Statement by Ms Maria-Magdalena GRIGORE, State Secretary in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Romania, representing the Council of the European Union at the 36 th session of the Joint ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly 4 December 2018, Cotonou, Benin Honourable Co-Presidents, Distinguished members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to be here today and to participate in this 36 th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and to represent the Council of the European Union at the request of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. First, allow me to thank most sincerely our host country Benin for the excellent hospitality and efficiency in organising this important meeting. You are providing us with an optimal setting for our discussions and I thank you very much for this. 1
You, the Members of this Joint Assembly represent the parliamentary dimension of our partnership. You play a key role in ensuring the diversity, strength and continuity of the ACP-EU cooperation. I wish to convey the Council s sincere appreciation for your work, which is based on frank and constructive dialogue. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Post-Cotonou negotiations officially opened in September. With the opening of the next chapter of ACP-EU relations, we are at an important transition in our partnership. This is an opportunity to strengthen the common vision of our partnership. Our ambition is to formulate a consolidated, comprehensive and contemporary political agreement, which reflects the shared core values of our cooperation, such as the promotion and respect of human rights, democracy and justice at international level, peace and sustainable development. 2
It is not only a call for the modernisation of our partnership, but also a continuation of one of the world's best examples of multilateralism in a rules-based world order that is currently being challenged. Representing 107 countries, and constituting the larger share of the United Nations seats, the ACP-EU partnership stands as a firm proponent of multilateralism. It is an example of successful focused mobilisation in confronting and mitigating the most pressing crises facing the world today. Our strong presence in the international arena and our robust contribution to the global agenda, speak loud for the role we play together as actors in light of the alarming trend of disengagement at the international stage. The Cotonou Agreement is one of the rare international tools that is binding on key strategic strands of the SDGs, notably development, governance and trade. The negotiations are an avenue to advance our collective interests and to align with, extend upon and deliver on global commitments. We hope to deepen our partnerships at regional level in the coming rounds of negotiations. We also hope to reflect the regional 3
dynamics in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, while preserving key components of the Cotonou acquis as our common foundation. An enhanced parliamentary dimension of the ACP-EU partnership is an essential part of the process of reinforced cooperation with each region. The EU proposes shifting the centre gravity of implementation of the future agreement to the regional level, in line with increased regional challenges and strengthened regional organisations. This will facilitate greater understanding between the peoples, raise public awareness of development issues and ensure the democratisation of the partnership process. Accordingly, moving the parliamentary interactions to the regional assemblies will enhance their effectiveness and impact. The EU also proposes that parliamentary meetings take place particularly in view of Council meetings, to enhance their political impact with the respective constituencies. 4
Ladies and Gentlemen, The destabilising impacts of climate change - such as forced migration, disruptions in food security, reduced access to resources, water and energy, the spread of epidemic disease and social and economic instability make it a direct existential threat. In the words of UN Secretary General Guterres this has "the risk of missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us". The EU Environment Ministers recalled on 9 October the severe implications that climate change has for international security and stability and asserted that the EU will continue to lead the way in the global pursuit of climate action. In other words, the urgency to act cannot be overestimated. World leaders have gathered for COP24 in Katowice yesterday, with the goal to make the Paris Agreement operational and to inspire enhanced climate action. The UN climate change negotiations have been one of the main successes in our cooperation on the global arena. 5
In 2015, the EU and ACP played a key role in achieving the Paris Agreement. Subsequently, we have worked together to drive its implementation. With Fiji chairing the COP23 and Poland chairing the ongoing COP24, we have had - and continue to have - an invaluable opportunity to steer this agenda further ahead. We must make sure that we jointly maintain the issue of climate change high on the agenda of international discussions on the road to the 2019 UN Climate Summit. Our joint declaration on climate change, adopted at the last meeting of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers in Togo in June, is an essential contribution in this respect. Moreover, at a moment when effective multilateralism is under threat, we must continue to show our joint determination, commitment and flexibility to make Katowice a success. We also hope that the ACP and the EU can further encourage the United Nations Security Council to better factor in the climate and security nexus and to look at options to institutionally strengthen climate risk assessment and management within the UN system. 6
Climate action is a crucial strategic area of cooperation, particularly with our Caribbean and Pacific partners, as well as in low-laying coastal areas across ACP countries. These regions are directly and severely suffering the consequences of climate change. We stand ready to develop a closer dialogue and more coordinated action. Be assured that the EU will remain committed to supporting its ACP partners. The EU s mobilisation of climate finance has systematically and coherently increased both domestically and towards partners outside the EU. In 2016, the EU, its Member States and the European Investment Bank together contributed 20 billion euros in public climate finance towards developing countries. This represents roughly half of global public climate finance. Moreover, the European Investment Bank recently set a 35% climate target for its EU-external lending. This is a 15% increase compared to previous years, with extra focus on adaptation action in most vulnerable countries. 7
Ladies and gentlemen, Young people are one of our biggest resources in our mobilisation for sustainable development and growth. We need to continue to invest in youth to support the socio-economic transformation of our continents. The EU is actively doing so by boosting the education, employability, mobility, empowerment and inclusion of young people. On 12 September, the European Commission proposed the Africa- Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs. It aims at creating up to 10 million jobs in Africa in the next 5 years, particularly for young people. Moreover, as part of the Alliance, over 100,000 African students will benefit from our Erasmus programme in the next 10 years, and 750,000 young Africans will get vocational training by 2020. The EU Ministers of Development welcomed the Alliance at their meeting on 26 November and committed to its implementation, in partnership with the African side. 8
Youth is equally at the heart of the joint Trilateral AU-EU-UN Cooperation, where we want to work more together to foster the employability of young people. But we must not only work for youth but also with youth to reach our goals. The EU is fully committed to include young people and youthled organisations in international decision making processes and democratic institutions. We do this through various initiatives and continue to explore opportunities for new ways of doing so. A good example is the Joint Parliamentary Assembly's Youth Conference on Employment possibilities for young people held on Sunday with the participation of students from Benin universities, high schools, youth organisations and members of the Assembly. It represents an important vector for dialogue and exchange between parliamentarians and our young constituencies. 9
Ladies and gentlemen, Our cooperation on migration is a central part of our partnership. Migration can be an opportunity for those who leave, for those who stay and for those who welcome. However, it has to be managed by all of us together, in a humane, sustainable and efficient way, and with a sense of partnership and full ownership by our continents and their people. We continue to work on migration together based on a variety of instruments and political efforts. The Joint Valletta Action Plan in particular, and equally the Rabat and Khartoum Processes, are probably the most advanced and ambitious regional dialogues on migration and mobility in the world. The 2nd Joint Valletta Action Plan Senior Officials Meeting took place on 14-15 November in Addis Ababa and successfully paved the way forward on implementing the five strands of the Joint Action Plan. 10
Through our trilateral African Union-European Union-United Nations cooperation, we have helped over 30,000 Africans from detention centres inside Libya to go back home safely in a voluntary, dignified and protected way. We have learned that in addressing migration, it is important to ensure a strong mobilisation of investments and jobs. The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa has approved 170 programmes worth over 3.3 billion euros since its launch and a total of 335 contracts with Implementing Partners have been signed. The European External Investment Plan is another instrument addressing some of the root causes of migration. It is advancing well and is expected to trigger public and private investment to improve economic and social development with a particular focus on decent job creation. Ladies and Gentlemen, Africa and the EU have common security threats. New threats to international and regional peace and security have an impact on the 11
stability of our two continents, particularly the growing terrorist threats and trans-boundary criminal activities. In May, High Representative Federica Mogherini and the Chairperson of the African Union, Moussa Faki signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Peace, Security, and Governance. This took our already excellent cooperation in this area to a deeper and more strategic level. It includes commitments to intensify cooperation in the fight against terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation. Through this framework document, we will strengthen cooperation between European Union and African Union bodies, such as EUROPOL and AFRIPOL. This will put our partnership on peace and security on a more solid and structured basis, taking into account the complexity of these threats and the need to address their root causes. Beyond Africa, peace and security, including human security, will continue to be an area of enhanced EU cooperation and dialogue also with Caribbean and Pacific countries, including within multilateral fora. 12
The Pacific countries and the EU could and should together play a security role in the region, perhaps best through actions related to non-traditional security threats such as Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported fishing, climate change, water security, food security/sustainability and Humanitarian Action and Disaster Relief. Together we can promote global maritime security and international cooperation at sea. Working together in the International Maritime Organisation to reduce shipping emissions is a case in point. In the Caribbean region, cooperation on crime and security is included in the priorities of the Joint Partnership Strategy. Ladies and gentlemen, As I mentioned, modernising our partnership beyond 2020 is an opportunity to forge a stronger political relationship for each region. I believe, the new Post-Cotonou framework will provide the basis for further developing the common priorities, and achieving an evercloser relationship that will address key challenges of each region. 13
Our strong and enduring partnership with the African continent is of course a key priority for Europe, also in the Post-Cotonou context. And we are developing our partnership based on key common interests. For the Pacific, the negotiations for the new framework will offer an opportunity for the EU and the Pacific countries to conduct a strategic assessment of our joint policy interests. Although the Pacific as a region is geographically furthest away from Europe, its environmental, political and economic importance is growing. Our Partnership with the Pacific region has evolved over the past decades, but we need to do even better. Facilitation of regional cooperation between the ACP countries with the Overseas Countries and Territories of the region will be an important element in this regard. 14
With regard to the Caribbean, many of the key challenges identified have already been incorporated in the Caribbean-EU Joint Partnership Strategy adopted in 2012. The five priority areas for joint action - regional integration and cooperation, support to Haiti, climate change and natural hazards, crime and security and cooperation in multilateral fora and on global issues remain valid, and additional areas of cooperation have emerged in the past years. We aim for the new post-cotonou agreement to provide us with a strong and solid framework to further develop our cooperation on common challenges and objectives. More resilient Caribbean countries, economies and societies are what we all aim for. Ladies and gentlemen, Allow me to conclude by expressing again my full appreciation of your very fruitful discussions on all the topics of the agenda. I am sure the results of your frank and open deliberations will be an important contribution to building our future partnership. 15
The Romanian Presidency s motto is Cohesion a common European value. I am strongly convinced that our future ACP-EU partnership can play a key role in promoting knowledge-sharing between our regions, based on the EU s experience in promoting social cohesion for regional integration. The Romanian EU Presidency will play an active role in closely monitoring the ACP-EU negotiations throughout our mandate. Last but not least, it is my honor to inform you that the upcoming Romanian Presidency of the EU will be hosting the next Joint ACP- EU Parliamentary Assembly, which shall take place in Sinaia, in the second half of March 2019. I look forward to welcoming all of you in my country, very soon. Thank you for your attention. 16