Activities of Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA related to 2023/2065(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation of the EU-Southern African Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
Amendments (8)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that regional integration features prominently in theAcknowledges that the importance of economic regional integration in Africa has been a long-lasting stumbling block for concluding EPAs; stresses that regional integration is essential tothe EU-SADC EPA shall support effectively the integrate developing countries into the world economyion of regional markets; stresses, furthermore, that the EU’s development finance cooperation with SADC countries must assist their regional economic cooperation and integration efforts;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the EPA should contribute to diversifying value chains in SADC countries and their economies, which necessitates fair and pro- development global trade rule, creating added value and jobs locally and thereby helping to reduce and eventually eradicate hunger and poverty in a sustainable manner;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries are rich in natural resources and in most of them their extractive industries extract and export natural resources with little industrial processing; recalls that developing countries see export taxes as a means to move up the value chain, to develop domestic industries and manufacturing capacity, creating jobs and diversifying the economy and exports; however, recalls that SADC EPA countries are allowed to apply export taxes only in “exceptional circumstances”;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Stresses that the EU request to ban export taxes on raw materials has been a long-lasting stumbling block in the negotiation process on EPAs, considering that export taxes/duties are not prohibited under the WTO regime; recalls the right of African countries to regulate raw materials in their public interest; accordingly, calls on the EU to refrain from adopting a trade policy that prohibits, as a general rule, developing countries from levying export taxes on raw materials, insofar as it is WTO- compatible;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. URecalls that SADC EPA States were impacted by the pandemic through reduced fiscal revenues, driven e.g. by the reduced economic activity and fluctuating commodity prices and trade flows; in this context, underlines the importance of good governance and assistance in building capacity for sustainable development, in particular with regard to establishing sustainable fiscal systems and fighting tax evasion, in order to help unlock fiscal capacity for further economic and social development and to protect the environment;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. StressesCalls on the EU to ensure that the EPA should contributes to establishing an effective, predictable and transparent regional regulatory framework for trade and investment, in full respect of e.g. the 2018 UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas; the FAO Voluntary Guidelines of Tenure; the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the ILO Convention 169; emphasises that Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) shall contribute to provide a sustainable foundation for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and thereby attract private capital, contribute to the building of resilient and sustainable regional value chains, boosting and diversifying intra- African trade, which is indispensable for fostering sustainable development and achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda; 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 conductive to sustainable development; takes the view that EU support to African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) should go along the development of regulative frameworks, to prevent a “race to bottom” of social and environmental norms;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Recalls that the current EPA’s Trade Sustainability Development (TSD) Chapter has a limited scope of binding commitments and provisions on dialogue with civil society; believes that EPAs should systematically integrate a mandatory and enforceable sustainable development chapter which reflect the highest labour & environmental standards to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda, which entails e.g. the inclusion of strong sustainability commitments related to the Paris Climate Agreement; the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; international core labour standards and gender equality and women’s empowerment; in particular, recalls that, to be effective, TSD chapter should be covered by the dispute settlement mechanism; welcomes the integration of a TSD chapter in the remit of the EU EPA with Kenya; urges the Commission to build upon it and to strive for the strengthening of the EPA’s TSD Chapter in the ongoing review process of the SADC EPA;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Highlights the importance of broadly, systematically and meaningfully involving local and regional civil society in the EPA’s implementation, monitoring and the ex post evaluations thereof.