The European Parliament adopted by 603 votes to 27, with 57 abstentions, under a special legislative procedure (Parliament’s consultation), a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union including relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other (Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland).
Parliament approved the revised version of the draft Council decision to establish the rules and procedures governing the EU's association with the overseas countries and territories (OCTs), including Greenland, for the period 2021-2027.
Objective
The overall objective of the proposed decision is to:
- enhance the OCTs’ competitiveness, strengthening the OCTs’ resilience, reducing their economic and environmental vulnerability and the promoting of cooperation between them and other partners;
- preserve the existing ties between the EU on the one hand, and Greenland and Denmark on the other, acknowledging the geostrategic position of Greenland in the Arctic, and to preserve existing ties between the Union and the other OCTs, acknowledging their geostrategic positions in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic and the Pacific.
The association will respect the fundamental principles of liberty, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, good governance and sustainable development, all of which are common to the OCTs and the Member States to which they are linked.
Priorities
The association will provide the framework for strategic dialogue and cooperation on issues of mutual interest. The Council's revised draft clearly outlines the different areas of cooperation proposed. In particular, it includes:
- more extensive reference to the 2030 Agenda and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the recognition that gender equality and women's empowerment are key to achieving the SDGs;
- recognition of the important role of civil society organisations in all areas of cooperation;
additional provisions on the protection of human rights, especially of women and children;
- an increase in the climate target from 20% to 25% with a greater emphasis on nature and environmental protection;
- an increase in the number of annual trilateral consultations between the Commission, the Member States to which they are linked and the OCTs;
- encouraging the OCTs to express their views in the context of the design and impact assessment of the EU's free trade agreements with third countries;
- clarification of what happens to the reflows from the OCT Investment Facility managed by the European Investment Bank;
- an Annex II concerning the definition of the concept of 'originating products' and methods of administrative cooperation.
Budget
The financial envelope of the programme for the period 2021-2027 is set at EUR 500 million in current prices.