Activities of Javier COUSO PERMUY related to 2017/2083(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The EU-Africa Strategy: a boost for development (debate) ES
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU-Africa Strategy: a boost for development
Amendments (10)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the increasing importance of political, security and economic relations between the EU and Africa at a time when both are experiencing profound changes, and recognises, at a time when both the EU and Africa are experiencing profound changes, of once more basing political, security and economic relations between them on the goals of peace, mutual development, independence and sovereignty of African countries and respect for human rights, emphasising especially the rights of refugees and migrants, and regrets that the contribution made by the Joint Africa- EU Strategy to building a stronger partnership over the past 10 yearsover the past 10 years has more often favoured the neo-colonial interests of certain Member States or multinational corporations at the expense of the people;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the need for a stronger, more egalitarian and more political partnership between the EU and Africa, based on shared values and interestsmutual development, in order to tackle global issues such as climate change, terrorism, organised crime and migratory flows, and to promote a rule-based global order based on a strongombating poverty, peace, attainment of the UN’s development goals (SDGs) and climate change, and to promote a relationship based on the inalienable right of people to choose their own economic, political and social system without outside interference of any kind and on respect for international law and the UN;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for continued EU support to African partners in the area of peace and security and conflict prevention, including through specific instruments such as CSDP operations and the African Peace Facility; highlights the importance of fostering security and stability by helping our partners to build more resilient states and societies, including through capacity building and security sector reformdevelopment; is opposed to any funding of militia or armies through EU funds; rejects the wars and warmongering operations embarked upon or supported by the EU, some of its Member States or NATO in recent years, which have only served to destabilise the countries concerned even more; believes that the partnership with Africa has to be based strictly on development goals, the creation of more and better jobs, especially for young people, the empowerment of women and the support of education; and health;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the pursuit of common interests and cooperation on securitydevelopment must be totally consistent with the EU’s fundamental values and with the objectives of supporting democracy and promoting human rights and the rule of law; calls for a more strategic, comprehensive and structured approach to political dialogue under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, with the greater involvement of civil society and a stronger people-to-people dimensioninternational law, equality of both parties, the sovereignty of countries, freedom of the people and promoting human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses that with regard to the new EU-Africa Strategy, the activities of EU companies operating in African countries shall be entirely consistent with international human rights standards; calls, therefore, on the Member States to ensure that companies which come under their national law do not disregard human rights or the social, health and environmental standards which apply to them when moving to, or doing business in, a third country; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take the requisite action against EU companies which do not comply with those standards or which do not properly compensate victims of human rights violations falling directly or indirectly under their responsibility; stresses the importance of more work being done within the context of the United Nations on devising legal instruments on multinational companies that do not respect human rights;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Highlights the fact that the level of public debt and debt servicing of some African countries is clearly unsustainable and severely restricts investment, growth and the state’s capacity to properly finance its social functions such as health, education and social security; calls on the African countries to set up an audit of their debts in order to determine the illegitimate and odious parts thereof and cancel them in line with the UN recommendations and initiatives such as the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI); calls for a new framework for cooperation between the EU and Africa that is genuinely capable of promoting the sovereign development of African countries; calls on the EU Member States to initiate and support a process of debt relief in accordance with the above- mentioned UN initiatives in the most indebted countries, thereby promoting economic and social development;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Deplores the fact that many EU Member States have not met the target of earmarking 0.7 % of GNI for development aid and that some have lowered the percentage that they spend on such aid; calls on the EU Member States to comply with the commitment to provide 0.7 % of GNI as ODA and to adopt a clear plan for how and when they will achieve this goal; stresses that this goal has to be a focal point in the new EU-Africa Strategy; stresses that development aid should be given in the form of grants, not loans, so that the debt burden is not made heavier;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Emphasises the importance of safeguarding the self-determination of the peoples of the African countries and the sovereignty of their countries; emphasises, in particular, that aid and the EU’s new Africa strategy shall not be tied to priorities chosen by the donors, apart from respect for the International Bill of Human Rights, and shall not, above all, be tied in to controlling flows of migrants and refugees; deplores, therefore, the EU’s push for ‘migration compacts’ and its attempts to outsource border control;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Reiterates that food and water sovereignty, including the right of farmers to produce food for their people, shall be a key priority under the new EU-Africa Strategy, ending land grabbing and ensuring farmers have access to land, seeds and water; reiterates as a further priority the development of health and education sectors as public services, including universal health coverage;