Translation of "saisir par les cornes " (French → English) :

The European Commission has today announced the approval of 10 new actions worth €117 million to improve stability and address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa region.

5. Considers it desirable to seize the opportunity presented by the election on 10 September 2012 of the new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, with a view to working – helped by the Strategic Framework for the Horn of Africa and with the support in the region of the EUSR, as well as that of the EEAS and national diplomats and of the African Union – in favour of the establishment of normal diplomatic and economic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea and of the resolution of the Somali crisis, since this would benefit the development of the whole region; notes that the Great Lakes region, which ...[+++]borders the western fringes of the Horn of Africa, is also one of the most unstable in the world, including some severely underdeveloped countries that are plagued by armed violence - e.g. the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - and even by wars with one or more of their neighbours - e.g. the tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, which is part of the Horn of Africa in the wider sense; stresses that in implementing the European strategy for the Horn of Africa we cannot ignore its possible repercussions for the much-needed development of the neighbouring regions (notably the Great Lakes region, Central Africa and Southern Africa).

66. Hopes that under the leadership of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, appointed on 21 September 2012, Ethiopia will engage in a process of genuine democratic transition in order to realise its strong democratic potential, putting an end to interference with religious freedom and civil society freedoms; calls on the European External Action Service, the EUSR for the Horn of Africa and the EUSR for Human Rights to engage with Ethiopia on human rights as a matter of priority so that it can seize the opportunity of the ongoing political transition to institute a truly democratic transition, built on the centrality of human rights and fundamental freedoms, ...[+++] freedom of the media and full recognition of freedom of expression; urges the EU and the international community to remain vigilant and active in response to the political transition under way in Ethiopia, to promote the strengthening of democratic institutions and to tie political, military and development assistance to concrete democratic reforms, which must include the release of all prisoners of conscience, such as Eskinder Nega and other journalists, human rights and development activists and opposition figures, the admission of the UN special rapporteurs on human rights on a basis of unhindered access to all regions and detention facilities, the repeal or amendment of the Charities and Societies Proclamation and the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, and the return of opposition politicians in exile; calls on the EU to find innovative and secure ways to assist, financially and politically, the struggling civil society in Ethiopia and engage in close dialogue with the opposition, both in Ethiopia and in exile;

14. Considers it desirable to seize the opportunity presented by the opening-up of the succession to the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died on 20 August 2012, the election of the new Somali President, and the approach of the Kenyan legislative elections in 2013, in order to: (i) work on promoting respect for constitutional norms, the rule of law, human rights, and gender equality through cooperation and dialogue with the Horn partners; (ii) continue work on institutional development, democracy-building and democratisation; (iii) monitor the follow-up of the recommendations of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) an ...[+++]d provide support for their implementation where relevant, (iv) reinforce political dialogue at country and regional level, and continue to raise issues of human rights, including wherever appropriate extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, and the fight against impunity; (v) support an independent civil society that is able to express social agendas;

20. Underlines the need for close strategic coordination among all security-related actors, in particular EU-NAVFOR ATALANTA, EUTM Somalia and EUCAP Nestor, as well as NATO (Operation Ocean Shield), the US-led taskforce CTF-151, the UN and AMISOM; notes the existence of international coordination mechanisms such as the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in New York and the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) mechanism in Bahrain; welcomes, therefore, the Council decision of 23 March 2012 to activate, for an initial two-year period, the EU Operations Centre in order to coordinate and increase synergies betwe ...[+++]en the three CSDP missions in the Horn of Africa, as well as the Brussels-based structures, in the context of the Horn of Africa Strategy and in liaison with the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa;

Equality legislation alone will not succeed in tackling the deep-rooted inequalities that exist without the political will of politicians, of policymakers and others to grasp the nettle and comprehensively tackle discrimination.