L 34734 Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2011 REGULATION (EU) No 1341/2011 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 December 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 209(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 31 October 2011 (1), Whereas: The Union’s development policy aims to reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty. The Union, as a member of the World Trade Organi- sation (WTO), is committed to mainstreaming trade in development strategies and to promoting international trade in order to advance development and reduce — and, in the long term, eradicate — poverty worldwide. The Union supports the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States on their path to poverty reduction and to sustainable economic and social development, and recognises the importance of their commodity sectors. The Union is committed to supporting the smooth and gradual integration of developing countries into the world economy with a view to sustainable development. The main ACP banana-exporting countries may face chal- (Y) Position of the European Parliament of 21 October 2010 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and position of the Council at first reading of 10 December 2010 (O] C 7 E, 12.1.2011, p. 17). Position of the European Parliament of 3 February 2011 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Legislative resolution of the European Parliament of 1 December 2011 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 28 November 2011. o 0) (4 ( ( 5 ) %) lenges in the context of changing trade arrangements, notably liberalisation of the most-favoured nation (MEN) tariff in the framework of the WTO and the bilateral and regional agreements concluded, or in the process of being concluded, between the Union and Latin American countries. Therefore, an ACP banana accompanying  measures  programme (the BAM programme) should be added to Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3). The financial assistance measures to be adopted under the BAM programme should aim at improving the living standards and living conditions of people in banana-growing areas and in banana value chains, specifically small farmers and small entities, as well as ensuring compliance with labour and occupational health and safety standards, and environmental standards, notably those regarding the use of and exposure to pesticides. Those measures should therefore support adaptation and include, when relevant, the reorgani- sation, of areas dependent upon banana exports to the European Union through sector-specific budget support or project-specific interventions. The measures should take into consideration the expected development of the banana export sector and aim to provide for social resilience policies, economic diversification or investment to improve competitiveness, where this is viable, taking into account the results of and experiences gained through the Special System of Assistance (SSA) to tradi- tional ACP suppliers of bananas established in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 2686/94 (°) and the Special Framework of Assistance (SFA) for tradi- tional ACP suppliers of bananas established in accordance  with  Council Regulation (EC) No 856/1999 () and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1609/1999 (°). The Union acknowledges the importance of promoting a more equitable distribution of banana revenues. The BAM programme should accompany the adaptation process in ACP countries which have exported significant volumes of bananas to the Union in recent years and which may be affected by liberalisation in the framework of the Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas (°) and by the bilateral and regional agreements concluded, or in the process of being concluded, between the Union and Latin American countries. The BAM programme builds on the SFA for traditional ACP suppliers of bananas. It is in conformity with the Union’s international obligations in the framework of the 378, 27.12.20006, p. 41. 286, 5.11.1994, p. 1. 190, 23.7.1999, p. 14. 141, 9.6.2010, p. 3. 0J L 0J L 0] L 108, 27.4.1999, p. 2. 0J L 0J L