21 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2016/2238(INI)
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas more than 1.5 million private security guards were employed in around 40 000 Private Security Companies in Europe in 2013; whereas these figures are continuing to increase; whereas in a number of EU countries private guards outnumber policemen;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, in the context of the EU, Member States practices and the quality of the regulatory systems on the use of PSCs varies widely, with many using them to support their contingents in multilateral operations; whereas PSCs have been used in both civilian and military Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions, to guard EU delegations and to support humanitarian aid activities;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the procedures for contracting private security firms are different in the various Member States and in the European Union and these companies frequently apply under different denominations or through subsidiaries or agencies;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas PSCs have been involved in incidents resulting in loss of lifeaccused of engaging in a number of human rights violations including the abuse and torture of detainees, shootings and killings of innocent civilians, destruction of property, sexual harassment and rape, human trafficking in the recruitment of third- country nationals, weapons proliferation, and participation in renditions; whereas this has had repercussions on the efforts of the international community in the countries in question and has revealed considerable gaps in accountability structures;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas there is the necessity to consider the possible impact that armed and unarmed security contractors can have on missions and the achievement of mission objectives, as the potential consequences of using PSCs could include a wide variety of issues from questions of democratic accountability and governmental control to the basic security of civilian populations in the host states;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the EU and its Member States should aim at avoiding these situations in the future, and refrain from outsourcing military operations that imply the use of force and weaponry, participating in hostilities and otherwise engaging in combat or combat areas, beyond legitimate self-defence;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas operations and activities outsourced to PSCs in conflict areas should be restricted to providing logistical support and protection of installations, without an actual presence of PSCs in the areas where combat activities exist;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas the use of subcontractors, especially local ones, by PSCs may pose further challenges to transparency and accountability;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas, for states to benefit from the advantages offered by PSCs, and to ensure that they can be held accountable, a legal framework should be put in place to facilitregulate their use; whereas PSCs are part of an industry, which is highly transnational in nature and as such requires a global approach to regulation;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the Montreux document is the first major document defining how international law applies to PSCs; whereas the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC) defines industry standards and is increasingly proving to be a tool for ensuring common basic standards across a global industry; whereas, however, there is no system of penalties to deal with cases in which these common standards are not respected;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. RecognisesIs convinced, however, the need to ensure that the use of PSCs indeed provides cost savings and efficiencies compared to the provision of such services by the state; emphasises that, particularly in situations of crisis, this assessment can be difficult to make and, if flawed, may lead to overpayment; urges the EU and Member States to pay particular attention when contracting PSCs; stresses that careful consideration needs to be given to whether or not a particulaat assessments of an economic nature, particularly regarding service costs, should not be a prime factor in opting to use PSCs; considers that these undertakings should be used only as a last resort and only where the alternatives are clearly inadequate; stresses how important it is, in such cases, that their uservice can be provided more should be covered by chleaply through the national armed forcr policies and guidelines;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the categorical prohibition of allowing PSC to engage in war or in combat areas and so of outsourcing military operations that imply use of force and weaponry or participation in hostilities, allowing thus only self-defence in case of attack;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Stresses that the outsourcing of activities or services to PSCs should be limited to logistical support and protection of installations, and that the presence of PSCs should be limited to non-combat areas and that PSCs shall not participate or be present in interrogations;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends, therefore, that the Commission propose common PSC contracting guidelines thatfor the hire, use and management of military and security contractors, clearly spelling out the requirements for international and local PSCs to qualify for EU contracts, with the goal of replacing the current patchwork of approaches; these guidelines should be based both on international best practices in relation to PSC conduct and management, such as the ICoC, and take into account the need for particular care to be taken when selecting local PSCs in a complex post-crisis context; urges the Commission and the EEAS to give clear preference toonly use ICoC-certified providers ; ;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Demands that the Commission establish a black list of contractors who have demonstrably failed to comply with the EU’s standards, human rights or the ICoC guidelines; considers that this list should be updated at intervals not exceeding 2 years;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 12 – indent 1 a (new)
– set minimum standards for private security service providers within the EU;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – indent 4 a (new)
Paragraph 12 – indent 4 a (new)
– make it possible to hold PSCs accountable for violations, including human rights violations, during their activities;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the EU and its Member States to push for an international frameworklegally binding instrument that goes further than the Montreux document, by regulating the activities of PSCs, establishing a level playing field to ensure that host states have the authority to regulate PSCs and contracting states are able to use their power to protect human rights and prevent corruption; emphasises that such a framework must include dissuasive sanctions for violations, the accountability of those responsible for violations and effective access to remedies for victims, in addition to a licensing and monitoring system requiring all PSCs to submit to independent audits and their personnel to participate in mandatory human rights training;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that one of the most effective ways of influencing PSCs is through public sector procurement decisions; emphasises, therefore, the importance of making the award of contracts to PSCs conditional on the adoption of best practices, such as and their participation in the ICoC, which some Member States have already implemented; notes, however, that the ICoC compliance mechanism needs to be strengthened and its full independence assured to make it a credible incentive for compliance;