36 Amendments of Saskia BRICMONT related to 2021/2178(INI)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
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 equality and women’s empowerment in all spheres of life; whereas both Unions recognised the importance of food security and nutrition put to the fore with the disruption of supply chains brought about by the war in Ukraine which bears the risk of food riots like those of 2008 and bout of social unrest;;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
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 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
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 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
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 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
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 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
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)
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
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 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
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 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
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 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P b (new)
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 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
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 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
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 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
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 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
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 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Supports the objectives of AfCFTA; stresses that indicators in measuring economic success should be diversified beyond GDP growth; such as the Gini coefficient, quality jobs, the Theil Index to measure export diversification, indicators pertaining to gender discrimination, the uptake of green technologies and energy, sustainability of public finances, corruption and good governance;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
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 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
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 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
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 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
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 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
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 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges the Commission to prepare an effecsupport social economy and cooperatives and easily accessible microcredit schemes well as microcredit schemes to contribute to the much needed formalisation of the informal economy through clear strategies based on ILO Recommendation 204;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
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 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
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 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
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 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
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 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
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 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
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 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
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 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Shares the long-term vision of creating a comprehensive EU-Africa continent-to-continent trade and, cooperation and development agreement, building on the AfCFTA;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
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 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
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)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
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 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
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 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
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;