2021/2178(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support 2. the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which presents a major opportunity for African countries to boost inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, reduce poverty ~~and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA paves the way for a fundamental transformation of the continent’s development prospect~~, generate high numbers of decent jobs, increase the competitiveness of African countries, achieve structural transformations within participating states and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA paves the way for a fundamental transformation of the continent’s development prospects, increase intra-African trade and turn Africa from being mainly a producer and exporter of commodities to a manufacturer of finished goods; stresses the need to provide appropriate technical support to AfCTA national committees and to ensure that they are open to the participation of civil society organizations, including those representing women, youth and minorities;

Amendment 14 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support the integration and development of the African economy; acknowledges that the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),~~which presents a major~~ could be an opportunity for African countries to boost fair trade and inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, reduce poverty and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA paves the way for a fundamental transformation of the continent’s development prospects; believes that, now more than ever after the Covid-19 pandemic, on a global level, and especially with regard to Africa, new approaches should be taken to re-shape economic, commercial and trade relations towards Fair and Ethical Trade based on principles of solidarity and cooperation.

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),which presents a major opportunity for African countries to boost inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, reduce poverty and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA paves the way for a fundamental transformation of the continent’s development prospects; emphasises that the AfCFTA should make for integration that benefits all African populations, including the most marginalised; recalls that there are developmental differences between African countries which must be taken into account in order not to increase inequalities; takes the view that EU support to the AfCFTA should focus on the development of regulatory frameworks to prevent a ‘race to the bottom’ of social and environmental norms;

Amendment 16 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which presents a major opportunity for African countries to boost inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, and reduce poverty and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA pavrovides the ~~way for a~~ability to fundamentally transform~~ation of~~ the continent’s development prospects; takes the view that EU support to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) be parallel to the development of regulative frameworks, to prevent a “race to the bottom” of social and environmental norms resulting from the removal of trade barriers;

Amendment 17 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and its free movement protocol, which presents a major opportunity for African countries to deepen economic integration, boost inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, reduce poverty, regularise mobility and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA pavrovides the ~~way for a~~ability to fundamentally transform~~ation of~~ the continent’s development prospects; calls upon the EU to invest in capacity building and technical support in order to support the full implementation of the AfCFTA;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 19 #

Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),which presents a major opportunity for African countries to boost intra-African trade, inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, reduce poverty and improve living standards by promoting sustainable growth and decent jobs; notes that the AfCFTA paves the way for a fundamental transformation of the continent’s development prospects;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. W~~elcomes the~~hile recognizing the potential positive shift in EU- Africa relations towards a partnership on an equal footing, allowing both sides to pursue their own interests but also to identify common areas of cooperation~~; stresses that free, fair and sustainable trade facilita~~, recalls that a deep asymmetry in EU and Africa trade and economic relations still exists; stresses that the principle of policy coherence for development as enshrined in Article 208 TFEU must remain the core of future EU-Africa trade relations. and be implementesd in~~clusive economic growth and s~~ line with the Union’s commitment to achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable dDevelopment ~~and contributes to poverty reduction~~Goals; believes that priority should be given to human development, eradication of poverty, addressing social exclusion and inequality, promote gender equality, climate change mitigation and adaptation, fight against hunger and food sovereignty; highlights, in this regard, the importance of the new partnership agreement between the EU and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the upcoming summit between the African Union and the EU, and innovative initiatives such as the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the EU to actively support the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an ambitious economic integration initiative which presents a major opportunity for African countries to boost inclusive growth, enable sustainable development, reduce poverty and improve living standards; notes that the AfCFTA paves the way for a fundamental transformation of the continent’s development prospects;

Amendment 21 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Underlines that enhancing the quality of intercontinental trade will require regularising mobility and migration on the African continent; insists - though trade policy may, in certain circumstances, minimise forced migration through job creation - neither the EU’s trade policy nor its development assistance should be leveraged to secure third countries’ cooperation on migration, which could undermine the EU’s principles and values and the primary objective of poverty reduction; recalls, in this regard, that forced migration can only be resolved by creating legal pathways, enhancing international protection and addressing the broader development, political, climate and humanitarian crises that lead to forced displacement;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Recalls the statement of the UN Economic Commission for Africa indicating that it believes the economic partnership agreements between the EU and African countries could have negative consequences for intra-African trade; points out that none of the EPAs in place today correspond to the existing 8 Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa, thereby undermining their integration dynamics; stresses that a partnership of equals entails to take into account the concerns of African countries in terms of economic diversification, industrialisation, loss of government revenues and regional integration;

Amendment 23 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Believes that the AU-EU partnership should seek to build on potential synergies, and deploy accompanying measures to contribute to the African priority of sustainable and green industrialisation; underlines that the long-term objective of industrial development needs to be appropriately matched by short-term programmes and initiatives that ensure continuity and coherence with regional and continental frameworks, especially by building on existing initiatives like the Boosting Intra- Africa Trade initiative (BIAT) of the African Union;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Underlines that EU-Africa trade and economic cooperation should give priority to regional integration on the African continent; calls for the Union to step up its support for African integration strategies and ensure that there is consistency between the continental, regional and national levels at which it is implemented;

Amendment 25 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Emphasises that the AfCFTA should make for integration that benefits all African populations, including the most marginalised; recalls that there are developmental differences between African countries which must be taken into account in order not to increase inequalities.

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Urges the EU to acknowledge diverging views on EPAs, to find concrete solutions to respond to African countries concerns and to refrain from launching or broadening EPA negotiations, including through the “rendez-vous” clauses unless ACP countries proactively make such demand; more broadly, reiterates its request to have an in-depth analysis on the impact of EPAs, and its compliance with the SDGs and the principle of Policy Coherence for Development;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Points out that the “Aid for trade” agenda should play a role in mobilizing resources to address trade-related constraints, financing infrastructure needs and helping to build the capacity of African countries to establish appropriate regulatory structures;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. EIs of the opinion that EPAs should be considered to be, first and foremost, an instrument of development cooperation rather than trade liberalisation; regrets that current EPAs place too much weight on trade liberalisation, which prevents the consolidation of nascent industries in the African countries due to competition of EU products; emphasises that economic partnership agreements ~~need to~~should support and be coherent with the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA, contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, and help to boost and diversify intra-African trade; calls for chapters ensuring consistency with development needs and policies and the UN sustainable development goals to always be included, monitored and implemented; stresses the need to generate economic opportunities for African women, especially by providing them with ICTs skills and encouraging employers to hire more women, and improve gender equality in all social fields across the continent;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that economic partnership agreements need to support the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA, contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, and help to boost and diversifyCalls for the systematic inclusion of binding and enforceable mechanisms for the implementation of TSD chapters on human rights, labour and environmental standards in all currently negotiated and future EPAs; reiterates the need of an in-depth analysis on the impact of EPAs and trade liberalization agreements on African countries, intra- African ~~trade; calls for chapters ensuring consistency with development needs and policies and the UN sustainable development goals to always be included and implemented~~markets and local economies and the need to review these agreements in order for them to be coherent with the SDGs and Article 208 of the TFEU;

Amendment 3 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes the positive~~Calls for a more pronounced shift in EU- Africa relations towards a partnership on an equal footing, allowing both sides to pursue their own interests but also to identify common areas of cooperation; ~~stresses that free, fair and sustainable trade facilitates inclusive economic growth and sustainable development and contributes to poverty reduc~~notes that trade liberalization on its own cannot ensure the attainment of development objectives without taking into account the economic, social and environmental impact of FTAs; stresses that fair and sustainable trade facilitates inclusive economic growth and sustainable development and contributes to poverty reduction by enabling sustainable agricultural development, ensuring food security, boosting green industrialisation, creating employment opportunities and promoting regional integration; highlights, in this regard, the importance of the new partnership agreement between the EU and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the upcoming summit between the African Union and the EU, and joint innovative initiatives such as the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that eEconomic pPartnership aAgreements (EPAs) need to support the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA, and contribute to the building of resilient, and sustainable local and regional value chains, ~~and help to~~ boosting and diversifying intra- African trade; ~~calls for chapters ensuring consist~~underlines that the interim EPAs do not have a specific trade and sustainable development chapter; and accordingly, calls for the systematic and consistent inclusion and implementation of Trade and Sustainable Development chapters on human rights, labour and environmental standards in all currently negotiated and future EPAs, ensuring coherencye with development needs and policies and the ~~UN sustainable development goals to always be included and impl~~SDGs, especially with regard to their impact on deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss and the ILO Decent work agenda; in addition, stresses the importance of including the objective of combating forced labour and child labour in TSD chapters of Union trade agreementeds;

Amendment 31 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that economic partnership agreements need to support the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA, contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, and help to boost and diversify intra-African trade; calls for chapters ensuring consistency with development needs and policies and the UN sustainable development goals to always be included and implemented; recalls that the implementation of sustainability chapters must be accompanied in parallel by capacity building through the EU’s development assistance and other investments to assist partner countries in honouring their commitments, and that civil society actors should be further involved in monitoring; insists that, in order for EPAs to positively contribute to development on the African continent, a significant effort must be made by the EU to simplify and harmonise Rules of Origin at the international level and to provide technical support to ensure that EU standards are not experienced as non- tarriff barriers to trade;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that economic partnership agreements need to support the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA, contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, and help to boost and diversify intra-African trade; welcomes the EU's existing "stepping stone" agreements made with Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, as well as the launch of a strategic dialogue with Kenya that aims to implement elements of the concluded EPA bilaterally where progress as a whole is stalled; calls on the EU to pursue this process with other states where possible; calls for chapters ensuring consistency with development needs and policies and the UN sustainable development goals to always be included and implemented;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 34 #

Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Stresses that trade liberalization could have an impact on deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss as well as on food production and access to food. Believes that the future EU-Africa trade and investment relations should be based on a commercial policy that favours the defence of forests and biodiversity, the development of local agriculture and local producers and farmers, to promote full food sovereignty and to reduce the phenomenon of land grabbing and deforestation for agricultural export use.

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Points out that EPAs can potentially undermine African continental trade integration because of their fragmented nature and non-alignment with existing regional frameworks; underlines that the current orientation of EPAs could thwart the efforts of African countries to industrialise; regrets that labour rights commitments in EPAs are weak and that there is no guarantee that jobs created in partner countries will comply with the standards laid down in the ILO core conventions;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Calls on the EU to review export tax restrictions and WTO + TRIPS+ provisions in current and future EPAs and FTAs, to allow African countries to better answer to the economic and health crisis and make full use of compulsory licensing; reiterates its calls on the Commission to support, at all levels of the WTO, the proposal for a temporary waiver on IPRs for COVID 19 vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and equipment, and to engage in text-based discussions without further delay;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Notes that, despite the large abolishment of export subsidies and coupled subsidy payments, CAP direct payments to EU farmers continue to account for up to 50% of total farm income in the EU; regrets that EU spending in agricultural development in African countries is small in relation to the needs for innovation and increase of production capacity; calls on the Commission and Member States to provide more support to African agricultural development;

Amendment 39 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Calls for reviewing the economic policies and the so called "structural reforms" promoted in the last decades by the IMF and the World Bank and also by African and European countries, which have increased African and southern countries’ dependence on debt, privatized common and strategic goods and weakened public sectors, increased social inequalities and the precariousness of work.

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the positive ~~shift~~change in EU- Africa relations towards a partnership on an equal footing, allowing both sides to pursue their own interests but also to identify common areas of cooperation; stresses that free, fair, and sustainable trade facilitates inclusive economic growth ~~and~~, sustainable development, and contributes to poverty reduction; ~~highlights,~~ in this regard, highlights the importance of the new pPartnership aAgreement between the EU and ~~the~~ members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the ~~upcoming summit~~need to ensure coherence between ~~the~~its Africa~~n Union and the EU, and~~ Protocol and the upcoming AU-EU Summit, as well as innovative initiatives such as the EU mMulti- stakeholder dDialogue for sSustainable ~~cocoa~~Cocoa; in this respect, calls on the EU to actively support policies to develop cocoa processing at the local, national and regional level;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Is deeply concerned that EPAs with countries of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) have boosted a large volume of EU dairy exports to Western African countries, especially milk powder, which hinder local production, aggravate unemployment, contribute to food insecurity and consolidate rural malaise;

Amendment 41 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3 d. Points out that the inclusion of the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause in the EPAs could pose a threat to the AfCFTA; stresses that the principle of reciprocity between all countries, whatever their situation, should be replaced by reciprocity between equals, differentiating between those who find themselves in very different situations;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the reform of the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development and economic diversification, reduce poverty and ensure respect for human rights; welcomes, in particular, the aim to facilitate increased economic growth and job creation in developing countries on the African continent; stresses that enhanced social and environmental conditionality to benefit from preferential trade preferences should be embedded into the technical and financial assistance projects under the NDICI-Global Europe instrument. targeting notably those benefiting from the special arrangements given their vulnerability and lack of economic diversification; calls on the EU to make sure that European tTrade policy does not contradict efforts byfrom African partners to establish viable economic structures.; calls, accordingly, for the removal of the provisions in the GSP Regulation which are linked to EU interests only, namely those conditionalities linked to migration and access to raw materials; recalls that the GSP regime should support the regional integration process of the African continent;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the reform of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty and ensure respect for human rights; welcomes, in particular, the aim to facilitate increased economic growth and job creation in developing countries on the African continent; calls on the EU to make sure that European trade policy does not contradict efforts by African partners to establish viable economic structures., particularly in agriculture, which is a key sector for job creation, tackling food insecurity and malnutrition;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the reform of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty and ensure respect for human rights; welcomes, in particular, the aim to facilitate increased economic growth and job creation in developing countries on the African continent; ~~calls on~~urges the EU to ~~make~~ ensure that European trade policy towards Africa is fully in line with the principle of Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and that it does not contradict efforts by African partners to establish viable economic structures.

Amendment 45 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the reform of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty and ensure respect for human rights, in order to meet today’s challenges, shortcomings and ambitions; welcomes, in particular, the aim to facilitate increased economic growth and job creation in developing countries on the African continent; calls on the EU to make sure that European trade policy does not contradict efforts by African partners to establish viable economic structures., for example in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the reform of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty and ensure respect for human rights; welcomes, in particular, the aim to facilitate export diversification, increased economic growth and job creation in developing countries on the African continent; calls on the EU to make sure that European trade policy does not contradict efforts by African partners to establish viable economic structures.

Amendment 47 #

4. Welcomes the reform of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty and ensure respect for human rights; welcomes, in particular, the aim to facilitate increased economic growth ~~and~~, job creation, stimuli to investment and the development of the private sector in developing African countries; calls on the EU to make sure that European trade policy does not contradict efforts by African partners to establish viable economic structures.

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Stresses that Africa is a key geographical priority in the EU's new trade strategy; underlines in this regard the importance of a more robust dialogue between the EU and Africa, a deepening of trade agreements in response to increased demand from African partners for the partnership to be extended beyond the trade in goods, and the implementation of initiatives to facilitate investment;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes that the development of deeper economic and trade ties with Africa necessitates further development of transport and digital infrastructure with and within Africa, which in turn requires modern, sustainable investments on a large scale, respecting in particular social and environmental standards and the Paris agreement, and which can only be achieved by leveraging public and private financing; stresses that the EU and European businesses should get fully involved in developing such infrastructure, also in view of keeping a strong EU presence on the ground to balance the activities of other players; welcomes in this regard the newly adopted Joint Communication Global Gateway, which pays particular attention to Africa and aims to address the infrastructure- financing gap in low and middle-income countries, which has widened greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and help develop their climate, energy, transport and digital infrastructure and strengthen their health and education systems; emphasises, in particular, the importance to facilitate investment in sustainable infrastructure and regulatory environment for the local production of medicine and medical technologies, to help integrate the current fragmented markets;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the positive shift in EU- Africa relations towards a partnership on an equal footing, based on reciprocity and mutual benefit, exceeding a donor- recipient relationship, allowing both sides to pursue their own interests but also to identify common areas of cooperation; stresses that free, fair and sustainable trade facilitates inclusive economic growth and sustainable development and contributes to poverty reduction; highlights, in this regard, the importance of the new partnership agreement between the EU and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the upcoming summit between the African Union and the EU, and innovative initiatives such as the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Believes that a crucial element for the sustainable development of the African countries and a fair partnership with the EU is to guarantee local and national public control over common goods and natural resources, which guarantees the possibility for countries to have domestic economic resources and to invest in human development; calls therefore on the Commission to include safeguard clauses intrade and investment agreements with African countries to prevent the risk of privatization of common goods and public sectors such as education, health and water.

Amendment 51 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes the mobilisation of up to €300 billion between 2021 and 2027 under the Global Gateway initiative, which, if well-designed, could boost local and regional development and facilitate intercontinental trade; calls on the Commission to ensure that sustainable trade and development are at the core of this initiative, inter alia, by focusing on updating border and transport infrastructure, targeting SMEs and ensuring that investments are easily accessible to them by limiting any unnecessary red tape;

Amendment 52 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Considers that the EU-African partnership should especially support female and youth entrepreneurship in rural and urban areas, and that to do so it is essential to support equal access to economic and productive resources such as financial services and land rights; calls for the development of exchanges between African and European female entrepreneurs by means of platforms that enable networking, experience-sharing and the production of common projects;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Recalls that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on financing for development highlighted the need to mobilise more domestic resources for achieving SDGs; recalls that one of the main objectives for African countries is to climb up the global value chain through economic diversification; but recalls that commodity dependence remains one of the main development challenges for poorer African economies, which failed by and large to diversify their export;

Amendment 54 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Supports ongoing initiatives to ensure that EU trade policy fosters sustainable production and consumption; eagerly awaits the forthcoming legislative proposal on the Sustainable Product Initiative; recalls the European Parliament’s overwhelming support for an ambitious legislative proposal on mandatory corporate due diligence, which would fundamentally transform supply and value chains and ensure that EU- Africa trade relations contribute to sustainable development; calls upon the European Commission to ensure continuous and broad consultation with relevant stakeholders throughout the legislative process for the abovementioned initiatives, especially civil society organisations in the EU and Africa.

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recalls that the EU request to ban export taxes on raw materials has been a long-lasting stumbling block in the negotiation process on EPAs; stresses that for those economies which almost exclusively base its revenues on the exploitation of natural resources, prohibition of such taxes may lock them in aid dependency, while hampering their economic diversification; stresses the right of African countries to regulate raw materials in their public interest and calls on the EU to refrain from adopting a trade policy that, as a general rule, prohibits African countries from levying export taxes on raw materials, insofar as it is WTO-compatible;

Amendment 56 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Reiterates its call for an EU legal framework based on corporate mandatory due diligence on human rights violations in supply chains and provide access to justice for victims; believes that such obligations should be cross-sectorial and apply in particular to the financial sector; invites the Commission to continue and reinforce its engagement in the negotiations for the establishment of a UN Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and OBE with respect to Human Rights.

Amendment 57 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recalls that the position of women can be strengthened with strong provisions in trade agreements on gender and trade; calls in this regard on the Commission to assist the African Union with the implementation of its Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and to implement measures that contribute to the achievement of gender equality in its trade agreements with African countries;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Stresses the key role attributed to the EU External Investment Plan (EIP), and notably the European Fund for Sustainable Development as its first pillar, for shaping EU trade and investment policy towards Africa, in parallel with the EPAs; recalls its emphasis put on improving the investment climate in partner countries; stresses that the EU’s commitment to boost private sector investment for achieving the SDGs shall be tantamount to the definition of mandatory human rights, social rights and environmental due diligence obligations, based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights, which shall apply to the whole value chain and include provisions on access to justice;

Amendment 59 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Calls on the EU and its member states to make a commitment to support African countries to implement ambitious and just climate action; calls on the EU that financing under the new NDICI instrument must champion a human rights-based approach that makes local communities and indigenous peoples central to climate, environmental and development efforts, starting with civil society and community consultation;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the positive shift in EU- Africa relations towards a partnership on an equal footing, allowing both sides to pursue their own interests but also to identify common areas of cooperation; stresses that free, fair and sustainable trade facilitates inclusive economic growth and sustainable development and contributes to poverty reduction; highlights, in this regard, the importance of the new partnership agreement between the EU and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the upcoming summit between the African Union and the EU, and innovative initiatives such as the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa and the sustainable forestry initiative;

Amendment 60 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Recalls that African economies are spending up to five times their health budgets on debt repayments; urges the Commission, the G20 and EU member states, international financial institutions and donors to take more decisive and urgent action on debt relief, with a view to a full cancellation of debt;

Amendment 61 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Recalls that Africa is home to exceptional biodiversity; expresses its deep concern about over exploitation of natural resources and the impact of reduced biodiversity on resilience levels; is particularly concerned by the fact that the pace of deforestation is increasing in Africa; points out that the destruction of the African rainforests leads to an irreversible loss of biodiversity and of carbon sinks, as well as of the homes and ways of life of indigenous communities living in the forests; recalls that forests contribute significantly to reaching climate targets, protecting biodiversity and preventing desertification and extremes oil erosion;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Urges the EU to better anchor its trade and investment engagement with Africa on African priorities and initiatives, notably the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and supporting African institutions and trade stakeholders; more broadly, calls on the EU to fully commit to the principle of Policy Coherence for Development, especially in a context where the design of the EU External Investment Plan results in integrating EU aid with EU trade interests and private sector promotion to support geostrategic ambitions;

Amendment 63 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Recalls the importance of supporting small holder farmers and the development of local products and markets in order to promote food sovereignty , avoiding the promotion of an exclusively export-oriented model of agriculture that could contribute to deforestation and land grabbing processes;

Amendment 64 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Calls for the link between public health and biodiversity in line with the ‘one health’ approach to be taken into account; welcomes the announcement of the NaturAfrica initiative, which aims to protect wildlife and ecosystems, and the review of the action plan against wildlife trafficking; stresses that the NaturAfrica initiative should be developed in consultation with all stakeholders, paying particular attention to the rights of local communities, indigenous peoples, and women; underlines that it should support African governments and local populations in tackling major drivers of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation in a holistic and systematic way, including by offering support for well managed protected area networks; urges the EU and Africa to recognise and protect indigenous people’s rights to customary ownership and control of their lands and natural resources as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and International Labour Organization Convention 169, and to comply with the principle of free, prior and informed consent;

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Warns against developing a double standard policy regarding the rights and obligations of corporations in investment and trade treaties;notes with deep concern that international investment agreements (IIA) usually include the Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism (ISDS), which triggered off an unprecedented boom of claims against African countries between 2013 and 2018, with European investors initiating the majority of the lawsuits[1]; [1] “ISDS in numbers. Impacts of Investment Arbitration against African States”, Transnational Institute (October 2019)

Amendment 66 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Highlights the importance of the commitment of Article 83 of the new partnership agreement between the EU and the OACPS countries to “undertake measures to tackle tax avoidance, tax evasion and other harmful tax practices"; calls on the EU to include in the trade and investment agreements concrete and enforceable measures to support African countries in combatting illicit financial flows and tax evasion by EU companies and multinationals, to ensure taxes are paid where profits and real economic value is created, in order to stop base erosion and profit-shifting;

Amendment 67 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4 f. Points out the central importance of the agricultural and food sectors in the economy and in providing decent and sustainable job opportunities in rural areas; underlines that this, in most cases, concerns smallholdings and family farms; notes the importance of promoting and enhancing measures and tools to support increasing product quality, diversification of products, sustainable modernisation of agricultural practices, safe working conditions and measures to strengthen the resilience of farmers; considers that the development of a sustainable agricultural sector and of rural areas should be at the centre of EU-Africa relations;

Amendment 68 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4 f. Stresses the need to shift the focus away from a system that prioritizes investor protection to one that emphasizes the advancement of national and global development goals through sustainable investment;

Amendment 69 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 g (new)

4 g. Welcomes the fact that the new EU-Africa partnership advocates for the development of environmentally friendly agricultural practices; recalls the fact that agroecology’s capacity to reconcile the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability has been recognised in landmark reports from the IPCC and IPBES, as well as the World Bank and FAO-led global agricultural assessment (IAASTD); stresses the importance of promoting agroecology, agroforestry, local production and sustainable food systems which focus on the development of short supply chains in both national policies and international fora, in order to ensure food and nutritional security for all as well as increasing the sustainable productivity of the agricultural sector and its resilience to climate change;

Amendment 7 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the positive shift in EU- Africa relations towards a partnership on an equal footing, allowing both sides to pursue their own interests but also to identify common areas of cooperation; stresses that free, fair and sustainable trade should facilitates sustainable and inclusive economic growth and sustainable development and should contributes to poverty reduction; highlights, in this regard, the importance of the new partnership agreement between the EU and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the upcoming summit between the African Union and the EU, and innovative initiatives such as the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa;

Amendment 70 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 g (new)

4 g. Urges the EU to review its investment treaties, to ensure a fair balance between rights and obligations for investors to respect human rights, the environment, and refrain from illegal action, such as corruption and fraud; stresses the need to include obligations on home states to support sustainable investment and allow victims to seek justice in the home state of the investor;

Amendment 71 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 h (new)

4 h. Underlines that the use of pesticides in intensive agriculture in Africa can impact the health of workers who have very little access to training on plant protection and healthcare, in addition to causing environmental damage; calls for education and training in sustainable plant protection approaches and alternatives to pesticides and for the minimisation of exposure to hazardous substances; denounces the double standards applied by the EU regarding pesticides by allowing the export of hazardous substances that are banned in the EU to African countries and other third countries; asks, therefore, for the modification of the current EU rules in order to eliminate this legal incoherence, in line with the Rotterdam Convention of 1998 and the Green Deal;

Amendment 72 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 h (new)

4 h. Calls on the Commission to promote sustainable investments to advance towards a carbon-free economy, in line with its pledge in the Glasgow Climate Pact, while ensuring a responsible and sustainable sourcing and management of natural resources and raw materials, as well as sustainable waste management in line with its Green Deal objectives;

Amendment 73 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 i (new)

4 i. Encourages African countries, at a time when UNICA reports that many of the investments treaties concluded in the 1990s-early 2000s have recently expired or are about to expire, to review and reform its investment and double taxation treaties according to their development needs; to this effect, believes that the African Continental Free Trade Area and the ongoing regional integration efforts provide a good opportunity to rebalance the international investment regime so that it becomes responsible, equitable and conducive to sustainable development;

Amendment 74 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 i (new)

4 i. Is deeply concerned about the high dependence of African states on food imports, especially from the European Union, particularly when these imports are made up of subsidised products whose low price represents harmful competition for small-scale agriculture in Africa;

Amendment 75 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 j (new)

4 j. Is concerned by the Common Agricultural Policy-supported exports of European milk powder to West Africa, given that the tripling of exports since the EU lifted its milk quotas in 2015 has had disastrous consequences for local herders and farmers who cannot compete; calls on the Commission to work on solutions with African governments and stakeholders; is concerned that this asymmetric relation is intensifying the root causes for migration;

Amendment 76 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 j (new)

4 j. Underlines that the disruptions triggered by COVID-19 have shone a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of the global food system; urges the Commission to develop a strategy to gradually shift away from trade-oriented agricultural policies to local and regional markets, which hold major potential to address current food system failures;

Amendment 77 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 k (new)

4 k. Is worried about the high dependence of African states on food imports from the EU, particularly subsidised products that represent harmful competition for small-scale local agriculture; calls on the EU to ensure that its trade and investment policy respects inter alia the 2018 UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas; the FAO Voluntary Guidelines of Tenure, Land and Forests and for Securing Sustainable Small Scale Fisheries, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent, as set out in the ILO Convention 169;

Amendment 78 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 k (new)

4 k. Recalls that hunger and food insecurity are again increasing across the world and that they will continue to increase unless prompt action is taken, and that Africa is significantly off track to achieve the zero hunger target (SDG 2) in 2030; recalls that the end of malnutrition in all its forms and SDG 2 should be considered as priorities in the new partnership, with particular attention paid to people in the most vulnerable situations;

Amendment 79 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE, Michèle RIVASI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 l (new)

4 l. Underlines the trade-related impact of the digitisation of economic activities and its associated trade-in- services dynamics; reminds that African countries need to preserve and expand their policy space to undertake digital industrialisation; urges the EU to take on board African priorities and to refrain from negotiating digital clauses in investment agreements that would restrict their ability to regulate, redistribute the profits, improve their public services or hinder their local technological development strategy;

Amendment 8 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Welcomes the new EU Trade Strategy published in February 2021, which places a special focus on Africa and highlights the need to promote greater sustainability in line with the commitment of fully implementing both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2017 EU Joint Aid for Trade Strategy to support enhanced integration in the world economy of vulnerable developing countries;

Amendment 80 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 l (new)

4 l. Stresses that COVID-19 and the ensuing economic crisis and closure of borders, locust infestations and desertification have deteriorated the already difficult food security situation in Africa and shone a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of the global food system; stresses the potential of local and regional markets to address current food system failures;

Amendment 81 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 m (new)

4 m. Calls for the EU-Africa partnership to focus its efforts in the area of agriculture on safeguarding African countries’ right to food sovereignty and on increasing their food security as a priority, as well as enhancing their capacity to meet the nutritional requirements of their populations;

Amendment 82 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 n (new)

4 n. Emphasises the essential role of rural African women in agricultural and rural economies across the African continent, in particular with regard to food security; recalls that almost half of agricultural work in Africa is done by women, while women farmers are mostly small or subsistence farmers who do not have the necessary access to information, credit, land, resources or technology; encourages the advancement of inheritance rights for women and girls and calls on the EU to support partner countries, particularly regarding their recognition of women’s full entitlement to land rights;

Amendment 83 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 o (new)

4 o. Emphasises the importance of supporting small farms and pastoralism and other traditional/local food systems in order to strengthen their resilience and boost their contribution to food security, sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation;

Amendment 84 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 p (new)

4 p. Calls for a stronger reliance on the contributions of African traditional knowledge in the just transition, especially regarding agricultural practices, fisheries and forest protection, thereby empowering the African people and local communities;

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 q (new)

4 q. Stresses the importance of including, in the EU-Africa partnership, the protection and promotion of the right of local communities to access and control natural resources such as land and water; deplores the fact that land grabbing is rife in Africa; points out that it is a brutal practice that undermines food sovereignty and endangers rural African communities; stresses the importance of launching an inclusive process with the aim of guaranteeing the effective participation of civil society organisations and local communities in the development, implementation and monitoring of policies and actions related to land grabbing; calls for the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) to be observed in all projects that promote the protection of land rights, including in trade, and also for measures to ensure that projects do not endanger the land rights of small-scale farmers;

Amendment 86 #

Maria NOICHL, Eric ANDRIEU, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Karsten LUCKE, Patrizia TOIA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 r (new)

4 r. Notes that, for example, grazing rights and community pastures are traditional land use rights based on common law and not on securitised property rights; emphasises, however, the fundamental importance of protecting these common rights for rural populations;

Amendment 87 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Considers that the key issue of food security in developing countries must be tackled through targeted investment in sustainable agricultural development, modern transport networks and appropriate storage infrastructure;

Amendment 88 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses that deepening and expanding economic partnership agreements must go hand in hand with strong support for the AfCFTA, as the two are mutually reinforcing;

Amendment 89 #

4b. Calls on the Commission to provide intensive, sustainable support to African countries in the management of natural resources and ecosystems in order to establish an innovative, climate- resistant agricultural sector and sustainable global value chains in agricultural and food production;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Stresses that fair trade between the EU and Africa entails that African products access the EU market without the same degree of reciprocity for EU goods, given that some degree of protection is necessary to ensure the development of competitive and sustainable agriculture systems and nascent green industries in Africa;

Amendment 90 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Considers that the equal partnership between the EU and Africa should be further deepened so that the UN sustainable development goals, particularly those concerned with global food supply, can be achieved as quickly as possible;

Amendment 91 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4d. Considers that EPAs should improve the ability of African countries to exploit trade opportunities in the areas of food security, health care and poverty reduction;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4e. Notes that Africa is seriously affected by the impact of climate change and that joint action to mitigate climate change, adapt to the consequences of climate change and respond to increasing environmental problems is needed; stresses that the 'zero hunger' sustainability goal and thus the promotion of sustainable agricultural and food production by 2030 will be of particular importance;

Amendment 93 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4f. Notes that water might become a scarce resource as a result of climate change and that greater importance should therefore be accorded to water supply, and that the EU and Africa should together develop sustainable solutions to water management;

source: 704.928

2022/02/15 AGRI 98 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Underlines that Africa is and will remain a key partner of the EU, in particular in common challenges on sustainable agriculture and food security; believes that the EU and Africa can build back better after COVID-19 and truly deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 ‘Zero Hunger in 2030’; stresses that this will require greater commitments from both sides to form a closer and more effective partnership, based on mutual interest, strategic priorities, structured and effective cooperation and clear long-term goals;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that most African countries, in particular LDCs (least developed countries) and African signatories to EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements), enjoy duty-free and quota- free access to EU markets; draws attention, in this context, to the need for the EU to ensure that any unfair or anti- competitive practices on the internal market are averted, and especially those arising from the import of agri-food products;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that most African countries, in particular LDCs (least developed countries) and African signatories to EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements), enjoy duty-free and quota- free access to EU markets, thereby undermining the cultivation of crops such as olives, citrus fruits, cotton and pistachios in southern Europe;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that by 2050, the population of Africa will have doubled, from some 1.2 billion people to some 2.4 billion and that, by the same year, 50% of the global population less than 25 years old will be in Africa; in this connection, an exponential increase in the population with a rising middle class will require a proportional increase in food supplies, and therefore the agri-food sector should open up avenues of economic and employment opportunities for young Africans, whose participation will also be essential to ensuring generational replacement and renewing the agri-food system;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Draws attention to the need to strike a balance between, on the one hand, stepping up EU-Africa trade relations and, on the other hand, full compliance by both parties with EU economic, social, environmental, health, safety and quality standards, with a view to protecting European citizens and preventing unfair competition on the internal market;

Amendment 14 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Draws attention to the need for imports from Africa, and especially agri- food products, to meet EU health, safety and quality standards, including those relating to the use of hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that better trade opportunities alone will not guarantee food security in developing countries; notes that LDCs often have difficulties in profiting from preferential access to EU markets due to poor price transmission between international and domestic markets, as well as a lack of infrastructure and recurring economic instability;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that better trade opportunities alone will not guarantee food security in developing countries; notes that LDCs often have difficulties in profiting from preferential access to EU markets due to poor price transmission between international and domestic markets and advocates European investment to support the development of African countries-;

Amendment 17 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Is concerned about the fragile integration of OACPS countries and the detrimental impacts of the EPAs for the survival of their agricultural producers, livestock keepers and fishermen; highlights the dependence of African states on food imports from the EU, particularly subsidised products that represent harmful competition for small- scale local agriculture; recalls its view that stable investment and (wo)manpower for developing a resilient African food chain for regional circuits under African ownership could best contribute to increasing the health and wellbeing of African people;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Stresses that the agricultural sector provides a lot of employment possibilities in Africa and has an important impact on the income of people, especially in rural areas;

Amendment 19 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Calls on the Commission to enable OACPS countries, including with technical and financial support, to protect their infant industries, support small-scale farming and meet EU and international sustainability standards for exporting their agricultural products

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)

-1 a. Points out that the European Union and Africa share the objective to transform the way we produce, distribute and consume our food; therefore, cooperation between the EU and its African partners must focus on the central issue of food supply, for instance with targeted investments in a sustainable agricultural revolution that provides African farmers with the means to make farming resistant to climatic related challenges, while improving productivity and increasing the income of smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of the African agriculture; underlines in this regard the high potential of public- private-partnership and microfinancing to further empower local farmers;

Amendment 20 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines the need for sustainable and innovative policies that enable African states to ‘leapfrog’ older and more polluting technologies and agricultural practices with the goal of an ecological and social transition to sustainable agri-food practices;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines the need for sustainable and innovative policitical measures that en~~abl~~courage African states to ‘leapfrog’ older and more polluting technologies with the goal of an ecological and social transition to sustainable agri-food practices; calls on the Commission, in this regard, to ensure a just transition towards compliance in African states with the commitments on environmental, labour and climate standards and on maintaining high safety and quality standards, but without this impacting on EU-Africa trade operations;

Amendment 22 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines the need for sustainable and innovative policies that enable African states to ‘leapfrog’ older and more polluting technologies with the goal of an ecological and social transition to sustainable agri-food practices; points out, further, that the African continent faces the challenge of increasing farm yields and productivity, along with the proportion of expenditure on capital goods, to speed up the process of food production and processing;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Underlines the importance of research and innovation in encouraging sustainable agricultural practices and productive dryland agro-ecosystems and food systems; calls, in this regard, for a stronger reliance on the contributions of African traditional knowledge in the just transition, especially regarding agricultural practices, fisheries and forest protection, thereby empowering the African people and local communities;

Amendment 24 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Underlines that trade by respecting fair conditions should be the baseline for European exports and imports of food and other agricultural products; stresses, at the same time, the need to ensure that agricultural exports do no contradict the goal to establish a more resilient food sector in Africa;

Amendment 25 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes the new EU trade strategy, which will promote sustainable trade and investment links both between the continents and within Africa itself, including in the field of agriculture;

Amendment 26 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Believes that the EU should increase its support for the development of environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture in African countries, with particular emphasis on the preservation of family farms and diversification of production; is concerned about the increasing expansion of highly industrialised farms based on monocultures, which contribute to deepen social inequalities and soil erosion;

Amendment 27 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Believes that the EU can contribute to significantly reduce Africa’s current dependence on imports of food, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, through financial and technical support, policy dialogue, knowledge exchange, new technologies as well as by promoting African innovation;

Amendment 28 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Stresses the need to help African countries to reduce the use of pesticides banned in the European Union through the development of alternative systems for pest control; highlights the inconsistency of the European Union in allowing exports to African and other third countries of pesticides that are not permitted in the EU internal market; calls for the swift ending of this inconsistency, as it is in complete contradiction to the spirit of the Green Deal;

Amendment 29 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Emphasises that economic partnership agreements need to support the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA, contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, and help to boost and diversify intra-African trade;

Amendment 3 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Underlines that the communication of the European Commission ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’ rightly declares that the EU and Africa must address the challenges of nutrition and food security by boosting safe and sustainable agri-food systems in order to increase the efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of ‘Zero Hunger in 2030’; stresses that the strategy rightly points out that an EU- Africa partnership on agriculture would support local production and integrate environment and biodiversity concerns, including setting sanitary and phytosanitary standards and the protection of natural resources;

Amendment 30 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Emphasises that breeding techniques and genomic techniques must be an important part of strengthening food production in Africa, for instance to have crops that are more resistant to extreme weather conditions or to increase the nutritional value of certain food products; calls on the Commission to contribute to this through research, shared knowledge and good practices; underlines that this can strengthen local communities, which in turn can boost trade between the EU and Africa;

Amendment 31 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Calls on the Commission to promote sustainable development by negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) combining the interests of European producers as well as producers in Africa, fostering development by promoting good and sustainable agricultural practices, regional integration, creating opportunities for trade and investment, improving economic governance and reducing poverty; calls for strengthening the EU’s partnership with Africa onagri- food products in the long-term perspective of a comprehensive continent-to-continent FTA;

Amendment 32 #

Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes, in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the already launched and growing initiatives of cooperatives and other agri- food enterprises and foundations in the Union to make agricultural production in Africa more sustainable and to modernise it in a responsible manner; recommends knowledge sharing as a tool;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses the importance of confronting the problem of imports of genetically modified products, toxic products with substances exceeding European limits and products that fail to comply with European green transition and livestock welfare standards;

Amendment 34 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses that the partner-like EU- Africa relationship must be stepped up; believes that the EU and Africa should cooperate as equals, empowering African nations to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses that the EU-Africa relationship must move beyond the donor- recipient relationship; believes that the EU and Africa should cooperate as equals building a genuine partnership, empowering African nations to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

Amendment 36 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses that the EU-Africa relationship must move beyond the donor- recipient relationship to a relationship based on mutual cooperation and equal partnership; believes that the EU and Africa should cooperate as equals, empowering African nations to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); notes especially SDG 2 Zero Hunger, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture, and on which goal progress has slowed in recent years;

Amendment 37 #

5. Stresses that the EU-Africa relationship must move beyond the donor- recipient relationship; believes that the EU and Africa should cooperate as equals, empowering African nations to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); recalls that resetting the partnership would mean the African Union and the EU could begin to address difficult issues derailed by the COVID pandemic, such as governance and civic space;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses that the EU-Africa relationship must move beyond the donor- recipient relationship; believes that the EU and Africa should cooperate as equals, empowering African nations to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); points out, in this connection, that Africa is the continent where hunger is growing the most, with 21% of the population going hungry, according to UNHCR figures, and stresses that Africa is a long way from achieving the goal of zero hunger (SDG 2) by 2030;

Amendment 39 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Recalls that the EU-African trade relations and initiatives, like the one one cocoa, must rely on transparent and reliable monitoring and accountability, civil society particpation securing a bottom-up approach;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Highlights that the agreement between the EU and the OACPS, initialled in April 2021, lacks mechanisms to enforce due diligence on environmental standards, human rights, and principle of free prior and informed consent, which are even more vital given the agreement's commitments to facilitate international investment agreements; stresses that the EU should take into account the different levels of development and ensure that its trade agreements are in coherence with regional economic integration priorities of the partners;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Highlights the need for civil society participation in defining trade policy of both partners, to bolster transparency and accountability; calls for the multi-stakeholder approach to be ensured via specific mechanisms to involve civil society in the development of strategies and sectoral policies;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses that the process of regional integration begun in Africa with the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area should serve as a driver to tackle unfair trade practices affecting the primary sector and to ensure reciprocity, whereby products imported into the EU meet the same environmental, health and animal welfare standards as those produced in the EU; welcomes, in this regard, the priority of applying 'mirror clauses';

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Insists that EPAs are intended to go beyond boosting trade and are meant to enhance African countries’ ability to leverage trade opportunities for sustainable development and poverty reduction; stresses that all currently negotiated and future EPAs should include ambitious provisions on a binding and enforceable Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapter aligned with the Paris Agreement; stresses further the importance of including the objective of combating forced labour and child labour in TSD chapters of Union trade agreements, given its significance in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 44 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Insists that EPAs are intended to go beyond boosting trade and are meant to enhance African countries’ ability to leverage trade opportunities for sustainable development, poverty reduction and containment of their populations;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Emphasises that the AfCFTA should make for integration that benefits all African populations, including the most marginalised; recalls that there are developmental differences between African countries which must be taken into account in order not to increase inequalities; takes the view that EU support to the AfCFTA should focus on the development of regulatory frameworks to prevent a ‘race to bottom’ of social and environmental norms;

Amendment 46 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes that only 17% of African trade flows take place between African countries and stresses the importance of further developing EPAs as building blocks for regional economic integration and increasing intra-regional trade flows in agriculture as a means of strengthening resilience and developing the potential of local and regional value chains;

Amendment 47 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Calls for an independent stand- alone complaints mechanism that is open to civil society actors, such as small farmers' cooperatives, where they can signal any breaches of rules, such as the dumping of milk powder or meat products that can sporadically collapse local markets;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Notes that in order to make the EPAs more attractive, additional elements need to be covered by the agreements, such as capacity building, encouraging women to participate in the economy, including in agriculture, and investing in the opportunities for youth in the African countries;

Amendment 49 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Ivan DAVID, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Suggests, to this end, that the European Union take into account the existence of local production sectors in Africa, and undertake to preserve and develop them rather than cause their decline through a policy of economic dumping;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Reiterates its call to shift to a trade in meat-and-carcass rather than live animals; recalls that the continent is currently amongst the top destinations for EU live animal exports;

Amendment 50 #

Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Advocates for stronger policy coherence at EU level in the context of agri-food trade~~, given the global implications of the Common Agricultural Policy and agricultural trade for~~ and the SGDs;

Amendment 51 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Advocates for stronger policy coherence at EU level in the context of ~~agri-food trade, given the global implications of the common agricultural policy and agricultural trade on~~the common agricultural policy and agri-food trade, in view of the achievement of the SGDGs;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Advocates for stronger policy coherence at EU level in the context of agri-food trade, given the global implications of ~~the common agricultural policy and~~ agricultural trade on the SGDs;

Amendment 53 #

Bert-Jan RUISSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Advocates for stronger policy coherence at EU level in the context of agri-food trade, given the potential global implications of the ~~Common Agricultural Policy and agricultural~~Farm to Fork strategy on agri-food trade for the SGDs;

Amendment 54 #

Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Tomas TOBÉ, Hildegard BENTELE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Notes that Article 208 TFEU obliges coherence between EU policies, in support of development policy; Calls for all EU trade instruments directed at OACPS countries to be aligned with the Policy Coherence for Development principle; Considers that EU support or trade partnership must not result in imposing certain models or technologies, which are often ill-adapted to other countries’ agriculture models, economies and crops, but must instead be based on collaboration, notably through training and exchanges of knowledge, giving farmers ownership, independence and right of initiative;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Calls on the Commission to push strongly for the recognition of the regionalisation principle, especially with South Africa in relation to avian influenza (HPAI), and for the compliance with all internationally agreed rules on HPAI; stresses that no embargoes should be imposed on entire Member States, but only on the affected regions within the EU; emphasizes, moreover, that embargoes should be lifted within the normal period agreed within the OIE, i.e. 28 days since the last outbreak in that country;

Amendment 56 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Recalls that hunger and food insecurity are again increasing across the world and that they will continue to increase unless prompt action is taken, and that Africa is significantly off track to achieve the zero hunger target (SDG 2) in 2030; recalls that the end of malnutrition in all its forms and SDG 2 should be considered as priorities in the new partnership, with particular attention to people in the most vulnerable situations;

Amendment 57 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Calls on the EU and its member states to make a commitment to support African countries to implement ambitious and just climate action; calls on the EU that financing under the new NDICI instrument must champion a human rights-based approach that makes local communities and indigenous peoples central to climate, environmental and development efforts, starting with civil society and community consultation;

Amendment 58 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Calls for the implementation of PCD (policy coherence for development) obligations under Article 208 to be evaluated by the EU Ombudsman, including the work of the Commission's DG Trade e.g. chief trade enforcement office;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Recalls that Africa is home to exceptional biodiversity; expresses its deep concern about ~~the~~ overexploitation of natural resources and ~~its~~the impact onf reduced biodiversity~~, and in particular the increasing pace of deforestation in Africa.~~ on resilience levels; is particularly concerned at the fact that the pace of deforestation is increasing in Africa; points out that the destruction of the African rainforests leads to an irreversible loss of biodiversity and of carbon sinks, as well as of the homes and ways of life of indigenous communities living in the forests; recalls that forests contribute significantly to reaching climate targets, protecting biodiversity and preventing desertification and extreme soil erosion;

Amendment 6 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Calls for the EU to take into account the conclusions of the Task Force for Rural Africa on the need for investment in African food chains, with the focus on value-added commodities; and calls on the EU and the Member States to actively work together with African partners to create synergies between the EU-Africa strategy and Green Deal policies, in particular the external dimension of the farm to fork strategy;

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Recalls that Africa is home to exceptional biodiversity; expresses concern about the overexploitation of natural resources and its impact on biodiversity, and in particular the increasing pace of deforestation in Africa. , notably in primary forest of the Congo Basin, which in 2020 was second only to Brazil in terms of primary forest loss, as well as in Cameroon; Reiterates that European companies have a responsibility for their value chains and urges the EU to live up to its commitments and urgently present an ambitious legislative proposal on mandatory human rights, social rights and environmental due diligence obligations for all companies operating in the EU internal market;

Amendment 61 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Calls for the link between public health and biodiversity in line with the ‘one health’ approach to be taken into account; welcomes the announcement of the NaturAfrica initiative, which aims to protect wildlife and ecosystems, and the review of the action plan against wildlife trafficking; stresses that the NaturAfrica initiative should be developed in consultation with all stakeholders, with particular attention to the rights of local communities, indigenous peoples, and women; underlines that it should support African governments and local populations in tackling major drivers of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation in a holistic and systematic way, including by offering support for well managed protected area networks; urges the EU and Africa to recognise and protect indigenous people’s rights to customary ownership and control of their lands and natural resources as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and International Labour Organization Convention 169, and to comply with the principle of free, prior and informed consent;

Amendment 63 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Is concerned by the scale of land acquisition by foreign investors in Africa, which is concentrated in countries with weaker governance structures, and represents a threat for access to land as well as water; stresses that the EU should ensure that its trade instruments and agreements serve to improve the access to land of smallholder food producers and farmers, particularly women;

Amendment 64 #

8 a. Highlights that in order to ensure that agricultural production competes equally on the European market through a level playing field, technical support and training should be offered to ensure that African actors have the opportunity and know-how to meet EU standards;

Amendment 65 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Welcomes the fact that the new EU-Africa partnership advocates for the development of environmentally friendly agricultural practices; recalls the fact that agroecology’s capacity to reconcile the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability has been recognised in landmark reports from the IPCC and IPBES, as well as the World Bank and FAO-led global agricultural assessment (IAASTD); stresses the importance of promoting agroecology, agroforestry, local production and sustainable food systems which focus on the development of short supply chains in both national policies and international forums, in order to ensure food and nutritional security for all as well as increasing the sustainable productivity of the agricultural sector and its resilience to climate change;

Amendment 66 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Notes that in EU-Africa trade relations in relation to agriculture, specific attention needs to be given to small- and medium-sized stakeholders on both sides. These actors can be a driver for growth. With tailored programmes for cooperation between European and African farmers and SMEs, knowledge and technology can be exchanged. Furthermore, African SMEs should be offered concrete technical support so as to enable their export of products and services directly to the EU;

Amendment 67 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8 c. Considers that conservation efforts centred on, for example, forests, wildlife and marine and coastal ecosystems need to be stepped up by making use of regulatory frameworks, sufficient resources and scientific data and accompanied by ecosystem restoration and management actions; calls on the EU and Africa to play a leading role in the conclusion of an ambitious global agreement at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity;

Amendment 68 #

Irène TOLLERET, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8 c. Considers that the European Union should contribute to the realisation of the Great Green Wall in the Sahel region, which will significantly contribute to putting a halt to further desertification and thereby safeguarding incomes from agriculture;

Amendment 69 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8 d. Underlines that the use of pesticides in intensive agriculture in Africa can impact the health of workers who have very little access to training on plant protection and healthcare, in addition to causing environmental damage; calls for education and training in sustainable plant protection approaches and alternatives to pesticides and for the minimisation of exposure to hazardous substances; denounces the double standards applied by the EU regarding pesticides by allowing the export of hazardous substances that are banned in the EU to African countries and other third countries; asks, therefore, for the modification of the current EU rules in order to eliminate this legal incoherence, in line with the Rotterdam Convention of 1998 and the Green Deal;

Amendment 7 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Points out that the EU is committed to supporting and promoting the global transition to sustainable agri- food systems, in line with the objectives of the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals, and to seeking to develop alliances on sustainable food systems with all its partners;

Amendment 70 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)

8 e. Points out the central importance of the agricultural and food sectors in the economy and in providing decent and sustainable job opportunities in rural areas; underlines that this in most cases concerns smallholdings and family farms; notes the importance of promoting and enhancing measures and tools to support increasing product quality, diversification of products, sustainable modernisation of agricultural practices, safe working conditions and measures to strengthen the resilience of farmers; considers that the development of a sustainable agricultural sector and of rural areas should be at the centre of EU-Africa relations;

Amendment 71 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 f (new)

8 f. Emphasises the importance of supporting small farms and pastoralism and other traditional/local food systems in order to strengthen their resilience and boost their contribution to food security, sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation;

Amendment 72 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 g (new)

8 g. Stresses the importance of the inclusion in the EU-Africa partnership of the protection and promotion of the right of local communities to access and control natural resources such as land and water; deplores the fact that land grabbing is rife in Africa; points out that it is a brutal practice that undermines food sovereignty and endangers rural African communities; stresses the importance of launching an inclusive process with the aim of guaranteeing the effective participation of civil society organisations and local communities in the development, implementation and monitoring of policies and actions related to land grabbing; calls for the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) to be observed in all projects that promote the protection of land rights, including in trade, and also for measures to ensure that projects do not endanger the land rights of small-scale farmers;

Amendment 73 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 h (new)

8 h. Regrets the lack of recognition of the strategic importance of rangelands, which cover about 43 % of the African land surface and are therefore important carbon sinks; calls on the Commission to develop, together with local communities and local stakeholders, a strategy to optimise this potential through sustainable grazing management such as that practiced by pastoralists;

Amendment 74 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 i (new)

8 i. Notes that, for example, grazing rights and community pastures are traditional land use rights based on common law and not on securitised property rights; emphasises, however, the fundamental importance of protecting these common rights for rural populations;

Amendment 75 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 j (new)

8 j. Calls for the social tensions between settled agricultural populations and nomadic pastoral communities to be addressed, notably in regions with overlapping ethnoreligious conflicts;

Amendment 76 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 k (new)

8 k. Is deeply concerned about the high dependence of African states on food imports, especially from the European Union, particularly when these imports are made up of subsidised products whose low price represents harmful competition for small-scale agriculture in Africa;

Amendment 77 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 l (new)

8 l. Is concerned at the Common Agricultural Policy-supported exporting of European milk powder to West Africa, given that the tripling of exports since the EU lifted its milk quotas in 2015 has had disastrous consequences for local herders and farmers who cannot compete; calls on the Commission to work on solutions with African governments and stakeholders; is concerned that this asymmetric relation is intensifying the root causes for migration;

Amendment 78 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 m (new)

8 m. Stresses that COVID-19 and the ensuing economic crisis and closure of borders, locust infestations and desertification have deteriorated the already difficult food security situation in Africa and shone a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of the global food system; stresses the potential of local and regional markets to address current food system failures;

Amendment 79 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 n (new)

8 n. Calls for the EU-Africa partnership to focus its efforts in the area of agriculture on safeguarding African countries’ right to food sovereignty and on increasing their food security as a priority, as well as enhancing their capacity to meet the nutritional requirements of their populations;

Amendment 8 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that most African countries, in particular LDCs (least developed countries) that are EBA (everything but arms) beneficiaries under the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) and African signatories to EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements), enjoy duty-free and quota- free access to EU markets;

Amendment 80 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 o (new)

8 o. Emphasises the essential role of rural African women in agricultural and rural economies across the African continent, in particular with regard to food security; recalls that almost half of agricultural work in Africa is done by women, while women farmers are mostly small or subsistence farmers who do not have the necessary access to information, credit, land, resources or technology; encourages the advancement of inheritance rights for women and girls and calls on the EU to support partner countries, particularly regarding their recognition of women’s full entitlement to land rights;

Amendment 81 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 p (new)

8 p. Considers that the EU-African partnership should especially support female and youth entrepreneurship in rural and urban areas, and that to do so it is essential to support equal access to economic and productive resources such as financial services and land rights; calls for the development of exchanges between African and European female entrepreneurs by means of platforms that enable networking, experience-sharing and the production of common projects;

Amendment 82 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 q (new)

8 q. Stresses that women who work in subsistence agriculture face additional hurdles in maintaining food sovereignty due to the strong protection of new plant varieties by the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in trade agreements;

Amendment 83 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 r (new)

8 r. Emphasises the importance of rural transformation and strengthening local, regional and transparent value chains in order to create sustainable jobs, avoid human rights violations and mitigate climate change; stresses the need to support young people and women, in particular through training, access to credit and access to markets; calls for their involvement in formulating agricultural policies and for support for collective action through small producer organisations;

Amendment 84 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 s (new)

8 s. Welcomes the proposal of the Task Force for Rural Africa for the establishment of a Europe-Africa twinning programme linking agricultural bodies of EU Member States and partner countries in Africa with the aim of sharing sustainable best practices and fostering relationships between strongly engaged and similar partners;

Amendment 85 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Ivan DAVID, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Recalls, lastly, that Africa will have a population of four billion by the end of the century, and that it is of vital interest for the European Union to help it secure its food autonomy in order to prevent the huge wave of immigration to which undernourishment in Africa would give rise;

Amendment 86 #

Ivan DAVID, Sylvia LIMMER, Gilles LEBRETON, Mara BIZZOTTO, Elena LIZZI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Recalls the considerable variability in the legal orders of African countries and their divergence from the requirements imposed by Union law on food safety and agricultural practices, particularly in terms of banning the use of anabolic steroids, growth hormone and antimicrobials as a means of stimulating animal growth;

Amendment 87 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls for the key issue of food security in developing countries to be addressed through targeted investment in sustainable agricultural development, modern transport networks and appropriate storage infrastructure;

Amendment 88 #

Maria NOICHL, Marc TARABELLA, Ivo HRISTOV, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Takes the view that African countries need strong support in the management of natural resources and ecosystems in order to further develop an innovative, climate-resistant agricultural sector and sustainable global value chains in agricultural and food production;

Amendment 89 #

Ivan DAVID, Sylvia LIMMER, Gilles LEBRETON, Mara BIZZOTTO, Elena LIZZI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Recalls the considerable divergence of the legal orders of African countries from the requirements imposed by Union law on food safety and agricultural practices as regards the limits on the use and concentration of herbicides and pesticides for the protection of plants against pests;

Amendment 9 #

2. Points out that most African countries, in particular LDCs (least developed countries) and African signatories to EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements), enjoy duty-free and quota- free access to EU markets; emphasises that Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) need to support the various regional trade communities in Africa and the further development of the AfCFTA and contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, boosting and diversifying intra-African trade, and calls for the consistent inclusion and implementation of chapters ensuring coherence with development needs and policies and the SDGs;

Amendment 90 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Stresses that the equal, fair partnership between the EU and Africa should be deepened further, so that the UN sustainable development goals – particularly those concerned with the global food supply – can be achieved as quickly as possible;

Amendment 91 #

Ivan DAVID, Sylvia LIMMER, Gilles LEBRETON, Mara BIZZOTTO, Elena LIZZI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8 c. Recalls that most African countries have no list of substances banned for use in agriculture and food, and that countries that have such a list do not list all substances whose use is prohibited by Union law;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8c. Stresses that EPAs should improve the ability of African countries to exploit trade opportunities in the areas of food security, healthcare, education and poverty reduction;

Amendment 93 #

Ivan DAVID, Sylvia LIMMER, Gilles LEBRETON, Mara BIZZOTTO, Elena LIZZI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8 d. Recalls that the cultivation of GMOs for food and feed production is not prohibited in most African countries;

Amendment 94 #

Ivan DAVID, Sylvia LIMMER, Gilles LEBRETON

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)

8e. Notes that Africa is seriously affected by the impact of climate change and that joint action to mitigate climate change, adapt to the consequences of climate change and respond to increasing environmental problems is needed; highlights the particular importance that needs to be placed on the 'zero hunger' sustainability goal and thus the promotion of sustainable agricultural and food production by 2030;

Amendment 95 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)

8 e. Calls on the Commission, when negotiating further trade agreements with African countries, to refrain from reducing the quantity or rigour of controls on imported food and agricultural products in terms of their safety and compliance with the requirements of Union law;

Amendment 96 #