21 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2015/2001(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, in reaction to and despite Russia’s aggression against Georgia and violation of itGeorgia´s territorial integrity in 2008, the EU opted for an increased cooperation model as a way to appeasecontinue the engagement with Russia; whereas, in line with this, rather than taking restrictive measures, 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 35 #
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 byith the direct and indirect support and backing from the Russian military and security services, 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;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas Russia - against the spirit of good neighbourly relations and in breach of international law, rules and standards - takes deliberate illegal actions aimed at sustaining and increasing its influence on its neighbours as well as at presenting a conflicting alternative against the EU in the fields of security, economy and other;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas these restrictive targeted measures are not directed against the Russian people but aim at stimulating a change in Russian policy towards, and actions in, the common neighbourhood; whereas the sanctions could be lifted, partially or fully, as soon as Russia commits itself to implementing, fully and honestly, the provisions of the Minsk agreements and the return of Crimea to Ukraine; whereas the sanctions will be strengthened should Russia chose to do otherwise and refrain from taking any positive step to change its policyunderlines that the EU sanctions can be entirely or partially lifted, maintained or extended, depending on developments;
Amendment 111 #
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 continuous and long-term habit of breaching rules, e.g. its non- compliance with WTO standards and 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 and to guarantee basic human rights, including those of national and religious minorities and LGBT persons, etc.;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the human rights abuses, the systematic elimination of civil society organisations, the oppression of the independent media, and the overall decline of political rights and civil liberties in Russia is on the rise, there is an urgent need to address it by conducting an international joint audit of the oppressive legislation according to universal standards of human rights with the participation of Russian and international human rights defenders, also by establishing a special UN rapporteur on Russia (following the precedent of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus) and promoting a resolution on Russia in the UN Human Rights Council;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the European Parliament, on numerous occasions has expressed its concern over the state of democracy inside Russia, the systematic failure to upheld the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights; whereas the rule of law, fair trial standards, due process and the independence of the judiciary are not respected in Russia; whereas the last Presidential and State Duma elections failed to meet OSCE standards;
Amendment 179 #
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 and illegal annexation of Crimea, further increasing military and political presence in and control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, internationally recognised territories of Georgia, continuous presence in Transnistria, internationally recognised territory of Moldova, 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 ‘business 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 partners;
Amendment 205 #
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 strategic partnerships are 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, human rights and the principles of international trade, and mutual trust;
Amendment 218 #
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 demoseeking to challenge international law, and is in the process of redrawing borders within Europe; is alarmed by the atmosphere of hatred directed against opposition activists, human right defenders, minorities and neighbouring nations, which has been growing in Russia in the recent years, as part of a political culture that distance itself from democratic principles; is deeply concerned by the systematic deterioration of the situation of human rights and of rule of law in Russia, by the efforts of state authorities to silence free speech, obstruct opposition activities, react with repressions to any activity aimed at exposing corruption among the political and economic elite and to stifle activities of the civil society; condemns the intimidation of craitic neighbouring countries as a threat to their own ruleal voices, through violence, trials, imprisonments and other measures used by the state, and the restrictions to press freedom and internet freedom;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Commends the solidarity and the unity demonstrated by the Member States in the context of Russia’s military intervention and undeclared hybrid war against Ukraine, allowing the adoption and further extension of responsive measures; calls on the Member States to consider as an absolute priority the preservation of this unity and stresses the necessity to abstain from high level contacts of purely bilateral character which may harm this unity or may be interpreted as such; reiterates that unity and solidarity amongst the Member States, as well as between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, is essential for ensuring the effectiveness of the EU’s policies and its ability to withstand external challenges and pressures;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Underlines that the conflict in Ukraine can only have a political solution; the EU should create a more pro-active political and diplomatic approach to solve all the so called 'frozen conflicts' throughout the Eastern Neighbourhood;
Amendment 311 #
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; 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 377 #
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 being produced and spread also in EU languages and within EU; calls on the Commission to earmark without delay adequate funding for concrete projects aimed at countering Russian propaganda within the EU and abroad; 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 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the EU to provide support to grass-roots projects aimed at developing high journalistic standards, freedom of the media, and unbiased and trustworthy information in Russia, and at deconstructing propaganda within the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries; supports the initiative to develop Russian- language media channels, with a view to providing a credible and accessible alternative to biased information for Russian-speaking minorities in the EU and in the Eastern Partnership countriesalternatives in order to make independent information and news available;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates that uncompromising respect for the rule of law is a core and founding principle of the EU, and rejects past attempts to put forward pragmatic interpretations of the rules to accommodate Russia as a trade partner; calls, therefore, on the strict, swift and unconditional application of the rule of law – in the event of any breach of the rules – and of the principle of free and fair competition, including in the proceedings against Gazprom;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Is of the view that a new and reinforced EU Russia strategy should be aimed at getting Russia to fully respect the OSCE principles and at motivating its leadership to move Russia out of its political and economic self-isolation; considers that this strategy needs to be based on a two-track approach: a strategy to contain challenges from the current Russian policy, and at the same time, a strategy of deeper engagement with the Russian population and civil society with a stronger emphasis on the human rights of the people in Russia;
Amendment 414 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Calls upon the High Representative/Vice President to develop, in coordination with the Commission, options for strengthening direct cooperation with Russian population, small and medium-size businesses, scientific and cultural institutions and the civil society; notes the suspension of the negotiations on visa facilitation, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to facilitate the issuance of visas for Russian citizens not targeted by EU or US restrictive measures so as to enhance student and scientific exchanges, business and civil society contacts; underlines that the EU and the Member States have sufficient scope to facilitate visa rules unilaterally;
Amendment 425 #
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, 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 (draws particular attention to the assassinations of 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 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the Russian authorities, as a matter of urgency, to release Nadiya Savchenko, who was abducted in the territory of Ukraine and is being illegally detained in a Russian jail, and to respect her immunity as a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and of the PACE; underlines the fact that Russia bears responsibility for her very fragile state of health; expresses its deep concern about her health condition and urges the Russian judicial authorities to apply humanitarian law;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of continued political and financial support to independent civil society activists, media and NGOs; encourages the EU to reach out to Russian officials and civil society organisations that are inclined to develop an alternative vision of political and diplomatic relations with the EU; points to its recommendation of April 2014 concerning common visa restrictions for Russian officials involved in the Sergei Magnitsky case and urges the HR/VP and the Commission to bring the relevant initiative into the Council without delay; is of the view that personally targeted restrictive measures should be considered in case no investigation in accordance with international standards of the murder of Boris Nemtsov is carried out and in other similar cases;