Commission negotiators make progress on sustainable development
The European Commission, Directorate-General VIII, has announced progress in negotiations with Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific countries under the Lomé Convention in relation to development strategies. "A broad consensus emerged on human and social development, culture, youth and gender issues, sustainable development (environment and natural resources) and regional cooperation and integration," said DG VIII. The negotiators all wanted the final text of the Convention to be simple, accessible and confined to the development strategies' specific objectives and main elements, with practical details as to the implementation of the cooperation contained in derived texts. This means that they will need quickly to settle on a structure for the future agreement as regards policies and development strategies, and agree on the nature and status of the derived texts, DG VIII explained.