EU Commission hosts international conference on Haiti

FR - DE

An International Conference on Haiti bringing together the main institutional players involved in the transition and stabilisation of the country, in particular the representatives of the Haitian Interim Government and the donors, is being hosted by the European Commission today and tomorrow in Brussels.

After the Washington, Cayenne and Montreal conferences, the Brussels meeting is the fourth of its kind and the last before the elections. The ministers and senior officials attending the conference will work on improving governance and restoring the credibility of the State, on the basis of the achievements of the transition period. The aim of the conference is to identify priority measures to be taken by the international community and the Haitian parties in order to bring about the country's long-term post-election stabilisation.

Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, stated: "Haiti has to find the stability it needs to develop and become a democratic society capable of dealing with changes without resorting to violence. The significant level of commitment of the international community, with the European Union in the lead, and the efforts made by the Transitional Government of Mr Gérard Latortue, deserve to be supported by the Haitian people."

On a proposal from the European Commission, the EU Council decided last Monday to resume cooperation and released €72 million from the ninth EDF (European Development Fund) for Haiti. The aim of this decision is to support the Haitian Government's push towards democratisation and good governance and the holding of legislative elections. The funds were frozen following the irregularities observed in the elections of 2000 and the repeated infringements of the rule of law by the previous government.

Recent developments

Haiti is at a turning point in its history: elections are due to be held in December 2005. This will enable the country to return to democracy and guarantee the rule of law and better living conditions for its citizens. The main bilateral and multilateral agencies are resuming and stepping up cooperation and the international monetary institutions are resuming commitments.

Following the crisis in March 2004 and the deployment of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the international community mobilised and an "Interim Cooperation Framework" (ICF) was set up to coordinate operations of the various donors. Half of the nearly €1 billion promised by the donors in 2004 has already been disbursed.

For its part, the EU has made commitments amounting to €294 million and is the largest contributor to the Interim Cooperation Framework in terms of grants. This amount translates into around 100 projects involving all intervention sectors and covering the entire country. It also includes substantial funding of €18 million for the electoral process, which represents a third of the total cost of the elections.

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• Déclaration des Commissaires Michel et Ferrero-Waldner sur les élections en Haïti (13/2/2006)
• Commissaire Michel - La Commission européenne et la Communauté Internationale confirment leur engagement en faveur de Haïti (21/10/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - Financing of UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) (11/10/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - ECOSOC: Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (18/7/2005)
• EU Presidency Declaration - Question of Haiti (13/5/2005)