MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF MONDAY, 18 JUNE 2018

(2018/C 443/01)

CONTENTS

Formal opening sitting

2

Sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

2

Composition of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

2

1.

Adoption of agenda (AP102.409)

2

2.

Approval of the minutes of the last sittings of the 34th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

2

3.

Co-Presidents’ announcements, including decisions taken at the Bureau meeting of 17 June 2018

2

4.

Statement by Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development

3

5.

Debate with Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development — ‘catch-the-eye’

3

6.

Question Time to the Commission

3

7.

Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 34th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

3

8.

Fighting xenophobia, racism and discrimination

4

9.

Report on Women’s Forum

4

MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF MONDAY, 18 JUNE 2018

(The sitting opened at 11:07)

Formal opening sitting

The following addressed the Assembly:

Joseph Owona Kono, Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Louis Michel, Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly and Yuri Sterk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria

(The sitting adjourned at 11.53 and resumed at 15:15)

IN THE CHAIR: Louis MICHEL

Co-President

Sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The Co-President welcomed all the participants.

Composition of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The Co-President announced that the list of members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, as forwarded by the authorities of the ACP states and the European Parliament, would be annexed to the minutes.

1.   Adoption of agenda (AP102.409)

The agenda was adopted as shown in these minutes.

2.   Approval of the minutes of the last sittings of the 34th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (1).

The minutes of Tuesday and Wednesday of the last sitting could not be approved. Unless members make comments by 19 June 2018 at 10.00, they will be deemed to have been approved.

3.   Co-Presidents’ announcements, including decisions taken at the Bureau meeting of 17 June 2018

The Co-President reported on the results of the Bureau meeting of 17 June 2018.

The following decisions were taken:

(a)

The standing committees would draft the following reports:   Committee on Political Affairs — The strategic significance and dimension of the ACP-EU partnership   Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade — The possibilities of renewable energies in bringing sustainable economic development to ACP countries, and particularly to remote areas   Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment — Reducing the global number of out-of-school children, adolescents and youth in ACP countries

(b)	The 36th Session of the Assembly will take place from 3 to 5 December 2018 in Cotonou (Benin)

(c)	The 37th Session of the Assembly will take place in March 2019 in Europe

(d)	The 16th regional meeting will be held in Cameroon from 17 to 19 July 2018

(e)	A text proposed by the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment with the title ‘Putting youth, including young people with disabilities, at the heart of ACP-EU relations’ will be published in the form of a Joint Statement by the Co-Presidents

4.   Statement by Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development

Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development, focused his statement on the partnership between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states after 2020. The Commissioner also referred to the external action of the European Union in the forthcoming years. He highlighted the increase in the external expenditure proposed by the Commission for the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The Commissioner gave details of new cooperation and development financial structure and of the proposal for integrating the European Development Fund into the European Union’s budget.

5.   Debate with Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development — ‘catch-the-eye’

Speakers: Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Halifa Sallah (Gambia), Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez, Sangeet Fowdar (Mauritius), Gilbert Shimane Mangole (Botswana), Michel Kamano (Guinea), Ben Abdallah Banda (Ghana), Thierry Cornillet, Irene Zindi (Zimbabwe), Nafie Ali Nafie Ahmed (Sudan), Louis Straker (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).

Members inquired about the Commission’s proposal for the post-2020 partnership between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states after 2020. They asked about the institutional and political modifications that these changes would entail, including the integration of the European Development Fund into the European Union’s budget. The issue of knowledge transfer and industrialisation in Africa was also raised, as was the question of complementarity of European and African economies within the partnership. Another topic of discussion was the relationship between the European Union with the African, Caribbean and Pacific middle income countries.

Commissioner Mimica answered the questions raised by Members following the order of the ‘catch-the-eye’ procedure.

6.   Question Time to the Commission

A total of 11 questions were put to the Commission.

The Commission had previously responded to the questions in writing. Commissioner Mimica gave oral replies to supplementary questions related to the following original questions:

Oral question 7 by Jo Leinen on China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative and EU-ACP relations

Oral question 6 by Cathrine Bearder on wildlife trafficking and ACP-EU relations

Oral question 11 by Neena Gill (replaced by Jo Leinen) on humanitarian aid to the DRC

The authors of questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 9 and 10 had no supplementary questions.

The authors of questions 3 and 8 were not present.

7.   Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 34th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

Commissioner Mimica indicated that the Commission had transmitted notes on the resolutions adopted in Port-au-Prince on: the Blue Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for ACP states; Challenges in the field of the security-development nexus in ACP and EU policies; Improving access to basic health-care systems, notably to medicines against infectious diseases and Enhancing resilience to climate change and natural disasters in ACP states. These follow-up notes were discussed in the relevant committee meetings.

8.   Fighting xenophobia, racism and discrimination

Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, pointed out that despite the long-standing commitments of states, xenophobia, racism and discrimination still existed and affeced religious or ethnic groups in particular. These practices are often institutional, which makes them more difficult to address. She outlined the work of the office, which collects data on hate crime and works with national authorities to improve their collection systems and provides training to public and private actors. Mrs Gísladóttir raised the issue of migrants’ integration and proposed ways ahead for states.

Speakers: Musa Hussein Naib (Eritrea), Julie Ward, Daba Tesfaye (Ethiopia), Halifa Sallah (Gambia), Thierry Cornillet, Acardus Moses Gray (Liberia), Clifford Andre (Secheylles), Bodil Valero, Nafie Ali Nafie Ahmed (Sudan), Michael Gahler, Ben Abdallah Banda (Ghana), Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Papa Babou Ndiaye (Senegal), Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez, Louisa Klingvall (Directorate-General for Justice, Commission), Charlotte Ståhl (Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, Commission)

Members pointed out that xenophobia, racism and discrimination are based on prejudices and ignorance and stressed the importance of education to address these. The importance of bringing together students from different backgrounds to promote tolerance and create solidarity networks was also raised. Members highlighted the need to properly manage migration and to adequately integrate migrants to ensure social cohesion and prevent the rise of extremist political parties.

Ingibjörg Solrún Gísladóttir wound up the debate.

9.   Report on Women’s Forum

Maria Arena (Member of the European Parliament) informed the Assembly that the theme of the forum had been ‘Afrofeminism: Women’s voice against racism and discrimination’. A panel of female professionals had explained how they integrated the universal cause of feminism in their daily work as well as giving examples of ways to prevent discrimination. Mwiza Sibungo (Namibia) expressed the need to raise awareness of racism and pointed out how creative industries can contribute to this task.

Speakers: Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez, Halifa Sallah (Gambia), Vicky Katumwa (Democratic Republic of Congo)

(The sitting closed at 17:52)

---

(1)  Not yet published in the Official Journal