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Tuesday, 12 March

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Tuesday, 12 March

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Citizens are calling on the European Parliament to vote against EU political and economic agreements with Chile and Kenya, with many people writing to the President of the European Parliament on this subject in March 2024. These citizens are concerned that the agreements would be detrimental to local populations and environmental protection. They demand that Parliament review the EU’s trade policy.

We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the President (in French):

English

On 29 February 2024, the European Parliament approved EU agreements with Kenya and Chile.

On Parliament’s website, you can find the results of the votes. To display them, click on the + to the left of the headings (points 1, 4 and 5). The votes are sorted into three groups: in favour (+), against (-) and abstentions (0), and are listed by political group. At the top of the page, you can filter the results by political group, country or Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

The European Commission negotiates EU international agreements on the instructions of the Council of the EU (the governments of member countries). At the end of the negotiations, the Council adopts the agreement. Parliament’s role is then limited to approving or rejecting the agreement. It has no power to amend it.

The President of the European Parliament cannot influence Members’ votes. In accordance with Article 2 of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, Members exercise their mandate freely and independently.

You may also be interested in some additional information about the two agreements.

Agreements with Chile

In December 2023, the EU and Chile signed agreements to modernise and replace the 2002 Association Agreement that currently governs their relations.

The agreements establish a framework for deeper and broader political and economic cooperation with Chile, for example on foreign affairs and security, climate change, sustainable energy and human rights.

Under the agreements, over 95 % of trade between the EU and Chile will be duty-free. However, trade restrictions will remain in place for the most sensitive agricultural products, notably meat, certain fruit and vegetables, and olive oil. More information is available in this press release.

The European Parliament voted on two separate agreements with Chile: an Interim Trade Agreement, which is ratified at EU-level only, and a broader agreement (Advanced Framework Agreement), which must also be ratified by every EU country. The Interim Trade Agreement will expire when the Advanced Framework Agreement enters into force.

Parliament also adopted a resolution explaining its position on these agreements.

Agreement with Kenya

In December 2023, the EU and Kenya signed an Economic Partnership Agreement, with the aim of boosting bilateral trade, increasing investment, contributing to sustainable economic growth and working towards a green transition away from fossil fuel use. The agreement focuses on climate and environmental protection, workers’ rights and gender equality.

This agreement will further open the European market to Kenyan products and encourage European investment in Kenya. It aims to strengthen the EU’s relations with Africa.

French

Le 29 février dernier, le Parlement européen a approuvé les accords UE-Kenya et UE-Chili.

Sur le site du Parlement, vous pouvez trouver les résultats des votes, en cliquant sur le + à gauche des titres (points 1, 4 et 5). Les voix sont classées en trois catégories : pour (+), contre (-) et abstention (0), et sont listés par groupe politique. En haut de la page, vous avez la possibilité de filtrer les résultats par groupe politique, par pays ou par député.

Les accords internationaux sont négociés par la Commission européenne sur instruction du Conseil de l’UE (gouvernements des pays membres). À l’issue des négociations, le Conseil adopte l’accord. Le rôle du Parlement se limite alors à approuver ou rejeter l’accord. Il n’a pas le pouvoir de le modifier.

Nous tenons à préciser que la Présidente du Parlement européen ne peut pas influencer le vote des députés européens. Conformément à l’article 2 du règlement intérieur du Parlement, les députés européens exercent leur mandat de façon libre et indépendante.

Par ailleurs, quelques informations supplémentaires par rapport aux deux accords pourraient vous intéresser.

Accords avec le Chili

En décembre 2023, l’UE et le Chili ont signé des accords en vue de moderniser et de remplacer l’accord d’association de 2002 qui régit actuellement leurs relations.

Les accords établissent le cadre d’une coopération politique et économique plus approfondie et plus étendue avec le Chili, par exemple dans les domaines des affaires étrangères et de la sécurité, du changement climatique, de l’énergie durable et des droits humains.

Plus de 95 % des échanges commerciaux entre l’UE et le Chili seront exemptées de droits de douane. Cependant, des restrictions commerciales demeureront en place pour les produits agricoles les plus sensibles, notamment la viande, certains fruits et légumes, et l’huile d’olive. Plus d’information est disponible dans ce communiqué de presse.

Le Parlement européen a voté sur deux accords distincts avec le Chili : un accord commercial intérimaire, qui doit être ratifié uniquement au niveau de l’UE, et un accord plus large (accord-cadre avancé), qui doit être également ratifié par chacun des pays de l’UE. L’accord commercial intérimaire expirera lorsque l’accord-cadre avancé entrera en vigueur.

Par ailleurs, le Parlement a adopté une résolution expliquant sa position sur les accords.

Accord avec le Kenya

En décembre 2023, l’UE et le Kenya ont signé un accord de partenariat économique, avec pour objectifs de stimuler le commerce bilatéral, augmenter les investissements, contribuer à une croissance économique durable, et œuvrer à la transition écologique. L’accord met l’accent sur la protection du climat et de l’environnement, les droits des travailleurs et l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes.

Cet accord ouvrira davantage le marché européen aux produits kényans et encouragera les investissements européens au Kenya. Il vise à renforcer les relations de l’UE avec l’Afrique.

Background

Citizens often send messages to the President of the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.

Die Partei "Ja, Bulgarien" ist ein wichtiger Teil der regierenden Mehrheit im Land. Sie hat nun beschlossen, einen Antrag auf Mitgliedschaft in der konservativen Europäischen Volkspartei (EVP) zu stellen. 

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564488 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe

Creating models to establish social enterprises and diversify sources of income to ensure sustainability were among the skills learned by twelve women at a training course for 26 representatives of OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs). The course, held from 26 February to 1 March 2024, was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, which provides comprehensive support to victims of domestic violence in the regions through a network of 14 WRCs, established by OSCE in close partnership with local authorities.  

Participants learned the theoretical foundations for creating a social enterprise, practical skills in how to devise organizational, operational and financial plans, and make financial and investment analyses and risk assessments. Other topics focused on setting the goals and mission of a social enterprise, concepts of social entrepreneurship, their purpose and vision, and market understanding. 

Marifat Khidiralieva, Director of the Woman’s Resource Centre in Khuroson said: “The course contributed to the growth of motivation and interest in social business. We plan to further apply the acquired knowledge in practice, develop a project on social business and involve the vulnerable women from our region.”

“This training was a logical continuation of a series of trainings on social entrepreneurship that contribute to ensuring income and improving the well-being of WRCs and beneficiaries. I hope that WRCs will achieve success in helping vulnerable groups of the population,” said Gulsha Jumakhonov, an OSCE local expert.

The Director of the WRC “ASTI” in Khujand, Mukhbira Tyuryaeva explained that: “During the course, we looked at the goals and mission of a social enterprise and forms of business implementation. We analyzed what types of clients there are and what to consider when working with clients and also the importance of teamwork in social business.”

The training course is being implemented as part of the OSCE Programme Office’s project ‘Supporting and Strengthening the Women’s Resource Centres in Tajikistan’, funded by the United States of America, Finland, Norway, Germany, and Andorra.

Joshua Peter and his friend Salama Ogboshun were kidnapped last year while on their way to the farm in Kaduna. Credit: Promise Eze/IPS

By Promise Eze
ABUJA, Mar 12 2024 (IPS)

Lilian Eze still shivers when she recalls the frequent attacks by kidnappers in the Kaduna community she once lived in, in north-central Nigeria. In February 2022, she fled with her children to Abuja, the nation’s capital, to ensure their safety.

In an interview with IPS, she explained that the kidnappers would invade the community on foot and with a horde of motorbikes in the evenings with little or no resistance from security agencies.

They would indiscriminately fire gunshots into the air, instilling fear among residents, before forcibly taking their victims to remote areas in the forest, where they would be held captive until ransom was paid. But not all victims make it out alive.

“When it started, sometime around 2017, we thought it would subside but it became extremely frequent. The gunshots were terrifying; most nights, we could not sleep. After my neighbour was kidnapped, I stopped sleeping at my house. My children and I would go to a nearby community to spend the night,” Eze said.

Nigeria is currently bedeviled with a widespread kidnapping for ransom crisis. It is among the highest globally. Armed gunmen snatch their victims from highways, schools, and even their homes. According to a report from Lagos-based risk consultancy SBM Intelligence spanning from July 2022 to June 2023, 3,495 individuals were abducted in 582 incidents, with over USD 18 million paid as ransom between 2011 and 2020.

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit says kidnapping for ransom is one of the major sources of terrorism financing in the country. Despite several pledges by the government to bring an end to the crisis, it has continued to fester.

While the payment of ransom has been criminalised, Nigerians have no choice but to crowdfund for ransom to secure the release of their family members and relatives, as in most cases, the kidnappers would not release their victims until ransom was paid.

Trapped in Kidnappers’ Den

While Eze and her family were lucky to have escaped to a relatively safer location, others have not been so lucky.

Joshua Peter, 30, along with his friend Salama Ogboshun, were kidnapped last year while on their way to the farm in Kaduna. He said heavily armed men ambushed and bundled them into a bush, from where they were taken to a forest. He added that the trauma of his experience in the forest may never fade away.

“Many kidnapped victims were killed before my eyes. Women and young girls were frequently raped in the open. I was beaten and received death threats every day,” he said.

Peter said he was released after two weeks only after the ransom was paid but for days he could eat just a little food and did not talk to anyone as a result of the trauma he battled with. He wondered why the Nigerian security forces were unable to rescue them and track the location of the kidnappers despite negotiations for their release on the phone.

Nigerians have frequently raised concerns about the efficiency of the country’s intelligence gathering and have voiced criticism regarding the perceived shortcomings of different security agencies in employing technology to address insecurity. Critics argue that, despite security agencies effectively monitoring and suppressing opposition activities, they have consistently fallen short in tracking down criminals. The police attribute delays in addressing kidnapping cases to a “shortage of tracking machines.”

Nigeria’s Failing Technological Infrastructure

For Sadiq Abdulahi, a tech expert with Fozy Global Concept based in Abuja, there is sparse collaboration between security agencies, which hampers the fight against insecurity.

“There should be synergy among the various security agencies regarding data sharing,” he added, emphasizing the lack of awareness about the potential use of technology to combat crime in the country.

In 2022, the Nigerian government mandated residents of the country to synchronize their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) with their National Identification Numbers (NINs) to bolster security. However, despite the policy, kidnappers continue to place untraceable calls to the families of their victims. Isa Pantami, the former Nigerian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy who spearheaded the initiative, faced criticism for seeking funds to pay ransom for certain kidnapped victims earlier this year. Pantami, however, shifted blame to security agencies, accusing them of not efficiently utilizing the policy to trace criminals.

Zainab Dabo, a Nigerian political analyst, argues that a lack of commitment and political will by the government is contributing to the crisis. According to her, the Nigerian security forces are under-equipped to confront rogue non-state actors.

“Security operatives have arms that are not as sophisticated as those of the kidnappers. While our security forces are well-trained, the lack of proper armament turns confronting terrorists into a perilous mission,” she told IPS.

Dabo also alleged that there are insiders within the Nigerian security infrastructure who are aiding terrorists. “For insecurity to persist for this long, it indicates elite connivance not only among security operatives but also among politicians and traditional rulers,” she added.

Joshua Madaki, a Kaduna resident kidnapped from his home by armed gangs on the evening of December 21, 2021, shares the same view as Dabo. Madaki, who said he spent 17 days in captivity, was abducted alongside 36 others from his community. He disclosed that while ransom negotiations were ongoing, the criminals killed six of the victims as a warning to their families.

“Insecurity in Nigeria is very complicated, but it seems the government is not ready to take action to tackle it,” said Badasi Bello, whose younger sister was kidnapped in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria, in 2023.

Amnesty International has advised the Nigerian government to regard the kidnapping crisis in the country as an emergency and to take measures to solve the problem.

However, kidnapping continues, including the mass kidnapping of schoolchildren. Last week (Thursday, August 7, 2024), 287 children were abducted from two schools in Kaduna State. UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, said in a statement that the act was “part of a worrying trend of attacks on educational institutions in Nigeria, particularly in the northwest, where armed groups have intensified their campaign of violence and kidnappings.”

Then, on March 10, 15 pupils were abducted from the Islamic seminary in Gidan Bakuso, Sokoto State, while they slept, according to the Associated Press.

Munduate said UNICEF was coordinating with local officials and assisting parents and families with psychological support services.

“Every child deserves to grow up in an environment of peace, away from the looming shadows of threats and insecurity. Unfortunately, we are currently facing a significant deterioration in community safety, with children disproportionately suffering the consequences of this decline in security,” Munduate said.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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