Activities of Tamás MESZERICS related to 2015/2001(INI)
Plenary speeches (3)
State of EU-Russia relations (A8-0162/2015 - Gabrielius Landsbergis) (vote)
State of EU-Russia relations (debate)
State of EU-Russia relations (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the state of EU-Russia relations PDF (147 KB) DOC (91 KB)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, in reaction to and despite Russia’s after the EU-brokered ceasefire aggression against Georgia and violation of its territorial integrity inement between Russia and Georgia of 2008, the EU opted for an increased cooperation model as a way to appease Russia; whereas, in line with this, rather than taking restrictive measures,launched or deepened a series of generous initiatives for deeper cooperation – such as the common spaces, the Partnership for Modernisation, the negotiations on a New EU-Russia Agreement, and the Human Rights dialogue – have been launched or deepened;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Russia has – by illegally annexing Crimea and waging an undeclared war against Ukraine, with the direct participation of Russian military units, and by deliberately destabilising this neighbouring sovereign and independent country – profoundly and for a long time damaged its relationship with the EU by jeopardising the basic principles of Europe’s security order and by breaking its international commitments, notably under the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and, the Budapest Memorandum and the bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Russia is the instigator of and, directly or indirectly, party to a number of ‘'frozen conflicts’' in its neighbourhood – in Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhasia, and Nagorno Karabakh – that constitute serious impediments to the development and stability of the neighbouring countries concerned and undermine their independence;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the current strife and confrontation between the EU and Russia are not in the interest of both parties; whereas concrete efforts should be made in order to keep the channel of dialogue open avoiding the building of a new iron curtain in Europe; whereas the new division of the continent is jeopardising the security of both the EU and Russia;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU has firmly supported Russia’'s accession and participation in different international organisations and fora, such as the G8, the G20 and the WTO; whereas this strategy of including Russia in international decision-making bodies has not had the results expected but instead created tensions owing to Russia’s habit of breaching rules, e.g. its non-; whereas Russia failed to compliancey with WTO standards andits obligations (by introducing a number of discriminatory measures against individual EU Member States and other countries in its neighbourhood), its failure to implement more than a thousand judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, etc.;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the Russian Federation, as a full member of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has committed itself to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights; whereas continued serious violations of the rule of law and the adoption of restrictive laws during the past months are increasing questioning Russia's compliance with its international and national obligations; whereas Russia failed to implement more than a thousand judgements of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the World Media Freedom Index 2014 ranks the Russian Federation at 148th place out of 180; whereas the financing of state-controlled media outlets has been significantly widened and increased; whereas freedoms of expression, association and assembly in Russia are still threatened and the initiatives and activities of human rights defenders, independent civil society organizations, political opponents, independent media and ordinary citizens are often restricted or hindered;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas the human rights situation in Russia has been constantly deteriorating in recent years and the Russian authorities have adopted a series of laws containing ambiguous provisions that are used to place further restrictions on opposition and civil-society actors;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)
Recital J b (new)
Jb. whereas the Russian Federation has actively promoted the Eurasian Economic Union; whereas this project of economic integration should not be seen as competing with the European Union;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J c (new)
Recital J c (new)
Jc. whereas energy continues to play a central and strategic role in EU-Russia relations; whereas energy is a key instrument of Russian foreign policy; whereas the EU's strong dependency on fossil fuels undermines the development of a balanced, coherent and value-driven European approach vis-à-vis Russia; whereas it is of the utmost importance for the EU to speak with one voice and show strong internal solidarity;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates that, in the light of Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in the war in Ukraine, amounting to a deliberate violation of the core of the democratic principles and values sustained by the EU and widely shared internationally, the EU cannot envisage a return to ‘busiStresses that enhanced cooperation and good-neighbourly relations between the EU and Russia are of crucial importance for the stability, security and prosperity of Europe; is of the opinion, furthermore, that cooperation at international level between the two partnesrs as usual’; calls for a critical re-assessment by the EU of its relations with Russia, and for the drafting, as promptly as possible, of a soft-power contingency plan to counter the aggressive and divisive policies conducted by Russia against the EU and its partnerin all institutions, organisations and forums is of the utmost importance with a view to improving global governance and addressing common challenges;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Reiterates, nevertheless, that the EU cannot envisage a return to "business as usual" as long as Russia does not fully implement the Minsk agreement and restores the territorial integrity of Ukraine; calls, in this regard, for a critical re-assessment by the EU of its relations with Russia;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that at this point, Russia, because of its actions, can no longer be treated as, or considered, a ‘strategic partner’; points out that that the relations with Russia can only be of a pragmatic nature, since "strategic partnerships are" can only conceivable with countries that do not jeopardise the international order, which is based on democracy, state sovereignty (including the choice of internal constitutional order and foreign policy orientation), the inviolability of state borders, respect for the rule of law and the principles of international trade, and mutual trustbe built and developed on shared common values and the respect of international obligations;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is deeply concerned by the fact that Russia now openly positions itself, and acts, not as a partner of, but as a rival to the international democratic community, seeking to challenge the current international order, and is in the process of redrawing borders within Europe; is extremely worried by the tendency of the Russian authorities to systematically denigrate liberal democracy and to consider democratic neighbouring countries as a threintroducing areas of influence and redrawing borders within Europe; regrets that security in Europe is still a highly sensitive and divisive issue but believes that the EU and Russia should spare no efforts so as to overcome the existing differences and diverging views with a view to enhancing dialogue and cooperation in this field once the curreant to their own rulcrisis is overcome;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that EU-Russia relations must henceforth be based on the rule of law and on preconditioned dialogue, whereby the EU would be ready to relaunch cooperation with the authorities in Moscow on the condition that Russia unambiguously and without pretence takes its share of responsibility and fully implements the Minsk Agreements; stresses that in order to ensure that such a dialogue – if renewed (for which the return of Crimea to Ukraine would be a prerequisite) – is not conducted at the expense of European values, standards and international commitments, it would be necessary to specify very clearly the EU’s expectations of Russia, along with the retaliatory measures it would take should Russia not keep to its commitmentstakes the view, in this regard, that the eventual resumption of the Partnership for Modernisation should not be limited to economic cooperation and technological innovation but must go along with an ambitious process of domestic reforms that include the consolidation of democratic institutions and of a reliable legal system, the respect of the rule of law and the unhindered development of a genuine civil society;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Firmly supports the swift creation of a robust European Energy Union, specifically the interconnection of national energy networks in order to reduce considerably the dependence of individual Member States on external energy suppliers; stresses, in this regard, the role that an ambitious policy of energy efficiency and renewables can play in this regard; is of the firm conviction that the challenges to and vulnerability of European solidarity, and the exposure of individual Member States, to the illegitimate use of energy as a political and diplomatic bargain chip can only be combatted efficiently through the full implementation of the Third Energy package and the completion of a transparent, integrated, synchronised and resilient European internal energy market;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Regrets, in this respect, the decisions of Finland and Hungary to step up the energy cooperation with Russia with regard, in particular, to the recent agreements on nuclear energy that will further increase the dependence on Moscow;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Reiterates once more that the development of the Eastern Partnership is not aimed against Russia; stresses, in this respect, that the current level of confrontation between the EU and the Russian Federation is not in the interest of the Eastern Partnership countries and calls on the Commission to find ways in order to broaden the areas of cooperation and compatibility between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Renews its call for the development of EU reconnaissance capabilities of weaponised information and the preparation of information contingency plans, including the strengthening of analytical and monitoring capabilities, especially in the Russian language, in order to be able to identify, and respond swiftly and appropriately to, purposefully biased information; calls on the Commission to earmark without delay adequate funding for concrete projects aimed at counteringresponding to Russian propaganda within the EU and abroad with professional reporting in line with journalism ethics, standards and good practice; calls on the Commission and the Member States to devise as well a mechanism for the collection, monitoring and reporting of financial, political or technical assistance provided by Russia to political parties and other organisations within the EU, with a view to assessing its involvement in, and influence over, political life and public debate in the EU;
Amendment 430 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. EUnderlines that the development of genuine and independent NGOs should not be seen as a threat but, on the contrary, an enrichment of the society of a country; expresses its deep concern for the state of human rights and the rule of law in Russia, and strongly condemns the crackdown on independent civil society and the persistent and multiform repression of activists, political opponents and critics of the regime, which has in some cases led to their murder (Anna Politkovskaya, Natalya Estemirova, Boris Nemtsov, Sergey Magnitsky, Alexander Litvinenko, and others); demands that all assassinations of political activists, journalists and whistle blowers be investigated properly and independently; reiterates its call on the Council to deliver on its commitment to defend these principles, and to adopt restrictive measures for the officials involved in the well-documented Magnitsky case;
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses its deep concern for the state of human rights and the rule of law in Russia, andparticularly as regards to the foreign agents law, anti-LGBTI legislation, the treason law and the legislation regulating public protests; strongly condemns the crackdown on independent civil society and the persistent and multiform repression of activists, political opponents and critics of the regime, which has in some cases led to their murder (Anna Politkovskaya, Natalya Estemirova, Boris Nemtsov, Sergey Magnitsky, Alexander Litvinenko, and others); demands that all assassinations of political activists, journalists and whistle blowers be investigated properly and independently; reiterates its call on the Council to deliver on its commitment to defend these principles, and to adopt restrictive measures for the officials involved in the well-documented Magnitsky case;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Regrets the lack of results and the absence of any evolution on the modalities of the EU-Russia Human Rights consultations; expects, in case of resumption, concrete efforts to make it more result-oriented in consultation with the CSOs of both sides;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on Russia to repeal fully the federal law on 'propaganda for non- traditional sexual relations'; is deeply concerned about the negative consequences of this law on society, creating an environment in which discrimination, hate speech and hate violence against LGBTI people go unpunished; calls on the High Representative, the EU Delegation to Russia and EU Member states, to condemn acts of violence against LGBTI people and human rights defenders, to raise the issue with relevant Russian officials and to support civil society and governmental initiatives on monitoring cases of violence and educating law enforcement personnel;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to develop and launch in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Instrument and the Partnership Instrument cross- border programmes that facilitate cooperation and people-to-people contacts and exchanges between the EU and Russia at the levels of civil society and local communities with a view to defusing tension, improving mutual understanding and starting concretely to build confidence between the parties;