52 Amendments of Juan Ignacio ZOIDO ÁLVAREZ related to 2021/2178(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
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 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
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 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 35 a (new)
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 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 35 b (new)
Citation 35 b (new)
— having regard the European Council Conclusions of 16 December 2021,
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
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 22 #
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 equala new mutually- beneficial joint strategy which reflects the interests of both sides and strengthens the ties between the two continents and will allow for closer cooperation on issues of mutual convergences in the area of trade, development, security, and women’s empowerment good governance, while creating all spheres of life partnership of equals; whereas both Unions recognised the importance of food security and nutrition;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
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 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
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 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
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 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU Trade Policy Review acknowledges the strategic importance of deepening active and fair engagementtrade relations with the African continent and African states by proposing several strands of action to strengthen trade and economic links between the two continents;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
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 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU is one of the most important trading partners for Africaand its Member States constitute Africa’s biggest partner on all counts in terms of trade, investment, Official Development Assistance (ODA), humanitarian assistance and security; whereas, the positive effects of the EU trade tools towards Africa, such as the GSP and Aid for Trade, are significant; 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;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
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 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
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)African and European private sector have a shared interest in its successful and effective implementation , notably with regards to the economic growth and job opportunities it is expected to create; whereas the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as the flagship project of the First-Ten-Year Implementation Plan (2014-2023) under the African Union’s Agenda 2063, gives new momentum to pan-African trade and investment opportunities and will increase Euro-African connectivity;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
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 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas AfCFTA will become the world’s largest free-trade area in terms of participating countries – a market of 1.2 billion people, including a fast-growing middle class, with a combined GDP of USD 3 trillion, which is expected to more than double by 2050 and to eliminate tariffs on 90 percent of product lines on the continent; in this context, Africa´s GDP could increase by one percent, total employment by1.2 percent per year and intra-African trade by 33 percent; whereas the creation of the AfCFTA represents a major opportunity for the UE but will also depend in large part on its ability to mobilize investments and to foster trade exchanges and corporate presence in the Africa;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
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 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
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 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
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; whereas the EU-Africa trade relations play a crucial role to address the climate transition and foster common efforts towards achieving long term sustainable growth and development, notably through the provismotion of access to public goodssustainable supply chains and trade diversification in the transition to a low- carbon economy;
Amendment 101 #
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; and the digital economy in Africa offers prospects for increased job creation, particularly for SMEs, which account for an estimated 80 percent of jobs across the continent and are the backbone of the African economy;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
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 111 #
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 thebring enormous benefits in terms of stimulating economic growth, regional integration, poverty reduction and job creation; underlines that geographical proximity and long historical and cultural ties are increasingly reinforced by growing trade exchanges; in this respect, the EU should invest more efforts in taking the partnership beyond the traditional "donor-recipient" relationship; additionally, the EU and Africa should continue to work together in favour of common objectives and shared interests, including the realisation of 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;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
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 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
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)
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 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. UnderlinBelieves that the EU needs an entirely new foundation for itsSummit set the path for a renewed economic partnership with Africa, on equal grounds and based on mutual respect and understanding, and is a unique opportunity to revive trade relations between both continents;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
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 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
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 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
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)
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 150 #
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; 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 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
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 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
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)
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 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
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 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
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 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
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 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
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 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for a greener and more sustainable post-pandemic world to be built back, which necessitatesNotes the impact of the COVID-19 on supply chains; insists on the importance of building more resilient supply chains in the post-pandemic world by reinforcing strategic autonomy, identifying dependencies, better addressing vulnerabilities and supply disruptions, diversifying production and investing more in game-changing enterprises that have integrated social, environmental and health objectives into their business models;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
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 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to foster investment in the African continent through innovative financial instruments to increase capital flows and reduce risk, reduce risks and helping to strengthen competitiveness for EU exports investments; to achieve those objectives, cooperation between the European InvestmentBank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), together with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in a "Team Europe"approach is essential, with an adequate policy steer from the Commission, in order to boost the investment opportunities in Africa particularly by providing more risk capital and guarantees aimed to facilitate large scale investments while maintaining EU support for smaller scale local projects; in this sense,welcomes the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) which allows DFIs to take more risk in their investment programs;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
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 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
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 207 #
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;
Amendment 211 #
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 and their integration into the international trading system should also be improved; is aware of the fact that special and differentiated treatment is a founding principle of the WTO;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
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 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
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 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
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 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
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 must be guaranteed at an affordable price to everyone as a common good and a basic rightand the future energy demand are key issues that the EU and Africa should address together; notes the need to leverage the new renewable energy potential in Africa and invest in sectors with higher added value such as green steel and green hydrogen, notably by improving technology cooperation and increasing clean energy exports; points out, that technical assistance regarding energy market legislation is needed and should be provided through EU-African cooperation, as well as the development of common standards; points out that sustainable energy cooperation should be one the main features of the "Global Gateway Initiative" with regard to Africa;
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 place people- centred development at the coreenable European companies, particularly SMEs to take full advantage of trade opportunities; in that regards, also recommends that a digital transition goes in line with the principles of data protection;