Minutes of the sitting of Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Date: 2013-11-12
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Assembly
Subjects: European Parliament, parliamentary debate








C_2013328EN.01000801.xml










12.11.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 328/8





MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF WEDNESDAY, 19 JUNE 2013
2013/C 328/03
Contents






1.

Statement by Olebile Gaborone, Assistant Minister for Housing and Lands (Botswana), President-in-Office of the ACP Council









2.

Statement by Joe Costello T.D., Minister of State for Trade and Development (Ireland), President-in-Office of the EU Council









3.

Question Time to the Council









4.

Debate with the Council - catch-the-eye









5.

Natural resources to promote development









6.

Approval of the minutes of Monday, 17 June 2013 and Tuesday, 18 June 2013, morning









7.

Urgent topic No 2: The situation in the Republic of Guinea









8.

Report on the 9th Regional Meeting (Caribbean Region) held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) from 14 to 16 February 2013 – report by the Co-Presidents









9.

Summary report from the workshop









10.

Report of the economic and social partners









11.

Vote on the motions for resolution included in the reports submitted by the three standing committees









12.

Vote on the urgent motions for resolution









13.

Vote on amendments to the JPA Rules of Procedure









14.

Vote on the draft code of conduct for members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly participating in election observation delegations









15.

Any other business









16.

Address by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament









17.

Approval of the minutes of Tuesday, 18 June 2013, afternoon









18.

Date and place of the 26th Session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly









Annex I

Alphabetical list of the members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly









Annex II

Record of attendance at the session from 17 to 19 June in Brussels (Belgium)









Annex III

Accreditation of non-parliamentary delegates









Annex IV

Texts adopted









—

Resolution on the threats posed again by military coups to democracy and political stability in the ACP countries, and the role of the international community (ACP-EU/101.355/fin.)









—

Resolution on Economic Partnership Agreements – next steps (ACP-EU/101.293/fin.)









—

Resolution on human resources for health in ACP countries (ACP-EU/101.294/fin.)









—

Resolution on the situation in the Central African Republic (ACP-EU/101.376/fin)









—

Resolution on the situation in the Republic of Guinea (ACP-UE/101.377/fin.)









—

Amendments to the JPA Rules of Procedure (AP101.347)









—

Code of conduct for members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly participating in election observation delegations (DV/1003463)




MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF THURSDAY, 19 JUNE 2013


(The sitting opened at 9.03 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Joyce LABOSO

Co-President

1.   Statement by Olebile Gaborone, Assistant Minister for Housing and Lands (Botswana), President-in-Office of the ACP Council

Olebile Gaborone elaborated on the lessons learnt during the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals since 2000. He stated that the new post-2015 framework should concentrate on critical issues, include limited and measurable targets applicable to all countries, while taking into account national particularities, and address the needs of minorities and vulnerable groups. In addition, he put forward some basic principles on which the post-2015 MDGs should be based.
2.   Statement by Joe Costello T.D., Minister of State for Trade and Development (Ireland), President-in-Office of the EU Council

Joe Costello reported on the implementation by the EU Council of the requests made in resolutions adopted at the 24th session. He outlined the improvement of the situation in Mali, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He commented on the preparations being made for the UN Conference on the MDGs post-2015 in September 2013 in New York and on the conclusions on food and nutrition security adopted by the Council in May 2013. He also referred to the recent adoption by the Council of the 11th EDF.
3.   Question Time to the Council

Olebile Gaborone (Botswana) responded on behalf of the ACP Council to the following questions and supplementary questions:






 


Question No 1 by Horst Schnellhardt on an international Arms Trade Treaty.










 


Question No 3 by Mussa Hussien Naib (Eritrea) on firebombing of three community centres in Sweden.










 


Question No 5 by Olle Schmidt on task force on political prisoners.










 


Question No 6 by Michael Cashman on post 2015 Development Framework.










 


Question No 7 by Gay Mitchell on Nigeria.










 


Question No 9 by Fiona Hall on pastoralism in ACP countries.










 


Question No 10 by David Martin on parliamentary involvement in EPA negotiations.










 


Joe Costello T.D. responded on behalf of the EU Council to the following questions and supplementary questions:










 


Question No 14 by Mussa Hussien Naib (Eritrea) on firebombing of three community centres in Sweden.










 


Question No 15 by Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) on the involvement of parliaments and parliamentarians in the process of drawing up the post-2015 development goals.










 


Question No 18 by Horst Schnellhardt on an international Arms Trade Treaty.










 


Question No 20 by Catherine Bearder on the lack of enforcement of CITES provisions on wild caught animals and animal projects.










 


Question No 21 by Patrice Tirolien on mobilising EU countries for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.










 


Question No 23 by Françoise Castex on demographic dividend and inclusive growth in ACP countries.










 


Question No 25 by Jo Leinen on cooperation in the fight against tax fraud.










 


Question No 26 by David Martin on Caribbean visa waiver.










 


The authors of questions No 6, 15 and 18 had no supplementary questions.










 


The authors of questions No 2, 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 22, 24 and 27 were not present.




4.   Debate with the Council - catch-the-eye

Olevile Gaborone and Joe Costello responded to questions dealing, among others, with: problems with visas for officials from African states travelling to countries hosting the EU institutions; elections in Madagascar; budget support; Somalia's refugees; infiltration of terrorists in Mali; anti-homosexual laws enforced in ACP countries; support for infrastructures in ACP countries; economic partnership agreements; help to the disabled in the post-2015 development strategy.
Speakers: Netty Baldeh (Gambia), Ibrahim Bundu (Sierra Leone), Philippe Boulland, Catherine Bearder, Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroon), James Kembi-Gitura (Kenya), Patrice Tirolien, Olle Schmidt, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Fitz Jackson (Jamaica), Michael Cashman, Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Dharamkumar Seeraj (Guyana).
5.   Natural resources to promote development

Debate without resolution
Speakers: Boniface Yehouetome (Benin), Anna Záborská, Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Patrice Tirolien, Musa Hussein Naib (Eritrea), Catherine Bearder, Edwin Banda (Malawi), Lautafi Fio Selafi Purcell (Samoa), Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Charles W. Kakoma (Zambia), Charles Mwando Nsimba (Democratic Republic of Congo), Derek Vaughan, Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), James Kembi-Gitura (Kenya), Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique), Peter Naholo (Namibia), Mohammed Mukhtar Ahmed (Nigeria).
Members agreed on the importance of the role of natural resources to promote development. Good governance, transparency and responsibility were mentioned as key elements for a policy framework for good management of natural resources. Speakers stressed that reinforcement of national legislation and technical assistance by the EU would be needed in this respect.
Peter Craig-Mcquaide (European Commission, DG DEVCO) introduced the debate.
6.   Approval of the minutes of Monday, 17 June 2013 and Tuesday, 18 June 2013, morning

The minutes were approved.
7.   Urgent topic No 2: The situation in the Republic of Guinea

Sean Doyle (European External Action Service) introduced the debate.
Speakers: Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Maria Da Graça Carvalho, Patrice Tirolien, Netty Baldeh (Gambia), Olle Schmidt, Louis Michel, Hans-Peter Mayer, Peter Štastný, Guillome Albert Gomez (Republic of Guinea).
Members welcomed the prospect that the transition to democracy was soon to be completed by holding legislative elections and asked that the 9 June 2013 agreement between all political parties on the election timetable be put into effect and respected. They stressed the need for free and transparent elections in order to consolidate the democratisation process. Members also highlighted the importance of a free opposition with established and respected rights and duties, as well as an independent judiciary and media. Finally, Members urged the political parties to respect their undertaking to settle their differences by peaceful means alone.

The sitting adjourned at 12.45 p.m. and resumed at 3.00 p.m.







Joyce LABOSO and


Alhaj Muhammad MUMUNI and




Louis MICHEL


Luis Marco AGUIRIANO NALDA





Co-Presidents




Co Secretaries-General





IN THE CHAIR: Joyce LABOSO

Co-President

8.   Report on the 9th regional meeting (Caribbean Region) held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) from 14 to 16 February 2013 – report by the Co-Presidents

Co-President Louis Michel and then acting Co-President Nita K.R.. Deerpalsing made an oral report on the 9th regional meeting highlighting, among others, the process of regional integration and cooperation in the Caribbean region, the state of play of the implementation of the comprehensive EU-Cariforum Economic Partnership Agreement and progress in the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and EDF funding.
Speakers: Nita K. R. Deerpalsing (Mauritius) and Fitz Jackson (Jamaica).
9.   Summary report from the workshop

Gay Mitchell, rapporteur, made an oral report on the workshop "Promoting the investment climate in developing countries". The main conclusions were that private sector development is essential for sustainable growth and that the role of the public sector is to provide an enabling and enforceable legal framework and to establish a meaningful public-private dialogue.
10.   Report of the economic and social partners

Presentation by Xavier Verboven, Chair of the ACP Follow-up Committee, European Economic and Social Committee
Xavier Verboven's presentation covered security and risks to democracy, food security and resilience, sustainable management of natural resources and social protection systems in ACP countries.
IN THE CHAIR: Louis MICHEL

Co-President

11.   Vote on the motions for resolution included in the reports submitted by the three standing committees

The Co-President reminded the Assembly of the voting procedures.






—


Threats posed again by military coups on democracy and political stability in the ACP countries and the role of the international community (ACP-EU/101.355/13/fin)
Committee on Political Affairs
Report by Mariya Gabriel and Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique)
Amendments adopted: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8.
Amendments withdrawn: 6,7.
The resolution thus amended was adopted unanimously.










—


Economic Partnership Agreements - next steps (ACP-EU/101.293/13/fin)
Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade
Report by Edwin Banda (Malawi) and Patrice Tirolien
Amendments adopted: 1, 2, 5, 7 (first part), 8.
Amendments rejected: 3, 4 (vote by separate houses requested by the EPP and the ALDE), 6, 7 (second part), oral amendment 1, 9, 10.
A split vote and a vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP and the ALDE on paragraph 5 and the first part of the paragraph was rejected. The second part of the paragraph was adopted.
A vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP and the ALDE on paragraph 7 and the first part of the paragraph was adopted. The second part of the paragraph was rejected.
A vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP on paragraph 8 and the paragraph was rejected.
A split vote was requested by the S&D and a vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP and the ALDE on paragraph 11 and the paragraph was rejected.
A split vote was requested by the ALDE and a vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP and the ALDE on paragraph 15. The first part of the paragraph was adopted and the second part was rejected.
A separate vote and a vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP and the ALDE on paragraph 24 and the paragraph was rejected.
A separate and a split vote was requested by the EPP on recital H and both parts of the recital were adopted.
A separate vote was requested by the EPP on recital J and the recital was adopted.
A separate vote was requested by the EPP on recital K and the recital was adopted.
A vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP and ALDE on the resolution as amended and it was adopted.










—


Human resources for health in ACP Countries (ACP-EU/101.294/13/fin)
Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment
Report by Charles W. Kakoma (Zambia) and Edit Bauer
No amendments were tabled.
A split vote and a vote by separate houses was requested by the EPP on paragraph 8. The first part of the paragraph was adopted and the second part was rejected.
The resolution thus amended was adopted unanimously.




12.   Vote on the urgent motions for resolution







—


Motion for a resolution on the situation in the Central African Republic (ACP-EU/101.376/13/fin.)
Amendments adopted: 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, 13, oral amendment on paragraph 16.
Amendment rejected: 7.
Amendments withdrawn: 3, 5, 8, 11, 12.
Amendment fallen: 2.










—


Motion for a resolution on the situation in the Republic of Guinea (ACP-EU/101.377/13/fin.)
Amendments adopted: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, amendment 18 with an oral amendment, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.
Amendments rejected: 2, 7, 9, 10, 16, 19, 20.
Amendments fallen: 13, 18.
The resolution thus amended was adopted.




13.   Vote on amendments to the Joint Parliamentary Assembly Rules of Procedure (AP101.260)
The amendments to the JPA Rules of Procedure submitted by the Bureau in accordance with Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure were adopted unanimously. Amendment 4 was adopted with an oral amendment.
14.   Vote on the draft code of conduct for members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly participating in election observation delegations (DV/940953)
The code of conduct for Members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly participating in election observation delegations was adopted unanimously.
15.   Any other business

Co-President Louis Michel informed the Members of the reply received from Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the Chairman of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on the problems encountered by Members of the Assembly and their delegations when travelling to the European Union.
Laurent Ngon Baba (Central African Republic) thanked the Assembly for the commitments made in the resolution on the Central African Republic, and gave an update on the positive evolution of the situation in his country.
Assarid Ag Imbarcaouane (Mali) announced that an agreement had been signed between the different militias of the North and the Government of Mali.
Guillaume Albert Gomez (Guinea) thanked the Assembly for the constructive resolution on Guinea.
The Co-President informed the Assembly about two declarations by the Co-Presidents, one on the situation in Madagascar and another on Eritrea further to a special report of the UN Human Rights Council.
Co-President Joyce Laboso informed the Assembly about the modalities followed during the recent elections, in light of contestations of the results in the media.
Speakers: Catherine Bearder, Musa Hussein Naib (Eritrea) and Olle Schmidt.
16.   Address by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament

The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, recalled among others the importance of respect for democracy, human rights and "parliamentarism" in a changing world. He underlined also that the inclusion of all citizens in the democratic political system is paramount, also to counter growing economic inequality.
Speakers: Louis Michel, Ismail Elhag Musa (Sudan), Assarid Ag Imbarcaouane (Mali), Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin (Ghana), Charles W. Kakoma (Zambia), Adjedoue Weidou (Chad), Joyce Laboso (Kenya) and Martin Schulz.
17.   Approval of the minutes of Tuesday, 18 June 2013, afternoon

The minutes were approved.
18.   Date and place of the 26th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The 26th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly would be held from 25 to 27 November 2013 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).

(The sitting closed at 5.45 p.m.)



Joyce LABOSO and
Louis MICHEL

Co-Presidents



Alhaj Muhammad MUMUNI and
Luis Marco AGUIRIANO NALDA

Co Secretaries-General





ANNEX I

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY








ACP representatives




EP representatives





LABOSO, (KENYA), Co-President


MICHEL, Co-President




ANGOLA


ALFONSI




ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA


ALVES




BAHAMAS


BAUER




BARBADOS


BEARDER




BELIZE


BICEP




BENIN


BULLMANN




BOTSWANA


CALLANAN




BURKINA FASO


CARVALHO




BURUNDI


CASA




CAMEROON (VP)


CASINI




CAPE VERDE


CASPARY




CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC


CASTEX




CHAD


CHRISTENSEN




COMOROS


COELHO




CONGO (Democratic Republic of the)


DE KEYSER




CONGO (Republic of the) (VP)


DELVAUX




COOK ISLANDS


DE MITA




CÔTE D’IVOIRE


DE SARNEZ




DJIBOUTI (VP)


DURANT




DOMINICA


ENGEL




DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (VP)


ESTARÀS FERRAGUT




EQUATORIAL GUINEA


FERREIRA, Elisa




ERITREA


FERREIRA, João




ETHIOPIA


FORD




FIJI


GABRIEL




GABON


GAHLER




GAMBIA


GOERENS (VP)




GHANA


GRIESBECK




GRENADA (VP)


GUERRERO SALOM




GUINEA


HALL




GUINEA-BISSAU


HÄNDEL




GUYANA


HANNAN




HAITI


HAUG




JAMAICA


JENSEN




KIRIBATI


JOLY




LESOTHO


KACZMAREK




LIBERIA


KLASS (VP)




MADAGASCAR


KORHOLA




MALAWI (VP)


KUHN




MALI


KURSKI




MARSHALL ISLANDS (Republic of the)


LEGUTKO




MAURITANIA (VP)


LE PEN




MAURITIUS (VP)


LÓPEZ AGUILAR




MICRONESIA (Federal States of)


LÖVIN




MOZAMBIQUE (VP)


McMILLAN-SCOTT




NAMIBIA


MANDERS




NAURU


MARTIN




NIGER (VP)


MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ




NIGERIA


MATO ADROVER




NIUE


MAYER




PALAU


MITCHELL




PAPUA NEW GUINEA


MIZZI




RWANDA


MOREIRA




SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS


NEUSER




SAINT LUCIA


NICHOLSON (VP)




SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES


OMARJEE (VP)




SAMOA (VP)


OUZKÝ (VP)




SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE


RIVASI (VP)




SENEGAL


ROITHOVÁ (VP)




SEYCHELLES


RONZULLI (VP)




SIERRA LEONE


SCHLYTER




SOLOMON ISLANDS


SCHMIDT




SOMALIA


SCHNELLHARDT




SOUTH AFRICA


SCOTTÀ




SUDAN


SENYSZYN




SURINAME


SPERONI (VP)




SWAZILAND


ŠŤASTNÝ (VP)




TANZANIA


STRIFFLER




TIMOR-LESTE


STURDY




TOGO


TIROLIEN




TONGA


TOIA




TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO


VAUGHAN (VP)




TUVALU


VLASÁK




UGANDA


WEBER




VANUATU (VP)


WIELAND




ZAMBIA


ZANICCHI




ZIMBABWE


ZIMMER








COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS








ACP Members




EP Members





PURCELL (SAMOA), Co-Chair


CASA, Co-Chair




MNKANDHLA (ZIMBABWE), VC


KORHOLA, VC




MANGOUALA (GABON), VC


CASTEX, VC




ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA


ALFONSI




YEHOUETOME (BENIN)


CALLANAN




NGON-BABA (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC)


CASINI




CONGO, Republic of the


DE KEYSER




DIOMANDE (COTE D'IVOIRE)


DURANT




WAÏSS (DJIBOUTI)


FERREIRA, Elisa




NAIB (ERITREA)


GABRIEL




WAKJIRA (ETHIOPIA)


GAHLER




VOCEA (FIJI)


GRIESBECK




GUINEA


HANNAN




DHARAMKUMAR (GUYANA)


HÄNDEL




DERILUS (HAITI)


KACZMAREK




JACKSON (JAMAICA)


LE PEN




KIRIBATI


LÓPEZ AGUILAR




LIBERIA


MANDERS




IMBARCAOUANE (MALI)


MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ




SITHOLE (MOZAMBIQUE)


MOREIRA




PALAU


NICHOLSON




TOZAKA (SOLOMON ISLANDS)


ROITHOVÁ




SLATER (ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES)


SCHMIDT




SWAZILAND


SPERONI




TOGO


STRIFFLER




OULANYAH (UGANDA)


WIELAND








COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE AND TRADE








ACP Members




EP Members





SALL (SENEGAL), Co-Chair


CARVALHO, Co-Chair




LENGKON (VANUATU), VC


LEGUTKO, VC




VAN DER WALT (NAMIBIA), VC


ALVES, VC




DE FONTES PEREIRA (ANGOLA)


BICEP




CHANDLER (BARBADOS)


BULLMANN




MUTIRI WA BASHARA (THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)


CASPARY




KINGSFORD BAGBIN(GHANA)


ENGEL




EQUATORIAL GUINEA


FORD




KEMBI-GITURA(KENYA)


GOERENS




SOFONIA (LESOTHO)


GUERRERO SALOM




BANDA (MALAWI)


JENSEN




MARSHAL ISLANDS


KUHN




OULD GUELAYE (MAURITANIA)


MARTIN




MAURITIUS


MATO ADROVER




AHMED (NIGERIA)


MAYER




POLISI (RWANDA)


McMILLAN-SCOTT




SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS


MICHEL




LONG (SAINT LUCIA)


MITCHELL




SAO TOMÉ AND PRINCIPE


MIZZI




POOL (SEYCHELLES)


OMARJEE




BUNDU (SIERRA LEONE)


SCHLYTER




BUTI MANAMELA (SOUTH AFRICA)


ŠŤASTNÝ




ELHAG MUSA (SUDAN)


STURDY




PARMESSAR (SURINAME)


TIROLIEN




HAVEA TAIONE (TONGA)


WEBER




KHAN (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)


ZANICCHI




LEUELU (TUVALU)


 








COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND THE ENVIRONMENT








ACP Members




EP Members





NDUGAI (TANZANIA), Co-Chair


RIVASI, Co-Chair




WEIDOU (CHAD), VC


BAUER, VC




GRENADA, VC


SCHNELLARDT, VC




BAHAMAS


BEARDER




PEYREFITTE (BELIZE)


CHRISTENSEN




MOTLHALE (BOSTWANA)


COELHO




TAPSOBA (BURKINA FASO)


DELVAUX




KARERWA (BURUNDI)


DE MITA




HAMATOUKOUR (CAMEROUN)


DE SARNEZ




RAMOS (CAPE VERDE)


ESTARÀS FERRAGUT




DJABIR (COMORES)


FERREIRA, João




MARSTERS (COOK ISLANDS)


HALL




DOMINICA


HAUG




JIMENEZ (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)


JOLY




BALDEH (GAMBIA)


KLASS




GUINEA BISSAU


KURSKI




RAVELOSON (MADAGASCAR)


LÖVIN




YOSIWO (MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF)


NEUSER




NAURU


OUZKÝ




CHEGOU (NIGER)


RONZULLI




NIUE


SCOTTÀ




AIMO (PAPUA NEW GUINEA)


SENYSZYN




SOMALIA


TOIA




SOUTH AFRICA


VAUGHAN




TIMOR LESTE


VLASÁK




KAKOMA (ZAMBIA)


ZIMMER







ANNEX II

RECORD OF ATTENDANCE AT THE SESSION FROM 17 TO 19 JUNE IN BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)







LABOSO, (Kenya), Co-President


MICHEL, Co-President




DE FONTES PEREIRA (Angola)


ALFONSI (2), (4)





CHANDLER (Barbados)


AYLWARD (3)





PEYREFITTE (Belize)


BAUER




YEHOUETOME (Benin)


BEARDER




MOTLHALE (Botswana)


BICEP




OUEDRAOGO ZARE (Burkina Faso)


BOULLAND (3), (4) (for KUHN, W.)




KARERWA (Burundi)


CARVALHO




HAMATOUKOUR (Cameroon) (VP)


CASA (4)





NGON-BABA (Central African Republic)


CASTEX




WEIDOU (Chad)


CASHMAN (4) (for TOIA, P.)




MWANDO NSIMBA (CONGO, Democratic Republic of the)


DE KEYZER (3), (4)





NDOUANE (Congo, Republic of the)


DE SARNEZ (2), (3)





MARSTERS (Cook Islands)


DIAZ DE MERA GARCIA-CONSUEGRA (3) (for DELVAUX, A. )




DIOMANDE (Côte d'Ivoire)


ENGEL (2), (4)





WAISS (Djibouti) (VP)


ESTARÀS FERRAGUT




JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic) (VP)


FISAS AYXELA Santiago (3), (4) (for CASINI, C.)




NAIB (Eritrea)


GABRIEL




DABA WAKJIRA (Ethiopia)


GAHLER




MANGOUALA (Gabon)


GOEBBELS (for WEBER, H.)




BALDEH (Gambia)


GOMES (2) (for LÓPEZ AGUILAR, J. F.)




BAGBIN (Ghana)


GUERRERO SALOM




GOMEZ (Guinea)


GURMAI (for FERREIRE, E.)




SEERAJ (Guyana)


HALL (3), (4)





DERILUS (Haiti)


HAUG




JACKSON (Jamaica)


HANDZLIK Malgorzata (4) (for ZANICCHI, E.)




KEMBI-GITURA(Kenya)


KACZMAREK




SOFONIA (Lesotho)


KIIL-NIELSEN (3)





RAVELOSON (Madagascar) (1)



KLASS (VP) (2), (3)





BANDA (Malawi)


LEINEN (for OLE, C.)




ASSARID AG. IMBARCAOUANE (Mali)


MANDERS (3)





DEERPALSING (Mauritius)(VP)


MARTIN




GEORGE (Micronesia - Federated States of)


MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ (3), (4)





SITHOLE (Mozambique) (VP)


MAYER




VAN DER WALT (Namibia)


MITCHELL (3), (4)





CHEGOU (Niger) (VP)


MUNIZ DE URQUIZA (4) (for LÓPEZ AGUILAR, J.)




AHMED (Nigeria)


NEUSER (3), (4)





AIMO (Papua New Guinea)


OMARJEE (VP) (4)





POLISI (Rwanda) (VP)


PIEPER (4) (for KLASS, C.)




SLATER (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)


PROTASIEWICZ (4) (for COELHO, C.)




PURCELL (Samoa)(VP)


RAPKAY (3) (for BULLMANN, U.)




SALL (Senegal)


RINALDI (2)





POOL (Seychelles)


RIVASI (VP) (3)





BUNDU (Sierra Leone)


ROITHOVÁ (VP) (2)





TOSAKA (Solomon Islands)


RONZULLI (VP) (4)





IKAR (Somalia)


SCHLYTER (3)





DENG (South Sudan)


SCHMIDT




MUSA (Sudan)


SCHNELLHARDT (3), (4)





PARMESSAR (Suriname)


SPERONI (VP) (3)





GAMEDZE (Swaziland)


ŠŤASTNÝ (VP)




NDUGAI (TANZANIA) (VP)


STRIFFLER (3), (4)





CORBAFO (Timor-Leste)


STURDY (3), (4)





KLASSOU (Togo)


THUN Róża Maria Gräfin von (4) (for DE MITA, L.)




TAIONE (Tonga)


TIROLIEN (3), (4)





KHAN (Trinidad and Tobago)


VAUGHAN (VP) (4)





OULANYAH (Uganda)


WIELAND (3)





LENGKON (Vanuatu) (1)



WOJCIECHOWSKI (3) (for NICHOLSON, J.)




KAKOMA (Zambia)


ZABORSKA (for KORHOLA, E.R.)




MNKANDHLA (Zimbabwe)


ZIMMER (3)






Also present:


BARBADOS

BRATHWAITE

BENIN

HOUNGNIGBO
BOTON
LOKOSSOU

BOTSWANA

MOTLHALE

BURKINA FASO

DOAMBA
OUEDRAOGO ZARE
KERE
CISSE
TAPSOBA

CAMEROON

NJIPENDI KUOTU

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

NOUGANGA

CHAD

AFFONO
TEKILO
ADJI

CONGO, Democratic Republic of the

LUTUNDULA APALA
MOLIWA MOLEKO
BASIALA MAKA
LUKUKA
JAV
KAT MUSHITU
NGINDU KABUNDI BIDUAYA
MUKENDI
PIKA FWELO
MENGE

CONGO, Republic of

DOUMA
MVOUAMA BANDOUBOULA
MAKAYA
ODZOKI
NKONTA

COTE D'IVOIRE

TOURE
TOURE
DIOMANDE
OUSSEINE

ERITREA

TEKLE

ETHOPIA

DABA
DESTA

GABON

MILEBOU
MAKITA NGADI
RISSONGA
OFOUNDA

GAMBIA

JAGNE

GHANA

ASAMOAH
KEDDEY
ASAMOAH
BROWN
ALIFO
OSEI-MENSAH

GUINEA

SYLLA
DIALLO

JAMAICA

CLARKE

KENYA

ADEN
KABANDO
ONGUKA
OLOO
WERU
NDINDIRI
CHABITY
NJIRU
HAGGAI
NGALI

MADAGASCAR

RAZAFISON

MALAWI

MWACHANDE
KAUNDA
MAKANDE

MAURITANIA

ZAMEL
OULD HAMOUD
FATOU
MINT BILAL
GUELADIO

MAURITIUS

KOONJUL

MICRONESIA (Federated States of)

ALLEN

MOZAMBIQUE

MALENDZA
MATE
MALENDZA
DAVA

NAMIBIA

NAHOLO
NGHILEEDELE

NIGER

OUSMANE
TONDY
MAINA

NIGERIA

MADWATTE
OKORIE
DALHATU
BURAIMO
IBRAHIM
ABDULLAHI
ALHASSAN
AKPAN
AHMED
OLADIPO
ABIMBOLA
IRABOR

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

WALLAST

SAMOA

LUTERU

SENEGAL

SALL
TALL
LO

SEYCHELLES

SAMSON
VEL

SIERRA LEONE

LEWALLY

SOMALIA

AWALE
HASSAN
ALI

SOUTH SUDAN

DENG
GUALDIT
ABER
SOLOMON
KONG
NYANG
ARIKO
YOKWE
DEBREF
MOU

SUDAN

ABDEL HALIM
OMER
AMIR

SURINAME

CHRISTOPHER
NELSON

SWAZILAND

NHLEKO

TANZANIA

MWANJELWA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

KING-ROUSSEAU
JOSEPH
RAMSUBAGH

UGANDA

NABBANJA
AKOL

ZAMBIA

MBEWE
KASHINKA
NGULUBE
KACHALI
MUBANGA
CHOOBE
PHIRI

ZIMBABWE

MLOTSHWA
SAMASUWO
RUKOBO
MLOTSHWA
RATSAKATIKA
ZANZA
CHIDAWANYIKA
MUCHADA
JURU
NYAMUKAPA

ACP COUNCIL

Olebile Gaborone, Asssitant Minister for Housing and Lands (Botswana), President-in-Office of the ACP Council

EU COUNCIL

Sean Barrett T.D., Speaker of the Dail Eireann, Lower Chamber of Ireland

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

RUDISCHHAUSER, Deputy Director-General, DG DEVCO

EEAS

COSTA PEREIRA, Head of Division, Pan-Africa
PETERIS USTUBS

EESC

KING, Chair - ACP Follow-up Committee

CTA

BOTO, Head of Office, Brussels

FAO

MAIGA, Liaison Officer, Liaison Office with EU and Belgium

ACP SECRETARIAT

MUMUNI, Co-Secretary-General

EU SECRETARIAT

AGUIRIANO NALDA, Co-Secretary-General


(1)  Country represented by a person who is not a parliamentarian.

(2)  Present on 17 June 2013

(3)  Present on 18 June 2013

(4)  Present on 19 June 2013



ANNEX III

ACCREDITATION OF NON-PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATES

Fiji
Mr Viliame Naupoto,
Minister of Youth and Sports, Head of Delegation of Fiji
Madagascar
M. Jean Constant Raveloson,
Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Legislation of the Transitional Congress, Head of Delegation of Madagascar



ANNEX IV

TEXTS ADOPTED







—


Resolution on the threats posed again by military coups to democracy and political stability in the ACP countries, and the role of the international community
(ACP-EU/101.355/fin.)










—


Resolution on on Economic Partnership Agreements – next steps
(ACP-EU/101.293/fin.)










—


Resolution on human resources for health in ACP countries
(ACP-EU/101.294/fin.)










—


Resolution on the situation in the Central African Republic
(ACP-EU/101.376/fin)










—


Resolution on the situation in the Republic of Guinea
(ACP-UE/101.377/fin.)










—


Amendments to the JPA Rules of Procedure (AP101.347)










—


Code of conduct for members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly participating in election observation delegations (DV/1003463)





RESOLUTION (1)

on the threats posed again by military coups to democracy and political stability in the ACP countries, and the role of the international community

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,






—


meeting in Brussels from 17 to 19 June 2013,










—


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










—


having regard to the Treaty on European Union,










—


having regard to the Cotonou agreement,










—


having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2012 on the situation in Mali,










—


having regard to the resolutions of the European Parliament of 13 June 2012 on the military coup in Guinea-Bissau (2012/2660(RSP)), of 20 April 2012 on the situation in Mali (2012/2603(RSP)), of 9 June 2011 on the situation in Madagascar (2011/2712(RSP)), and of 4 September 2008 on the coup in Mauritania (2008/2623(RSP)),










—


having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,










—


having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989,










—


having regard to the EU’s Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel, adopted in March 2011,










—


having regard to the Lomé Declaration of 12 July 2000 of the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU),










—


having regard to the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) adopted in 2000 at the Lomé Summit (Togo) and entering into force in 2001,










—


having regard to the Communiqué of the African Union Heads of State of 14 July 2012 on the situation in Mali (PSC/AHG/COMM/1, Decision of the AU Assembly of 1 July 2011 on the situation in Madagascar (Assembly/AU/369), Decision by the Peace and Security Council of the AU of 17 April 2012 on the situation in Guinea Bissau and Resolution by the AU Peace and Security Council of 6 February 2009 on the situation in Mauritania,










—


having regard to the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (Democracy Charter) adopted by the African Union on 30 January 2007, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and entering into force on 15 February 2012,










—


having regard to the Ecowas Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance adopted in Dakar on 21 December 2001,










—


having regard to the report by the Committee on Political Affairs (ACP-EU 101.355),










A.


whereas democracies are characterised by the holding of free and transparent elections by which power is transferred for a determined period to the persons on whom the people have conferred legitimacy through the ballot box; whereas democracies are characterised by respect for the rule of law, a balance between the executive, legislative and judicial branches and by freedom of the press; whereas democratic alternation is an essential step for their consolidation;










B.


whereas the adoption of legal instruments against unconstitutional change of government at the level of the African Union and of Ecowas has not been sufficient to prevent the increasing incidence of military coups;










C.


whereas unconstitutional changes of government are decidedly a major obstacle to and challenge for assuring peace, security and the development of society in the States and nations that experience them;










D.


whereas in a democratic State, where the principle of the rule of law is enforced, the police and judicial systems ensure the application of the law within national boundaries and the military armed forces ensure the external security of the State;










E.


whereas the strong interdependence of States, the porous nature of borders, including with regard to arms trafficking, and the transnational activities of terrorist groups require the establishment of regional responses to avoid similar situations occurring in neighbouring States;










F.


Whereas the restructuring of national armies in post-conflict ACP States via the inclusion of rebels and their ‘brassage’ or ‘mixage’ in the regular forces, without taking account either of objective army recruitment criteria or of the actual resources available to the States concerned for troop upkeep, seriously undermines the professionalism and the élite nature of any republican army corps, thus creating conditions favourable to mutiny, further rebellion and military coups, which impede democratic processes in the ACP States;










G.


whereas coups and internal tension are opportunities for groups of home-grown or external terrorists to expand their influence and permanently threaten stability at regional level or even beyond;










H.


whereas internal and local factors, such as the influence of military power on public life, corruption, failing management of natural resources, the politicisation and instrumentalisation of ethnic or religious tensions, rivalries within the military and security forces, and external interference constitute important factors of fragility of the State, and contribute to the spread of crises and conflict, with a real potential for social, political and security troubles;










I.


whereas military coups and unconstitutional changes of government threaten the local population and the capacity to guarantee civil liberties and human rights;










J.


whereas strong demographic growth in a context of poverty constitutes another important factor of fragility of the State that could be exacerbated by the acceleration of the urbanisation process, and thus increases endemic unemployment and jeopardises food security, resulting in social unrest and possibly leading to an uprising or to a coup;










K.


whereas, in contexts of extreme violence from military or rebel armed groups towards populations, the States concerned must face large-scale displacements of people, most of whom stay inside the country or flee to the closest neighbour State because they cannot afford to move further;










L.


whereas the displacement of people, within and outside States in conflict, particularly affects women, the elderly and children, rendering them extremely vulnerable;










M.


whereas corruption aggravates the fragility of democracy, favouring the resurgence of military coups, and jeopardises the consolidation of stable democratic state institutions and undermines efforts to promote healthy military-civil relations;










N.


Whereas active commitment by the entire international community to the prevention and eradication of military coups, and unconstitutional change in general, is essential for the triumph of democratic values, the stabilisation of developing States and the consolidation of peace throughout the world;










1.


Calls on all political and military actors to respect international law, in particular with regard to human rights, democratic governance, the rule of law and gender equality;










2.


Is of the view that lessons should be drawn from recent coups in order to address the role of the military in democratic state building, abide by the rule of law, and provide public order and defence, thus creating an enabling environment for sustainable development;










3.


Calls on all political actors to establish and ensure democratic government, based on political pluralism, the empowerment of citizens and due respect for a clear separation between the executive, legislative and judiciary powers, and also on political pluralism, accountability and transparency and respect for human rights;










4.


Believes that building democratic society and ensuring political stability require, above all, strong political will and ambitious vision on the part of political leaders, in government as well as opposition, with the aim of building political institutions to guarantee the human, social, economic and environmental rights of the population;










5.


Insists on the effective adoption and application of the doctrine of unconstitutional changes of government that the African Union Peace and Security Council and the African Union Commission have provided, through their Constitutive Act, the PSC Protocol, the Lomé Declaration and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and that establishes the framework of definition, sanctions and return to constitutionality;










6.


Underlines the function of applying politically and economically targeted and internationally and regionally coordinated sanctions against the perpetrators of unconstitutional changes of government and military coups, and of promoting an immediate return to constitutionality and the rule of law;










7.


Stresses the need to ensure the reintegration of rebels and members of militias by including them in the regular armed forces or disarming them and managing their return to civilian life, which also implies regular salary payment and their confinement to barracks; stresses the need to promote the professionalisation of the armed forces in the national framework of the rule of law, through training missions that promote the military deontology of civil protection and patriotic values, and affirms that the representation of the country’s diversity in the army and the police enhances national cohesion;










8.


Recommends that, in the process of army reform in post-conflict States, particular attention be paid to the profile of the men to be recruited or included, having regard to the specific demands of the soldier’s job, and that account be taken of the available resources and real needs of each State concerned;










9.


Calls on the ACP countries to include security sector reform measures in all the action plans aimed at establishing and strengthening democratically accountable institutions;










10.


Calls for a strengthening of regional political cooperation to manage and avert the risks of coups and terrorism;










11.


Recalls that the disarmament of rebels and the regulation and control of the arms trade are necessary to ensure political stability, especially as this trafficking also provides funding for mafia-like organisations, rebel forces and terrorist groups; calls on international and regional organisations to implement appropriate programmes to control weapons;










12.


Calls on the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to give appropriate priority and follow-up to supporting free elections to allow the establishment of institutions that are representative of the population;










13.


Calls on the European Commission and the EEAS to give due priority to security sector reform and continuing training, the reinforcement of state structures and institutions, and the consequences of post-conflict reconstruction in order to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the democratic functioning of the ACP countries;










14.


Believes that in order to ensure democratic stability in ACP countries, development policy should be at the heart of conflict prevention strategy and believes also that political leaders, civil society organisations, religious representatives and women’s associations should reach a national consensus on adequate and appropriate institutions and on established and agreed procedures through which democratic practice can be implemented;










15.


Calls on the European Commission and the EEAS to ensure that the implementation of the recommendations of EU election observation missions deployed in States undergoing a process of transition is monitored, paying particular attention the provisions concerning the reform of the security sector;










16.


Calls on the European Commission, the EEAS and the regional and international partners to commit to better coordination of external action and accelerated international intervention vis-à-vis countries suffering unconstitutional changes of government or military coups, focusing on the rule of law and nation building and consolidation as well as national reconciliation;










17.


Condemns the use of rape as a weapon of war in many conflict zones and demands that it be recognised as a crime against humanity; demands that special support be given to rape victims;










18.


Condemns the use of child soldiers and calls for the criminal prosecution of rebel leaders who use them; stresses that the reintegration of child soldiers is a priority to ensure long-term political stability and social cohesion; recalls in this context the need to ensure access to education for former child soldiers;










19.


Points out the positive and proactive role that women can play in peace-making processes and in reconstruction, stabilisation, democratisation and national reconciliation processes generally; and calls on the European Commission, the EEAS, the ACP countries and the regional and international partners to promote women’s representation in political and economic decision-making positions, the principle of gender equality and women’s rights;










20.


Encourages the public authorities of the ACP States and their regional and international partners to develop and implement legislative strategies and programmes to combat youth unemployment and to promote the inclusion of young people in political and economic decision making;










21.


Asks the States concerned and their technical and financial partners to undertake reform of the judiciary sector, with emphasis on the training of judicial personnel;










22.


Recalls the importance of long-term post-conflict reconstruction and recognises in this context that efforts should be made to support improved sustainable urbanisation in ACP countries and thus contribute to reducing endemic unemployment and food insecurity and lessening the risks of social tensions;










23.


Recommends that international donors, the ACP countries and their regional partners adopt all the necessary measures to promote education, in particular citizenship education, from the earliest years onwards, and to raise general popular awareness of a culture of peace, human rights, democracy, rule of law and civil liberties;










24.


Calls on the European Commission and the EEAS to work actively in aid programmes in the context of post-conflict situations in order better to coordinate emergency and long-term development actions;










25.


Calls for the perpetrators of and accomplices to coups and unconstitutional changes of power to be brought before the courts;










26.


Advocates stronger action by the International Criminal Court to fight impunity effectively;










27.


Recommends that continental organisations like the African Union and the regional economic communities further promote strong political and economic interconnection between their Member States in order to tackle common problems together, such as terrorism, smuggling and organised crime and religious fundamentalism;










28.


Recommends that regional organisations and their Member States promote the prevention of military coups by the clear identification and definition of the roles and responsibilities of the military and the political elites in order to foster responsible political decision making and responsible defence policies;










29.


Recommends that continental organisations like the African Union and the regional organisations like Ecowas use their early warning systems to prevent and defuse, at an early stage, possible conflicts not only between their Member States but also within their state boundaries;










30.


Calls on the international donor community to provide assistance to the civilian populations affected by the consequences of military coups and other unconstitutional changes of government, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups such as displaced populations, women, elderly people and children;










31.


Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the institutions of the African Union and the European Union, the ACP Council, Ecowas, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, la Francophonie, the Commonwealth and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.






RESOLUTION (2)

on Economic Partnership Agreements – next steps

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,






—


meeting in Brussels from 17 to 19 June 2013,










—


having regard to Article 21(1) and Article 21(3) of Title V of the Treaty on European Union,










—


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) (3), in particular Articles 36 and 37 thereof, and revisions of the Cotonou Agreement in 2005 and 2010 (4),










—


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 (5), of 23 March 2006 on the development impact of Economic Partnership Agreements (6), of 23 May 2007 on Economic Partnership Agreements (7), of 12 December 2007 on Economic Partnership Agreements (8), and of 5 February 2009 on the development impact of Economic Partnership Agreements (9),










—


having regard to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of 25 October 2012 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 732/2008 (10) and to the European Parliament resolution of 13 June 2012 on the proposal for applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences (11),










—


having regard to the European Parliament resolutions of 13 September 2012 (12) and of 16 April 2013 (13) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007 as regards the exclusion of a number of countries from the list of regions or states which have concluded negotiations,










—


having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 25 November 2010 (14) on human rights and social and environmental standards in international trade agreements,










—


having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 20 November 2012 on the work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2011 (15),










—


having regard to the resolution of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly of 19 February 2004 on Economic Partnership Agreements: problems and prospects (16) and of 23 November 2006 on the review of negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) (17),










—


having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 25 March 2009 on the Economic Partnership Agreement between the Cariforum States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (18), of 25 March 2009 on the Interim Partnership Agreement between the Pacific States, on the one part, and the European Community, on the other part (19), of 25 March 2009 on the stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Côte d’Ivoire, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (20), of 25 March 2009 on the stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Ghana, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (21), of 25 March 2009 on the stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Central Africa, of the other part (22), of 25 March 2009 on the Interim agreement establishing a framework for an Economic Partnership Agreement between Eastern and Southern Africa States on the one part and the European Community and its Member States on the other part (23), of 25 March 2009 on an Interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, on the one part, and the SADC EPA States, on the other part (24), of 25 March 2009 on the agreement establishing a framework for an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, on the one part, and the East African Community Partner States, on the other part (25), of 19 January 2011 on the Interim Partnership Agreement between the EC and the Pacific States (26),










—


having regard to the first meeting of the Joint Cariforum-EU Council of 17 May 2010 in Madrid, Spain, and the second meeting of the Joint Cariforum-EU Council of 26 October 2012 in Brussels,










—


having regard to the resolution of the 95th session of the ACP Council of Ministers held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 10 to 15 June 2012 on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) (27),










—


having regard to the Sipopo Declaration adopted by the ACP Heads of State and Government at the Seventh Summit in Equatorial Guinea 13-14 December 2012 (28),










—


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 European Commission communication of 28 November 2006 entitled ‘Communication to modify the directives for the negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements with ACP countries and regions’ (COM(2006)0673) and the European Commission communication of 23 October 2007 on Economic Partnership Agreements (COM(2007)0635),










—


having regard to the Conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) of April 2006, October 2006, May 2007, October 2007, November 2007 and May and June 2008,










—


having regard to the communiqué issued at the conclusion of the Thirty-Third Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community held from 4 to 6 July 2012, in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia,










—


having regard to outcomes of the Pacific ACP Leaders Meeting held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on 28 August 2012,










—


having regard to the Decision on Boosting Intra-African Trade and fast-tracking the Continental Free Trade Area (Doc. Assembly/AU/11(XIX)) of the Nineteenth Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 15 to 16 July 2012,










—


having regard to the communication of 27 January 2012 from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, on trade, growth and development – Tailoring trade and investment policy for those countries most in need (COM(2012)0022 final),










—


having regard to the a European resolution of 16 April 2013 (29) on advancing development through trade,










—


having regard to the Resolution on Economic Partnership Agreements and other trade matters of the 97th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers held in Brussels from 3 to 5 June 2013,










—


having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade (AP101.293/13/A/fin.),










A.


whereas 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, 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;










B.


whereas, under the Cotonou Agreement, EPA negotiations should be conducted at the levels considered appropriate by the ACP States and in accordance with procedures accepted by the ACP Group; whereas these negotiations must also take into account ongoing and promising regional integration processes between ACP countries, and the policy choices and development priorities targeted by these processes;










C.


whereas the key objective of ACP-EU cooperation relations for the economic, social and cultural development of the ACP countries enshrined in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement is to reduce, and ultimately eradicate, poverty and contribute to peace and security and political and democratic stability in the ACP countries, in order gradually to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); whereas the link between trade liberalisation and poverty reduction is not automatic; however, tailored trade measures can be a strong driver for growth and development whilst empowering local and small-scale businesses;










D.


whereas the Cotonou Agreement is based on equality of the partners and ownership of the development strategies;










E.


whereas Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) should be agreements aimed at supporting regional integration through trade development, sustainable growth and poverty reduction while promoting the gradual integration of the ACP economies into the world economy;










F.


whereas it can be noted that the European Commission aims for broad comprehensive deep-integration agreements involving not only liberalisation of the trade in goods but also of investments, public procurement and the trade in services, along with commitments on intellectual property rights, and trade facilitation; while the ACP negotiating guidelines above all focus on enhancing cooperation to strengthen the economic and trade capacities of the ACP countries, to help them promote sustainable development and eradicate poverty whilst increasing their share of world trade;










G.


whereas to date, only the Cariforum region has concluded and is implementing a full EPA while other regions have implemented or are implementing interim agreements but have committed to complete negotiations on outstanding areas;










H.


whereas EPAs are intended to be regional agreements, which could support the integration of small and fragmented ACP markets into stronger regional economies, but whereas a number of ACP States feeling under pressure to sign individual agreements have created different trade regimes with the EU to those of their neighbours, thus undermining regional integration;










I.


whereas the Commission has proposed to review the IEPAs in the context of the ongoing negotiations for final EPAs;










J.


whereas the Seventh Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government, held in December 2012, stated that after 10 years of negotiations the EPAs had failed to deliver the desired result, the regions that had signed or initialled the EPAs at the end of 2007 were mainly concerned to avert the risk of trade disruption, and contentious issues remained and severely limited policy space or tilted the balance of rights and obligations of ACP countries;










K.


whereas the elimination of tariffs could place a serious gap in many ACP States’ budgets, which rely upon import duties and export taxes for a large part of their government revenue;










L.


whereas ACP States may need additional resources to cover the adjustment costs from EPAs, such as declining revenues and fiercer competition, and to contribute to their infrastructure and production capacities, support diversification efforts and enhance competitiveness in order to benefit from access to EU markets and intra-regional, regional and global markets;










M.


whereas Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007 has been amended to remove from its scope (in relation to DFQF market access) those countries that have not taken the necessary steps towards ratification of their EPAs by 1 October 2014;










N.


whereas ACP regions have voiced concerns on a number of contentious issues that they deem severely limit policy space and tilt the balance of rights and obligations in the EPAs;










O.


whereas the ACP Group has reiterated its total commitment to ensuring that the negotiations are concluded as long as the outcome addresses their concerns and development objectives;










P.


whereas the recent EU reforms of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) will put an end to unilateral trade preferences for certain ACP countries;










1.


Stresses that the conclusion and smooth implementation of comprehensive and balanced EPAs should be instrumental to the sustainable development of the ACP States and should also pay due regard to their political choices, development priorities and the strengthening of regional integration; considers that state capacity-building must also remain a joint and shared aim of the ACP and the EU;










2.


Calls on the European Union to implement its Policy Coherence for Development commitment in practice, 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;










3.


Believes that the various crises and economic developments of the past decade should be taken into account when negotiating the EPAs;










4.


Recalls the need to restore trust and constructive dialogue in all discussions with the ACP regions; therefore urges all parties in the EPA negotiations to maintain the political will and a degree of flexibility and pragmatism in order to close the gaps on the outstanding issues, as well as to achieve a rapid conclusion of ongoing negotiations of comprehensive EPAs in a mutually satisfactory manner;










5.


Recalls that the regional integration of ACP countries is one of the express objectives of EPA negotiations;










6.


Insists that EPAs and other trade arrangements should build on the acquis of ACP-EU trade relations and therefore reiterates that no ACP State should remain or be made worse off at the end of the EPA processes than under the previous ACP-EU trade arrangements; calls for transparent, equitable, fair trade and investment agreements with ACP countries which should serve their development purpose with a set of social and environmental criteria;










7.


Recalls the initial position of the European Parliament on the Market Access Regulation, No 1528/2007, allowing more time for full EPAs to be concluded, signed and implemented with a view to providing stable, predictable and increased market access for ACP exports covered by the EPAs;










8.


Supports the ongoing discussions on the establishment of regional EPA funds, which would facilitate channelling of the EU donors’ resources and provide financial assistance, notably to address the supply-side constraints and productive capacities, to improve competitiveness and to support revenue diversification initiatives, fiscal reforms and implementing good governance;










9.


Supports ACP Heads of States’ call for greater coherence among the regional integration agenda, EPAs and the Doha Round commitments, by forging greater coordination between the negotiators in the three tracks to ensure consistency;










10.


Supports the Commission’s proposal to adopt a more needs-based approach with its Aid for Trade with a sharper focus on LDCs and low-income countries; calls for a stronger emphasis on capacity-building in those countries regarding infrastructure and expertise, in order to promote well functioning trade tools;










11.


Calls on the European Commission to demonstrate flexibility on all the outstanding contentious issues, with a view to resolving them and thus afford the ACP States and regions the opportunity to encourage industrialisation, infant industry development and value addition, enhance revenue collection, particularly in the context of South-South trade, and allow for maximum use of policy space for development purposes;










12.


Calls on the negotiating parties to ensure during the negotiations, and especially during implementation, that the commitments entered into under an EPA and the resulting policies make an effective contribution to poverty reduction, the economic development of ACP States and environmental sustainability;










13.


Highlights the importance of ACP-EU trade, South-South trade, intra-regional trade and regional integration among the ACP countries, and among ACP countries with the EU OCTs, which are essential for sustainable social and economic development that should be actively supported by individual, sub-regional or regional EPAs;










14.


Calls on the EU and ACP States to jointly develop a strategy to increase ACP agricultural competitiveness that goes beyond market access, addressing rural development issues, supply-side constraints and access to micro-financing with a view to protecting the livelihoods of small farm-holders and to ensuring food sovereignty and security;










15.


Stresses that access to micro-financing, which is a credit, insurance and savings instrument to support entrepreneurs and thereby facilitate sustainable investment and the development of the local economy, should be promoted and encouraged in EPAs;










16.


Welcomes the ACP Heads of State and Government on their commitment to continuing to speed up the negotiations to conclude EPAs that will serve to boost the economic and social development of the ACP States and regional integration within the ACP Group;










17.


Stresses that for EPAs to be effective from a sustainable development perspective they must be subject to careful monitoring, during both the negotiation and implementation phases;










18.


Calls on the negotiating parties to consider jointly setting up an EPA monitoring mechanism with the objective of assessing both the progress made and the obstacles still to be overcome in the negotiation and implementation of EPAs;










19.


Encourages the public authorities in ACP States to ensure that the trade commitments covered by EPAs are consistent with national development strategies and the Regional Indicative Programmes (RIPs) in order to strengthen the regional dimension;










20.


Encourages the EU and ACP partners to ensure that the timetable for liberalisation commitments is in line with that for development aid;










21.


Encourages ACP States to involve all stakeholders in the EPA negotiation and decision-making processes to ensure local ownership of the process as well as coherence and follow-up of ensuing policies;










22.


Underlines the importance of the role of parliaments and non-state actors in the monitoring of the implementation and negotiations of EPAs; calls for their systematic involvement in the ongoing negotiation processes, based on a participatory approach, and, for maximum transparency, in the functioning of the joint institutions created by the EPAs;










23.


Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the EU Council Presidency, the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, national and regional parliaments and the ACP regional organisations.






RESOLUTION (30)

on human resources for health in ACP countries

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,






—


meeting in Brussels from 17 to 19 June 2013,










—


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










—


having regard to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises health as a fundamental right,










—


having regard to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement (Cotonou Agreement) and in particular to Article 25(1)(b), (c), (d) and (g) on social sector development, Article 29(3)(c) on ACP-EU cooperation in support of regional cooperation and integration, and Article 31(b)(iii) on gender issues,










—


having regard to the European Union’s priorities as defined in December 2005 in the European Consensus on Development,










—


having regard to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2000, concerning in particular human development (health and education),










—


having regard to the European Parliament resolution on health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa and global health (31),










—


having regard to the EU Strategy for Action on the Crisis in Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries (COM(2005)0642),










—


having regard to the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of 21 December 2006 entitled ‘A European programme for action to tackle the critical shortage of health workers in developing countries (2007–2013)’ (COM(2006)0870 final),










—


having regard to the Commission communication of 31 March 2010 on the EU role in global health (COM(2010)0128),










—


having regard to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report ‘Working together for health: The World Health Report 2006’,










—


having regard to the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel (WHA63.16), adopted in May 2010 by the 63rd World Health Assembly,










—


having regard to the OECD Policy Brief of 2010 entitled ‘International Migration of Health Workers: Improving International Co-operation to Address the Global Health Workforce Crisis’,










—


having regard to the WHO report by C. Dolea et al., (2010), ‘Increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas through improved retention’,










—


having regard to the WHO report on ‘Task shifting: rational redistribution of tasks among health workforce teams, Global recommendations and guidelines’, Geneva, 2008,










—


having regard to the Kampala Declaration, First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, Kampala, Uganda, 2-7 March 2008,










—


having regard to the African Union/European Union joint strategy on health, drawn up in Lisbon in December 2007,










—


having regard to the pledges contained in the Abuja declaration of 27 April 2001 on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases,










—


having regard to the report of the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment (ACP-EU/101.294/13/A/fin.),










A.


whereas 4 million doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers are required to carry out essential health interventions to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and whereas these cannot be properly addressed without trained, supported and employed health workers who are properly paid in line with the difficult working conditions;










B.


whereas 38 ACP countries face severe shortages in their healthcare workforce, with the result that Africa is home to nearly 25 % of the global burden of diseases, but only has 3 % of the total global health workforce; whereas a heavy administrative burden or the use of outdated methods and procedures absorbs too much staffing capacity;










C.


whereas the right to health is a fundamental right enshrined in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;










D.


whereas health workers should be retained in their rural and remote areas by creating and improving living and working environments, as well as education and providing financial incentives and personal and professional support;










E.


whereas the aging population in high-income countries demands an increase in health services; whereas many developing countries are facing critical shortages of health workers; whereas requirements to cut public spending as part of the structural adjustment programmes of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund aggravate this problem in many countries;










F.


whereas targeted recruitment efforts, financial and other incentives from wealthy destination states combined with low wages, poor and unstable working environments and fragile health systems in many developing countries are contributing to the international migration of health workers;










G.


whereas the delegation of medical and health service responsibilities from higher to lower cadres of health staff, in some case to non-professionals (task-shifting and task-sharing), if carefully planned and implemented can improve access to quality health services and can reduce costs;










H.


whereas the integration into health systems without discrimination of community health workers (CHWs), and traditional health practitioners trained for the specific needs of targeted groups such as people living with HIV/AIDS, sex workers, young people and pregnant women is critical for reaching marginalised or hard-to-reach populations as well as presenting a solution to a shortage of health workers; whereas use of CHWs in community-level health programmes has proved successful and cost-effective;










I.


whereas information and communication technologies (ICTs) have a potential to be used as tools that advance equitable healthcare access, particularly with respect to diagnosis and treatment through telemedicine, improved dissemination of public health information and facilitated public discourse and dialogue around major public health threats in ACP countries;










1.


Believes that quality education, training and medical research within the ACP countries’ health systems are currently underfunded;










2.


Calls on the ACP countries, even with limited public budgets, to develop stronger health systems and strategies aiming at:






(i)


promoting the development of a human rights and gender-based approach,










(ii)


expanding the human resources pool and leading to an effective use of human resources, in particular by increasing access to services via task shifting/sharing,










(iii)


achieving universal health care with sufficient skilled health workers;














3.


Notes that the WHO has underlined that ‘public health systems of ACP countries are not training and recruiting enough people’; also takes note of the significant internal migration to the private and the NGO sectors;










4.


Reaffirms that the crisis in human resources for health is an issue of fundamental importance which should be addressed as a matter of urgency and particularly in the framework of ACP-EU political dialogue; recognises that one major reason for this difficult situation in developing countries is the migration of health workers who are recruited by developed countries; welcomes, as a first step, the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and calls upon the EU Member States and other developed countries to respect it; is of the opinion that developed countries should invest in the training of their own health workforce;










5.


Reiterates that the shortcoming of human resources in the health sector in ACP countries should be addressed without delay by both the ACP and developed countries according to the needs of the former, involving all relevant stakeholders and with the help of financial investment and technical assistance from donors;










6.


Calls on the ACP countries to meet the 2001 Abuja target to commit 15 % of their national budgets to health; urges that, in those countries where this commitment has been met, further concrete measures are taken for an equitable, long-term human resources for health (HRH) strategy, especially if no positive impact on morbidity and mortality has been achieved;










7.


Calls on the European Union and its Member States to help the ACP countries to reach the health spending per capita recommended by the WHO through technical assistance, while in the case of the most fragile and least developed countries through official development assistance;










8.


Recalls that the ACP countries’ debt burden is a serious obstacle, which takes away the resources badly needed to finance the vital sectors such as health, and to promote economic development more generally; calls for debt relief, at least for LDC countries, as they are odious debts contracted by the governments against the interests of their population;










9.


Considers that public services, which are chronically underfunded and understaffed, need to be consolidated and developed in order to serve the vast majority of the population; and observes that the wealthiest segment of the population uses the private system and is far better served;










10.


Calls on ACP countries to involve all relevant stakeholders in drawing up health workforce plans that constitute a vital part of the national health plans;










11.


Calls on the ACP countries to increase health workforce financing by investing in health worker recruitment, education and training on a non-discriminatory basis, to provide adequate incentives and create an enabling and safe working environment for effective health worker retention, especially in rural areas, and to ensure equitable distribution of the health workforce; calls in this connection for the health sector to be excluded from the structural adjustment programmes of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund;










12.


Calls on the ACP countries to include in the national health workforce plans the principle of delegation of medical and health service responsibilities from higher to lower cadres of health staff; calls on the ACP States, in planning their health services, to investigate the scope for improving the efficiency and quality of care in order to reduce the workload of existing staff;










13.


Calls on developing countries to develop and/or restore their public and basic healthcare systems and services and calls on the EU to support this process through aid for the reinforcement of human and institutional capacities and infrastructures – including the improvement of working conditions for medical staff, the provision of suitable medical equipment and the transfer of technology;










14.


Invites ACP countries’ public health authorities to integrate CHWs and traditional health practitioners into formal health systems and increase financial and political support to CHWs and to community-owned solutions by providing training, supervision, incentives and ongoing support;










15.


Stresses the importance of awareness-raising and preventive health campaigns in the fight against epidemics and pandemics; believes that it is essential for CHWs and traditional health practitioners to be fully involved in these campaigns;










16.


Recognises the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the provision of healthcare services; therefore urges the ACP countries to put in place the appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks for the utilisation of ICTs in healthcare systems;










17.


Recognises the important role of civil society, local authorities, communities and public health non-profit organisations and volunteers’ organisations in complementing public health systems; therefore calls on the ACP countries to actively involve all relevant stakeholders in the improvement process of healthcare services;










18.


Believes that the EU Member States should increase their support to the ACP countries financially and technically to develop national health plans and strategies which focus on matching the skills of health workers to local needs and providing tertiary education and training scaling-up of CHWs; considers that such plans should concentrate on ensuring the ongoing training and retention of CHWs, in particular in rural communities, and on promoting knowledge of and respect for their work, to improve their standing in the community;










19.


Suggests that ACP States, with the support of the EU, should conduct a comprehensive training needs assessment to determine countries’ needs in HRH;










20.


Points out that health workers must be able to operate under appropriate working conditions, and calls therefore on the EU and the ACP countries to focus on developing high-quality medical and hospital infrastructure, particularly in rural and remote areas; encourages EU and ACP countries to set up partnerships between European hospitals and those in ACP countries;










21.


Notes that ACP countries do not always have access to state-of-the-art treatments; calls on the EU and other donors to improve the conditions of access for ACP countries to the latest medicines, particularly those which can be used to provide treatment in the event of epidemics and pandemics;










22.


Calls on EU Member States to implement and monitor actions outlined in the communication from the European Commission entitled ‘EU Strategy for Action on the Crisis in Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries’ COM(2005)0642), particularly with regard to supporting and financing national human resource plans;










23.


Calls on the EU Member States and the European Commission as well as ACP governments to support integrated health services, such as HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health programmes in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency also in the area of human resources;










24.


Reiterates the call on EU Member States to implement and monitor measures in the European Commission communication entitled ‘A European Programme for Action to tackle the critical shortage of health workers in developing countries (2007-2013)’ (COM(2006)0870), especially to develop a joint implementation plan and a framework to monitor national and collective EU action on human resources;










25.


Urges the EU Member States to implement and monitor properly the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel facilitating circular migration as a means to mitigate the brain drain from countries experiencing such difficulties;










26.


Calls on the EU Member States to ensure that their migration policies, particularly those causing a brain drain, do not undermine the availability of health professionals in third countries, while respecting the individual freedom of movement and personal and professional aspirations;










27.


Invites EU Member States and ACP States alike to promote temporary assignments for ACP health professionals living in EU countries and multi-entry visa arrangements for health professionals to enable them to pursue training in Europe while continuing to be based in their countries of origin and to foster networks accordingly;










28.


Invites the EU to speed up progress towards the agreed commitments under the European Union Strategy for Action on the Crisis in Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries;










29.


Calls on the EU to set the education and training of health workers as a priority in its future development policy, ensuring that at least 20% of EU aid is allocated to basic education and health;










30.


Insists that a human resources for health strategy is mainstreamed into the Post-2015 Development Agenda;










31.


Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament and the UN Human Rights Council.






RESOLUTION (32)

on the situation in the Central African Republic

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,






—


meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 17 to 19 June 2013,










—


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










—


having regard to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1966 Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women,










—


having regard to Article 3 and Protocol II of the 1949 Geneva Convention, ratified by the Central African Republic (CAR), which prohibit summary execution, rape, forced recruitment and other abuses,










—


having regard to the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), ratified by the CAR in 2001, as amended in Kampala in 2010, which defines the most serious international crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, attacks against civilian populations, torture, pillaging, sexual violence, the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and enforced disappearance, and which affirms the primary obligation of all national jurisdictions to investigate and punish, and thereby prevent, the perpetration of such crimes,










—


having regard to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been signed by the CAR,










—


having regard to the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights, ratified by the CAR in 1986,










—


having regard to Partnership Agreement 2000/483/EC 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 (Benin) on 23 June 2000 and revised successively in 2005 and 2010,










—


having regard to the Libreville Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of the CAR and the Central African politico-military movements of the People’s Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD), of the Democratic Front for the People of the CAR (FDPC) and of the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) of 21 June 2008,










—


having regard to the Final Communiqué of the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), held in N’Djamena (Chad) on 21 December 2012,










—


having regard to the statement of 21 December 2012 by the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, on the new outbreak of conflict in the CAR,










—


having regard to the Libreville (Gabon) Agreement of 11 January 2013 on the resolution of the politico-military crisis in the CAR, signed under the aegis of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which sets out the conditions for ending the crisis in the CAR,










—


having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament of 17 January 2013 on the situation in the Central African Republic (33),










—


having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2088(2013) of 24 January 2013, and to the UN Security Council declarations on the CAR,










—


having regard to the statements by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, by the spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General and by the UN envoy in the CAR on the political situation in the CAR and on the deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation,










—


having regard to the declarations and decisions of the African Union (AU) on the situation in the CAR,










—


having regard to the statements by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on the situation in the CAR,










—


having regard to the statement of 16 April 2013 by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, in which she called for an end to the violence and for the restoration of the rule of law in the country,










—


having regard to the extraordinary summits of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), held in N’Djamena (Chad) on 3 April 2013 and 18 April 2013, and to their decisions to establish a National Transitional Council (CNT) with legislative and constituent powers and adopt a roadmap for the transition process in the CAR,










—


having regard to the resolution on the coup in the CAR adopted by the National Congress of the Dominican Republic on 25 April 2013, which condemns the coup, refuses to recognise the actions carried out by the Seleka rebel coalition and calls on the ICC and all the relevant states, including the CAR, to investigate and bring to court the international crimes which continue to be committed in the context of the coup,










—


having regard to the meeting of the International Contact Group of 3 May 2013 in Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), which validated the roadmap for the transition and set up a Special Fund to assist the CAR,










—


having regard to the various factions making up the Seleka coalition, namely the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), the Democratic Front for the People of the CAR (FDPC), the Kodro Salute Patriotic Convention (CPSK) and the Alliance for the Renaissance and the Refoundation (ARR),










A.


whereas clashes took place between the Seleka rebel movement and the Government between December 2012 and March 2013 owing to the failure by President François Bozizé to honour the commitments undertaken in 2008 in the Libreville Comprehensive Peace Agreement;










B.


whereas a peace agreement was signed between the Government of President Bozizé and the rebels and other protagonists on 11 January 2013 in Libreville (Gabon), which provided for a ceasefire and the establishment of a transitional Government of National Unity in which opposition figures were given key posts;










C.


whereas, in late March 2013 the rebels complained that the Government was not complying with its obligations under the January 2013 Libreville Agreement, and whereas they took control of the capital, Bangui, on 24 March, and of the rest of the country, forcing President Bozizé to flee the country;










D.


whereas on 24 March 2013 the rebel leader Michel Djotodia took power and on 26 March declared himself President of the Republic, suspended the national constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, declared a three-year period of transitional rule and vowed to run the CAR until elections in 2016;










E.


whereas the ECCAS summit on 3 April 2013 established a National Transitional Council (CNT), which is representative of all the active forces in the country and intended to exercise legislative and constituent powers; whereas that summit also instructed the CNT to elect, from among its number, an interim president and two vice-presidents, the first of whom would hold the presidency of the CNT;










F.


whereas free, democratic, transparent and lawful elections are to be held at the end of the 18-month transitional period, but whereas the Head of State, the Prime Minister, members of the transitional government and members of the Bureau of the CNT will not be allowed to stand;










G.


whereas the ECCAS summit on 18 April 2013 in N’Djamena (Chad) adopted a roadmap for the composition and functioning of the CNT, and increased its membership to 135 to improve opposition and civil society representation;










H.


whereas ECCAS decided at its summit on 18 April 2013 in N'Djamena (Chad) to quadruple the size of the Central African Multinational Force (FOMAC), increasing the number of soldiers from 500 to 2 000;










I.


whereas Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye enjoys the support and recognition of the international community for having helped to establish a framework likely to be accepted by all and an environment conducive to bringing peace and stability to the CAR; whereas he is calling for the roadmap for the composition and functioning of the CNT, agreed at the ECCAS summit on 18 and 19 April 2013, to be respected;










J.


whereas the CNT has appointed Michel Djotodia as the interim president;










K.


whereas the International Contact Group meeting on 3 May 2013 in Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) adopted the roadmap for the transition and set up a Special Fund to assist the CAR;










L.


whereas the situation in the CAR continues to be extremely worrying, with serious human rights violations and international crimes being committed by armed groups, including killings, rapes – including the rape of underage girls – arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, abuse and the use and forcible or voluntary enlistment of children in armed groups; whereas sexual violence and the frequent use of rape as a weapon of war have tragic consequences and must be regarded as war crimes; whereas Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye has publicly condemned the violence and pillaging; whereas a commission of inquiry into the crimes has been set up; and whereas the ICC has decided to launch an investigation into allegations of crimes falling under its jurisdiction;










M.


whereas, notwithstanding the gradual implementation of the security measures agreed in N'Djamena, the situation remains fragile;










N.


whereas the CAR is confronted with a social and economic challenge as the public and private sectors have been pillaged and destroyed, seriously undermining the country’s administration and its economic fabric and causing social turmoil;










O.


whereas hospitals have also been plundered on a massive scale, creating a disastrous health situation in the country;










P.


whereas, as a result of the food crisis and of past and present violence, tens of thousands of Central Africans have sought refuge in neighbouring countries or have been internally displaced; whereas the UN estimates that there are 1.5 million CAR nationals in need of humanitarian assistance, in addition to the 17 000 Congolese and Sudanese who have taken refuge in the CAR to escape the fighting in their own countries;










Q.


whereas the majority of these people are in areas where they have no access to basic services, and whereas the insecurity in the country and the danger of attacks make it difficult for humanitarian organisations to provide effective aid;










R.


whereas, following the seizure of power in the country by the rebels, the AU suspended the CAR on 25 March 2013 and imposed travel bans and asset freezes on insurgent leaders;










S.


whereas the Permanent Council of the Francophonie decided on 8 April 2013 to suspend the CAR temporarily, pending an assessment of the undertakings made by all parties in the CAR;










T.


whereas the European Union is engaged in a regular political dialogue with the CAR under the Cotonou Agreement and is the country’s main donor, providing it with development aid amounting to EUR 137 million up to 2013 under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF 2008-2013), in addition to the EUR 14.3 million provided to it in 2012 under the African Peace Facility for the MICOPAX peace-building mission;










U.


whereas the European Commission, through its humanitarian aid and civil protection department (ECHO), also contributed EUR 8 million in 2012 to help people affected by conflict and displacement in the CAR, through the provision of emergency health services, food and non-food supplies, clean water and sanitation;










V.


whereas the recent attacks by the LRA, in particular in the Bria region in the north-east of the country and near the diamond mines, have resulted in more than a dozen deaths;










1.


Regrets the seizure of power by coup; calls for the constitutional order to be restored and calls on all parties to refrain from any acts of violence, fully to respect human rights and to restore public order, public security and stability in the country;










2.


Reaffirms its support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the CAR;










3.


Notes with satisfaction that the CAR joined the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2008; believes that the management of central Africa’s abundant natural resources should be subject to transparent controls, particularly with regard to payments made to governments by mining and exporting companies and the proportion of that revenue which is used for development programmes;










4.


Notes the establishment of the National Transitional Council, its election of a Head of State, and the establishment of a transitional government; notes that the transition will last for a period of 18 months, by the end of which constitutional legality and order must be fully restored;










5.


Calls on the transitional government and the CNT to ensure respect for the rule of law and to protect the civilian population; welcomes the efforts made so far by the transitional authorities, and in particular by Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, and urges the entire international community to support him and his actions though all appropriate means;










6.


Welcomes the mediation efforts of the President of the Republic of the Congo and the active role of the UN, the AU, the EU, ECCAS, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), South Africa, Benin, France and the United States, which contributed to the signing of the Libreville Accords;










7.


Calls on the VP/HR, the UN Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the AU actively to support the implementation of the roadmap, and welcomes the security measures (grouping and cantonment, joint patrols, etc.) already taken by the Government of National Unity;










8.


Supports the Government of National Unity in its desire to bring all perpetrators of crime to justice; congratulates the Government of National Unity on having established a commission of inquiry into the crimes;










9.


Calls for the perpetrators of human rights violations, war crimes, crimes against humanity, sexual violence against women and the recruitment of child soldiers to be reported, identified, prosecuted and punished in accordance with national and international criminal law; points out in this regard that the situation in the CAR has already been brought before the ICC and that, under the Court’s Statute, there is no prescription for genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes;










10.


Is worried about the humanitarian situation in the country, particularly for those CAR nationals who have been displaced or have become refugees in neighbouring countries; urges all parties to respect international humanitarian law and the work of human rights defenders and journalists;










11.


Welcomes the humanitarian aid provided, in particular, by the EU, the AU and the UN to the people affected by the conflict and by displacement in the CAR, and calls on those institutions and on other international and regional partners actively to support the CAR’s reconstruction and the peace-building process;










12.


Welcomes the action taken by the Government of National Unity in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food supplies, protection and distribution of food to displaced populations within the country; appeals urgently to the international community to provide massive financial support to enable the authorities to restore the services of the state;










13.


Condemns the war crime of the use and recruitment, whether forcibly or not, of child soldiers in breach of international law; welcomes the Government’s desire to implement, as part of the reform of the security sector, a process to re-establish the defence and security forces; supports the Government’s willingness to select Seleka combatants and to train them with a view to integrating them into the armed forces of the CAR and the gendarmerie and police forces; supports action for the disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and repatriation of combatants in order to guarantee security during the transition; calls for the Government to take similar measures to provide support and redress to the victims of violence and international crimes;










14.


Welcomes the ECCAS decision to increase the number of troops of the Central African Multinational Force (FOMAC) from 700 to 2 000, and calls for the FOMAC mandate to be exercised under the auspices of the UN;










15.


Calls for international and regional operations to arrest members of the LRA to be resumed and intensified, with the consent of the CAR, in order to bring an end to the devastation which this criminal group has wreaked on the people of the CAR;










16.


Notes that the CAR is endowed with many natural resources (uranium, crude oil, gold, diamonds, etc.); stresses that transparency and democratic control in the mining sector are more vital than ever for the country’s development;










17.


Considers it necessary, furthermore, to address the consequences of the conflicts, particularly by reform of the armed forces and security forces, demilitarisation, the demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants, the repatriation of refugees, the return of internally displaced persons to their homes, and the implementation of viable development programmes;










18.


Calls on all political parties and stakeholders to address the structural causes of this recurrent crisis, and believes that decisions concerning the political, economic and social future of the CAR, based on a peaceful and democratic transition founded on respect for the rule of law, the separation of powers and the full exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as on fair access to resources and redistribution of income, through the national budget, are for the people of the CAR and all those who represent them;










19.


Welcomes the fact that since 10 June 2013 around 40 religious leaders have been holding discussions in Bangui aimed at preventing tension;










20.


Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the Council of EU, the European Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/ High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Secretary-General of the UN, the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, the AU, the President of the Economic Community of Central African States and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and to the President of the National Transitional Council and the Government of the Central African Republic.






RESOLUTION (34)

on the situation in the Republic of Guinea

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,






—


meeting in Brussels (Belgium) from 17 to 19 June 2013,










—


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










—


having regard to its previous resolutions,










—


having regard to Article 11(7) of the Revised Cotonou Agreement, which reaffirms the states parties' commitment to strengthening peace and international justice,










A.


whereas Professor Alpha Condé, the Head of State, is the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Guinea since the country achieved independence on 2 October 1958;










B.


whereas Guinea ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 14 July 2003;










C.


whereas the election procedure was approved by the EU electoral mission, ECOWAS, the African Union and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the results endorsed by the entire political spectrum in Guinea and by the international community;










D.


whereas the Guinean authorities, in order to respect the democratic process to the full, have decided, in cooperation with the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), to hold legislative elections, at a date to be fixed by agreement of all parties involved, following a number of postponements requested by the opposition political parties;










E.


whereas, on 29 March 2013, the CENI decided to monitor the situation by setting up, with the assistance of its financial partners – the European Union, the United States, the OIF, the UNDP and France – a ‘technical monitoring committee’, composed of members appointed by the CENI, on which the opposition and the presidential majority will be afforded equal representation;










F.


whereas the CENI reshuffle to ensure equal representation, together with the composition of its executive, were agreed on in response to a request from the opposition and accepted by the entire political spectrum;










G.


whereas a tripartite ‘framework for political dialogue’ has been set up, consisting of a number of facilitators, including a UN representative;










H.


whereas the UN Special Representative for West Africa, Said Djinnit, has been appointed ‘international facilitator’ by the UN following objections by opposition members to Lamine Cissé, who had been nominated without formal consultation;










I.


whereas the opposition had called for a boycott of the election scheduled for 30 June 2013 by the President of the Republic, on the basis of a proposal by the CENI;










J.


whereas the ‘consultation forum’ which took place from 3 to 9 June focused on:






(1)


the technical operator and the electoral roll;










(2)


voting rights for Guineans abroad;










(3)


the functioning of the CENI;










(4)


the timetable for the election;














K.


whereas, during that consultation, the OIF, the European Union, the UNDP, ECOWAS, the United States and France guaranteed that the process of drawing up the electoral roll by the technical operator had been made secure, and declared their readiness to take any additional measures needed to further secure the process and to mobilise exceptional resources to support any decision taken by the Guinean parties;










L.


whereas the technical operator involved in the preparation of the electoral list will not be involved in other operations in the electoral process;










M.


whereas the international facilitator, on behalf of all the facilitators and the international community he represents, has appealed to the opposition, in light of all these guarantees and assurances, to agree to take part in the elections;










N.


whereas the participation in the elections by Guineans abroad has been accepted under the same conditions as those which applied to the 2010 presidential election, and on the basis of the lists drawn up at the time;










O.


having regard to the agreement on the measures to be taken to address the shortcomings of the CENI;










P.


whereas the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission congratulated President Condé on the significant progress made in political dialogue with the opposition, and stated that a procedure was underway in the Council to ensure funds allocated to Guinea under the 10th EDF would be maintained, provided that free and transparent elections were held before 31 October 2013;










Q.


whereas the UN Secretary-General said on 12 June 2013 that he was ‘encouraged by the progress made by the parties to the inter-Guinean political dialogue’, and that the positive atmosphere would ‘create the conditions for free, fair and peaceful elections’;










R.


whereas the political uncertainty is damaging the country’s economy;










S.


having regard to the violence in late February and early March 2013, and to the renewed violence in April and again in May, which followed opposition calls to demonstrate and left several people dead and hundreds injured;










T.


whereas the rule of law involves compliance by all institutions, the separation of powers and the free exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, criminal accountability, reparations to victims, and equality of all before the law;










U.


whereas the establishment of the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Ministry and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first in the country’s history, is a step in the right direction towards solving the country’s problems peacefully and democratically;










V.


whereas political factionalism is proving a serious threat to stability in Guinea;










W.


whereas the President of the Republic has begun a reform of the security services;










1.


Welcomes the prospect of the transition to democracy coming to an end, thanks to the decision by the Guinean authorities, with the agreement of the CENI and Guinean civil society, to complete the process of democratisation with free and transparent elections to the National Assembly very shortly;










2.


Welcomes the progress achieved in the dialogue and the agreement reached between the political parties on 9 June 2013, under the guidance of the Government and the three facilitators, concerning the technical operator and the electoral roll, voting by Guineans abroad, the internal functioning of the CENI and the principle of reopening and revising the electoral list; calls for this agreement to be respected and implemented;










3.


Welcomes the statement by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission of 12 June 2013 on the progress made in the inter-Guinean political dialogue and the maintenance of the funds allocated to Guinea under the 10th EDF provided that free and transparent elections are held before 31 October 2013;










4.


Welcomes the technical assistance provided by the EU and other bilateral and multilateral partners to safeguard and guarantee the transparency and credibility of the elections;










5.


Calls on the European Union, the African Union, the OIF, ECOWAS and the United Nations to continue their close involvement in the electoral process;










6.


Calls on Guinea’s politicians to focus on dialogue and consultation in order to resolve their differences and to proceed with the elections with a view to strengthening the process of democratisation in Guinea;










7.


Calls on the political forces to continue the democratic transition which has been underway since the election of Alpha Condé as President, and to respect democracy, institutions and the rights of the opposition; believes that, in order for the forthcoming elections to play a full part in this process of democratisation, they must be free and transparent;










8.


Highlights the importance of a free opposition with established and respected rights and duties, including the right to demonstrate peacefully; notes that such an opposition constitutes one of the countervailing powers necessary for the proper working of democracy;










9.


Expresses concern at the risks of intercommunal violence and calls on the political leaders, in the interests of stability, cohesion and social harmony within the country, to cease playing the factional card;










10.


Calls on the political forces to shoulder their responsibilities by making the necessary effort to avoid jeopardising civil peace and by calling for a halt to provocations and violence; calls furthermore on the country’s security forces to respect the right to demonstrate peacefully and to maintain the safety of civilian population groups while respecting human rights and the rule of law;










11.


Welcomes the establishment of an on-going framework for dialogue involving three facilitators, including a UN representative, on the holding of legislative elections and the consolidation of the rule of law and democratic principles in Guinea;










12.


Welcomes the commitment by the Head of State to ensuring the transparency and reliability of the electoral process, and his decision to grant amnesty to those arrested in the course of political party protests;










13.


Welcomes the undertaking given on 24 April 2013 by the Government and the parties of the presidential majority and the opposition to settle their differences by peaceful means only; regrets that this has not been the case so far; presents its condolences to the victims’ families; hopes that this undertaking is respected in future;










14.


Insists that the judicial authorities investigate and deal fairly and diligently with all cases of human rights violations;










15.


Notes the statement by the UN Secretary-General on 25 April 2013 welcoming progress in Guinea towards a resumption of the political dialogue, and in particular the Head of State’s commitment to guaranteeing the transparency and reliability of the elections with the support of international partners, and his statement of 12 June 2013 highlighting the progress made in creating the conditions for free, fair and peaceful elections;










16.


Welcomes the commitment by the President of the Republic of Guinea to respect the results of elections, whatever they may be, and hopes that the opposition leaders offer the same commitment;










17.


Welcomes the establishment of the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Ministry and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; stresses that these two institutions should be given all the necessary support to enable them to carry out their work; insists on the need for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to be independent, so that the citizens’ problems may be peacefully and democratically resolved;










18.


Considers that an independent judiciary and media are essential in shaping and regulating the implementation of democratic practices aimed at reinforcing the rule of law, building democratic institutions, including a functioning parliament with political pluralism, and strengthening the role of civil society; calls on donors to provide support for a strengthening of the judicial system in Guinea;










19.


Is of the view that careful management of Guinea's abundant natural resources, which should include the establishment of a transparent scrutiny mechanism to make public the amounts paid by mining and exporting companies the Government and the proportion of that revenue which is used for development programmes, should help lift Guinea’s population out of persistent poverty and pave the way for sustainable development;










20.


Welcomes the efforts by the Guinean authorities to improve macroeconomic management in Guinea, which have made it possible to renew relations with all bilateral and multilateral donors, including the Bretton Woods institutions and to reach completion point for the HIPC initiative;










21.


Calls also on the political authorities not to lose sight of the other priorities which are vital to the country’s sustainable development;










22.


Calls on the Council, the Commission, the EU Member States, the ACP countries, the United Nations, ECOWAS, the OIF, the United States, France and the ACP Secretariat to continue their support for the Guinean authorities with a view to the holding of free and transparent legislative elections;










23.


Expresses its solidarity with the people of the Republic of Guinea and supports their desire to see an end to the transitional period and the establishment of democracy;










24.


Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, the African Union, the ACP Group, ECOWAS, the OIF, the United States, France, the UN Secretary-General and the Guinean authorities.






AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SUBMITTED BY THE BUREAU IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 35 OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE

Rules of Procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

Article 1
Joint Parliamentary Assembly
1.   The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (hereinafter ‘the Assembly’) is set up pursuant to Article 17 of the Partnership Agreement between the Members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part.
2.   The Assembly shall be composed of two houses containing equal numbers of EU and ACP representatives. The members of the Assembly shall be, on the one hand, members of the European Parliament and, on the other, members of parliament or, failing this, in exceptional cases such as force majeure, notice of which must be communicated in writing in advance to the Bureau of the Assembly as referred to in Article 2 (hereinafter ‘the Bureau’), representatives designated by the parliament of each ACP State. In the absence of a parliament, the attendance without the right to vote of a representative from the ACP State concerned shall be subject to the prior approval of the Assembly.
3.   The credentials of the members of the Assembly shall be established by a letter of appointment from the appropriate authorities of the respective States in the case of ACP representatives and from the President of the European Parliament in the case of its representatives.
Article 2
Bureau
1.   Each house shall elect its members to the Bureau in accordance with its own practice.
2.   The Bureau shall consist of two Co-Presidents of equal status, and 24 Vice-Presidents. Half of the members of the Bureau shall be nominated by the representatives of the ACP States and half by the representatives of the European Parliament, in accordance with a procedure laid down by each of the two houses.
3.   The Bureau shall prepare the work of the Assembly, follow up the activities and resolutions of the Assembly and establish all necessary contacts with the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors.
4.   The Bureau shall be responsible for the coordination of the work of the Assembly. 
The Bureau may designate some of its members as Vice-Presidents in charge of specific matters in accordance with the principle of parity between members of the parliaments of the ACP States and members of the European Parliament.


5.   The Bureau shall meet, on the initiative of its Co-Presidents, at least four times a year; two of the meetings shall take place in the days preceding the sessions of the Assembly.
6.   The Bureau shall submit to the Assembly the proposed agenda for the debates. It shall be responsible for ensuring that, as far as possible, half the items on the agenda concern matters of common interest.
It may propose a limitation of speaking time for debates.
7.   The Bureau shall be responsible for matters relating to the composition and the responsibilities of the standing committees referred to in Article 25 (‘the standing committees’).
8.   The Bureau shall be responsible for authorising the standing committees to draw up reports and motions for resolutions.
9.   The Bureau may also refer matters for consideration by the standing committees, which may subsequently request authorisation to draw up a report on a particular topic.
10.   The Bureau shall be responsible for monitoring the follow-up to resolutions and decisions of the Assembly. In the case of resolutions tabled by a standing committee, it may delegate responsibility for monitoring the follow-up to the chairman and rapporteur of the standing committee concerned.
11.   The Bureau shall be responsible for discussion, in camera, of individual human rights cases.
12.   The meetings of the Bureau shall not be public.
Article 3
Attendance of other institutions
1.   The ACP-EU Council of Ministers, as provided for in Article 15 of the Partnership Agreement, shall be invited to present to the Assembly its annual report on the implementation of the Partnership Agreement. That presentation shall be followed by a debate.
2.   The ACP Council of Ministers and the ACP Committee of Ambassadors, as well as the Council of the European Union, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (hereinafter ‘the High Representative’) and the European Commission, may attend sessions of the Assembly at the invitation of the Bureau.
3.   The ACP Council of Ministers, as well as the Council of the European Union, the High Representative and the European Commission, may, at the invitation of the Bureau, attend meetings of the Bureau in relation to items concerning their respective areas of responsibility.
Article 4
Observers and other guests
1.   The following States, as permanent observers, may send a representative to attend sessions of the Assembly:






(a)


States which are in the process of ratification of the Partnership Agreement;










(b)


States which are members of the ACP Group.




The permanent observers may address the Assembly.
2.   Other organisations or bodies may attend, as observers, sessions of the Assembly, meetings of the standing committees and regional parliamentary meetings upon the invitation of the Co-Presidents, with the agreement of the Bureau.
They may, on a case-by-case basis, address the session or committee meetings, with the agreement of the Assembly or the Bureau of the committee concerned, respectively.
3.   Observers, permanent or not, shall not have the right to vote.
4.   The participation, with a consultative status, of other guests, such as representatives of civil society, in the sessions of the Assembly, the meetings of the standing committees and the regional meetings of the Assembly shall be approved by the Bureau on a case-by-case basis.
Article 5
Sessions of the Assembly
1.   The Assembly shall meet twice a year for a period of three days; its sessions shall be convened by its Co-Presidents and it shall meet alternately in an ACP State and a Member State of the European Union, if possible the one holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.
2.   Consideration shall be given in turn to 
the regions
 of the ACP 
Group
 of 
States
 and the Member States of the European Union when deciding on the venue of the sessions.
3.   An extraordinary session of the Assembly may be convened by the Co-Presidents at the request of the Bureau or of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers.
Article 6
Regional meetings of the Assembly
1.   In accordance with Article 17(3) of the Partnership Agreement, the Assembly may hold regional parliamentary meetings. Such meetings shall be decided upon the request of the Bureau or of the regions concerned.
2.   For the purposes of these Rules of Procedure ‘region’ shall mean entities to be defined by the national parliaments of the ACP States. Any such defined entities shall be presented for the Assembly’s final approval.
3.   One member of parliament from each ACP State in the region and an equivalent number of members of the European Parliament shall participate in regional meetings.
4.   The Assembly shall hold no more than three regional meetings a year, lasting for up to three days each. If more than two are held, one of them shall take place in the margins of the session held in an ACP State. Those meetings shall adopt conclusions in the form of a communiqué. These Rules of Procedure shall apply mutatis mutandis to regional meetings.
5.   Regional meetings shall focus on matters of regional and topical interest, in particular the Regional and Country Strategy Papers for the region concerned. A follow-up report relating to each regional meeting shall be presented to the subsequent Assembly session.
6.   A report on each ACP region shall be drawn up before each regional meeting, to be debated in the context of that regional meeting.
Article 7
Agenda
1.   The Bureau shall prepare the draft agenda of the session. The Co-Presidents shall submit that draft to the Assembly for its approval. Subjects shall relate to development cooperation between the European Union and the ACP States in the framework of the Partnership Agreement.
The draft agenda of each session shall include the following categories of topic:






(i)


reports submitted by the standing committees. These will be limited to three per session. The length of the motions for resolution contained in the reports is laid down in Annex II to these Rules of Procedure;










(ii)


urgent topics, proposed by a standing committee or submitted by the Bureau itself. Urgent topics shall only be included on an exceptional basis and may not exceed two per session. Other topics shall be forwarded to the standing committee responsible;










(iii)


a keynote topic for a high-level debate.




2.   On urgent topics, a motion for a resolution may be tabled by a representative of the ACP States, a political group or ten members. Motions for resolutions must be limited to the urgent topics entered on the draft agenda for the session and may not exceed the length laid down in Annex II. Motions for resolutions must be tabled no later than four weeks prior to the opening of the session at which they are to be debated and voted on.
3.   In cases of urgency, the Co-Presidents may update the draft agenda between meetings of the Bureau through the written and/or silence procedure.
4.   Motions for resolutions on urgent topics shall be submitted to the Bureau. The Bureau shall check that each motion for a resolution that meets the criteria set out in paragraph 2 is entered on the agenda and is available in English and French. The Bureau’s proposals shall be submitted to the Assembly for approval.
5.   The Bureau shall forward the motions for resolutions on urgent topics to the committee responsible, for information.
Article 8
Quorum
1.   A quorum of the Assembly shall be attained when a third of the representatives both of the ACP States and of the European Parliament are present.
2.   All votes shall be valid whatever the number of voters unless the President, on a request made by at least ten members before a vote has begun, ascertains that the quorum is not present at the moment of voting. If the quorum is not present, the vote shall be placed on the agenda for the next sitting.
Article 9
Presidency of sittings
1.   The Co-Presidents shall jointly decide which of them is to preside at each sitting of the Assembly.
2.   The President shall open, adjourn and close the sittings of the Assembly. The President shall ensure the Rules of Procedure are observed, maintain order, call upon speakers, close debates, put matters to the vote and announce the results of the vote.
3.   The President may speak in a debate only to sum up or to call speakers to order; should he/she wish to take part in a debate, he/she shall vacate the chair.
4.   Either Co-President may elect to be replaced in the chair by a Vice-President.
Article 10
Seating arrangements
Members shall be seated in alphabetical order, by name in the case of representatives of the European Parliament and by country in the case of ACP representatives, the starting letter to change to the next consecutive letter of the alphabet for each session.
Article 11
Official languages
1.   The official languages of the Assembly shall be Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish.
For all meetings held at the European Parliament’s normal places of work, interpretation facilities shall be provided in all the working languages of the members of the European Parliament actually present. For all meetings held outside the European Parliament’s normal places of work, interpretation facilities shall be provided in accordance with the relevant internal rules of the European Parliament, as contained in the Rules governing meetings of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and its Bodies, laid down in the decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament of 10 February 2003 (35). Translation services shall be provided during each meeting in English and French.
2.   Acts adopted by the Assembly shall be published in the official languages. Preparatory documents and working documents shall be published in at least English and French.
Article 12
Public nature of proceedings
Sessions of the Assembly shall be public unless it decides otherwise.
Article 13
Minutes
1.   The minutes of proceedings of each sitting, containing the decisions of the Assembly and the names of speakers, shall be distributed at the next sitting.
2.   The minutes of proceedings shall be published by the European Parliament in the Official Journal of the European Union and by the ACP 
Secretariat
 in whatever form 
it
 may deem appropriate. The minutes of the last sitting of the session shall be submitted for approval at the start of the next session and any corrections thereto shall be published by the European Parliament in the Official Journal of the European Union and by the ACP Secretariat in whatever form it may deem appropriate.
Article 14
Co-Presidents’ statements and press releases
1.   The Co-Presidents may, wherever possible after consulting the members of the Bureau through the written and/or silence procedure, issue joint urgent statements on any matter concerning the ACP-EU Partnership. Such statements shall be based on any existing resolutions and declarations. Once they have been issued, the Co-Presidents shall first inform the Bureau thereof with a view to their being discussed and, as soon as possible thereafter, all the members of the Assembly.
2.   Press releases shall be drawn up in English and French. They shall not rank as official documents.
Article 15
Right to speak
1.   A member of the Assembly may speak only if called upon to do so by the President. Representatives of countries named in resolutions or during debates shall have the right to reply within their allocated time-limit.
2.   Speaking time in debates in the Assembly shall be divided equally between representatives of the European Parliament and of the ACP States. On a proposal from the President, the Assembly may decide to limit speaking time. Members may present written contributions supplementing their statements, limited to 2 000 characters. Written contributions shall be archived in their original language.
3.   For members of the European Parliament, speaking time will be allocated in accordance with the d’Hondt system.
4.   Members of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers or their designated representatives and representatives of the bodies and institutions referred to in Article 3(2) shall be heard at their request.


4a.
   
The Secretary-General of the European Parliament and the Secretary-General of the ACP Secretariat may speak at meetings of the Bureau and at sessions of the Assembly where duly mandated by their respective houses and if asked to do so by the Co-President chairing those meetings and sessions
.
5.   A speaker shall not be interrupted except by the President if he exceeds his allocated speaking time, except in compliance with paragraph 6.
6.   If a speaker departs from the subject, the President shall call him to order. If the speaker persists in departing from the subject, the President may forbid him to speak for such time as he thinks fit.
Article 16
Right to vote and methods of voting
1.   Each member with a right to vote shall have a single, non-transferable vote.
2.   Normally the Assembly shall vote by show of hands. If the result of the show of hands is doubtful, a fresh vote shall be taken using coloured cards, or by an electronic vote.
3.   If a request has been submitted in writing by 10 a.m. on the day of the vote by no fewer than ten members, the Assembly shall vote by secret ballot.
4.   A decision shall be deemed to have been adopted only if it has secured a majority of the votes cast. If a request has been submitted by 10 a.m. on the day of the vote by no fewer than five members, for a vote by separate houses, a vote shall be taken in which the members of the parliaments of the ACP States and the members of the European Parliament shall vote by separate houses with the order of vote alternating between them. In that case, the text in question shall be deemed to be adopted only if it secures a majority of the votes cast by both the members of the parliaments of the ACP States and the members of the European Parliament participating in the vote.
5.   In the event of a tie, the motion shall not be adopted. It may be tabled again at the next session of the Assembly.
6.   If a request has been submitted by 10 a.m. on the day of the vote by no fewer than five members, the Assembly shall vote on separate parts of the text of a paragraph or an amendment.
7.   Any request tabled in accordance with paragraphs 3, 4 and 6 may be withdrawn by its authors at any time before the vote.
Article 17
Explanations of vote
Any member may give an oral explanation on the final vote for no longer than one minute and a half or give a written explanation of no more than 200 words. Written explanations shall be archived in their original language.
Article 18
Assembly resolutions
1.   The Assembly shall vote on motions for resolutions included in reports submitted by the standing committees, in accordance with Article 7.
2.   The Assembly shall also vote on any motions for resolutions on urgent topics, in accordance with Article 7.
3.   The President shall invite the authors of any motions for resolutions on a similar urgent topic to draw up a compromise motion. At the end of the debate, each compromise motion for a resolution and the amendments thereto shall be put to the vote in the Assembly. Once a compromise motion for a resolution has been adopted, all other motions tabled on the same topic shall fall.
4.   Resolutions adopted by the Assembly shall be forwarded to the European Commission and the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and to any other interested parties. The European Commission and the ACP-EU Council of Ministers shall report on follow-up to adopted resolutions at the next session of the Assembly.
Article 19
Amendments
1.   An ACP representative with the right to vote, a political group or ten members may table amendments. Amendments shall relate to the text it is sought to alter and shall be submitted in writing. The President shall decide, on the basis of these criteria, whether they are admissible.
2.   The deadline for the tabling of amendments shall be announced at the beginning of the session.
3.   When a vote is being taken, amendments shall have priority over the text to which they relate.
4.   If two or more amendments have been tabled to the same part of a text, the amendment that departs furthest in content from the original text shall be put to the vote first. Only oral amendments which correct factual mistakes or language may be taken. All other oral amendments will be by leave of the Assembly. An oral amendment shall not be taken if it is objected to by ten members standing.
Article 20
Questions for written answer
1.   Any member of the Assembly may put questions for written answer to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission.
2.   The questions shall be submitted in writing to the Bureau, which shall decide whether they are admissible and, if such is the case, forward them to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission, as applicable. The ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission shall be invited to give a written answer within a period of two months from the date on which the question was forwarded to it.
3.   Questions to which an answer has been given shall be published, together with the answers thereto, by the European Parliament in the Official Journal of the European Union and by the ACP States in whatever form each of them may deem appropriate.
4.   Questions to which no answer has been given within the set time-limit shall be published, with an indication that no answer has yet been given, in the same manner.
Article 21
Question Time
1.   Question Time with the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission shall be held at each session at times decided by the Bureau, so as to ensure the presence of both those institutions at the highest level.
2.   Each member of the Assembly may put one question to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and one to the European Commission. On multiple named questions only one member will be called.
3.   The questions shall be submitted in writing to the Bureau by the deadline set by the latter.
4.   In urgent cases, and with the agreement of the institution to which the questions are addressed, the Co-Presidents or the Bureau may decide to place a question on the agenda even if the deadline set by the Bureau has expired.
5.   The Co-Presidents of the Assembly shall rule on the admissibility of questions. This shall be governed by the scope and terms of the Partnership Agreement. Questions relating to subjects which are already included in the agenda for discussion with the institution concerned shall be declared inadmissible. Questions declared admissible shall be forwarded to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission. The Co-Presidents shall decide as to the order in which questions are taken. The author shall be notified immediately of their decision.
6.   Questions shall not be more than 100 words long. The question must be in the form of a question and not a statement.
7.   The Assembly shall set aside a specific time during each session for dealing with questions to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission. Questions that remain unanswered for lack of time shall be answered in writing unless the author withdraws his question.
8.   A question may be answered only if its author is present or has notified the Co-Presidents in writing, before Question Time begins, of the name of his substitute.
9.   If neither the author nor his substitute is present, the question shall be answered in writing.
10.   The ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission shall provide answers in writing beforehand. One brief supplementary question may be put by the author of the original question, if he is present, or by his substitute, provided that the author of the original question has notified the Co-Presidents in writing, before Question Time begins, of the name of that substitute. The President may refuse any question which does not relate to the original question. Other questions may then be put to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission on a ‘catch-the-eye’ basis, if time permits.
11.   At the request of ten or more members of the Assembly, the answer given by the ACP-EU Council of Ministers or the European Commission may be followed by a debate. The President shall set a time-limit for that debate.
Article 22
Report on the implementation of the Partnership Agreement by the ACP-EU Council of Ministers
The report on the implementation of the Partnership Agreement by the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, which shall deal inter alia with measures taken pursuant to the resolutions and recommendations adopted by the Assembly, shall be printed in the official languages and distributed for an annual debate in the Assembly.
Article 23
Scrutiny of the implementation of the Partnership Agreement
Without prejudice to the regional reports referred to in Article 6, on a proposal from the Bureau, the Assembly may appoint one ACP and one EU co-rapporteur to draw up a report on a specific region, or on any other matter relating to the implementation of the Partnership Agreement.
Article 24
Requests from the ACP-EU Council of Ministers for an opinion
1.   If the Assembly is asked to deliver an opinion on a decision or a proposed decision, resolution, recommendation or opinion of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the request in that regard shall be submitted to the Bureau, which shall place the matter before the Assembly with a recommendation.
2.   The Bureau may give a final ruling on a matter declared urgent by the ACP-EU Council of Ministers.
Article 25
Standing committees
1.   The Assembly shall set up three standing committees (36) responsible for the following areas in the context of the implementation of the Partnership Agreement:






—


promoting democratic processes through dialogue and consultation;










—


economic, financial and trade matters and implementation of the European Development Fund;










—


social and environmental issues.




2.   In line with the general arrangements for the functioning of the Assembly, the standing committees shall be composed of members of the Assembly, in accordance with Article 1, and shall function in a strictly joint manner.
3.   The rules of procedure of the standing committees shall be adopted by the Assembly on a proposal from the Bureau.
Article 26
Temporary follow-up committees
1.   The Bureau may, on a proposal from the Assembly, set up temporary follow-up committees on specific subjects related to the Partnership Agreement or matters covered by it. Not more than two such committees may be operational at the same time. Follow-up committees must complete their work within one year.
2.   The Bureau shall determine their responsibilities, composition and mandate.
Article 27
Workshops
1.   With a view to facilitating ‘greater understanding between the peoples of the European Union and those of the ACP States and raising public awareness of development issues’, the Assembly shall organise workshops at regular intervals in both the European Union and the ACP States.
2.   The workshops shall be organised under the responsibility of the Bureau and shall, in particular, provide an opportunity to invite persons able to give the Assembly first-hand information about political, economic, social and cultural situations that are of concern.
3.   Up to three workshops shall be held the day before the opening of each session of the Assembly. A short oral report shall be presented to the session by each rapporteur, followed, possibly, by a debate.
Article 28
Missions and delegations
1.   The Bureau may decide to send fact-finding missions to ACP States or EU Member States or to international organisations, subject to budgetary constraints. The Bureau or the Assembly may also decide to send joint delegations for the observation of presidential or parliamentary elections, at the invitation of the country concerned, provided that there are no concerns about security and that, in the case of members of the European Parliament, this is compatible with the internal rules of the European Parliament. Furthermore, in accordance with the principle of close cooperation laid down in Article 29, the Bureau may send delegations to meetings of the European Economic and Social Committee and of the social partners, including those held outside Brussels.
A report shall be submitted to the Bureau and to the subsequent session of the Assembly. There shall be a concrete follow-up at the next Bureau meeting to the recommendations made in the report.
2.   The Co-Presidents or their Vice-Presidents may attend high-level meetings or meetings of international parliamentary bodies when invited to participate in their official capacity, either singly or jointly, on behalf of the Assembly. Such missions must represent the Assembly as a whole and the activities entailed must reflect shared ACP-EU interests.
Article 29
Consultation with civil society
The Assembly shall take steps to ensure that the ACP States and the European Union have regular contacts and consultations with representatives of the ACP-EU economic and social partners and other representatives of civil society, in order to obtain their views on the attainment of the objectives of the Partnership Agreement. Those representatives of civil society shall have the opportunity to attend regional meetings and standing committee meetings and to take part in workshops. The Bureau shall examine, in each case, the conditions under which invitations should be addressed to them.
Article 30
Honorary President
On a proposal from the Bureau, and in exceptional cases, the Assembly may confer the title of Honorary President on one of its former Co-Presidents. This honour shall be a mark of recognition by the Assembly of the distinguished service rendered by the person concerned, during his/her membership of the Assembly, to the cause of the Assembly.
Article 31
Secretariat
The Secretary-General of the European Parliament and the Secretary-General of the ACP Secretariat shall take all necessary steps to assist the Assembly and to ensure that it functions smoothly. 
They may designate a senior official of their respective Secretariats to represent them as Co-Secretary-General of the Assembly.
 They shall be answerable to the Bureau.
Article 32
Financial regulation
The Assembly shall adopt its financial regulation on the basis of proposals from the Bureau.
Article 33
Interpretation of the Rules of Procedure
The President – or, at his request, the Bureau – shall rule on questions relating to the interpretation of these Rules of Procedure.
Article 34
Points of order
1.   A member may raise a point of order or move a procedural motion and shall have a prior right to speak. He may speak on the point of order or procedural motion for not more than two minutes.
2.   The President may, on request, give the floor to one speaker against the motion for not more than two minutes.
3.   No further speakers shall be heard.
4.   The President shall announce his decision on the point of order or procedural motion. He may first consult the Bureau.
Article 35
Revision of the Rules of Procedure
1.   Amendments to these Rules of Procedure shall be decided on by the Assembly on the basis of proposals from the Bureau, having consulted the Committee on Political Affairs.
2.   Amendments shall be adopted only if they obtain the majority of the votes of each of the two groups of representatives in the Assembly.
3.   Unless otherwise specified when the vote is taken, amendments to these Rules shall enter into force on the first day of the session following their adoption.


ANNEX I

Powers, responsibilities, membership and procedures of standing committees

Article 1
There shall be three standing parliamentary committees with the following powers and responsibilities:






I.



COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:






1.


Political dialogue (Article 8 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement), development and institutional matters;










2.


Respect for and the promotion of human rights, democracy and good governance (Article 9 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










3.


Peace-building policies and conflict prevention and resolution (Article 11 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










4.


Issues concerning migration (Article 13 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










5.


Assembly relations with relevant international organisations.




This committee will coordinate the work of fact-finding missions, including those sent to monitor elections, in accordance with Article 28 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.










II.



COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE AND TRADE

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:






1.


Economic development and trade cooperation, as well as capacity-building for development and partnership;










2.


Macroeconomic and structural reforms, economic sector development and tourism (Articles 22 to 24 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










3.


New ACP-EU trading arrangements, market access and the gradual integration of ACP States into the world economy (Articles 34 to 37 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










4.


Trade and labour standards (Article 50 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










5.


Rural development, fisheries and food security (Articles 53 and 54 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










6.


All issues concerning development finance cooperation including follow-up of the implementation of the European Development Fund.














III.



COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:






1.


Social and human development;










2.


Social infrastructure and services, including health and education issues (Article 25 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










3.


Youth and cultural issues (Articles 26 and 27 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










4.


Gender issues (Article 31 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement);










5.


Environment and natural resources (Article 32 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement).








Article 2
1.   Each member of the Assembly shall have the right to be a member of one of the standing committees.
2.   The committees shall be composed of 52 members and shall consist of equal numbers of, on the one hand, members of the European Parliament and, on the other, members of parliament from ACP States. Should the number of ACP States increase, the number of places on the standing committees will increase pro rata.
3.   Members may also attend meetings of committees to which they do not belong in an advisory capacity or if the subject under discussion covers their country or region, if invited by the Committee Bureau.
4.   The participation of representatives who are not members of a parliament shall only be allowed if the subject under discussion covers their country, but they will not have the right to vote.
5.   Unless a committee decides otherwise, all meetings shall be public.
Article 3
1.   The composition of the committees shall, as far as possible, reflect the composition of the Assembly.
2.   The committees shall elect a Committee Bureau from amongst their members for a period of one year.
3.   The Committee Bureau shall consist of two co-chairs (one representative of the European Parliament and one representative of the ACP States) and four co-vice-chairs (two representatives of the ACP States and two representatives of the European Parliament).
4.   The committees shall be jointly chaired by a member of the European Parliament and by a member of parliament from an ACP State.
5.   The committees may appoint rapporteurs to examine specific questions within their competence and prepare reports to be submitted to the Assembly subject to authorisation from the Bureau, in accordance with Article 2 of the Rules of Procedure.
Motions for resolutions contained in reports may be accompanied by an explanatory statement, which shall not exceed four pages.
6.   The standing committees may discuss other agenda items without a report and advise the Bureau in writing that the said items were discussed.
7.   Committees shall also contribute to the dialogue with non-state actors, in accordance with Article 17(3) of the Partnership Agreement, in particular by means of hearings.
8.   The committees shall report to the Assembly on their activities.
Article 4
1.   Committees shall meet when convened by their co-chairs and for a maximum of four sessions per year, two of them during the session of the Assembly.
2.   Any member may table amendments for consideration in committee. As far as the procedure is concerned, Articles 3 (attendance of other institutions), 4 (observers), 8 (quorum), 9 (presidency of sittings), 16 (right to vote and methods of voting) and 29 (consultation with civil society) of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly shall apply mutatis mutandis to committee meetings.


ANNEX II

Length of texts

The following maximum lengths shall apply to texts submitted for translation and reproduction:






—


Explanatory statements, preparatory working documents and reports on fact-finding missions: six pages










—


Motions for resolutions contained in reports and urgent topics: four pages, including recitals but excluding citations




A page shall be taken to mean a text of 1 500 characters (not taking into account spaces).
This annex may be amended pursuant to a simple decision by the Bureau.


ANNEX III

Meetings of political groupings

Political groups of the European Parliament, as well as members of the European Parliament and of parliaments of ACP States, according to their political affiliations, may meet in the margins of the sessions of the Assembly, but not at the same time as the sessions themselves. Interpretation shall be provided for such meetings.


ANNEX IV

European Parliament rules regarding interpreting and translation facilities (Article 11 of these Rules of Procedure)

Interpreting and translation facilities (37)







(a)


For all meetings held at Parliament’s normal places of work:






(i)


interpretation will be provided in all the working languages of the European JPA members actually present;










(ii)


actual presence within the meaning of this paragraph refers to attendance at all sittings of a session, and at meetings of the Bureau and the standing committees for the members concerned;










(iii)


translation services during each meeting will be provided in English and French.














(b)


For all meetings held outside Parliament’s normal places of work:






(i)


Interpretation facilities shall be provided for the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly as a general rule in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese; other languages might be considered under exceptional circumstances for particular meetings (e.g. the language of the Council Presidency);
If it is established two weeks before a scheduled meeting that fewer than three Members using any one of these languages will attend, interpretation will not be provided in the language(s) concerned.
Attendance is confirmed in the following ways:






—


in the case of meetings outside the European Union, by booking a plane ticket with the European Parliament’s accredited travel agency, or










—


in the case of meetings within the European Union, on the basis of the lists sent by the political groups to the European co-secretariat, with reservation of a travel ticket and/or a hotel room,














(ii)


once the meeting has started interpretation will be provided in the languages foreseen even if fewer than three Members using any one of those languages remain present at that specific meeting,










(iii)


if, after application of the rules in paragraph (i), the language of the host country is not included in the interpretation language profile for the JPA session, active and passive interpretation of that language can be provided additionally, if the language is a Community language,










(iv)


translation services during each meeting will be provided in English and French.










CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OF THE ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY PARTICIPATING IN ELECTION OBSERVATION DELEGATIONS

Introduction

International election observation is widely accepted around the world. It is conducted by intergovernmental and international non-governmental organisations and associations in order to provide an impartial and accurate assessment of the nature of election processes for the benefit both of the population of the country where the election is held and of the international community.
When the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly participates in election observation, its delegation should be integrated into a long-term observation mission organised by partners of recognised capacity, such as EU-EOMs, the OSCE/ODHIR and the African Union.
This Code of Conduct sets out the general principles of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on the conduct of election observation missions. It is complementary to the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers attached hereto.
Members who are appointed to an ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly election observation delegation must subscribe to and abide by this ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly Code of Conduct as a prerequisite for taking part in that delegation.

General principles

Members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly are bound by the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers, which lays down the following general rules of conduct:






—


Respect sovereignty and international human rights;










—


Respect the laws of the country and the authority of electoral bodies;










—


Maintain strict political impartiality at all times;










—


Respect the integrity of the international election observation mission;










—


Do not obstruct election processes;










—


Provide appropriate identification;










—


Maintain accuracy of observations and professionalism in drawing conclusions;










—


Refrain from making comments to the public or the media before the mission speaks collectively;










—


Cooperate with other election observers;










—


Maintain proper personal behaviour.




Specifically,






1.


Members shall maintain strict political impartiality during all the work of the delegation.










2.


Members shall participate fully in the entire work of the delegation, from the first briefing to the final press conference.






—


Mandatory preparatory meetings shall be held on the eve of the mission in loco and all delegation members should attend.










—


JPA delegations should arrive in the country where the election is taking place three or four days before election day and not leave until after election day.










—


The work of the delegation shall last from the first briefing to the final press conference. In any event, the Co-Heads of the JPA delegation or a designated member shall attend the final press conference.










—


Members of JPA delegations shall follow the agreed programme (including briefings, debriefings and scheduled meetings).










—


Members planning to take part in an election observation delegation shall ensure that they will be available for a second round of voting if one is to be held.














3.


Only Members are entitled to take part in an election observation delegation, accompanied by staff from the Secretariats of the European Parliament and the ACP Group of States. No other person may be a member of or accompany a delegation.










4.


Members participating in an election observation delegation for the first time should attend a briefing on election observation delegations.










5.


Members shall play an active role on election day itself, attending polling stations and observing the opening and closing of the stations, the voting procedure and the counting of ballots.










6.


Members may explain the nature of the observation delegation and its activities. On all other matters relating to the election observation delegation, Members should refrain from making comments to the public or the media before the joint press conference and should refer the media or other interested persons to:






—


the press conference held jointly with the International Election Observation Mission shortly after election day;










—


the Chief Observer of the International Election Observation Mission;










—


the Co-Heads of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly election observation delegation.









PROVISIONS IN THE EVENT OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THIS CODE OF CONDUCT

In the event of a serious breach of this code of conduct,






—


the Co-Heads of the JPA delegation shall have the authority to exclude the Member concerned from the delegation;










—


the delegation may, acting by a majority of votes, and voting by separate houses, terminate the office of either of the Co-Heads of the delegation, where it considers that he or she has been guilty of serious misconduct;










—


the Co-Presidents of the JPA shall be informed and shall inform, respectively, the President of the relevant political group (or the Bureau in the case of non-attached Members) if the Member concerned is from the European Parliament, or the Speaker of Parliament of the ACP State of origin, if the Member concerned is from the Parliament of an ACP State.










—


The Member may be excluded from taking part in election observation delegations for a period of four years.




Date _
Name _
Signature _


ANNEX I

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS

International election observation is widely accepted around the world. It is conducted by intergovernmental and international nongovernmental organizations and associations in order to provide an impartial and accurate assessment of the nature of election processes for the benefit of the population of the country where the election is held and for the benefit of the international community. Much therefore depends on ensuring the integrity of international election observation, and all who are part of this international election observation mission, including long-term and short-term observers, members of assessment delegations, specialized observation teams and leaders of the mission, must subscribe to and follow this Code of Conduct.

Respect Sovereignty and International Human Rights

Elections are an expression of sovereignty, which belongs to the people of a country, the free expression of whose will provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of government. The rights of citizens to vote and to be elected at periodic, genuine elections are internationally recognized human rights, and they require the exercise of a number of fundamental rights and freedoms. Election observers must respect the sovereignty of the host country, as well as the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people.

Respect the Laws of the Country and the Authority of Electoral Bodies

Observers must respect the laws of the host country and the authority of the bodies charged with administering the electoral process. Observers must follow any lawful instruction from the country's governmental, security and electoral authorities. Observers also must maintain a respectful attitude toward electoral officials and other national authorities. Observers must note if laws, regulations or the actions of state and/or electoral officials unduly burden or obstruct the exercise of election- related rights guaranteed by law, constitution or applicable international instruments.

Respect the Integrity of the International Election Observation Mission

Observers must respect and protect the integrity of the international election observation mission. This includes following this Code of Conduct, any written instructions (such as a terms of reference, directives and guidelines) and any verbal instructions from the observation mission's leadership. Observers must: attend all of the observation mission's required briefings, trainings and debriefings; become familiar with the election law, regulations and other relevant laws as directed by the observation mission; and carefully adhere to the methodologies employed by the observation mission. Observers also must report to the leadership of the observation mission any conflicts of interest they may have and any improper behavior they see conducted by other observers that are part of the mission.

Maintain Strict Political Impartiality at All Times

Observers must maintain strict political impartiality at all times, including leisure time in the host country. They must not express or exhibit any bias or preference in relation to national authorities, political parties, candidates, referenda issues or in relation to any contentious issues in the election process. Observers also must not conduct any activity that could be reasonably perceived as favoring or providing partisan gain for any political competitor in the host country, such as wearing or displaying any partisan symbols, colors, banners or accepting anything of value from political competitors.

Do Not Obstruct Election Processes

Observers must not obstruct any element of the election process, including pre-election processes, voting, counting and tabulation of results and processes transpiring after election day. Observers may bring irregularities, fraud or significant problems to the attention of election officials on the spot, unless this is prohibited by law, and must do so in a non-obstructive manner. Observers may ask questions of election officials, political party representatives and other observers inside polling stations and may answer questions about their own activities, as long as observers do not obstruct the election process. In answering questions observers should not seek to direct the election process. Observers may ask and answer questions of voters but may not ask them to tell for whom or what party or referendum position they voted.

Provide Appropriate Identification

Observers must display identification provided by the election observation mission, as well as identification required by national authorities, and must present it to electoral officials and other interested national authorities when requested.

Maintain Accuracy of Observations and Professionalism in Drawing Conclusions

Observers must ensure that all of their observations are accurate. Observations must be comprehensive, noting positive as well as negative factors, distinguishing between significant and insignificant factors and identifying patterns that could have an important impact on the integrity of the election process. Observers' judgments must be based on the highest standards for accuracy of information and impartiality of analysis, distinguishing subjective factors from objective evidence. Observers must base all conclusions on factual and verifiable evidence and not draw conclusions prematurely. Observers also must keep a well documented record of where they observed, the observations made and other relevant information as required by the election observation mission and must turn in such documentation to the mission.

Refrain from Making Comments to the Public or the Media before the Mission Speaks

Observers must refrain from making any personal comments about their observations or conclusions to the news media or members of the public before the election observation mission makes a statement, unless specifically instructed otherwise by the observation mission's leadership. Observers may explain the nature of the observation mission, its activities and other matters deemed appropriate by the observation mission and should refer the media or other interested persons to the those individuals designated by the observation mission.

Cooperate with Other Election Observers

Observers must be aware of other election observation missions, both international and domestic, and cooperate with them as instructed by the leadership of the election observation mission.

Maintain Proper Personal Behavior

Observers must maintain proper personal behavior and respect others, including exhibiting sensitivity for host-country cultures and customs, exercise sound judgment in personal interactions and observe the highest level of professional conduct at all times, including leisure time.

Violations of This Code of Conduct

In a case of concern about the violation of this Code of Conduct, the election observation mission shall conduct an inquiry into the matter. If a serious violation is found to have occurred, the observer concerned may have their observer accreditation withdrawn or be dismissed from the election observation mission. The authority for such determinations rests solely with the leadership of the election observation mission.

Pledge to Follow This Code of Conduct


Every person who participates in this election observation mission must read and understand this Code of Conduct and must sign a pledge to follow




(1)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 19 June 2013 in Brussels.

(2)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 19 June 2013 in Brussels (Belgium).

(3)  OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.

(4)  OJ L 287, 4.11.2010, p. 3.

(5)  OJ C 273 E, 14.11.2003, p. 305.

(6)  OJ C 292 E, 1.12.2006, p. 121.

(7)  OJ C 102 E, 24.4.2008, p. 301.

(8)  OJ C 323 E, 18.12.2008, p. 361.

(9)  OJ C 67 E, 18.3.2010, p. 124.

(10)  OJ L 303, 31.10.2012, p. 1


(11)  Texts adopted: P7_TA(2012)0241.

(12)  Texts adopted: P7_TA(2012)0342.

(13)  Texts adopted: P7_TA(2013)0112.

(14)  P7_TA(2010)0434.

(15)  Text adopted: P7_TA(2012)0431.

(16)  OJ C 120, 30.4.2004, p. 16.

(17)  OJ C 330, 30.12.2006, p. 36.

(18)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 101.

(19)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 118.

(20)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 106.

(21)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 112.

(22)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 141.

(23)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 129.

(24)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 124.

(25)  OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 135.

(26)  OJ C 136 E, 11.5.2012, p. 19.

(27)  ACP/25/006/12 [Final].

(28)  ACP/28/065/12 [Final].

(29)  Texts Adopted: P7_TA(2013)0119.

(30)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 19 June 2013 in Brussels (Belgium).

(31)  OJ C 371 E, 20.12.2011 p. 30.

(32)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 19 June 2013 in Brussels (Belgium).

(33)  Texts adopted: P7_TA(2013)0033.

(34)  Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 19 June 2013 in Brussels (Belgium).

(35)  See Annex IV.

(36)  For more detailed rules see Annex I.

(37)  See also the Code of Conduct on Multilingualism, particularly Articles 2(2) and 8(2) thereof.