25 Amendments of Urmas PAET related to 2020/2041(INI)
Amendment 5 #
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; highlights that due to their economic situation, not all of these countries are able to take lockdown measures similar to those taken in developed countries and therefore the containment of the COVID- 19 virus has been impeded;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Highlights that the EU together with the Member States are the biggest partner to Africa in terms of trade, investment, official development assistance and security;
Amendment 20 #
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; and encourages the G20 to go further on debt relief to ensure that the basic human needs of citizens can be provided for;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that the European Union still has important economic ties with African states, and that China has intensified its economic engagement in Africa;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that the role of many African states in the international division of labour does not promote their sustainable development; calls on the Commission to create a strategy aimed at assisting the African nations with value chain development in order for more added value to be generated within the African continent;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Underlines that European companies have a responsibility for their supply chains; calls on the Commission to create an ambitious proposal on mandatory rules for due diligence for both human and social rights and environmental effects which includes provisions enabling victims in third countries to pursue civil remedies for breaches of these rules;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses that the EU and the African Union share the common interest of a stable and rules-based multilateral trading system that is centered on the World Trade Organization (WTO);
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to reformappropriately revise its current version of its strategy entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’ with a view to addressing the needs of the African countries and regions in the wake of this health and economic crisis;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that Africa is still undergoing the process of integration at regional, continental and international level and that as yet 54 African countries remain divided and diversified in areas of key strategic importance to the EU, such as meeting internationally recognised standards and practices in trade, human rights, sustainable development and positioning in international organisations; calls on the EU to forge a stronger partnership between the EU and the African Union to tackle global common challenges, by focusing on strategic areas such as digital transformation and climate diplomacy, under the principle of common and differentiated responsibilities; urges the EU to continue its support to the integration process in Africa through the AU, namely by supporting the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Amendment 56 #
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 implement its Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and make them fit the project of theensure that the EPAs will not form an obstacle towards the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area;
Amendment 69 #
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; calls on the Commission to further assist the African countries in these areas without making this assistance fully conditional on implementation of EPAs;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 9 March 2020 entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa’ (JOIN(2020)0004); calls for strongUnderlines the need to adopt, within the Africa-EU partnership, a coordinated and comprehensive approach, both between the EU-AU and among the EU and its Member States, as provided for by Article 210 TFEU; calls on the EU to step up this joint perspective in view of the next EU- Africa Summit to be held in October2 020; calls for a strong, coherent and constant EU engagement in the security, stability and development of Africa;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. CUnderlines the vital importance of meeting the goals as set by the Paris Climate Agreement; calls for a concrete proposal that establishes common initiatives on a renewable energy supply on the African continent;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Stresses the vital role of digital transformation and digitalisation for sustainable development and resilience of societies that has been especially visible during the current global situation triggered by the COVID-19 crisis; calls for a continued, strengthened, systematic and mutually beneficial cooperation with the African states on digitalisation, innovative technologies and solutions at all levels of society, including on e- governance, e-commerce, digital skills and cyber security, in line with the Digitalisation for Development (D4D) approach;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that Africa and Europe have a shared interest and responsibility when it comes to migration and mobility and stresses that managing migration calls for global solutions based on solidarity, the sharing of responsibility and respect for human rights and international law;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Recalls that the position of women can be strengthened with strong provisions on Gender & Trade in Trade Agreements; calls in this regards on the European Commission to assist the African Union with the implementation of it Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and implement measures that contribute to the achievement of gender equality in its trade agreements with the African countries;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Stresses the vital role of digital transformation and digitalisation for sustainable development and resilience of societies that has been especially visible during the current global situation triggered by the COVID-19 crisis; calls for a continued, strengthened, systematic and mutually beneficial cooperation with the African states on digitalisation, innovative technologies and solutions at all levels of society, including on e- governance, e-commerce, digital skills and cybersecurity, in line with the Digitalisation for Development (D4D)approach;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Highlights that the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences will have an impact on the Sustainable Development Goals; calls on the Commission to make the achievement of the SDGs a guiding principle in all its policies with regard to the African countries and urges the Commission to have full regard for these goals when negotiating the post-Cotonou Agreement in order to ensure balanced and free trade with the African continent;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. Highlights that around 60% of the population of the African countries is under 25 years old; calls on the Commission to assist the African youth with dedicated education programs under for example Erasmus+ and to increase educational and professional mobility by means of a dedicated strategy in cooperation with the African Union, the private sector and financial institutions (for example by making available micro- credit for start-ups) with the aim of improving economic and trading opportunities;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10 d. Highlights that the future partnership between the European Union and the African Union should be one that is built upon shared values with respect for human rights and good governance;
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10 e. Underlines that Africa and sub- Saharan Africa in particular will have the highest population growth in the coming decades; calls in this respect for the EU to follow the Task Force for Rural Africa (TFRA) conclusions on the need of investments to Africa food chains with a focus to be given to value-added commodities;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that the EU is among the first to bear the costs of all destructive policies employed againstshould also focus on a political and normative partnership in terms of strengthening the multilateral system and the international rule-based order together with African nationstates, while other players, especially China and Russia, are focused only on their own benefits at the expense of African sovereignty and European security; a growing unilateralism.
Amendment 150 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Shares the opinion that the matter of the security of Africa should be transferred into the hands of Africans and that the EU should assissupport its African partners in the successful accomplishment of this ultimate goal, with a special focus in dialogue and peace-building solutions.
Amendment 157 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Highlights that the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 could have a grievous impact on African States; urges the Council, the EEAS and EU Member States to support to their multilateral partners in order to take more action on debt relief for African countries as well as to explore viable solutions to come to a humanitarian economic sanctions’ relief on a case by case basis within the context of COVID-19.
Amendment 160 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)