of the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement taking duly into account the European Parliament's position) and asked that amendment 4 replace amendment 2. Amendment 4 highlights that that programmes shall focus on the fight against poverty, take into account the needs of the previously disadvantaged communities, integrate the environmental dimension of development and mainstream gender equality, in particular strengthening women's participation at all levels of policy, programming and implementation. In all these programmes special attention shall be paid to the strengthening of institutional capacities. Lastly, the Parliament states that the mid-term review includes suggestions and proposals for improving the implementation of development cooperation with South Africa, some of which were already made in the Country Strategy Evaluation of 2002 and have been taken into account in the 2003-2005 Indicative Programme. They concern inter alia mainstreaming of gender issues at all levels of the project cycle from planning to implementation; streamlining of administrative procedures; improving criteria for assessing project and programme design and clarification of the conditions for granting contributions from the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development (EPRD) to regional programmes.�