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, 19 December 2016
Date: 2016-12-19
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
Subjects: ACP countries, ACP-EU relationship, Cotonou Agreement, agricultural holding, aid to agriculture, development aid, international cooperation, sustainable development




C_2017170EN.01000101.xml










30.5.2017   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 170/1





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, 19 DECEMBER 2016
(2017/C 170/01)
Contents





Formal inaugural sitting
1








Sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
2








Composition of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
2










1.

Adoption of agenda (AP102.053)
2










2.

Approval of the minutes of the last sittings of the 31st session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (OJ C 451, 2.12.2016)
2










3.

Co-Presidents’ announcements, including decisions taken at the Bureau meeting of 18 December 2016
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 31st session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly
3










8.

Challenges for family farming and small-scale agriculture production in ACP countries
4










9.

Report of the economic and social partners
4




MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF MONDAY, 19 DECEMBER 2016


(The sitting opened at 11.05)


Formal inaugural sitting

The following addressed the Assembly:
Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Netty Baldeh, Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Louis Michel, Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, President of Kenya.

(The sitting adjourned at 12.30 and resumed at 15.05)

IN THE CHAIR: Netty BALDEH

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.
1.   Adoption of agenda (AP102.053)

Speakers: Michael Gahler, Co-President Netty Baldeh and Cecilia Ogwal (Uganda).
The agenda was adopted as shown in these minutes.
Decision: In order to facilitate the departure of Members, efforts would be made to hold the votes on Wednesday 21 December as early as possible in the afternoon.
2.   Approval of the minutes of the last sittings of the 31st session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (OJ C 451, 2.12.2016)
The minutes were approved.
3.   Co-Presidents’ announcements, including decisions taken at the Bureau meeting of 18 December 2016
The Co-President reported on the results of the Bureau meeting of 18 December 2016.
The following decisions were taken:






a)


The standing committees would draft the following reports:






 



Committee on Political Affairs







—


Challenges in the field of the development-security nexus in ACP and EU policies














 



Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade







—


Blue Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for ACP States














 



Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment







—


Improving access to basic healthcare systems, notably to medicines against transmittable diseases.


















b)


It was confirmed that the 33rd Session of the Assembly would take place from 19 to 21 June 2017 in St Julian’s (Malta).










c)


The 34th Session of the Assembly would take place in the Caribbean, from 18 to 20 December 2017.










d)


The 13th regional meeting would take place in Freetown (Sierra Leone) from 22 to 24 February 2017.










e)


The 14th regional meeting would take place in the Pacific region from 19 to 21 July 2017.










f)


A fact-finding mission to Mali and, if possible, other fact finding missions to Zimbabwe and Mauritania would be organised.










g)


A declaration would be issued by the Assembly on the parliamentary dimension of the Post-Cotonou ACP-EU relations.




4.   Statement by Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development
Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development, focused his statement on the future of the partnership between the European Union and the ACP countries after 2020 and the review of the European Consensus for Development. The preferred scenario proposed by the Commission in its recent Communication is an ACP-EU umbrella agreement, which would outline common objectives and values, complemented by regional tailored partnerships for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific in order to better address the specificities of each region. While recognising the unique nature of the Agreement, the Commissioner underlined the need to adapt it to the new global environment and the emergence of new common challenges such as climate change and migration. As negotiations between the EU and ACP will start in 2018, Commissioner Mimica invited the Assembly and the national parliaments of ACP countries to reflect on the future institutional framework and make proposals on the parliamentary dimension of the future partnership.
5.   Debate with Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international cooperation and development — catch-the-eye
Speakers: Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio, Carlos Zorrinho, Norbert Neuser, Neven Mimica, Michèle Rivasi, Purmanund Jhugroo (Mauritius), Neena Gill, Michael Gahler, Marielle de Sarnez, Nathalie Griesbeck, Cécile Kashetu Kyenge, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Ahamada Soukouna (Mali), Louis H. Straker (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Sangoné Sall (Senegal), Daniel K. Shumba (Zimbabwe), Joachim Zeller, Veikko Nekundi (Namibia), Babiker Mohamed Toum (Sudan), Dariusz Rosati, Mmadi Hassani Oumouri (Comoros) and Gberi Kombo (Cameroon).
The debate focused on the three communications published in November 2016 by the Commission on ‘Towards a renewed partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries after 2020’, the proposal for a new European Consensus on Development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda should guide international development efforts over the next 15 years. The importance of ensuring policy coherence for development was highlighted, as well as the need to better interlink the security, migration and development dimensions. Many questions were raised on the EU Trust Fund for Africa, EU support for combating human trafficking and the proposal for a new EU External Investment Plan as an additional contribution to the attainment of the SDGs in Africa.
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 29 questions were put to the Commission.
The Commission had previously responded to the questions in writing. Commissioner Mimica gave oral replies to the supplementary questions relating to the following original questions:






 


Question 1 by Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez on the huge seabed mining project in Namibia










 


Oral question 7 by Catherine Bearder on the EU Wildlife Action Plan










 


Oral question 17 by Marielle de Sarnez on combating piracy










 


Oral question 18 by Cécile Kashetu Kyenge on the situation of President Kabila in the Democratic Republic of the Congo










 


Oral question 21 by Michael Gahler on the Somali refugee camp in Dadaab




The authors of questions 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 14, 16, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27 had no supplementary questions.
The authors of questions 2, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 19, 25, 26, 28, 29 were not present.
7.   Action taken by the Commission on the resolutions adopted at the 31st session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The Commissioner referred to a document concerning the action taken by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the resolutions adopted by the Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels in December 2015, included in the dossiers, with no further discussions on the matter.
8.   
Challenges for family farming and small-scale agriculture production in ACP countries
Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment
Co-rapporteurs: Maria Heubuch and Uladi Mussa (Malawi)
Uladi Mussa (Malawi) and Michèle Rivasi (replacing Maria Heubuch) presented the report.
Speakers: Agathon Rwanda (Burundi), Anna Záborská, Emanuel Alberto Fernandes Barbosa (Cape Verde), Ole Christensen, Musa Hussein Naib (Eritrea), Arne Gericke, Abdikadir Omar Aden (Kenya), Catherine Bearder, Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez, Hermann Razafindravelo (Madagascar), Bodil Valero, Amos Fish Mahlalela (South Africa), William Nokrach (Uganda), Tesfaye Daba (Ethiopia), Esther Herranz García, Norbert Neuser, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Francesc Gambús, Ricardo Serrão Santos, Krzysztof Hetman and Domenico Rosa (Commission).
Members reiterated that family farming and small-scale agricultural production in ACP countries remains critical in fighting poverty, providing food security and preserving biodiversity. Members recalled the numerous challenges faced by small family farming, which include access to land, capital and markets. The need for increasing public spending in agriculture was also highlighted, as the sector often suffers from insufficient investments.
Uladi Mussa (Malawi) and Michèle Rivasi wound up the debate.
9.   
Report of the economic and social partners
Presentation by Yves Somville, Chair of the ACP Follow-up Committee, European Economic and Social Committee
Yves Somville, Chair of the ACP Follow-up Committee, European Economic and Social Committee, made a presentation on the recent and future activities of the Follow-Up Committee.

(The sitting closed at 18.47)



Netty BALDEH
Louis MICHEL

Co-Presidents



Patrick I. GOMES
Luis Marco AGUIRIANO NALDA

Co-Secretaries-General