27 Amendments of Raphaël GLUCKSMANN related to 2020/2041(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that, while there are a number of dynamic middle income countries on the African continent, its economic development is still relatively weak in comparison to other partsStrongly supports the renewed engagement between the EU and Africa; welcomes the publication of the Communication ofn the world; stresses that many of its countries will therefore face almost insurmountable challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis and the effects of climate changeupcoming strategy; highlights the importance of a dynamic partnership to pursue common Goals between the two continents;
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that Europe and Africa are in close geographical proximity, have strong, historical and, cultural ties andand socio- economic ties, which are being brought ever closer by the increase in strade and shared challengestegic interests, such as climate change, sustainable development, and good governance, and that the prosperity of the two continents are intimately linked, which call for an holistic continental- African approach and result-oriented use of EU resourcfor increased coherence between EU policies and the use of the related resources, while at the same time respecting the independence and sovereignty of African countries;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Highlights the importance of ecologically and socially sustainable trade relations with the African continent; calls on the Commission to proceed with its legislative proposal on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence obligations for EU companies;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Highlights that, while there are a number of dynamic middle income countries on the African continent, its economic development is still relatively weak in comparison to other parts of the world; stresses that many of its countries will therefore face almost insurmountable challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis and the effects of climate change, amongst them huge demographic shifts with poverty- and conflict-driven migration as well as other problems; highlights in this context that in the short run, the EU must provide immediate aid measures such as procuring tests and laboratory equipment, followed by pandemic prevention measures through the development of an infrastructure of laboratories, financing of medical training measures, information campaigns and national pandemic response plans; underlines that the economic impact of the lockdown will be profound on the African continent, given the size of the informal sector; stresses that the long term goal of the partnership between the EU and Africa must be the resilience of African economies as well as economic independence from aid and indebtedness, to which the increasing resilience of the health sector should be a side effect;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Reiterates the importance to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and the principles of Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU); calls for the African Union, the European Union and their member states, for a more robust cooperation in the fields of the promotion and protection of human rights, and human rights defenders, and to deliver full political and financial support to their respective human rights mechanisms;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Underlines that it is important to step up synergies and coherence between all the legal and political frameworks on which EU-Africa relations are based on in order to make the partnership more effective and sustainable; welcomes the proposal for a pan-African programme in the context of the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) aimed at addressing the challenges of the African continent as a whole;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the announcement from the G20 on a temporary moratorium on debt repayments for the weakest developing countries; reiterates that debt reductions and debt cancellations are not mentioned in the current version of the Africa strategy while they are important palliatives in the COVID-19 crisis and a necessary measure beyond the pandemic since they will contribute to the policy space of African countries that is currently taken up by repaying debt;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the process of sustainable development on the African continent is of key importance for the prosperity, stability and human security of both the EU and Africa; in this context recalls that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the respect of human rights have to remain the main objectives of EU-African relations;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that the European Union still has important economic ties with African states, and that China has intensified its economic engagement in Africa, while the EU Member States have shown only very selective interests for trade with- and investments in the African states, which is why the trade volume between the EU and most African states remains relatively small; underlines that the EU needs an entirely new foundation for its economic partnership with Africa, meaning that it needs to take the final step away from a dependency-based relationship and arrive in the new reality in which the EU and Africa need to develop a mutually beneficial sustainable partnership; underlines that the prerequisite of this partnership is the substantial further sustainable development in all African states;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that the European Union still has important economic ties with African states, and that China has intensified its economic engagement in Africa; stresses the need to respond to these challenges while respecting policy coherence for development;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that the role of many African states in the international division of labour does not promote their sustainable development as long as it means that they export raw materials and some unprocessed agricultural commodities, while the EU exports manufactured goods, services and agricultural overcapacities; underlines that the EU must support the diversification of inner-African value chains by means of public investment in improved infrastructures and the development of a sustainable energy- supply; calls on the Commission to facilitate through the channels at its disposal the development of regional value chains as inner-regional trade on the African continent remains marginal and is a prerequisite for sustainable development and long term economic independence;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that the role of many African states in the international division of labour does not promote their sustainable development; recalls the need to better integrate African economies into global value chains, providing greater emphasis on African added value, e.g. through special and differential treatment; believes that the revised General Scheme of Preferences (GSP), with a reviewed set of binding principles and conventions and an extended monitoring mechanism, would greatly contribute to uphold human, social and environmental rights; stresses that binding due diligence in line with OECD standards is not only a tool to promote decent work, but also increase the general security situation on many Sub Saharan countries;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that African countries, albeit accounting for more than 50% of the General Scheme of Preferences (GSP) beneficiaries, only represent less than 5% of EU’s GSP imports; invites the Commission to assist beneficiaries’ actors, inter alia on adherence with rules of origin and technical barriers; regrets that the GSP has not so far contributed to the economic diversification of African beneficiary countries; reiterates its call on the Commission to consider expanding the list of products to be covered by the GSP Regulation;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to reform its current version of its strategy entitledadapt its priorities set out in the Communication ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’ ahead of the planned EU-AU Summit with a view to addressing the needs of the African regions in the wake of this health and economic crisis; but also with regard to the danger of upcoming threats to food security; notes that the common plan for economic recovery needs to remain in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that Africa is still undergomaking steps forward ing the process of integration at regional, continental and international level and that as yet 54 African; therefore stresses the need for a countries remain divided and diversified in areas of key strategic importance to the EU, such as meeting internationally recognised standardinent-to-continent partnership between the European Union and the African Union; stresses that the partnership should be based on common interests and praobjecticves in trade, human rights, sustainable development and positioning in international organisations; ; recalls that developing this EU-AU partnership would enable further regionalisation and should be considered as an option for ACP relations post-Cotonou;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that the fragmented implementation of EPAs has resulted in a lack of substantial progress in supporting regional integration, capacity-building on border cooperation, and improvements in investment climates and good governance; believes that the serious concerns raised by EPAs in place or under negotiation need to be overcome (including regional integration concerns, Rules of Origin complications, non tariff barriers, and little in-built protection for infant industries) and addressed in the strategy;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 9 March 2020 entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa’ (JOIN(2020)0004); which underlines the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelated nature of all human rights and affirms EU and African commitments to promote and protect them; calls for strong and constant EU engagement in thehuman security, stability and sustainable development of Africa; stresses the importance of including the principles of transparency and good governance in the EU-Africa Strategy and its planning, implementation and evaluation;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the need for substantial sustainable investments that enable leapfrogging in the African states; possibly in the form of investment partnerships with regard to infrastructure, a sustainable agricultural sector as well as comprehensive energy supply from renewable sources; underlines the necessity of sustainable innovation projects that enable leapfrogging with the specific goal of ecological and social sustainability in the African states underlines that the EU needs to pursue public investments in the development of general infrastructures and specifically cross-border infrastructures in order to facilitate regional trade and thereby the diversification of value chains; highlights that the promotion of foreign direct investment amongst other programs by the External Investment Plan should be linked to local entrepreneurship, SMEs, smallholder agriculture, the local services sector, the local manufacturing industry as well as sustainable innovation projects in order to facilitate the diversification of value chains on the continent as well as for the sake of the creation of decent employment opportunities;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the importance of a true inclusion of international and local civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), parliamentary assemblies, the diaspora, trade unions, youth organisations, the private sector and local authorities in consolidating the political dialogue between the EU and Africa; calls on the AU and the EU to ensure unfettered civil society access to African and European institutions and their human rights mechanisms; further insists on the importance of creating an enabling environment for civil society and addressing an increasing crackdown on human rights defenders;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines that empowering civil society, and thereby including a social counterpart into investment structures, is a vital aspect of EU policies towards and with the African states., therefore asks the Commission to involve civil society at all levels of the political dialogue, especially when trade agreements are prepared, monitored and evaluated; calls for a bigger role for civil society in the Aid for Trade system;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls the AU and the EU’s joint commitment to collaborate on the global human rights agenda; calls on AU and EU institutions to prioritise cooperation at multilateral human rights fora and to act robustly in defence of crucial human rights gains at multilateral level; to this end, calls them to develop concrete strategies to counter the recent pushback on existing human rights norms at multilateral fora, including the universality and indivisibility of human rights; reminds EU and AU member states that they must deliver full political and financial support to their respective human rights mechanisms and ensure these, together with a strong and independent civil society, can guarantee delivery and further progress on human rights for all in Africa and Europe;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Recognizes the critical role of women and girls in sustainable growth and development; emphasizes that the empowerment of women and girls must be mainstreamed throughout the implementation of the Africa strategy; underlines that the economic independence of women must be fostered by the promotion of female entrepreneurs;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Underlines that the African continent has the youngest population in the world and thus asks the Commission to firmly integrate the interests of children and young people in the implementation plan for the Africa strategy and to make sure that substantial investments are made in building the expertise of young people given their critical role in further developing strategies for an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable future of their continent;
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Shares the opinion that the matter of the security of Africa should be transferred into the handsAfrican states and regional institutions must have the leading role in matters relating to the security of Africans and that the EU should assissupport its African partners in the successful accomplishment of this ultimate goal., by tackling the root causes of human insecurity, as well as including by implementing a conflict prevention, do no harm and policy coherence approach in all aspects of its relationship with Africa, and by supporting the role of civil society actors in peacekeeping and peace- building efforts;
Amendment 161 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls, in the context of counter- terrorism policies, on the establishment of more transparent decision-making processes, increased general awareness about a human rights-based approach and more engagement with communities affected by these measures;
Amendment 164 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Recognises the complex challenges and opportunities migration movements play both in Europe and Africa for the prosperity and the development of both continents; calls on the AU, the EU and their member states to adopt an approach to migration policies that puts human rights of refugees and migrants at their heart; calls them to ensure AU-EU migration related cooperation promotes human rights and the respect of international commitments, including by expanding and promoting legal pathways to Europe and within Africa; secure and promote the asylum space and rights- based migration in both EU and AU countries through legislative and policy reforms, including establishing greater transparency and accountability in migration related programmes and funding;
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Rejects any kind of conditionality on External Financial Instruments(EFIs) based on EU’s migration and border policies; is opposed to EFIs being used to control and manage migration flows in Africa and calls for effective mechanisms to be put in place to be able to thoroughly control the final destination of those funds and to assess the projects which received funding;