Informal Meeting of Development Ministers

While the rise in food prices jeopardises efforts to reduce poverty in developing countries, the European Union must provide a response that fully addresses the issues at hand. The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in close collaboration with the European Commission, will propose to the Member States that the EU response be based on the three pillars of the "International partnership for agriculture and food", put forward by the President of the French Republic in Rome. The French EU Presidency will strive, in the follow up to the conclusions of the June European Council and the European Commission's draft regulation, to mobilise financial resources to support agriculture in developing countries. Experts of agriculture in Africa and financing of the sector, together with MEPs, will be invited to contribute to the ministers' discussions bearing in mind the decisions the Council will take before the end of the year.

Two other global challenges will also be on the agenda: the needs of developing countries in terms of adapting to climate change and strengthening health systems. The French Presidency, with the European Commission's support, will continue discussions begun at the international conference of 7 May 2008 on access to care and long-term financing of health systems through the use of tools suited to the conditions in each developing country.

Three weeks after the Accra High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, ministers will discuss European aid structure: How can we better coordinate actors and instruments to meet global challenges? How can we better address the needs of recipient countries by adapting our range of tools, taking account of aid orphan countries and putting forward solutions adapted to situations of fragility?

Also on the programme for these two half-day sessions is the preparation for the Doha International Conference on Financing for Development, which will require close European cooperation. The French EU Presidency will endeavour to define and enhance the EU's position based on the ambitious mandate set out by the May 2008 European Council. Aside from aid financed through ODA, the prospect of the Doha conference provides an opportunity to continue debate on other forms of finance, innovative finance, migrants' remittances as well as progress in mobilising the national resources of recipient countries to support shared growth.

Issues on the agenda for the informal meeting of EU ministers for development (FR/EN)

Informal meeting of EU development ministers: main results

• Updated: 06.11.2008

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