Activities of Louis MICHEL related to 2016/2053(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The future of ACP-EU relations beyond 2020 (A8-0263/2016 - Norbert Neuser) FR
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the future of ACP-EU relations beyond 2020 PDF (355 KB) DOC (81 KB)
Amendments (26)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
- having regard to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly report of 5 April 2009 on the participation of non- state actors and local actors in JPA activities,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 c (new)
Citation 15 c (new)
- having regard to the joint staff working document entitled 'Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations 2016-2020 (SWD(2015) 182 final) and to the conclusions of the Council meeting of 26 October 2015, at which the related Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 was endorsed,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba having regard to the changes to the political and economic landscape in the ACP Group and the European Union that have occurred since the Cotonou Agreement was signed;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Cotonou Agreement addresses new global challenges such as climate change, migration, inequality and terrorism, but has produced few concrete results in these areas;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas political dialogue on essential elements, as referred to in Articles 8 and 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, is a concrete and legal means of upholding the common values of the ACP-EU partnership and promoting the rule of law, democracy and, human rights and gender equality, which are fundamental for sustainable development;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas trade relations form the second pillar of the Cotonou Agreement, and whereas economic partnership agreements are a means of furthering those relations;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the involvement ofalthough the role played by national parliaments, local authorities, civil society and the private sector has been recognised, the involvement of national parliaments and local authorities in political dialogue has been rather limited; whereas the role of the ACP Group as such has been limited to cases where Article 96 is invoked; whereas political dialogue, and Article 96 in particular, have mostly been used at a late stage of political crises and not in a preventative manner;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
Recital F e (new)
Fe. whereas the European Development Fund (EDF), which does not come under the general budget of the EU, plays an essential role in the ACP- EU partnership but, given the scale of the needs identified, remains underfunded;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F g (new)
Recital F g (new)
Fe. whereas the domestic resources of the ACP countries, together with remittances from diaspora communities, could play a key part in funding development;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Affirms that ACP-EU cooperation is a valuable and unique achievement that has strengthened bonds between ACP and EU countries and their parliaments throughout the last 40 years; underlines - provided the ACP countries demonstrate their commitment to taking joint action as a group - that in order to improve the effectiveness of cooperation and adapt it to new challenges, a new structure has to be adopted that keeps those parts of the ACP- EU acquis that are universal in character, such as commitment to human rights, good governance and democrac, democracy and gender equality, the objective of the rule of law, and exchange of best practice in a common framework, while the main work has to be done according to the principle of subsidiarity, that is, it must take place in regional agreements that are tailored to specific regional needs and to the mutual interests existing between the EU and the respective region;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for the European Union to seek to establish a modern, fair and genuine partnership with the ACP countries which goes further than a mere 'donor-recipient' relationship and is based on a coherent, integrated EU external policy, in keeping with the policy coherence for development approach;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for an ACP-EU peer review and assessment mechanism to scrutinise SDG implementation in member states on a regular basis, with ACP and EU representatives not only from governmental institutions but also from parliaments and civil society, drawing up yearly conclusions and recommendations for follow-up at national, regional and world level;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the fight against poverty, inequality mitigation and greater ownership and sustainability of development processes to remain an overarching objectives of ACP-EU cooperation; believes, however,stresses that a new agreement must primarilyshould be a political project and clearly leave behind the donor-recipient mentality; considers that cooperation should take place in areas of common interest where common gains can be expected, not just in economic terms but also with regard to peace and security, human rights and the rule of law, good governance and democracy, the environment, climate change and other areas related to the prosperity of both ACP and EU populations;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the essential elements in the Cotonou Agreement regarding human rights, democratic principles, gender equality, human development and the rule of law to continue to form the value-based foundation of a new agreement; calls for good governance to be added as an essential element;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines in this regard that political dialogue is a valuable basis for improving the situation of the peoples of the partner countries; regrets the insufficient use of this instrument and its weak effectiveness so far; calls, therefore, for improved monitoring of the human rights situation and of the other essential and fundamental elements of the Agreement, andstresses that the monitoring must be inclusive and participatory and calls for a regular biennial or multiannual evaluation and joint reports on the respect of these elements by all ACP- EU member states with the purpose of naming, shaming and praising; calls for the results of these reports to be presented at the overarching ACP-EU meetings and used as a basis for political dialogue and for them to be consulted during national, regional and global SDG implementation reviews;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Urges all the parties to the new agreement to undertake to give local and regional government greater autonomy and build up its capacity, so that it may be able to carry out its duties effectively and to play a significant role in the development of ACP countries;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for stronger involvement and support for capacity-building by civil society, especially for local groups thatand emigrants who are directly concerned by policies; underlines in this regard the danger of shrinking space for civil society in some countries, and the need also to include those groups that are unable to organise their interests, such as minorities, young people and women, or that are, despite a legitimate democratic interest, not recognised by their government;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that the private sector can play a pivotal role in the development process and can contribute to financing development, provided investment occurs with respect for the people and for traditional ownership or use, and for the environment, in line with the UN's guiding principles on human rights and trade; calls, therefore, for private investment and diaspora investment to be supported under the auspices of the European Investment Bank (EIB) provided it is in line with international human rights law and social and environmental protection rules; calls, furthermore, for local and national private sectors, civil society and diaspora communities to be allowed to participate in policymaking, programming and implementation;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that the new partnership should focus in particular on enhancing inclusion and social cohesion at local level by means of capacity building in local communities; urges the parties to take a holistic, cross-cutting approach to development of the private sector and to help to build a favourable environment for local economic development, in particular by providing support for small producers/farmers and small and medium-sized business in ACP countries;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for the new ACP-EU agreement to include a strong parliamentary dimension, through a Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), that will provide for a democratic and comprehensive parliamentary dialogue, including on difficult and sensitive subjects, advance common (regional) political projects, and provide a democratic underpinning for them, scrutinise the executive’s work as well as development cooperation, promote democracy and human rights and the inclusion of non- state actors, and thus make an important contribution to an ACP-EU partnership on an equal footing;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for further efforts to be made to improve JPA scrutiny of development programming and follow-up to such scrutiny; calls on the Commission and ACP governments to promote the involvement of ACP national parliaments, local authorities and civil society actors and diaspora communities in the pre- and post-scrutiny of development programming, and to supply all available information in a timely and transparent manner to ACP national parliaments in order to assist them in their exercise of democratic scrutiny;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates its call for budgetisation of the EDF in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, democratic scrutiny, accountability and the visibility and coherence of EU development financing; stresses, however, that this budgetisation should be conditioned by i) a guaranteed ring-fencing of developing funds to maintain the level of financing for developing countries; and ii) a permanent solution for EU financing of security expenses linked to development cooperation; underlines that all Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) in need should also in the future be eligible for EU development aid;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Urges the two parties to modernise funding instruments and to involve the private sector and diaspora communities more closely in the funding and implementation of the sustainable development goals; calls on the parties to double their efforts to build capacity in the ACP countries and to harness and make good use of domestic resources by, in particular, strengthening tax systems, ensuring sound management of natural resources and fostering industrialisation and the processing of raw materials for local, regional and world markets;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses the importance of including in the new agreement enhanced tools for building ACP countries' capacity to fund vital economic sectors such as health and education; urges the two partners to implement a universal health cover action plan, to introduce the financial tools required in order to kick- start the process of industrialisation and raw materials processing and to foster access to banking systems, new technologies and innovation, which are of essential importance in building a competitive economy;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Points out that EPAs provide a basis for regional cooperation by, in particular, establishing links with regional economic institutions in ACPs countries and non-ACP free-trade areas and that they should be used as development and regional integration tools; deplores, however, the fact that the ACP countries remain in a peripheral position on the world market; points out that far-reaching regional integration brings enhanced trading capacity, which in turn bolsters growth, employment and human and economic development; highlights, therefore, the need for legally binding sustainability provisions (on human rights and social and environmental standards) in all EPAs, and underlines the importance of creating effective monitoring systems that include a wide range of civil society representatives in order to enhance social inclusion, reduce inequality, redistribute wealth fairly and avoid the negative effects of trade liberalisation;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Strongly advocates the full integration of the EPAs into a new ACP- EU agreement, in order to ensure continuity for EPA linkages in the existing Cotonou Agreement to sustainability provisions on human rights and social and environmental standards, and because it would provide a framework for sustainable development and policy coherence;