Minutes of the sitting of Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Date: 2013-11-12
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Assembly
Subjects: European Parliament, parliamentary debate








C_2013328EN.01000501.xml










12.11.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 328/5





MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF TUESDAY, 18 JUNE 2013
2013/C 328/02
Contents






1.

Mali - Keynote debate with Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mali)









2.

Urgent topic No 1: The situation in the Central African Republic









3.

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









4.

Violence against women, children and other vulnerable groups









5.

Food and Nutrition Security









6.

Human resources for health in ACP Countries









7.

Agricultural policies facing the challenges of food security and climate change









8.

Youth at the centre of the new ACP development policy: the importance of new technologies, education and entrepreneurship




MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF TUESDAY, 18 JUNE 2013


(The sitting opened at 9.15 a.m.)

IN THE CHAIR: Joyce LABOSO

Co-President

1.   Mali

Keynote debate with Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mali)
Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali presented a short summary of events since the coup of March 2012 and gave an update of the current situation.
Speakers: Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Michèle Striffler, Laurent Ngon-Baba (RCA), Patrice Tirolien, Edwin Banda (Malawi), Marielle de Sarnez, Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Michèle Rivasi, Christophe Lutundula (Democratic Republic of Congo), Adjedoue Weidou (Chad), Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Philippe Boulland, Zita Gurmai, Maria Da Graça Carvalho, Jo Leinen, Michael Gahler, Hans-Peter Mayer, Agustín Díaz De Mera García Consuegra, Peteris Ustubs (EEAS).
Tieman Hubert Coulibaly was confident that the conditions for the presidential elections announced for 28 July 2013 would be met to an acceptable degree, notably those of the UNSCR Resolutions and of the European Parliament, taking into account the huge challenges (disarmament of rebels, return and control of the entire territory by the administration, including by the national armed forces, and elections organised countrywide as well as in the refugee camps). He was confident about the imminence of a detailed agreement with the remaining rebels in Kidal.
2.   Urgent topic No 1: The situation in the Central African Republic

Peteris Ustubs (EEAS) made a presentation on the situation in the Central African Republic.
Speakers: Mariya Gabriel, Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Norbert Neuser, Edwin Banda (Malawi), Louis Michel, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Jean-Jacop Bicep, Mohammed Mukhtar Ahmed (Nigeria), Christophe Lutundula (RDC), Laurent Ngon-Baba (RCA), Peter Šťastný.
The speakers stressed the need to stabilise the political, economic and social situation in the Central African Republic and to restore public order and the constitutional order following the coup of 25 April 2013. The Members showed their support for Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye in his difficult task of national reconstruction, which includes demilitarisation and demobilisation of irregular armed forces, aid to people affected by the conflict and legal punishment of people found guilty of crimes. The Members also focused on the need to respect the Libreville agreement of 11 January 2013 and the agreements adopted at the ECCAS summits on the Central African Republic.
3.   Threats posed again by military coups on democracy and political stability in the ACP countries and the role of the international community

Committee on Political Affairs
Co-Rapporteurs: Mariya Gabriel and Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique)
Mariya Gabriel and Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique) presented the report.
Speakers: Boniface Yehouetome (Bénin), Michael Gahler, Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Olle Schmidt, Isabelle Durant, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Mohammed Mukhtar Ahmed (Nigeria), Christophe Lutundula (RDC), Filip Kaczmarek, Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Piet Van der Walt (Namibia), José Costa Pereira (EEAS).
Mariya Gabriel and Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique) wound up the debate.
Members stressed the need to put in place all possible mechanisms to prevent military coups, rather than having to deal with their consequences. Active solidarity of neighbouring countries could already contribute to this end, but also regional and sub-regional early warning systems and an integrated security strategy are key. Some Members called for cautiousness with regard to the integration of former rebels in the armed forces. Members also recalled that transparent and fair elections provide a good basis for a legitimate government, as long as all aspects of good governance are integrated.
4.   Violence against women, children and other vulnerable groups

Debate without resolution with Lakshmi Puri, Acting Head of UN Women
Lakshmi Puri, Acting Head of UN Women, made a statement on violence against women, children and other vulnerable groups.
Speakers: Boniface Yehouetome (Bénin), Edit Bauer, Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroon), Michael Cashman, Musa Hussein Naib (Eritrea), Catherine Bearder, Isabelle Durant, Sithembile Mlotshwa (Zimbabwe), Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Attiat Mustafa Abdel Halim (Sudan), Patrick Gamedze (Swaziland), Mariya Gabriel, Christophe Lutundula (Democratic Republic of Congo), Zita Gurmai, Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Michèle Striffler, Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique), Anna Zaborska, Nela Khan (Trinidad and Tobago), Ibrahim Bundu (Sierra Leone), Piet Van der Walt (Namibia).
Lakshmi Puri explained the work of 'UN Women' and highlighted the importance of joint and comprehensive efforts to put an end to violence against women, calling on the parliamentarians to join this commitment.
In response to questions by Members, Lakshmi Puri highlighted the importance of prevention of violence against women through awareness raising, economic empowerment, autonomy and political participation. She underscored the work done to change the mindset of men and boys. She called for an end to impunity by prosecuting those responsible for those human rights violations. Finally she called for the provision of additional resources needed to provide protection to the victims and to ensure basic services.

The sitting closed at 1.00 p.m. and resumed at 3.05 p.m.

IN THE CHAIR: Louis MICHEL

Co-President

5.   Food and Nutrition Security

Exchange of views with Joe Costello T.D., Minister of State for Development and Trade (Ireland, representative of the Irish Presidency of the EU)
Joe Costello made an introduction on the importance of food and nutrition security as a means to achieve goal 1 of the MDGs.
Speakers: Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroun), Gay Mitchell, Jo Leinen, Edwin Banda (Malawi), Charles Goerens, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), François Alfonsi, Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Attiat Mustafa Abdel Halim (Sudan), Gabriele Zimmer, Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Horst Schnellhardt, Michèle Striffler, Rajeshree Kumaree Nita Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Bernard Rey (European Commission).
Speakers acknowledged that progress had been made in this respect, but further concerted action by developing and developed countries was still needed. World population growth, speculation on agricultural commodities, biofuel production, land policies (including on land reform, land titling and land grabbing), and climate change were highlighted by Members as some of the main challenges to addressing food and nutrition security.
6.   Human resources for health in ACP Countries

Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment
Co-rapporteurs: Charles W. Kakoma (Zambia) and Edit Bauer
Edit Bauer and Charles W. Kakoma (Zambia) presented the report.
Speakers: Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroun), Horst Schnellhardt, Jutta Haug, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Catherine Bearder, Abdourahamane Chegou (Niger), Michèle Rivasi, Attiat Mustafa Abdel Halim (Sudan), Michael Peyrefitte (Belize), Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin (Ghana), Anna Záborská, Philippe Boulland, Christopher Knauth (European Commission)
Members debated the consequences of the shortcomings of human resources in the health sector in ACP countries and recognised the important role of civil society, local authorities, public health non-profit organisations and volunteer organisations in complementing public health systems. Members urged the Commission and the EU Member States to continue to support ACP countries, both financially and technically, in order to develop national health plans and to avoid "brain drain". EU Member States should ensure that their migration polices did not undermine the availability of health professionals in third-world countries.
Co-rapporteurs Edit Bauer and Charles W. Kakoma (Zambia) wound up the debate.
7.   Agricultural policies facing the challenges of food security and climate change

Exchange of views with Dacian Cioloș, Member of the European Commission with responsibility for agriculture and rural development
Commissioner Dacian Cioloș emphasised the importance of sustainable agriculture and rural development as factors for development and food security, to which the EU Common Agricultural Policy contributed globally.
Speakers: Boniface Yehouetome (Benin), Hans-Peter Mayer, Bobbo Hamatoukour (Cameroun), Zita Gurmai, Catherine Bearder, Edwin Banda (Malawi), François Alfonsi, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Janusz Wojciechowski, Gabriele Zimmer, Ana Rita Geremias Sithole (Mozambique), Christa Klass, Edit Bauer, Horst Schnellhardt, Michèle Striffler, Rajeshree Kumaree Nita Deerpalsing (Mauritius).
Members stressed the importance of local agricultural production and the empowerment of women and small-farm holders, leading to added value in the country of origin of raw materials. Commissioner Cioloș informed Members that the gradual elimination of EU sugar quotas would not hamper market access conditions offered to ACP countries under Economic Partnership Agreements and that the use of export subsidies was marginal and limited to exceptional crisis conditions.
Dacian Cioloș wound up the debate.
8.   Youth at the centre of the new ACP development policy: the importance of new technologies, education and entrepreneurship

Exchange of views with Cina Lawson, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (Togo)
Cina Lawson stressed that fostering entrepreneurship, education and vocational training, and the use of new technologies among young people in Africa, could be considered an effective tool to promote employment and foster economic growth in Africa.
Speakers: Mariya Gabriel, Zita Gurmai, Assarid Ag. Imbarcaouane (Mali), Fiona Hall, Rajeshree Kumaree Nita Deerpalsing (Mauritius), Michèle Rivasi, Boniface Yehouetome (Benin), Edit Bauer, Achille Marie Joseph Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Norbert Neuser, Patrick Gamedze (Swaziland), Filip Kaczmarek.
Members stressed that improving education and vocational training, notably through the Erasmus Mundus programme and an inter-African mobility scheme of students were key policies which should be supported. Members warmly welcomed the proposal to launch an ACP/EU entrepreneurship laboratory to contribute to the mobility of students from both regions.
Cina Lawson wound up the debate.

(The sitting closed at 6.40 p.m.)



Joyce LABOSO and
Louis MICHEL

Co-Presidents



Alhaji Muhammad MUMUNI and
Luis Marco AGUIRIANO NALDA

Co Secretaries-General