3.4.2012   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 99/15

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having regard to the partnership agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states (ACP), of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (Cotonou Partnership Agreement) (1),

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having regard to the Rules of Procedure of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), adopted on 3 April 2003 (2), as most recently amended in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) on 28 November 2008,

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having regard to the European Consensus on Development, signed on 20 December 2005 (3),

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having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (4),

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having regard to the Kigali Declaration for development-friendly Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), adopted by the JPA on 22 November 2007 in Kigali (Rwanda) (5),

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having regard to the Luanda Declaration on the Second Revision of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement (Cotonou Partnership Agreement) adopted by the JPA on 3 December 2009 in Luanda (Angola) (6),

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having regard to the Georgetown Communiqué adopted on 26 February 2009 in Georgetown (Guyana) at the JPA Caribbean regional meeting (7),

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having regard to the Ouagadougou Communiqué adopted on 30 October 2009 in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) at the JPA West Africa regional meeting (8),

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having regard to the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid signed on 18 December 2007 (9),

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having regard to the resolutions adopted by the JPA in 2009:

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on challenges to the democratic accommodation of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in ACP and EU countries (10),

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on Economic Partnership Agreements and their impact on ACP States (11),

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on the social and environmental consequences of climate change in ACP countries (12),

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on the role of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in addressing the food and financial crisis in ACP countries (13),

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on establishing and promoting peace, security, stability and governance in Somalia (14),

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on global governance and the reform of international institutions (15),

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on the impact of the financial crisis on the ACP States (16),

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on social and cultural integration and participation of young people (17),

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on climate change (18),

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on the situation in Madagascar (19),

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having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A7-0315/2010),

A.

whereas the JPA members expressed their concerns about the latest developments in the EPA negotiation during their regular session debates in April 2009 in Prague (Czech Republic) and December 2009 in Luanda (Angola),

B.

whereas the abovementioned Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006, which provides for thematic programmes also applicable to ACP countries and a programme of accompanying measures for Sugar Protocol countries, has been adopted,

C.

whereas the Commissioner with responsibility for development and humanitarian aid gave an undertaking at the JPA session in Wiesbaden (Germany) in June 2007 to subject Country and Regional Strategy Papers for the ACP countries (2008-2013) to democratic scrutiny by parliaments; welcoming the fact that that undertaking has been fulfilled,

D.

whereas the revision of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in 2010 provides a valuable opportunity for strengthening the role of the JPA and its regional dimension as well as developing parliamentary scrutiny in ACP regions,

E.

whereas the two JPA regional meetings held in Guyana and Burkina Faso in 2009 were a considerable success and resulted in the adoption of the abovementioned Georgetown and Ouagadougou communiqués,

F.

whereas the situation in Niger, Guinea and Madagascar deteriorated in 2009, leading to the removal of parliamentary democracy in all three countries and to the downgrading of the status of their representatives to observers at the 18th session of the JPA in Luanda,

G.

whereas the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has resulted in grave, repeated human rights violations; whereas there is a need for effective humanitarian assistance and greater commitment from the international community,

H.

having regard to the work of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the establishment of formal relations between the European Parliament and the PAP, as well as the creation of the European Parliament inter-parliamentary delegation for relations with the PAP,

1.

Welcomes the fact that in 2009 the JPA continued to provide a framework for an open, democratic and in-depth dialogue between the European Union and the ACP countries, and calls for an enhanced political dialogue;

2.

Welcomes the new Commissioner for Trade’s positive response to the request by several ACP countries and regions for a review of the contentious issues raised in the EPAs negotiations, in line with the statements made by the President of the Commission; underlines the need for close parliamentary monitoring of the EPAs negotiations and implementation;

3.

Stresses in particular the crucial role of the ACP national parliaments, as well as local authorities and non-state bodies, in monitoring and managing the Country and Regional Strategy Papers and in the implementation of the EDF and calls on the Commission to guarantee their involvement; underlines also the need for close parliamentary scrutiny during the negotiation of EPAs;

4.

Calls on the parliaments of the ACP countries to insist that their governments and the Commission involve them in the process of drafting and implementing the Country and Regional Strategy Papers relating to cooperation between the EU and their countries (2008-2013), and ensure their full participation in the EPA negotiations;

5.

Calls on the Commission to supply all available information to the parliaments of the ACP countries and to assist them in exercising democratic scrutiny, in particular by means of capacity-building, and notably during the negotiation and implementation of the EPAs;

6.

Draws attention to the JPA’s concern at the repercussions of the current financial crisis, the adoption in Luanda of a resolution on the impact of the financial crisis on the ACP States and the resolutions on its impact and on addressing the crisis in the ACP States; encourages the JPA to continue to work on this area and to explore additional and innovative sources of financing for development, such as an international financial transaction tax; further calls on the JPA to address the question of the eradication of tax havens;

7.

Welcomes the undertaking given by the previous Commissioner with responsibility for development and humanitarian aid, during the abovementioned JPA session in Kigali, to subject Country and Regional Strategy Papers for the ACP countries (2008-2013) to democratic scrutiny by parliaments; likewise, welcomes the work already done by certain ACP parliaments in examining such documents, as well as the JPA's scrutiny of the RSPs ahead of the mid-term review, and calls for this input to be duly taken into account;

8.

Draws attention, in this regard, to the need closely to involve parliaments in the democratic process and in the national development strategies; stresses their vital role in establishing, following up and monitoring development policies;

9.

Reiterates its position that the European Development Fund (EDF) should be incorporated into the EU budget in order to increase the consistency, transparency and effectiveness of development cooperation policy and guarantee democratic scrutiny thereof; underlines that incorporating the EDF into the EU budget is also an appropriate response to the difficulties affecting the implementation and ratification of successive EDFs;

10.

Calls on parliaments to exercise close parliamentary scrutiny of the EDF; highlights the JPA’s key position in this debate and calls on it and the parliaments of the ACP countries to take an active part therein, in particular in connection with the ratification of the revised Cotonou Partnership Agreement;

11.

Welcomes the increasingly parliamentary – and hence political – nature of the JPA, together with the ever more active role played by its members and the greater quality of its debates, which are helping it to make a vital contribution to the ACP-EU partnership;

12.

Considers the declaration on Niger, which the Co-Presidents of the JPA made in Luanda on 2 December 2009, and the abovementioned resolution on the situation in Madagascar to be significant examples of this enhanced dialogue;

13.

Calls on the JPA to continue to monitor the situation in Sudan, Madagascar, Niger and Guinea Conakry;

14.

Calls on the JPA to continue to address the situation in Somalia, which is endangering the lives of the Somali people and poses a threat to security in the region and calls on the EU to maintain its commitments regarding the promotion of the rule of law, restoring stability in the region and fighting piracy;

15.

Calls on the JPA to continue to contribute to the international community’s efforts to raise awareness of the conflicts affecting the eastern DRC, to promote a negotiated political solution to the crisis and to support any action that may be proposed as part of a negotiated solution;

16.

Calls on the JPA to pursue and intensify dialogue with the PAP and the parliaments of regional organisations, in view of the importance of regional integration to peace and development in ACP countries;

17.

Deplores the fact that the JPA was not properly consulted during the drafting of the Joint EU-Africa Strategy and hopes that the Assembly will be actively involved in the implementation of that strategy;

18.

Welcomes the fact that further regional meetings provided for in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement and the JPA Rules of Procedure were held in 2009; considers that these meetings make for a genuine exchange of views on regional issues, including conflict prevention and resolution, regional cohesion, human rights, environmental issues and EPA negotiations; commends the organisers of the two extremely successful meetings in Guyana and Burkina Faso;

19.

Calls for the JPA to ensure strong monitoring of the EPA negotiations during its regional meetings;

20.

Regrets that the Council ignored the repeated calls by the European Parliament notably at the JPA in Luanda, to include a stronger clause on non-discrimination in the revision of the Cotonou Agreement;

21.

Reiterates the principle of the universality of human rights and non-discrimination as the basis upon which to enhance legitimate democratic governance and the political dialogue at the JPA;

22.

Encourages the JPA to strengthen the role of its Committee on Political Affairs so as to make the Assembly a genuine forum for a debate within the ACP-EU partnership on respect for human rights, democratisation of society, and conflict prevention and resolution;

23.

Welcomes, further, the JPA Committee on Political Affairs report on global governance, adopted in Luanda, which called for major reforms of the world’s financial institutions;

24.

Notes the intention of the JPA Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade to continue its work on EPAs and on ways of getting out of the crisis;

25.

Highlights the work of the JPA Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment with regard to its report on child labour and its intention to organise analysis and debate in relation to the environment and the social situation in ACP countries;

26.

Welcomes, further, the reports and resolutions on climate change adopted in 2009 which enabled the voice of the JPA to be heard at the Copenhagen Summit;

27.

Welcomes the growing involvement of non-state actors in JPA sessions, as illustrated by the debate resulting in the adoption of the abovementioned Port Moresby Declaration on the current international crisis and by the economic partners’ report on EPAs submitted at the JPA session in Ljubljana;

28.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the ACP Council, the JPA Bureau and the governments and parliaments of the Czech Republic and Angola.