European Development Fund (Hansard, 6 March 1972)

§ 35. Mr. Kenneth Clarke
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Great Britain will pay its first contribution to the European Development Fund; and how many developing countries of the Commonwealth are expected to accept the offer of association with the European Community and to derive benefit from the European Development Fund.

§ Mr. Wood
As we shall not become a party to the present Yaoundé Convention, we shall pay nothing to the present fund during 1973 or 1974. I cannot yet forecast the attitude of the 20 developing Commonwealth countries to the offer which is to be made to them under Protocol 22 of the Treaty of Accession. This offer will not be addressed to them formally until the treaty comes into force, but Mauritius is already negotiating, with the Community, arrangements for its accession to the present Yaoundé Convention.

§ Mr. Clarke
Has my right hon. Friend's Department been taking any part in the consultations in London between the E.E.C. Commission and the High Commissioners of the under-developed Commonwealth countries? Will he be pressing for more of these meetings, so that as many of these countries as possible will take an early decision in favour of the principle of a Yaoundé-type association with the Community?

§ Mr. Wood
Obviously, active consideration is proceeding on the lines that my hon. Friend suggests. I think he is perfectly right: that we should keep in the closest touch with these questions so as to try to see that the best possible arrangements are made for the developing countries concerned.

§ Mr. Foley
Can the right hon. Gentleman explain the extent to which our full participation in the European Development Fund will influence bilateral aid programmes for Commonwealth countries? Second, to what extent will there be real consultation with African Commonwealth countries and others about a revised Yaoundé Convention?

§ Mr. Wood
I made the recent estimate that, because our aid programme was expanding, our participation in the European Development Fund would not decrease the bilateral aid available to Commonwealth countries. On the second part of the question, we are anxious that the Commonwealth countries concerned should have every possible opportunity to express their views about the needs which will be implicit in the replacement of the present Yaoundé Convention for the future.

§ Mr. Russell Johnston
Is it not clear that, as a consequence of our association with the Community, we will be in a much better position to promote development in the Commonwealth than we otherwise would be?

§ Mr. Wood
I believe that this is so. This has always been one of the strongest reasons for joining—that our possibilities of aiding will be greater as a member of a larger and stronger Community than they are at present.