Activities of Giuliano PISAPIA related to 2020/2041(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
New EU-Africa Strategy (debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on a new EU-Africa Strategy – a partnership for sustainable and inclusive development
Amendments (22)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that Europe and Africa are in close geographical proximity, have strong, historical and, cultural ties andand socio- economic ties, which are being brought ever closer by the increase in strade and shared challengestegic interests, such as climate change, sustainable development, and good governance, and that the prosperity of the two continents are intimately linked, which call for an holistic continental- African approach and result-oriented use of EU resourcfor increased coherence between EU policies and the use of the related resources, while at the same time respecting the independence and sovereignty of African countries;
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the particularly close historical ties binding the European Union (EU) and Africa, and the EU’s major contribution both in terms of development aid1 and in the smooth functioning of the Afat an equal and sustainable cooperation based on political dialogue, joint ownership, solidarity and mutual confidence is paramount for tackling common challenges and achieving shared goal. Recalls that the EU is the world’s leading donor of development and humanitarican Union (AU)2; _________________ 1 EUR 19.6 billion, 46%aid and that the Union's action ofn the overall total (2018)https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pr esscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_375 2USD 327 million, 42% of its budget, E- 003478/2018international scene shall be guided by the principles of democracy, the rule of law, respects of human rights, the principles of equality and solidarity;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Reiterates the importance to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and the principles of Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU); calls for the African Union, the European Union and their member states, for a more robust cooperation in the fields of the promotion and protection of human rights, and human rights defenders, and to deliver full political and financial support to their respective human rights mechanisms;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Underlines that it is important to step up synergies and coherence between all the legal and political frameworks on which EU-Africa relations are based on in order to make the partnership more effective and sustainable; welcomes the proposal for a pan-African programme in the context of the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) aimed at addressing the challenges of the African continent as a whole;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. CRecognises that corruption is a complex global phenomenon which hampers efforts aimed at promoting democratic governance, socio-economic transformation, sustainable development, peace and security and may lead to many human rights violations; calls for the strengthening of efforts to combat corruption and staggering inequalities – constituting as it does a major obstacle to effective development, preventing Africa’s peoples from fully benefiting from the effects of joint EU-AU policies – to be taken into account in the comprehensive strategy with Africa; recommends EU and AU to better implement and enforce the existing national and international anti- corruption instruments and to make use of new technologies and digital services; highlights that the fight against corruption should also include measures to fight money-laundering, tax evasion and illicit financial flows;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the process of sustainable development on the African continent is of key importance for the prosperity, stability and human security of both the EU and Africa; in this context recalls that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the respect of human rights have to remain the main objectives of EU-African relations;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights that managing migration and mobility within Africa and between Africa and EU requires a common approach that must be founded on the principles of solidarity, partnership, shared responsibility and mutual accountability and guided by the respect for human rights and international and maritime law. This approach should also include common strategies to address and effectively tackle the root causes of forced displacement and migration; calls on the EU to further develop an effective resettlement policy and to Member States to make all the necessary efforts to offer their resettlement places to a meaningful number of refugees.
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Underlines the need to guarantee fair and accessible asylum procedures for people in need of international protection both in the EU and in African countries; recalls that mass expulsions and refoulement are prohibited under EU and international law principles; emphasises that returns should only be carried out safely after the assessment of each individual case and the undertaking of complaints procedure and that voluntary returns should always be prioritised over forced returns.
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Supports the digitisation and modernisation of public administration in African countries, in particular with a view to developing reliable civil registration agencies andproviding for equal access and equal opportunities for all citizens, thus stabilising democracy; calls for the strengthening of efforts to promoting data exchange so as to combat terrorism, transnational and organised crime;, including cybercrime and trafficking in human beings; all data exchanged must be subject to relevant data protection and privacy laws
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that Africa is still undergomaking steps forward ing the process of integration at regional, continental and international level and that as yet 54 African; therefore stresses the need for a countries remain divided and diversified in areas of key strategic importance to the EU, such as meeting internationally recognised standardinent-to-continent partnership between the European Union and the African Union; stresses that the partnership should be based on common interests and praobjecticves in trade, human rights, sustainable development and positioning in international organisations; ; recalls that developing this EU-AU partnership would enable further regionalisation and should be considered as an option for ACP relations post-Cotonou;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes Africa’s sustained economic growth; calls, therefore, on the AU to do its utmost to guarantee a decent future for its young people, the main driving force behind the continent’s development4 , and thus to contribute to stopping the arrival of unaccompanied minors in Europe and to cooperate in readmitting those eligible for return; _________________ 4 62% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is under 25 years of age https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/ Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf
Amendment 74 #
5a. Emphasises the pivotal role played by civil society, worldwide in supporting democracy and consolidating the political dialogue; stresses the need to increase the participation of civil society organisation - including NGOs in the EU-Africa Strategy process.
Amendment 77 #
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); which underlines the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelated nature of all human rights and affirms EU and African commitments to promote and protect them; calls for strong and constant EU engagement in thehuman security, stability and sustainable development of Africa; stresses the importance of including the principles of transparency and good governance in the EU-Africa Strategy and its planning, implementation and evaluation;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the security and interests of bothe European and African continent and itstheir citizens to be taken into account.
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the importance of a true inclusion of international and local civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), parliamentary assemblies, the diaspora, trade unions, youth organisations, the private sector and local authorities in consolidating the political dialogue between the EU and Africa; calls on the AU and the EU to ensure unfettered civil society access to African and European institutions and their human rights mechanisms; further insists on the importance of creating an enabling environment for civil society and addressing an increasing crackdown on human rights defenders;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls the AU and the EU’s joint commitment to collaborate on the global human rights agenda; calls on AU and EU institutions to prioritise cooperation at multilateral human rights fora and to act robustly in defence of crucial human rights gains at multilateral level; to this end, calls them to develop concrete strategies to counter the recent pushback on existing human rights norms at multilateral fora, including the universality and indivisibility of human rights; reminds EU and AU member states that they must deliver full political and financial support to their respective human rights mechanisms and ensure these, together with a strong and independent civil society, can guarantee delivery and further progress on human rights for all in Africa and Europe;
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Shares the opinion that the matter of the security of Africa should be transferred into the handsAfrican states and regional institutions must have the leading role in matters relating to the security of Africans and that the EU should assissupport its African partners in the successful accomplishment of this ultimate goal., by tackling the root causes of human insecurity, as well as including by implementing a conflict prevention, do no harm and policy coherence approach in all aspects of its relationship with Africa, and by supporting the role of civil society actors in peacekeeping and peace- building efforts;
Amendment 161 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls, in the context of counter- terrorism policies, on the establishment of more transparent decision-making processes, increased general awareness about a human rights-based approach and more engagement with communities affected by these measures;
Amendment 164 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Recognises the complex challenges and opportunities migration movements play both in Europe and Africa for the prosperity and the development of both continents; calls on the AU, the EU and their member states to adopt an approach to migration policies that puts human rights of refugees and migrants at their heart; calls them to ensure AU-EU migration related cooperation promotes human rights and the respect of international commitments, including by expanding and promoting legal pathways to Europe and within Africa; secure and promote the asylum space and rights- based migration in both EU and AU countries through legislative and policy reforms, including establishing greater transparency and accountability in migration related programmes and funding;
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Rejects any kind of conditionality on External Financial Instruments(EFIs) based on EU’s migration and border policies; is opposed to EFIs being used to control and manage migration flows in Africa and calls for effective mechanisms to be put in place to be able to thoroughly control the final destination of those funds and to assess the projects which received funding;