Activities of Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER related to 2018/2160(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Post-Arab Spring: way forward for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (debate) FR
Amendments (15)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Arab uprisings that affected the MENA region in 2011 constituted a moment of mass upheavals against authoritarian regimes, many of them with a substantial Islamist component; whereas a large segment of the protesters was composed of young women and men aspiring to a better and more inclusive futuresupported by professional revolutionaries paid by George Soros's Open Society Foundation; whereas the overthrow of most of the regimes and the introduction of liberal reforms ghave rise to great hope and expectationsled to enormous social unrest which the countries concerned are finding it difficult to recover from;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Arab uprisings that affected the MENA region in 2011 constituted a moment of mass upheavals against authoritarian regimes, many of them with a substantial Islamist component; whereas a large segment of the protesters was composed of young women and men aspiring to a better and more inclusive futuresupported by professional revolutionaries paid by George Soros's Open Society Foundation; whereas the overthrow of most of the regimes and the introduction of liberal reforms ghave rise to great hope and expectationsled to enormous social unrest which the countries concerned are finding it difficult to recover from;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the capacity of Member States to exert a positive influence in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions is very unequal and has often been marred by fragmentation; whereas individualthe EU Member States’ action in the region needs to be in synergy with the EU’s objectives; whereas the EU needs to increase its political leveragebsolutely must preserve their national independence in foreign policy; whereas long-term political and economic stability in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions is of fundamental strategic importance to the EU, and as such requires a longer-term approach as regards the policy framework and its objectives;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU should play a central role in promoting conflict resolution and both democratic and economic governance in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions; whereas some Member States have contributed to the catastrophic destabilisation of certain countries in the region, whether by military means (Libya) or by political means (Syria);
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the EU’s efforts to promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms in post-Arab Spring countries, and acknowledges the complexity of such a task; tTakes the view, however, that, despite a fifteen-year policy focus on Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, renewed policy efforts and increased budgetary resources in the wake of the Arab Spring, the EU’s goals and policies have not yet been achieved;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses concern about the fact that, in spite of its considerable political and budgetary investments and continuous political and economic outreach, the EU has not been able to gain real political and economic leverage, and is no longer perceived as a game changer by the countries in the region; points to the dissatisfaction felt by civil society and local NGOs at how the EU translates its vision into action on the ground; is concerned aboutnotes the increasingly complex political situation in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions, and the emergence of new political and economic regional players such as Russia and China, in addition to the competing narratives and financing from the Gulf countries and Iran;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that for far too long the policy stance towards the Maghreb and Mashreq countries was marred by an approach which was based to too great an extent on the EU’s expectations and objectivesprejudices and ideology, with little incentive for and ownership by beneficiary countries; regrets that the initial efforts after the Arab Spring to introduce stricter conditionality and delivery incentives in relation to beneficiary countries through the ‘more for more’ principle did not lead to greater leverage on the part of the EU in its ability to promote real change in the areas of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms in most countries and without any reasoning based on geopolitical realities or on the region's political culture;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is concerned, however, that the complexity of managing the migration and refugee flows from and through the Maghreb and Mashreq regions, the nexus between security and migration, the challenge of terrorism and the legitimate concerns about the fragility of certain countries in the region, as well as the lack of a cohesive approach by the Member States, is encouraging the EU’s action towards the region to rely excessively on an ideology of stability; takes the view that when stability and security become the predominant objectives, they lead to a shorter-term policy vision and deprive EU action directed at reaffirmingNotes that the migration crisis, which is the direct result of the destabilisation of those countries, shows that it is essential to gear foreign policy to the pursuit of stability and security, particularly support for recognised governments, and to abandon once and for all attempts at interference in the name of human rights, and fundamental freedoms of the required intensity; is convinced that stability and security can only be achieved through longer-term objectives approach that is condemned to failure in advance;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that, as the EU struggles to come up with a renewed vision for the management ofhalting migration and assistance to refugees, there is an increasing risk that some countries in the region might use migration containment and their role therein to seek greater leverage in their political and policy dialogue with the EU; stresses, instead, the importance of a policy framework promoting democratic, political and socio- economic inclusion as mutually reinforcing factors; is convinced that, where the prerequisites for the negotiation of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements, conditional on democratic progress, are not yet in place, the EU should provide increased access to trade and investment, and assistance for reconstruction and infrastructure modernisation in strict correlation with progressive political and economic reforms and consequently that security measures must be adopted in Europe itself in order so to contain migration;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out the risk that the EU’s action for the region and the approach pursued by Member States through bilateral relations may not be in harmony, and that the EU’s capacity to make a political impact might be lost as a result; welcomecan legitimately differ; condemns, in this context, the proposal made by the President of the Commission to move beyond unanimity in Council decision-making in foreign affairs, as it could help the EU to speak with one voice in its foreign relations and have greater leverage;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for closer involvement of local civil society in the identification of needs in the partner countries, provided that it is genuinely civil society and not artificial associations financed from abroad, which completely undermines their pretension to represent civil society; welcomes the efforts by the EEAS and the Commission to broaden civil society outreach and include the private sector, and encourages them to do more in this regard; takes the view that the EU should make access to available funds for smaller civil society organisations (CSOs) easier, streamline the application processes and focus on local CSOs, provided that they only engage in real voluntary activity and do not interfere in politics, a role which should be played by those who are formally engaged in the political life of their country; points out the perception among local civil society interlocutors of a primary focus by the EU on large, international CSOs; calls on the EU to invest more resources in promoting the capacity building of local CSOs and facilitating enhanced partnerships between them and large, international CSOs, with a view to increasing local ownership;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15