Activities of Eleni STAVROU related to 2023/2073(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on EU development cooperation in support of access to energy in developing countries
Amendments (46)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation – b (new)
Citation – b (new)
– having regard to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation – a (new)
Citation – a (new)
– having regard to the proposal from the Commission for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation – a (new)
Citation – a (new)
– having regard to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the SDGs cannot be achieved without ensuring a minimum amount of energy for everyone as energy is an enabling element of development; whereas SDG 7 stipulates the aim to achieve sustainable access to affordable and clean energy by 203012 ; _________________ 12 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition – July 2023’, New York, USA, 2023.
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas energy poverty, defined as the lack of sustainable, clean and safe energy sources, is a gender issue, with women and girls spending, on average, up to 18 hours a day collecting cooking fuels14 ; whereas engaging women as active agents in renewable energy solutions will improve sustainability and positive gender outcomes; whereas the EU’s Gender Action Plan III makes obligatory the mainstreaming of gender perspective in all policies and actions; whereas the EU has made a commitment that at least 85% of all new external actions will contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment by 2025; _________________ 14 UN Development Programme, ‘Energy and Gender Equality’.
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas in the sub-Saharan region only 47% of schools have electricity; whereas access to electricity supports quality education by allowing the use of electronic teaching aids in classrooms, whereas education is recognised as one of the most essential components of poverty reduction;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas energy poverty is another factor that can lead to migration; whereas better access to affordable and clean energy will unlock sustainable economic growth and will improve human health and well-being, will raise human security and will help build resilience against poverty-driven migration;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas traditional cooking fuels (solid biomass, kerosene and coal) are the main contributors to carbon emissions and represent a threat to people’s health; whereas EU funding for clean cooking fuels is marginal; whereas even when clean cooking strategies exist, there is weak implementation and little finance so that even modest gains are hard to obtain;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas developing countries have an abundance of renewable energy sources, but often lack an enabling policy and regulatory framework for sustainable energy development and use; whereas, countries such as Namibia and Angola are involved in ambitious projects related to renewable energy; whereas some developing countries have made notable progress in the field of energy access, such as Senegal, Rwanda and Kenya, thus, with political will and EU support it is possible to achieve breakthroughs; whereas different contexts in each country need to be taken into account;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the usage of natural resources for energy generation has elevated millions of people out of poverty while many countries have chosen the path of phasing out fossil fuels and replacing them by renewable natural resources;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU has a long tradition of energy cooperation in Africa and, together with its Member States, provided the vast majority of Official Development Assistance financing for SDG 7 projects in Africa amounting to EUR 13.8 billion between 2014 and 2020; whereas an estimated 53 % of the disbursements were in the form of loans;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the Africa-EU Energy Partnership was renewed in February 2022 with explicit objectives to promote renewable energy generation; whereas an investment package of approximately EUR 150 billion was announced to support the continents’ common ambitions of the 2030 Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063, including harnessing all African energy resources to ensure modern, efficient, reliable, cost- effective, renewable and environmentally friendly energy to all African households, businesses, industries and institutions;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the ‘Just energy transition partnership of EU with South Africa’ is an example of the EU’s willingness to contribute in positioning itself as a global leader in the just energy transition, thus contributing to the external dimension of the EU energy and climate strategy and promoting the ambition of the European Green Deal globally;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas green hydrogen has the potential to accelerate the path to decarbonisation, provided that it is part of a broader strategy to reduce the overall consumption of ener and to contribute to green industrialisation of partner countries, provided that it is part of a broader energy transition strategy;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas critical raw materials play a pivotal role in ensuring the accessibility and affordability of clean energy technologies for all, but the EU should establish a coherent framework to ensure their continuous, secure, and responsible supply, while upholding human rights and supporting local development, in accordance with the principles outlined in the Critical Raw Materials Act;
Amendment 88 #
K. whereas decentralised mini-grid and off-grid renewable energy offer good solutions for remote communities, but need to be accompanied by public support to create a viable and responsible business model;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the expansion of renewables based on solar and wind power also raises challenges as theyenergy independence; whereas such projects need to take into account the local populations; whereas such projects require large areas of land, thus, possibly interfering with existing land use and local needs, in particular regarding access to water;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the transition to renewables is projected to create more employment in the renewables sector; whereas new renewable technologies have the potential to generate economic opportunities, which in turn have the ability to support the achievement of the right to livelihood and decent work;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that energy security entails a gender-specific inequality; stresses that energy poverty disproportionately affects women and girls; highlights their daily involvement in collecting firewood and charcoal far from their homes; calls for the EU to step up its support in mainstreaming gender in the energy transition; calls for inclusion of women as active agents in the energy transition process, including any women’s organisations and enterprises;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is worried about the health and environmental consequences of household fuelwood emissions, which are obtained unsustainably, such as respiratory diseases and cancer, forest degradation and biodiversity loss; highlights that women and girls are disproportionately affected by household air pollution; stresses that any new projects for clean cooking should incorporate the gender perspective and should take into account the different gender impacts;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges the EU to incorporate access to clean cooking as a priority within its energy partnerships with developing countries; acknowledges that clean cooking is challenging to tackle due to many factors (i.e. fragmentation of the market, affordability of artisanal cooking solutions, high cost of more efficient or modern solutions, users’ habits); fully supports the efforts of the EU in this respect; urges the EU to support financially, advocate for and encourage national action in partner countries; calls for awareness raising of the health risks of household air pollution from traditional cooking practices as well as of the benefits of alternatives; points out the opportunities of Global Gateway initiatives such as the 'Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA)' and the 'Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Environment for Clean Cooking' initiatives and stresses that for the success of any such initiatives, women should be put at the centre as agents of change;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges the EU and its Member States to ensure policy coherence for sustainable development across the EU external energy agenda; stresses the need for the EU to support developing countries, where required, in reinforcing their legal frameworks, good governance capacity and transparency in any energy transition projects to ensure that they add value in those developing countries while also being consistent with the principle of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) as laid down in Article 208 TFEU;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates its commitment towards energy justice; calls for the EU to support developing countries in implementing rights-based renewable energy regimes; believes that the principle of free, prior and informed consent for affected communities is a pre-condition for a successful green and just energy transitionEU should ensure meaningful consultation with directly affected communities as well as enabling them to take an active participation in decision-making processes for a successful green and just energy transition; highlights the importance of promoting local skills, encouraging technology innovation and transferring technological and technical cooperation in such energy transition projects;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – introductory part
Paragraph 9 – introductory part
9. Highlights thpossible risks of land- use conflicts – forced resettlement and expropriation for large-scale renewable energy installations; urges the EU to support governments of developing countries to:
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point a
Paragraph 9 – point a
a) set appropriate and feasible risk mitigation measures, such as, conduct mapping of traditional land use, including for temporal grazing, indigenous cultural heritage and high- value biodiversity systems, prior to the development of renewable energy projects, and ensure their continuous monitoring;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point b
Paragraph 9 – point b
b) seek free, prior and informed consent from the local communities, while guaranteeing their right to say no, and their rights to justice, redress and compensation or remunerationensure meaningful consultation with directly affected communities as well as enabling them to take an active participation in decision-making processes;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point c
Paragraph 9 – point c
c) define environmental and social criteria and ensure compliance through mechanisms for oversight and grievanensure compliance with responsible business practices;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes, with concern, that some large- scale green energy projects (such as wind and solar power) are being set up in dryland areas, for example, without adequate consultation with the customary land users (such as pastoralists); recalls that traditional communal rights have a weak legal status, thereby increasing the risk of land grabbing;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses the need to make sure that the European Union develops partnerships that provide policy, regulatory and administrative support to developing countries based on best EU practices; highlights the importance of respecting the rights and interests of local communities; stresses the need to make sure that green investments contribute to socioeconomic development and a greater participation of developing countries in the new net-zero energy geopolitical landscape;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is worried about the impact that water-intensive energy conversion practices, such as hydropower plants, can have on agricultural communities;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes, with concern, that Africa hosts an increasing number of fossil fuel projects, which risks preventing it from making a timely leap to renewable energy; recalls that a major portion of current oil, gas and coal production in Africa is destined for export, while the continent continues to be plagued by energy poverty; recognises that natural gas has been endorsed as a transition fuel that can contribute to the decarbonisation of the EU economy and in this respect, stresses the importance of win-win partnerships with mutual benefits for exporting countries and their populations;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Denounces the double standards whereWelcomes the increased pledges made by private and public financial institutions in developed countries are increasingly making pledges to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, while financing the development and expansion of fossil fuel; urges such financial institutions to reiterate more funding towards renewable energies rather than financing the development and expansion of fossil fuels, except if such funding aids in energy independence and energy transition projects;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Emphasises that an enhanced collaboration between the EU's and partner countries' businesses and SMEs, combining the expertise of different like- minded partners, will create a pathway to sound entrepreneurship in the green hydrogen sector; stresses that partnership agreements should not only concentrate on the energy transition but also enable partner countries to achieve the entirety of SDGs and ensure that pursuing an export-oriented hydrogen economy does not negatively impact other aspects of the partner country’s development; highlights that such projects, if done properly, can support capacity building, skills development, knowledge-transfer and innovation required for local value chain development; recognises the partnerships for raw materials, as well as, the partnerships created due to the Africa- Europe Green Energy initiative and encourages further cooperation between Africa and EU at political, regional, bilateral and technical level; takes into account that the Memoranda for Understanding with partner countries are a critical milestone in encouraging sustainable green transition and showing EU global leadership while ensuring a comprehensive approach to supporting local economies through industrialisation, training and technological advancement; following such Memoranda for Understanding, urges the EU to deliver through operational roadmaps with concrete joint actions;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Warns against the risk of a new ‘green hydrogen curse’ that would foster developing countries’ reliance on exports and could crowd out investments in the development of local energy markets; is concerned about the lack of requiredhighlights the need to address global infrastructure, for the long-distance transport costs,production, storage, transport, distribution and consumption of hydrogen; is concerned about the limited investments and financial capacities and the risks linked to weak institutions and corruption; highlights the potential of the Global Gateway initiative in regards to this; calls for the EU to support the development of a green hydrogen value chain only when it can guarantee that it equally benefits exporting countries and their populatios as win-win partnerships with mutual benefits for importing and exporting countries and their populations, that allow to re-skill and train populations, provide quality and future- oriented jobs and support green industrialization, allowing developing countries to decarbonize hard-to-abate industrial activities and provide access to cleaner mobility and energy, retaining greater value in new clean value chains and making sustainable use of the established critical raw materials supply chains;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. AGreen hydrogen produced from renewable power and water is considered as one of the pivotal solutions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 worldwide; acknowledges that the expansion of green hydrogen may also hasve negative social and environmental impacts in the Global South, in particular as it relies on mining and the use of raw materials and rare earths; stresses the needimportance to develop a global resourcegood governance systemtandards that prioritises sustainability, efficiency and circularity, with a view to reducing global demand for virgin materialhile also recognising the challenges in achieving these; reminds that the clean transition cannot occur without an ample, sustainable and secure supply of critical raw materials; stresses that the EU should ensure the sustainability of the extracted, processed and recycled critical raw materials that are fundamental for hydrogen and the other Net-Zero technologies;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes, with concern, the risk of conflicting use of water associated with mining and the development of large-scale renewable energy plants, such as green hydrogen; reaffirms that access to water is a fundamental human right;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Insists that green hydrogen strategies must follow strong social and sustainability standards; calls for the EU to establish appropriate monitoring framework and should be competitive on global markets; calls for the EU to establish measurable targets in its partnership agreements that allow for assessing their broader impact on SDG performance; calls for mandatory environmental impact studies to be conducted, and be wary especially for biodiversity hotspots to be exclud, which might be used as sites for green hydrogen facilities;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges the Commission to set up an inclusive governance framework for partnership agreements that includes civil society organisations to ensure that the ‘no harm’ principle is respected, where appropriate, vis-à-vis local communities and that global human rights standards are met;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses that EU financing for renewable energy should be in line with the principles of equity and climate justiceshould be in line with EU sustainability standards; urges for long-term, reliable and sustainable public and private investment for renewable energy projects that are all aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the European Commission to use the next COP28 to boost international climate finance for clean energy and green infrastructure by achieving the 100bn climate finance goal and establishing new ambitious goals for 2025 onwards, to swiftly implement its pledge to invest 4bn in renewable energy and hydrogen projects through the Global Gateway, and develop innovative solutions, in cooperation with International Financial Institutions and Multilateral Development Banks, to de- risk investments; stresses the importance of innovative blended finance that should focus on de-risking near-commercial deployment and can ensure that the funded projects meet environmental imperatives;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for the EU and its Member States to increase the amount of official development assistance it devotes to the energy sector, particularly in Africa, prioritising grants over loans and reorientstep up their development cooperation efforts in the energy sector, particularly in Africa, subject to ceilings agreed within the framework of the NDICI-Global Europe and making use of all spending modalities such as grants, loans and technical assistance, while scaling up funding through leveraging EU’s budget and other private investment possibilities as well as encouraging financing towards countries with lower rates of access to electricity to support their clean energy transitions and to develop programmes for facilitating the transfer of knowledge and green technologies; stresses that Europe can offer innovative solutions to speed up the green transition and increase the global share of renewables;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Urges the EU to support developing countries in gradually phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and to focus on efficient, modern and affordable cooking technologies; urges the mobilisation of investments and creating enabling environments to drive growth of a robust clean cooking industry;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point a
Paragraph 26 – point a
a) direct more investments into the distribution segment, in particular rural electrification, and to prioritise decentralised, small-scale and off-grid renewable energy systems, when such solutions are more adequate than grid extension for enabling access of rural populations to electricity, taking into account the challenges faced by this sector;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point b
Paragraph 26 – point b
b) ensure that human rights impact assessments are carried out and that all required governance, human rights, social and environmental safeguards and remedies are duly implemented and monitored, including the human rights and land tenure guidelines;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point c
Paragraph 26 – point c
c) implement and strictly apply the rights-based approach providing effective complaint and redress mechanisms, notably in projects under the Global Gateway initiativeensure compliance with responsible business practices;