Activities of Feleknas UCA

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Article 36(1) of the Cotonou Agreement contains the agreement of the European Union and the ACP States to conclude "“WTO compatible trading arrangements, removing progressively barriers to trade between them and enhancing cooperation in all areas relevant to trade"”; whereas under Article 37(6) of the Cotonou Agreement ACP countries have the right to explore alternatives to EPAs,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas it is absolutely crucial to promote and support the trade inside and between ACP regions and between ACP countries and other developing countries (South- South) ~~can~~, which will have important positive effects on the development of ACP countries and decrease their dependence,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)

Oa. whereas the 'most-favoured nation clause' may jeopardise the South-South trade and constrain the development in ACP countries,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. whereas, concerning that women produce 60-80% of food and work in the agricultural or in the informal sector with low levels of income, little job and social security and few job alternatives in developing countries, the opening up to food imports from Europe and liberalisation under EPAs might negatively effect the unemployment rate and intensify the existing inequalities between women and men,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q a (new)

Qa. whereas EPAs de facto revoke the 15% tendering preferences which ACP companies enjoyed under EDF rules,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Reiterates that full EPAs have to include binding provisions for development cooperation in order to reach their ultimate goal which is sustainable development and regional integration in ACP countries,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)

-1a. Calls on the Commission to be vigilant that the issue of compatibility with WTO rules does not take precedence over the overall aim of development,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Commission and the ACP countries to make best use of the funding available for Aid for Trade in order to support the reform process in areas essential for economic development; to improve infrastructure ~~where it is necessary~~due to the needs, especially of local and regional production to benefit more effective from the opportunities offered by the EPAs; to compensate the net loss of customs revenue and encourage tax reform fostering knowledge exchange on the most cost effective measures for implementing fiscal adjustments so that public investments in social sectors are not reduced; and to invest in the production chain in order to diversify export production; and to produce more highly processed export goods utilising and promoting already locally available resources, i.e. staff as well as means of production, infrastructure etc.; in this regard, EPAs should not limit the ability of governments to use export taxes on basic raw materials to encourage the development of value added processing;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that support measures linked to the EPAs ~~should~~have to take into account the importance of regional integration and economic relations with other developing countries to the development of the ACP countries; notes, that the extension of preferences to third parties which ACP exporters do enjoy, will trend to result in loss of tariff preferences and undermine the ACP countries' competitive position and hence reducing the value of traditional preference;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to give ACP negotiators sufficient time to evaluate the agreement and to make suggestions before adopting the relevant agreement. After such an evaluation, if a country chooses not to take part, it should not be pressured to join, as agreed upon in article 37(6) of the Cotonou agreement;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Underlines, considering that customs revenues are the most important source of income in ACP countries, that the 'most- favoured nation clause' might hamper South-South trade and development and stresses that EPAs should not include the 'standstill clause' which fixes the tariffs at their current rates within the transition periods and would even affect products which are on the exclusion list;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the ACP governments to implement necessary reforms in order to realise good governance, in particular in the field of public administration, such as in public financial management, collection of customs duties, tax revenue system, fight against corruption and mis- management; in this context the sovereignty of spending the taxpayers' money has to remain in the ACP- governments' hands to ensure that spending in social sector has precedence over expenditures or subsidy for the private sector;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the Council, the Commission and governments of the EU Member States to do their utmost to re-establishing an atmosphere of confidence and ~~trust~~constructive dialogue in so far as it has been damaged in the course of negotiations and to recognise the ACP states as equal partners in the negotiation and implementation process;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Stresses the importance of public services for development and democracy and consequently asks the Commission to act with caution when considering the liberalisation of service sectors, and in particular to exclude water, health and education from liberalisation,

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Stresses that EPAs must also promote equal participation of women and men for the benefit of all development processes through women’s equal access to productive resources, land, capital, credit and technology, gainful employment, and decision-making;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2170(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Stresses that it is crucial that forests, biodiversity and indigenous people or forest-dependent people are not put at risk; in this regard, ACP countries should be allowed to implement rules that limit the export of timber and other unprocessed raw materials and be allowed to use these laws in order to protect forests, wildlife and domestic industries;

2008/11/14
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas agriculture provides employment and livelihoods for more than 670% of the labour force in developing countries, and for more than 80% in many African countries, and, as a consequence, rural development policies are essential in order to tackle poverty and hunger effectively,

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas women produce 60%-80% of food in developing countries and are responsible for half of the world’s food production, whereas women play an extremely important role in caring for their families and whereas women have much less access to land and to means of production than men and must therefore be given appropriate help and support,

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that agricultural development must be based primarily on the right to food and the right to produce food, enabling all people to have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food produced using environmentally sound and sustainable methods in an autonomous farming structure;

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the European Union to recognise developing countries’ right to food sovereignty and to support this with targeted measures, primarily using and developing the available structures and resources – such as seeds, manure and means of production – as well as fostering regional integration;

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the European Union to put agriculture back in the centre of its development agenda, giving specific priority to programmes for agricultural development including clear targets and feasible objectives, particularly measures promoting small-scale agriculture and the production of food for local markets through the use of particular biodiversity;

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the European Union to abandon its agricultural subsidies policy, which is greatly harmful to developing countries;

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2153(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Recalls the Food Crisis Prevention Network’s 2008 Code of Good Conduct in Food Crisis Prevention and Management, and calls for it to be implemented and observed in the common agricultural policy; furthermore supports and urges involving civil society and promoting the interests of women, small-scale farming cooperatives and producer groups in order to ensure food security and food self-sufficiency;

2008/10/16
Committee: DEVE

2008/2135(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Urges the EU and India to renew their efforts to bring about a comprehensive trade deal that would benefit not only the EU and India but also the wider international community through multilateralism;

2008/11/11
Committee: DEVE

2008/2135(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the EU and the Indian Government to tackle India’s food security problem by encouraging its domestic food production through the use and development of environmentally sound and sustainable methods, available structures and resources – such as seeds, manure and means of production and promoting food production through the use of particular biodiversity;

2008/11/11
Committee: DEVE

2008/2135(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses the need for diversity of energy supply and for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as part of a sustainable development approach;

2008/11/11
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas ~~the stimulation of private economic initiative must take place through the application of the principles of competition, low taxation, minimal regulation and stable currencie~~a stable economic environment and stable currencies stimulate economic initiative, but it is also essential to develop and strengthen public services to protect and meet the basic needs of citizens,

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1a (new)

1a. Demands, bearing in mind that direct or indirect external influences frequently contribute to conflict formation, that the sovereignty of states must be safeguarded and stresses that direct or indirect interference in the internal affairs of states contravenes the United Nations ban on intervention pursuant to Article 2(7) of the UN Charter;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2a (new)

2a. Takes the view that the vast majority of victims of armed conflicts are killed by light weapons, that European Union policy on arms export control must be clear, effective and based on a legally binding code of conduct and that it must be harmonised;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Takes the view that in post-conflict situations the transition from military to civilian security must take place as soon as is practicable and that ~~civilian indigenous police forces should supplement and eventually replace international forces~~national police forces are responsible for protecting the population and must ensure this protection;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Takes the view that former combatant leaders ~~should be encouraged to~~must renounce violence entirely before being brought into formal institutional structures which encourage power sharing, whilst ensuring that the public and all relevant stakeholders are kept actively informed and involved in all debates concerning power sharing arrangements;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ONotes that many African countries have the basic natural resources required for their development; observes that natural resources such as oil and diamonds can drive countries back to the conflict cycle; deplores the implication of various (local, regional, international and transnational) actors in the misappropriation and exploitation of these resources; draws attention to the need for transparency in the extractive industries; recognising the achievements of the Kimberley Process calls for it to be strengthened and more effectively enforced;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Commends the interaction between the EU and the International Criminal Court (ICC); stresses that EU support is essential for the enforcement of the ICC mandate; believes that ~~there is a need for more sustained efforts~~it is vital that all states should sign and ratify the Rome Statute in order to make the ICC system more operational, coherent and consistent; urges the EU and AU Member States to address the implementation of all arrest warrants issued by the ICC in a consistent way immediately in all conflict situations;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Stresses that sustainable peace is in many ways contingent on community- based involvement and ownership of the peace process - a process which can only be legitimate and succeed if women are equally involved ~~and recognised as having a vital role to play - and~~in their important social function and their decisive role in food production and family welfare in developing countries in particular; calls, bearing in mind that women and children account for 80% of refugees, for particular support to be provided for women and for women to be recognised as having a vital role to play in promoting peace and stability, and stresses that the role of the international community in supporting civil society networks that link local, national, and international initiatives is crucial to the peace process;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23a (new)

23a. Stresses that development assistance is an extremely important element in consolidating peace and preventing conflict in fragile states, but development assistance and assistance towards conflict resolution must not include any military resources or components;

2008/10/15
Committee: DEVE

2008/0149(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15

(15) The measures adopted with this facility should help developing countries to boost agricultural productivity in the next seasons, to respond rapidly to immediate needs of the countries and their population and to take initial steps needed to prevent as far as possible further food insecurity situations, and also contribute to mitigating the effects of the high food prices globally, to the benefit of the poorest people but also of the European consumers and farmers. For this reason, the specific financing facility should primarily make use of local and regional resources with a view to stimulating and preserving domestic markets, particularly by using local or regionally produced seed and mineral and organic fertilisers and by involving national staff from both governments and NGOs in implementing the measures. This would guarantee the sustainability of the activation measures and help reduce or combat food shortages in the long term.

2008/09/17
Committee: DEVE

2008/0149(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph (a)

(a) measures to improve access to agricultural inputs and services, including fertilizers and seeds;, including preferential measures to activate and involve local, regional and supra-regional producers in the developing countries assisted.

2008/09/17
Committee: DEVE

2008/0149(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph (aa) (new)

(aa) measures to expand local production of agricultural inputs and services.

2008/09/17
Committee: DEVE

2008/0149(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph (c) (new)

2008/09/17
Committee: DEVE

2008/0149(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph (d) (new)

(d) measures to increase the producers' share of higher food prices and reduce the share taken by middlemen, including assistance in forming agricultural cooperatives.

2008/09/17
Committee: DEVE

2008/0149(COD)