I am fully aware of the cuts in a number of development budget lines in the European Community budget for 1997. The cuts made were not exclusive to development, but reflected a rigorous approach to budget discipline in all areas.
The budget for 1997 does not reflect a clear shift in priorities away from the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa to more developed regions of strategic importance closer to Europe. The Community development budget seeks to strike a balance between a range of competing and ever-changing needs with limited resources.
The agreement on the 8th European Development Fund reached at the 1995 Cannes European Summit guarantees funding for the ACP states, including the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, until the expiry of the Fourth Lomé Convention in the year 2000. This guaranteed funding allows long-term planning of development strategies and offers security to our partners in sub-Saharan Africa. Ireland's contribution to the fund has increased in terms of both volume and as a percentage of the whole over the 7th EDF. Assistance from the European Development Fund is additional to funding from the Community budget for which the countries of sub-Saharan Africa are also eligible.
It is important to note that, as development is classified as non-compulsory expenditure, the final decision on the appropriations rests with the European Parliament. While the member states and the Presidency can propose changes in the course of the budgetary procedure, their capacity to influence the budget in these areas is limited.
Within the EU, Ireland has consistently emphasised the need to attach priority to meeting the needs of sub-Saharan Africa and we will continue to do so.
