The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drafted by Miguel Angel MARTINEZ MARTINEZ (PES, Spain) on the Commission's 2001 Annual Report on EC development policy. (Please refer to the summary dated 11/06/03.) Parliament also asked the negotiating parties to forge ahead with the negotiations on an EU-Mercosur association agreement, and with the political dialogue and cooperation agreements between the EU and the Community of Andean Nations and the EU and Central America.
The European Parliament went on to level some criticisms at the Commission, notably the following:
- the Commission had failed to meet the output targets for cooperation with Asian and Latin American countries, notably with regard to social infrastructure and services;
- it should to increase the resources and specific actions designed to protect indigenous peoples and develop their own capacities, and pay adequate attention to the needs of indigenous peoples in horizontal and regional programmes;
- the Commission had also failed to include in the 2001 Annual Report data concerning unused EDF commitments which, contrary to budget RAL, were not reduced in 2001. There must be more vigorous action in respect of EDF RAL, and expects this to be analysed in detail in the 2002 Annual Report;
Finally, Parliament stressed that it was as important to execute existing programmes successfully, as it is to launch new programmes. It pointed to the fact that new programmes and actions were on occasions launched without the provision of sufficient staff to ensure their correct implementation.�