JOHANNESBURG--Anders
Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark and President
of the European Union (EU) as a result of Denmark's
holding the EU's rotating presidency, said today
that the EU will work actively towards reforming
its agriculture policy to bring down trade distorting
subsidies, improve free trade and market access,
and increase the level of development assistance
to developing nations. Speaking at the World Summit
on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Rasmussen
also stressed that one of the primary objectives
for the EU at the summit will be to focus on resolving
global water issues.
"Johannesburg deals with a very comprehensive agenda and a lot of more or
less ambitious objectives," said Rasmussen. "It deals with everything.
We [the EU] want to prioritize and focus first and foremost on water. I think
time has come to deliver on promises and intentions. And I think we should focus
on what really matters, and on what can be really achieved." Calling water
the best investment in sustainable development, Rasmussen explained that the
EU would launch a water initiative at the summit. However, the EU water initiative
is not a new fund. Rather, resources will be channeled through existing EU
development programs to coordinate water-related partnerships in developing
countries.
"An investment of $200 billion
would be sufficient to provide poor people
across the world with clean water and
better sanitation," said Rasmussen. "It
is an achievable goal and we are working
on a time-bound target."
The EU's Water Initiative is targeted
towards meeting the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) set by UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan as they relate to water. This
involves halving the proportion of people
who do not have access to safe drinking
water and adequate sanitation by 2015.
On the subject of the
EU's agriculture policy reforms, Rasmussen
said that these
would be carried over the long term. "The
European Commission has already presented
a proposal for reform, which aims at
2003-2006," he said. "More
comprehensive reform must wait until
2006 because the present budget for EU
goes until 2006."
Rasmussen added that the rich countries
should live up to their long-standing
commitment and increase their official
development assistance (ODA) to 0.7 percent
of their Gross National Income (GNI).
"The EU has decided to increase
the ODA average from the present 0.33
to 0.39," he said. "The development
assistance will focus on combating major
diseases and provide poor countries with
clean water, better sanitation and effective
sewerage." Rasmussen added that
promoting a clean environment was another
objective that the EU would focus on
here in Johannesburg. "The shortest
route to cleaner environment is to raise
the standard of living in poor countries," said
Rasmussen. "The rich countries should
open their markets to the goods that
many poor countries are best suited to
produce, namely food and textiles. When
trade and aid are linked to good policy,
more people can be lifted out of poverty," he
added.
