Activities of Tom VANDENKENDELAERE related to 2021/2178(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the future of EU-Africa trade relations
Amendments (10)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
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 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
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 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
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 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
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 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
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 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
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 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
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 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
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)
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 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
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;