Activities of Cristian Dan PREDA related to 2018/0256M(NLE)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco on the amendment of Protocols 1 and 4 to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part
Amendments (10)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. RecallsHighlights that for over fifty years the European Union and Morocco have built a rewarding and multi-faceted partnership; recalls furthermore that Morocco isbecame a privileged EU partner in the Southern Neighbourhood, with which the EU has built up a strong and broadategic partnership that covers political, economic and social aspects, but alsoas well as security and migration;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that it is important for this agreement to give guarantees regarding respect for international law, including human rights, in the territories concerned; underlines that the extension of the Agreement to cover products from the Southern Provinces, could serve as a lever for improving socio-economic and human rights standards in the region;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that this agreement does not imply recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and that the EU’s position remains that of supporting UN efforts to secure a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable settlement of the Western Sahara conflict, on the basis of the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people and in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions; reiterates, therefore, its full support to the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Mr Horst Köhler, in helping the parties to achieve this settlement, which can only bolster the Association Agreement politically and legally;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Recalls the right to development of the population living in the Southern Provinces and highlights the positive long-term implications of the Association Agreement on the socio-economic development of the territory; stresses therefore that persistent legal uncertainty can only undermine the socio-economic and political growth;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that during inclusive consultations led by the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) with a wide varietyrange of Western Saharan local representatives, civil society organisations and other organisations and bodiepolitical and socio-economic actors, civil society organisations, notably those working in the field of human rights, broad support was expressed for the socio-economic benefits the proposed tariff preferences would bring;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses, as stated in the European Commission report, that all reasonable and feasible steps have been taken to inquire about the consent of the population concerned, through these inclusive consultations;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Underlines that throughout the consultation process, the Commission and the EEAS maintained regular contacts with the team of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara to ensure that the proposed agreement supports UN efforts to achieve a lasting settlement;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Calls on the EU to step-up efforts to foster regional cooperation between the Maghreb countries, which can only have tremendous positive implications for the region and beyond;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Points to the strategic need for the EU to closer engage and foster its ties with the countries in the Maghreb region; and in this context views the extension of the Association Agreement as a logical component of this strategy;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes good note of the exchange of letters and acknowledges the efforts of the Commission and the EEAS in trying, within the remit of their competences, to evaluate the benefit for the population and to ascertain their consent to this agreement; stresses, nevertheless, that more could be done to improve the traceability of products coming from Western Saharanotes that the agreement provides for a mutual and regular exchange of information between the European Union and Morocco concerning the products coming from the territories covered by the Association Agreement; invites the Commission services, therefore, to engage further with the Moroccan authorities to improve this aspect, notably in order to produce clear and reliable statistics.in order to produce clear statistics and on a regular basis;