The European Parliament adopted by 419 votes to 97
with 85 abstentions, a resolution on the
EU-Africa Strategy: a boost for development.
Given that the EU is Africa’s main partner in the
fields of economic activity and trade as well as development,
humanitarian aid and security, Members called for a new vision for
this partnership that reflects the evolution of the political,
economic, environmental and social situations of both
continents.
The Cotonou Agreement with the EU, to which 79 ACP
States are parties, including 48 in sub-Saharan Africa, governs the
main partnership between the EU and Africa. In financial terms, the 11th European Development Fund
(EDF) has a budget of EUR 30.5 billion, of which EUR 900 million
are reserved for the African Peace Facility, and EUR 1.4 billion of
the EDF will be used for the EU Trust Fund for Africa.
Intensifying political dialogue: as a precondition for a renewed strategic
partnership, Parliament invited the future partnership to focus,
through an expanded dialogue, on the priority areas identified by
both the AU and the EU, such as:
- economic development (via trade, Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs));
- good governance, including human rights;
- human development via public services covering basic
needs, such as education, health, access to water and sanitation,
gender equality, science, technology and innovation;
- security and the fight against terrorism;
- migration and mobility;
- environment – including climate
change.
According to Members, budget support is the
best way to carry out appropriation, providing governments with
the means to determine their needs and priorities. They
recalled:
- the importance of maintaining a legally binding
framework on ACP-EU cooperation after 2020, while emphasising
the principle of policy coherence for development in
EU-Africa trade relations;
- the importance for Member States to respect the
commitment to devote 0.7% of their GDP to Official
Development Assistance (ODA).
Building more resilient states and
societies: Parliament considered it
necessary to make resilience (political, security, environmental,
economic and social) a major component of the new EU-Africa
strategy.
In particular, Members called for efforts to be
undertaken to:
- strengthen good governance, democracy, the rule of law,
respect for human rights by extending the conditionality of
development aid to the strict observance of these values, as well
as the fight against corruption on both continents;
- improve cooperation in the areas of security and justice
with a view to adopting a comprehensive approach to better combat
organized crime, human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, in
particular minors, as well as terrorism;
- enhance cooperation within the EU-Africa Strategy
aimed at preventing impunity, promoting the rule of law and the
expansion of police and judicial capacities;
- develop a strategic approach to
building climate resilience and to support African
countries in their adaptation efforts and
invest more in the areas of renewable energy;
- increase cooperation between the European and African
private sectors and for the concentration of investment,
particularly by means of public-private
partnerships;
- create decent jobs by ensuring compliance with the
standards of the International Labor Organization
(ILO);
- better coordinate their aid for trade
programmes and to boost synergies with their Africa investment
policies;
- ensure non-discrimination against
vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and
indigenous peoples and promote appropriate
public policies and investments in the area of sexual
and reproductive health and rights;
- strengthen Africa's national education systems by
investing at least 20% of the national budget in these systems to
ensure universal, inclusive, equitable and long-term access to
quality education at all levels, from early childhood and early
childhood. all, with a focus on girls and in emergency and crisis
situations;
- break down the barriers faced by women and other
vulnerable groups, including children, people with disabilities and
LGBTI people;
- co-ordinate migration and mobility between Europe and
Africa in co-operation with countries of origin, transit and
destination and based on the principles of solidarity, shared
responsibility, respect and of human dignity. Parliament renewed
its invitation to promote legal immigration and invited Member
States to offer their resettlement places to many
refugees;
- step up their financial contribution to trust
funds and other instruments aiming to foster inclusive and
sustainable growth and stimulate job creation thus contributing to
addressing the root causes of migration. In this
regard, Parliament’s scrutiny role should be extended to
ensure that migration partnerships and funding tools are compatible
with EU legal basis, principles and commitments.