13 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2015/2220(INI)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the United States has withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan and closed its military bases in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; whereas the situation in Afghanistan continues to threaten the security of the region; whereas Russia is the most significant partner for countries in Central Asia in terms of defence, but China is becoming hugely important in terms of trade;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. urges the Council, the EEAS and the Commission to prioritise the promotion of democratic transformation, thereby providing a stronger bulwark against external and internal political, security and economic pressures and challenges;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. deeply regrets that the region has become yet more unstable and that overall respect for democratic standards, human rights and fundamental freedoms has further deteriorated during the reporting period; regrets that the human rights situation overall remains worrying, despite limited positive developments in some countries of the region, including legislative reforms, increased efforts to prevent torture, and steps towards the eradication of the use of child labour and forced labour;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. condemns the continued persecution of human rights defenders, opposition political figures and journalists in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and, regrettably, also in Kyrgyzstan, and calls on the EEAS to speak out and take action in their defence;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. understands the risk to security posed by returning foreign fighters who have been fighting alongside Daesh, but expresses its deep concern at the growing trend towards clampdown on civil society on the pretext of security and stability, which it does not consider in any case to be a suitable response to this threat;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. welcomes the establishment of Human Rights Dialogues with all five countries of Central Asia; points out, however, the lack of transparency of the process, and calls on the VP/HR to review the role, mandate, objectives and follow-up of the Human Rights Dialogues with the countries of the region, and in particular to involve all stakeholders and introduce systematic human rights monitoring mechanisms, especially Islamic reformist political movements which are opposed to extremism, and introduce systematic human rights monitoring mechanisms, and contingency plans in case these mechanisms reveal serious shortcomings, in countries with which the EU has entered into legally binding agreements;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. considers the education sector to be vital in the long term, and welcomes the commitment of Latvia, with the help of Poland, to lead the regional programme on education; regards investment in education as the best way to improve the socio- economic situation of the region; but insists that problems related to ‘brain-drain’ and unequal access to education are taken into account;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. is of the opinion that economic and trade relations with the countries of Central Asia must in no way developadvance hand in hand with and never at the expense of the rule of law, democracy, and human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. recognises that the main threats and challenges identified in the Strategy for Central Asia remain relevant, but that cooperation regarding security, like economic cooperation, must advance hand in hand with, and not at the expense of, democratic standards and human rights; is, however, acutely aware of the additional external pressures stemming from the current security challenges in Afghanistan, as well as the opaque foreign policy of Russia aimed at reintegration of former Soviet space, triggered by the crisis in Ukraine;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. emphasises that deeper political and economic relations must be based on shared values and correspond toxpects, with the finalisation of the EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, an active and concrete engagement by Kazakhstan on political and democratic reforms, stemming from its international obligations and commitments;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. points out that further efforts are needed to develop a fully functioning democracy, despite the initial encouraging signs shown by Kyrgyzstan regarding pursuing democratic reforms and shifting towards a genuine multi-party system, as one of the pilot countries for EU democracy support; considers that initial steps towards improving democratic standards must be further encouraged and incentivised, and expects concrete results from the new coalition government in this regard;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38 a. expresses concern about the forced expropriation and demolition of an entire neighbourhood of homes in Ashgabat as part of the preparations for the 2017 Asian Indoor Games; considers that the Turkmen authorities should take advantage of the opportunity afforded to them as hosts of this international event to improve the human rights situation in the country; expresses alarm about the corruption that creates social inequality, making Turkmenistan a rich country but one that suffers from centralisation of power and resources, which is oriented towards China and shows no evident interest in developing a relationship with the EU;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39 a. points out that Uzbekistan unfortunately continues to have one of the worst records in the world in many areas, including respect for human rights, freedom of the press and corruption, and notes the Uzbek Government’s refusal to undertake significant reforms; reiterates its expectation that the EU will actively pursue the objective of democratisation in this country, and that the VP/HR will develop a policy of critical, conditional and coherent European engagement with Uzbekistan;