Activities of Alain HUTCHINSON
Plenary speeches (48)
Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and Cariforum – Stepping-stone Agreement towards an Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and Côte d'Ivoire – EC-Cariforum States Partnership Agreement – EC-Côte d'Ivoire Stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement – Stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Ghana, of the other part – Interim Partnership Agreement between the Pacific States, on the one part, and the European Community, on the other part – EC-SADC EPA States Interim Economic Partnership Agreement – Economic Partnership Agreement between EC and Eastern and Southern African States – Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and the East African Community Partner States – Stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Central Africa, of the other part (debate)
One year after Lisbon: the EU-Africa partnership at work (debate)
The MDG contracts (short presentation)
Response of the European Union to the deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (debate)
Voting time
Question Time (Council)
Coup in Mauritania
Hangings in Iran (vote)
The Millennium Development - Goal 5: maternal health (debate)
Situation in Zimbabwe (debate)
The work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2007 (debate) (debate)
The work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2007 (debate) (debate)
Follow-up of the Paris Declaration of 2005 on Aid Effectiveness (debate)
Rising tension in Burundi (debate)
Question Time (Commission)
Rising food prices in the European Union and developing countries (debate)
Programming implementation of the 10th European Development Fund (debate)
Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Development Cooperation (debate)
Situation in Chad (debate)
Annual policy strategy 2009 (debate)
North-Kivu (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Eastern Chad
Eastern Chad
Second EU/Africa Summit (Lisbon, 8 and 9 December 2007) (debate)
Situations of fragility
Proclamation of consensus on humanitarian aid - The European Union and Humanitarian Aid (debate)
EU-Africa relations (vote)
Sudan: Killing of African Union peace-keeping soldiers
EU-Africa relations (debate)
An international treaty prohibiting cluster bombs (debate)
ESDP operation in eastern Chad and the north of the Central African Republic (debate)
Community postal services (debate)
The economic partnership agreements (debate)
Housing and regional policy – Structural policies and EU cohesion – Future regional policy and innovation (debate)
Commission Question Time
External dimension of the fight against terrorism (debate)
Commission Question Time
Economic and social consequences of restructuring in the automobile sector in Europe (debate)
Towards more and better EU Aid: the 2006 aid effectiveness package (debate)
Mauritania (debate)
ERDF, ESF, Cohesion Fund (general provisions) – Establishment of a Cohesion Fund – European Social Fund – European Regional Development Fund – European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC) (debate)
Human rights in Tunisia (debate)
Explanations of vote
Relocation in the context of regional development (debate)
Human rights and freedom of the press in Tunisia and evaluation of the World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunis
Tunisia
Strategic guidelines/Legislative and work programme for 2005
Constitution for Europe (continuation)
Reports (4)
REPORT on MDG contracts PDF (165 KB) DOC (102 KB)
REPORT on the work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2007 PDF (156 KB) DOC (76 KB)
REPORT on more and better cooperation: the 2006 EU aid effectiveness package PDF (206 KB) DOC (138 KB)
REPORT on relocation in the context of regional development PDF (180 KB) DOC (117 KB)
Opinions (2)
OPINION The external dimension of the fight against international terrorism
OPINION on the links between legal and illegal migration and integration of migrants
Written declarations (4)
Amendments (70)
Amendment 2 #
2008/2303(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Is concerned at the way in which the EPAs are currently funded, which is predominantly based on the EDF; reiterates its view that the EPAs must be funded not by the EDF but by additional aid for trade, to which the EU committed itself in 2005, namely EUR 2 000 000 000 annually, starting in 2010, 50% of which would go to ACP countries; opposes any kind of conditionality linked to the EPAs in the matter of granting European aid, and calls on the Commission to guarantee that access to funds under the 10th EDF is kept separate from the outcome and pace of the negotiations;
Amendment 4 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, however, Article 37(1) of the same agreement lays down that a ‘preparatory period shall also be used for capacity-building in the public and private sectors of ACP countries’,
Amendment 20 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas the inhabitants of the ACP countries are the worst affected by the global financial and food crisis, which is threatening to totally destroy the minimal progress achieved towards the Millennium Development Goals,
Amendment 34 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Reiterates its view that the EPAs must be financed not by the EDF but by additional aid for trade, to which the EU committed itself in 2005, namely EUR 2 000 000 000 annually, starting in 2010, 50% of which would go to ACP countries; opposes any kind of conditionality linked to the EPAs in the matter of granting European aid and calls on the Commission to guarantee that access to the funds of the 10th EDF is kept separate from the results and pace of the negotiations;
Amendment 36 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that the increases in Official Development Assistance promised by the Member States should, as a priority, be used to redouble efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals in those ACP countries which are hardest hit by the consequences of the global financial and food crisis, which has threatened, and continues to threaten, the success achieved in attaining these goals;
Amendment 38 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Underlines that, since conformity with the rules of the WTO requires only an agreement on trade in goods, the Commission must not impose negotiations on services or the ‘Singapore subjects’ if the ACP countries do not want them; points out that, in any case, public services must remain outside the framework of liberalisation laid down by the EPAs;
Amendment 57 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. recommends that the timetable of the European Parliament should, while guarding a measure of flexibility, await and take account of the opinions of the ACP parliaments on the outcomes of the EPA negotiations, before giving its assent;
Amendment 59 #
2008/2170(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Deplores the fact that the current interim agreements devote neither space nor attention specifically to the issues of food sovereignty and the right to food and do not favour agricultural and trade policy instruments which enable market regulation and the protection of sustainable family agriculture; stresses that this aspect must be placed at the centre of the negotiations in order to guarantee the coherence of trade policy and all the EU’s policies with regard to food sovereignty and the right to food;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2153(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls also on ACP Governments to include the agricultural sector among their political priorities in order to achieve the commitment made in the Maputo Declaration of 2003 to allocate at least 10% of public expenditure to agriculture; asks the Commission to encourage them in this, particularly on the occasion of the mid-term review of the 10th EDF;
Amendment 10 #
2008/2153(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Encourages ACP countries to promote better coordination and a greater involvement on the part of governments, local authorities and both national and regional parliaments in decision-making processes relating to agricultural policy and food security, and also to facilitate more extensive participation by civil society and farmers’ organisations;
Amendment 12 #
2008/2153(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Council and the Commission, in close consultation with the ACP countries, to assign priority to the question of the impact on the ACP countries of European subsidies on the export of EU agricultural products and to commit to providing specific, sustainable responses aimed at avoid dumping, in compliance with the commitments made in this area;
Amendment 14 #
2008/2153(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Reminds the Council and the Commission that agrofuels are only a partial and temporary element of the response to the impact of transport on the warming of the climate and on the diminishing sources of oil, and asks them henceforth to ensure to authorise the production of agrofuels at European level only where they comply with strict sustainability criteria and do not compete with food products;
Amendment 1 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
- having regard to Court of Auditors' Special Report No 10/2008 on 'EC Development Assistance to Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa', together with the Commission's replies,
Amendment 4 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. having regard to the fresh undertakings given by the Commission and the EU Member States in 2007 that they will make a significant contribution to getting the work of meeting these goals back on schedule,
Amendment 5 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the MDG contracts could offer a further means of meeting the challenges posed in the developing countries by the world food crisis, in particular in the farming sector,
Amendment 6 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas Parliament is being asked to grant a discharge in respect of the EDF,
Amendment 7 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas teachers and health workers in the developing countries are currently working in deplorable conditions, whereas almost two million teachers and more than four million health workers are needed if the MDGs are to be achieved, and whereas they could be recruited and trained if adequate levels of budget support were to be provided,
Amendment 8 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas the recurring lack of health workers and teachers is being exacerbated by the brain drain organised by the rich countries,
Amendment 9 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas, despite the undertakings they gave in Monterrey (2002), Gleneagles (2005), Paris (2005) and Accra (2008) to improve the quantity and quality of development aid, many EU Member States still do not grant all the aid they have pledged to provide, and whereas, when they do provide that aid, some proves inappropriate,
Amendment 10 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas in 30% of cases delays occur in the disbursement of the budget support provided by the Commission, as a result of the excessively cumbersome nature of its administrative procedures,
Amendment 11 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas the lack of predictability in the provision of budget support is in particular the result of the annual nature of most of the conditions attaching to the provision of that support, and whereas this lack of predictability sometimes forces the recipient countries to spend the support before it has actually been provided and without being certain that it ever will be provided,
Amendment 12 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H d (new)
Recital H d (new)
Hd. whereas this lack of predictability in the provision of European development aid also affects those recipient countries which offer a degree of legal security and a stable regulatory environment,
Amendment 13 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H e (new)
Recital H e (new)
Amendment 14 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H f (new)
Recital H f (new)
Hf. whereas a recent study conducted by Oxfam found that more than half of the performance indicators linked to the general budget support agreements concluded by the Commission call for direct improvements in the level of health and education of the poor, in particular girls and women, who bear the greatest burden of poverty, and whereas that study also suggests that, even if it has not been solely responsible, this support provided by the Commission has at least altered living conditions for the poor,
Amendment 15 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H g (new)
Recital H g (new)
Hg. Whereas, although budget support already constitutes one instrument which can be used to improve the provision of aid by the EU, it would benefit from being more predictable and granted for longer periods,
Amendment 16 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
Na. whereas the Commission proposal to conclude contracts for a period of six years goes beyond the current practice employed by other donors at world level,
Amendment 17 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital N b (new)
Recital N b (new)
Nb. having regard to the Commission's appeal to the Member States to co-finance the MDG contracts by means of additional, voluntary contributions to the EDF,
Amendment 18 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital N c (new)
Recital N c (new)
Nc. whereas no changes are needed to the MDG contracts, which form part of the general budget support instrument drawn up on the basis of the criteria laid down in the Cotonou Agreement, in respect of decisions concerning the programmes already under way and the differences in the arrangements for providing general budget support, whereas the MDG contracts do not entail the establishment of a new financial instrument, and thus continue to be based on the budget support provisions set out in the Cotonou Agreement, and whereas, by the same token, the MDG contracts are still consistent with the internal guidelines governing general budget support which were recently finalised,
Amendment 22 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital T a (new)
Recital T a (new)
Ta. whereas the budget support provided by the Commission suffers from a serious lack of transparency and of ownership by the poor countries, and whereas the funding agreements are only rarely made public,
Amendment 24 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital U a 8new)
Recital U a 8new)
Ua. whereas, to take just one example, no one in Burkina Faso was aware that an MDG contract was being negotiated between that country and the Commission, and whereas no information on that subject is currently available on the website of the European Commission delegation in Burkina Faso,
Amendment 25 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital V a (new)
Recital V a (new)
Va. whereas Commission budget support is generally granted only to countries which have implemented an IMF programme, but whereas such programmes may limit the capacity of the governments concerned to invest in development, by virtue of the inflation and budget deficit targets set by the IMF,
Amendment 26 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital W a (new)
Recital W a (new)
Wa. whereas budget support agreements have already been concluded between the Commission and Burkina Faso (2005- 2008), Ethiopia (2003-2006), Ghana (2007-2009), Kenya (2004-2006), Madagascar (2005-2007), Malawi (2006- 2008), Mali (2003-2007), Mozambique (2006-2008), Tanzania (2006-2008), Uganda (2005-2007) and Zambia (2007- 2008),
Amendment 27 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital W b (new)
Recital W b (new)
Wb. whereas there are some 650 million disabled persons in the world, whereas 80% of them live in the developing countries, and whereas one in five of them live under the extreme poverty threshold; whereas, moreover, they are victims of many forms of discrimination and rarely have access to basic health care and education,
Amendment 31 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital W c (new)
Recital W c (new)
Wc. having regard to the report on the implementation of the Africa-EU Partnership of 22 November 2008, and in particular paragraph 37 thereof, which emphasises the failure to take action to assist disabled persons in the context of the efforts to achieve the MDGs,
Amendment 34 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Draws attention to the objective set in the Abuja Declaration of earmarking 15% of national budgets for the health sector, and the objective set by the Global Campaign for Education of earmarking 20% of national budgets for education;
Amendment 36 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the governments of the developing countries to increase their health spending to 15% of their national budgets (in accordance with the recommendations set out in the Abuja Declaration) and their education spending to 20% of national budgets (as called for by the Global Campaign for Education;
Amendment 40 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Reiterates that the national indicative programmes should be drawn up in cooperation with the parliaments of the countries concerned, the Joint Parliamentary Assembly and civil society;
Amendment 41 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Member States to make their collective voice heard on the IMF Executive Board with a view to encouraging the IMF to withdraw from countries which have achieved a certain level of macroeconomic stability and to introduce more flexible sets of rules in the other countries in which it is involved;
Amendment 42 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Calls on the Commission to withdraw with immediate effect all the economic policy conditions attaching to budget support and the other harmful conditions imposed indirectly through the incentives to introduce better governance, the pressure to conclude economic partnership agreements or the obligation to obtain IMF approval; in particular, the Commission should abandon its practice of making support contingent on IMF approval and, at the same time, exert pressure on the IMF, together with the other main budget support donors, with a view to gaining acceptance for more flexible financial objectives and more ambitious spending scenarios; in the case of countries which have achieved macroeconomic stability, calls on the Commission to work with the other donors with a view to facilitating the IMF's prompt withdrawal;
Amendment 47 #
2008/2128(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Draws attention to the fact that it is essential for the Commission to continue to link budget support to the recipient countries' performance with regard to taking the gender dimension into account and promoting women's rights, and calls on it to strengthen the gender-related performance indicators linked to budget support by broadening their scope to include other areas, such as the rights of the disabled and women's rights, in particular measures to facilitate access for all women to information about sexual and reproductive health and to universal sexual and reproductive health services; improved access to and greater use of family planning methods; long-term measures to promote women's education and emancipation; and measures to combat sex discrimination and foster gender equality;
Amendment 59 #
2008/2097(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ka (new)
Recital Ka (new)
Ka. whereas, apart from the designation of six pilot countries (Burundi, Guinea- Bissau, Haiti, Sierra Leone, East Timor and Yemen), the discussions launched between the Commission, the Council, the European Parliament and civil society as part of the follow-up to the above Commission communication on the EU response to situations of fragility have not yet made it possible to implement specific measures on the ground,
Amendment 60 #
2008/2097(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital Kb (new)
Recital Kb (new)
Kb. whereas European undertakings are present and have interests in conflict zones,
Amendment 142 #
2008/2097(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Intends to follow closely the EU response to situations of fragility;continue to take an active part in the work organised by the Commission as part of the follow-up to its above-mentioned communication on the EU response to situations of fragility; draws the attention of the Commission and Council to the fact that it is now urgent that this work, which has been too slow, might swiftly lead to concrete actions to be taken on the ground in such key areas as health and education, and calls on the Commission to keep Parliament fully informed of further steps undertaken particularly in terms of the use of these findings for the identification and design of subsequent actions;
Amendment 144 #
2008/2097(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20a (new)
Paragraph 20a (new)
20a. Stresses the urgent need for the populations in countries that have become fragile to see positive developments in their situation and in their country's situation, and calls on the Commission and Council not to neglect the visibility of actions carried out on the ground;
Amendment 145 #
2008/2097(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20b (new)
Paragraph 20b (new)
20b. Calls on the Commission and Council to identify and draw up, with absolute transparency, a list of European undertakings that are present in conflict zones, specifying the profits generated by them and the conditions in which they work;
Amendment 34 #
2008/2048(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Stresses that the rise in the prices of raw materials played a crucial role in triggering the current global food crisis, which is in danger of obliterating all the efforts already made to improve the effectiveness of aid, and calls on the Commission and each Member State to support any measure which can help to stabilise raw material prices for developing countries;
Amendment 43 #
2008/2048(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to support the creation and implementation of innovative financing mechanisms to contribute significantly to attaining the MDGs within the deadlines set; stresses that these additional resources cannot replace the commitments already given in terms of public development aid;
Amendment 50 #
2008/2048(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission and Council to take practical measures to fight corruption, particularly by supporting civil-society initiatives intended to ensure transparency of the use made of the aid provided by the European Union and by urging all Member States and partner States to ratify the UN Convention against Corruption of 2003;
Amendment 63 #
2008/2048(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on members of the OECD's DAC, which is the relevant authority, to formulate as soon as possible a definition of development cooperation which can put a permanent end to the diversion of aid for use for purposes which have nothing to do with development, as this diversion is made possible only by the extremely broad nature of the current official definition of development aid;
Amendment 76 #
2008/2048(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. RecogniStresses the need to intensify the Commission's consultations with civil society partners in headquarters and in the field through better structured meetings on policy, strategic programming and aid effectiveness issues;
Amendment 79 #
2008/2048(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Recalls the decisive role which can be played by members of diasporas in improving the effectiveness of European aid and therefore calls on the Commission and Member States to involve them more in planning and implementing European development programmes; stresses that the involvement of foreigners or people of foreign origin in a partnership between the European Union and their country of origin is a powerful factor of integration;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2026(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 33 #
2008/0149(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Regardless of which bodies are chosen under the procedure referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 10a to establish the food crisis facility - whether international and regional organisations or other institutions - it shall be absolutely essential that the action programmes on agricultural growth be drawn up together with farmers’ organisations, producers' organisations and their NGO partners, and that these organisations are involved in monitoring and following up the implementation of these programmes.
Amendment 49 #
2008/0149(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3
Article 3 – paragraph 3
3. Support measuresAdministrative support measures - including organising the involvement of farmers' organisations and NGOs - which meet the objectives of this Regulation may be financed up to a maximum of 12 % of the amount referred to in article 10(1).
Amendment 50 #
2008/0149(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4
Article 4
1. The entities eligible for funding shall be I: a) partner countries and regions and their institutions; b) decentralised bodies in the partner countries such as municipalities, districts, regions; c) joint bodies set up by the partner countries and regions and the Community; d) international Oorganisations fulfilling the conditions laid down in Article 43 of Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002. , including regional organisations, UN bodies, departments and missions, international and regional financial institutions and development banks, insofar as their programmes help achieve the objectives of this Regulation, and farmers' organisations in particular; e) Community institutions and bodies, but only for the purposes of implementing the support measures referred to in Article 3(3); f) European Union agencies; g) the following entities and bodies of the Member States, partner countries and regions or any other third country that meet the rules on access to Community external assistance referred to in Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006, insofar as they contribute to the objectives of this Regulation: i) public or para-Statal bodies, local authorities and consortia or representative associations thereof; ii) non-State, non-profit making actors operating on an independent and accountable basis; iii) natural persons. 2. The bodies listed in paragraph 1(d) of this Article shall be eligible for a maximum of 40% of the total financial reference amount specified in Article 10(1) of this Regulation.
Amendment 1 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9a (new)
Citation 9a (new)
- having regard to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
Amendment 17 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas agriculture, water, management of forest resources, health, infrastructure, education as well as population policies all must be addressed in order to achieve effective mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and mitigation into development,
Amendment 21 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ia (new)
Recital Ia (new)
Ia. whereas the EDF has mainly been used to finance new initiatives; whereas the Commission should respect its commitment to find new financing sources in order to preserve the EDF; whereas the Parliament's Committee on Development has concluded on numerous occasions that the EDF should be integrated into the EU budget in order to ensure democratic control over the way it is used,
Amendment 25 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to increase immediate funding for the GCCA, which might initially be achieved, as a matter of urgency, through the ENRTP as well as the 10th EDF; stresses at the same time the urgent need for additional, non-ODA funds for adaptation and developing innovative finance mechanisms for this purpose;
Amendment 27 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4b (new)
Paragraph 4b (new)
4b. Stresses that, if climate change is to be taken seriously, new funding must be made available through different budget lines and new financing sources, such as humanitarian funds in response to climate-related catastrophes, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) funds and the Instrument for Stability in the context of preventive security policy or in response to climate-related security threats or conflicts, other external action funds whenever appropriated, as well as green taxes, public-private partnerships and other innovative financing mechanisms intended for this purpose;
Amendment 28 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4c (new)
Paragraph 4c (new)
4c. Reminds the Commission that if funds are drawn from the ENRTP or the EDF to finance the GCCA they should, as development funds, only be used for actions compatible with development assistance as defined by the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC); insists that this should be a one- off source of funding, and that further replenishment must be found from alternative sources;
Amendment 29 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4d (new)
Paragraph 4d (new)
4d. Calls on the Commission to ensure that funding of the GCCA through ENRTP and EDF will not be at the expense of other important development cooperation goals, such as education, health, gender equality or access to water;
Amendment 35 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to invite the private sector to become a close partner to the GCCA; specifically encourages the Commission to invest in developing Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) models in key areas such as providing infrastructure in vulnerable areas, where financing gaps currently are substantial; given that climate change affects many policy areas (access to water, public health, energy supply, etc.) involving intervention from the State and local authorities; recalls that the priority of the EU should be to reinforce capacity for public action in these areas;
Amendment 36 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets that overall involvement of developing country governments, civil society and local communauthorities has been inadequate throughout the programming process of the GCCA; calls on the Commission to ensure that decision- making throughout the elaboration, implementation and, fund distribution and assessment processes takes place in partnership with concerned actors;
Amendment 47 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Stresses that agriculture in poor developing countries is directly and strongly affected by climate change, which can have dramatic consequences on food security; therefore calls on the Commission to use the GCCA to develop agricultural policies and production methods, which better meet the needs of local population and constitute a long- term solution to the soaring food prices; encourages in particular the Commission to support innovative solutions such as creating "green belts" around cities to respond to the basic food needs of urban populations in developing countries;
Amendment 51 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to strongly support developing countries, in terms of financial support, technical assistance and technology transfer, to facilitate the use, at the earliest stage possible, of technologies which emit little GHG and of environmentally friendly production methods;
Amendment 53 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Stresses that LDCs and SIDS need to be supported in order for them to participate in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), through capacity building and technical support; calls for the CDM to be strengthened to ensure additionality and long-term benefits to the host country and the climate;
Amendment 58 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Paragraph 20 d (new)
20d. Calls on the Commission to elaborate clearly identified sustainability criteria, taking into account the environmental, social and economic impact of biofuels production, as well as the priority of ensuring food security before promoting export crops;
Amendment 62 #
2008/0000(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission to urgently develop a comprehensive agenda to reduce deforestation in developing countries, including inclusion of forestry into the EU ETS and concrete proposals on funding mechanisms to present at the COP meeting in Poznan in December 2008; reiterates the importance of such mechanisms providing compensation not only for avoided GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions, but also for biodiversity and development benefits of forests;
Amendment 14 #
2007/0228(CNS)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Specific reporting provisions should be foreseen to monitor the implementation of the highly qualified scheme, also with a view to identifying and possibly counteracting its possible impacts in terms of brain drain in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Data on the professions and the nationality of highly qualified immigrants admitted by Member States should therefore be transmitted annually by Member States through the network created for these purposes by Council Decision 2006/688/EC of 5 October 2006 on the establishment of a mutual information mechanism concerning Member States' measures in the areas of asylum and immigration. A mechanism should also be foreseen to enable highly qualified immigrants who wish to do so to return to their country of origin for a limited period to carry out occasional tasks in the sector in which their expertise lies, with an assurance that, when they return to the EU, they will have the same rights as they had before they left, and a guarantee that they will receive financial support from the EU in order to ensure they receive, for as long as they are absent, a salary equivalent to what they would have received if they had undertaken the same activities within the host Member State.