During a meeting held on Thursday, 25 June, to debrief from their trip, the MEPs on the Committee on Development (DEVE) who took part in a mission to Mozambique at the end of May stated their belief that European investments should benefit local populations more and contribute to developing the northern part of the country.
Heading up the parliamentary delegation, Hilde Vautmans (Renew Europe, Belgian) reiterated that “only 25% of humanitarian needs are covered” and lamented the Mozambican authorities’ lack of engagement in the province of Cabo Delgado.
Marit Maij (S&D, Dutch), for her part, spoke out against the fact that Mozambique’s natural resources were benefitting foreign investors more than the local populations.
György Hölvényi (PfE, Hungarian) considered the causes of the crisis to also be economic in nature and called on the EU to better assess the social consequences of international investments.
On behalf of the European Commission, civil servant Philippe Latriche (‘DG INTPA’) felt that this mission demonstrated the EU’s intervention “on a really wide range of issues”—from humanitarian aid to investments, including security and development.
The parliamentary delegation also visited the headquarters of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique (EUMAM Mozambique), whose mandate several MEPs supported extending (see EUROPE 13868/33). (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)