Our solidarity must never be limited to the Member States of the European Union. We also have a responsibility to promote peace, democracy, human rights and welfare in other parts of the world.

The 21st Century belongs to those who can end global poverty. If we do not, all that we achieved in the 20th Century and within the European Union will be put at risk.

EPP-ED Coordinators on the Committee on Development and the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) - EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

PRESS RELEASES

15/09/2008	EU's Climate Change Alliance: a step towards a fair climate deal for the developing world. Anders Wijkman MEP
09/09/2008	Intervention in favour of the nomination of Morgan Tsvangirai for the Sakharov Prize. Luís Queiró MEP
24/04/2008	Nirj Deva MEP launches 'One Laptop per Child' scheme to improve education in underdeveloped countries
25/03/2008	Chad - the EU has a responsibility to protect civilians - visit of Colm Burke MEP
18/03/2008	Make learning fun and give a laptop to every child between 6 and 12. Maria Martens MEP and Nirj Deva MEP - Photos available

NEWS

Gay Mitchell backs 1 billion euro deal to help alleviate food crisis The European Commission recently proposed a regulation to give one billion euros from surplus funds of the EU farm budget to developing countries, to ease their food and agricultural needs.

Parliament's rapporteur Gay Mitchell MEP (Ireland), holds a press conference on the subject on Wednesday 10.30, along with Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, FAO representative and Kanayo Felix Nwanze, Vice-President of IFAD. Mr Mitchell also presents his draft report to the Development Committee. The press conference coincides with African week, which brings politics and culture to Brussels through a series of seminars, debates, workshops and exhibitions focussing on issues that matter to Africa.

Video interview with Gay Mitchell MEP

Draft report

INAUGURAL REGIONAL ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

A European Parliament delegation travelled to Windhoek, Namibia, to participate in the Windhoek regional ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (28-30 April) and meet their counterparts in the SADC (Southern Africa) region. Among other topics, the JPA focussed on Economic Partnership Agreements with the ACP countries and the impact of recent elections in Africa, such as those in Zimbabwe.

Michael Gahler MEP, Vice-Chairman of the Assembly, and four other members of the EPP-ED Group subsequently held the Group's own Windhoek Dialogue on 1-4 May. The Dialogue is the EPP-ED Group's African policy initiative, launched in March 1996. The idea behind it is to develop a network for co-operation and exchange ideas and experiences on democratic development and co-operation, not only between the EPP-ED Group and its African partners, but also among the African political parties themselves.

Final Communique on the 1st Regional Meeting of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly: Southern Africa
Final Declaration: Windhoek Dialogue 1-3 May 2008
10th Windhoek Dialogue: Adopted Declaration on the recent elections in Zimbabwe
10th Windhoek Dialogue: Adopted Declaration on the forthcoming elections in Angola

ACP-EU JOINT PARLIMENTARY ASSEMBLY

15th ACP-EU JPA session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 17 - 20 March The plenary session of the African-Caribbean-Pacific - European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly took place on Monday 17th to Thursday 20th March in Ljubljana. Topics on the agenda included a debate on the EPA (Economic Partnership Agreements) negotiations and urgent debates with resolutions on the situation in Chad and in Kenya...

Videos inside...

The 14th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (Rwanda)

POLICY

EPP-ED commitments in development cooperation

The equal and universal value of all human beings is a fundamental value upon which all EPP-ED policies are based. It holds within itself a principle of solidarity and a moral responsibility for the preservation of human rights and human dignity across borders, and indeed a responsibility to act whenever and wherever those rights are disregarded... Read more