Changes from resolution motion to resolution motion joint

Added9. Calls for the EU to step up its efforts to promote peace, security and stability across the African continent; calls for predictable, long-term financing of AU-mandated peace operations, including through UN-assessed contributions in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023); stresses the need for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council; supports African-led peace operations and mediation efforts under the APSA;

Removed14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the African Union, the governments of all European Union and African Union Member States and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Added10. Calls on the Council and the Commission to strengthen EU-Africa security and defence cooperation, including by establishing effective joint capacity to counter terrorism, violent extremism and external interference, particularly in fragile states; underlines that such cooperation must complement and reinforce African-led efforts under the APSA and fully respect international law, democratic oversight and the principles of a partnership of equals; emphasises that counterterrorism operations must fully respect international humanitarian and human rights law; supports EU programmes for community resilience, women’s and youth engagement and post-conflict reconstruction; urges both the EU and the AU to implement the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda and the UN Youth, Peace and Security agenda, ensuring equal participation in decision-making;

Added11. Welcomes the recent peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but remains deeply concerned by continuing violence and insecurity in eastern DRC, particularly in North Kivu and Ituri; calls for the EU to play an active and coordinated role in supporting the implementation of the peace process, focusing on enhancing inclusivity and women’s participation, humanitarian access and protection of civilians; stresses that in order to achieve lasting stability, the economic dimensions of the conflict must be addressed, including the illegal exploitation of natural resources and raw materials, and justice for victims of war crimes, including conflict-related sexual violence, must be ensured; urges the Commission and the Council to immediately suspend the EU-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable raw materials value chains until Rwanda proves that it is ceasing its interference in and its exportation of minerals mined from areas controlled by the paramilitary group M23; calls on all actors to increase transparency and to effectively ban the entry of all blood minerals into the EU; calls for the EU to promote responsible sourcing, transparency in supply chains and investment in value addition in the DRC and the Great Lakes region;

Added12. Underlines the vital importance of democracy and free and fair elections, as they are the only way to ensure true accountability and true representation of the people’s interests and priorities; calls for enhanced cooperation on electoral observation and democracy-building, in partnership with the AU and regional organisations; calls for dedicated funding for local women mediators and peacebuilders, young peacebuilders and civil society organisations; reaffirms the essential role of women and young people in peacebuilding and governance;

Added13. Is concerned about China’s growing political influence in Africa and the expansion of its global initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative; notes that while these projects have mobilised significant investment, they often lack transparency and can create economic dependencies; calls for the EU to step up its efforts to offer a sustainable, values-based and transparent alternative grounded in local ownership, fair competition and mutual benefit; calls for the EU to enhance its strategic communication and visibility, promote joint AU-EU projects in infrastructure, digitalisation and innovation, and support independent media and education initiatives to demonstrate the long-term advantages of the joint EU-AU model of partnership; recognises the strategic importance of critical raw materials for both Africa and Europe and stresses that cooperation in this field must be founded on mutual benefit, transparency and sustainability; calls for Europe’s resilience to be strengthened by diversifying away from excessive dependencies through partnerships that promote responsible mining, local value addition and skills development; underlines that initiatives under the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package should foster resilient, fair and environmentally responsible supply chains, ensuring that resource cooperation contributes to sustainable and inclusive growth and economic diversification in African countries;

AddedSustainable development and growth, trade and infrastructure

Added14. Supports the full implementation of the AfCFTA as a driver of continental integration and calls for the EU to provide technical and financial assistance for its institutions, customs harmonisation and private-sector readiness;

Added15. Underlines the central role of the NDICI – Global Europe as the EU’s main external financing framework for supporting cooperation with Africa; stresses that the effective use of NDICI – Global Europe and its successor instrument is essential to ensure coherence between policy priorities, Global Gateway investments and Team Europe initiatives, as well as to guarantee transparency, accountability and measurable results in EU development action, and to fulfil EU treaty obligations, including promoting poverty eradication, sustainable development, human rights, international cooperation and gender equality;

Added16. Calls on the Member States to undertake a thorough assessment of shortcomings in their previous approaches to development cooperation with and external assistance for Africa, and to revise and readjust their Africa strategies with a view to fostering sustainable prosperity on the continent and achieving genuinely mutually beneficial partnerships; stresses the importance of ensuring policy coherence for development (PCD) across all EU external policies, taking into account trade, migration, climate and security concerns; highlights the importance of Parliament’s PCD Network in achieving better alignment of the EU’s external policies; underlines that official development assistance (ODA) remains indispensable in least-developed countries, low-income countries and fragile states; calls on the Member States to sustain and step up progress towards the long-standing UN target of allocating 0.7 % of gross national income to ODA and to increase the share directed to least-developed countries, in line with EU and international commitments; encourages the exploration of innovative and legally sound financing tools, including voluntary reallocation of the International Monetary Fund’s special drawing rights where feasible, and the use of structured and transparent debt-for-climate or debt-for-development swaps to strengthen funding for climate adaptation and resilience; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take into account the interests of the outermost regions when signing agreements with African countries;

Added17. Expresses deep concern about the mounting debt burden facing many African countries; calls for the EU and other relevant partners to support comprehensive debt restructuring and reform of the global financial architecture to ensure fairer terms and transparency;

Added18. Recognises efforts to make EU external action more coherent through the Global Europe instrument and the Global Gateway strategy, while stressing that flexibility must be matched by predictability, accountability, transparency and parliamentary oversight; calls on the Commission, the EEAS, the Council and the Member States to ensure that the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package delivers tangible results by aligning projects with African priorities, preventing unsustainable debt, supporting poverty eradication and promoting human development in line with the SDGs and treaty obligations; recognises that large-scale investment initiatives alone cannot address the complex realities of fragile and conflict-affected settings, nor the vulnerabilities of least-developed and heavily indebted countries; calls therefore for a dedicated EU strategy for engagement in fragile contexts under the future Global Europe instrument, integrating political dialogue, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid and development action, while stressing the need for ring-fenced humanitarian aid in the next multiannual financial framework; underlines the need to improve the visibility and coordination of EU-funded projects through stronger EU delegations and genuine partnerships with African stakeholders;

Added19. Notes, with grave concern, the widespread evidence of illegal mining and mineral smuggling, and the resulting impact on the stability and development of resource-rich regions; recalls the links between mining and human rights violations, environmental degradation, land grabbing and violent conflicts;

Added20. Calls for the creation of a dedicated EU-Africa industrialisation pact under the joint auspices of the AU, the EU and regional development banks, to mobilise public and private capital, which would ensure that Africa is not just a source of raw materials, but a hub for processing, manufacturing and innovation; stresses that this initiative would be a tangible expression of a partnership of equals, fostering long-term growth and sustainable value chains on both continents; voices its concerns about the withdrawal of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the scaling down of its programmes, which has created significant financing gaps in essential services; calls on the Commission and the Member States to realign NDICI – Global Europe and Team Europe programming with the officially agreed objectives and minimum spending targets for sub-Saharan Africa and thematic programmes, and to use these instruments to swiftly bridge financing gaps where appropriate, prioritising poverty eradication, health, gender equality, education, food security and climate adaptation in the most vulnerable African countries; emphasises that the needs-based nature of humanitarian aid requires ring-fenced funding, distinct from other external action financing; highlights the importance of close dialogue between the United States, the EU and the AU on an equal footing in order to realise the joint objectives of fostering democracy, development and prosperity in Africa and a review of the policy on ‘peace for resources’;

AddedInvesting in women, young people, human development and mobility

Added21. Stresses that African young people must be at the heart of a renewed EU-Africa partnership; stresses that the EU-AU partnership serves as an opportunity for African governments to provide possibilities, including job creation, for their citizens, and that the EU can assist and support such African-driven efforts; underlines that bringing young people from both continents closer together, through greater mutual understanding and stronger bonds, is essential for a lasting and equal partnership; calls for the strengthening of student and research exchange programmes such as Erasmus+, the creation of a political EU-Africa youth exchange programme and the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme to reach more EU and African students and researchers; calls, moreover, for increased support for African universities, vocational institutes and youth-led initiatives to strengthen skills, innovation and exchange;

Added22. Calls for a dedicated Africa-EU youth innovation fund to finance start-ups and community projects led by young entrepreneurs;

Added23. Recognises that migration is a shared reality and a potential source of opportunity for both continents when managed in a safe, legal and mutually beneficial way; stresses that both continents must jointly tackle the root causes of irregular migration, strengthen border management and combat human trafficking and smuggling networks; underlines that effective readmission and return policies are essential for cooperation on mobility and visa facilitation; calls for cooperation on well-regulated legal migration methods; emphasises that all migration must be safe, orderly and organised in full respect of human rights and international law;

Added24. Calls for the EU and the AU to uphold and promote women’s rights and gender equality, ensure access to education and the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, promote women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in decision-making and on the labour market and combat gender-based violence and harmful practices; reiterates that gender equality and women’s empowerment are prerequisites for inclusive growth and sustainable development; calls for the EU to ensure dedicated funding for gender equality programmes in line with its Gender Action Plan III; calls for ambitious funding targets to advance SDG 5 on gender equality and empower women-led responses;

Added25. Emphasises that health security is a shared global challenge and expresses concern that significant budget cuts in the sector threaten to undo decades of progress in global health, putting millions of lives at risk; welcomes EU support for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, for vaccine manufacturing hubs and for the African Medicines Agency; stresses the EU’s vital role in funding life-saving health programmes, including HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, and sexual and reproductive health programmes; calls for continued cooperation on pandemic preparedness, local pharmaceutical production and universal health coverage;

AddedClimate, the environment and multilateral cooperation

Added26. Calls for joint progress on the African single electricity market, cross-border interconnections and sustainable urbanisation; calls for the EU to provide its fair share of climate finance for African climate adaptation and mitigation, supporting initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and NaturAfrica that combine environmental protection with jobs and rural development; recognises climate change as a shared challenge and an opportunity for Africa-EU cooperation; welcomes the Africa-Europe Green Energy Initiative to deliver 50 GW of renewable capacity and electricity access for 100 million people by 2030;

Added27. Calls for stronger AU-EU action and joint advocacy at Conference of the Parties meetings to secure fair climate finance, technology transfer and funding for the loss and damage fund; stresses that all major greenhouse gas emitters, including G20 members, must lead on implementing the Paris Agreement; welcomes Africa’s permanent G20 membership and supports greater African representation in global governance; proposes that the AU and the EU establish an annual high-level dialogue on climate and sustainability in order to monitor progress and align policies on energy, biodiversity and environmental protection;

AddedWay forward

Added28. Welcomes the holding of the seventh EU-AU Summit in Luanda as a significant opportunity for African and European leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the EU-AU partnership; calls on participants to seize this occasion to announce measurable commitments for the next five years, notably through the adoption of a joint action plan for 2025-2030, a roadmap to double Africa-EU trade and investment by 2030, an agreement on mutual mobility and visa facilitation for students and researchers, and a renewed joint framework on digital transformation and green energy partnerships;

Added29. Urges the Commission and the EEAS to establish annual high-level dialogues with the AU Commission and Regional Economic Communities in four priority areas: peace and security, trade and economic cooperation, migration and mobility, and sustainability and climate action, in order to evaluate partnership priorities, monitor implementation and feed into both the AU-EU summit process and the EU’s multiannual financial framework; proposes that AU-EU consultations be institutionalised at ministerial and senior official level each year, ensuring continuous coordination, accountability and adaptive policy design;

Added30. Stresses the importance of strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the Africa-Europe partnership; calls for the organisation of a pre-summit meeting between Members of the European Parliament and members of the Pan-African Parliament to ensure that the voices of elected representatives from both continents help shape the agenda, priorities and outcomes of the upcoming EU-AU summit; underlines that such dialogue would enhance democratic legitimacy, foster mutual understanding and ensure that the summit’s conclusions reflect the concerns and aspirations of citizens across Africa and Europe; stresses also the importance of the meaningful engagement of civil society in the partnership and at summits;

Added31. Calls on its President to invite African heads of state to address Parliament on a more regular basis, ensuring balanced geographical representation and fostering deeper political dialogue between the two continents;

Added32. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the African Union Commission, the Pan-African Parliament, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States and the African Union member states, and to the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.