# Official Journal C 226I/2021

| | ISSN 1977-091X |
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| Official Journal
  of the European Union | C 226I |
| | |
| English edition | Information and Notices | Volume 6414 June 2021 |

ISSN 1977-091X

Official Journal

of the European Union

C 226I

English edition

Information and Notices

Volume 6414 June 2021

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| Contents | page |
| --- | --- |
| | II   Information |
| | INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES |
| | Council |
| 2021/C 226 I/01 | Statement by the European Parliament on the suspension of assistance granted under the external financing instruments | 1 |
| 2021/C 226 I/02 | Statement by the European Parliament on Council Decision 2010/427/EU and strategic coordination | 2 |
| 2021/C 226 I/03 | Statement by the Council on governance with respect to the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe | 3 |
| 2021/C 226 I/04 | Declaration by the European Commission on a geopolitical dialogue with the European Parliament on the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe | 4 |
| 2021/C 226 I/05 | Declaration by the European Commission on Recitals 50 and 51 and Article 8.10 | 5 |

Contents

page

II   Information

INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

Council

2021/C 226 I/01

Statement by the European Parliament on the suspension of assistance granted under the external financing instruments

1

2021/C 226 I/02

Statement by the European Parliament on Council Decision 2010/427/EU and strategic coordination

2

2021/C 226 I/03

Statement by the Council on governance with respect to the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe

3

2021/C 226 I/04

Declaration by the European Commission on a geopolitical dialogue with the European Parliament on the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe

4

2021/C 226 I/05

Declaration by the European Commission on Recitals 50 and 51 and Article 8.10

5

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| EN | |
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EN

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II Information

INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

Council

| 14.6.2021 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CI 226/1 |
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14.6.2021

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CI 226/1

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Statement by the European Parliament on the suspension of assistance granted under the external financing instruments

(2021/C 226 I/01)

The European Parliament notes that Regulation (EU) 2021/947 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Global Europe contains a general reference on the possibility of suspending assistance without specifying the concrete basis for such a decision. Such a suspension of assistance should be implemented where a partner country persistently fails to observe the principles of democracy, the rule of law or good governance, or respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms or for internationally recognised nuclear safety standards.

Nevertheless, the European Parliament notes that, unlike in other geographic areas of cooperation, specific provisions for the Neighbourhood area, in particular Article 20(2), provide for increased support to civil society, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, people-to-people contacts, including cooperation between local authorities, support for the improvement of human rights or crisis-related support measures, in the event of serious or persistent degradation of democracy, human rights or the rule of law, or an increased risk of conflict. The European Parliament considers that such increased support to the above-mentioned areas should be provided if such degradation occurs in countries outside the Neighbourhood area as well, and recalls that in particular Article 4(5) foresees that actions implemented through thematic programmes may also be undertaken where the geographic programme has been suspended.

The European Parliament considers that any suspension of assistance under these instruments would modify the overall financial scheme agreed under the ordinary legislative procedure. As a co-legislator and co-branch of the budgetary authority, the European Parliament is therefore entitled to fully exercise its prerogatives in that regard, if such a decision is to be taken.

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| 14.6.2021 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CI 226/2 |
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14.6.2021

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CI 226/2

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Statement by the European Parliament on Council Decision 2010/427/EU and strategic coordination

(2021/C 226 I/02)

The European Parliament notes that the references to the Union’s external action instruments in Article 9 of Council Decision 2010/427/EU are obsolete, and therefore considers that, for the sake of legal clarity, this Article should be updated, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 27(3) of the Treaty on European Union, in order to take into account the Union external assistance instruments applicable in the period of the 2021-2027 MFF, namely the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Global Europe, the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, the European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation and the Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland.

The European Parliament calls on the Commission and on the European External Action Service (EEAS) to establish a strategic coordination structure composed of all relevant Commission services and of the EEAS in order to ensure coherence, synergy, transparency and accountability in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Global Europe.

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| 14.6.2021 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CI 226/3 |
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14.6.2021

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CI 226/3

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Statement by the Council on governance with respect to the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe

(2021/C 226 I/03)

Pursuant to Article 16 (1) TEU, the Council carries out policy-making and coordinating functions. The Council also contributes to the overall policy framework for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 June 2021 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe as referred to in Article 7 of this regulation. The NDICI – Global Europe streamlines 10 former instruments into one broad and comprehensive instrument. This requires increased strategic guidance by the Council with regard to principal policy objectives and priorities of the instrument, including to ensure better coherence, consistency and complementarity with other relevant EU instruments and policies in pursuit of the EU’s values and interests.

While respecting the division of competences and roles between the EU institutions, and in order to inform its strategic guidance, the Council intends to regularly exchange views and follow up on the overall strategic choices for the programming, including the allocation of funding of the geographic and thematic pillars of the instrument, as well as on the use of the rapid response pillar and the mobilisation of the emerging challenges and priorities cushion.

These exchanges of views should also cover the monitoring of the optimal use of resources in relation to the spending targets, the suspension of EU external assistance under the instrument, as well as the results of geographic and thematic evaluations.

Furthermore, these exchanges of views should cover how the Union funding is being used to meet the objectives set out in the instrument, inter alia, the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and the fight against climate change, consolidating, supporting and promoting democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights, and the use of the flexible funding mechanism on migration and how the application of the necessary leverage results in possible changes of funding.

The Commission is invited to provide relevant information to facilitate the exchanges of views with the Council and to take the positions of the Council fully into consideration.

Whereas the Council provides strategic guidance and ensures overall coordination, the Member States representatives in the Committee established by the NDICI – Global Europe Regulation will exercise their role in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. The Committee should be convened in different formats in charge of specific areas of intervention, such as geographic, thematic and rapid response actions, to allow for the appropriate expertise to be mobilised by the Member States. Member States representatives should have regular exchanges of views with the Commission on the multi-annual programming of NDICI – Global Europe, particularly with regard to geographic and thematic pillars, the mid-term reviews and ad-hoc reviews of multi-annual indicative programmes. Member States representatives may request the examination of matters related to the implementation of the instrument. The Council invites the Commission to reflect the above in its proposal for the rules of procedure of the Committee.

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| 14.6.2021 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CI 226/4 |
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14.6.2021

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CI 226/4

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Declaration by the European Commission on a geopolitical dialogue with the European Parliament on the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe

(2021/C 226 I/04)

The European Commission, mindful of the European Parliament’s functions of political control laid down in Article 14 of the Treaty on the European Union, commits to conduct a high-level geopolitical dialogue between the two institutions on the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe. This dialogue should allow exchanges with the European Parliament, whose positions on the implementation of the NDICI will be fully taken into consideration.

The geopolitical dialogue will discuss general orientations on the implementation of the NDICI, including on programming before the adoption of programming documents, and concerning specific subjects such as the use of the emerging challenges and priorities cushion or applying leverage leading to possible changes in allocation of funding dedicated to migration or suspension of assistance to a partner country when it persistently fails to observe the principles of democracy, the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The geopolitical dialogue will be structured as follows:

| i) | A high-level dialogue between the High Representative/Vice President and the Commissioners in charge of International Partnerships and of Neighbourhood and Enlargement and the European Parliament. |
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i)

A high-level dialogue between the High Representative/Vice President and the Commissioners in charge of International Partnerships and of Neighbourhood and Enlargement and the European Parliament.

| ii) | A permanent dialogue at senior officials’ level with AFET and DEVE working groups to ensure an adequate preparation and follow-up to the high-level dialogue. |
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ii)

A permanent dialogue at senior officials’ level with AFET and DEVE working groups to ensure an adequate preparation and follow-up to the high-level dialogue.

The high-level dialogue will take place at least twice a year. One of the meetings may coincide with the presentation by the Commission of the draft annual budget.

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| 14.6.2021 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CI 226/5 |
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14.6.2021

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CI 226/5

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Declaration by the European Commission on Recitals 50 and 51 and Article 8.10

(2021/C 226 I/05)

Regional migration support programmes will support comprehensive, balanced and tailor-made partnerships with relevant countries of origin or transit and host countries, following a flexible incitative approach, and supported by the coordination mechanism within the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe. They will be complemented by actions under the country programmes, where appropriate.

In order to ensure the most efficient and impactful use of these funds, in line with the Union’s and partner countries’ policy priorities, the European Commission will actively implement these priorities using all relevant Union instruments and participate in the coordination with the Member States in a synchronised and efficient manner. It will ensure that the European Parliament and the Council are closely and regularly informed, allowing for exchanges of views.

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