Activities of Birgit SCHNIEBER-JASTRAM related to 2012/2063(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

- having regard to the Commission Staff Working Paper entitled "The EU –- a global partner for development speeding up progress towards the Millennium Development Goals" (SEC (2008)434),

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Article 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union establishes the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty, as defined in the European Consensus on Development, as the primary objective of EU development policy and whereas the Union shall take account of the objectives of development cooperation in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. recalling the European Union's commitment to ensure policy coherence for development, in accordance with the conclusions of the European Council in 2005, recently reaffirmed in its conclusions on PCD;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

A b. whereas there are clear inconsistencies in the EU's trade, agriculture, fisheries, climate, intellectual property rights, migration, finance, arms and raw materials policies which affect development goals; and whereas PCD can contribute to poverty reduction by finding fundamental synergies among EU Policies;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

A c. whereas the new development policy framework presented in the Agenda for Change aims for policy coherence not only within the Union but also with regards to the Union and its Member States by advocating joint-programming and emphasising the role of the EU as coordinator, convener and policy maker;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)

A d. whereas the financial contributions paid by the EU within the framework of the Fisheries Partnership Agreements (FPAs) have not helped to consolidate partner countries' fisheries policies and the slow payment and underuse of the assistance provided;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)

A e. whereas a post-2015 international framework for development cooperation has the potential to play a catalytic role in addressing important development and other global challenges and could help to fulfil individuals' rights and needs;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)

A f. whereas, despite the improvements, direct or indirect EU subsidies for European agricultural products continue to have a negative effect on food security and the development of a viable agricultural sector in developing countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)

A g. whereas the EU is committed to reaching the UN target of 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) in official development assistance (ODA) by 2015;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)

A h. whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a judgement in November 2008 whereby the European Investment Bank (EIB) operations in developing countries must prioritise development over any economic or political objective;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A i (new)

A i. whereas a large number of studies have shown that there are between US $850 billion and US $1 trillion per year of illicit financial flows out of developing countries, which severely hinders the fiscal revenue of developing countries and consequently their self-development capacities;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A j (new)

A j. whereas the Agenda for Change (COM (2011) 637) in its aim to increase the impact of EU development assistance reiterates that the objectives of development, democracy, human rights, good governance and security are intertwined;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A k (new)

A k. whereas public procurement accounts for 19% of world GDP, or almost 40 times the amount provided by the EU and the Member States in ODA; whereas, as such, it has huge potential to be a tool of implementing sustainable government policies both in the EU and in its ODA recipient countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A l (new)

A l. whereas malnutrition kills an estimated 2.6 million children each year and, if unchecked, will put almost half a billion children at risk of permanent damage in the next 15 years; whereas about one-third of the pre-school age children in the world currently suffer from underweight (too little weight for their age) or stunting (too short for their age); whereas malnutrition costs countries between 2-4 % of their GDP, and an individual up to 11% of its lifetime earnings, while, at the same time, tested, cost-effective interventions in nutrition exist and would represent a sound investment;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A m (new)

A m. whereas, by 2030, the demand for energy and water is expected to rise by 40% and by 50% for food and whereas population growth, together with a rising middle class in emerging and developing nations, will put huge pressure on natural resources - especially water, energy and land - and on the environment;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A n (new)

A n. whereas the concepts of human development and human security share four fundamental perspectives: they are people-centred, they are multi- dimensional, they have broad views on human fulfilment in the long-term and they address chronic poverty1; __________________ 1 Sen, Amartya: Why Human Security? Text presented at the "International Symposium on Human Security" in Tokyo, 28 July, 2000.

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A o (new)

A o. whereas the external dimension of the two new DG Home Affairs funds and the Migration and Asylum component of the new Global Public Goods and Challenges Thematic Programme of the DCI cover, as anticipated in the declared priorities, similar thematic areas although from different perspectives;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A p (new)

A p. whereas health aid appears to exemplify many of the challenges for aid effectiveness, including: the complexity of the aid architecture, common lack of alignment with country priorities, dominance of donor preferences and the presence of actors that tend to work outside the aid effectiveness framework;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A q (new)

A q. whereas clinical trials that are no longer accepted by Western European ethics committees are approved by the local ethics committees in countries such as India, China, Argentina and Russia; whereas, in particular, the ethical principles which are of utmost importance for developing countries, as reflected in the Declaration of Helsinki, are ignored by companies and regulatory authorities2; __________________ 2 Clinical trials in developing countries: how to protect people against unethical practices? European Parliament, Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Study.

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A r (new)

A r. whereas culture is, in all its dimensions, a fundamental component of sustainable development because it is, through tangible and intangible heritage, creative industries and various forms of artistic expressions, a powerful contributor to economic development, social stability and environmental protection;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A t (new)

A t. whereas studies show that if women are educated and can earn and control income, a number of good results follow: maternal and infant mortality declines, women and child health and nutrition improve, agricultural productivity rises, climate change can be mitigated, population growth slows, economies expand and cycles of poverty are broken3, __________________ 3 Isobel Coleman: The Global Glass Ceiling Why Empowering Women Is Good for Business, in: Foreign Affairs, Vol 89, May/June 2010, p 13-20; UNFPA: State of World Population 2009, Facing a changing world: women, population and climate

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A u (new)

A u. whereas information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to help mitigating climate change not only by reducing their own share of greenhouse gas emissions but also by using them to reduce emissions in other sectors and to address systemic change and rebound effects, e.g. by dematerialisation and online delivery, transport and travel substitution, monitoring and management applications, greater energy efficiency in production and use and product stewardship and recycling;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A v (new)

A v. whereas the 2007 DAC Peer Review of European Communities noted that 'good understanding of the appropriateness of budget support in the local context is important';

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A v (new)

A v. whereas education can play a pivotal role not only in environmental sustainability, health and economic growth and the achievement of the MDGs in general but also in peace-building; whereas, perhaps more than any other sector, education can provide the highly visible early peace dividends on which the survival of peace agreements may depend if education systems are inclusive and geared towards fostering attitudes conducive to mutual understanding, tolerance and respect, thereby making societies less susceptible to violent conflict;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the EU's efforts towards PCD; underlines that PCD is not only a legal obligation, but that designing accountable, transparent, human-rights- based, and inclusive policies is a chance for the EU to establish equal and sustainable partnerships with developing countries that go beyond development cooperation; also stresses that PCD- aligned policies give governments and societies of developing countries the chance and the responsibility to generate successes on their own;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Gay MITCHELL, Charles GOERENS, Birgit SCHNIEBER-JASTRAM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Stresses that transparency in all areas is instrumental in achieving PCD as it can not only prevent unintended incoherence but is also effective where there are clashes of interest;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Member States and their national parliaments to promote PCD through a specific working programme with binding timetables, in order to improve the European PCD work programme; calls for the introduction of structured annual meetings between representatives of national parliaments of EU Member States and the European Parliament to ensure consistency in the spending of development aid;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Points to the importance of knowledge building and expertise with regard to the complex issue of PCD; therefore asks the Commission to ensure that provisions are made to focus some DG Research programmes on issues relevant to PCD; also recommends the elaboration and promotion of a strategy on development research in order to engage with DG Research and other research DGs, as well as other relevant bodies external to the Commission, e.g. the OECD or the World Bank;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Insists that the questions regarding the economic, environmental and social impacts of policies inside and outside of the EU laid down in the Impact Assessments Guidelines from 2009 are answered in the Commission's Impact Assessments as well as in the Impact Assessments to be made by the European Parliament; also asks the Commission to complete the Impact Assessments in advance of the corresponding policy proposal in order to ensure that CSOs and other relevant stakeholders can participate in the process thereby also creating an added value in terms of capacity;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3 d. Underlines that the Impact Assessment Board of the Commission and a similar institution to be set up by the Parliament need adequate expertise in development policies in order to live up to their responsibility to verify the quality of Impacts Assessments in terms of PCD;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3 e. Suggests that a reference to PCD be included in reviews and ex-post evaluations of EU policies if adequate; takes the view that any evaluation exercise of programmes carried out under the EDF or DCI should include an assessment of its consequences for PCD;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 f (new)

3 f. Welcomes the inclusion of specific PCD commitments in the Danish Presidency's work programme and asks the next Presidencies to follow up on that example;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 g (new)

3 g. Welcomes the Commission's third biennial report on PCD 2011, but agrees with the Council on the need to include an independent assessment of progress, including qualitative and quantitative consequences and costs of policy incoherence in future reports; suggests that future reports should also include a comprehensive overview of PCD-related results of the country-level dialogues, in order to make the voices of citizens of developing countries heard;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 h (new)

3 h. Calls on the Member States and their national parliaments to promote PCD through a specific working programme with binding timetables, in order to improve the European PCD work programme;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that in the preparation of the next rolling PCD Work Programme, a wider discussion with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Member States and all relevant stakeholders, for example NGOs and CSOs, is needed; agrees that fewer indicators, together with more precise and better monitoring, can lead to a more operational framework and easier monitoring;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Asks the High Representative ~~to acknowledge~~ and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to confirm their important roles in making PCD a reality ~~through the EEAS~~;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Gay MITCHELL, Charles GOERENS, Birgit SCHNIEBER-JASTRAM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Suggests ~~making~~to set PCD as a clear priority for the EEAS and the Delegations by institutionalising a policy dialogue with civil society organisations, local parliaments and other stakeholders, by creating PCD-aligned guidelines for the Delegations in order to raise awareness among European investors, by making them responsible for gathering PCD- related evidence and cases of incoherency or coherency, by improving the PCD section in the country strategy paperfurther strengthening the EU's policy dialogue with CSOs, local parliaments and other stakeholders, by asking them to gather evidence on inconsistencies or coherency, by improving the PCD references in programming documents and making ithem operational, and by developing a training programme, ~~possibly~~ together with DG DEVCO, for all new EEAS staff to ensure the~~y are able~~ir ability to understand and apply PCD; points out that adequate resources to fulfil this task must be allocated to the Delegations~~, if necessary through reprioritisation~~ and the headquarters;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Welcomes the Commission's proposal to deepen the cooperation with the European Parliament and national parliaments on Policy Coherence for Development by engaging in more exchanges with them on the subject and by accompanying them in acquiring specific analytical capacity to contribute to promoting PCD in the EU; proposes that these exchanges between national parliaments, the European Parliament and the Commission should come in the form of structured annual meetings which include clear objectives along with task monitoring activities with the goal of strengthening PCD in the EU;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Welcomes that the Commission's Communication on "Trade, Growth and Development: Tailoring Trade and Investment Policy for Those Countries Most in Need" commits to support small producers and fair, organic and ethical trade initiatives but regrets the lack of commitment to mainstream Fair Trade principles across EU policies;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Recalls the inconsistencies produced in the context of European Partnership Agreements, namely: (a) that some countries are urged to sign an agreement before its exact terms are ~~agreed, (b) that developing countries are denied the policy space to protect infant industries by means of import/export restrictions~~mutually agreed, (cb) that the Commission proposes to delete 18 countries from Annex I to the Market Access Regulation, and (dc) that human rights issues are not sufficiently addressed during negotiations;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Takes the view that the OECD guidelines for multi-national enterprises should become binding standards in EU investment treaties for business and industry and that such treaties should ensure full reporting on environmental and social issues by the companies; also points out that such treaties should improve the rights and duties of governments to regulate economic activities and actors in the broader public interest and longer-term interest of future generations;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10 b. Proposes that the Commission create new momentum for Sustainable Public Procurement at the international level and that the resulting framework of the revision of the public procurement Directives should give contracting authorities the policy space to make informed pro-development procurement choices;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10 c. Draws attention to the publication of a revised IPR Strategy vis-à-vis third countries which should, from a development point of view, ensure adequate access to medicines and provide effective incentives for pharmaceutical research by making use of TRIPs flexibilities in appropriate cases, such as health emergencies, and by making it compatible with the parallel agenda for "affordable access to medicine"; also stresses that the link to the food security agenda is very important in this context, e.g. to ensure the protection of plant varieties and acknowledge the importance of diverse agricultural systems and traditional seed supply systems;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10 d. Proposes the implementation of preferential trade rules that enhance green agricultural technology transfers in the WTO and in bilateral trade agreements with developing countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)

10 e. Welcomes the creation of a focal point on fair trade within the sustainable development team in Directorate-General for Trade in 2010 to coordinate fair trade- related activities which are an important example of how EU trade and development policy can be made more coherent and mutually supportive;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 f (new)

10 f. Reiterates its call to effectively address the problem of conflict minerals and other resources related to conflict in developing countries that have resulted in the death and displacement of millions of people;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 g (new)

10 g. Asks the Commission to further integrate internationally agreed labour and environmental standards into instruments like the EPAs and FTAs;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 h (new)

10 h. Deplores the fact that the mode and the procedure of negotiation for the Anti- Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) particularly penalized developing countries as they did not have the opportunity to give equal input to the agreement text they are supposed to adhere to;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the fact that the relevance of smallholder farming for combating hunger is recognised by the EU and that adaptation measures are priorities in the food security agenda; underlines that support for women smallholder farmers is especially relevant;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reiterates that development concerns should be built into the entire process of decision making on the EU's agricultural policy and calls for the establishment of flanking measures similar to the sugar- protocol accompanying measures (SPAM), if necessary;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Solicits attention to emphasise the overall framework of good governance and respect for human rights and its catalytic role for development in partner countries in all policy dialogues, irrespective of the five core issues identified for PCD assessment purposes;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12 b. Proposes to complement the concept of 'aid effectiveness' with the concept of 'development effectiveness' as the latter is more suitable to measure PCD and more convenient for deepening the dialogue with BRICS countries in the field of development policy;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12 c. Draws attention to the cross-cutting nature of good governance programmes in developing countries and encourages further efforts in this regard by the Commission; also draws attention to the need for better global governance in the current period of multiple crises which is instrumental in order to achieve global development; regrets the limited progress made at the UN's Rio+20 conference in this regard;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)

12 d. Supports the Commission's proposal to create a comprehensive overview of the costs of policies that are not aligned with PCD and of the benefits, or win-win situations created by PCD-aligned policies that can be used for further awareness- raising and training and as a basis for discussion with the European citizens and other affected stakeholders in order to overcome misconceptions which are still prevalent as regards the costs and benefits of PCD; such an analysis would be especially helpful in the fields of migration, where the EU should stress the linkages between migration and development policies and provide constant information to its people on the benefits of these linkages, and sustainable energy;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)

12 e. Calls on the Commission and the Council to develop a long-term, cross- sectoral European strategy for development education, awareness-raising and active global citizenship;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 f (new)

12 f. Calls on the Member States to develop or strengthen national development education strategies;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Urges the EU to strengthen EU-ACP supply chains and to support the strengthening of supply chains within the ACP countries themselves as both markets have developed in mutual dependence; suggests fostering the use of modern market management instruments in developing countries, such as transparency provisions, capacity building, technical regulations, or support with regard to contract negotiation, e.g. in the context of the Joint EU-Africa Strategy;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Repeats its call for regular and independent assessments and evaluations of the EU's agricultural and trade policies, paying special attention to impacts on local and smallholder producers and building on evidence submitted by governments, farmers' organisations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in developing countries which are EU trading partners;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Proposes to set up transnational twinning partnership between Natura 2000 areas and similar agricultural ecological management areas in developing countries with the aim of a) exchanging know-how on management of such areas by local authorities, local leaders and local farming communities to ensure that future management is sustainable, both ecologically and economically, and practicable, b) building capacity through twinning of the economic viability of business chains in these areas to contribute to sustainable food security in these areas, c) implementing research to assist in the protection of agricultural diversity and biodiversity to assure the long-term survival of valuable and threatened species and habitat; also proposes the establishment of a transnational twinning centre for learning and development of know-how between Natura 2000 areas and similar areas in third countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)

13 c. Points out that delayed or opaque information on changes in standards applied to agricultural products by the EU create new barriers for developing countries; stresses that timely information on such changes or the application of alternative equivalent standards to imports is essential for developing countries in order to facilitate long-term planning and competitiveness on the basis of quality;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)

13 d. Points out that the ongoing initiative on Markets for Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) can make a valuable contribution to the fulfilment of the overarching objectives of the Union's development cooperation by including strict position limits, a strict limitation on exemptions from MiFID, and by strengthening the powers for regulators to intervene in specific products or activities;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)

13 e. Calls on the Commission to develop an integrated approach to nutrition and to set up a dedicated trust fund to address the problem of malnutrition in developing countries and to mobilize the necessary resources to deliver the basic interventions that could prevent the vast majority of malnutrition, especially in the critical 1,000-day window between conception and age 2, which include encouraging optimum feeding and caring practices such as breastfeeding to avoid contaminated water, proper introduction of varied foods for infants, fortification of basic staples and vitamin supplementation; believes that such a trust fund would enable the leveraging and pooling of resources from Commission and Member States, and possibly other donors, and would enable better visibility of EU action in saving lives;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)

13 f. Deplores the fact that only approximately 418 million or around 3.4% of the total Commission development aid budget of EUR 12 billion per year is currently allocated to direct nutrition intervention; believes that efforts to tackle malnutrition must be multi-disciplinary and engage multiple stakeholders in line with national priorities of affected countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Considers that the size of the EU market for fish and the geographical range of activities by EU-flagged and EU-owned vessels impose a high level of responsibility on the Union for ensuring that ~~its fisher~~these activities are based upon the same standards in terms of ecological and social sustainability and transparency inside and outside Union waters; notes that such coherence requires coordination both within the Commission itself and between the Commission and the governments of the individual Member States;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Reiterates that, in order to improve PCD, the negotiations of fisheries agreements (FPA) must be based on the contracting country's priorities for the suitable development of its fishing sector and its country as a whole and that the impacts of FPAs should be closely monitored by the EU;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Takes the view that policy coherence for development should be reinforced (a) by making DG-MARE and DG- Development jointly responsible for FPAs, (b) by applying relevant principles outlined in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing, EU commitments towards Policy Coherence for Development, and the EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement, (c) by incorporating human rights, anti-corruption and accountability obligations in all FPAs and (d) by ensuring that FPAs are consistent with or contribute to the poverty reduction and human development objectives identified in the EU's Country and Regional Strategy Papers;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14 c. Proposes that, in line with the 2006 UN General Assembly resolution on Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), the Commission should be given an unequivocal negotiating mandate for all RFMOs for promoting marine conservation and sustainable fisheries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Stresses that an investment in education for sustainable development, including combating climate change, is an area where development aid can achieve multiple objectives at once, especially when women are targeted;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Calls for specific attention to be devoted to the special needs of smallholder agriculture and livestock farmers facing the consequences of climate change in any policy and agreements entailing possible reduction of, or constraints in the access to, resources for food production, such as land, water, mobility, among others;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Repeats its call on the Commission and the Member States to collect country- specific and gender-disaggregated data when planning, implementing and evaluating climate change policies, programmes and projects, in order effectively to assess and address the differing effects of climate change on each gender and to produce a guide on adapting to climate change, outlining policies that can protect women and empower them to cope with the effects of climate change;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)

15 d. Regrets that the Outcome Document of the UN Rio+20 conference lacks the commitment on resource conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and economic sustainability that the EU had called for; nevertheless, urges the EU to remain closely involved in defining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and making them operational by 2015;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the ~~2011/2012~~proposals made in the European Report on Development ~~entitled ‘Confronting Scarcity: Managing W~~2011/2012 on an integrated and ecosystems-based management of water, Eenergy and Lland ~~for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth’, which is especially important in the context of biofuel production; asks the Commission to follow up on the proposals made in the report~~, with those three resources being crucial for development; asks the Commission to follow-up on the proposals made in the report; especially points to the existence of significant EU and global governance gaps; and stresses the necessity of a change toward more sustainability in consumption and production patterns within the Union itself;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Suggests that the EU should work closely with the private sector and particularly European companies and investors that operate in developing countries to promote investment, innovative approaches and high standards of corporate practice in the inclusive and sustainable use of water, energy and land; also suggests that the emphasis on sustainable energy and agriculture in the 'Agenda for Change' should be complemented with interventions in the area of water;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the European Commission to ~~publish its~~ report on the social sustainability of biofuels by the end of 2012 and to consult with affected communities and local NGOs ~~during its preparation; points out that the report should adopt~~beforehand; points out that this is an opportunity to propose an adequate methodology and cover the full impacts that European biofuels targets are having on food security, land rights and other development issues; recalls that the monitoring and reporting by the Commission foreseen in the proposed directive provides an opportunity, if appropriate, to propose corrective actions, based on lessons learned;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Underlines the importance of guaranteeing that imported bioenergy is produced on the basis of acceptable working environments and employment standards and respecting local communities;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17 b. Encourages the further development of second and third generation bioenergy from biomass by-products, wastes and residues;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Proposes that the issue of PCD be included in any programme on education in sustainable development;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18 b. Reiterates that, in the interest of transparency and accountability, the EEAS and DEVCO should monitor how the division of responsibilities agreed between the Commission and the EEAS works in practice and improve it in ways that avoid overlaps and ensure synergies;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)

18 c. Refers to the fact that the EEAS has put forward the concept of "EU Actorness" in order to increase the visibility of EU actions; takes the view that this makes PCD even more important, as every negative impact will be associated even more closely with the EU; also urges the Commission to make sure that this concept does not contradict other objectives of development policy as formulated by the EU, especially the objectives of ownership and policy space for developing countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)

18 d. Suggests that, in line with the Cotonou Agreement and the reference document on 'Engaging Non-State Actors in New Aid Modalities'4, the EU delegations should undertake a comprehensive mapping of NGOs, CSOs and local authorities relevant for their work in the respective country, especially of local and community-based organizations; __________________ 4 Tools and Methods Series / Reference document no 12: Engaging Non-State Actors in New Aid Modalities for Better Development Outcomes and Governance.

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)

18 e. Reiterates that the creation of a Standing Rapporteur for PCD from the ACP countries in the context of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly would facilitate the coordination with and work of the EP's Standing Rapporteur on PCD and the relevant department of the Commission and Council and would help to eliminate obstacles to PCD within developing countries themselves;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 f (new)

18 f. Recalls that, in its June 2011 Communication on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the Commission had proposed extending the powers of scrutiny of the EDF to the EP; regrets that this proposal does not feature in the legislative proposal for the 11th EDF;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 g (new)

18 g. Underlines that a post-2015 international framework for development cooperation should go beyond a traditional interpretation of development cooperation to provide a more comprehensive approach to poverty eradication and sustainable development, leveraging policy coherence for development as an important mechanism and promoting rights-based approaches; points out that such a framework should go beyond the current concept of public action and aid and should involve all countries (developed, developing, emerging) and all actors (traditional and new donors, developing and developed country governments and local authorities, the private sector, NGOs, social partners, etc.) in a coherent and inclusive process;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 h (new)

18 h. Urges the Members States to allocate a significant share of the auctioning revenues from the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) to climate change-related activities in developing countries from 2013 onwards;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 i (new)

18 i. Considers that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is not sufficiently adapted to communities and rural organizations in developing countries as the thresholds posed by its methodologies and costs are too high;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Draws attention to the EU's pledges for democracy and human rights and conditions such as those enshrined in the "more for more" approach concerning the EU's immediate Neighbourhood policy; stresses that heir relevance can only be assured when no other policy area or interactions with partner countries counteract initiatives undertaken to strengthen human rights, human security and democracy in partner countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20 b. Recalls the fact that arms exports are an inter-governmental issue, while development is, in part, a Community competence; suggests that the division of responsibilities between Commission and Council be clearly defined in this regard;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)

20 d. Concludes that deciding whether to approve arms exports to developing countries in relation to the "sustainable development" criterion, i.e. Criterion 8 of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, can be difficult, given that other policy considerations can override its application; recommends that Member States provide a full statement of the methodology used in relation to this Criterion;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)

20 e. Acknowledges the interdependence of development, democracy, human rights, good governance and security, which any discussion on PCD has to take into account;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 f (new)

20 f. Reiterates that it is inconsistent with development objectives when security initiatives are merely about a State's safety, safeguarding EU investments and access to raw materials rather than the protection of people; takes the view that the concepts of human security and development should therefore be considered as essential in the security- development nexus, as they are centred on the individual;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Points out that coordination among peace-building, humanitarian aid and development activities in post-conflict situations should be improved in accordance with the ‘"Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development’" (LRRD) strategic framework in order to comply with the principles of PCD and human security, the latter still being undervalued; reminds the Commission that the Council had invited it to prepare an EU Action Plan on situations of conflict and fragility in 2009 and that the EU endorsed the New Deal for engagement in fragile states that was adopted at the Busan high level forum on Aid Effectiveness;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Stresses that ‘'brain drain’' can cause serious problems in developing countries, especially in the health sector; ~~therefore asks the Commission to monitor the effects of the Blue Card system on developing countries and take corrective action if necessary~~acknowledges that 'brain drain' affecting developing countries is the result of a combination of structural causes and push and pull factors; therefore asks the Commission to monitor the effects of the Blue Card system on developing countries and take corrective action if necessary; also asks the Commission to promote the application of the "WHO Code of practice" regarding the international recruitment of health personnel to both the public and the private sectors;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Underlines that it has to be guaranteed that Mobility Partnerships are consistent with the international Human Rights legal framework; asks the EU to eliminate conditionality in development aid relating to migration reduction, in both bilateral and multilateral negotiations by the EU and its Member States;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23 b. Calls on the EU to strengthen the partnership principle in the future Asylum and Migration Fund by making it mandatory for relevant state authorities and bodies to include CSOs and migrant organisations in the preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the multi-annual programmes;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23 c. Insists that the external dimension strand in the Asylum and Migration Fund is fully coherent with the external aid instruments and EU development objectives; proposes that safeguards be put in place to prevent Member States from using this strand of funding merely to curb migration from developing countries;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)

23 d. Supports a migrant-centred and human rights based approach to EU migration policy with the view to enable the EU Member States and partner countries to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all migrants and enable migrants to claim their rights throughout the migration journey; emphasizes that human rights-based and migrant-centred approaches will help to properly analyse the root causes of forced migration notably conflicts, climate change, unemployment and poverty and ensure that the EU offers adequate responses to these, in line with PCD;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)

Other Issues

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 i (new)

26 i. Asks the Commission to consider scaling up its support for culture-related programmes or cooperation projects with partners from developing countries due to their cross-cutting nature regarding the EU's development objectives;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 j (new)

26 j. Highlights that planning for the provision of basic services, such as primary education, needs to focus more forcefully on those specific characteristics of particularly marginalized groups which make provision more difficult and limit the ability of the groups to take advantage of what is available;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 k (new)

26 k. Underlines the urgent need to change the humanitarian mindset and recognize the vital role of education, especially of education during conflict- related emergencies and in the aftermath of conflicts; regrets that education is still one of the most underfunded areas of humanitarian aid;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 l (new)

26 l. Asks the Commission to consider the cross-cutting nature of ICTs in development policies, especially the positive influence they can have on the education system, and stresses that intellectual property rights, technology transfer and local capacity-building require particular attention in that context;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 m (new)

26 m. Points out that true banking transactions (m-banking) should be distinguished from basic money transfers (m-payments) and that the need to regulate international money transactions (e.g. to prevent money laundering or terrorism financing) by promoting the use of mobiles for affordable access to money for the poor must be reconciled; suggests that collecting existing best practices would be a useful way to share knowledge and address those challenges;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 n (new)

26 n. Regrets that budget support arrangements are still characterized by a lack of citizen and parliamentarian oversight of agreements, their implementation, and their monitoring;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 o (new)

26 o. Reiterates that, while budget support should be in line with promoting democratic governance, strengthening developing countries' own economic resources, fight against corruption and accountability of public spending, it should essentially focus on poverty reduction;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26 a. Reiterates that the EU's efforts to secure access to raw materials from developing countries must not undermine local development and poverty eradication but support developing countries in translating their mineral wealth into real development; also stresses that the EU should support good governance, value addition processes and financial transparency of governments and commercial undertakings so that local mining sectors can act as a catalyst for development;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)

26 b. Stresses that financial transparency is essential for supporting revenue mobilisation and combating tax evasion; insists that the current reform of the EU Accounting and Transparency Directives should include a requirement for listed and large private extractive and timber companies to disclose payments they make to governments on a project-by-project basis and with reporting thresholds that reflect the materiality of payments from the perspective of poor communities;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)

26 c. Welcomes the eight areas of action for the years 2011-2014 chosen by the Commission in its proposal for a new policy on corporate social responsibility; underlines the importance of binding corporate social responsibility obligations and of encouraging employers to apply social standards which are more ambitious than current statutory provisions, including the possibility to develop and obtain a designation such as a social label; calls on the Commission to support the Member States in carefully monitoring the implementation, and ensuring the legal enforcement, of these obligations;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)

26 d. Takes the view that, while there is a limit to what donor aid can achieve in terms of strengthening domestic accountability, some forms of aid can make a difference, from 'doing no harm' to actually strengthening existing domestic accountability systems, e.g. by involving local CSOs and parliaments of developing countries in the context of sector wide approaches (SWAp);

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 e (new)

26 e. Regrets that global health funding and interventions are skewed toward high-visibility events, such as the Asian tsunami, as well as toward a few high- profile infectious diseases (such as HIV/AIDS) while non-communicable diseases account for 63% of all deaths worldwide and injuries account for 17% of the global burden of morbidity and while women and children die because of the failure to deliver basic care during pregnancy, childbirth and infancy;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 f (new)

26 f. Stresses that in line with its responsibility to protect the rights of clinical trials subjects in developing countries and to protect the health of EU citizens, the European Parliament can use its right to initiate investigations; also proposes the monitoring of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) on certain issues, e.g. checking what actions the EMEA undertakes to clarify the practical application of ethical standards to clinical trials and making sure EMEA is putting efforts into harmonising the application of ethical standards by the responsible authorities;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 g (new)

26 g. Asks the Commission to support local civil society groups, particularly women's groups and those that have a agenda sensitive to women, through accessible funding and capacity-building in order for them to be able to fulfil their role as effective development actors and custodians of peace and good government, especially in the context of situations of fragility;

2012/08/28
Committee: DEVE