Activities of Patricia LALONDE related to 2017/2083(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU-Africa Strategy: a boost for development
Amendments (28)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the economic security and prosperity of Europe and Africa are linked, and whereas these two continents must face their shared challenges and opportunities together;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the need for a stronger and more political partnership between the EU and Africa, based on shared values and interests, in order to tackle global issues such as climate change, food insecurity, access to water, population growth, youth unemployment, urbanization of large cities, the fight against impunity, terrorism, organised crime and migratory flows, and to promote a rule-based global order based on a strong UN;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas good governance and transparency cut the cost of trade and boost commerce, investment and economic development;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas sustainable and responsible management of raw materials and natural resources should be at the heart of the EU-Africa strategy, and should be a priority in cooperation between the European Union and the African Union; whereas Europeans and Africans should take a strong, united stance on this matter at the relevant international fora and summits such as the G20, the United Nations General Assembly or the WTO.
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas universal access to electricity is a major development issue for Africa;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas the main objective of the trade component of the EU-Africa strategy should be the creation of sustainable jobs in Africa and the European Union;
Amendment 21 #
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 reforms, the creation of more and better jobs, especially for young people, the empowerment of women and the support of education, who are and should, increasingly, be the force of economic progress in the region, the support of education by investing more in schools and universities, and research;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas sustainable and responsible investments play an essential role in development;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the pursuit of common interests and cooperation on security must be totally consistent with the EU’s fundamental values and with the objectives of supporting democracy, good governance, and promoting human rights and the rule of law; calls for a more strategic, pragmatic, respectful, 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 dimension;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. As a well-functioning democracy enhances stability and is a powerful tool against terrorism, the European Parliament offers to work more intensively with African Parliaments in building stronger Parliaments and Parliamentarians in taking up their role in the checks and balances between the executive and parliamentary bodies;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4. Notes that the EU needs to support infrastructure development in ICT in Africa to boost trade and economy in the region and grant people access to health, education and job opportunities;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes the establishment of a free trade economic zone in Africa, which will help improve economic integration on the African continent and boost its international trade;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls the importance of the effective implementation of external EU policies that are able to address the real root causes of migration; calls for increased joint efforts to implement the Valetta Action Plan based on a fair and true partnership with third countries of origin and transit; recalls the importance of a balanced approach in the new partnership framework; stresses that the new partnership framework with third countries must not become the only pillar of EU action on migration and should extend beyond a quantitative approach focused mainly on border management; underlines in this matter the importance of democratic scrutiny by the European Parliament;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Takes the view that effective implementation of the WTO trade facilitation agreement and the simplification and transparency of customs procedures will help to boost trade between Europe and Africa, which will particularly benefit SMEs and innovation;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Recalls that the root causes of migration are conflicts, weak governance, government instability, violation of human rights, corruption, non-existence of the rule of law, impunity, inequality, unemployment or underemployment, lack of livelihoods and resources, and climate change;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that the upcoming Africa EU summit will provide an opportunity to stress our priorities concerning the EU- Africa relations in the context of the post Cotonou process;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Underlines the importance of small- scale development projects which have a direct effect on people’s lives; urges the Commission to continue their support;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Takes the view that aid for trade should be one of the pillars of European trade policy with Africa, and calls on the European Union to promote the development of skills and African expertise in this area;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Emphasises the added value of transport infrastructures to boost the economy and trade between the EU and Africa; Underlines the strategic importance of ports, harbours and airports;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to better coordinate their aid for trade programmes and further boost synergies with their Africa investment policies;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. urges the European Commission to give special attention to sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls in their external development programmes;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Calls on the European Union to focus, by means of its commercial and investment policies, on growth of the private sector, support for innovation, competitiveness and entrepreneurship in Europe and Africa, and to conduct its affairs with Africa in accordance with the principles of sustainability and social responsibility;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3e. Takes the view that ‘public-private partnerships’ have a fundamental role to play in economic development, insofar as they make the private sector more dynamic and boost synergies between institutions and economic operators, and that they should therefore be favoured in this strategy;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3f. Calls for European development and investment projects in Africa to be guided by the principle of ownership, so that beneficiary countries can take charge of their own development models;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 g (new)
Paragraph 3 g (new)
3g. Calls on the EIB and the Commission, in particular via the EIP, to invest in projects with high job-creation potential and in the priority areas of clean energy, infrastructure, health and medical research;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 h (new)
Paragraph 3 h (new)
3h. Takes the view that digital development could lead to growth opportunities in Africa – via e-commerce or telephone payments, for example – and that the development policies of the EU and Africa should help to improve access to electricity and the internet on the African continent;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Takes the view that a ‘bottom-up’ approach should be used in the EU-Africa strategy, by means of exchanges and by holding discussion forums between European and African civil societies for entrepreneurs, in particular female business leaders, NGOs and associations;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Takes the view that it is essential for the EU-Africa strategy to take account of the importance of the role of women in economic development and the resilience of societies both in Europe and in Africa, and that projects should be set up with that in mind;