Europeiska ekonomiska och sociala kommittén
Från den första Lomékonventionen (1975) till Cotonouavtalet (2000–2021) har partnerskapen mellan EU och AKS-länderna styrt förbindelserna mellan EU och 79 länder i gruppen av stater i Afrika, Karibien och Stillahavsområdet (AKS), som nyligen blev Organisationen för stater i Afrika, Karibien och Stillahavsområdet (OACPS).
Under hela denna period kämpade EESK tillsammans med det civila samhället i AKS-länderna för att den viktiga roll som icke-statliga aktörer spelar i utvecklingsprocessen skulle erkännas, fram till dess att detta uppnåddes i Cotonouavtalet, som gav EESK i uppdrag att anordna aktiviteter och samråd med ekonomiska och sociala intressegrupper i AKS-länderna och EU för att inhämta synpunkter från det organiserade civila samhället och ge det en röst. Syftet har varit att främja utbyten och lägga fram rekommendationer om frågor och politikområden som är relevanta för förbindelserna mellan AKS-länderna och EU, som senare officiellt riktats till EU:s och AKS-ländernas ledare.
Rent praktiskt genomförs EESK:s verksamhet när det gäller förbindelserna mellan EU och OACPS huvudsakligen under ledning av en inkluderande uppföljningskommitté EU–AKS bestående av EESK-ledamöter och delegater som företräder ekonomiska och sociala intressegrupper i AKS-länderna.
Uppföljningskommittén EU–AKS har regelbundna kontakter med företrädare för det civila samhället i AKS-länderna på olika nivåer genom
EESK upprätthåller också regelbundna kontakter med Afrikanska unionens företrädare för ekonomiska och sociala intressegrupper inom ramen för den gemensamma EU–Afrika-strategin. EESK håller i synnerhet årliga möten med nätverket för socioekonomiska aktörer i EU och Afrika.
EESK har i många år haft regelbundna kontakter med gemensamma parlamentariska AKS–EU-församlingen och lägger fram en rapport om sin verksamhet vid församlingens plenarsammanträden.
EESK har också nära kontakt med internationella arbetsgivar-, arbetstagar-, jordbrukar-, kooperativ- och konsumentorganisationer. Dessa organisationer utser de företrädare för AKS-länderna som bjuds in att delta i de sammanträden som anordnas av EESK, däribland uppföljningskommittén EU–AKS.
The Communication stresses the EU's commitment to safeguarding an online environment providing the highest possible freedom and security, for the benefit of its citizens.
L’année 2017 sera décisive pour le partenariat entre l’Europe et l’Afrique. Dans un paysage mondial en mutation rapide, l’Afrique connaît de profonds changements économiques, politiques et sociaux, et l’importance qu’elle revêt pour les dimensions intérieure et extérieure de la sécurité et de la prospérité de l’Europe est de plus en plus évidente. L’Europe et l’Afrique ont tout à gagner d’un renforcement de leurs liens politiques et économiques, mais elles ont aussi beaucoup à perdre si elles n’agissent pas.
The Commission recently published a Communication on a Renewed Partnership with the ACP Group of countries. ACP-EU relations are currently governed by the Cotonou Partnership Agreement that will expire in 2020, therefore the Commission has published recommendations on what the future structure should be. Last year the EESC already drafted a general opinion on the post-Cotonou framework; this new opinion will have to answer specifically to the Commission's communication.
The EESC is a strong advocate of a fair, well-administered and sustainable development policy at EU level. It is also very committed to the cause of greater tax justice. In recent years, questions have been raised as to whether the international tax policies of the Member States, in particular the concluding of certain types of double taxation agreements, are consistent with EU development policy objectives.
The 2030 Agenda, the new global framework for sustainable development agreed by the UN in 2015, needs to be reflected in EU's development policy, the major orientations of which are set out in the 2005 European Consensus on Development ("the Consensus").
To this end, the Commission issued Communication COM(2016) 740, "Proposal for a New European Consensus on Development: Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future" in November 2016. Interinstitutional negotiations are expected to result in its endorsement in the form of a Joint Statement by the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission, in May 2017.
Development responses to forced displacement should be tailored for each geographic region, whilst ensuring joined-up action across the European Commission and other institutions. While a development-led approach can produce considerable results with the current budget, the need for extra resources should not be ruled out. Civil society, end users, development partners and NGOs should be involved in the delivery and in making the Commission's Communication operational. Social and civil dialogue structures and processes should be enhanced and improved in partner and host countries to assist with its delivery. Entrepreneurship in the affected regions should be supported and developed as a viable development path for many forcibly displaced people. Education and training responses should be based on a lifelong learning approach. The possibility of making EU programmes available to forcibly displaced people should be considered.
The EESC recommends that the EU should aim to achieve a modern, equal and effective partnership with the ACP countries that transcends a donor-recipient relationship and is based on a coherent and integrated EU external policy, based on the principle of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD). This framework should guarantee the involvement of civil society organisations, including the private sector, whose specific task should be to monitor and assess the impact of the implementation of this Agreement on the sustainable development of the Parties. Civil society should be provided with the technical and financial support needed to undertake this role.
The EESC recommends that all forms of development support that the EU gives to third countries should fall under the same legal framework and should be subject to the same democratic scrutiny by the European Parliament, while retaining the same positive aspects of the EDF.
2015 is marked as the European Year for Development (when the process of discussion for the post-Cotonou arrangements will begin to gain momentum), but also as the year where the Millenium Development Goals (defined until 2015) will give way to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To combine development and sustainability, all available resources of financing must be explored. The magnitude of this challenge is so large that all players including governments, private sector, banks, civil society organisations and development agencies must contribute to the implementation of these goals.
The aim of the European Year for Development 2015 is to inform EU citizens about EU development cooperation, highlighting what the European Union can already achieve as the biggest aid donor in the world and how it could do even more with the combined strength of its Member States and its institutions.