45 Amendments of Michael GAHLER related to 2020/2041(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that Europe and Africa are in close geographical proximity, have strong historical and cultural ties and are being brought ever closer by a shifting geopolitical order, by the increase in trade and shared challenges, which call for a continental-Afr such as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which call for a reinvigorated politicanl approachlliance and a results-oriented useallocation of EU resources;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the Commission’s Communication “Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa” of 9 March and sees it as a step towards a truly geopolitical partnership; recalls that together the EU and Africa face a lot of challenges, ranging from climate change and energy issues, reforming multilateral institutions and global trade, advancing human and civil rights through the advancement of democracy, lifting communities out of poverty, providing decent living conditions through the provisions of economic opportunities and meaningful employment opportunities, advancing public health and access to health care, to the combat against armed groups, terrorism, as well as human trafficking in order to ensure stability and peace, and that only by acting together will we reach our common objectives; Emphasises that the EU’s relations with Africa are of utmost importance for the future of both our continents, touching upon all fields especially political, economic, societal, cultural, scientific, and academia, and must go beyond the traditional development and humanitarian cooperation in order to truly lift our partnership to the first rang of our relationships; strongly welcomes the five partnerships proposed by the Commission’s Communication and emphasis that these partnerships will become even more important and relevant in the context of the Covid-19pandemic; however points to the need to clearly define how the new strategy is supposed to be implemented and indicate which EU actor is in charge of doing what;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the process of development on the African continent is of key importance for the prosperity, stability and security of both the EU and Africa;a new partnership between Europe and Africa should be based on a clear understanding of their respective and mutual interests and responsibilities, reflecting the comprehensiveness and maturity of their relations
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Is of the firm opinion that our partnership must be based on clear positions and priorities identified by our African partners and in this light believes that the upcoming 6th AU-EU Summit this fall provides a timely opportunity to listen to the African partners, to exchange on reciprocal demands and proposals and to define common objectives in order to enshrine them in the upcoming new EU Africa Strategy;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls upon the EU institutions and the Member States to be a more coherent and unified actor in dealing with the African continent and to hence advance internal coordination in order to better define a common way ahead; along this line highlights the need to develop a coherent and all-encompassing strategy towards Africa, sometimes termed “Marshall Plan”, which must build on existing African and European efforts and is centred on creating economic opportunities and jobs, which is of key importance when recalling the demographic trends on the African continent; in this context points to the positive impact of “The External Investment Plan”, launched by then EC president Juncker in2017, and expresses its strong support to the “Africa-Europe Alliance for sustainable investments and jobs” which was launched as a result;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that AfricaReiterates its still undergoing the process ofcontinued support to regional integration atnd regional, continental and international level and that as yet 54 African countries remain divided and diversified in areas of key strategic importa organisations, in particular ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African State), CEMAC (The Central African Economic and Monetary Community), EAC (East African Community), SADC (South Africa Development Community), IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States), as well as the ICGLR (International Conference ton the EU, such as meeting internationally recognised standards and practices in trade, human rights, sustainable development and positioning in international organisationsGreat Lakes Region)and calls for an update of the various EU regional policies towards those regions (Gulf of Guinea, Sahel, Great Lakes, Horn of Africa); in this light also underlines the need to develop coherent EU internal responses to given challenges and crises, and address them through the “Team Europe” approach;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that while Africa is still undergoing themajor processes 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, and sustainable development and positioning in international organisations;; Europe and Africa have a shared interest to cooperate on multilateralism and common agendas that can be addressed effectively only together
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Strongly welcomes the signals sent by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to make relations with Africa a centre piece of her mandate, underlined by her decision to make her first mission outside the EU to the Headquarter of the African Union in Addis Ababa on 7 December 2019, as well as the recent 10th AU-EU College-to-College meeting at the AU Headquarters on 27 February 2020, strongly welcomes the “whole of Commission” approach which involves the entirety of the Commission; reiterates that such personal encounters on the top- level are of utmost importance since next to fostering personal bounds, they also raise the public awareness of our partnership in our respective national medias; Calls therefore for a further intensification of these high-level meetings and exchanges, including business and civil society forums and meetings;
Amendment 80 #
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); in line with the priorities identified in the joint communication calls for strong and constaherent EU engagement in the security, stability and development of Africa;promoting the green transition and energy access, digital transformation, sustainable growth and jobs, peace and governance, and a balanced and comprehensive approach to migration and mobility
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Recalls that for a strong partnership we not only need a strong EU but also a strong African Union, therefore underlines the need to further strengthen the process of integration on the African continent as well as the institutionalization of the African Union, including the Pan-African Parliament, through the sharing of best practices as well as technical and financial assistance;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that the EU is amRecalls that it is up to the Africans to decide upon their international cooperation and ong the first to bear the costs of all destructive policies employed against African nations, while other playersir own priorities; calls on the EU to seek a coordination with each country truly interested in a prosperous and positive long-term development of the African continent, based on the full respect of human rights, good governance, respecially China and Russia, are focused only on their own benefits at the expense of African sovereignty and European securityt for civil and human rights and the combat against corruption; calls on the EU to develop a strategic and long-term response to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which should be guided by our shared values as well as the priorities and needs articulated by our African neighbours;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that the EU is among the first to bear the costs of all destructive policies employed againstto the detriment of African nations, while other players, especially China and Russia, are focused only on their own benefits are advancing their geopolitical interests often at the expense of African sovereignty and European security;
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Recalls the detrimental impacts of the Covid-19 crisis, both in terms of health, but also in economic terms, and therefore reiterates its call to provide to those African States which ask for it an increased support in the health sector; strongly supports the strong EU response to the Crisis on an external dimension through the “Team Europe” approach and sees it as a true sign of global solidarity and European values, and strongly welcomes the announcement by the G20 to suspend all debt payments for the world's poorest countries until the end of 2020;
Amendment 148 #
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 assist its African partners in the successful accomplishment of this ultimate goal.Underlines that the EU-AU partnership can only be successful if it is truly a partnership of equals, meaning a more balanced, fairer and meaningful partnership, built on own responsibility and solidarity and a common vision for our future; reiterates thus its calls for a true “continent to continent” partnership between the European Union and Africa;
Amendment 149 #
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 assist its African partners in the successful accomplishment of this ultimate goalAfrican states, supported by regional and international organizations, are the foremost guarantors of their own security and that the EU should assist its African partners in the further development of an African peace and security architecture to achieve long-term peace and stability.
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Underlines its belief that Africa, as a resource rich continent, with dynamic and developing economies that show high levels of growth, a growing middle class and a young and creative population, is a continent of opportunities which has demonstrated on numerous occasion that economic progress and development is possible; points to the cases of among others Botswana, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania in this regard; (points to technological innovations which originated in Africa, like the M-Pesa mobile payment system which is now used around the world, underlines in this regard the positive impact of social media on the democratic movements on the continent;)
Amendment 163 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Welcomes the intention by the Commission to make the “Africa-Europe Alliance” the central pillar of the economic relations between the two continents, and reiterates, that sustainable long-term economic development, and the subsequent creation of decent and well- paid jobs, in particular for the youth, is the prerequisite for the development and flourishment of an African middle-class and hence ultimately the attainment of political stability, democracy as well as increased civil and human rights; points in this light to the need of structural economic reforms and the importance of advancing domestic production and manufacturing capacities, which would help to reduce the dependency on foreign imports; recalls the need for the EU to enhance support to SMEs and points to the opportunities of the EU’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) to promote business-to-business cooperation and joint ventures with African companies, which would furthermore not only increase the visibility of business opportunities but also foster the much- needed access to finance and access to technology through a transfer of know- how; Furthermore underlines the need to improve investments protection scheme to facilitate and encourage further investments;
Amendment 169 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Strongly welcomes the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and underlines the enormous economic and political potential it has for the future of African and global trade; expresses concern in this regard about the delay of the originally foreseen 1 July 2020implementation date of the AfCFTA due to the COVID-19 crisis, encourages the European Commission and Member States to extend their maximum assistance by sharing best practices of experience made in the EU in order to contribute to a successful implementation of the AfCFTA as soon as the health situation permits; also points to the need to significantly invest in the transport infrastructure to facilitate intra-African trade;
Amendment 171 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Highlights that while a number of countries in Africa continue to struggle with corruption, lack of good governance as well as social and political freedoms, many countries have started the transition towards reforms and democracy; applauds in this light in particular the people of Sudan for their courage and bravery; recalls that transition countries are particularly vulnerable and should be able to count on the EU when they ask for support; calls thus for well-coordinated support and assistance to those countries in order to maintain and support the aspirations for positive change as expressed by their peoples; suggests that the HR/VP establish special ad-hoc contact groups to streamline and facilitate the EU wide support to individual transition countries;
Amendment 173 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Expresses its concern that Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, and Zimbabwe are included in the updated EU Blacklist of countries which have strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering/combating financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regimes, and calls on these countries to immediately take the necessary steps to comply with the required legislation and implementation of it (Delegated act C(2020) 2801); welcomes that Ethiopia and Tunisia, after pursuing a number of reforms, were taken off the blacklist;
Amendment 175 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7f. Welcomes the G20 “Compact with Africa” (CwA) initiative, launched in 2017 in order to promote private investment in Africa, including in infrastructure and sees it as a good platform to advance comprehensive, coordinated, and country-specific reform agendas; welcomes that so far twelve African countries have joined the initiative: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia;
Amendment 177 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Paragraph 7 g (new)
7g. Underlines that the EU at its core, in its political and economic relations with third countries, is motivated by the advance of fundamental rights, and the support to democratic institutions and democratic accountability, and whereas third actors like for example China pursue in our eyes other objectives which at times pose a concern to us; stresses that our objective is to strengthen resilience and independence of our African partners;
Amendment 179 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 h (new)
Paragraph 7 h (new)
7h. Underlines the important role of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) which provides the African Union and regional level organisations with the needed tools to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts; Strongly welcomes the EU’s recent commitment of 40.5 million Euro to support the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) over the next four years and sees it as imperative to further strengthen the capacity and coordination of APSA components to adapt to emerging security challenges in Africa, while striving for increased AU ownership of its peace and security operations; welcomes in this context the work of Donald Kaberuka, the AU’s special envoy for the Peace Fund and reiterates the EU’s readiness to support the AU’s efforts in this important field;
Amendment 181 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 i (new)
Paragraph 7 i (new)
7i. Highlights the fact that the objective of the EU support on the security sector is to encourage African ownership of security and defence matters and considers that the African Union and African States are key actors with which the EU is meaningfully engaged in order to jointly achieve sustainable development and human security; strongly welcomes in this regard the plans of the African Union to send 3,000 soldiers in support of the G5 Sahel and sees it as a sign that that the AU and EU are indeed pursuing similar security objectives, built on shared objectives and shared responsibilities; welcomes in this regard the comments made by HR/VP Borrell to the UN Security Council on28 May 2020 when he spoke of “finding African solution to African problems”;
Amendment 183 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 j (new)
Paragraph 7 j (new)
7j. Strongly underlines the important role of functioning state institutions, authorities and infrastructure, and believes that their absence can be a significant obstacle to development, peace, and progress; Underlines that security, stability and hence ultimately also prosperity and sustainable development will only be achieved in the concerned regions, if an all-encompassing strategy is pursued, recalls in this light that security sector reform, justice reform, good governance, democratic accountability, and the protection of civilians are a prerequisite for winning the trust of populations in their governments and security forces; further underlines the civil-military nexus and the need to better streamline both components of the CSDP missions;
Amendment 185 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 k (new)
Paragraph 7 k (new)
7k. Points to the severe negative long- term implications of terrorism and organised crime, especially in fragile States and countries which are in transition towards democracy; underlines therefore its commitment to further intensify its efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime, including through an deepening of security and political relations with African countries, for example through the increased exchange of personnel, such as in the fields of intelligence cooperation and technical as well as military assistance, through among others the soon to be established European Peace Facility (EPF);
Amendment 187 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 l (new)
Paragraph 7 l (new)
7l. Underlines the important role that the Sahel plays from a strategic and security point of view, in this light strongly welcomes the foundation of the “G5 Sahel” in 2014 as well as theG5 Joint Force (G5 Force Conjointe) which was created in 2017 to combat the security threats in the region; reiterates its support to the G5 Sahel and its Joint Force and reconfirms its readiness to provide financial and military assistance to it, among others through the soon to be established European Peace Facility;
Amendment 189 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 m (new)
Paragraph 7 m (new)
7m. Highlights the fact that the mandates of the CSDP mission are comprehensive and aim among others to foster security sector reform, advance justice reform, strengthen military and police training as well as to advance oversight; Underlines the urgent need to improve the communication policy of CDSP missions as well as the EU’s overall strategic planning in order to increase the visibility of the EU’s actions and its aim to safeguard the security and wellbeing of African people;
Amendment 191 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 n (new)
Paragraph 7 n (new)
7n. Recalls the threat that transnational organised crime, civil unrest and domestic crime pose to in particular fragile and post-conflict States, which struggle to provide the necessary security to their citizens; in this light underlines the importance of a well- trained national and regional police force, which however often lack both proper training and equipment, as well as most crucially do not always have the proper connection and trust of the local population; underlines hence the importance of strengthening and building professional police structures, and hence calls for intensified conceptual, logistical and administrative support, among others to the African Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) in Algiers, which was launched in 2014, and believes that cooperation in this field will also help advance the capability of peacekeeping missions as well as foster the police component of the APSA;
Amendment 193 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 o (new)
Paragraph 7 o (new)
7o. Underlines the dangers of proliferation of illicit small arms and recalls that these undocumented and mostly illegally held arms do not only threaten the safety and security of communities but are also used by dangerous transnational criminal networks engaged in various forms of trafficking, including of weapons, humans and illegal drugs;
Amendment 196 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 p (new)
Paragraph 7 p (new)
7p. Recalls that Africa is host to the highest number of Peace support operations (PSOs) in the world and the biggest contributor of troops and police; Points to the need to adapt(PSOs) across Africa to the new reality of COVID-19 in order to both adequately protect citizens as well as the staff of the PSOs; points to the need to ensure adequate financing for the missions given the fear of an imminent economic crisis and a reduction in available funding;
Amendment 197 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 q (new)
Paragraph 7 q (new)
7q. Recalls the important role that the African Union and African States play in multilateral organisations, such as in particular the United Nations, where African States account for 28% of the membership, and underlines hence the importance of further deepening our political relations in order to reform the multilateral decision-making bodies to make them more just and representative, which is crucial in order to find solutions to our common global challenges;
Amendment 199 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 r (new)
Paragraph 7 r (new)
7r. Reconfirms its support to the UN peacekeeping missions on the African continent and calls on key players, in particular the United States of America, Russia, China, as well as the United Kingdom, to join EU efforts to mediate and advance cooperation and sustainable peace throughout the African continent; reiterates in this regards the EU’s willingness to increase its support to UN missions and to advance coordination between the different UN and EU missions
Amendment 201 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 s (new)
Paragraph 7 s (new)
7s. Points to the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and in this light recalls the many parliamentary meetings and missions the EP has conducted, notably the regular meetings between the European Parliament and the Pan- African Parliament; in this light, calls for a strengthening of the parliamentary dimension in the EU-AU relations, and calls for annual missions of key EP committees to meet and exchange on a regular basis with their African counterparts;
Amendment 204 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 t (new)
Paragraph 7 t (new)
7t. Recalls the important work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in fighting against impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and therefore calls upon all African States who have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Rome Statue;
Amendment 206 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 u (new)
Paragraph 7 u (new)
7u. Recalls the importance of coordinating our Africa policy with other like-minded countries, such as the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom as well as Japan,
Amendment 207 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 v (new)
Paragraph 7 v (new)
7v. Underlines, that EU-Africa cooperation must have a proper civil society element and hence cannot be a top-down approach, calls in this field for more efforts to advance people-to-people relations, especially among the youth, points in this context to the positive important long-term impact of Erasmus+;
Amendment 209 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 w (new)
Paragraph 7 w (new)
7w. Emphasises the important role of a free and vibrant media and press sector and recalls that it is crucial in order to ensure a well-informed public which can define its own priorities and furthermore increases the resilience against fake news; encourages continued African efforts in the field of media freedom and support for journalists and underlines the important role of a free press when it comes to the fight against corruption and the supervision and accountability of public authorities;
Amendment 211 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 x (new)
Paragraph 7 x (new)
7x. Encourage the EEAS to increase its presence with Delegations throughout the continent, particularly at key AU Member States, in order to further advance our bilateral and regional relationships and ensure a proper exchange with relevant stakeholders; underlines that such close ties are the basis to ensure appropriate and well- structured global partnerships, as well as tailor-made responses; Calls upon the EEAS to significantly improve its media and communication strategy in order to not only foster awareness of the EU’s efforts in the respective regions, but also to increase awareness and support among EU citizens for an intensified EU-Africa cooperation;
Amendment 214 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 y (new)
Paragraph 7 y (new)
7y. Underlines the crucial role of democracy and the role of free and fair elections, in this regard points to the numerous Election Observation Missions (EOM) by the EU, which are strongly supported by the European Parliament;
Amendment 215 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 z (new)
Paragraph 7 z (new)
7z. Underlines the crucial role of water diplomacy given that as a result of climate change water risks becoming a more and more scarce resource, calls in this context on Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to reach a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution regarding the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), welcomes the US and World Bank mediation in this case and calls upon the AU and EU to do all it can to facilitate a constructive solution;
Amendment 218 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Recalls that climate change is real and happening faster than we thought, with devastating impacts on the African continent leading to stronger draughts and increased water scarcity; underlines the need of a more effective Climate Diplomacy in order to promote the links between domestic, foreign and international climate policy;
Amendment 219 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Encourages increased efforts to overcome the paradox that Africa, despite being abundantly rich in sustainable energy sources, is still largely relying on traditional energy sources, which contribute to climate change and furthermore are not inclusive since a large part of African households continue to suffer under energy poverty; encourages hence African countries to unlock their energy sectors’ huge potential for growth and jobs, and call upon private investors to engage in innovative projects; Recalls that promoting gender equality is one of the most effective ways to drive inclusive growth, reduce poverty and advance peace; Encourages further support to African women’s economic empowerment through education, skills transfer, access to finance and the set-up of businesses, and access to land;
Amendment 222 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Expresses deep concern that the rights of LGBTIQ persons in Africa are largely not protected throughout the continent; salutes South Africa for its progressive domestic legislation;
Amendment 223 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Recalls, that contrary to a common belief intra-regional migration continues to outpace extra-regional migration on the African continent, points to the fact that while economic and employment opportunities are the key driver of intra- African migration, migration also originates from security risks, regional conflicts, and environmental changes; encourages continued cooperation with the IOM and other UN agencies to provide additional support to refugees and internally displaced people, as we do in other parts of the world,