unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Karen Melchior
Political group: Renew
Country: Estonia
Language: EN

Thank you Commissioner for your focus on human rights and democracy in Tunisia. Will the Commission and the EEAS then take up the tripartite meetings that used to be held between the Tunisian Government, Tunisian Civil Society and the EEAS? At the moment, human rights defenders and civil society have been arrested following meetings with EU Member State embassies and holding meetings with civil society in an organised way and supporting them is an important signal and support for civil society in Tunisia.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Malte Gallée
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Spain
Language: EN

Madam Commissioner, I have quite some questions, but let me see how many I will manage to ask. First of all, I stumbled over a problem I have no solution to, and it is about waste and the products that we ship to Africa. I was wondering whether you might find a solution to this. If we ship products to African countries, often there are no extended producer responsibility organisations. So all the products we ship there, they are packed and they create a lot of waste. And it is doesn’t fall under the Waste Shipment Regulation since it is not waste yet, but it becomes waste pretty fast. How can we tackle this so that we do not contribute to the pollution in these countries where there are no such systems? The second question, let me try to ask it, is basically: if we look at the Critical Raw Materials Act, you say 40% of production should come to Europe again. I think we should rather really foster industrialisation in the source countries in line with their local demands. And the third thing, if you allow me one last second, is how do we support the whole idea of the Great Green Wall in the Sahel zone and how can we strengthen this as well?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

When it comes to critical raw materials, thank you for asking this because now I have an opportunity to explain, in a bit more detail, what we try to achieve. For instance, in Namibia – where I was in January with my dear colleague, Commissioner Breton – we are just now finalising the roadmap for our green hydrogen partnership, but also our partnership on critical raw materials. What we want to do in Namibia, what we need, as you said, are some critical minerals and raw materials for our green transition. That’s the fact, especially if we want to de-risk our relationship with China. Through this partnership, we also want to develop and support Namibia to industrialise its society and develop value chains in their society. It means that we are supporting them in terms of strengthening their institutions, in terms of improving the regulatory environment, in terms of training young people in order to be able to employ themselves or get a job. And then, of course, we also bring our companies to invest in Namibia in terms of infrastructure, but also in terms of mining. So we are creating new jobs, but at the same time, we want to support Namibia to really benefit from this partnership. And this is precisely the 360-degree approach, which is, I would say, something which is mutually beneficial for both of us, for Namibia, but also for the European Union.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Malte Gallée
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Spain
Language: EN

Thank you very much. Let me just quickly get back to the question of the waste, since, I mean it’s nice that we have some projects and it’s working well at some points, but how can we make sure that if European companies ship to African countries that what they ship there does not become waste? How can we, like basically, apply the same rules as we do with the waste shipment regulation for products that are no waste yet?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

Very broad and continued mobilisation of actors for the Great Green Wall is key and, of course, this whole initiative will secure a steady stream of action and financial support towards the Great Green Wall, solidifying its sustainability in the medium to long term. What we aim to do is really to develop local and regional global sustainable value chains originating from the Great Green Wall, and that should be supported along with active involvement and commitment from the private sector.  Tree—based and agro—ecology based value chains are probably the strongest incentive for farmers engagement in sustainable land management. So this is something we are working on with our Member States but also with our partners in that region.  When it comes to waste management and waste legislation, I do not have a silver bullet as to how to solve that problem. But, of course, when it comes to the legislation, we also – through for instance, political dialogue – want to work together with our partner countries in order to improve their legislation. But what I’m against is this kind of imposing attitude that we come there and say that, okay, this is the legislation you have to adopt. This is not the mutually—beneficial equal partnership we are presenting and promoting.  That is why, of course, through this dialogue we can always explain what the existing legislation in the European Union is, what our experience of it is, and then we can offer to be at their disposal to help and keep, for instance, technical assistance and provide some expertise if it is needed. But through dialogue, I think that’s the best way to try to support our partners to develop also, and to improve their legislation.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Anna Fotyga
Political group: ECR
Country: Denmark
Language: EN

Mr President, Commissioner, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU is already aware of near imperial policies, violence, cruelty, war crimes, and genocide perpetrated by Russia. What is less known, though, is the neo-colonial conquest perpetrated in many of territories directly or via proxies like Wagner groups. Is the EU aware of this fact? Is it ready and capable to raise awareness among our African partners? That is particularly relevant for them, and this process is extremely deteriorating to them and to the interest of the EU in Africa.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

And when it comes to Africa, we have the objective to mobilise up to EUR 150 billion in investments by 2027. That money does not come only from the EU budget. We have our part, but also our Member States are contributing to these investments as well as their financial institutions. And the idea is really to attract and encourage our European companies to invest in Africa because we need a private sector’s contribution in order to achieve and reach SDGs in the future, let’s say, even in the medium-term future. So indeed, we are facing this battle of narratives. We are facing the disinformation. But from my perspective, we also have a very good offer and answer how to tackle and compete with that disinformation in our partner countries.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Anna Fotyga
Political group: ECR
Country: Denmark
Language: EN

As European Parliament rapporteur for the opinion on the African strategy, I tried to convince my colleagues about the detrimental role of Russia – and China, by the way – knowing how difficult it was at that time.  My second question is: to what extent are EU delegations in Africa tasked to inform about the neo—colonial posture of Russia ?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

The whole concept is based on this idea that European institutions, including the European Parliament, together with our Member States and their DFIs –development finance institutions – are working as a team. So we are pooling resources, we are setting common objectives at the country level, and then we are also, of course, trying to increase our European visibility in our partner countries.  So when it comes to the role of the delegation, when it comes to the role of communication, now we really have, I would say, improved cooperation between the Member States in terms of communication. We do that at the capital level, so we have regular meetings, but we also do that at the country level. So the idea is that the EU delegation can coordinate different activities at the country level with our Member States’ embassies.  I personally think that this is the right step forward. Of course we still have room for improvement because we know that, for instance, Russia is very active and they use new technology, social media, in a way that we have never imagined it to be able to use. But I would say that progress has been already made and now we have a clear concept, and I personally think that we can also benefit from it.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Anna Bonfrisco
Political group: ID
Country: Belgium
Language: IT

Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, ringrazio la signora vicepresidente e Commissaria per avere citato il recente viaggio della nostra premier Meloni insieme al premier Rutte, accompagnati dalla Presidente von der Leyen, a dimostrazione che l'Italia è in prima fila nelle politiche di aiuto a questa vasta area strategica euro-mediterranea-africana. E cosa dire della Sicilia, cruciale per affrontare queste sfide e che il ministro Salvini ha deciso di collegare meglio all'Europa attraverso il ponte sullo Stretto? C'è però la sfida della migrazione, un argomento che divide gli Stati membri e che continua a far cadere governi. Se finalmente è stato riconosciuto che la migrazione richiede una risposta europea, chiedo se lei ritiene che l'assunto di base, che la migrazione si possa gestire, possa essere validato alla luce della sfida all'ordine internazionale basato sulle regole?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

Then, of course, we have to see the different angles and different dimensions of migration through development cooperation, which I am responsible for. Of course we are mainly focusing on the root causes of migration, so we want to address the root causes. We want to provide opportunities for young people through education, through investment, through job creation, so that they don’t need to leave their own country and try to get some prospects in Europe. So they really have opportunities. They have opportunities for a decent life in their own country. When it comes to the peace and security angle, of course we want to also support our partners in Africa to, for instance, end the conflicts which also cause migration and are is one of the root causes behind the migration. Then there is, of course, this aspect of governance and border management and also readmission and returns. I want to mention one particular aspect when it comes to readmission and returns, and that is the post—Cotonou Agreement. I’m happy to continue to that in my next answer.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Anna Bonfrisco
Political group: ID
Country: Belgium
Language: IT

Come riconosciuto da Europol, le tratte di esseri umani sono dinamiche che sfruttano ogni crisi come un'opportunità. I trafficanti sono più digitalizzati che mai, abusano di piattaforme di social media, applicazioni mobili e strumenti di comunicazione crittografati. Sono previsti, Le chiedo quindi, nella strategia dell'Unione europea per l'Africa strumenti per affrontare il traffico digitale legato all'immigrazione?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

So when it comes to post—Cotonou Agreement, that is, like we heard earlier, it is a political agreement with 79 countries from Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific states. And what is now, I would say, remarkable from the migration perspective is this annex where we have now a legal basis for readmission and returns. And that’s why, that’s one reason why we should really make some progress in the Council side so that we would be able to sign this new agreement, which was already negotiated over two years ago. But unfortunately, one Member State is blocking the approval of this agreement in the Council, and that’s why we really hope that we are able to make some progress in the coming weeks. When it comes to migration and what we are doing on digital, I would say that we have now really tried to strengthen also the cooperation with several Commission services. I give you one example: last week I had a meeting with my dear colleague, Commissioner Johansson, who is responsible for migration. So we really try to have this comprehensive approach. So of course I am responsible for the external dimension of the migration and she is very much focusing on the internal aspect of migration. And then we are looking into opportunities, for instance, of how we can together work with our partners, for instance with Niger, how we can reintegrate also those refugees who are voluntarily or forcibly returned to that country. So we have different kinds of tools and also, I would say, a very comprehensive approach through which we want to solve this, especially this irregular migration problem, which is unfortunately increasing at the moment in Europe.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Marc Botenga
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: FR

Monsieur le Président, Madame la commissaire, je voudrais revenir sur la question des matières premières critiques, parce que je pense qu’elle est essentielle et je pense qu’en Afrique, cette question est très sensible. Vous savez que le pillage colonial et néocolonial de l’Afrique consistait essentiellement à voler les matières premières. Vous savez aussi que, même après les indépendances, ces pratiques se sont poursuivies, souvent sous le couvert de recommandations, par exemple du Fonds monétaire international, de la Banque mondiale, soutenues par l’Europe, demandant de réduire l’intervention de l’État, notamment au Mali. En conséquence, à un certain moment, le gouvernement malien n’était plus en mesure de connaître les quantités d’or qui quittaient son territoire, par exemple. Je crains que les alternatives, les nouvelles politiques que vous avez présentées, ne rompent pas avec les anciennes pratiques. Vous utilisez le même langage quand vous parlez de «faciliter le climat des affaires», de «renforcer les investissements européens»... Je voudrais que vous me fassiez une liste de ce qui a changé entre les anciennes pratiques et ce que vous proposez. Quelle est la grosse différence entre la politique européenne telle qu’elle était pratiquée avant vous et celle que vous proposez aujourd’hui?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

What I see and what we try to do through our partnership is really to support our partner countries to mobilise domestic resources. How to do that? We have to collect more taxes, but we also have to spend our expenditure better. And that’s why we need to support our partner countries in their institution—strengthening. So we have to support them to strengthen their institutions. We have to support them to fight corruption, which is still, unfortunately, a problem in many countries. And then we, of course, have to support them to get more investments because through the investments they also get revenues. That’s the fact. So this is how I how I see the situation. And then, of course, if we only look at the ODA money, unfortunately the whole official development assistance last year, 2022, I think this is the preliminary figure from the OECD, was USD 204 billion. So a little bit over USD 200 billion last year. And if I look at the Sustainable Development Goals financing gap for low— and middle—income countries, I mean, the gap is USD 3.9 trillion per year. So we can understand that through the public resources, through the ODA money, we cannot support our partners to reach sustainable development goals. And that’s why, in addition to our official development aid – which is needed and of course I support to increase that in all of our Member States – we also need private—sector involvement and contribution. This is precisely what we try to do through the Global Gateway Initiative.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Marc Botenga
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: FR

Madame la Commissaire, historiquement, la dette africaine ne trouve pas son origine en Chine. Elle trouve son origine dans la colonisation et dans le rôle des pays européens après la décolonisation. Il faut donc reconnaître notre responsabilité là-dedans. Et du coup, est-ce que vous êtes prête à au moins dire qu’on va abolir la dette que ces pays africains ont vis-à-vis des pays européens? Ça, c’est une première question. Deuxième question, très rapidement. Vous n’avez pas vraiment dit ce que vous alliez changer par rapport au passé. Avant, l’Europe, les pays membres, vous aviez des politiques de pillage. Qu’est-ce qui change fondamentalement? Est-ce que vous avez dressé un tableau de la situation: avant, on faisait ça, maintenant nous allons faire le contraire? Parce que sinon, j’ai un peu l’impression qu’on reste dans de bonnes intentions, sans les concrétiser.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

What is the new paradigm? What are we now proposing and promoting to our partners? I would say that the first new element is mutually beneficial partnerships. We really want to get out of this donor/recipient kind of relationship, which we had in the previous years. So we dealt with our partners and said okay, we’ll give you this money to start development cooperation projects, but we didn’t really listen to them and have a really equal partnership with them. So this idea of mutually beneficial, equal partnership is the new element of our cooperation.  The second new element is Team Europe, so that we want to work together with our Member States. Instead of there being a fragmented approach, we want to build a team where our 27 Member States have a role as well as their development finance institutions, as well as European institutions. So this is definitely a new approach, a new element.  The third new element is engaging with the private sector. So we want European companies to invest in African countries so that also our African partners can benefit from those investments. I have to say that when it comes to critical raw materials, I see huge interests and – I would say – appetite and buy—in from our partner countries in Africa. There are already several countries who really want to start negotiating with us on critical raw materials partnerships. I mentioned Namibia earlier, but we are also starting to negotiate with Rwanda and with the DRC, for instance. And there are several other countries who are really seeking and want to start to negotiate with us.  I think this is also a kind of approval and an example of this new mutually beneficial partnership that our partners really want to invest in this – that it is not only us, but is also them.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: NI
Country: France
Language: EN

Madam Commissioner, thank you for being here today with us. As rightfully stated in the final declaration of the EU—African Union summit of February 2022, we do share with our African counterparts a series of common challenges that need to be addressed in a cooperative way. Further than that, in the EP recommendation for the Strategic Partnership with the Horn of Africa, for which I served as the rapporteur, we have stressed the need to reinforce this cooperation, leaving apart the obsolete donor recipient mentality and unleashing all its potential, basing our relation on timely, effective talks aimed at finding common ground. One area in which it seems to be difficult to keep the same speed and agree on certain commitments is the one of energy transition. Therefore I would like to ask you to elaborate on key messages and expectations conveyed by our African counterparts in terms of their perspectives on transition paths. For example, what is the pace of it, and the means of financing it? Where do they expect us to contribute the most? Thank you very much, and I will be eager to listen to your reply.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

I already mentioned a couple of very concrete initiatives in terms of energy, for instance, the Ruzizi III hydropower plant in the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda. That’s one example. Then we also have several energy projects in Nigeria, which are ongoing or just about to start. Then the recent initiative we just adopted with Senegal, a couple of weeks ago in Paris, was this JETP. The idea is really to support Senegal in their deployment of renewable energies. And there is this commitment of EUR 2.5 billion, not only from the EU, but also from our international partners as well as international banks. So there are very concrete, tangible projects, which are, some of them, already ongoing or just about to start. And, of course, we are definitely supporting our partners in the energy transition because we know, for instance, that in Africa still 600 million citizens are lacking access to electricity.
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: NI
Country: France
Language: EN

Dear Commissioner, thank you for the all the details. I would like to ask you something related to the domain in this case of peace and security. When we presented the European Peace Facility, we stated that this would have increased our readiness to support efforts from our partners, as well as the predictability of our actions. Now that the EPF funds have been completely devoted to the much-needed support to Ukraine, how can we support our African counterparts? And is there any plan to devote specific funding to this end?
Debate: Question Time  – EU-Africa Strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2023
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

So at the last EU-AU summit last year here in Brussels we laid the ground for more strategic engagement on peace and security. So actually, if I look at the figures, in order to ensure the sustainability and predictability of funding for the missions, we have committed a financial package of EUR 730 million for the period 2021-2024 within the framework of the European Peace Facility. We are also very committed for substantial resources to support the EU-AU Peace and Security Partnership. For instance, the multiannual indicative programme with sub-Saharan Africa dedicates EUR 650 million to African conflict prevention and resolution initiatives to address transnational security threats and support the resilience and stability of communities living in areas near conflict—affected borders. So there are also financial resources in the European Peace Facility although, as you correctly said, through the European Peace Facility we have also supported very much and very sizeable amounts of money to Ukraine.