2021/2178(INI) The future of EU-Africa trade relations
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date 2022/06/22
Lead committee dossier:
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date 2022/06/22
Progress: Awaiting committee decision
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | INTA |
SCHOLZ Helmut ( GUE/NGL)
|
MATO Gabriel ( EPP),
SCHUSTER Joachim ( S&D),
RAFAELA Samira ( Renew),
BRICMONT Saskia ( Verts/ALE),
FRAGKOS Emmanouil ( ECR)
|
| Committee Opinion | DEVE |
TOBÉ Tomas ( EPP)
|
Maria NOICHL ( S&D),
Miguel URBÁN CRESPO ( GUE/NGL),
Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA ( Verts/ALE),
Beata KEMPA ( ECR),
Gianna GANCIA ( ID),
Barry ANDREWS ( RE)
|
| Committee Opinion | AGRI |
FLANAGAN Luke Ming ( GUE/NGL)
|
Gilles LEBRETON ( ID),
Maria NOICHL ( S&D),
Tom VANDENKENDELAERE ( PPE),
Irène TOLLERET ( RE),
Sarah WIENER ( Verts/ALE),
Krzysztof JURGIEL ( ECR)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 54Subjects
Events
2022/06/22
Indicative plenary sitting date
2022/05/18
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2022/05/16
EP - Vote in committee
2022/04/23
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2022/04/06
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2022/03/30
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2022/03/07
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/10/29
EP - TOBÉ Tomas (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in DEVE
2021/10/25
EP - FLANAGAN Luke Ming (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in AGRI
2021/10/07
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/07/14
EP - SCHOLZ Helmut (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in INTA
Documents
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE731.780
- Committee opinion: PE703.264
- Committee opinion: PE703.231
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE730.105
- Committee draft report: PE703.108
- Committee draft report: PE703.108
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE730.105
- Committee opinion: PE703.231
- Committee opinion: PE703.264
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE731.780
Activities
- Luke Ming FLANAGAN
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Heidi HAUTALA
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Eva KAILI
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Fulvio MARTUSCIELLO
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Gabriel MATO
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Joachim SCHUSTER
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Helmut SCHOLZ
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Carlos ZORRINHO
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Clare DALY
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Saskia BRICMONT
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Philippe OLIVIER
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Samira RAFAELA
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Mick WALLACE
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Karin KARLSBRO
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Markus BUCHHEIT
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Nicola BEER
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Barry ANDREWS
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Vincenzo SOFO
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS
Plenary Speeches (0)
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 488 |
2021/2178(INI)
2022/02/10
DEVE
93 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Whereas African economies remain by and large heavily concentrated on natural resources-based products and commodities;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Recalls that the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of the global supply chain, while giving a new impetus to the need to build regional markets in Africa, fostering intra-African trade, investment and value chains, for greater economic autonomy of the continent;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. 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 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1 b. Recalls that the EU-African trade relations and initiatives, like the one on cocoa, must rely on transparent and reliable monitoring and accountability, and on civil society participation securing a bottom-up approach;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 Amendment 14 #
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),
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 #
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 p
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the EU to actively support the new African Continental Free Trade Area
Amendment 18 #
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 and highlights the EU's unique role in offering assistance, given its own experience in developing the world's most advanced example of a regional trading bloc;
Amendment 19 #
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
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 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 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 #
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 #
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.
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3.
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Emphasises that
Amendment 31 #
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 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, taking into account in particular climate change (and the need for climate change mitigation measures), desertification/deforestation and biodiversity; stresses the opportunities that different trade agreements represent from a sustainable development perspective;
Amendment 34 #
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; highlights the role of water as a key building block for social and economic resilience especially in the context of food and nutrition security
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 #
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
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 #
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
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
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;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Welcomes the reform of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences as one of the EU’s key trade instruments for
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
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;
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 #
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 #
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 #
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) Amendment 56 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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) Amendment 66 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 facilitate
Amendment 70 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 n (new) Amendment 83 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 poli
Amendment 22 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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) and secure the return of their expatriated citizens;
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Advocates for stronger policy coherence at EU level in the context of agri-food trade
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Advocates for stronger policy coherence at EU level in the context of
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
Amendment 53 #
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
Amendment 54 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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
Amendment 6 #
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
Amendment 61 #
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 and the smuggling of rare wildlife species.
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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) Amendment 81 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 f (new) 8f. Highlights the fact that water is at risk of becoming a scarce resource and that greater importance should therefore be accorded to water supply, and that the EU and Africa should together develop sustainable solutions for water management;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 f (new) 8 f. Calls on the Commission, when negotiating trade agreements with African countries, to oppose any tariff reductions or quantitative restrictions on imports of food and agricultural products produced in EU countries;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 g (new) 8 g. Calls on the Commission, when negotiating trade agreements with African countries, to include in the treaty texts a ban on the import of food and agricultural products produced on land resulting from the felling of primary forests;
source: 719.551
2022/03/30
INTA
297 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) — having regard to the African Union initiatives Accelerated Industrial Development for Africa (AIDA), Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA), Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT), and Africa Mining Vision (AMV) launched to achieve Agenda 2063,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 27 c (new) — having regard to the Africa - Europe Week CSO Forum outcome document,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the AU’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020- 2030) envisions a secured digital single market for Africa by 2030; whereas Africa is trailing far behind the USA, China and to a lesser extent Europe when it comes to digital technological developments; whereas Africa accounts for less than 1% of global exports of digitally deliverable services1a (while it accounts for 5,5 % of global GDP and 21% of global population); _________________ 1a https://unctad.org/system/files/official- document/der2019_en.pdf
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the AU’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020- 2030) envisions a secured digital single market for Africa by 2030
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) P a. whereas negotiations are taking place in AfCFTA on the foreseen liberalisation of services, starting with five priority sectors identified by the AU, namely transport, tourism, communications, financial and business services; whereas services account for 54 percent of African GDP and 75 percent of foreign direct investment;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) P a. whereas some authoritarian governments in Africa are increasing their investments in Chinese surveillance and telecommunications technology to control online traffic; whereas the Russian toolkit combining restrictive laws with pressure on tech firms might appeal to authoritarian states;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) P a. whereas the African Development Bank estimates at USD 120 billion per annum the economic cost from the illicit trade in natural resources, that is 5 percent of Africa’s GDP Gross Domestic Product1a; _________________ 1a https://www.fao.org/africa/news/detail- news/en/c/1180700/
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) P a. whereas our African partners are also actively seeking EU´s assistance in enhancing Africa´s digital infrastructure and ensuring proper connectivity and Internet access across the continent;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) P a. whereas a geopolitical rivalry exists between China, the U.S., Russia, the EU, among others;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P b (new) P b. whereas peace is a pre-condition for sustainable development and for a stable trade and investment environment; whereas the United Nations’ General Assembly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine with an overwhelming majority of 141 votes in favour, 35 abstentions, and 5 against; whereas the African Union condemned Russia’s aggression, and 28 of its Member States supported the resolution, while 16 abstained and 9 chose not to vote; whereas Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has devastating consequences for global value and supply chains, but in particular on the access to wheat and other commodities in the world, which puts additional millions of people in Africa at risk of food shortage;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P b (new) P b. whereas countries with poor human rights records such as Zimbabwe and Sudan are likely to be the worst offenders, but even weak democracies such as Kenya or Nigeria may be tempted, and consequences of state repression may generate resistance from citizens, the media and civil society, fuelling social unrest; whereas telecommunications and technology firms face a worsening operating climate in large parts of Africa;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P b (new) P b. whereas the IPBES report notes that “Pandemic risk can be significantly lowered by reducing the human activities that drive the loss of biodiversity, by greater conservation of protected areas, and through measures that reduce unsustainable exploitation of high biodiversity regions”;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 27 d (new) Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P c (new) P c. whereas a series of coup d’états were purported in Mali and Burkina Faso toppling the democratically elected governments of those countries; whereas a coup d’état almost succeeded in Guinea Bissau;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Affirms that EU-Africa trade and investment relations
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Affirms that EU-Africa trade and investment relations form part of our joint endeavour to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030 and the objectives of the Paris Agreement; stresses that the modernisation of EU-AU trade and investment relations must adhere to the principle of policy coherence for development and contribute to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by means of the green and digital transformation of the economies in both the EU and the AU, as well as among our global trading partners; stresses that participation of civil society organisations in the EU-AU strategy is a cornerstone of the EU-AU strategy to achieve the UN SDGs;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Affirms that EU-Africa trade and investment relations form part of our joint endeavour to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030 and the objectives of the Paris Agreement; stresses that the modernisation of EU-AU trade and investment relations must adhere to the principle of policy coherence for development as enshrined in Article 208 TFEU and contribute to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by means of the green and digital transformation of the economies in both the EU and the AU, as well as among our global trading partners;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Affirms that EU-Africa trade and investment relations form part of our joint endeavour to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030 and the objectives of the Paris Agreement; stresses that the modernisation of EU-AU trade and investment relations must adhere to the principle of policy coherence for development and contribute to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Notes that trade liberalisation on its own cannot ensure the attainment of development objectives without taking into account the economic, social and environmental impact of free trade agreements (FTAs); considers that fair trade agreements may be attained by enabling sustainable agricultural development, ensuring food security, boosting green industrialisation, creating employment opportunities and promoting regional integration;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. 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 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Urges the EU Commission to help end the ´fill and finish´ role of African nations by supporting a multi-stakeholder system which will allow AU nations to produce their own vaccinations, an ability already demonstrated in the production of HIV-vaccines, which will open spaces for the development of scientific potential and decrease globally the dependence on a handful of corporations;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Stresses that efforts towards supply chain diversification create opportunities for both continents and believes that the EU and the UA should work together to create the conditions and incentives to support the diversification of investments and production of EU and African companies;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1 b. 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, 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 12 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 29 a (new) — having regard to the recommendations in the final report of the Land Reform Panel, established by Cyrill Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa,
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1 b. Urges the Commission to tackle all the consequences of the disruption in supply chains due to the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, especially in terms of agri-food and raw materials for basic commodities;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 c (new) 1 c. 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 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of creating a solid infrastructural and industrial basis
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of creating a solid infrastructural and industrial basis in Africa, as laid down in the AU Agenda 2063, aiming at the development of resilient value chains and high added value processing of raw materials in Africa as a major avenue towards quality job creation; insists that industrialization efforts will only bear fruit if social partners are involved at all stages;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of creating a resilient, competitive and solid infrastructural and industrial basis in Africa, as laid down in the AU Agenda 2063, aiming at the development of resilient value chains and high added value processing of raw materials in Africa as a major avenue towards quality job creation;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Calls for sustainable development to be placed at the heart of the EU-Africa trade relations, with priority given to addressing poverty and inequalities, creation of decent jobs, comprehensive and well-structured education and professional training facilities, ensuring transparency and good governance, as well as the respect for and implementation of environmental norms and human and social rights, while always ensuring that both women and men benefit from trade- related growth and economic opportunities;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Underlines the fundamental role of functioning state institutions, authorities and infrastructures, and considers that their absence can be a major obstacle to trade; in this regard, stresses that all African countries must improve legal certainty as it is vital for any kind of trade to develop; calls on the Commission to work closely with its African counterparts to guarantee a business environment that is conducive to investment;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 b (new) 2 b. Stresses the need to adapt the economic and trade proposals of the New Agenda for the Mediterranean, adopted by the European Commission on the 9 February 2021, to the current emergency situation; and, calls to smoothly implement the trade-related projects of the Economic and Investment Plan as soon as possible;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Underlines that the EU needs an entirely new foundation for its economic partnership with Africa, on equal grounds and based on mutual respect and understanding, taking into account the changing dynamics and addressing historical imbalances and shortcomings; emphasises the need for the EU and AU to develop a mutually beneficial sustainable partnership based on solidarity and cooperation, and to reshape the economic, commercial and trade relations with the aim to empower Africa, including by ensuring fair and ethical trade relations, which favour African continental integration;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Underlines that the EU
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 32 a (new) — having regard to the address of Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, to the European Parliament on December 2021 in Strasbourg;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Underlines that the EU needs an entirely new foundation for its economic partnership with Africa, on equal grounds and based on mutual respect and understanding; affirms that the respect of human rights and labour rights need to be at core of EU – AU strategy and that the EU distinguishes itself from other partners of Africa with a rules-based approach to development;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3.
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Stresses that the European response to global vaccination efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic lead to a disruption of EU-Africa relations; underlines that the outcomes of the 6th EU-AU summit must be a new starting point of advancing EU-Africa relations; calls on the Commission to structurally engage with African partners bilaterally, and through regional and multilateral engagement to advance EU-Africa relations; calls on the Commission to engage with the European Parliament on a discussion regarding the TRIPS waiver compromise negotiated by the ‘quad’ of the EU, the US, India and South Africa; calls on the Commission to remain flexible and pragmatic in the discussions in the WTO to reach a compromise on a targeted and temporary TRIPS waiver with other WTO members to move towards a conclusion and meaningful results on trade and health related aspects by MC12;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Reiterates the importance of peace for positive social, environmental and economic development; takes note of the lack of support for the UNGA resolution condemning the aggression against Ukraine among many African governments, and that African support for European Union positions cannot be taken for granted; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to explore the variety of reasons for the scepticism, and to increase diplomatic efforts to build common positions against military aggressions on both continents;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Calls on the EU to examine forthwith the consequences of the war in Ukraine on food supplies in Africa and propose solutions to face the short time difficulties that compound the pre- existing structural challenge of food sovereignty; calls on the EU to scale up technical assistance to help African countries to adapt to higher EU standards and to refrain from exporting EU foodstuffs subsidized by the CAP aggravating the pressure faced by local producers, mostly women;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. States that the Economic Partnership Agreements concluded or negotiated in the last decade do not sufficiently meet the requirements of a new partnership, but are primarily aimed at enforcing European interests, and sees this as one reason for the frequent criticism or even rejection of the EPAs in many African states;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3 b. Considers the EPAs that have entered into force should be further developed in terms of an equal partnership or supplemented by additional agreements, whereas in regions where the EPAs encounter little or no political acceptance, they must be supplemented or replaced by other agreements; calls on the Commission to hold negotiations with African countries that include the strengthening of African agriculture with a focus on smallholder agriculture, ensuring food security, supporting climate adaptation measures, the concretization of a joint investment offensive as well as the inclusion of services, among others;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 c (new) 3 c. Notes that the EPAs have so far failed to achieve their self-imposed goals, and that European exports to the EPA states have been detrimental to local production, especially in the agricultural sector; regrets that important EPA goals such as diversifying value chains and promoting regional integration in Africa have not been achieved, and the main exports are still agricultural products and raw materials;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 d (new) 3 d. Calls for EPAs to be reviewed to determine the extent to which they are compatible with efforts to establish an AfCFTA; calls for an adjustment of EPA provisions to be pursued depending on the results;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Supports the objectives of AfCFTA; stresses that indicators in measuring economic success should be diversified beyond GDP growth
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 32 b (new) — having regard to the United Nations’ General Assembly resolution on Aggression against Ukraine, adopted on March 2022
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Supports the objectives
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Supports the objectives of AfCFTA; stresses that indicators in measuring economic success should be diversified beyond GDP growth; considers that the AfCFTA is a great opportunity to generate high numbers of decent jobs, increase the competitiveness of African countries, achieve structural transformations within participating states;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Supports the objectives of AfCFTA notably the aim to create a single market for goods, services, facilitated by movement of persons in order to deepen the economic integration of the African continent; stresses that indicators in measuring economic success should be improved and diversified beyond GDP growth;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. recalls that between 2014 and 2020, the EU has been supporting the setting up of the AfCFTA through its Pan-African Programme with more than EUR 74 million and that the funding has been used for capacity building in the negotiation, ratification and implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement; calls on the EU and its Member States to continue its financial and technical support to the implementation of AfCFTA; notes that for AfCFTA to deliver its promises and go beyond mere trade liberalisation and lift people out of poverty, countries in Africa need the policy space to adopt policies that enhance consistency between trade measures, diversification objectives, responding to population needs, sustainability and inclusive growth;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Regrets that despite the fact that the EU is already the most open market for African exports and the UE is by far Africa´s largest export market and its main customer, accounting that the total trade in goods between the 27 EU Members States and Africa was worth 225 billion euros in 2020, compared to 115 billion euros for China and 38 billion euros for the United States, non-tariff barriers to EU-Africa trade remain significant and quality standards still diverge widely in certain cases;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Urges the Commission to assist the African Union at increasing 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 organisations, including those representing women, youth and minorities;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4 b. Calls on the EU and the AU Commissions to introduce a transparent and trustworthy framework of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) metrics that facilitates benchmarking and accurate tracking of emissions and other environmental impacts for being able to make “no uninternalized externalities” principle effective, including the full implementation of the polluter pays principle, government-mandated corporate ESG reporting as well as a robust framework of mandatory corporate sustainability disclosure based on a strong due diligence legislation;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4 b. Regrets that the activity of foreign investors as well as the take-off of African businesses is hampered by fragmented markets, inefficient transit regimes and border crossings procedures for goods, services and people, as well as poor implementation of regional integration commitments; highlights, in this context, that the timely, effective and comprehensive implementation of the AfCFTA is of utmost importance;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 c (new) 4 c. Stresses that the UE is still the largest source of foreign direct investment in Africa and still maintains an important level of competitiveness, but upward trends of activity from other international actors challenge the EU’s economic leadership on the African continent given that competitiveness of an individual firm is driven not only by internal factors, but also external factors such as the number of competitors and types of competition; in this sense, European companies are facing growing pressure from foreign competition;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commissions of both AU and EU to facilitate the development of regional value
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 35 a (new) — having regard to its resolution of 10 June 2021 on “Meeting the Global Covid-19challenge: effects of waiver of the WTO TRIPS agreement on Covid-19 vaccines, treatment, equipment and increasing production and manufacturing capacity in developing countries” (P9_TA(2021)0283),
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the development of regional value chains and better regional infrastructures in Africa; specially, points out the need to significantly invest in the transport infrastructure, connectivity and digitalisation to facilitate intra-African trade; in this sense, notes that removing barriers to intra-African trade can facilitate the growth of regional value chains, which can facilitate means for African companies, and in particular SMEs, to internationalise;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the development of regional value chains and better regional infrastructures in Africa; calls on the European Commission and the African Union to map the regional value chains between the EU and Africa, beyond bilateral trade flows, and to performa SWOT analysis notably in view of identifying avenues for nearshoring and areas of collaboration like circular economy and the greening of supply chains;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Underlines the need for the further development of infrastructure that contributes to better interconnectedness of the African continent, most notably for rural areas; stresses that Global Gateway should contribute to the development of infrastructure to increase intra-African trade; Calls on the Commission to facilitate the development of regional value chains and better regional infrastructures in Africa;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the development of regional value chains and better regional infrastructures in Africa; stresses that fair trade between the Union and Africa entails that African products access the European Single Market without the same degree of reciprocity for European goods;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Underlines the need to establish a constructive public-private dialogue and to make cultures evolve with a view to an intelligent network of ecosystems, up to the hybridization between the public sphere and the private sector; with this backdrop the EU must continue to work with African countries on facilitating and promoting private investment on the continent, as the public investment is not enough on its own; calls to further increase public and private trilateral partnerships to develop new trade relations in sectors of common interest such as energy, industry, transport;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. stresses the importance to further develop the infrastructures and connections between Sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Africa, and between West and East Africa;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5 b. Asks to the European Commission to put special emphasis on digitalisation under the "Global Gateway Initiative" with regard to Africa;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 c (new) 5 c. Considers that trade relations should be given further momentum, not only on the negotiations of the DCFTAs with Morocco and Tunisia, but with our trade agreements in the whole of the Mediterranean; notes that there is still a lack of presence of the EU companies in region; considers trade relations to be essential to reduce the influence of other powers such as China or Russia;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Calls on the Commission
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Calls on the Commission to assist and create conditions for African countries to integrate into the world economy, not only as the source countries of primary commodities, but as exporters of intermediate and final products, while maintaining policy space for the safeguarding of infant industries; highlights, in this context, the opportunity it represents for both continents developing and investing on emerging markets, in particular in the manufacturing sector; further stresses the importance of strengthening linkages between European and African operators in this regard to help creating value and raising standards and therefore improve competitiveness;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 35 a (new) — having regard to the Commission communication of 23 March 2022 entitled Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food system (COM(2022)133),
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. takes note of China’s announcement to promote the total investment of Chinese enterprises in Africa of no less than $10 billion in the next three years, that China will assist Africa in implementing 10 industrialization and employment promotion projects, and provide African financial institutions with a credit line of $10 billion; observes China’s announcement to help Africa implement 10 poverty reduction and agricultural projects, and to send 500 agricultural experts to Africa, to establish a "green channel" for African agricultural products to be exported to China, to expand the scope of zero-tariff treatment products from the least-developed countries; takes note that China has set a goal to achieve a total import volume of $300 billion in products from Africa in the next three years;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 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 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 b (new) 6 b. is aware of the expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the USA in 2025, encourages the Biden-Harris administration to give early signals for the continuation of AGOA, and calls on the TTC between EU and US to put cooperation and trade with Africa on the agenda; considers the Prosper Africa portal of the US government a positive example for providing support for enterprises both in Africa and the US to do transatlantic business; notes that the USAID Trade and Investment Program for Africa has a contract ceiling of $464 million over its life span from 2021 - 2026;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Notes that the future of the international trading system depends on the revitalising of the WTO and finalising the Doha Round, on which African countries have placed their hopes; emphasises that the reform and modernisation of the WTO and the WTO rulebook is an important area for cooperation between EU and African Union, since both are strongly committed to a rules-based multilateral trading system, and that a stronger cooperation on the multilateral trade agenda will greatly contribute to addressing the current global threats and challenges, including growing protectionism worldwide and the “weaponisation” of trade;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Notes that the future of the international trading system depends on the
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Underlines that a rules-based multilateral trading system contributes to advancing economic growth in the EU, and on the African continent; Notes that the future of the international trading system depends on the revitalising of the WTO and finalising the Doha Round
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7 a. Highlights that the WTO-led Aid- for-Trade initiative aims to help Least developed countries, in particular, to build the supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure they need to implement and benefit from WTO agreements and more broadly expand their trade; in this sense, this initiative is a key component in trade relations with Africa, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Underlines the importance of strengthening collaboration among the WTO, the UNCTAD, the ILO, the UNEP, the FAO and other UN bodies to keep the multilateral vision alive by driving a common agenda for shared prosperity and in conformity with the Policy Coherence for Development;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Is concerned of the current and growing influence of Russia and China in the African continent and urges the Union to increase the Union’s footprint in Africa; welcomes the EU–Africa Global Gateway Investment Package and its 150billion EUR in investments to Africa in terms of, inter alia, sustainable energy, agri-food systems, climate resilience, biodiversity, support to African inclusive businesses, reinforcing African sustainable mineral raw materials value chains, or the Africa–EU Science, Technology and Innovation Initiative;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 35 b (new) — having regard to the Judgment of the General Court (Ninth Chamber, Extended Composition) of 29 September 2021 Front populaire pour la libération de la Saguia el-Hamra et du Rio de oro (Front Polisario) v Council of the European Union Joined Cases T- 344/19 andT-356/19,
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Is convinced that European interests such as access to raw materials, shaping economic relations to promote the European economy, and managing migration, i.e. by tackling its root causes, can best be pursued through a new partnership of equals; Is convinced that with a new partnership of equals, the EU can effectively strengthen its strategic autonomy;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Believes that trade can achieve greater impact by working collectively with our international partners; calls therefore on the Commission to deepen its cooperation with our African partners and to establish a regular high-level policy dialogue, including with a parliamentary dimension also involving the European Parliament;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 b (new) 8 b. Stresses that accountable and transparent global governance should feature greater participation of parliamentary bodies, as directly elected parliamentarians can function as a crucial link between citizens and the multilateral system; emphasises the importance of the work of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO jointly organised by the European Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and calls for more efforts to better involve Parliamentarians from Africa and in particular the Pan-African Parliament; underlines the need to ensure that parliamentarians have better access to trade negotiations and are involved in the decision making and review processes of the WTO; calls for a strengthening of the role of both the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament as well as the national Parliaments of all Member States in the mandating phase of international trade and investment negotiations;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Stresses that the renewed EU- Africa relationship, based on an equal partnership and on fully joint cooperation, should have at its heart the best shared interests of both continents
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Stresses that the renewed EU- Africa relationship should have at its heart the best shared interests of both continents and should not become subject to geopolitical rivalry; points out that a fair competition of interests is not alien to market economies and that African partners can reserve their right to benefit from a demand situation in their favour;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Stresses that the Union should favour a constructive engagement on all aspects of migration, forced displacement and mobility, working to ensure that migration takes place in a safe and well- regulated manner. It is essential to build a long- term shared strategy to link trade, development and migration policies, as has been established by several European Council Conclusions, in particular the ones adopted on 16 December 2021, as it could play a key role to fight human smuggling and illegal migration routes from African countries to the EU;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Calls on the Commission to enhance technical assistance and capacity development activities to promote trade through measures such as: - Expansion of trade related data infrastructure to build an efficient customs administration and facilitate customs clearance - Elimination of technical barriers to trade - Harmonization of norms and standards in EPA states - Harmonization of rules of origin;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls for a greener and more sustainable post-pandemic world to be built back, which necessitates investing more in game-changing enterprises
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 35 b (new) — having regard the European Council Conclusions of 16 December 2021,
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10 a. Recalls the Parliament’s commitment to the European Green Deal and welcomes trade initiatives that contribute towards achieving its objectives, including but not limited to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the legislative proposal on mandatory due diligence, and the proposal on deforestation-free products; insists that the Commission must carefully monitor the impact of these initiatives on EU- Africa trade and present accompanying measures to mitigate any short-term disruption; is convinced that in the long- term, these legislative initiatives will result in more resilient and sustainable global value chains, benefitting citizens and businesses in the EU and Africa;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10 a. Regrets the major impact caused of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine on the increased price of energy, fuels, raw materials and agricultural products causing a severe increase in production costs which is jeopardising production continuity and might lead to supply chain disruptions; calls for reinforced action at international level to ensure that policy decision-making has food security at its core, in order to avoid scarcity and ensure nutritional security in the most vulnerable countries, particularly in the African continent, addressing it by trade means and preventing obstacles to the international trade in food and raw materials;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10 a. Calls for a large-scale European- African investment offensive that provides incentives for a significant increase in private investment in African states and enables comprehensive public investment in infrastructure and in combating climate change; welcomes in this context the commitment made at the 6th AU-EU Summit to mobilize EUR 150 billion within the framework of Global Gateway; Calls for this investment initiative to be significantly expanded together with the Member States;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10 a. Reiterates the need to initiate constructive and text-based negotiations for a temporary waiver of the WTO TRIPS Agreement, especially for Africa, where the social, economic and political consequences of the COVID–19 pandemic may pose an irremediable threat to its development;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10 a. Considers that climate-resilient development in Africa requires investments in hydrometeorological infrastructure and early warning systems to prepare for escalating high-impact hazardous events;10a _________________ 10a https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?expl num_id=10929
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10 b. Calls for the investment offensive to focus primarily on projects to develop and expand renewable energies, secure water supplies, climate adjustment measures and build public infrastructure; expects all investment projects to involve African partner companies and to pay close attention to creating local employment and deepening African value chains; calls on the Commission to identify appropriate investment projects in coordination with local, regional and state partners in Africa and ensure their implementation;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10 b. Encourages the European Commission, the Secretariat of the AU and the African countries to develop and implement Decent Work Country Programmes in liaison with the ILO and in consultation with CSOs and to invest in the strengthening of social protection systems to extend coverage and benefits and establish social protection floors;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10 b. Urges the Commission to ensure that European trade policy towards Africa is fully in line with the principle of Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD);
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 c (new) 10 c. Calls on the European Commission to assist the African Union with the implementation of it Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and implement measures that contribute to the achievement of gender equality in its trade agreements with the African countries; Calls on the Commission to introduce a clear gender perspective in the EU-Africa relationship to address the differentiated impacts of the Covid19 crisis and of our trade relations;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 c (new) Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 d (new) 10 d. Notes that the promotion of African agriculture is of outstanding importance for ensuring food security; Therefore calls for a special investment program to promote agriculture with a focus on supporting smallholder agriculture; Is convinced that the promotion of smallholder agriculture is also an important contribution to climate protection and climate adaptation as well as to the preservation of biodiversity;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Commission to foster investment in the African continent through innovative financial instruments to increase capital flows
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Stresses that the EU should deepen its economic and trade relations with Africa through investments and the creation of jobs; underlines the discrepancy of access to finance within African regions and countries due to various factors; underlines that the emphasis of investments should be placed on new infrastructures, such as digital and green infrastructures, and renewable energy production; Calls on the Commission to foster investment in the African continent
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Commission to foster investment in the African continent th
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11 a. Calls for a further development of the debt moratorium granted to African states in response to the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and calls to include a comprehensive debt relief initiative that must also mandatorily involve private creditors;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Urges the Commission to prepare an effective and easily accessible microcredit scheme; in this sense, also urges the European Investment Bank (EIB), as the lending arm of the European Union, to strengthen its capacities to support private sector development in Africa and, in this regard, calls on the EIB to dedicate more funds to African Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through the EFSD+ blended budget; also underlines, in this context, the high potential of Public-Private Partnership and microfinancing to further empower SMEs and local farmers;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Urges the Commission and the EIB to prepare an effective and easily accessible microcredit scheme, that would offer access to credit without need for collateral or other financial guarantees; stresses the importance of such a scheme for women and youth empowerment; calls, in this regard, for appropriate accompanying measures, such as technical and legal assistance and counselling, as well as alliances with local partners on the ground, in order to make such microcredits really accessible;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Urges the Commission to
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 b (new) — having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the European Union, of the one part, and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific(OACPS) States, of the other part,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the 6th Summit of the EU and the AU in 2022 led to an agreement on ‘A Joint Vision for 2030’, to drive our common priorities, shared values and international law, by preserving together our interests and common public goods, the security and prosperity of our citizens, the protection of human rights for all, gender
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Urges the Commission to prepare an effective and easily accessible microcredit scheme, whereas women's access to these loans in particular needs to be significantly improved;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12.
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 b (new) 12 b. Stresses that implementation, widening and deepening of current trade agreements between the EU and African countries, as well as the conclusion of sustainable investment facilitation deals with selected countries in Africa opens up new opportunities for fruitful partnerships between the EU and African SMEs building on predictable legal frameworks for trade and investment; notes that these agreements can help businesses to diversify exports from Africa to the EU and move up the value chains; underlines that promoting an open, non- discriminatory and stable business environment favourable to private sector investment, as well as access to relevant digital platforms, is crucial for both EU and African SMEs; welcomes, in that regards, the IP Helpdesk for SMEs in Africa, which provides European SMEs with first-line support on how to protect and enforce their intellectual property rights (IP), as well as the new rules of origin self-assessment tool (ROSA); calls for a more innovative financing mechanisms for the private sector, that would improve market access for SMEs and mitigate risks, facilitate access to finance while reducing regulatory and administrative burden to a minimum; stresses that all these issues should be better integrated in trade agreements with Africa, with the systematic inclusion of an SME chapter;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls for the EU to reinforce its support to
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls for the EU to reinforce its support to the African countries and the AU on combating illicit financial flows and tax evasion by multinational companies; calls for initiatives to ensure that multinational corporations do not contribute to capital outflows from African countries through intra-group transfer pricing as they do not reflect cost structures and value-added shares, thereby reducing tax revenues in African countries;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls for the EU to reinforce its support to the African countries and the AU on combating illicit financial flows and tax evasion by multinational companies by means of its Aid for Trade schemes and the inclusion of ad hoc chapters in existing economic partnership agreements and those about to be modernised;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls for the EU to reinforce its support to the African countries and the AU on combating illicit financial flows and tax evasion by
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13 a. Calls on the Commissions of both AU and EU and the respective member states to step up cooperation in the implementation of due diligence concepts, both with regard to existing legislation such as the EU’s conflict minerals regulation, as well as in the design and implementation of upcoming horizontal and sectoral binding due diligence legislation to report and prevent human rights violations and environmental damages caused by corporations and their operations along the entire value chain;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that least developed countries (LDCs) have an interest in and are strong supporters of rules-based multilateral trading systems; is aware of the fact that special and differentiated treatment is a founding principle of the WTO; calls on the Commission to ensure that developing countries can fully exercise their rights under the WTO special and differential treatment provisions, most notably to ensure their food security; is of the opinion that an overdependence on a single country or geographic region for any given product can leave countries vulnerable to external shocks, which could have a hugely damaging impact on the food security of developing countries; believes therefore that the Commission should support our African partners in diversifying their trade flows, to increase their resilience;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the EU and Africa have an important and longstanding political, economic and cultural relationship; whereas the 6th Summit of the EU and the AU in 2022 led to an agreement on ‘A Joint Vision for 2030’, to drive our common priorities, shared values and international law, by preserving together our interests and common public goods, the security and prosperity of our citizens, the protection of human rights for all, gender equality and women’s empowerment in all spheres of life; whereas both Unions recognised the importance of food security and nutrition;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that least developed countries (LDCs) have an interest in and are strong supporters of rules-based multilateral trading systems; is aware of the fact that special and differentiated treatment is a founding principle of the WTO; calls for EU trade and investment policies and agreements such as the EPAs to allow tariffs in the side of African partners so that they can withstand international competition;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that least developed countries (LDCs) have an interest in and are strong supporters of rules-based multilateral trading systems and their integration into the international trading system should also be improved; is aware of
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Notes the graduation of several African countries from LDC status in the near future and the need to support their smooth transition; is of the opinion that these countries would benefit from the GSP+ status and encourages them to consider applying, while calling on the EU Commission to pro-actively approach these potential candidates, to offer support in their steps towards meeting the criteria, and to identify on a country-by- country basis a roadmap for a transition from LDC to GSP+ partner country;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15 a. Condemns Spain’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the SADR and urges the Commission to implement the rulings of the European Court of Justice regarding the relationships between the Union and the Kingdom of Morocco;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 b (new) 15 b. Considers that sustainable and fair trade could be an instrument to aid the Amazigh community in Morocco and urges the Commission to demand Morocco to duly respect the Amazigh minority and not to refer to violence by the security forces, mass arrests, media blockages, violations of human rights in prison as well as militarizing the region to oppress any attempts of social mobilisation;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 c (new) 15 c. Acknowledges the democratic developments in, inter alia, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Cabo Verde, or Ghana enlighten the way towards the future of the African continent;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 d (new) 15 d. Urges the formal establishment of trade relations with the unrecognized state of Somaliland, as many other countries are doing in the international community, in a similar way as it is done with the Republic of China (Taiwan);
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Stresses that the trade partnership between the EU and Africa must prioritise quality nutrition self-sufficiency on both continents; stresses that the EU-Africa trade relationship must ensure adherence to the principles of sustainability and should never undermine food security, food safety and food quality nor drive deforestation, degradation of the environment and biodiversity; calls on the Commission to ensure investment facilities, such as Global Gateway and Global Europe, contribute to the development of a sustainable agricultural sector in Africa in line with the SDGs, and to support the implementation of the AfCFTA for intra-African agricultural trade; calls on the Commission to facilitate education and training to advance and promote sustainable agricultural practices in Africa and to advance existing initiatives in Africa;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Stresses that the trade partnership between the EU and Africa must prioritise food sovereignty and quality nutrition self- sufficiency; identifies a need for re- structuring of value chains so that more of the processing and value-adding part of the production takes place in source countries; calls on the Commission to provide better assistance on aligning with the highest standards for sustainable agri- food systems;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Stresses that the trade partnership between the EU and Africa must prioritise quality nutrition self-sufficiency trough sustainable food systems (such as agroecology); warns against the overestimated promises of the digitally- based Green Revolution and the creation of new dependence of farmers towards providers of digital services;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas the 6th Summit of the EU and the AU in 2022 led to an agreement on ‘A Joint Vision for 2030’,
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Stresses that the trade partnership between the EU and Africa must prioritise quality nutrition
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Stresses that the trade partnership between the EU and Africa must prioritise quality nutrition self-sufficiency and respect for PDOs;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16 a. Is convinced that the EU should take its responsibility as a major global player in the agri-food sector to cooperate with African countries in further developing the benchmarks and international standards for sustainable food systems, based on respect for human and labour rights, fair competition, the precautionary principle, environmental protection and animal welfare in accordance with WTO rules;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16 a. Welcomes the Commission's decision to assess the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on cereal imports and food security, and calls on the Commission to take early action against possible humanitarian crises; notes in this context that sustainable agriculture and more sustainable nutrition in Europe can make a significant contribution to ensuring food security in African countries;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16 a. Points out that the “Aid for trade” agenda should play a role in mobilising resources to address trade-related constraints, financing infrastructure needs and helping to build the capacity of African countries to establish appropriate regulatory structures;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 b (new) 16 b. Calls on the EU Commission to support local agricultural business; calls for improving the conditions for small and family owned farms to increase their capability to compete with large scale corporate farms, both for the benefit of decent job creation and improved labour conditions in the agricultural sector; emphasises the importance of farmers for the strengthening of circular economies within the various African regions and by that responding to challenges from climate change and the ongoing loss of biodiversity, while uplifting local economies;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 c (new) 16 c. calls for joint efforts with our African partners at the WTO level to find multilateral solutions for major divisions in global agricultural policy issues such as domestic support, market access, export restrictions, export competition, cotton, public stockholding for food security purposes, and a special safeguard mechanism;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 d (new) 16 d. Stresses the need for multilateral trade rules that are supportive of substantial and sustainable agricultural- and soil-concepts based on comprehensive Agrarian reforms in various African States to be carried out for guaranteeing food-security all across the continent;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 e (new) 16 e. Points out that in comparison with other regions of the world, the distribution of added-value in agricultural value chains is mostly unfavourable for African smallholders, as can be observed also in the effects of market concentration on farmers and producing countries in the case of cocoa; shares the views expressed by the Cocoa Coalition that the EU’s due diligence legislation, including the regulation on deforestation, should aim to deliver living incomes for cocoa farmers as an essential step in achieving a sustainable cocoa sector;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) A a. whereas in 2020, there was an almost 40% increase in population affected by food insecurity compared with the previous year; whereas household surveys by the IMF found that broadening access to early warning systems and to information on food prices and weather (even with simple text or voice messages to inform farmers on when to plant, irrigate or fertilize, enabling climate-smart agriculture) has the potential to reduce the chance of food insecurity by 30 percentage points;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 f (new) 16 f. Recalls the fact that more than 800 million people go to bed hungry every night, is concerned that the FAO forecasted a significant increase of hunger for Africa (from more than 280 to 300 million people), placing it by 2030 on par with Asia as the region with the highest number of undernourished people; points out that food insecurity has worsened in the continent since 2019 and there are currently 346.4 million individuals suffering from food insecurity in Africa, and 21% of the population in 2020 was malnourished; deplores that driving these unwelcome trends are the increasing frequency and intensity of conflict, climate variability and extremes, economic slowdowns and downturns, and high levels of inequality, the latter increased by economic downturns in 2020, which were mainly a consequence of COVID-19 containment measures all over the world;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 g (new) 16 g. Recommends to turn around this trend by integrating humanitarian, development and peace building policies in conflict-affected areas, by scaling up climate resilience across food systems, by strengthening resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity, by intervening along the food supply chains to lower the cost of nutritious foods, by tackling poverty and structural inequalities, ensuring interventions are pro-poor and inclusive, and by strengthening food environments and changing consumer behaviour to promote, including by trade measures, dietary patterns with positive impacts on human health and the environment;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Reiterates that the different EPAs should contribute to developing intra- African integration and to the development of a fair and sustainable trade model; stresses that EPAs should contribute to and promote sustainable development in line with the SDGs and Agenda 2030, foster intra-African trade flows, contribute to trade facilitation and the removal of unnecessary barriers to trade, market access for businesses, most notably SMEs, to the European and African market, promote public and private investments in Africa, and foster trade relations between the EU and Africa, taking into account the outcomes of the EU-AU summit; calls on the Commission in the revision of EPAs to address, mitigate and avoid any potential effect that could impair the objectives of the development of the intra-African market, in close cooperation with our African partners; calls on the Commission to ensure EPAs are a basis for the strengthening of economic relations between the parties in a mutually beneficial way, taking into account their respective levels of development; calls on the Commission to pay special attention to SMEs, and to support African SMEs who export to the EU with technical assistance;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Reiterates that the different EPAs s
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Reiterates that the different EPAs should contribute to developing intra- African integration and to the development of a fair and sustainable trade model; reiterates its request for an in depth analysis of the impact of EPAs on local economies, regional integration, economic diversification and SDGs before negotiating new EPAs; calls on the modernisation of EPAs with strong, enforceable and sanctionable TSD chapters;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Reiterates that the different EPAs should have contributed to developing intra-
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17 a. Calls for the systematic, transparent and evidenced-based monitoring by all stakeholders, including European and African civil society and communities, local authorities and national parliaments, of the implementation of EU-African trade agreements and for compliance with the principles of policy coherence for development and of policy coherence for sustainable development;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17 a. Recommends starting a review process for the existing EPAs with a view towards their reorientation to supporting the AfCFTA process and continental integration in Africa;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 b (new) 17 b. Recalls that the Commission had received a mandate to negotiate a region- to-region EPA with the East African Community, and not for an EPA with Kenya alone; notes that the EAC Summit of February 2021 accepted an approach of variable geometry for the EAC members regarding their trade relations with third parties; calls for an impact assessment for a potential iEPA between the EU and Kenya on the other EAC member states, and on the EAC and regional integration; is aware of the talks between the EU Commission and other EAC Member States, notably Tanzania, on remaining issues with signing and ratifying an EU - EAC EPA, in the light of concerns expressed by CSOs from Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya; is aware of the interest in negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between Kenya and the USA;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 c (new) 17 c. Deplores the confusion created by the trade rules established in the three parallel EPAs in West Africa, each with divergent sets of rules; notes that 15 West African countries have signed the region- to-region EPA, and that for the EPA to enter into force, Nigeria would also have to sign, and at least 11out of 16 countries would have to ratify the EPA; calls on the Commission to analyse the deadlock and to seriously engage with Nigeria, including analysing the call for a rethink of the EPA approach by President Muhammadu Buhari and his ideas for a new economic deal focussing on job creation in Africa and overcoming commodity dependency; welcomes in this regard the 8th EU - Nigeria Ministerial Dialogue foreseen for 2022; takes note of the advanced implementation of the EPAs with both Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, and welcomes the policy dialogue on Cocoa, and on Pharmaceuticals; emphasises the positive development in Ghana’s cocoa exports, which now have reached a 40 percent share of processed products, while Côte d'Ivoire has unfortunately not achieved more than a 20 percent share yet; deplores the renewed increase of child labour in the cocoa sector, particularly in Cote d’Ivoire, including child trafficking from neighbouring countries for work in CIV cocoa plantations;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) A a. whereas the geopolitical global context has been subject to considerable change, as Russian Federation launched an unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 with geopolitical effects, including on the relations between the EU and Africa, in particular on access to food and to raw materials;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 d (new) 17 d. Is concerned by reports that the SADC EPA has led to an increase of exports to the EU only in the case of the Republic of South Africa, while in regard to all other SADC partner countries, trade has developed to the benefit of the EU; takes note of Angola’s request to join the SADC EPA, and of the preliminary impact screening results of the sustainable impact assessment, which identified alongside economic opportunities also a risk to increase existing deficits and vulnerabilities with regard to human rights and environmental impacts in Angola;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 e (new) 17 e. Recalls that sustainable development in the form of diversification of value chains and regional integration had been communicated by the EU Commission as highly important accompanying goals of the SADC EPA; is concerned that neither seems to be the focus of the agreement’s implementation nor the review process; observes that the main exports from the SADC region to the EU remain agricultural products and raw materials to the largest extend, and that diversification of and a moving up in the value chains has not materialised in the SADC region, except for South Africa; whereas South African exports of cars to the EU increased by 250 percent and accounted for 31 percent of RSA exports to the EU in 2019;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 f (new) 17 f. Reminds the EU Commission of the contractually agreed capacity development to be provided by the EU to the SADC EPA states, inter alia with regard to facilitation of an improved trade data infrastructure, cooperation in fiscal adjustments to mitigate the net impact of the agreement in the SADC EPA states, of customs procedures, facilitation of transit movements and measures related to technical barriers to trade, facilitation of harmonisation of standards in the SADC EPA states, facilitation of the distribution of information on EPA usage and also with regard to an early warning system on new EU standards and requirements;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 g (new) 17 g. Reminds the Commission of the promise that the EU side would make sure to establish and facilitate a civil society dialogue between civil society of the EU and the SADC EPA states; notes that during the one civil society forum that was organised by the EU Commission, civil society present was mostly from South Africa;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 h (new) 17 h. Warns that the negotiations for a comprehensive ESA EPA should not establish facts while negotiations on inter alia services liberalisation are still ongoing among the AfCFTA partners; recalls in this regard the spirit of the commitment of African Union Heads of State to refrain from concluding bilateral agreements with third parties until the entering into force of the AfCFTA; points out that any existing EPA should be modernised primarily with the aim to serve as a building block for the AfCFTA, should take into account the Pan-African Investment Code, and include provisions that support cross-border value-chains; welcomes the progress made in the negotiations on the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter, but calls on the Commission to negotiate in accordance with the result of the ongoing TSD review;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 i (new) 17 i. notes that Madagascar has become the number one in textile exports from sub-Saharan Africa to the EU, and third to the US, with textiles and clothing accounting for more than a third of Madagascar’s exports to the EU; points out that the reason companies shifting production from Bangladesh to Madagascar is a local minimum wage as low as 43 Euro per month; calls for an obligation for European brands to ensure decent wages along their entire supply chains;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 j (new) 17 j. emphasises that building blocks of a sustainable business model for the fair and ethical fashion and apparel industry must be based on supply chains consistent with the priorities which contribute to mitigate climate change and reduce global inequalities; recommends to make use of the African Cotton and Textile Industry Federation (ACTIF) project experience to create Textile Industry Hubs across the African continent, aiming at creating added value in proximity to natural resources while benefitting from common infrastructure; suggests to use preferential tariffs and access to finance as incentives for compliant actors applying ESG responsible business models supporting due diligence along the value chain, with a focus on support for SMEs, MSMEs, small farmers, women- led businesses and young entrepreneurs; calls on the EU and AU Commissions to support the setting-up of ESG traceability capacity building programmes to support African producers to meet the forthcoming EU due diligence normative requirements, enhance visibility and foster a competitive industry through tech transfer; calls on the buyers to pay their share in the costs for sustainability compliance measures;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 k (new) 17 k. Notes that despite of the EPAs, EU trade with North African countries accounts for 48 percent of EU trade with the continent, with oil and gas being the main export commodities for Algeria and Libya;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 l (new) 17 l. Welcomes the launch of negotiations for an EU - Angola Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement; stresses the need for strong provisions on the right to regulate, on decent work and the protection of ILO labour standards, on climate change and the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and for strong provisions on environmental protection; welcomes the reference to corporate social responsibility, responsible business conduct and due diligence implementation by investors; considers that the two paragraphs proposed under the heading investment and gender equality could be expanded;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Is committed to strengthening fair and sustainable trade and investment relations between Europe and Africa as part of a wider advanced cooperation framework, including increased investments in research and development related to green goods and technologies; calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to ensure that the implementation of the future EU corporate sustainability due diligence and deforestation-free rules encourage long term sourcing relationships, improved purchasing practices, enabling a living wage for workers and living income for smallholder farmers and respect of the environment, and meaningful stakeholder engagement, including rights holders in all steps of the due diligence process;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas achieving the SDGs by 2030 must become the benchmark of success of EU-Africa cooperation, including the contribution of trade and investment relations to combat poverty in the long term;
Amendment 250 #
18. Is committed to strengthening fair and sustainable trade and investment relations between Europe and Africa as part of a wider advanced cooperation framework, including increased investments in research and development related to green goods and technologies; in this context, calls on the Commission to work with our African partners to advance fair and sustainable trade, notably through TSD chapters in EPAs, and to work with our partners in the upcoming TSD review;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18 a. Welcomes the reform of the GSP and its role in increasing trading opportunities for developing countries, advancing sustainable development and ensuring adherence to human rights, good governance and gender equality; underlines that the GSP has the potential for African countries to foster sustainable and resilient economic growth and interconnectedness in the global economy; stresses that countries benefitting from the GSP must adhere to international conventions, such as the Paris Agreement and ILO conventions; calls on the Commission to ensure GSP is complementary to other trade policy initiatives on the African continent;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18 a. Stresses the importance of cities and towns in promoting the spirit of fair trade; commends the Commission for launching an award for the European City of Fair and Ethical Trade; commends Vice-President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis for his commitment to continue this important initiative; calls on the EU Commission to seek cooperation with the AU Commission to enhance direct cooperation between cities and towns in both continents, in order to promote fair and ethical trade relations, and to increase visibility of the many respective initiatives of city councils;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18 a. Welcomes the review of the GSP regulation, highlights that current GSP+ beneficiary countries and EBA countries graduating to lower middle income countries will be required to (re)apply for the GSP+ status under the new GSP regulation; calls for GSP, GSP+ and EBA beneficiary countries in the region to engage in strengthening the effective implementation of their international commitments on human rights, labour rights, environment, good governance and sustainable development;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) 18 b. Welcomes the declaration agreed by the meeting of leaders of local and regional governments of the Member States of the African Union and of the European Union on 15 February 2022 in Brussels, which emphasised inter alia that 65 percent of the 169 targets underpinning the SDGs cannot be reached without the engagement of local and regional governments;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Welcomes the agreement of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers on common rules of origin for the bloc for 87.7 % of goods or 3
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Welcomes the agreement of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers on common rules of origin for the bloc for 87.7 % of goods or 3 800 tariff lines covered by AfCFTA; calls on the European Commission to harmonise the rules of origin in all the different EU agreements with regions and countries in Africa with the common AfCFTA rules; calls on the EU to engage with the AfCFTA Secretariat to advance capacity building and technical support for the implementation of the AfCFTA;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Welcomes the AfCFTA's goal of improving regional differentiation and the expansion and interconnection of infrastructure systems; Welcomes the agreement of the
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19 a. Welcomes the launch of the Pan- African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) by the AfCFTA in collaboration with the African Export-Import- Bank (Afreximbank) enabling instant cross- border payments in local currencies, thus potentially saving five billion Dollar transaction costs annually and eliminating transaction time losses on the African continent, while helping to formalise economic activities; calls on the EU Commission and the EIB to encourage participation and to promote the system among partners and in business communities;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19 a. Points out that the inclusion of the most-favoured-nation (MFN) clause in the EPAs could pose a threat to the AfCFTA; urges the Commission to assess the principle of reciprocity between all countries, whatever their situation, and evaluate whether it should be replaced by reciprocity between equals, differentiating between those who find themselves in very different situations;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas achieving the SDGs by 2030 must become the central guideline and benchmark of success of EU-Africa cooperation,
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 b (new) 19 b. Welcomes that in November 2021, the EIB opened its first hub in Africa, in Kenya’s capital Nairobi;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 c (new) 19 c. Points out that Small Scale Cross Border Trade (SSCBT) is a major form of trade between African countries; calls on the Commission to continue its funding for the SSCBT Initiative carried out by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and to share with the AfCFTA Secretariat the experiences made with creating dedicated border posts for small-scale cross-border traders, and with a special focus on female traders, to successfully reduce bribery, corruption and harassment experienced by them;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Appreciates the initiative by the Council and the Commission to organise the first Africa-Europe Week, which was held in February 2022 in Brussels; congratulates the several thousand representatives from youth organisations, civil society organisations, local authorities, from the cultural sector and the business forum for their fruitful work; regrets in this context that the European Parliament was not better involved and that the events took place in parallel with Parliament's plenary week in Strasbourg;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Appreciates the initiative by the Council and the Commission to organise the first Africa-Europe Week, which was held in February 2022 in Brussels; stresses that better European engagement with young Africans and the African diaspora in Europe can structurally improve the EU-Africa relationship on the long-term; calls on the Commission to organise the Africa-Europe week on an annual basis, and to include young people, especially women and girls, in discussions organised during the Africa-Europe Week;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Appreciates the initiative by the Council and the Commission to organise the first Africa-Europe Week, which was held in February 2022 in Brussels and underscores the importance of promoting ahead of coming initiatives greater cooperation between all stakeholders, including business organisations;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20 a. Stresses the necessity to increase the involvement from stakeholders, in particular business associations of SMEs throughout the African continent, and the increasingly important civil society organisations from both the EU and the AU into the debates anchoring the new dimension of trade, investment and economic cooperation, which is aimed at fair and ethical relationships;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Notes that transport networks are critical enablers of trade and prosperous economies; stresses the need to better connect African rural and urban areas; underlines that Team Europe proposals for the realisation of infrastructure projects shall build on the needs identified by the African Union in PIDA; calls in this regard for the inclusion of politicians from the various affected regions as well as elected representatives of the respective municipalities into the decision-making process on the nature and volume of infrastructure projects; reminds of the fact that currently an estimated 53% of roads in Africa are unpaved and isolated from trade hubs, and less than half of the population in rural areas has access to functional roads year round, which illustrates the need to invest not only in flagship projects; calls for investments also in cold chain logistics and modern storage facilities, and generally improved logistics between production and consumption geographies, given also the rapid urbanisation of Africa;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Notes that transport networks are critical enablers of trade and prosperous economies; stresses the need to better connect African rural and urban areas to ensure greater interconnectedness within African countries, and on the African continent; Notes that a functioning transport network and investments in infrastructural projects can contribute to the development of African economies; calls on the Commission through its trade and investment instruments for Africa to facilitate public and private investment for African infrastructural projects;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Notes that transport networks are critical enablers of trade and prosperous economies; stresses the need to better connect African rural and urban areas; notes, in particular, that a crucial challenge in the context of food insecurity is the lack of proper transportation networks and due to that, farmers are frequently restrained from delivering agricultural products over certain distances; encourages further EU engagement to facilitate market access for farmers;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Notes that transport networks are critical enablers of trade and prosperous economies; stresses the need to better connect African rural and urban areas; calls for the liberalisation of tariffs on EU spirits across more African markets, including as part of the strengthening of existing EPAs, to support EU spirits producers, including SMEs, to benefit from the strong consumer demand in Africa markets.
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) B a. whereas the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the consequent war are distressing supply chains all over the world, also in Africa; whereas North Africa imports 60% of its wheat from Ukraine and Russia; whereas some of the biggest immediate effects on trade for Africa is on soft commodities;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Notes that transport networks are critical enablers of trade and prosperous economies; stresses the need to better connect African rural and urban areas, whose population will increase 56% by 2050according to the UN Population Division;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21 a. Stresses that education and professional training that provide people with the skills required by the labour market are key factors for development; in this context, cooperation between universities, research institutions and vocational education and training (VET) programmes from both continents need to be strengthened; in that regards, private sector-driven initiatives on VET as well as entrepreneurship in Africa should be supported and better coordinated, as the pandemic has emphasised the importance of both digital skills and digital learning methods;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21 a. Encourages a broad debate with an aim to re-consider models and plans to develop infrastructure and to identify alternative mobility models and 21st century modern mobility solutions for everybody within the regions as well as across the continent, based on lessons learned in the EU and other industrialised countries in order to avoid mistakes made there;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Shares the long-term vision of creating a comprehensive EU-Africa continent-to-continent trade and cooperation agreement, building on the AfCFTA; underlines that a continent-to- continent trade and cooperation agreement must be preceded by the meaningful development of a robust and resilient intra-African market; Stresses in this regard the role of the EU’s trade policy engagement with Africa in the development of the intra-African market; calls on the Commission to regularly update the European Parliament on the long-term objective of a continent-to- continent trade and cooperation agreement, notably through the various policy instruments related to Africa;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Shares the long-term vision of creating a comprehensive EU-Africa continent-to-continent trade
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22 a. Considers that the Union may facilitate the path to a stronger democracy and Rule of Law in Angola through the EU–Angola Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement, still in negotiations; notes that Angola is also in the process of joining the Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA) between the Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)EPA Group;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 b (new) 22 b. Encourages the resume of the federalisation process of the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), home to more than 30 languages; considers that a more comprehensive trade accord should be negotiated between the Union and the DRC building upon the current duty-free, quota-free EU access under the EU’s Everything but Arms scheme and the EU– DRC FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA);
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Calls for the responsible and swift implementation of the commitments on trade and investment agreed at the 2022 EU-Africa Summit, and calls on the Commission to structurally report to the European Parliament on the implementation of the commitments on trade and investment in the relevant committees;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 24. Welcomes the EU’s Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative and the EU’s continued support to the African Single Electricity Market; stresses that access to energy
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 24. Welcomes the EU’s Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative and the EU’s continued support to the African Single Electricity Market; stresses that access to energy
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) B a. whereas migration is part of the (SDG 10.7) to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 24. Welcomes the EU’s Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative and the EU’s continued support to the African Single
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24 a. Recognizes the challenge that Africa must achieve access to energy for their people alongside the push for climate neutrality; is of the view that a sub-regional approach adequately supported by the EU, public development banks, private investors and international donors to energy planning would allow to combine scale and connectivity to generate opportunities for strategic industrial development across its different sub-regions and the development of resilient low-carbon infrastructures and clean cooking solutions, reinforcing the grid, and ramping-up renewables; calls on Africa and Europe to forge a common agenda in view of the COP27 in Egypt;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24 a. Insists on the importance on building partnerships to improve the sustainability of raw materials value chains, building on the Critical Raw Materials Action Plan and making use of all EU external policy instruments;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 b (new) 24 b. Welcomes the commitment taken at the 6th EU-AU Summit “to ensure increased spending through international programmes in the fields of health, climate, biodiversity” among others; in this respect, calls on the EU and AU to liaise with the FAO to scale up their efforts towards supporting member countries in developing a system-wide intersectoral response mechanism to combat illicit trade in natural resources, notably in view of the achievements of the Agenda 2063 and against the backdrop of the 2022 African Year for Nutrition;24b _________________ 24b https://www.fao.org/africa/news/detail- news/en/c/1180700/
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 c (new) Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Calls for reinforced cooperation on EU-AU digital agendas based on the principles of democratic governance, supportive multilateral rules on e- commerce, effective regulatory mechanisms across the digital domain and global-to-local governance mechanisms for data and digital infrastructures that place people-
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Notes that knowledge-sharing and skills development within Africa can contribute to the development of a sustainable trade relationship; underlines the possibilities digital infrastructure has in stimulating the African economy, as well as driving innovation on the continent; Calls for reinforced cooperation on EU-AU digital agendas based on the principles of democratic governance, effective regulatory mechanisms across the digital domain and global-to-local governance mechanisms for data and digital infrastructures that place people- centred development at the core;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Calls for reinforced cooperation on EU-AU digital agendas based on the principles of democratic governance, effective regulatory mechanisms across the digital domain and global-to-local governance mechanisms for data and digital infrastructures that place people- centred development at the core; insists on the need for the EU to support the digital upscaling of African countries with the help of UNCTAD platforms created to secure sustainable development gains from digital transformations in order to counter the supremacy of the US and China25a; _________________ 25a “The US and Chine account for 75% of all patents related to blockchain technologies, 50% of global spending on the Internet of Things (IoT), more than 75% of the cloud computing market and as much as 90% per cent of the market capitalization value of the world’s 70 largest digital platform companies.” (UNCTAD, 2019)
Amendment 288 #
25. Calls for reinforced cooperation on EU-AU digital agendas based on the principles of democratic governance, effective regulatory mechanisms across the digital domain and global-to-local governance mechanisms for data and digital infrastructures that
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25 a. Underlines that human rights and gender equality must be at the centre of the reinforced cooperation between the EU and the AU, with a special focus on the impact of emerging and innovative technologies on human rights and the inclusion of women in the economy; Stresses the potential digital trade can have for advancing and improving trade facilitation in Africa, and calls on the Commission to advance digital capabilities in light of the implementation of EPAs, and the implementation of the AfCFTA; calls on the Commission to include the EU-AU digital agenda in the engagement with its global strategic partners;
Amendment 29 #
B b. whereas several African countries may face shortages of Ukrainian and Russian imports of fertilisers, wheat, other food crops, triggering another severe shock to African economies still in the context of the COVID–19 pandemic;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25 a. Is concerned by the growing use of digital authoritarianism in Africa, where some repressive governments are adapting to contain online dissent; urges the Commission to monitor and control Euro- African supply chains where EU-based companies may sell hardware and software to these governments; considers that a quick entry into force of the Corporate Sustainable Governance Directive is imperative to counter this growing trend;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25 a. Calls on the European Commission to focus future editions of the EU-Africa Business Summits on the potential that local economic and sustainable production alternatives, such as organic, Fair Trade, smallholder farmer cooperatives and social economy actors, can play in building up a more sustainable and fair trading partnership between Africa and the European Union;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25 a. Calls for the establishment of a high-level dialogue at the EU level; Calls for this dialogue to be complemented by a continuous high-level political dialogue at the level of regional groupings and with individual African states in order to concretize the new partnership on an equal basis for all levels, as well as to identify and implement key projects;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 b (new) 25 b. Underlines that effective engagement with civil society groups, businesses, most notably SMEs, and disadvantaged groups, such as women, are a vital element in advancing the EU’s equal partnership with Africa; stresses in this regard that the EU should further facilitate and include civil society dialogues in its trade relations with Africa to better understand the position of African interest groups, and their specific needs in trade relations with the EU; calls on the Commission to structurally advance its engagement with African civil society to advance inclusive engagement and economic growth across the continent;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 b (new) 25 b. Welcomes the initiative by Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to set up a Living Income differential for cocoa, welcomes the setting up of the EU Sustainable Cocoa initiative and calls on the European Commission to encourage private sector-wide commitments to pay fair prices to cocoa farmers that enable them to produce sustainably and free of child labour;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 b (new) 25 b. Calls on the EU, together with the AU and African states, to ensure full involvement of civil society in Africa and Europe, both in the context of general dialogue and in specific projects;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 c (new) 25 c. Underlines the importance of including gender equality and gender mainstreaming in EU-Africa trade relations as an essential component to foster inclusive and sustainable growth; Stresses that trade and investment relations have the potential to promote gender equality, contribute to economic and social empowerment of women and to more equal, as well as resilient economies and societies; welcomes the Commission’s work on data collection and analysis to better understand the impact of trade policy on women; calls on the Commission to engage with African partners to promote gender equality and women empowerment in EU-Africa trade relations; calls on the Commission to gender mainstream EU-Africa trade and investment relations; Calls on the Commission to include standalone gender chapters in EPAs;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 c (new) 25 c. Expects that within the framework of the new partnership of equals, the guarantee of good governance, respect for human rights, and the safeguarding of fundamental labour and social rights will have a place of high significance;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 9 — having regard to the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), those concluded and those under negotiation, between
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU Trade Policy Review acknowledges the strategic importance of deepening active and fair engagement with the African continent and African states; whereas Europe and Africa are neighbouring continents whose prosperity and stability are closely interlinked and need to be supported by closer economic integration between the two continents;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU Trade Policy Review acknowledges the strategic importance of deepening
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) C a. whereas the EU and its Member States are the world’s largest providers of Aid for Trade with 38% of global contributions; whereas Africa continued to receive the largest share of AfT commitments in 2019; whereas the EU intends to increase the share of EU AfT allocated to LDCs to help double their share of global exports, as LDCs’ share on global exports has remained at 1% and on exports to the EU at 2% in 2020;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) C a. whereas the EU should pursue a "Team Europe" approach in its cooperation with Africa, including more coordination between different Commission directorates general, European development financing institutions, European export credit agencies, commercial banks and Member States;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the EU is one of the most important trading partners for Africa; whereas 90 percent of African exports enter the EU market free of import duties; whereas in 2020 over 61 % of goods imported to the EU from Africa were primary goods
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the EU
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the EU is one of the most important trading partners for Africa; whereas in 2020 over 61 % of goods imported to the EU from Africa were primary goods and almost 70 % of goods exported from the EU to Africa were manufactured goods; whereas this trade structure reflects the structural imbalance and interdependence of the economies involved;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) D a. whereas the value of trade between Africa and China has reached a record high and rose by 35% from 2020 to $254 billion in 2021, mainly due to an increase in Chinese exports to the continent; whereas much of this growth can be attributed to China’s export of essential pandemic goods such as pharmaceuticals, PPEs, masks, hazmat suits, chemicals, and digital hardware; whereas exports to China by African countries also increased, with exports from Libya and Benin going up by more than 400%, while those for Togo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and Eswatini doubled;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) D a. whereas the African continent is in particular affected in its food security by the war in Ukraine;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D b (new) D b. whereas the United States did trade in goods with Africa in 2021 of approximately $26 billion exports and $35 billion imports; whereas despite of the Prosper Africa initiative launched by the previous US administration, US trade with sub-Saharan Africa is stagnating and represents less than 1 percent of all US trade in goods;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 9 a (new) — having regard to African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government decision 692 on the African Continental Free Trade Area2a _________________ 2a (Assembly/AU /Dec.692(XXXI))
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D c (new) D c. whereas Africa's share in global trade has declined steadily over the past 50 years and accounts for 2,9 % of world trade according to UNCTAD; whereas the continent has a high level of dependence on imports and commodity-based natural resource exports; whereas interregional trade accounts for only 14,4% of total continental trade;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas strengthening the intra- continental trade in Africa is essential for its economic development; whereas the
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas strengthening
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas strengthening the intra- continental trade in Africa is essential for its economic development; whereas the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will give
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) E a. whereas within AfCFTA, tariffs on 90% of tariff lines are to be eliminated, with a commitment of Non-Least Developed Countries to liberalise tariffs of non-sensitive goods over 5 years and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) over 10 years; whereas 7% of tariff lines can be sensitive goods, and Non-Least Developed Countries will liberalise tariffs of sensitive goods over 10 years and LDCs over 13 years; whereas 3% of tariff lines can be excluded from liberalisation;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) E a. whereas the entry into force of the AfCFTA is currently more aspirational than reality, and extensive measures such as the development of cross-border transport infrastructure, the development of cross-border value chains and the establishment of common product standards are required to implement it;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E b (new) E b. whereas AfCFTA is an important step to leave behind the current model for formal trade in the Africa which is characterised by long border crossing times, extensive regulatory requirements and high taxes, by that encouraging bribes and deepening corruption structures;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas AfCFTA will become the world’s largest free-trade area in terms of
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas AfCFTA will become the world’s largest free-trade area in terms of participating countries
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 9 b (new) — having regard to the Kigali Decision of July 2016 of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government, on financing the African Union3a _________________ 3a Kigali Decision (Assembly/AU/Dec.605 (XXVII))
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas AfCFTA aims to be beyond a trade liberalising instrument an enabler of inclusive growth and sustainable development; whereas the AfCFTA can contribute to the advancement of women and youth-lead SMEs; whereas the effective implementation of the AfCFTA is essential for enhancing intra-African trade, notably through enhanced trade facilitation, removal of tariff and non- tariff barriers, and better customs procedures;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas AfCFTA aims to be beyond a trade liberalising instrument an enabler of inclusive growth and sustainable development in line with the Agenda 2063;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) G a. whereas the main competitors of the Union in Africa are China and Russia; whereas infrastructure investments remain the lynchpin of the China–Africa relationship through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), still unmatched by the Union; whereas China’s efforts to influence the Africa’s social and cultural life may also continue to grow dueto a deliberate strategy to influence public and elite opinion more favourably towards China;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) G a. whereas African states are not homogeneous; whereas the African continent is particularly vulnerable to the external “shocks” given its high rate dependency not only from external financial resources and revenues such as foreign remittances, foreign direct investment, tourism or external aid, but also from imports of manufactured goods;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G b (new) G b. whereas with regard to trade and in particular rules of origin and cumulation, the EU’s diverse arrangements with African countries have led to a fragmentation of the African continent, thus creating tariff-related barriers and hindering the building of cross-border value chains within the AfCFTA;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G b (new) G b. whereas the Republic of Somaliland and the Republic of China (Taiwan) have established embassy-like representative offices in each other’s capital despite they are not widely recognised by the international community as independent nations;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G c (new) G c. whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic(SADR) is a country recognised by 41 states out of the 193 UN members and has been a member of the African Union since 1984; whereas through formal trade and political treaties with Morocco, the Union has informally recognised Moroccan control of the SADR territory, although these agreements have routinely been struck down by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as illegal under international law;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G c (new) G c. whereas the African Union Assembly decision 692 endorsing the AfCFTA, committed to engage external partners as one block speaking with one voice and urged Member States to abstain from entering into bilateral trading arrangements until the entry into force of the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA; whereas the implementation of phase I of AfCFTA is not yet concluded;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G d (new) G d. whereas in July 2016 in Kigali, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government adopted the Decision directing all African Union Member States to implement a 0.2% levy on eligible imports to finance the African Union;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 9 c (new) — having regard to the Communication on a new Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs: Taking our partnership for investment and jobs to the next level4a _________________ 4a COM(2018) 643 final
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Africa is a continent of hope and opportunity and perceived as such by a growing number of its young population; whereas Africa is today home to four times as many children as Europe and 70 percent of the population of sub- Saharan Africa are under 30; whereas Africa’s Youth are in need of quality education, employment and business opportunities, and sustainable development; whereas Europe’s population is aging and many economic sectors are already reporting shortages in qualified labour and report problems in finding apprentices;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Africa is a continent of hope and opportunity and perceived as such by a growing number of its young population; whereas Africa is the youngest continent in the world with a median age of 19.8 years and 60 percent of the population under age 25; whereas by 2050, the population of Africa will have doubled, from some 1.2billion 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;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Africa is a continent of hope and opportunity and perceived as such by a growing number of its young population; whereas empowering the economic position of women and youth in Africa contributes to both economic growth, and advancing their position in society;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Η H. whereas Africa
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) H a. whereas Africa is projected to be home to at least 25% of the world’s population by 2050, which will be a significant challenge to the economies and democratic governance of African countries, and have an impact on geopolitics, global trade and migration;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to Africa, the EU and the entire world, and require joint responsiveness and substantive investments in sustainable and inclusive economic development and provision of access to public goods; whereas EU has committed to turn itself into the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and to decouple its economic growth from resource use; whereas Africa contributes very little to greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of whether this is measured through historical, current or expected emissions and in total or per capita terms, while nevertheless areas of the continent are among those worst impacted by the effects of climate change; whereas COP27 will take place in the African state of Egypt in 2022; whereas the transition to a decarbonised world must be just and equitable; whereas the EU has proposed to make energy access one of the main pillars of the Green Deal cooperation with Africa;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas African countries have so far contributed and are contributing very little to climate change while the EU's production and lifestyle habits, based on ever-increasing resource consumption, are major contributors to the causes of climate change; whereas climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to Africa, the EU and the entire world, and require joint responsiveness and substantive investments in sustainable and inclusive economic development and provision of access to public goods; whereas the effects of climate change will be catastrophic, particularly for many African states, and will significantly increase social inequality, and be a cause of increasing social, political, and possibly military conflicts, as well as climate-related migration;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to Africa, the EU and the entire world
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Θ I. whereas sluggish development, climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to Africa, the EU and the
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I a (new) I a. whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, adaptation costs are estimated at US$ 30– 50 billion (2–3%of regional gross domestic product (GDP)) each year over the next decade, to avoid even higher costs of additional disaster relief;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 12 Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas the EU and the AU have announced an Africa-Europe Investment Package of at least EUR 150 billion that will support common ambitions for the 2030 Agenda and the AU Agenda 2063, composed of an investment, a health and an education part; whereas these investments should not add to the debt burden of African countries;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas the EU and the AU have announced an Africa-Europe Investment Package of at least EUR 150 billion - over a period of six years, i.e. only around EUR 25 billion - that will support common ambitions for the 2030 Agenda and the AU Agenda 2063, composed of an investment, a health and an education part;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) J a. whereas about 34% of African households live below the $1.90 per day international poverty line, and around 40% of the total wealth is owned by approximately one ten-thousandth per cent of the continent’s population; whereas large disparities remain in development of African countries; whereas given the expected rapid population growth, it is even more essential to ensure that it will be accompanied by sustainable development, quality education and decent job creation;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J b (new) J b. whereas the EU Commission has launched the Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, in the co-leadership of DG TRADE and DG INTPA, focused on Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and with Cameroon as an observer, with the main objectives to ensure a sustainable living income for farmers, to achieve the elimination of child labour in the cocoa supply chain, and the elimination of deforestation due to cocoa plantations;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences set back growth across Africa in 2020, may have thrown an additional 30 million people into poverty and exacerbated the prevalence of child labour; whereas post-pandemic recovery packages expressed a momentum of change of policy consensus; whereas the capacity to support recovery by public funds differs across regions, causing an imminent risk of exacerbating inequalities; whereas the current vaccination rate for the African continent is at only 11%; whereas the EU and the AU have committed to supporting the full- fledged African health sovereignty, in order for the continent to respond to future public health emergencies, and to supporting, to this end, a common agenda for manufacturing vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, therapeutics and health products in Africa,
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Recital ΙΑ K. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences set back growth across Africa in 2020, may have thrown an additional 30 million people into poverty and exacerbated the prevalence of child labour; whereas the EU and the AU have
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences set back growth across Africa in 2020, may have thrown an additional 30 million people into poverty and exacerbated the prevalence of child labour; whereas the EU and the AU have committed to supporting the
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) K a. whereas a sustainable and inclusive recovery in Africa from COVID- 19 will require an additional $1 trillion annually, on top of the $2.5 trillion annual gap in finance for the SDGs that predated the crisis; whereas this endeavour constitutes an important investment opportunity; whereas the European Investment Bank stepped up its efforts to help African partners respond to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis by providing €5 billion to support more than EUR 12 billion of transformational private and public investment across Africa in 2020;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) K a. whereas on 10 June 2021 the European Parliament called “for support for proactive, constructive and text-based negotiations for a temporary waiver of the WTO TRIPS Agreement, aiming to enhance global access to affordable COVID-19-relatedmedical products and to address global production constraints and supply shortages”;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) K a. whereas the 2021 UNICEF/ILO report on child labour indicates that child labour has been on the rise in sub- Saharan Africa since 2012 and that this upward trend will continue because of the pervasive effects of the pandemic;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 27 a (new) — having regard to the Declaration of the Africa-Europe Forum of Local and Regional Governments of the Member States of the African Union and of the European Union on 15 February 2022 in Brussels,
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) K a. whereas the EU's refusal to comply with the repeated request since 2021 to remove patent protection for the COVID vaccines has politically strained relations with African countries;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K b (new) K b. whereas according to the Africa Human Development Report 2016,gender inequality is costing sub-Saharan Africa six percent of the region’s GDP jeopardising the continent’s efforts for inclusive human development and economic growth;whereas equalizing women’s access to agricultural inputs could raise crop production by up to 19per cent, boost agricultural and overall GDP and lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty;1a _________________ 1a https://www.africa.undp.org/content/rba/e n/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2016/08 /28/gender-gap-costs-sub-saharan-africa- usd95billion-a-year.html
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K c (new) K c. whereas about only one out of three African countries have Decent Work Country Programmes, which have been established as the main vehicle for delivery of ILO support to countries tailored to the priorities and outcomes of each countries;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas the 6th EU-AU-Summit committed to engage constructively towards an agreement on a comprehensive WTO response to the pandemic, which includes trade-related as well as intellectual-property-related aspects; whereas the full vaccination rate was no higher than 15% in Africa as of March 2022 (in comparison with 73 % in the EU); whereas million of vaccines have to be destroyed before they can be used in poorer nations because of a rapidly approaching expiry date;
Amendment 84 #
L. whereas the 6th EU-AU-Summit committed to engage constructively towards an agreement on a comprehensive WTO response to the pandemic, which includes trade-related as well as intellectual-property-related aspects; whereas the EU, the United States, India and South Africa, the ‘quad’, reached a compromise in the WTO to facilitate a waiver of certain Intellectual Property provisions, but a broader discussion in the WTO is yet to commence;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas the 6th EU-AU-Summit committed to engage constructively towards an agreement on a comprehensive WTO response to the pandemic, which includes trade-related as well as intellectual-property-related aspects; whereas it is essential to extend the TRIPS agreement on other aspects of intellectual property rights, such as diagnostics, devices and treatments;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas the 6th EU-AU-Summit underlined the urgency of the WTOs contribution to the fight against the pandemic and to the recovery of the global economy, and committed to engage constructively towards an agreement on a comprehensive WTO response to the pandemic, which includes trade-related as well as intellectual-property-related aspects;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L a (new) L a. whereas the European Commission, the governments of the United States of America, the Republic of India, and the Republic of South Africa have presented a compromise proposal to the WTO Member States, which would waive certain criteria of compulsory licensing provisions under TRIPS, but falls short of the above;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas according to the IMF, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, about 60 % of low-income countries are at high risk of
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the AfCFTA Secretariat has established a USD 1 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, funded by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which is aimed at supporting countries that would in the short term experience revenue losses as a result of reducing or eliminating their tariffs; whereas AfCFTA Secretariat estimates the actual need to be about USD 7 billion;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 27 b (new) — having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Business Organisations of the 7th EU - Africa Business Forum on the 14th of February 2022 in Brussels,
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas respecting fair conditions on the EU-Africa trade in agricultural products
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas EU-Africa trade in agricultural products needs to be revised to advance sustainable agriculture on both continents;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O a (new) O a. whereas a number of African states have some of the world’s richest renewable energy resources; whereas nearly two-thirds of the African population lack access to electricity; whereas the African Union launched in June 2021 the African Single Electricity Market that is the world’s largest energy trading programme meant to interconnect all 55 African Union Member States through an efficient, affordable, and sustainable electricity market and is expected to be fully operational by2040;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O a (new) O a. Whereas the Food & Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) initiative was presented at the G7 summit on March 24th 2022, with concrete measures to ensure food security globally, and notably in the African countries most impacted by the food production disruption following the war in Ukraine ;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O a (new) O a. whereas the war in Ukraine demonstrates the interconnectedness of food security and the global market, and the dependency of some African countries on food imports from a small number of exporting countries or regions; whereas an overdependence can leave countries vulnerable to external shocks;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O b (new) O b. whereas the AfCFTA members consider the automotive industry as a potentially very strong driver for African industrialisation as well as an opportunity for inclusivity; whereas a 1.2 billion dollar automobile fund is being established by the AfCFTA Secretariat and funded by Afreximbank, aimed at assisting countries interested in participating in an African automobile value chain, to either produce vehicle components or assemble cars, as most African countries could have an opportunity to participate in a broad- based inclusive value chain, with copper, rubber and various minerals that are required to manufacture vehicles being available for processing on the continent; whereas African vehicle demand over the next 15 years is expected to surpass 4.5 million units; whereas this demand for mobility requires sustainable solutions and research cooperation with international partners;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O c (new) O c. whereas micro, small and medium- sized enterprises (MSMEs) in low and middle-income countries across Africa suffer in intra-African trade from significant transaction costs and delays caused by limited cross-border relations between banks, foreign currency availability, high service costs for intermediaries, and the need to rate both currencies against the Dollar; whereas technological developments and cooperation between central banks such as in the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) can offer a way out of this problem;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O d (new) O d. whereas Africa has the fastest crypto adoption rate in the world, recording 1,200 % growth between July 2020 and June 2021, with Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania ranking already in the top 20 of the Global Crypto Adoption Index, and with peer-to-peer transactions being the most important driver of this development;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the AU’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020- 2030) envisions a secured digital single market for Africa by 2030 where movement of persons, services and capital is ensured and individuals and businesses can seamlessly access and engage in online activities in line with AfCFTA; whereas the digitalisation of trade and the promotion of paperless trading systems has significant potential to support small- scale traders, including women-led enterprises and young entrepreneurs; whereas substantive investment into internet infrastructure is needed to facilitate the digital participation of the African population, of which only 33 percent had access to the internet in 2021;
source: 730.105
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History
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