The African, Caribbean, Pacific — European Union (ACP-EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly sitting in Maputo, Mozambique on Wednesday, 02 November 2022 voted to let Uganda proceed with developing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP).
The Ugandan delegation to the Maputo meeting led by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, also convinced the assembly, which includes members of the European Union Parliament to allow for a “just transition to renewable energy” as opposed to the abrupt halting of explorations, especially by the global south.
The ACP-EU, which had adopted a hard stance against new oil fields, adjusted its position and “acknowledged the importance of fair phase out and gradual transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, stressing that achieving the 1.5 ° C target requires the drastic scaling up of renewable energy and supporting a global just transition.”
This position now contests the earlier stance of the European Union Parliament, which had passed a resolution to altogether defeat the idea of the EACOP.
The ACP-EU resolution now waters down an earlier stance by the European Parliament that had expressed “grave concern” around alleged human rights violations in Uganda and Tanzania, linked, to the Lake Albert project.
The plan covers upstream investments at Tilenga and Kingfisher, with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) running to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
The ACP-EU Assembly brings together an equal number of elected MPs from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and Members of the European Parliament.
Tayebwa welcomed the amendment, terming it “a big win for Uganda; the Ugandan delegation burnt the midnight candle to get to this achievement.”
This resolution comes two months after the European Union Parliament passed a resolution on “violations of human rights in Uganda and Tanzania linked to investments in fossil fuels projects” in which they called for the suspension of the pipeline project in Uganda and Tanzania.
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa, however, condemned the resolution and has since led efforts to roll back on the negativity against the EACOP.
“The resolution is based on misinformation and deliberate misrepresentation of key facts on environment and human rights protection. It represents the highest level of neo-colonialism and imperialism against the sovereignty of Uganda and Tanzania,” Tayebwa told Parliament then.
The EACOP measuring 1,443km will transport crude oil from Kabaale in Hoima District in Uganda to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga port in Tanzania before it’s shipped for refining abroad.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
