—

meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 7 to 9 December 2015,

—

having regard to Article 18(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the Cotonou Partnership Agreement between the EU and ACP countries, and in particular Article 1, Article 8(5), Article 11, Article 28(2)(a) and Article 29(1) thereof,

—

having regard to Decision No 3/2003 of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers of 11 December 2003 on the use of resources from the long-term development envelope of the ninth EDF for the creation of a Peace Facility for Africa,

—

having regard to the EU Strategy for Africa of 12 May 2005,

—

having regard to the Council conclusions of 13 November 2006 on Strengthening African Capabilities for the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflicts,

—

having regard to the EU Council conclusions on security and development of 19—20 November 2007,

—

having regard to the declaration of the Ministerial Meeting of the Peace and Security Council of 26 April 2011 on the state of peace and security in Africa,

—

having regard to the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the EU Council on ‘Capacity building in support of security and development — Enabling partners to prevent and manage crises’ (2),

—

having regard to the Council decision of 26 June 2013 on the Internal Agreement between the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the EU, meeting within the Council, on the financing of EU aid under the multiannual financial framework for the period 2014 to 2020, in accordance with the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, and on the allocation of financial assistance for the Overseas Countries and Territories to which Part Four of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU applies,

—

having regard to the roadmap 2014-2017 adopted during the 4th Africa-EU Summit in Brussels (2—3 April 2014),

—

having regard to the report of the Peace and Security Council of 31 January 2015 on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa,

—

having regard to the European Commission decision of 15 July 2014 on the 2014-2016 action programme of the African Peace Facility to be financed from the European Development Fund Bridging Facility and the 11th European Development Fund,

—

having regard to Article 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

—

having regard to the Constitutive Act of the African Union,

—

having regard to the protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union adopted on 9 July 2002 by the 1st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union,

—

having regard to the decision of the African Union of 12 July 2003 on the establishment by the European Union of a Peace Support Operation Facility for the African Union,

—

having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,

—

having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding of 2 September 2007 on cooperation in the area of peace and security between the African Union, the regional economic communities and the coordinating mechanisms of the regional standby brigades of Eastern Africa and Northern Africa,

—

having regard to the decision of the Assembly of the African Union of 15 June 2015 on the scale of assessment and alternative sources of financing of the African Union,

—

having regard to the ECOWAS Protocol of 10 December 1999 relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security,

—

having regard to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 of 31 October 2000 on women and peace and security,

—

having regard to the statement of 16 April 2010 by the President of the United Nations Security Council on post-conflict peacebuilding,

—

having regard to the statement of 29 June 2010 by the President of the United Nations Security Council on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security,

—

having regard to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2151 of 28 April 2014 on the maintenance of international peace and security: security sector reform: challenges and opportunities,

—

having regard to the EU Council conclusions of 15 October 2012 on ‘The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe’s engagement with civil society in external relations’,

—

having regard to the report of the Committee on Political Affairs,

A.

whereas there are, or have been, internal armed conflicts in many African countries which have been generated by political, social, economic, ethnic or religious tensions;

B.

whereas the improvement of socio-economic conditions, successfully addressing poverty, all forms of discrimination, poor labour conditions, human rights violations, and inhuman and degrading treatment, is essential in order to ensure a truly inclusive process of consolidating stability and development, and of reconciliation, and whereas such a process is the only way to prevent conflict resurgence;

C.

whereas conflicts aggravate the phenomena of famine and absolute poverty, undermine the enjoyment of human rights, and block any economic, political and social development over long periods;

D.

whereas the rationale behind the African Peace Facility (APF) is that of the interdependence of security and development in a country or region;

E.

whereas the APF was established in 2004 to reinforce the African Union (AU) and through it, the eight regional economic communities (RECs) and provide them with a lever to better manage conflicts on the continent without the intervention of foreign troops;

F.

whereas the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, since its adoption in Lisbon in 2007 and again at the EU-Africa Summit in April 2014, defined peace and security as one of the priority areas of the partnership and the APF as an instrument forming part of a broader strategy of the EU;

G.

whereas since 2005, over 90 % of the total of more than EUR 1,2 billion that has been allocated to the APF has been contracted for peace support operations in six countries, namely for AMIS (Darfur), Amisom (Somalia), Micopax followed by Misca (Central African Republic — CAR), Afisma (Mali) and RCI-LRA (CAR, DRC, South Sudan, Uganda);

H.

whereas the APF extended its scope in 2007, from funding mainly peace support operations and the operational strengthening of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), to include a broader range of conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilisation activities;

I.

whereas particularly since 2007, approximately 8,3 % of all contracts have been allocated to African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) capacity-building activities, providing significant support to make the APSA operational;

J.

whereas since 2009, 1,3 % of the budget has been allocated to activities related to the early response mechanism, involving mediation, start-up, fact-finding missions and missions aimed at temporary reinforcement of the planning cell;

K.

whereas by providing predictable and reliable resources to the AU and the regional organisations to act, the APF has enabled African countries to take collective actions to provide security, based on the emerging political role of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, putting it to the test and making it operational;

L.

whereas the AU adopted a decision on 15 June 2015 on the alternative sources of financing which states that 25 % of all resources will be used for the AU’s peace support operations budget;

M.

whereas when the APF was established in 2003, its financing via EDF funds was meant to be provisional, and only until such time as alternative funding sources were found; whereas 12 years later, the EDF remains the main source of funding for the APF;

N.

whereas demands on the EU’s APF for peace-support operations are increasing due to mission creep, as the experience of some UN missions has shown, and due to new missions under the banner of the ‘responsibility to protect’;

O.

whereas a whole range of other donors, such as international organisations (UN and others), political and military alliances (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation — NATO) and states (the US, China, Japan and the Member States of the European Union), are also active in this area; whereas complementarity is ensured by the AU partners’ group on peace and security, which meets regularly in Addis Ababa;

P.

whereas at EU level, both Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and development actors promote the reform of the security sector in crisis-prone countries and the establishment of a transparent, accountable and effective police, justice and military apparatus; whereas there is a lack of coordination in the use of EU instruments;

Q.

whereas the EU Council has recognised the essential role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the peace and security agenda; whereas CSOs are hardly involved at all in the APF;

1.

Recognises that the APF has enabled the operationalisation of the link between security and development and established an in-depth dialogue on peace and security challenges between the EU and the AU; acknowledges that the APF has played a catalytic role at a time when no other instrument was able to finance African troops for AU or REC peace operations;

2.

Strongly believes that the APF should be oriented to strengthen the active participation of civil society, democratic and participatory governance and cultural capacity building; stresses that any decision-making process should be grounded in transparency, efficiency and accountability;

3.

Welcomes the extension of APF-financed activities to conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilisation and the establishment of a rapid reaction mechanism; considers these developments to be of primary importance in order to avoid the APF being used mostly as a conflict management tool;

4.

Calls on the AU and the REC to ensure that peacekeeping operations are conducted in the context of good governance and in keeping with international law and human rights;

5.

Recognises the important results achieved so far by African-led peace support operations; underlines nonetheless the need to address the root causes of conflict and the security development nexus and to enhance dialogue, to implement common approaches and to strengthen coordination in crisis management;

6.

Considers it regrettable that the APF is still mainly financed via the EDF, despite this clearly being intended as a provisional solution back in 2003; calls on the Commission to make a proposal during the EU Multiannual Financial Framework review in order to integrate the financing of the APF into the EU budget; considers that this means of financing would solve the ongoing problems related to the eligibility of some APF expenditure;

7.

Calls on the African States to adopt a sustainable and inclusive approach with a view to consolidating regional stability, extending the legitimate authority of the support operations and preventing the re-emergence of conflicts; stresses that socioeconomic development fosters sustainable peace;

8.

Considers that the EU-sponsored peace-building measures, such as security sector reform (SSR) or disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants (DDR), need to be developed and established in an integrated way using available instruments from both security and development policies; considers that common means and objectives should be developed and that short-term measures should be replaced by long-term development initiatives, especially with regard to socio-economic stabilisation;

9.

Underscores the necessity to support the implementation of long-term peace and security capacity building strategies, and underlines that it is necessary to improve coordination and complementarity of donors mobilised in the field of peace and security (mainly the Member States, the EU, the UN and the WB) in terms of financial support and economic aid and to ensure sustainability;

10.

Underscores that it is necessary to develop a strategy and actions for conflict prevention to secure the effective implementation of the different AU instruments on democracy, elections and human rights while addressing the underlying economic and social causes of instability and preserving the balance between unity and diversity; recalls that the reinforcement of institutional capacities of the AU Member States, the AU and the REC is key to lasting peace and security and to development, and thus calls for better coordination of EU efforts through the APF and other instruments; notes that greater emphasis should be put on conflict prevention, including prevention of radicalisation and of conflicts related to electoral cycles, and on mediation capacities;

11.

Encourages the European Union and the AU to make the success of this instrument more apparent to European and African citizens; in this regard, calls for the launch of a wide information campaign on the APF, in particular in Africa, and for appropriate training of all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the APF to enable them to fully understand this mechanism and its objectives, and so that they can also themselves give more visibility to the APF and raise awareness of it;

12.

Stresses that peace in Africa will depend, above all, on the elimination of the political, social, economic, ethnic and religious root causes, and on the political dialogue and the political will of the African partners to work together, including by strengthening the structures of the AU;

13.

Stresses that the principle of ownership by African countries should be further pursued, particularly by setting a limited number of clear priorities and increasing EU assistance with capacity building; calls on the EU to explore options to further decentralise aspects of APF programme management, including monitoring of AU and REC/RM APF-funded activities, on-the-spot coordination of EU affairs relating to the APF, and technical support; welcomes the Joint Communication on ‘Capacity building in support of security and development — Enabling partners to prevent and manage crises’ (3); calls in this regard on the Commission to propose far-reaching legislation to improve the EU’s support to regional security actors;

14.

Stresses the importance of supporting women’s participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction, and of protecting women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict;

15.

Calls on the EU to engage more frequently with the Member States of the AU and the RECs/RMs at both policy and political levels to provide the foundation for a regular dialogue on how to consolidate recent APF gains over the medium to longer term;

16.

Requests a more systematic joint programming with other EU instruments and as part of other policies, as well as strengthening of the role and capacity of EU delegations;

17.

Welcomes the AU intention to operationalise its capacity to quickly respond to crises by integrating its African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) into the African Standby Forces;

18.

Underlines the progress being made towards the full operationalisation of the APSA, whose objective is to ensure that all the AU instruments designed for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in Africa operate in synergy and produce the expected outcomes;

19.

Calls on the APF partners (EU/AU/REC/RMs) to adopt a more tailored approach to capacity building, especially for AMISOM officers, in the field of peace and security, which is based on a thorough needs assessment and informed by an overall strategic plan for institutional development;

20.

Underlines that the APF can only be an instrument that complements collective international efforts; welcomes the AU’s willingness to assume increasing responsibility for its security through its decision of 15 June 2015 on the alternative sources of financing; calls on the EU to explore further measures in order to help ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the APF; stresses that stepping up financial management capacity-building will be crucial in this respect;

21.

Calls for the restructuring of the current APF model so as to centralise operational and financial decision-making, thus enhancing effectiveness;

22.

Welcomes the EU decision to apply an 80 % ceiling for the EU contribution to troop allowances for all new Peace Support Operations and for AMISOM as from January 2016 onwards;

23.

Underlines that effective measures to stop small arms and light weapons (SALW) accumulation, trafficking and proliferation, and to promote disarmament, should be urgently adopted as they are crucial to preventing the intensification of conflicts, violence and fragility in Africa;

24.

Insists that the European Union should continue to be a committed partner in the APF and other peaceful enterprises but underscores that optimum results will only be obtained if there is real African leadership and regional cooperation;

25.

Recommends the integration of the discussion on the APF, which forms part of the European Development Fund, into the discussion on the future of the Cotonou Agreement;

26.

Recommends the alignment of current and future APF programmes to the available resources, in order to better link the finances with the objectives and needs on the ground;

27.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the institutions of the AU and of the European Union, the ACP Council, the ACP Group’s regional integration organisations and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

—

meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 7 to 9 December 2015,

—

having regard to Article 18(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (the Cotonou Agreement) (1), in particular Article 21 thereof, and revisions of the Cotonou Agreement in 2005 and 2010 (2),

—

having regard to its resolutions of 19 February 2004 on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA): problems and prospects (3), of 23 November 2006 on the review of negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (4), of 9 April 2009 on Economic Partnership Agreements and their impact on ACP States (5), and of 19 June 2013 on Economic Partnership Agreements — next steps (6),

—

having regard to its resolution of 19 March 2014 on regional integration and modernisation of customs for sustainable development in ACP countries, in cooperation with the EU (7),

—

having regard to the declaration of the ACP Council of Ministers of 12 June 2014 on the post-2015 development agenda (8) and the joint ACP-EU declaration on the post-2015 development agenda,

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolutions of 26 September 2002 containing its recommendation to the Commission concerning the negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreements with the ACP countries and regions (9), of 23 March 2006 on the development impact of Economic Partnership Agreements (10), of 12 December 2007 on Economic Partnership Agreements (11), of 23 May 2007 on Economic Partnership Agreements (12), and of 5 February 2009 on the development impact of Economic Partnership Agreements (13),

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolutions of 25 March 2009 on the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and Cariforum (14), of 19 January 2011 on the Interim Partnership Agreement between the EC and the Pacific States (15), of 17 January 2013 on the Interim agreement establishing a framework for an EC-Eastern and Southern Africa States Economic Partnership Agreement (16), and of 13 June 2013 on the ‘Stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and Central Africa’ (17),

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolutions of 23 October 2012 on ‘An Agenda for Change: the future of EU development policy’ (18), of 12 March 2013 on the preparation of the multiannual financial framework regarding the financing of EU cooperation for African, Caribbean and Pacific States and Overseas Countries and Territories for the 2014-2020 period (11th European Development Fund) (19), of 25 November 2014 on the EU and the global development framework after 2015 (20), and of 19 May 2015 on Financing for Development (21),

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (22),

—

having regard to the European Commission communication of 13 October 2011 entitled ‘Increasing the impact of EU Development Policy: an Agenda for Change’ (23),

—

having regard to the Joint Consultation Paper of 6 October 2015 entitled ‘Towards a new partnership between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries after 2020’ (24),

—

having regard to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), in particular Article XXIV thereof, and of the Ministerial Declarations adopted at the Fourth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference on 14 November 2001 in Doha and the Sixth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference on 18 December 2005 in Hong Kong,

—

having regard to the Sipopo Declaration of the 7th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government of 13—14 December 2012 — ‘The Future of the ACP Group in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities’,

—

having regard to the Progress Report to the 99th and the 100th Sessions of the ACP Council of Ministers of the Eminent Persons Group of 16—18 June 2014 and 12 December 2014, respectively, on the Future of the ACP Group Beyond 2020 (25),

—

having regard to the Final Report of the Office for Economic Policy and Regional Development (EPRD) on ACP-EU relations after 2020: Issues for the EU in consultation phase 1 of July 2015,

—

having regard to the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation agreed on 1 December 2011,

—

having regard to the European Development Fund, its programming and procedures, as well as the investment facility and the support offered by the EIB to the ACP countries,

—

having regard to Decision No 1/2013 of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers of 7 June 2013 adopting a protocol on the multiannual financial framework for the period 2014 to 2020 under the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part,

—

having regard to the synthesis report of the UN Secretary-General on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda entitled ‘The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet’ (26),

—

having regard to the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development: Addis Ababa Action Agenda of 16 July 2015,

—

having regard to the outcome document on the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),

—

having regard to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights,

A.

whereas the Cotonou Agreement (‘Cotonou’) has been the best example of the largest framework for North-South cooperation, governing relations between 78 ACP countries and the EU, combining long-term development finance, trade and economic cooperation and political dialogue; whereas, after its expiry in 2020, a post-Cotonou framework is needed;

B.

whereas the key objective of Cotonou is the reduction and eventual eradication of poverty, ‘consistent with the objectives of sustainable development and the gradual integration of the ACP countries in the world economy’ alongside the promotion of good governance and defence of inalienable human rights;

C.

whereas the unilateral, non-reciprocal preferential market access characteristic of the Lomé Conventions (‘Lomé’) alone has not sufficiently achieved Lomé IV’s aim ‘to promote and expedite the economic, cultural, and social development of the ACP States, and to consolidate and diversify their relations’; and whereas the export price stabilisation mechanisms and commodity protocols included in Lomé failed to lead to export diversification in ACP countries;

D.

whereas the EPA negotiations were launched with the aim of creating a shared trade and development partnership; whereas they must ensure that gradual and controlled liberalisation of trade in goods and rules for sectors such as services and investment contribute to the development of the ACP countries and their full integration into the global economy;

E.

whereas the trade agreements under Lomé and the trade cooperation chapter of the Cotonou Agreement, under which the EU extended non-reciprocal trade preferences to ACP countries, expired on 31 December 2007, and the ACP and the EU set out to negotiate EPAs intended to be instruments of trade and development for ACP States, most of which are least developed;

F.

whereas EPAs have the possibility to provide a stable and predictable framework for trade, investment, structural reform and job creation; whereas, however, EPAs have been criticised for, among other things, the likelihood of them reducing ACP countries’ policy space, undermining regional integration, and leading to losses in ACP fiscal revenues and de-industrialisation;

G.

whereas regional integration is vital for encouraging intra-ACP cooperation, including trade and investments;

H.

whereas respect for universal human rights including the right to development is and should remain an essential element of the partnership;

I.

whereas development cooperation and trade have been pillars of ACP-EU relations since the first Lomé Convention;

J.

whereas the European Development Fund (EDF), specifically designed to provide technical and financial assistance to ACP countries, remains the largest geographic instrument for development cooperation in the EU and will provide EUR 30,506 billion to ACP countries, European Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) and administrative expenditures in 2014 — 2020;

K.

whereas implementing the SDGs has an estimated cost of USD 2,6 trillion, which will require new, additional resources for development finance;

1.

Is of the opinion that the ACP-EU framework is essential in allowing dialogue and increased mutual understanding between EU and ACP States, and should be adapted to meet emerging global challenges, such as the current flows of migrants and asylum seekers, based on the core principles of equity and equality, mutual respect, inclusiveness, guaranteeing peace, security, stability, respect for human rights, giving particular attention to the situation of women, children and fragile persons, democratic principles and the rule of law, and good governance with a view to achieving long-term development and economic integration into the global economy; is of the opinion, however, that the current arrangement should be tailored to issues where the partnership can have added value;

2.

Emphasises that the history of the ACP-EU partnership has demonstrated that neither aid nor trade alone are sufficient for sustainable development and poverty reduction;

3.

Takes the view that, if mutually agreed upon and well implemented, EPAs can offer ACP countries favourable and stable access to the EU market in order to enable them to increase and diversify their exports and to foster regional integration, creating hubs that would benefit the whole of the regions and become fully integrated in the world economy in a way that supports sustainable and fair trade;

4.

Emphasises the importance of supporting, through public-private partnership, economic and investment opportunities for ACP countries such as renewable energy and sustainable use of oceans, including rich fisheries resources and aquaculture;

5.

Emphasises that it is essential that proper dialogue at all levels is maintained in order to make full use of the Cotonou agreement;

6.

Regrets that, despite calls from the European Parliament to do so, the EU did not extend the end date of the Market Access Regulation beyond 1 October 2014;

7.

Encourages all parties to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement, before the Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, in order to fully benefit from good customs modernisation and reform, the exchange of knowhow and good practices in terms of customs cooperation, and optimising the use of funds and instruments within the existing framework;

8.

Reminds the EU and its Member States of its commitment to implement its Policy Coherence for Development agenda, in order to increase coherence between its trade, agriculture, tax, climate change, investment, access to raw materials and development policies and thus enhance the transformation of ACP States into self-sustainable economies;

9.

Recalls that the nexus connecting trade, economic development and poverty reduction does not function automatically; recalls that trade already makes up a significant portion of the economies of the Least Developed Countries (LDC); notes, however, that the reduction in poverty in LDCs lags far behind that in developing countries as a whole; accordingly, encourages the Commission to explore more flexible ways to achieve WTO-compatible asymmetrical market access, including through waivers from WTO rules, and to continue to demonstrate flexibility in partner discussions;

10.

Takes the view that EU market access must be coupled with the diversification of economies and exports, and that emphasis must also be placed on promoting and strengthening south-south integration and private-public partnerships;

11.

Stresses the importance of the sustainable development provisions in EPAs and the future cooperation framework; (and the fact that the non-execution clause is non-negotiable);

12.

Welcomes the signing of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tripartite FTA and the launch of negotiations on the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) in Africa; calls on the EU to facilitate, including through assistance in the framework of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, further regional integration processes such as the CFTA;

13.

Calls on the EU and ACP to ensure that the EPAs and the ACP-EU future framework continue to have concrete development and human rights provisions and calls on ACP-EU partners to adhere to environmental and labour standards, to ensure sustainable use of resources and to promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); urges EPA partners to use their momentum as a catalyst for sustainable and sustained development;

14.

Stresses that Official Development Aid (ODA) as defined in the post-2015 agenda and the UN Addis Ababa development financing programme, remains crucial for the ACP States, particularly for Least Developed Countries (LDC); notes the EU’s commitment to providing development assistance to ACP countries; calls on the European Union and its Member States to provide assistance in the form of grants and loans including the use of the ‘blending mechanism’, so as not to increase the debt burden; regrets that many EU Member States have not met the 0,7 % target of Gross National Income (GNI) in ODA by 2015; deplores the fact that certain Member States, such as Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg and France, have decreased their share of development aid; calls on all partners to honour their commitments to the full;

15.

Reminds that post-Cotonou development objectives shall take into consideration that trade affects men and women differently, mainly in ACP countries, providing appropriate measure to alleviate any possible negative impacts;

16.

Recognises the importance of the EDF as the central instrument for development cooperation with ACP countries and the value of some of its distinctive features such as providing a large share of aid to LDCs, and cooperation in the drafting of a national programming document; emphasises the importance of the predictability of resources as well as flexibility and effectiveness in the implementation thereof;

17.

Notes with concern that EU aid to financing the EPA adjustment costs is not new and additional aid but comes from existing funds under the EDF, which would thus come at the expense of revenues otherwise earmarked for health, education and social protection;

18.

Notes that ODA is only one of the available sources of development finance; urges the ACP States and the EU Member States to explore other concrete ways of mobilising the necessary funds, including through greater involvement of the private sector in trade and development-oriented investment, strengthening fiscal capacities and domestic resource mobilisation and establishing an international enabling environment for development by combating tax evasion, tax avoidance and illicit financial flows; emphasises that scarce public aid resources should support public investment in the host countries, which are not necessarily expected to yield short- or medium-term financial returns;

19.

Recalls likewise that private investment should not be a substitute for ODA, while public-private partnerships financed through blending mechanisms should in all circumstances be aligned to the host country’s national development plan and be subjected to a sound regulatory framework on responsible financing, including on cost recovery and benefit distribution;

20.

Stresses that the SDGs should stimulate the establishment of creative new forms of ACP-EU cooperation, which are supported by the EU in other third countries and are aimed at reducing the current exploitation of natural resources and promoting economic, social and environmental development through a proper use of and investment in renewable sources; recalls the importance of contributing to a successful United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris in 2015 in order to help ACP countries to decarbonise their economies, which are completely dependent on the use of fossil fuels;

21.

Notes that future comprehensive ACP-EU cooperation must be built on collaborative approaches, creative and accountable methods and innovative interventions, and allow the ACP to be more effective and visible, taking into account national and regional specificities and the involvement of all stakeholders in the EPA negotiation and implementation processes to ensure local ownership as well as coherence in and effective follow-up of subsequent policies;

22.

Stresses the importance of taking into account the demands of the respective civil societies throughout the implementation of the EPAs and the preparation of the post-Cotonou framework;

23.

Notes that the post-Cotonou discussion will be an opportunity to thoroughly analyse both the successes and failures of the current agreement in terms of the sustainable socio-economic development of ACP countries; stresses the need to have a strong sustainable development chapter in the future EU-ACP trade strategy and transparent consultation procedures;

24.

Is deeply concerned by the reports of huge gaps between the funds allocated to the ACP countries under the EDF and their actual disbursements; calls on the Commission to enhance aid transparency, tracking and efficiency, and to ensure that development aid reaches those who need it the most; furthermore calls on the Commission to closely monitor this issue and produce detailed reports on aid spending and allocation on a regular basis;

25.

Calls on the Commission to support ACP developing countries in their efforts to promote fair competition and to establish an appropriate regulatory and domestic legislative framework in cooperation with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and International Competition Network (ICN) initiatives as a strategic tool to increase trade, foster growth and improve social welfare;

26.

Emphasises that it must be ensured that no ACP country be left worse off, and that poverty reduction, sustainable development and job creation are placed at the centre of any future ACP-EU partnership;

27.

Stresses that job creation, in particular green jobs and those linked to the circular economy, will form the core part of future ACP-EU economic relations; recognises therefore the strategic role of the agricultural and livestock sector, which is affected by major challenges such as climate change, price instability and compliance with safety standards in production, and which employs a majority of the ACP population and which needs specific attention;

28.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the regional and national parliaments, the regional organisations relating to ACP countries, and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

—

meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 7 to 9 December 2015,

—

having regard to Article 18(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (the Cotonou Agreement) (27), in particular Article 21 thereof, and revisions of the Cotonou Agreement in 2005 and 2010 (28),

—

having regard to its resolution of 3 December 2014 on the Ebola outbreak (29),

—

having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted on 25 September 2015 at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York, USA,

—

having regard to the outcome document of the third UN International Conference on Financing for Development held on 13—16 July 2015 in Addis Ababa,

—

having regard to the European Parliament legislative resolution of 3 July 2013 on the proposal for a Council directive implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of financial transaction tax (30),

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 26 October 2015 on the long-term lessons of the Ebola crisis,

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 18 September 2014 on the EU’s response to the Ebola outbreak (31),

—

having regard to the Brussels Conclusions and Recommendations on Health in the context of the post-2015 Development Agenda in ACP States adopted by the 2nd Meeting of ACP Ministers of Health held on 25—26 February 2015 in Brussels, Belgium,

—

having regard to the European Development Fund Investment Facility and the support offered by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to the ACP countries,

—

having regard to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement signed on 29 October 2014 on the automatic transfer of information in tax matters,

—

having regard to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report entitled ‘Food wastage footprint — Impacts on natural resources’ published in 2013,

A.

whereas the OECD estimates that the global financial industry comprises between 12 % and 19 % of the total global economy and that the daily foreign exchange market averages USD 5,5 trillion at present and is projected to reach USD 7,8 trillion daily by 2019; whereas the total size of the global debt securities market is USD 78 trillion, and the gross market value of outstanding derivatives contracts is USD 20,9 trillion, with a notional value of USD 630 trillion;

B.

whereas health disasters create serious social and economic challenges for countries affected; whereas the Ebola outbreak had a devastating impact on the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and has dragged the countries deeper into recession;

C.

whereas studies by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bank for International Settlements show that the level of financial development is good only up to a point, after which it can restrict and suppress general economic growth in other sectors such as agriculture, and that a fast-growing financial sector is detrimental to aggregate productivity growth;

D.

whereas technological advances in the financial industry and the move to centralised trading systems have made concealing transactions more difficult;

E.

whereas 51 OECD and G20 members signed a Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement in Berlin on 29 October 2014 implementing the automatic exchange of financial information in tax matters in order to improve tax transparency;

F.

whereas it is estimated that 60 million farms in ACP countries generate one third of their GDP; whereas of these, 50 million are small, family-run farms working on average less than 2 hectares of land, with about 80 % of the population working in agriculture;

G.

whereas poor nutrition is the cause of the deaths of 3,1 million children each year; whereas globally about 4 billion tonnes of food is produced per annum, of which a third is wasted, mainly owing to poor practices in harvesting, storage and transportation; whereas the FAO estimates that in ACP countries in 2009, 23 % of all food produced — or about 545 Kcal/capita/day — was lost or wasted;

H.

whereas developing countries need the policy space to protect infant industries from competition, as well as fiscal resources and technical assistance to drive economic diversification;

I.

whereas SMEs and microenterprises are the backbone of economies worldwide, are a fundamental part of the economy of developing countries and, along with well-functioning public sectors, are a key factor in furthering economic, social and cultural growth; whereas these SMEs face restricted access to capital, particularly those owned by minority groups or women, with nearly half of all SMEs in developing countries reporting that restricted access to finance is a major constraint and that they face an estimated EUR 200 billion shortfall in financing every year;

J.

whereas inadequate tax systems may discriminate against SMEs and family businesses to the advantage of multinationals and weaken the public sector in developing countries; whereas a key objective of EU development policy as well as for policy-makers in ACP countries themselves must be to strengthen the ACP countries’ existing structures of the tax system and to create new ones that take into account the real situation — not only economic but also social — of the countries in which they are implemented, with an emphasis on fighting tax evasion and avoidance as well as illicit financial flows and protecting and promoting family SMEs and micro-enterprises;

K.

whereas multinationals have used developing countries to generate large profits without applying the standards that are insisted upon in their home countries and have used their commercial strength to coerce the host authorities and have failed to clean up after their activities;

L.

whereas an epidemic of the Ebola virus broke out in West Africa in December 2013, infecting 28 000 people and killing 11 000; whereas the international response to the epidemic was slow and it was not until 8 August 2014 that the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern;

M.

whereas it is imperative for the respective ACP countries to build an efficient health system that provides the entire population with access to good quality services, health workers, medicines and technologies, and that is supported by a financing system that protects people from financial hardship and impoverishment due to healthcare costs;

N.

whereas in a large number of African countries the health and education systems have deteriorated through the Structural Adjustment Programmes imposed by the IMF and the World Bank, which required budget cuts in the public sector;

O.

whereas, due to the socio-economic underdevelopment in ACP countries, little is done to improve health risk prevention, raise health risk awareness and construct sufficient emergency centres, especially in remote areas;

P.

whereas education is impossible without freedom and no progress in the area of education and training is possible if censorship and the denial of free access to information are not brought to an end;

Q.

whereas in ACP States there is a shortage of a strong, dynamic, competitive and self-confident private sector, guided by modern knowledge and skills, which can play a decisive role in the economy; whereas SMEs and family businesses lack the necessary support and proper attention;

R.

whereas in ACP States there is a lack of a strong, self-reliant and participatory economy which benefits all, with an equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth via the state budget, and responsible utilisation of natural resources;

S.

whereas education in particular is instrumental in poverty eradication, socio-cultural transformation, enhancing economic growth, and ultimately improving the health, living conditions and lifestyles of the majority of the people;

T.

whereas political stability as a result of peace and security is the primary condition for improving the economic and social situation as well as prevention of epidemic diseases and health disasters;

1.

Recalls that many of the 79 ACP countries have had a long historical relationship with EU countries and therefore the EU should give special consideration to its cooperation with ACP countries; that the EU and the ACP consist of 106 states with a total population of over 1,4 billion; that the EU, while wealthy and well developed, has a growth rate of less than 2 % per annum; that the ACP is growing at a faster rate; and that the EU and the ACP combined are a global economic force that can compete worldwide;

2.

Proposes the establishment of a fund, receiving half of the proceeds from financial transaction tax receipts, to be used exclusively for the benefit of low-income ACP countries; believes that a significant proportion could be applied for micro-financing of a vibrant SME and family business infrastructure in those countries, and that funding should also go to health, education, transport and energy infrastructure to more effectively respond to health disasters such as the Ebola outbreak as well as minimising the migration flows of young people resulting in the brain drain of the much-needed human resource capacity; calls on ACP countries to tackle corruption, strengthen their tax systems and, in close cooperation with the EU, address illicit financial flows; believes that debt relief could be applied for these ACP countries which have difficulty repaying their debts because of poverty;

3.

Notes that, in many ACP countries, tax evasion is a big problem that causes public budgets the loss of billions of euros;

4.

Recalls that family farming, which is the most common agricultural model worldwide, plays a key role in the fulfilment of the SDGs: it contributes substantially to food security, to the fight against soil erosion and biodiversity loss, and to the mitigation of climate change, while providing jobs; stresses that the EU should henceforth promote sustainable agriculture worldwide as a means of ensuring food security and a decent life and fair income for farmers; recalls the EU’s responsibility to set an example domestically, by fully integrating social and environmental concerns into agricultural production and strengthening rural development for the benefit of local communities; in particular, urges the EU to commit, in line with the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, to a fundamental shift towards agro-ecology as a way of improving the resilience and sustainability of food systems;

5.

Calls on the EU to create a funding programme (DEVETAX 2030) to specifically assist the establishment of tax structures in emerging market economies and to help developing countries to create new regional tax authority offices by the year 2030;

6.

Believes, moreover, that financial support could also be allocated to forms of active support, such as a minimum income for persons living in a state of poverty and social exclusion, and that the advisability of increasing crowdfunding in order to promote the entrepreneurial spirit, especially among young people, could be examined;

7.

Calls on development banks, including the EIB, in cooperation with the ACP recipient governments, to propose a microcredit facility to subsidise loans to family farms by means of microcredits to improve their productivity and reduce food wastage; emphasises that microfinance contributes to better working conditions for women; calls on the ACP governments to facilitate and support the creation of farmers’ organisations, including cooperatives; expresses its concern that both land-grabbing and large-scale agro-industries can be a threat to local populations, since they can lead to over-exploitation in the short term of the land that will be abandoned later on;

8.

Notes that over 40 % of the world population still lacks piped water to their homes; notes that 1,5 million deaths annually are caused by water contamination, and that rural water which is most at risk of contamination can be made safe for drinking at low cost by drilling boreholes and using chlorine tablets; considers that SMEs are much more frugal in their consumption of water than large companies or multinationals; urges ACP countries to fine polluters to combat water pollution;

9.

Encourages the use of investment programmes for family businesses through affordable and stable credit; emphasises the important and positive role that women play in family businesses;

10.

Calls on governments to create conditions conducive to economic development and to draw up appropriate strategies and policies in order to stimulate the development of the private sector in general and SMEs and family businesses in particular;

11.

Calls for the right of all peoples to food sovereignty to be guaranteed;

12.

Recalls that globalisation has affected the ability of countries to generate domestic government revenues and to choose their taxation structure; notes that increased mobility of capital, combined with widespread use of tax havens, has greatly altered the conditions for taxing income and wealth, thereby affecting the fairness of the tax system; against this background, insists that effective mobilisation of domestic resources and a strengthening of tax systems will be an indispensable factor in improving economic and social conditions in developing countries, e.g. through increased support to SMEs; to that effect, calls on the EU to upgrade its financial and technical assistance in developing countries;

13.

Notes that, while there has been a substantial reduction in child mortality since 1990, UNICEF’s latest figures estimate that every year, 6,3 million under-fives die from largely preventable causes; that three quarters of these deaths are caused by pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and new-born conditions such as asphyxia and infections, for which cost-effective treatments are known; that the poor are most affected, facing both a disproportionately high disease burden and greater difficulties in accessing health care; that improving child health requires a comprehensive and integrated approach, addressing multiple factors together, including the availability of essential health services, access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and education;

14.

Calls for an end to land-grabbing and for policies to be formulated to ensure that farmers have access to land, water and seed;

15.

Notes that there are still 140 000 infant deaths annually from measles, even though the disease can be prevented with a double dose of inexpensive vaccine; urges the international community to continue its measles elimination campaign;

16.

Calls for policies to develop small-scale and family farming to supply local and regional markets;

17.

Calls on national governments, the African Union and the EU to create and implement specific framework programmes for public health — at local, regional, national and international level — to emphasise the preventive and sustainable nature of healthcare systems;

18.

Considers that policies are needed to support and develop artisanal and small-scale fisheries;

19.

Calls on the EU to support and promote in-country medical education in ACP countries to stop the brain drain and to increase the number of professionals in their healthcare systems, including paediatricians, dermatologists, eye specialists and tropical disease specialists as well as midwives and surgeons;

20.

Stresses that social dialogue is essential to ensure that the private sector engages effectively in development; insists upon developing countries’ responsibility to support social dialogue between private sector employers, workers and national governments as a way to improve good governance and state stability; in particular, calls on developing countries to ensure that social dialogue is extended to Export Processing Zones and to industrial clusters;

21.

Considers that the international response to the Ebola epidemic was insufficient and showed a lack of preparedness in dealing with epidemics and pandemics; calls for the establishment of a permanent European rapid response capability comprising experts, laboratory support staff, epidemiologists and logistics facilities, including mobile laboratories, that can be deployed extremely swiftly; more broadly, takes the view that building a resilient health system over the long term requires, inter alia, (i) investing resources in basic public health services, (ii) ensuring safe and quality care by increasing resources to train, supervise and pay health workers adequately and by giving access to safe drugs, (iii) engaging local stakeholders and communities in crisis response and development planning; calls on international donors to increase Official Development Assistance (ODA) to those countries through country systems such as budget support;

22.

Notes that existing best-practice models — for instance in the case of the prevention of polio (or the anti-polio campaign) — could serve overall as role models for the development of new structures in emergency and health disaster management and the health sector in general;

23.

Stresses that vaccines are the most cost-effective way to prevent and control infectious diseases such as Ebola; urges the research and development community to invest in the development of vaccines for infectious diseases that mostly affect the poor, but with cross-border infection capacity;

24.

Encourages ACP States to put in place health risk prevention mechanisms, including awareness raising programmes and give priority to the remote and disadvantaged areas in the construction of health centres equipped with the necessary manpower and medical facilities;

25.

Considers it necessary for policies for the prevention of Ebola and other diseases to include ensuring the access of the population to healthy food in sufficient quantities, safe drinking water and sanitation, as well as the strengthening of public health systems;

26.

Believes that the approach to epidemics such as Ebola must attach particular importance to preventing infection; considers, therefore, that the extensive training of medical, nursing and healthcare staff should be organised, also involving the world of education, so that there is as much information as possible on the need for rules governing health and daily behaviour so as to avert the risk of infection;

27.

Notes that wastage of food results in loss of income for farmers and a waste of resources such as water and land at a time when world population is expected to increase from 7,3 billion in 2015 to 9,5 billion in 2050 with a concomitant demand for food, and that three quarters of the waste of food in ACP countries occurs in the production, handling and storage phases which can be remedied by low cost, low tech solutions; if ACP wastage in these stages was reduced to European levels, the GDP of the ACP would be increased by 2,6 % per year;

28.

Calls on the international community to fulfil their commitments in support of the post-Ebola social and economic reconstruction of the most affected countries in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), in particular those agreed on at the High Level Brussels Conference ‘Ebola: From Emergency to Recovery’ held on 3 March 2015;

29.

Calls on the Member States of the EU to support the implementation of training programmes for preventive health care, not only financially, but also by promoting a real culture of prevention in ACP countries;

30.

Notes that most family businesses are SMEs, that they improve the socio-economic status of families in underdeveloped regions and rural areas, and that for family businesses the level of profitability is not the primary concern;

31.

Notes that SMEs employ the most people and pay the most tax in ACP countries, receive a stronger boost in growth than large companies when their capital requirements are met, and proportionately provide more employment, greater income and higher tax revenue for the same investment;

32.

Calls for the development of a dual education system, where apprenticeships in a company are combined with vocational education at a technical college to provide knowledge of practical skills, so that the skills being taught can be tested in practice, with incentives for companies, such as tax exemptions, for accepting students in apprenticeship positions without lowering the total tax revenue; calls for the implementation of efficient, effective and transparent anti-corruption programmes in order to avoid brain drain;

33.

Calls on the EU to make close cooperation between SMEs in the EU and ACP States a clear goal of the Corporate Social Responsibility policy; calls for the establishment of an EU-ACP partnership network to set up selective pilot schemes in ACP States where young entrepreneurs and start-up businesses will get the chance to develop professionally in the emerging economies and to cooperate with European research institutes or businesses;

34.

Encourages ACP countries to integrate technical and vocational education and training programmes into their skills development strategies, involving industry to ensure that, inter alia, entrepreneurship is integrated into quality training programmes;

35.

Calls for the development of a public education system with a curriculum tailored to meet the needs and priorities of each country;

36.

Believes it necessary to regulate the system of traineeships and apprenticeships in order to eliminate all forms of abuse of such instruments, by equating them with any other form of work and ensuring the necessary wage safeguards;

37.

Encourages the strengthening of a sustainable entrepreneurial spirit among young people in ACP countries, where over 75 % of the population is under 25 years of age, by encouraging more business-orientated education in schools and by establishing more efficient university partnerships and Erasmus exchange programmes; calls for the introduction of teacher training and exchange programmes to help improve the quality and provision of education in ACP countries; in order to encourage school education, calls on ACP countries to strive in every way to ensure that all children have access to free, quality education, taking into account in particular the needs of the most vulnerable population groups at risk of poverty and social exclusion;

38.

Urges ACP States to build economic systems based on principles of social justice, self-reliance, public participation, a system that primarily relies on development of its human and natural resources and its responsible utilisation, in a manner that guarantees inclusive sustainable development; governments should come up with policies that are pro poor and result oriented which encourage private initiative, competition and investment, promote the acquisition of knowledge and skills, and increase productivity, ensure fair and appropriate distribution of all basic services and encourage and strengthen international economic cooperation and investment;

39.

Urges EU and ACP countries to promote ethical business principles as the basis for future international markets and to do everything possible to combat corruption as well as illicit financial flows; urges all ACP countries to put in place effective, efficient and transparent anti-corruption programmes; notes that ethical awareness should be learned as early as possible and therefore urges ACP countries to include it in their educational programmes at all levels from primary to university;

40.

Recalls that EIB financing operations implemented through the EU guarantee granted to the EIB in developing countries shall have as their primary objective the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty; in particular, stresses that the EIB and the European Development Financial Institutions should only cooperate with financial intermediaries not operating in offshore financial centres, which have substantial local ownership and are equipped to implement a pro-development approach supporting the specificity of SMEs in the countries of operation;

41.

Considers that there should be equitable and free access to quality education at all levels in developing countries, especially in literacy and numeracy; that entrepreneurial skills and in particular technical and vocational education and training should be provided; that the use of information and communication technology in learning and skills development is considered essential; that all schools should have access to computers and adequate resources and a source of energy for their own use; ensure that teaching materials are country specific and taught in the country’s official languages; and that endeavours should be made to achieve equality between women and men in human resource development;

42.

Notes that, in the past, loans from the World Bank (WB) to ACP countries tended to use standards that did not properly address the specific needs of those countries; notes also that some of the WB projects benefited the donors more the than recipient countries; notes also that the developing countries are at risk of falling into debt through some of the conditions imposed by the WB, and insists that this practice should be ended;

43.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, the World Bank and the EIB.

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meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 7—9 December 2015,

—

having regard to Article 18(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to its previous resolutions,

—

having regard to the revised Cotonou Agreement, and especially Article 13 thereof, on the basis of which the ACP-EU migration dialogue takes place,

—

having regard to the African (Banjul) Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, adopted by the Organisation of African Unity Assembly on 27 June 1981,

—

having regard to the June 2010 ACP-EU Council Joint Declaration on migration and development,

—

having regard to the report on the 2011-2012 dialogue on migration and development endorsed by the ACP-EU Council of Ministers at its 37th session, held in Port Vila on 14 June 2012,

—

having regard to the creation of the ACP Observatory on Migration,

—

having regard to the Joint EU-Africa Strategy,

—

having regard to the key political declaration and the roadmap for 2014-2017 on migration and mobility endorsed by the Heads of State and Government at the 4th EU-Africa Summit, held in April 2014,

—

having regard to the Rome Declaration and Programme for 2015-2017 adopted at the fourth Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development, held in November 2014,

—

having regard to the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, launched on 28 November 2014,

—

having regard to the Sahel Regional Action Plan 2015-2020, adopted by the Council on 20 April 2015,

—

having regard to the EU-Africa Summit on Migration of 11—12 November 2015 and the adoption of a Joint Declaration and Action Plan,

—

having regard to the UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development of 3 October 2013, and the Joint Declaration of the EU and its Member States and the ACP countries on the same subject,

—

having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2240 relating to combating the recent proliferation of, and endangerment of lives by, the smuggling of migrants and trafficking of persons on the high seas in the Mediterranean,

—

having regard to the annual reports drawn up by the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, in particular those published in April 2013 on the management of the external borders of the EU and its impact on the human rights of migrants and in April 2014 on the exploitation of migrant workers,

—

having regard to the UNHCR Central Mediterranean Sea initiative and to the UNHCR proposals to address current and future arrivals of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Europe,

—

having regard to the Council Conclusions on the EU’s Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 of 26 October 2015,

—

having regard to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,

—

having regard to the Geneva Convention of 1951 and the additional protocol thereto,

—

having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948,

—

having regard to the European Parliament resolutions on the situation of migration, refugees and asylum seekers, particularly those of 17 December 2014, 29 April 2015 and 10 September 2015,

—

having regard to the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council of 29 September 2015 entitled ‘Managing the refugee crisis: immediate operational, budgetary and legal measures under the European Agenda on Migration’,

—

having regard to the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council of 14 October 2015 entitled ‘Managing the refugee crisis: State of Play of the Implementation of the Priority Actions under the European Agenda on Migration’,

—

having regard to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 21 December 1965,

—

having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 1966,

—

having regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989, and to its Optional Protocols,

—

having regard to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 1966,

—

having regard to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 2008,

—

having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 1979,

—

having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union of 7 December 2000,

—

having regard to Council Decisions (EU) 2015/1601 of 22 September 2015 and (EU) 2015/1523 of 14 September 2015, both establishing provisional measures in the area of international protection for the benefit of Italy and Greece,

A.

whereas political, social and economic instability, economic downturn, poor governance, lack of security, human rights violations, political repression, humanitarian crises and natural disasters, and growing disparities in living conditions are the major driving forces behind migration;

B.

whereas of the estimated 232 million international migrants, approximately three quarters are citizens of non-OECD countries, and about a third reside in low- or middle-income countries; whereas over 10 million refugees find themselves in protracted situations in developing countries;

C.

whereas regional instability, violation of human rights and persistent conflicts are giving rise to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis which led to the displacement of 60 million persons in 2014;

D.

whereas well-managed migration can be of benefit to both the EU and ACP countries, helping to meet existing and future labour needs and contributing to the development of all the countries concerned; whereas many governments continue to maintain an illusion of stopping migration flows by means of ill-treatment, cumbersome procedures, fences and even outright human rights violations;

E.

whereas the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in May 2016 should address humanitarian crises in a holistic manner;

F.

whereas the ACP-EU Council agreed in May 2011 that the dialogue on the mobility of skilled people, legal migration, readmission, visas, smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, migrants’ rights and remittances should be continued; whereas the ACP and EU countries have made commitments to uphold respect for the human rights of migrants regardless of their immigration status;

G.

whereas according to the International Organisation for Migration, between 2000 and 2015 at least 22 000 people have died while crossing the Mediterranean between North Africa and Europe; whereas according to UNHCR data 2 800 women, men and children have been reported dead or missing in 2015 in their attempts to reach safety in Europe; whereas climate change will lead to millions of people becoming migrants and the EU and ACP countries have to be ready to address the consequences;

H.

whereas it is estimated that Africa loses in excess of 70 000 skilled professionals annually to emigration, resulting in a huge human capacity deficit on that continent;

I.

whereas South-South migration is still much more widespread than South-North migration, as it accounts for approximately two-thirds of all migration; whereas according to the UNHCR there are 60 million displaced persons and refugees in the world, 80 % of whom come from 10 countries affected by destabilisation and war; whereas the UNHCR has projected a number of 15 million people concerned by displacements in Africa in 2015; whereas 85 % of refugees from developing countries seek refuge in their own region and whereas despite these huge figures, the right to seek and enjoy asylum in Africa is largely respected;

J.

whereas discrimination and violence particularly target migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, with noticeably increasing xenophobia, anti-migrant sentiment, hate speech and hate crimes becoming an area of deep concern for the EU and ACP countries; whereas the conditions in many refugee camps in the Middle East and Africa are deteriorating and the security of refugees is often not guaranteed;

K.

considering the special situation of vulnerability of women and girl refugees who are victims of human trafficking, forced marriages, sexual exploitation and gender violence; whereas the EU, in its Gender Action Plan 2016-2020, has fully committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout its external relations;

1.

Expresses its deep regret and sorrow at the loss of lives of migrants and people seeking asylum in the EU; urges the EU and the Member States to do everything possible to prevent further loss of life, at sea or on land; calls on the EU, Frontex and the Member States to ensure that assistance to migrants in distress is part of the main priorities in the framework of the implementation of the Eurosur Regulation;

2.

Highlights the need for a common EU-ACP approach to migration; recalls that according to Article 13 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou in June 2000, ‘the issue of migration shall be the subject of in-depth dialogue’;

3.

Notes the outcome of the Valletta Summit on Migration that took place on 11—12 November 2015; believes that the summit should serve as a starting point for the development of a far-reaching EU-Africa strategy responding to the human, social and political challenges of migratory flows between Africa and the EU and focussing on the root causes;

4.

Calls on all state and non-state actors involved in conflicts to cease all attacks against civilians, to comply with international humanitarian law and to ensure that civilians are protected, have unhindered access to medical facilities and humanitarian assistance, and are able to leave areas affected by violence safely and with dignity;

5.

Calls on the international community to show itself equal to the scale of the current crises and to fund the humanitarian effort of the UNHCR and other bodies according to the identified needs;

6.

Believes that a genuine response to migration crises in the EU and in Africa will come from tackling, with a long-term approach, their root causes, namely poverty, instability, inequality, organised crime, armed conflict, trafficking, persecution, violations of human rights, climate change and natural disasters;

7.

Calls on the EU to continue its efforts to sustain development and democratisation in the countries of origin; urges the EU and the ACP countries to help find sustainable political solutions in countries in conflict and to strengthen the political dialogue encompassing all human rights elements, in order to support inclusive and democratic institutions, to build the resilience of local communities, and to foster social and democratic development in the countries of origin and among their peoples;

8.

Calls on the EU and the ACP countries to undertake concrete actions to boost economic development and employment, in order to significantly reduce the existing widespread poverty and income inequalities; deplores the fact that many EU Member States have not met the target of earmarking 0,7 % of their gross national income for development aid and that some are cutting their development aid budgets;

9.

Notes the establishment of the EU’s ‘Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa’ (‘Trust Fund’), including a provision of EUR 1,8 billion from EU funds and EUR 81 million from European countries; insists that the resources under this fund should be devoted to supporting relevant aid projects, especially those focused on supporting and promoting most vulnerable people, such as women and children, and that development cooperation has to respect aid effectiveness principles, including ownership and alignment with priorities defined by beneficiaries rather than those of the donors; stresses that the Trust Fund should not be used for cooperation on border management and return; notes that some EU Member States decided to contribute substantially to this fund while others made very limited contributions; invites the Commission to fully ensure political accountability and financial transparency of the Trust Fund;

10.

Recalls that the right to leave any country, including one’s own, is enshrined in Article 13 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights; stresses that, while this is a liberty and a fundamental right that should benefit everyone, only citizens of the ‘global North’ and the wealthiest citizens of the ‘global South’ are able currently to exercise this right;

11.

Calls for the permanent resettlement mechanism to be consolidated and for the Member States to make available, as a matter of urgency, numbers of resettlement places commensurate with the scale of the current humanitarian disaster; calls for a substantial increase in EU funding for reception arrangements for asylum seekers and refugees; emphasises that priority should be given to integrating migrants, in particular in the areas of education, employment, housing, health and social security, in order to guarantee equal rights for all citizens;

12.

Highlights the importance of respecting international obligations when it comes to welcoming refugees and protecting their rights; welcomes, in this context, the resolve shown by the European Commission in opening numerous infringement cases;

13.

Calls for the rapid and full transposition and effective implementation of the Common European Asylum System by all participating Member States, in order to ensure common European standards as a minimum, including on reception conditions for asylum seekers and respect for fundamental rights, as envisaged under existing legislation;

14.

Condemns all instances of human rights violations in EU Member States affecting the lives and dignity of migrants and refugees; recalls that all human beings must have their rights respected in accordance with international law and EU law; calls on EU Member States to respect the principle of non-refoulement and to put an immediate end to any improper and extended detention practices; urges the improvement of the living conditions and the capacities of refugee camps; strongly reaffirms that human rights must be respected at all times and that special attention must be given to the most vulnerable individuals such as unaccompanied minors, the elderly and isolated women; rejects any attempt to link development aid to cooperation on return policies or cooperation on border management;

15.

Considers the violation of human rights and problems faced by women and girl migrants and refugees in the migration process and the impact of this process on women’s empowerment and human rights to be of major importance; stresses that an explicit gender perspective should be included in migration and refugee crisis policies and that all services should be made accessible, including sexual and reproductive health services; calls in particular for gender discrimination and gender violence to be eliminated in relation to migration;

16.

Stresses the need to strengthen the existing mechanisms for the protection of children from abuse and exploitation at all times, including through the provision of essential services such as medical care, psychological support, quality education and specific measures for their progressive integration in the various Member States; calls for special attention to be paid to the needs of separated families and those left behind, facilitating family reunification;

17.

Considers the issues and problems faced by women, children and vulnerable groups (such as the elderly, people with special needs, disabled people, LGTBI people, minorities and others) in the migration process within the EU and their impact on their empowerment and human rights to be of major importance; stresses that an inclusive perspective in migration policies that takes account of the specific features of each vulnerable group is vital, and calls for such a perspective to be included in all policies relating to migrants;

18.

Deplores the tendency to prioritise the fight against ‘irregular’ migration, while giving insufficient attention to legal routes for those on the move and migrating by reaping the mutual benefits of circular migration; calls for a better framework for legal migration and mobility – including circular and temporary migration schemes – and for better information, protection, and pre-departure training, and the establishment of further safe and legal migration channels and humanitarian corridors by issuing more visas, in particular humanitarian visas, to migrants from countries beset by conflicts or humanitarian crises, and by facilitating family reunification and legal migration channels for workers; urges the EU to enable the filing of asylum applications from outside its territory, thus supporting safe and legal entry into the EU;

19.

Calls for joint concrete actions focused on improving the fight against smuggling and trafficking in human beings; stresses that they should include institutional and administrative capacity-building, improvement of the regulatory framework, and joint operational measures accompanied by risk analysis and the exchange of information; recalls that smuggling ends with the migrants’ arrival at their destination, while trafficking involves the ongoing exploitation and control of victims;

20.

Underlines that both EU Member States and ACP countries should lay down strong criminal sanctions against human trafficking and smuggling, and also against individuals or groups exploiting vulnerable migrants in the EU; stresses the need for wide-ranging information campaigns to raise awareness of the kinds of risks faced by those who put their lives into the hands of smugglers or are victims of human trafficking; strongly condemns the criminal networks which organise human trafficking and smuggling with complete disregard for human lives, and calls for urgent action to combat such networks; therefore supports the ACP-EU Council recommendations of June 2015;

21.

Calls for better cross-border police cooperation and intelligence sharing that will help fight organised criminal operations;

22.

Calls on the Member States to make a greater contribution to existing resettlement programmes and support for the integration of long-term refugees and displaced persons in host communities, especially in the case of those EU Member States which have not contributed anything; calls on the EU to increase its support;

23.

Calls on the Member States to enforce the decisions of the Council for the relocation in their territory of 160 000 people who are in clear need of international protection;

24.

Stresses that any attempt by Member States to ‘push back’ migrants who have not been given the opportunity to present asylum claims runs contrary to EU and international law; points out that collective expulsions which fail to take account of individuals’ circumstances constitute a breach of international law;

25.

Recalls that the return of migrants should be carried out safely, preferably voluntarily, and only after an appropriate individual examination of their application in full compliance with the fundamental and procedural rights of the migrant in question;

26.

Recalls that arms exports and the limited efforts to fight illicit capital flows from developing countries have negative effects on economic and social development, as well as on peace, security and human rights in developing countries, thus contributing to instability and migration flows; also insists that Policy Coherence for Development, notably when defining EU trade, fisheries and agriculture policies, is crucial to avoid such effects;

27.

Calls on the EU and its Member States and ACP States to review their arms trade regulations in line with the principles of Policy Coherence for Development and to reinforce measures against grey market and illegal arms trade;

28.

Calls for the issue of climate refugees to be addressed by extending existing legal instruments or principles which would allow a coherent and binding solution; calls in this respect on the EU to provide the funds for climate financing that it has promised in the past, in order to fulfil the common objective of mobilising climate finance additionally to traditional development assistance targeted at poverty eradication;

29.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, the member states and institutions of the African Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the General Assembly of the United Nations, the President of the Pan-African Parliament, the governments and parliaments of the countries of the Middle East and the countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, and the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean.

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meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 7 to 9 December 2015,

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having regard to Article 18(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the revised Cotonou Agreement,

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having regard to the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi of 28 August 2000,

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having regard to the Constitution of Burundi, and in particular Article 96 thereof,

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having regard to the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG),

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having regard to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights,

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having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2248 (2015) of 12 November 2015 on the situation in Burundi,

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having regard to the joint statement of 12 November 2015 by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, African Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and EU High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini on Burundi,

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having regard to the decisions of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) of 13 June, 17 October and 13 November 2015 on the situation in Burundi,

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having regard to the statements by the East African Community on 31 May and 6 July 2015 on the situation in Burundi,

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having regard to the statement by the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly of 17 June 2015 on the situation in Burundi,

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having regard to Council Regulation (EU) 2015/1755 of 1 October 2015 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Burundi,

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having regard to the Council conclusions of 16 March, 18 May, 22 June and 16 November 2015 on Burundi,

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having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 9 July 2015 on the situation in Burundi,

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having regard to the EU decision of 26 October 2015 to request the opening of consultations with the Burundian authorities under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement,

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having regard to the conclusions of the Council of the European Union on the EU-Republic of Burundi consultations under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, adopted on 8 December 2015,

A.

whereas Article 96 of the Constitution of Burundi and Article 7(3) of Protocol II to thevArusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement stipulate that the President of Burundi is to be elected by direct universal suffrage, for a period of five years, renewable once;

B.

whereas Burundi held legislative and local elections on 29 June 2015 and presidential elections on 21 July 2015; whereas both electoral processes were considered by the observers of the international community not to be transparent, inclusive, free and credible; whereas for that reason the AU did not send observers to follow the elections, the EU suspended its electoral mission to Burundi, and a large part of the Burundian opposition decided to boycott the elections;

C.

whereas President Nkurunziza’s candidacy for a subsequent term, which is considered by the international community and a part of the Burundian opposition to be a third term, and the elections of 21 July 2015 have plunged the country into its deepest political crisis since the end of the civil war;

D.

whereas the Burundian Government did not fully take into account decisions and recommendations of the AU and the East African Community (EAC) adopted on 13 June 2015 and 6 July 2015 respectively, whose full implementation would have paved the way for credible and inclusive elections;

E.

whereas, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other human rights organisations, politically motivated human rights violations, human rights abuses and acts of violence have been carried out in the country both during the pre-election and the post-election period, targeting opposition activists, human rights defenders and journalists in particular, including Pierre Claver Mbonimpa; whereas there is a widespread perception that they are mostly, but not exclusively, linked to state institutions; whereas the primary responsibility for ensuring security in Burundi and protecting the Burundian population with respect to the rule of law, human rights and international humanitarian law lies with the Burundian Government;

F.

whereas more than 200 000 people have been internally displaced or have sought refuge in neighbouring countries as a result of the worsening political situation in Burundi; whereas in July 2015 the EU stepped up its humanitarian assistance and mobilised an additional EUR 4,5 million in aid for displaced populations;

G.

whereas on 26 October 2015 the EU requested the opening of consultations under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement to investigate the non-compliance with essential elements of the Agreement, in particular human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law; whereas these consultations started on 8 December 2015;

H.

whereas the political deadlock in Burundi, marked by a lack of dialogue among Burundian stakeholders, and the resulting deterioration in the security and economic situation, have serious consequences for the population and pose a serious risk for the stability of the region;

I.

whereas the international community plays a significant role as the guarantor of the Arusha Agreement; whereas all the regional and sub-regional efforts aimed at addressing the crisis and restoring dialogue between all political forces have so far not produced sufficient positive results;

J.

whereas on 1 August 2015, political opposition and civil society gathered in Addis Ababa to create the National Council on Respect for the Arusha Agreement and the Rule of Law;

K.

whereas on 23 September 2015, the President signed a decree creating a national commission for inter-Burundian dialogue to lead negotiations for six months; whereas a significant part of civil society showed great scepticism about the potential achievements of this commission;

L.

whereas the AU, the EU and the United States have imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on government and opposition leaders whose actions and statements contribute to the persistence of violence and impede the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi;

M.

whereas the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on 17 October 2015 requested the finalisation of contingency planning for the purposes of the deployment in Burundi, should the situation so require, of an African-led mission to prevent violence in the country, and agreed on the launching of a thorough investigation on the violations of human rights and other abuses against the civilian population in Burundi;

N.

whereas on 30 November 2015, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon made three proposals to the Security Council recommending a revision of the mandate of the United Nations presence in Burundi on the basis of developments in the situation; whereas these proposals include the possibility of sending a peacekeeping mission should the situation so warrant;

O.

whereas the AU and other international actors have repeatedly called for a genuine and inclusive dialogue involving all stakeholders, based on respect for the Arusha Agreement and the Burundian Constitution, to find a consensual solution to the conflict in Burundi; whereas the EU and the UN support this call;

P.

whereas mediation efforts continue, with the full support of the AU, the EU and the UN, to promote inter-Burundian dialogue in order to find a consensual and peaceful solution to the crisis in Burundi;

Q.

whereas the EU contributes significantly to Burundi’s annual budget, approximately half of which comes from international aid, and has recently allocated EUR 432 million to Burundi under the European Development Fund 2014-2020;

R.

whereas the Burundian authorities, by means of decree 530/1597, suspended the activities of 10 human rights organisations, namely ACAT-Burundi, APRODH, AMINA, FOCODE, FORSC, FONTAINE-ISOKO, Maison Shalon, PARCEM, RCP and SPPDF, and blocked their bank accounts;

1.

Expresses its deepest concern regarding the grave security and political situation in Burundi, as well as the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation, and the consequences that this may have for the security and stability in the entire sub-region;

2.

Condemns the recent violent attacks and the increasing cases of human rights violations and abuses, including assassinations, extra-judicial killings, violations of the physical integrity of individuals, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and/or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions, and violations of the freedom of press and expression, as well as the prevalence of impunity;

3.

Calls for an immediate end to violence, human rights violations and political intimidation of opponents and for the immediate disarmament of all armed groups allied to political parties in strict accordance with international law and human rights;

4.

Points in particular to the presence of many young persons within the armed groups operating in Burundi and calls on the international community to pay specific attention to their reintegration and to the promotion of their participation in a peaceful political process;

5.

Urges all sides in Burundi to refrain from any action that would threaten peace and security in the country; strongly condemns all public statements aimed at inciting violence or hatred towards different groups in Burundian society, which have the potential to aggravate the current tension, and calls on all actors to refrain from making such statements;

6.

Reminds the Burundian authorities of their obligation to ensure security in Burundi and guarantee human rights, civil and political rights and fundamental freedoms, as provided for in the Burundian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international and regional human rights instruments;

7.

Recalls, in this context, that the EU-Burundi partnership is governed by the Cotonou Agreement, and that all parties are bound to respect and implement the terms of that Agreement, in particular respect for human rights; recalls, in particular, that Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement provides for the possibility of instituting consultation procedures in cases of non-respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, and welcomes, in this respect, the EU’s decision to request the opening of consultations as provided for in that article;

8.

Urges all parties to establish the necessary conditions for rebuilding trust and fostering national unity and calls for the immediate resumption of an inclusive and transparent national dialogue, including the Government, opposition parties and civil society representatives;

9.

Stresses that such dialogue, aimed at achieving lasting peace, security and stability, and at restoring democracy and the rule of law, in the interest of the citizens of Burundi, should be based on the Arusha Agreement and the Burundian Constitution;

10.

Welcomes the mediation efforts led by the EAC, with the support of the AU and the UN, to facilitate dialogue among the Burundian stakeholders; calls on the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to also support these mediation efforts; urges the Government of Burundi and other concerned stakeholders to fully cooperate with the mediator;

11.

Expresses its grave concern at the number of victims and cases of serious human rights violations reported since the beginning of the crisis; urges the competent authorities to undertake a rigorous and prompt investigation into the circumstances and motives behind these crimes and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice; reiterates that there can be no impunity for those responsible for violations or serious abuses of human rights; recalls the possibility for the International Criminal Court to intervene in such cases;

12.

Calls on the Burundian Government to lift, as soon as possible, the suspension of the activities of the 10 human rights organisations and to immediately unfreeze their bank accounts so that these organisations can freely exercise their activities;

13.

Welcomes the deployment by the AU of human rights observers and experts to monitor the human rights situation, and stresses the importance of cooperating with them in order to facilitate the implementation of their mandate;

14.

Welcomes the targeted sanctions approved by the EU, consistent with the decision by the AU to impose targeted sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze, against Burundians whose actions and statements contribute to the perpetuation of violence and obstruct efforts to achieve a political solution to the crisis;

15.

Encourages the EU and its Member States, in view of the outcome of the consultation procedure carried out under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, to re-orientate their aid with a view to reinforcing civil society;

16.

Expresses its deep concern regarding the continued exodus of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries; reiterates its support for all humanitarian organisations operating on the ground as well as for the neighbouring host countries; appeals to the international community and humanitarian agencies to continue to provide assistance to displaced persons and refugees fleeing the conflict; welcomes the EU’s commitment to increasing financial support and humanitarian aid to address the urgent needs of these people;

17.

Calls on the AU, the UN and the EU to seriously consider the regional dimension and prevent any further destabilisation of the region, in particular by maintaining a permanent political dialogue between countries in the region; urges the AU, in this context, to consider deploying an African-led peacekeeping mission should the security and human rights situation further deteriorate in Burundi;

18.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the Government and the Parliament of Burundi, the ACP-EU Council, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the East African Community and the Governments of its Member States, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the institutions of the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.