13 April 1995

Doc. 7281

OPINION on development co-operation policies

(Rapporteur: Mrs AGUIAR, Portugal, Liberal, Democratic and Reformers' Group)


1.       The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography welcomes the report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development on development coo-peration policies (Doc. 7274). It shares the rapporteur's view that the relationship between developed and developing countries is radically changing and that European countries must adapt their development co-operation policies to this change.

2.       This need for a new approach is also apparent in the committee's areas of expertise, particularly demographic change in the developing countries and migration to the European continent. It has submitted several reports on these questions to the Parliamentary Assembly, some of the most recent being the report on demographic change and sustainable development (June 1994)1 and the report on the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 5-13 September 1994): follow-up by the Council of Europe and its member States (January 1995)2. These texts resulted in the adoption of Recommendations 1243 (1994) and 1260 (1995). Also of note is the committee's contribution to the Assembly debate on co-operation in the Mediterranean basin3 in September 1994, which culminated in the adoption of Recommendation 1248 (1994).

3.       Consequently, the committee welcomes the opportunity to turn the results of its numerous endeavours in this area to good account and submits the following comments, which it feels might usefully supplement the report in its areas of competence.

1.       POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

4.       The 1990s have been marked by growing awareness of the close ties between demographic change, sustainable development and environmental change, links which were largely borne out at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992) and the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, September 1994). It is now recognised that rapid demographic growth represents an additional obstacle to the development potential of the world's poorest countries, weighing heavily on their social services, education systems and environment.

5.       In the light of, inter alia, the results of the two above-mentioned conferences, the committee feels that, as far as paragraph 55 of the report is concerned, statistics concerning national product and per capita income do not reflect the reality of everyday's life of hundreds of millions of men, women and children. Consequently, the relationship of these figures with birth rates is not as significant as this paragraph would have us believe. In the committee's opinion, the paragraph should also make the point that it is widespread poverty and the existence of major inequalities between social groups and sexes which substantially influence the different demographic parameters, including population growth. Indeed, while it is a vital requirement, economic growth must be accompanied by measures to spread its benefits to all groups in society, including the poorest. Moreover, it must not be forgotten that the emancipation of women and the enhancement of their status constitute the main factor in demographic change.

6.       Similarly, if it is accepted that demography, development and the environment are closely linked issues, it would also be necessary to improve the wording of paragraph 58, which asserts that the main causerty of environmental damage is population growth. In fact, if the complexity of interrelations in this field is taken into account, it is clear that population explosions wreak all their negative effects, including environmental damage, where development is not appropriate or sustainable. Consequently, the definition given in the programme of action adopted at the Cairo Conference would provide a more accurate description of this phenomenon, in stating that: "Demographic factors, combined with poverty and lack of access to resources in some areas, and excessive consumption and wasteful production patterns in others, cause or exacerbate problems of environmental degradation and resource depletion and thus inhibit sustainable development".

7.       The committee therefore welcomes the proposal in the draft resolution to concentrate resources on "basic improvements normally not the object of private investment, such as primary health care, basic education ...". In this context the committee renews its call for a greater proportion of both public aid for development and developing countries' national budgets to be devoted to social services, including population control programmes.

2.       INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

8.       In recent years, net immigration into the developed world's main immigration countries has been estimated at 1.4 million people a year, two thirds of whom originated in developing countries. In most of these cases, immigration was not the result of a carefully weighed decision to change country for professional or personal reasons, but rather the consequence of people being forced to leave their homeland to escape poverty, war, human rights violations and environmental deterioration.

9.       The scale of these migratory movements is beyond the absorption capacities of the host countries, whose reaction has been to establish various forms of immigration control. While it is clear that some kind of control is necessary at the present time, European countries must not limit themselves to a policy of containment.

10.       If we want international migration to remain within "reasonable" limits, we must first ensure that the option of staying in one's own country becomes attractive to potential migrants. Obviously, there will always be migration, but once the influence of the above-mentioned "push-factors" were diminished, it would take the form of reasoned, legal movement, thus reconciling the right of every person to migrate with the concern of host country governments to maintain domestic economic and social balance.

11.       Consequently, the committee fully agrees with making assistance strictly conditional on "good governance" and shares the rapporteur's view that it is by applying the principles set out in paragraph 7ii of the draft resolution that this objective may be attained.

12.       However, while the development of migrants' countries of origin remains the fundamental condition for a lasting solution to the problem of uncontrolled migratory movement, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that reforms will be rapid or have an immediate impact on migration. It may even be the case that, initially, higher levels of education and training in developing countries result in greater mobility for their populations, including international mobility.

13.       It is essential, therefore, that responsible and constructive dialogue be initiated immediately with the countries of origin, to establish a co-operation framework in which these countries would be willing to help control migratory flows, by agreeing, inter alia, to accept the return of illegal immigrants and rejected asylum-seekers who are their nationals and guarantee their safety thereafter. In exchange, the host countries should offer more opportunities for temporary immigration for study and training purposes, ensure equal rights for legal migrants and help them to integrate, provide assistance for migrants returning to their country of origin etc.

14.       Issues linking international migration and development are too vast and complex to be properly dealt with in the present opinion. The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography will be devoting due attention to these problems in a report which it has been asked to prepare on migratory movements from developing regions to industrialised countries.

Reporting committee: Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (Doc. 7274)

Committee for an opinion: Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography

Reference to committee: Doc. 6973, Reference No. 1912 of 24 January 1994

Draft opinion: approved by the committee on 7 April 1995

Secretaries to the committee: MM. Newman and Sich


1 1

Doc. 7089 (Rapporteur: Mrs Robert)

2 2

Doc. 7208 (Rapporteur: Mrs Robert)

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Doc. 7136 (Rapporteur: Mr Cucó)