14 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2021/2198(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
— having regard to the UNHCR Fact Sheet on Lebanon of January 2021,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Lebanon is mired in an unprecedented economic and monetary crisis which forced it to default with the International Monetary Fund in March 2020; whereas, according to the UN, the country currently hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, and around 15 thousand refugees of other nationalities;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas since 2011 the EU has provided at least EUR 2.7 billion in aid to Lebanon, including EUR 722 million in humanitarian aid; whereas EUR 55.5 million in humanitarian aid was supplied in 2021; whereas many Member States pay direct aid to Lebanon; whereas many European associations support Lebanon via the generosityprivate donations of nationals of the Member States;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Lebanon has been marked by a strong social uprising since 17 October 2019; whereas the explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 has devastated the country’s morale, killing more than 100 individuals and destroying the houses of more than 300 thousands individuals, has devastated the country’s economy, and negatively impacted social cohesion;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas many regional orand international poweactors repeatedly and indiscriminately interfere with Lebanese sovereignty, undermining all attempts to achieve a political equilibriumn open, independent and transparent political landscape in Lebanon;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas Lebanese people have little to no trust in their government and other state institutions due to the long-lasting problems related to corruption, and the Lebanese army is the institution in which the population places the greatest trust;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas according to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, food prices in November 2021 had increased by a factor of 5 in the space of two years and had surged 400% in Lebanon, a situation that will be further deteriorated by the largescale, negative effects of the Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; whereas the Lebanese pound has lost more than 100% of its value against the dollar; whereas international aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon is estimated and denominated in dollars;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas many political, religious, local communityies, civil society, and professional movements have spoken out against corruption in Lebanon;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses boundless solidarity with the Lebanese people, who have suffered for many years from the consequences of the war in Syria, including migrationassive refugees influxes, but also from an economic and financial crisis;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets the wholesale emigration of Lebanese people, in particular of its best educated young people, which reflects the growing desperation amongeconomic difficulties and the lack of satisfactory job opportunities faced by a large part of the population and its, which contributes to a loss of confidence in the country’s institutions;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Applauds the EU Member States for the solidarity they have shown with Lebanon; takes the view that we must pay homage to the generosity of European taxpayers by ensuring their fundsensure that European taxpayers' money are used in the most efficient and lawful way possible;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that all militias need to be disarmed for the benefit of the Lebanese army, the sole body which may legitimately use physical force, is a prerequisite to combat corruption in Lebanon; Ppoints out however, that this disarmament will only take place in practice if peace is restored with and in the neighbouring countries; praises the role played by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in supporting national stability, and welcomes the contributions to the mission pledged by EU Member States;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Affirms that the ongoing economic and monetary crisis is exacerbating corruption and feelings of injustice against the perceived preferential treatment of Syrian refugees, many of whom benefit significantly from dollar- denominated aid, while drastic foreign exchange limits are being imposed on Lebanese citizens;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Is alarmed by the recent UNHCR report on the conditions of Syrian refugees, which states that, also as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 9 out of 10 Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon are currently living in extreme poverty, a situation that is further exacerbated by the absence of proper refugee camps; calls on Lebanese authorities to provide shelters and decent living conditions for Syrian refugees living in the country, while also calling on the international community to scale-up financial and humanitarian support for Syrian refugees;