A word from the Chair

The D-PAP meeting was held on 10 May from 13:30 to 14:30 in Strasbourg (room: DE MADARIAGA S5). This meeting replaced the meeting previously scheduled for 4 May. The meeting focused on the discussion and preparation of the EP-PAP Interparliamentary meeting (scheduled for the week of 17-19 May in Midrand, South Africa). In the meeting DPAP Members decided to postpone the IPM to a later date (to be determined).

The DPAP meeting took place on Thursday 1 December from 15.00 to 16.00 (Brussels, in room Spinelli 1E2)

The main point of this meeting was to prepare the upcoming European Parliament-Pan-African Parliament Interparliamentary meeting that would take place in the European Parliament in Brussels on 8 and 9 December 2022.

Additionally, the EEAS and the Commission DG INTPA updated the members on the state of play of the EU-AU relations and on the implementation of the Declaration resulting from the European Union-African Union Summit: A Joint Vision for 2030.

The Committee on Development and the Delegation to the Pan-African Parliament hosted an exchange of views on 'Women empowerment: African women as positive actors of change'.

Ahead of the EU-African Union summit on 17-18 February, leading MEPs highlight the need for a strong EU-Africa partnership based on cooperation between equals.

"A week ahead of the long awaited European Union-African Union summit, we call on the Heads of States and Government to lay the foundation for a strategic, win-win and results-oriented partnership of equals.

China and Russia are advancing their geopolitical interests in Africa. Therefore, the EU needs to increase cooperation with the African Union, and its sub-regional and national African partners, to ensure security and development and to achieve long-term peace and stability.

The EU and AU must place at the heart of their cooperation agenda a human rights-based approach to policies on trade, migration, gender equality, corporate responsibility, security and the fight against terrorism and extremism.

The EU-AU Summit should pave the way for a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, with priority given to accelerating access to vaccines, addressing poverty, putting youth at its heart and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment, and delivering on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

EU and Africa trade and investment relations must ensure the productive transformation of the African continent, be mutually beneficial, open, fair and sustainable, and contribute to job creation and private investments supporting a green growth trajectory

We also call on the EU-AU partnership to take full account of the effects of climate change in Africa, and therefore to scale up actions in the area of mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk management, and achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

We condemn the presence in Africa of private military and security companies, in particular the Wagner Group that has committed widespread human rights violations while acting in support of the interests of non-democratic states."

The statement is co-signed by:

David McAllister (EPP, Germany), Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee;

Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany), Chair of the International Trade Committee;

Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden), Chair of the Development Committee;

Carlos Zorrinho (S&D, Portugal), Chair of the delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly;

María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew Europe, Spain), Chair of the delegation for relations with the Pan-African Parliament.

Magdalena Adamowicz (EPP, Poland), Chair of the delegation for relations with South Africa,

Links

Press release - "EU-AU Summit: MEPs to call for deepening of relations at pre-summit meeting" (09.02.2022)
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220209IPR22901/eu-au-summit-meps-to-call-for-deepening-of-relations-at-pre-summit-meeting

Press release :EU-Africa: MEPs call for stronger ties to face global challenges together
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220210IPR23005/eu-africa-meps-call-for-stronger-ties-to-face-global-challenges-together