Mr Speciale (PSE, IT), deputising for the rapporteur, indicated that the 17 amendments tabled fully restored the position expressed by Parliament two years earlier. He considered that decentralised cooperation should be at the heart of the EU’s cooperation and development policy so that it would become the favoured means for meeting the new challenges of development, particularly the fight against poverty, the development of the private sector and the protection of human rights. Commissioner Pinheiro stressed the importance of the report in question. He was prepared to accept almost all its amendments, except for Amendments Nos 11 and 12 for reasons of political consistency.