27 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2014/2229(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21
Citation 21
– whereas the conflict in Syria, the conflict in Iraq, the crisis in Yemen and the situation in Libya are a major potential source of destabilisation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA); whereas the ISIS terror campaign has now spread to Tunisia, as evidenced by the events of 18 March 2015; having regard to the junction between the Sahel and Middle Eastern fronts in the fight against terrorism; having regard to the disastrous consequences of such a situation for the security of the whole region and of Europe; having regard to the number of civilian victims and the acts of terror committed against them; having regard to the serious humanitarian crisis caused by these conflicts, causing massive population displacements and creating enormous difficulties for refugees and their host communities; having regard to the difficulties in discerning a political approach and establishing a legitimate and reliable basis for inclusive dialogue with the various parties concerned; having regard to the resulting long-term damage to political and economic development, durable infrastructures and demographic cohesion in the region;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22
Citation 22
– whereas it is necessary to review EU action in the MENA area in the light of the implications of the Arab uprisings for the countries concerned, the new and complex situation thus created and the imperative need to combat the ISIS; whereas stabilisation in the region is not a security issue alone but also has economic, political and social implications, requiring the Union to develop strategic global and multifaceted cooperation with all parties the region, in the medium and long term; whereas an EU approach placing the onus on political and diplomatic action and discouraging military and/or ‘proxy’ solutions would yield benefits that would be felt beyond the security sphere; whereas in order to understand the reasons behind the instability in the region one needs to understand the social and economic causes of the social malaise in the MENA countries;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
– whereas before the ‘Arab Spring’, the authoritarian regimes in power in many MEDA countries were supported or at least tolerated for decades by the West;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
– whereas the fighting in Yemen is a reflection of the latent conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and whereas the EU must take up a position equidistant between the two and, in particular, not in any way encourage military solutions or a proxy war between the two Middle Eastern countries;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 a (new)
Citation 25 a (new)
– whereas a concerted EU strategy in the MENA region has been made impossible by the actions of some Member States, which include involvement in NATO’s military intervention in Libya in 2011;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27
Citation 27
– whereas EU aid to the MENA countries, particularly under the European Neighbourhood Instrument, has in the past too often adopted the same indiscriminate strategic approach, failing to distinguish sufficiently between the specific situations in the countries concerned; whereas the attempts at democratisation that were made following the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings needed to be actively supported on the basis of an organised, long-term approach;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
– whereas, rather than offering support for the economic and social reforms to be carried out by the democratically endorsed governments, the EU has preferred to endorse IMF financial intervention proposals that could well result in those governments having still less money to spend on protecting their peoples’ human rights;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28
Citation 28
– whereas having been forced take emergency measures in response to successive crises that it failed to anticipate, despite a number of factors pointing to the likelihood of instability in the MENA regioncountries, the European Union has been unable to analyse the key elements or deal with the complexity of the situation, expectations and prospects created by the Arab uprisings of 2011; whereas, above all, it has failed to respond to the need for a very long-term strategy for genuine democratic transition and political stability; whereas, acting on the instructions issued by the European Council of December 2013, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) launched a major strategic reflection process; whereas a broad consultation process was launched by the Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS) for a review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP);
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomNotes the action taken by the Member States against ISIS in Iraq; notes that this type of operation should be carried out under the auspices of the European Union; to this end, calls on the EU to develop sufficient operational capacity to achieve CSDP targets; stresses however that a response must be found at political and regional level to the challenge presented by ISIS; calls on the EU to facilitate regional dialogue involving all stakeholders, in particular Saudi Arabia and Iran, Iran, Turkey and Egypt, and taking the form of political and diplomatic talks and, at the same time, intercultural dialogue involving religious leaders, civil society and reformist Islamic political movements;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the European Union will only gain real influence on the international scene if it is able to speak with one voice; calls on the VP/HR accordingly to appoint representatives at the highest level, i.e. EU foreign ministers or very senior political figures, who are highly experienced and have proved their worth, acting on her instructions and together with her, to ensure a constant dialogue with the countries of the region;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls that the emergence of ISIS is a symptom of the economic, political, social and cultural crisis afflicting the region; calls on the EU, together with the Arab world, to assess the root causes and adopt a global approach through an approach based on security, political, economic, social and cultural considerations; points out that, unless a practical, sustainable solution is found to these problems, military action to neutralise the threat posed by ISIS will not only be more difficult but could ultimately prove unproductive, because the persistence of extremely harsh economic and social conditions is encouraging the spread of fundamentalism and terrorism in the communities concerned;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WelcomNotes the involvement of the countries of the Arab Peninsula in the international coalition against ISIS; urges their governments to redouble their efforts to prevent the financing of international terrorism, for example through including increased surveillance of waqfs and private donors and participation in schemes for regional cooperation in monitoring capital movements, with a view to establishing close cooperation and a system of cross-checks between GCC countries, EU institutions and other regional stakeholders; stresses the urgent need to introduce an efficient system of penalties coordinated with the LAS so as to put an end to ISIS financing by the Arab world; stresses also the urgent need for a decryption system to deal with clandestine oil sales by ISIS and for harsh penalties for buyers;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the need to open up channels for cultural and religious dialogue, alongside the political dialogue, with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, reformist Islamic political and social movements and religious institutions in the MENA countries; believes it important for those channels for dialogue to be used primarily to seek better ways of putting across the importance of human rights in order to increase the chances of them being taken into account in constitutional changes that countries with an Islamic majority subsequently make independently;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of long-term strategic dialogue with the LAS; welcomes in this regard the declaration adopted in Athens on 11 June 2014 and the memorandum of understanding of January 2015 and calls for their full implementation; stresses the crucial importance of the regular organisation of summits between the EU and LAS; stresses the central role to be played by the LAS in terms of crisis resolution; is convinced that these crises highlight the need for the LAS to be transformed by its members into a fully-fledged executive body genuinely capable of taking binding decisions; believes that it would be useful to establish the same type of dialogue as that pursued with the Arab League, possibly on a triangular basis, with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls the need to put in place the conditions for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority for a lasting settlement of the conflict based on a solution enabling both countries to live side by side in peace and security; welcomes the 2002 peace initiatives and calls on the LAS countries to put them into effect; calls on international donors to honour the commitments made by them at the Cairo Conference of October 2014; is gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli settlements policy in the West Bank; calls on Israel to abide by the international agreements in this area; condemns the politically motivated arrest of Khalida Jarrar and calls for her release and that of the other political prisoners, including 16 other Palestinian Legislative Council Members, being held by the Israeli authorities;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses full support for a new common security and defence policy (CSDP) to promote stability and security in the MENA countries; points out that the EU could play a major role in providing specific training in border surveillance, anti-terrorism and the prevention of arms’ trafficking and in overhauling security; notes the importance of humanitarian support measures in crisis-stricken areas, first and foremost by giving refugee status to migrants from such areas;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls the crucial importance of promoting improved cooperation between the EU Member States and the MENA countries in combating terrorism; calls for closer cooperation with the Europol and Interpol countries, providing them with assistance in developing the necessary anti- terrorist structures and resources, by implementing integrated defence systems designed chiefly to protect the human rights of each individual involved;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the urgent need for a political solution to the conflict in Syria, taking due account of the moderate opposition existing alongside the Syrian National Council and strengthening the moderate Sunni components; points out that no democratic solution in line with the fundamental principles of the Union can be negotiated withe serious responsibilities of the current Syrian government, led by Bacshar Aal-Assad, followduring the massacres perpetrated by himcivil conflict;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Supports resolutely the need to resolve the tragic contradiction of Tunisia, where a government of national unity, which is opposed to terrorism with the participation of the moderate Islamic party Ennahda, is counterbalanced by a civil society being torn apart by poverty, generating a substantial number of ISIS foreign fighters because of the ability of the terror networks to boost enrolment by giving financial hand-outs; takes the view that the European Union should strive to provide as much support as possible to Tunisia, including economic support, by holding it up as an excellent example of democratic transition;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the need for the Iraqi Government to continue to promote the sharing of political responsibilities, power and oil profits, encompassing all religious and ethnic communities in that country; calls for this to be made an essential condition for implementation of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Iraq; calls on the EU to contribute to capacity building by the Iraqi Government, in particular in order to address the challenges posed by the social and economic crisis and the insufficient protection of human rights;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Expresses its deep concern at the situation in Libya; stresses the need to maintain its territorial integrity and national unity; stresses that the Libyan crisis can only be resolved by means of dialogue that is as inclusive as possible; pledges to dissuade any external, regional or global stakeholder from intervening in Libya and from carrying out any kind of action which might strengthen one of the parties involved, in order to avoid any further escalation of the current proxy war;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Deplores any intervention by external international entities in the crisis in Yemen, distancing itself from any action that does not openly impede a conflict ‘by proxy’ being fought by Saudi Arabia and Iran in support of the sides they respectively support – pro- government Sunnis and Houthi Shiites;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to continue to encourage democratic reforms within the EU neighbouring countries; stresses the importance of maintaining the ‘two- thirds/one third' principle for the allocation of ENP funding; calls on the Commission, the EEAS, the Council and the Member States to develop a political and strategic ENP dimension; welcomes the launch by the HR/VP and the Commission of broad consultation on ENP renewal; undertakes to rouse EU support, in tangible, long- term ways, for consolidated democratic transitions;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is convinced that cultural cooperation is essential in combating terrorism and any form of radicalism; stresses the utmost importance of promoting cultural and academic exchanges with the representatives of moderate Islam in MENA countries and with Islamic communities in Europe; urges partner countries to participate in EU cultural programmes; calls on the Commission to act on the European Parliament’s proposal for the creation of an ambitious Euro- Mediterranean Erasmus programme distinct from the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the need to develop an effective common European response by all Member States to jihadist propaganda, which should under no circumstances be based on the conflict between religions or civilisations; underlines the need to send a positive message regarding relations between the European Union and the MENA countries and cooperation between them; stresses the need to ensure much greater visibility for EU initiatives in the region than is now the case;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses the importance of developing direct dialogue with civil societies in the MENA countries in order to understand their expectations more clearly; stresses its support for the consultation and enhancement of civil society and new generations within the ENP framework; emphasises in particular the importance of involving the young people of these countries in a dialogue based on a frank and direct relationship, on equal terms; recalls the importance of election observation missions and urges the European Parliament and EEAS to send such missions to all countries in the region;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the EU to develop partnerships with countries in the region that are not direct neighbours; supports the conclusion of a convention to establish a free-trade area between the EU and GCC and the resumption of negotiations for a new joint action programmeresumption of negotiations for a new joint action programme with all the most important stakeholders in the MENA region; takes the view that all of the EU's relations with Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should be conditional upon genuine respect for human rights;