§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts regarding the distribution of the EU overseas aid package [77191]
§ Clare ShortI have been asked to reply
I discussed the performance of the EC development programmes with EU Development Ministers at the 30 May Development Council. We agreed that recent reforms had been welcome but that further significant improvement was needed to implement the agreed, poverty-focused Development Policy adopted by Ministers in November 2000. Since then the Development council has been abolished. I will meet EU Development Ministers again at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on 18–19 November
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