Activities of Sira REGO related to 2020/2041(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on a new EU-Africa Strategy – a partnership for sustainable and inclusive development
Amendments (18)
Amendment 3 #
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 funcNotes the EU’s important contribution in terms of development aid1; regrets that this contribution is often instrumentalised by the EU for its own interests on finance, geo-politics or migration policies; recalls that the new partnership should support a better proportionality and equality in terms of representationing of the African Union (AU)2 both sides in global governance bodies; _________________ 1 EUR 19.6 billion, 46% of the overall total (2018)https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pre sscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_375 2USD 327 million, 42% of its budget, E- 003478/2018
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Highlights the important cultural and economic contributions of African diaspora to the EU, and the importance of remittances to African countries’ development and recovery from crises;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Recalls that development aid is aimed at eradicating poverty and inequalities and that it should be distributed at local and regional level amongst the countries that most need it based on these only criteria; regrets that the EU prioritises more and more development aid for countries due to their role of transit country or country of origin with migration control objectives at the expense of countries in which the EU has no strategic interest;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Recalls that the principle of country ownership1a foresees that development policies and programmes can only succeed if they are led by developing countries, and if they are tailored to country-specific situations and needs; highlights the need to work together with civil society and local communities in this regard to ensure that people’s needs and vulnerabilities are addressed; _________________ 1aIncluded in the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation and in the Sustainable Development Goals (Objective 17).
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Recalls the importance of intra- regional African migration and the need to ensure that this regional mobility is not restricted by EU’s policies and projects ;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Calls on the EU and its Member States to put the respect and promotion of human rights at the core of the new EU- Africa Strategy; stresses in particular the need to put the human rights of refugees and migrants at the heart of its partnership on migration with Africa and end the criminalisation of migrants and refugees;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for the strengthening of efforts to combat corruption both in the EU and Africa – 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 - to be taken into account in the comprehensive strategy with Africa; calls for the development of monitoring mechanisms as well as full transparency and accountability of the EU funding;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the issue of migration must be prioritised in a context in which more than half of all asylum applications in the EU are rejected in a final court decision3 ; takes the view, therefore, that we must focus on making returns more effective by signing readmission agrealls for the EU to put the human rights of refugees and migrants at the heart of its partnership on migration with Africa, ensuring the Strategy is grounded in the principles of solidarity, shared responsibility and respect for international law; emphasises that the EU and Member States should not apply conditionality on development aid against the African states compliance with returns and readmissions, migration managements and issuing consular laissez-passers; _________________ 3 Source: EUROSTATborder control;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls the urgent need to develop safe and legal pathways for people in need of protection as well as labour visa facilitation to access the EU across skills levels and with social protection measures equivalent of EU citizens; calls on the EU and its Member States to step up its contribution to Global Resettlement Needs and to facilitate family reunification of third country nationals;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Notes that African countries host a large part of the total amount of refugees and IDPs worldwide, whose vulnerable situation has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis; calls for a global responsibility sharing for refugees in line with the Global Compact on Refugees, including through the increase of financial support, resettlement and the creation of humanitarian corridors and issuance of humanitarian visas;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls the need to set up a dedicated and common European civil search and rescue operations to end the loss of life at sea;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Calls on the EU and African countries to expand safe and regular migration channels between Europe and Africa as well as regular mobility on the African continent, so as to reduce human rights violations and migrants’ deaths on dangerous migratory paths and to maximise the benefits of migration in line with the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration; in that context, calls on the Commission to ensure and monitor that the cooperation on migration management does not affect intra-Africa mobility;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3e. Stresses the importance of including in the new strategy concrete actions aimed at empowering migrant and diaspora groups to contribute to the shaping, implementation and monitoring of the new strategy and for increased involvement of EU and African civil society in shaping the strategy and monitoring its implementation;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3f. Stresses the importance of climate change as a risk multiplier for conflict, drought, famine and migration in Africa and worldwide; underlines the ruling of the UN Human Rights Committee of 20 January 2020 on a complaint by an individual seeking asylum from the effects of climate change, whereby it stated that countries may not deport individuals who face climate change-induced conditions that violate the right to life; calls on the EU-Africa Strategy to explicitly address climate migration and urges the EU to provide additional pathways for people affected by climate change, especially when fleeing slow-onset changes of the environment, by improving the flexibility of legal channels for migrants workers and their families, including resettlement and mobility schemes and preferential access for workers coming from regions affected by climate change;
Amendment 55 #
4. Supports theHighlights the boost of digitisation projects and modernisation of public administration in African countries by the EU and its Member States, in particular with a view to developing reliable civil registration agencies and promoting data exchange so as to combat terrorism and organised crime; underlines the risks of misuse of these systems by governments prosecuting oppositors or human rights defenders; insists that this data shall not be transferred to third countries, including the EU and its Member States beyond any international agreement;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that a gender perspective should be mainstreamed throughout the strategy, in addition to specific measures and a specific budget allowance for women rights, involving youth, feminist, and women-led organisations; emphasises that the strategy shall guarantee sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as protection and promotion of LGBTI rights;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WelcomesHopes for Africa’s sustained economic growthable development; calls, therefore, on the AEU to do its utmost to guarantee a decent future fand its Member States to work its young people, the main driving force behind then this direction based on African countinent’sries own 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/Publication s/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf goals; recalls that specific actions should be taken to protect migrants from death, disappearance, family separation, and violations of their rights including the principle of non- refoulement and the best interest of the child;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the human security and interests of theof the African and European continents and itstheir citizens to be taken into account; points out the need to prioritise both parties’ public health systems to guarantee universal access to health services, including research and development of global health.