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ASAMBLEA PARLAMENTARIA EURO-LATINOAMERICANA

EURO-LATIN AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

ASSEMBLEIA PARLAMENTAR EURO-LATINO-AMERICANA

ASSEMBLÉE PARLEMENTAIRE EURO-LATINO- AMÉRICAINE

PARLAMENTARISCHE VERSAMMLUNG EUROPA-LATEINAMERIKA

Committee on Sustainable Development, Environment, Energy Policy, Research, Innovationand Technology

EUAL_PV(2017)0919_1

MINUTESof the meeting of 19 September 2017, 15.00-18.30

San Salvador, El Salvador

The meeting opened on Tuesday 19 September 2017 at 15.20, with Carlos Zorrinho in the Chair.He apologised for the absence of the EP Co-Chair and indicated that he has been asked to chairthe meeting today, as the most senior Member of the Committee.

1. Adoption of draft agenda OJ - AP102.344v01-00

The draft agenda was adopted with an agreement to postpone agenda item 9 (Bioeconomy)due to the absence of the LAC rapporteur and pending nomination of an EP rapporteur.

2. Election of members of the committee Bureau

Ms Julia Perié (Argentina, Parlasur) was elected Co-Chair with acclamation.

3. Approval of minutes of meeting of: May 2017 (Florence, Italy)PV- AP102.339v01-00

The minutes of the meeting of 24 May 2017 were deemed approved on 6 October 2017after their circulation in all working languages of the Committee.

4. Co-chairs’ announcements

The Co-Chair asked Members and experts to respect the speaking time as follow: 5 minutesfor rapporteurs and experts, 2 minutes for other Members.

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5. Draft report on ‘Towards an EU-CELAC Common Research Area’The EU Co-Rapporteur, José Faria, presented his report and stressed the importance ofresearch and development in the CELAC action plan. He said that the Common ResearchArea, which was officially launched in Brussels on 14 March 2016, signifies the start of anew phase of research cooperation between the EU and the CELAC countries. TheCommon Research Area is underpinned by three main pillars:

The mobility of researchers; International outreach of research infrastructures; Increased thematic cooperation to address global challenges.

He said that the Common Research Area should lead to a significant improvement in theresearch performance of the EU and the CELAC countries, with the end goal being topromote growth and job creation and to tackle more efficiently some of the commonchallenges such as climate change. Public-private dialogue, stakeholder inclusion andstrategic partnerships with donors, technical expertise, the private sector, and clients helpengagement in a sustainable and responsible investment.

He pointed out that the report expresses support to policy initiatives and structuralmechanisms set in place at the sixth Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on Science andTechnology of the EU-CELAC Joint Initiative on Research and Innovation (JIRI) in 2017,such as the creation of a Research Infrastructures (RI) working group and the developmentof a mobility portal for CELAC.

He reiterated the need to encourage mutual recognition of qualifications and to promote amore structured and inclusive academic and scientific dialogue. He called upon the EU toenlarge the number of Latin American countries eligible for Erasmus+ mechanism funding(from the current 18 to all 33).

Finally, the co-rapporteur called upon the EU, the EU member states and the CELACcountries to significantly increase the spending on R&I. To this aim, private sectorinvestment and business focused Technology and Innovation Centres (TICs) should beleveraged as much as possible, with EU and CELAC countries exploiting measures that fittheir national policy tool box, such as tax credits, innovative public procurement,appropriate IPR (intellectual property rights) regulation and open innovation strategies.

The LAC Co-Rapporteur, Orlando Tardencilla (Parlacen, Nicaragua), who had alreadypresented his report in Florence in May, highlighted that R&D needs to give momentum tosustainable development; that the research area should be seen as an opportunity to pushfor public policies leading to sustainable development; and the need to investigate furtherinto climate change.

The Co-Chair announced that the deadline for amendments will be set later with the aim tovote at the next Committee meeting in spring 2018.

Speakers: Julia Perie (Parlasur, Argentina), Jose Inácio Faria (EP, EPP, Portugal), OrlandoTardencilla (Parlacen, Nicaragua), Isabella de Monte (EP, S&D, Italy), Carlos Zorrinho(EP, S&D, Portugal), Edgar Mejia Aguilar (Parlatino, Bolivia).

6. Working documents on ‘Effectively implementing the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment at the local level’

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Isabella De Monte (S&D, IT), the EP co-rapporteur, presented her working document. TheEP co-rapporteur stressed that the ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) depends first and foremost on the ability of the local and regional level to put inplace frameworks for integrated, inclusive and sustainable territorial development. The UNGeneral Assembly called for the advancement of the 2030 Agenda to address both theeradication of poverty and the sustainable development of economic, social andenvironmental dimensions in a balanced and integrated manner.

The co-rapporteur stressed that the 17 objectives of the Agenda 2030 have greatlycontributed to raising awareness among the public. These ambitious goals of sustainabledevelopment include the international community's commitment to the fight againsthunger, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture, education, gender equality and fairemployment opportunities. The results of the Agenda 2030 depend to a large extent on sub-national authorities.

Furthermore, great importance is given to the conservation of the environment with respectto the objectives of the COP 21 and 22 (World conferences on climate in Paris andMarrakech) on the damages deriving from climate change and on the need to maintain thegrowth of the average global temperature on the land emerged and on the surface of theoceans to a maximum of +2 degrees centigrade, compared to pre-industrial levels.

The co-rapporteur explained that she mainly focused on Objective 11: Making cities andhuman settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Other problems in LatinAmerica must be addressed by the objectives of the Agenda 2030. These include the mostserious: corruption, institutional vulnerability and the fragility of the rule of law. Drugtrafficking remains a social scourge affecting countries such as Colombia.

Ms de Monte warned that poor job opportunities produce youth unemployment and entryinto organized crime. Great inequalities determine prospects within Latin American societyand sometimes there exists an inability of governments to promote social mobility andeconomic development processes.

Concluding, the co-rapporteur said that the objectives of sustainable development are animportant opportunity to promote new forms of cooperation in these countries and theirimplementation and monitoring should involve national and sub-national governments,civil society, the private sector, academia and citizens.

According to the LAC co-rapporteur, Carlos Eduardo Osorio, who has presented hisworking document already at the EuroLat meeting in Florence, the elimination of povertymust be a key objective of sustainable development. He proposed to enhance thedecentralisation process as a means to support the implementation of the SDGs at regionaland local level.

Members stressed the need for enhancing autonomy of the local level during the debate.Frameworks for implementation need to involve strong multi-stakeholder partnerships. Itwas highlighted that the concept of sustainable development has to be a comprehensiveone. Members underlined that it is not enough to fix objectives, but to bring forward preciseactions to implement the SDG.

The Co-Chair announced that the joint resolution will be discussed at the next meeting inspring 2018.

Speakers: Isabella de Monte (EP, S&D, Italy), Carlos Edgar Osorio (Parlandino,Colombia), Jose Inacio Faria (EP, EPP, Portugal), Gloria Oqueli (Honduras).

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7. Urgent topic on ‘Water as a Human Right’

Mr Pedro Wouterlood Sapag, Professor at the Universidad Nacional de losComechingones, Argentina, introduced his presentation by saying that it should be bornein mind that when we refer to the right to water we refer to both the right to drinking waterand to sanitation. He then explained that the right to water understood in this way isintimately linked to the right to health; the latter is recognized in numerous internationalhuman rights instruments, such as

the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO);

Article 25.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

Article 12.1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

Articles 17 and 24.1 of the Convention on the Rights of the ChildHe added the “Protocol of San Salvador", additional to the American Convention onHuman Rights in the area of economic, social and cultural rights, which expressly enshrinesthe right to health in its Article 10.1.

Given this intrinsic connection with the right to health, access to water can be interpretedas a human right as it is a precondition for health. However, he acknowledged that the rightto water is still embryonic. Despite the fact that international law in recent years has showna notable progress towards the explicit recognition of the right to water, it has not yet beenconsecrated as such in international instruments of a binding nature.

He also outlined the link between the lack of access to water and inequalities. Concluding,Mr Wouterlood Sapag cited Fact Sheet No. 35 prepared by the Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights and WHO, which states that:

(i) The right to water entails freedoms. These freedoms include protection against arbitraryand illegal disconnections; the prohibition of illegal contamination of water resources; non-discrimination in access to drinking water and sanitation; non-interference with access toexisting water supplies, especially traditional water sources; and ensure that personal safetyis not threatened when accessing water and sanitation outside the home.

(ii) The right to water contains rights. These rights include access to a minimum amount ofpotable water to sustain life and health; access to drinking water and sanitation in a situationof detention; and participation in decision-making regarding water and sanitation, at thenational and community levels.

(iii) The water supply for each person must be continuous and sufficient to cover personaland domestic uses, which include water for drinking, washing clothes, food preparationand personal and household hygiene.

In the debate, Members highlighted the importance of the topic and asked follow-upquestions to the expert.

Speakers: Gloria Oqueli (Parlacen, Honduras), Haraldo Rodas (Parlatino, Guatemala)

8. Working documents on ‘Territorial cohesion and trans-border coordination policiesin the EU and Latin America’

Jose Inacio Faria (S&D, Portugal) presented his report on behalf of the EP co-rapporteurAndrey Novakov (EPP, Bulgaria), who was unable to participate in the Committeemeeting.

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The EP co-rapporteur considered territorial cohesion a key issue for cooperation betweenthe EU and Latin America and highlighted that reducing disparities and fostering socialand economic cohesion should be the key objective. He took stock of the current policiesand instruments used in each continent. He also voiced the view that cross-bordercooperation should aim at tackling common challenges identified jointly in the borderregions and at exploiting the untapped growth potential in border areas, as well as dealingwith a wide range of issues such as the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking.

Mr Faria remarked that Latin American countries have taken increasing interest in the over30 years of experience the European Union has had in cohesion policies, finding in theestablished policies and methods in Europe appealing solutions for their own challenges.

Territorial cohesion policies are enabling Latin American and Caribbean countries todevelop and implement policies to promote a more even pattern of economic development,thereby helping to boost national competitiveness and levels of employment, whileimproving cross-border cooperation.

Mr Faria then referred to the Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS), as an important pillarof the EU’s innovation policy, designed to address the gap that exists between publicinnovation supports and the actual needs of companies and innovators. He pointed out thatthe creation of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) in Chile through the RED Project (2011-2012) co-financed by the European Union was an example of success. It enabled seven ofChile’s fifteen regions to construct regional innovation strategies based on the Europeanmethodology.

Mr Faria underlined the importance of cross-border cooperation, which aims to tacklecommon challenges identified jointly in the border regions and to exploit the untappedgrowth potential in border areas. It deals with a wide range of issues, which include thefight against organised crime and drug trafficking;

Concluding, Mr Faria said that in the future, with the financial support from the EUearmarked for the region, he would like to see:

Country-specific regional development plans developed in Latin America;

Solid ex-ante and ex-post analysis for project development;

Further sharing of good practices between the EU and Latin America on regionaldevelopment and contribution for the creation of the regional development plans;

Stronger focus on innovation and entrepreneurship with specific measures forwomen’s and vulnerable groups’ participation;

Concrete steps taken for the common research area and clear deadlines for itscreation.

During the discussions, Members highlighted that this policy plays a vital role in enhancingregional competitiveness and in contributing to economic diversification, whereby the EUpolicies in this area can be a source of inspiration for action, including on gender-relatedissues.

The Co-Chair announced that the joint resolution will be discussed at the next meeting inspring 2018.

Speakers: Jose Inacio Faria (EP, EPP, Portugal), Carlos Zorrinho (EP, S&D, Portugal).

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9. Working documents on ‘Progress and Challenges of Science and technology focusedon the Bioeconomy’

The presentation of the working document on ‘Progress and Challenges of Science andtechnology focused on the Bioeconomy’ was postponed due to the absence of the LatinAmerican co-rapporteur.

At the end of the meeting, Mr Jose Inacio Faria (S&D, Portugal) was nominated EP co-rapporteur for this subject.

Speakers: Carlos Zorrinho (EP, S&D, Portugal).

10. Proposals for reports and topics for debate in committee meetings during 2017/2018

A Member proposed the following new topic: The right of nature (the same topic has alsobeen suggested in the Political Affairs Committee, hence, the EP Co-Chair pointed out thatit needs to be decided, which Committee is best placed to deal with this topic).

Speakers: Pamela Aguirre (Parlandino, Ecuador), Carlos Zorrinho (EP, S&D Portugal).

11. Any other business

None.

12. Date and place of next meeting

It was announced that the next EUROLAT meeting is likely take place in spring 2018 inPanama City (decision pending).

The meeting closed at 17.50.

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ПРИСЪСТВЕН ЛИСТ/LISTA DE ASISTENCIA/PREZENČNÍ LISTINA/DELTAGERLISTE/ANWESENHEITSLISTE/KOHALOLIJATE NIMEKIRI/ΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΗ ΠΑΡΟΝΤΩΝ/RECORD OF ATTENDANCE/

LISTE DE PRÉSENCE/POPIS NAZOČNIH/ELENCO DI PRESENZA/APMEKLĒJUMU REĢISTRS/DALYVIŲ SĄRAŠAS/JELENLÉTI ÍV/REĠISTRU TA' ATTENDENZA/PRESENTIELIJST/LISTA OBECNOŚCI/LISTA DE PRESENÇAS/

LISTĂ DE PREZENŢĂ/PREZENČNÁ LISTINA/SEZNAM NAVZOČIH/LÄSNÄOLOLISTA/DELTAGARLISTA

Бюро/Mesa/Předsednictvo/Formandskabet/Vorstand/Juhatus/Προεδρείο/Bureau/Predsjedništvo/Ufficio di presidenza/Prezidijs/Biuras/Elnökség/ Prezydium/Birou/Predsedníctvo/Predsedstvo/Puheenjohtajisto/Presidiet (*)

EP Delegation

Zorrinho

Parlasur

Perié (Argentina, Parlasur)

Членове/Diputados/Poslanci/Medlemmer/Mitglieder/Parlamendiliikmed/Μέλη/Members/Zastupnici/Députés/Deputati/Deputāti/Nariai/Képviselõk/ Membri/Leden/Posłowie/Deputados/Deputaţi/Jäsenet/Ledamöter

EP Delegation

Danti, Jáuregui, Mayer, Rodust, Fária

Parlatino

Millerson, Mejía, Fernández

Parlandino

Osorio, Gómez, Agurre,

Parlacen

Tardencilla, Oqueli, Celindres, Rodas, Portillo, Ceruén

Parlasur

Palacios

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Заместници/Suplentes/Náhradníci/Stedfortrædere/Stellvertreter/Asendusliikmed/Αναπληρωτές/Substitutes/Zamjenici/Suppléants/Supplenti/Aizstājēji/Pavaduojantysnariai/Póttagok/Sostituti/Plaatsvervangers/Zastępcy/Membros suplentes/Supleanţi/Náhradníci/Namestniki/Varajäsenet/Suppleanter

EP Delegation

De Monte.

Наблюдатели/Observadores/Pozorovatelé/Observatører/Beobachter/Vaatlejad/Παρατηρητές/Observers/Observateurs/Promatrači/Osservatori/Novērotāji/Stebėtojai/Megfigyelők/Osservaturi/Waarnemers/Obserwatorzy/Observadores/Observatori/Pozorovatelia/Opazovalci/Tarkkailijat/Observatörer

По покана на председателя/Por invitación del presidente/Na pozvání předsedy/Efter indbydelse fra formanden/Auf Einladung desVorsitzenden/Esimehe kutsel/Με πρόσκληση του Προέδρου/At the invitation of the Chair(wo)man/Sur l’invitation du président/Na poziv predsjednika/Su invito del presidente/Pēc priekšsēdētāja uzaicinājuma/Pirmininkui pakvietus/Az elnök meghívására/Fuq stedina taċ-'Chairman'/Op uitnodiging van de voorzitter/Na zaproszenie Przewodniczącego/A convite do Presidente/La invitaţiapreşedintelui/Na pozvanie predsedu/Na povabilo predsednika/Puheenjohtajan kutsusta/På ordförandens inbjudan

Pedro Wouterlood Sapag

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Съвет/Consejo/Rada/Rådet/Rat/Nõukogu/Συμβούλιο/Council/Conseil/Vijeće/Consiglio/Padome/Taryba/Tanács/Kunsill/Raad/Conselho/Consiliu/Svet/Neuvosto/Rådet (*)

Комисия/Comisión/Komise/Kommissionen/Kommission/Euroopa Komisjon/Επιτροπή/Commission/Komisija/Commissione/Bizottság/Kummissjoni/Commissie/Komisja/Comissão/Comisie/Komisia/Komissio/Kommissionen (*)

Европейска служба за външна дейност/Servicio Europeo de Acción Exterior/Evropská služba pro vnější činnost/EU-Udenrigstjenesten/Europäischer Auswärtiger Dienst/Euroopa välisteenistus/Ευρωπαϊκή Υπηρεσία Εξωτερικής Δράσης/EuropeanExternal Action service/Service européen pour l’action extérieure/Europska služba za vanjsko djelovanje/Servizio europeo per l’azioneesterna/Eiropas Ārējās darbības dienests/Europos išorės veiksmų tarnyba/Európai Külügyi Szolgálat/Servizz Ewropew għall-AzzjoniEsterna/Europese dienst voor extern optreden/Europejska Służba Działań Zewnętrznych/Serviço Europeu para a Acção Externa/Serviciul european pentru acţiune externă/Európska služba pre vonkajšiu činnosť/Evropska služba za zunanje delovanje/Euroopanulkosuhdehallinto/Europeiska avdelningen för yttre åtgärd (*)

Други участници/Otros participantes/Ostatní účastníci/Endvidere deltog/Andere Teilnehmer/Muud osalejad/Επίσης Παρόντες/Otherparticipants/Autres participants/Drugi sudionici/Altri partecipanti/Citi klātesošie/Kiti dalyviai/Más résztvevők/Parteċipanti ohra/Andereaanwezigen/Inni uczestnicy/Outros participantes/Alţi participanţi/Iní účastníci/Drugi udeleženci/Muut osallistujat/Övriga deltagare

Секретариат на политическите групи/Secretaría de los Grupos políticos/Sekretariát politických skupin/Gruppernes sekretariat/Sekretariat der Fraktionen/Fraktsioonide sekretariaat/Γραμματεία των Πολιτικών Ομάδων/Secretariats of political groups/Secrétariat desgroupes politiques/Tajništva klubova zastupnika/Segreteria gruppi politici/Politisko grupu sekretariāts/Frakcijų sekretoriai/Képviselőcsoportok titkársága/Segretarjat gruppi politiċi/Fractiesecretariaten/Sekretariat Grup Politycznych/Secr. dos grupospolíticos/Secretariate grupuri politice/Sekretariát politických skupín/Sekretariat političnih skupin/Poliittisten ryhmien sihteeristöt/Gruppernas sekretariat

PPE

S&D

ECR

ALDE

Verts/ALE

GUE/NGL

EFDD

ENF

NI

Ruíz Huélamo,

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Кабинет на председателя/Gabinete del Presidente/Kancelář předsedy/Formandens Kabinet/Kabinett des Präsidenten/Presidendikantselei/Γραφείο Προέδρου/President's Office/Cabinet du Président/Ured predsjednika/Gabinetto del Presidente/Priekšsēdētājakabinets/Pirmininko kabinetas/Elnöki hivatal/Kabinett tal-President/Kabinet van de Voorzitter/Gabinet Przewodniczącego/Gabinete doPresidente/Cabinet Preşedinte/Kancelária predsedu/Urad predsednika/Puhemiehen kabinetti/Talmannens kansli

Кабинет на генералния секретар/Gabinete del Secretario General/Kancelář generálního tajemníka/Generalsekretærens Kabinet/Kabinett des Generalsekretärs/Peasekretäri büroo/Γραφείο Γενικού Γραμματέα/Secretary-General's Office/Cabinet du Secrétairegénéral/Ured glavnog tajnika/Gabinetto del Segretario generale/Ģenerālsekretāra kabinets/Generalinio sekretoriaus kabinetas/Főtitkári hivatal/Kabinett tas-Segretarju Ġenerali/Kabinet van de secretaris-generaal/Gabinet Sekretarza Generalnego/Gabinete doSecretário-Geral/Cabinet Secretar General/Kancelária generálneho tajomníka/Urad generalnega sekretarja/Pääsihteerin kabinetti/Generalsekreterarens kansli

Секретариат на Асамблеята/Secretaría de la Asamblea/Sekretariát shromáždění/Forsamlingens sekretariat/Sekretariat derVersammlung/Assamblee sekretariaat/Γραμματεία της Συνέλευσης/Assembly secretariat/Secrétariat de l’assemblée/Tajništvoskupštine/Segretariato dell'Assemblea/Asamblejas sekretariāts/Asamblėjos sekretoriatas/A Közgyűlés titkársága/Segretarjat tal-Assemblea/Secretariaat van de Vergadering/Sekretariat Zgromadzenia/Secretariado da assembleia/Secretariatul adunării/Sekretariátzhromaždenia/Sekretariat skupščine/Edustajakokouksen sihteeristö/Församlingens sekretariat

EP Delegation

Weixler, Lutz

Parlandino

Chacón

Сътрудник/Asistente/Asistent/Assistent/Assistenz/Βοηθός/Assistant/Assistente/Palīgs/Padėjėjas/Asszisztens/Asystent/Pomočnik/Avustaja/Assistenter

Montoya Lozano

* (P) = Председател/Presidente/Předseda/Formand/Vorsitzender/Esimees/Πρόεδρος/Chair(wo)man/Président/Predsjednik/Priekšsēdētājs/Pirmininkas/Elnök/'Chairman'/Voorzitter/Przewodniczący/Preşedinte/Predseda/Predsednik/Puheenjohtaja/Ordförande

(VP) = Заместник-председател/Vicepresidente/Místopředseda/Næstformand/Stellvertretender Vorsitzender/Aseesimees/Αντιπρόεδρος/Vice-Chair(wo)man/Potpredsjednik/Vice-Président/Potpredsjednik/Priekšsēdētāja vietnieks/Pirmininko pavaduotojas/Alelnök/Viċi 'Chairman'/Ondervoorzitter/Wiceprzewodniczący/Vice-Presidente/Vicepreşedinte/Podpredseda/Podpredsednik/Varapuheenjohtaja/Vice ordförande

(M) = Член/Miembro/Člen/Medlem./Mitglied/Parlamendiliige/Μέλος/Member/Membre/Član/Membro/Deputāts/Narys/Képviselő/Membru/Lid/Członek/Membro/Membru/Člen/Poslanec/Jäsen/Ledamot

(F) = Длъжностно лице/Funcionario/Úředník/Tjenestemand/Beamter/Ametnik/Υπάλληλος/Official/Fonctionnaire/Dužnosnik/Funzionario/Ierēdnis/Pareigūnas/Tisztviselő/Uffiċjal/Ambtenaar/Urzędnik/Funcionário/Funcţionar/Úradník/Uradnik/Virkamies/Tjänsteman