C 32/86
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
27.1.2023
Thursday 23 June 2022
24.
Stresses that the renewed EU-Africa relationship should have at its heart the shared best interests of both continents and should build on a strong partnership; concludes that a partnership of equals, based on full cooperation between the AU and EU, is an appropriate response to global competitors; is convinced that, if the EU’s geopolitical competition is driven only by demarcation from other world powers, continuing the traditional policy of influence stands in the way of mutually beneficial cooperation; points out that fair competition of interests is not alien to market economies and that African partners reserve the right to benefit from a demand situation in their favour;
25.
Is convinced that EU interests, such as access to raw materials, shaping economic relations to promote the EU economy, and managing migration, i.e. by tackling its root causes, can best be pursued through a new partnership of equals; is convinced that a new partnership of equals can enable the EU to effectively strengthen its strategic autonomy;
26.
Stresses that the EU should favour constructive engagement on all aspects of migration, forced displacement and mobility, working to ensure that migration takes place in a safe and well-regulated manner; considers it essential to build a long-term shared strategy to link trade, development and migration policies, as established in several European Council conclusions, in particular those adopted on 16 December 2021, as such a strategy could play a key role in fighting human smuggling and illegal migration routes from African countries to the EU;
27.
Underlines that enhancing the quality of intercontinental trade will require regularising mobility and migration on the African continent; insists — though trade policy may, in certain circumstances, minimise forced migration through job creation — neither the EU’s trade policy nor its development assistance should be leveraged to secure non-EU countries’ cooperation on migration, which could undermine the EU’s principles and values and the primary objective of poverty reduction; recalls, in this regard, that forced migration can only be resolved by creating legal pathways, enhancing international protection and addressing the broader development, political, climate and humanitarian crises that lead to forced displacement;
28.
Notes the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains; insists on the importance of building more resilient supply chains in the post-pandemic world in both the EU and the AU by reinforcing strategic autonomy, identifying dependencies, better addressing vulnerabilities and supply disruptions, diversifying production and investing more in game-changing enterprises that have integrated social, environmental and health objectives into their business models; recalls Parliament’s commitment to the European Green Deal and trade initiatives aimed at achieving its objectives, including but not limited to the carbon border adjustment mechanism, the legislative proposal on mandatory due diligence, and the proposal on deforestation-free products; insists that the Commission must carefully monitor the impact of these initiatives on EU-Africa trade and present accompanying measures to mitigate any short-term disruption; is convinced that in the long term, these legislative initiatives will result in more resilient and sustainable global value chains, benefiting citizens and businesses in both the EU and Africa;
29.
Regrets the major impact of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine on the increased price of energy, fuels, raw materials and agricultural products, causing a severe increase in production costs which is jeopardising production continuity and may lead to supply chain disruptions; calls for reinforced action at international level to ensure that policy decision-making has food security at its core, in order to avoid scarcity and ensure nutritional security in the most vulnerable countries, particularly on the African continent, and to address food security by trade means and prevent obstacles to international trade in food and raw materials;
30.
Believes that the EU can contribute to significantly reducing Africa’s current dependence on imports of food, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides through financial and technical support, policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and new technologies and by promoting African innovation;
31.
Calls for a large-scale European-African investment offensive that provides incentives for a significant increase in private investment in African states and enables comprehensive public investment in infrastructure and in combating climate change; welcomes, in this context, the commitment made at the Sixth AU-EU Summit to mobilise EUR 150 billion as part of the Global Gateway; calls for this investment initiative to be significantly expanded, together with the EU Member States;