Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the Partnership Agreement concluded 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 — Minutes of the sitting of monday, 15 june 2015
Date: 2015-06-15
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
Subjects: ACP-EU relationship, South Africa, climate change, climate change policy, development aid, economic cooperation, financing policy, international cooperation, migration, natural disaster








C_2015391EN.01000101.xml










24.11.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 391/1





JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT CONCLUDED 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
MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2015
(2015/C 391/01)
Contents





Formal inaugural sitting
1








Sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
2








Composition of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
2








Accreditation of non-parliamentary representatives
2










1.

Adoption of agenda (AP101.763)
2










2.

Approval of the minutes of the last sitting of the 28th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (OJ C 160, 13.5.2015)
2










3.

Co-Presidents’ Announcements including decisions taken at the Bureau meeting of 14 June 2015
2










4.

Statement by Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development
3










5.

Debate with Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development — catch-the-eye
3










6.

Question Time to the Commission
3










7.

Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 28th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
4










8.

The financing of investment and trade, including infrastructure, in ACP countries by the EU blending mechanism
4










9.

Report of the economic and social partners
4




MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2015


(The sitting opened at 11.00)



Formal inaugural sitting


The following addressed the Assembly:
Jiko Luveni, Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji, Fitz A. Jackson, Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Louis Michel, Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and Josaia V. Bainimarama, Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji.

(The sitting adjourned at 12.10 and resumed at 15.09)

IN THE CHAIR: Fitz A. JACKSON

Co-President



Sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly


The Co-President welcomed all the participants.


Composition of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly


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


Accreditation of non-parliamentary representatives


The Co-President announced that one request for accreditation of a non-parliamentary representative had been received in accordance with Article 17(1) of the Cotonou Agreement and Article 1(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, owing to force majeure. The representative’s presence would be recorded and her name listed in an annex to the minutes.
IN THE CHAIR: Louis MICHEL

Co-President

1.   Adoption of agenda (AP101.763)

The Co-President announced that the ACP Council would unfortunately not be represented at the session due to a motion for censure on the Vanuatuan government in the Parliament of Vanuatu. Answers to the questions put to the ACP Council for Question Time would be provided in writing.
The agenda was adopted as shown in these minutes.
2.   Approval of the minutes of the last sitting of the 28th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (OJ C 160, 13.5.2015).
The minutes were approved.
3.   Co-Presidents’ Announcements including decisions taken at the Bureau meeting of 14 June 2015
The Co-President reported on the results of the Bureau meeting of 14 June 2015.
The following decisions were taken:






(a)


The standing committees would draft the following reports for adoption at the 31st session:






 



Committee on Political Affairs







—


Improving participatory governance through decentralisation and the strengthening of democracy and local governance














 



Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade







—


Continental free trade area in Africa — possibilities to foster intra-African trade and its potential benefits for the ACP














 



Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment







—


Migration between ACP and EU Member States: causes, consequences and strategies for common management.


















(b)


To hold the 13th regional meeting in Southern Africa during the week of 2 to 6 November 2015.










(c)


To organise a mission of the Bureau to Milan at the EXPO 2015 and a fact-finding mission to Lampedusa from 26 to 28 September 2015.










(d)


To organise a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe before the end of 2015 subject to suitable dates being agreed with the country.










(e)


To suspend the election observation mission to Burundi, given the circumstances in that country.










(f)


To confirm that the 30th Session of the Assembly would take place from 7 to 9 December 2015 in Mozambique.




The Co-President informed the Assembly that the Women’s Forum had met on Saturday morning and had been co-chaired by Kashetu Kyenge and Ana Rita Sithole (Mozambique). The subject of the meeting was ‘Promoting women’s access to decent work and equality in employment’.
The Co-President announced the following deadlines:






—


concerning amendments to the compromise resolutions on the natural disaster in Vanuatu (and neighbouring states): the way forward, including regional cooperation, and on the situation in the Central African Republic: Tuesday 16 June 2015 at 12.00 noon,










—


concerning requests relating to voting methods: Wednesday 17 June 2015 at 10.00 a.m. in writing.




4.   Statement by Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development
Neven Mimica outlined the EU’s commitments in preparation for the three major development-related international conferences in 2015: the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda in New York and the UN COP 21 Climate Change Conference in Paris. Ambitious EU commitments on ODA and on targets for greenhouse gas reductions would not be enough; other like-minded countries and institutions would also have to deliver on commitments if sustainable development and climate change goals were to be met. A joint ACP-EU position for the three conferences would carry important weight in negotiations. Commissioner Mimica also stressed the need for accountability and effective mechanisms for monitoring the delivery on commitments.
5.   Debate with Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development — catch-the-eye
Speakers: Michèle Rivasi, Mohamed Youssouf Goumaneh (Djibouti), Davor Ivo Stier, Adjedoue Weidou (Chad), Kashetu Kyenge, James Munthali (Malawi), David Martin, Javier Nart, Lidia Senra Rodriguez, Louis Michel, Joachim Zeller, Marielle de Sarnez and Michael Gahler.
The exchange of views focused on climate change and disaster risk reduction, with interventions on topics including EU commitments on climate change, innovative financing and monitoring of climate change commitments, links between climate change, migration and natural disasters and budgetisation of future European Development Funds.
Commissioner Mimica answered the questions raised by Members following the order of the catch-the-eye procedure.
6.   Question Time to the Commission

A total of 18 questions were put to the European Commission.
The Commission had previously responded to the questions in writing. Commissioner Mimica gave oral replies to the supplementary questions by the following authors:






 


Question No 6 by Michèle Rivasi on an ACP-EU common position for the climate negotiations










 


Question No 7 by Catherine Bearder on the wildlife crime conference held in Kasane, Botswana










 


Question No 8 by Louis-Joseph Manscour (replaced by Derek Vaughan) on the fight against non-communicable diseases in the ACP countries










 


Question No 9 by Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (replaced by Derek Vaughan) on the impact on HIV-AIDS of the persecution of human rights defenders










 


Question No 11 by David Martin on the human rights linkage clause in EPAs










 


Question No 12 by Pavel Telicka (replaced by Petr Jezek) on the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty










 


Question No 13 by Enrique Guerrero Salom (replaced by Norbert Neuser) on the Republic of Equatorial Guinea










 


Question No 16 by Nathalie Griesbeck on civil registers and statistics.




The authors of questions 1, 2, 5, 10, 14, 17 and 18 had no supplementary questions.
The authors of questions 3, 4, 15 were not present.
7.   Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 28th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
A document concerning the follow-up by the Commission to the resolutions adopted by the Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg in December 2014 had been included in the dossier.
8.   The financing of investment and trade, including infrastructure, in ACP countries by the EU blending mechanism

Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade
Co-Rapporteurs: Malement Liahosoa (Madagascar) and David Martin
Malement Liahosoa (Madagascar) and David Martin presented the report.
Speakers: Andre R. Worrell (Barbados), Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Netty Baldeh (Gambia), Joyce Laboso (Kenya), Mohamed El Mokhtar Zamel (Mauritania), Marielle de Sarnez, Adjedoue Weidou (Chad), Lidia Senra Rodríguez, Bodil Ceballos, Felix C.M. Mutati (Zambia), Krzysztof Hetman, Pedro Silva Pereira, Boleslaw Piecha, Neena Gill, Derek Vaughan, Michael George Peyrefitte (Belize) and Peter Craig McQuaide (European Commission).
The blending of grants and loans, which makes it possible to leverage substantial private sector funding, will make more funding available for development. Consequently, lower interest rates would make projects with a high-risk profile or low profit margin viable. To be effective, blending will need to be based on transparent procedures, which ensure that the additionality principle is applied and that the government of the recipient country is involved. A tiny minority of Members expressed their disagreement with the use of public-private partnerships.
David Martin wound up the debate.
9.   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 made a presentation on the preparations of the economic and social partners for the international conferences on financing for development, the post-2015 development agenda and climate change.
Speakers: Michael George Peyrefitte (Belize), Adjedoue Weidou (Chad), Louis Michel, Ousmane Kaba (Guinea), Marielle de Sarnez, Joe Koim Komun (Papua New Guinea), Jo Leinen, James Munthali (Malawi), Mohamed Youssouf Goumaneh (Djibouti), Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, Norbert Neuser on a point of order, Fitz A. Jackson (Co-President), Netty Baldeh (Gambia), Mohamed Ben Oumar (Niger) and Arne Gericke.
Xavier Verboven wound up the debate.

(The sitting closed at 18.58)



Fitz A. JACKSON
Louis MICHEL

Co-Presidents



Patrick I. GOMES and
Luis Marco AGUIRIANO NALDA

Co-Secretaries-General