The 41st Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the EU and the African-Caribbean-Pacific countries came to an end in Strasbourg after three days of intense work. This Assembly has shown we cannot continue business as usual. This Assembly has clearly shown that a practical and mutually beneficial multilateralism must be the pivotal decision-making centre of the international arena and the only way forward to tackle global, and also regional, problems.
The S&D Group’s delegation, led by MEP Hannes Heide, made sure that the Assembly tackled the challenges ahead with a progressive approach centred on human rights, democracy, food and climate security, and the rule of law.
The 41st session of session of the JPA focussed on: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war still ongoing Yemen and the several conflicts affecting different regions in Africa; the incumbent threat of climate change, the need for food and energy security; democracy and rule of law; women empowering women, migration and sustainable growth and the overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the post-Cotonou ACP-EU agreement.
The S&D delegation in Strasbourg was composed of ACP-EU Co-President Carlos Zorrinho, ACP-EU vice-presidents, Maria Arena and Eric Andrieu, our coordinator Hannes Heidi, Pedro Silva Pereira and Maria Noichl.
The Co-Chair of the ACP-EU JPA and S&D MEP, Carlos Zorrinho, said:
“At a time of huge global political challenges, with the war still going on in Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, as well as in many regions in Africa, with of energy and seeds price hikes, with the need to better tackle migratory pressure and the incumbent threat of climate change, the ACP-EU JPA demonstrated its great maturity, putting aside different points of views, working all together to finally shape a common declaration based on shared values of democracy, rule of law and human rights.
“Through multilateralism, which is the only way forward to solve disputes, we expressed the urgency to find a compromise and finalise the post-Cotonou agreement, our new partnership of equals which will call for responses to people’s real needs at global, national and regional levels.”
The S&D Coordinator for the ACP-EU JPA, Hannes Heide, added:
“The criminal aggression of Putin’s Russia shows how interlinked our global system is. The consequences of the war in Ukraine have already spilled over into the rest of the world and in Africa especially with hikes of wheat, sunflower oil, corn prices but also oil, gas and energy. Food insecurity will have consequences at the political instability level. Especially in the Sahel region.
“The situation for local people and the state of democracy in the region are more than alarming. It is not only in the interest of the affected states, but also in the interest of Europe, to improve the situation of extreme poverty, lack of access to basic social services and climate change.
“We must realise that helping the development of countries in the Sahel region will equally be beneficial for Europe. Stability in Africa has an impact on Europe.”
