28 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2015/2342(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 13 September 2016 on the EU Trust Fund for Africa: implications for development and humanitarian aid,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas human mobility is at an unprecedentedly high level, with 244 million international migrants, owing to various reasons, including the doubling of the world’s population since 1960, the lack of serious and effective long-term development policies and the lack of political will to firmly tackle the structural problems underpinning those migration flows; whereas international migration occurs primarily within the same region and between developing countries;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas 65 million people – including 40.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 21.3 million refugees – have been forcibly displaced because of conflicts, violence and, human rights violations and climate change, further to people displaced on account of natural disasters;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas refugees and migrants are legally two distinct categories but in reality often people are part of large-scale mixed movements of people – with political, economic, social, developmental, humanitarian and human rights implications that cut across borders; whereas the human dignity of all the people involved in these movements must be at the centre of all European policies concerning such matters; whereas, moreover, refugees and asylum-seekers must always be treated in accordance with their status and under no circumstances should they be denied the benefit of the rights stemming from the relevant international conventions and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas vulnerable people, in particular women, but alsosuch as women, children, people with disabilities, people in need of urgent medical treatment and the elderly, who are particularly exposed to all kinds of dangers, namely violence, trafficking and abuse, should be urgently protected and granted humanitarian protection as part of their resettlement;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines the fact that we are witnessing in today’s world an unprecedented level of human mobility, and stresses that one of the most urgent actions the international community must undertake is the strengthening of a common response to address the challenges and opportunities that this phenomenon represents; stresses that this response must be guided by the full protection of the rights and dignity of everyone forced by any circumstance to flee their homes in search of a better life; underlines that, though their treatment is governed by separate legal frameworks, refugees and migrants have the same universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, which need to be safeguarded regardless of their status; recalls that the EU must abide by its values and principles in all common policies and promote them in its external relations and calls for greater consistency in this regard;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. underlines the need for the EU and its Member States to take into account this current reality and develop a new approach to the movement of people based on real data, human dignity and human rights, by fostering the resilience of people by increasing their access to basic services, notably education, and their integration and contribution to local contexts by providing opportunities for employment and self-employment;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that well-managed international migration represents an important contribution to socioeconomic development, as it has done historically, and that it is necessary to encourage this by changing the current narrative and developing a positive one, countering xenophobic, populist and nationalistic discourses and adopting policies focused on the medium and long term and not exclusively guided by immediate political pressures, while also addressing legitimate concerns regarding border management, social protection for vulnerable groups and integration of refugees and migrants; points out, however, that people should never be forced to leave their homes and that the profound causes of migration should be tackled effectively;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises that the humanitarian aid system is dangerously overstretched and that it will never be sufficient to respond to forced displacement crises, in particular given the protracted nature of a majority of them; welcomes therefore the new policy framework outlined in the Commission communication on ‘Forced Displacement and Development’ of April 2016; notes the importance of promoting closer humanitarian-development links and the need to engage with different partners – governments, local authorities, the diaspora, civil society, including refugees themselves, and the private sector – to develop targeted evidence-based strategies to tackle this challenge;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that EU development cooperation should continue to address the root causes of forced displacement by promoting peace, democracy and security, reducing poverty and inequality, combating corruption, strengthening basic services, addressing state fragility and promoting human rights and good governance, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 in the new 2030 Agenda; believes that the EU and the Member States should, using all available instruments, continue to encourage the countries of origin to adopt and implement measures and policies that enable them to achieve economic and social development;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the EU's commitment to humanitarian assistance – as the world largest donor – but urges EU and Member States to fulfil the pledges already made and increase their financial commitments in line with the rise in humanitarian needs;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that the resettlement of forcibly displaced persons is a pressing responsibility of the international community; considers it crucial for the European Union as a whole to implement as a matter of urgency a coordinated response, in particular in third countries, to grant asylum for people in need of international protection, instead of leaving the burden on the front-line states or countries neighbouring conflict zones; calls for thought to continue to be given to the idea of setting up humanitarian corridors and introducing humanitarian visas, including in connection with the revision of the Schengen Code currently being considered by the Council; highlights the fact that financial support is outpaced by the scope and scale of displacement, compounded by the lack of solutions to address the root causes of this forced displacement; calls for the Commission proposal to establish a European resettlement programme to be adopted at the earliest opportunity;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that EU external action should be proactive and forward-looking instead of mainly reactive with changing, short-term objectives in response to new crises; recalls that the migration phenomenon stems from a complex set of causes such as a growing population, poverty, social inequality, corruption, unsustainable resource use, resource grabbing, insufficient job creation, political instability and climate change;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for the establishment of a genuine, value-based common European migration policy – with adequate legal channels for migration as a sustainable long-term policy to promote growth and cohesion within the EU – in order to set a clear framework for EU relations with third countries; stresses that the current lack of such a common policy is a major barrier to regional cooperation in this area; welcomes the EU Action Plan against migrant smuggling (2015-2020), which envisages closer cooperation with third countries, but underlines that the implementation of a common EU legal migration policy would be instrumental in breaking the business model of smugglers;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes that the EU external migration policies need agreements with third countries to be guided by long-term objectives and by establishing durable partnerships and the respect for human rights; strongly underlines that the conclusion of agreements with third countries and providing development aid should never be conditionally linked to border management;
Amendment 380 #
12. WelcomNotes the new Partnership Framework with third countries as a signal of real political action; stresses that the success of the approach outlined in the communication of June 2016 depends on the EU’s capacity; stresses that the EU needs to offer real, commonly agreed incentives to third countries and is concerned by the limited offer mainly focusedwithout focusing primarily on border management or Assisted Voluntary Return schemes, which – while essential and needed – constitute only a partial and short- term response to the situation; highlightsstresses that the new partnership frameworks must not become the main pillar of EU action on migration and points to the need to balance and complement this response, focusing on the development of local economies, qualification and regional mobility and improved levels of protection in countries of transit and origin;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses concerns regarding the quantitative approach in the new Partnership Framework and the related ‘migration compacts’, which see the ‘measurable increases in the number and rate of returns’ as one of the EU’s main goals, as the number of returns clearly depends on the nature of migration flows and on the situations in the countries of origin; believes that problems should not be outsourced and stresses that the short- term objectives of the compacts should focus on how best to address the challenges faced by third countries, including by developing legal migration channels, as a result of which the levels of irregular migration and death tolls in the Mediterranean will decrease; stresses that development, humanitarian and all other forms of assistance cannot be tied to migration control indicators and must not be used as migration management tools;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Stresses that the European Union must not conclude readmission and migration control agreements with third countries that have been shown not to uphold the human rights of their own peoples and of migrants or where there is a genuine risk of them failing to do so;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Criticises the fact that, although substantial progress has been made with agreements on the free movement of goods and capital, freedom of movement for persons is still very far from having been achieved; stresses that the visa facilitation promised under the partnerships often goes no further than administrative improvements such as shorter waiting times and lower fees; calls for the scholarships available for young people from third countries to be increased;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Notes the conclusion of mobility agreements with third countries; calls on the Commission to make sure that all agreements concluded under the partnerships are based on unconditional respect for the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the high-level dialogues carried out by the VP/HR and the Commission, and in some cases by Member States on behalf of the EU as a whole, as good and effective practices fostering coordination; stresses that coordination should be undertaken by the Commission and the EEAS; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to keep Parliament regularly informed of these dialogues and to report on the exact operational implementation of the Rabat and Khartoum processes and the priority initiatives agreed at the Valletta Summit; notesdeplores the fact that the packages designed for priority countries as part of the new Partnership Framework, by the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States, have neither been presented nor debated by the elected representatives of European citizens;
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that fulfilling the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires that the EU and partner countries integrate well-managed migration dynamics into their respective sustainable development strategies; calls, in this connection, on the Commission and the EEAS to help transit countries draw up migrant integration strategies and set up asylum systems with high standards of protection;
Amendment 472 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Supports the Commission’s proposal for a new and ambitious External Investment Plan (EIP) to mobilise investments in developing third countries, provided that the plan is implemented in a fully transparent manner and the investments help to improve conditions in the beneficiary countries and do not foster corruption and bad governance; considers that supporting private sectors in third countries while fostering an environment of good governance and business practices should not be presented as a new measure; calls on the Commission to ensure coherence between financing instruments – for example with the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and the European Development Fund (EDF) – and projects in order to focus the EU’s assistance on priorities and to avoid the scattering of funds and efforts;
Amendment 492 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Underlines that without sufficient funding the EU cannot perform the functions it is expected to, nor meet the expectations of the European people; underlines the political and economic costs of inaction, and voices its concern in this connection; notes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – or the negotiation of the next MFF at the latest – provides a necessary opportunity for the revision of the external instruments related to migration, and also to increarationalise the EU’s budget in such a manner that it would allow an end to ad hoc instruments and restore the unity of the budget; strongly emphasises the need for Parliament to be given a major oversight role in this area as well;
Amendment 497 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Criticises the fact that the many commitments entered into when trust funds are set up often followed by only limited action; considers it regrettable that the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa has been funded with monies already allocated to other development projects; criticises the fact that many of the commitments countries enter into in such circumstances are not honoured;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Believes that upholding the rule of law and combating corruption must be central planks of EU action in countries of origin; stresses the importance of proper checks being carried out on the use of funding for third countries, in order to make sure that it is used for its intended purpose;
Amendment 515 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20