Climate: in the European Parliament, the Caribbean and Pacific countries call for help
The European Parliament in Strasbourg.
© AP - Jean-Francois Badias
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
A total of 156 parliamentarians from 105 countries are meeting in Strasbourg this weekend at the European Parliament for the 41st meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
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With our correspondent in Strasbourg
,
Angélique Ferat
This is the first physical meeting for two years
because of the
Covid-19 epidemic.
The European Union and the ACP countries will discuss partnership.
And if
the war in Ukraine
was added to the agenda very recently, the countries of the Caribbean and the Pacific intend to put the fight against climate change back at the heart of the discussions.
The co-president of this Assembly, who comes from the Solomon Islands, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, stresses that we must not forget other emergencies.
“
We are 38 island countries represented in this assembly and we are on the front line in the face of global warming
”, declares Peter Kenilorea.
“
Solidarity is all we ask for”
“
Many in the Pacific see it as an existential threat.
There is a erosion of the coasts and many of our inhabitants simply live from what they cultivate.
There are no supermarkets.
They have to grow their food.
And this lifestyle is threatened
,” he warns.
“
Solidarity is all we ask for.
But we would like this solidarity and goodwill to be transformed into concrete action
,” he adds.
The ACP countries are waiting for Europe to finally sign
the Cotonou partnership agreement
, negotiations for which were completed a year ago.
If the partnerships between Europe and the ACP have so far been economic, the new agreement includes a political dimension by linking development aid to respect for human rights and democratic principles.
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