The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

I am very pleased to have this unique opportunity to present to you a few personal thoughts regarding the relation between the ACP countries and the European Union.

As you begin a two-day technical meeting, which will, I believe, turn to be a very interesting and lively debate on migration as your work will be incorporated in an ‘’ACP Group Brussels Resolution on Migration and Development’’.
Since the beginning of my mandate as DDG of IOM in 1999 my colleagues and I worked closely together with many of you in formulating our common positions and needs towards the European Council and, European Member States, the EC and the European Parliament. Looking back at our close and fruitful partnership with all of you I can say proudly that we have achieved a lot. However, there is a still much to be done in order to tackle more effectively and consistently the immense migration problems we are facing in the ACP countries.

As a concrete result new budget lines were created and the volume of the existing budget lines dedicated to the migration issues in the ACP countries have multiplied during the same time. The number of ACP Member States in IOM membership has considerably increased. Also, the number of actions in the humanitarian and emergency field linked with migration in ACP countries has grown in its magnitude. IOM was also able to sign a preferential framework agreement with ECHO in the first half of 2000, while considerably increasing the direct assistance to the destitute people and regions in our countries.

Our first participation in your deliberations was at the 3rd Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government held in Nandi (Fiji) in 2002 and the main outcome was the recognition of the urgent need of ACP states for capacity-building in migration as well as the need for our partners to devote more resources to developing human resources. Mobility was and is still seen as a complex issue given its association with the brain-drain, and a call for action was made for effective management of migration between ACP/EU states.

As you may know, in close cooperation with many of you a dialogue with the EU Member States aiming at improving the human, social, economic and civil liberties situation of the diaspora coming from our countries was initiated. The treatment of the asylum seekers especially the length of the asylum procedures, the exclusion from the labour market and the education system still remains the high priority on my agenda. I have initiated close cooperation in EU member states between IOM offices, the ACP countries diaspora, the NGOs and the authorities in particular with the aim to assist the asylum seekers and our ACP compatriots in difficult situations.

A basis for close cooperation with the newly established Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna has been established in order to undertake effective measures to improve the human rights situation of ACP compatriots in the EU member states unfortunately often victims by xenophobic attacks.

Excellencies, dear colleagues, one important concern continues to be the gap in coherence between the development aid and migration policies. While acknowledging the content and necessity of the arts 13, 79,  80 of the Cotonou Agreement the burden must not lie on the shoulders of the ACP countries alone.

The Cotonou agreement provides a framework to the ACP States to manage migration flows that take place on their territory. ACP States are encouraged to take initiatives in this direction. Indeed, IOM is already assisting ACP States in the implementation of items 13, 79, 80 of the Cotonou Agreement. In fact several financing mechanisms are made available to the ACP States like the DEF, the AENEAS, the European Investment Bank. Knowing that the ACP states should seize this opportunity for implementing their projects related to Migration and development. 

Also the EU s development aid should give more attention and more merit to the efforts of the ACP diaspora in the EU member states, their potential to multiply the development aid to their countries by way of remittances, transfer of knowledge and professional experience. I have to express my gratitude to the governments of Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Italy, France and the European Commission and many others who are giving me the strong boost in funding and further developing our MIDA framework programme.

The MIDA framework programme is able to vitally reinvigorate in relevant aspects the ACP-EU partnership agreements. Likewise new transparent migration laws, legislation and policies in the EU could profitably reinforce the process of development trough temporary migration from the ACP countries. I am in favour of a controlled but transparent mechanism allowing circular labour migration and mobility partnerships to the benefit of the economic stabilisation of the ACP countries.

I am happy that the new approach towards migration and development nexus, co-development and mobility partnership at  the EU level allows us to create a new and fresh dialogue with the upcoming EU French Presidency. Subsequently, the Migration Pact formally to be launched during their EU Presidency, should be looked at and discussed with all of you as highest representatives of the ACP countries. It should allow the ACP countries, IOM and other partners to build innovative partnership to implement migration for development policies between the European Union members states and the ACP  countries.

In this context I shall once more reiterate that I fully acknowledge the need for creation of Migration for Development Observatory that will create and strengthen the ACP countries capacities in formulating their Migration for Development polices based on their priority areas and  decisions.

The nexus between Migration and Development as formulated by IOM needs to be carefully examined and supported by both ACP countries and EU Member States. The State-led process initiated on the intergovernmental level called the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) shall be an important policy tool for all of us.

IOM in close cooperation with you, will support the preparation of the second GFMD conference taking place in the Philippines in autumn 2008 and make sure that this becomes another success story for policy coherence in Migration for Development.

Thank you for your kind attention