Activities of Saskia BRICMONT related to 2020/2041(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on A new EU-Africa Strategy - a partnership for sustainable and inclusive development
Amendments (13)
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that, while there are a number of dynamic middle income countries on the African continent, its economic development is still relatively weak in comparison to other parts of the world; stresses that many of its countries will therefore face almost insurmountable challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis and the effects of climate change; strong biodiversity loss, and arms trade and therefore stresses the need to support those countries to develop resilient economies and social schemes;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the announcement from the G20 on a temporary moratorium on debt repayments for the weakest developing countries; yet notices that this debt relief accounts for only one third of the expected short-term fiscal loss; calls on the EU and its Member States to support further alleviation of African debt and to respect their long-standing and repeated commitment to devote 0.7 % of their GDP to Official Development Aid; expresses however its worries about the lack of concerted action against illicit financial flows worth 12 times the annual ODA, due to practices by Africans as well as by Europeans, among others: capital flight, tax avoidance schemes and national income loss due to tariff reduction;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that the European Union still has important economic ties with African states, which according to the African Union must urgently be upgraded from the provision of raw materials at the beginning of value chains to the support of transformation and trade in transformed product, and that China has intensified its economic engagement in Africa;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that the long standing role of many African states in the international division of labour does not promote their sustainable development, and that the more recent export of waste, much of it hazardous waste, causes additional damage to people and the environment; that SDGs should lie at the heart of the renewed EU-Africa Strategy, including in its trade dimension;
Amendment 50 #
5. Calls on the Commission to reform its current version of its strategy entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’ with a view to addressing the needs and economic rights of the African regions in the wake of this health and economic crisis, and to introduce a clear gender perspective to address the differentiated impacts of the crisis and the recovery as well as the different roles and burdens of men and women in this crisis; calls on the Commission to allow at least temporary African countries to levy export taxes on commodities to cushion the impacts of the multiple crises and to prepare the recovery;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to support Africa in its ambitions for a continental free trade area by making the necessary adjustments in order to implementreform its Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and make them fit the project of the Continental Free Tradpatterns so that they do not present an obstacle to endogenous and self- determined economic project in the whole of the African region; considering that South Africa accounts for one third of intra-African exports, draws the attention of developing multiple development poles in order to make the whole continent more Areasilient;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that the fragmented implementation of EPAs has resulted in a lack of substantial progress in supporting regional integration, capacity-building on border cooperation, and improvements in investment climates and good governance; therefore insists to support the integration of African economies on a regional scale in order to make them stronger on the international scale;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for a concrete proposal that establishes common initiatives on a renewable energy supply on the African continent, in parallel to the swift phasing out of all investments in fossil fuel related projects, offering technology transfer and patent pooling for free technology; and expects a similar initiative on patent pooling and free licenses for medicines and medical equipment to solve the virulent health crisis;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the need for substantial sustainable investments that enable leapfrogging in the African states, while strengthening public health and public education sectors, clean water infrastructure and supply, transport and energy infrastructures and carving them out from any privatization;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. UIs concerned that as reported by the Africa-EU Civil Society Forum, the space for civil society organisations has shrunk and that their visibility remains weak; underlines that empowering civil society, and thereby including a social counterpart in investment, is a and a gender perspective, are vital aspects of EU policies towards and with the African states.;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Is concerned by the CAP- supported export of European milk powder to West Africa, the tripling of export since the EU lifted the milk quotas in 2015 having disastrous consequences for local herders and farmers who can’t compete; calls on the Commission to work on solutions with African governments and stakeholders;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Calls on the Commission to work on solutions with African governments and stakeholders and to implement recommendations of the Task Force Rural Africa, and takes the view that stable investment and (wo)manpower to develop an African food chain for regional circuits and African ownership could best contribute to increase health and well-being of African people;
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. In view of the documented growing risk of dissemination of zoonotic pathogens in Africa, calls on the Commission to promote in African countries more stringent standards in terms of SPS, animal welfare through regulatory cooperation and dialogue;