Activities of Jytte GUTELAND related to 2018/0256M(NLE)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (24)
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) consulted elected officials and public opinion in Western Sahara; , after the agreement was negotiated, held consultations in Rabat and Brussels with elected officials and stakeholders in the part of Western Sahara that Morocco controls;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the modification of the Liberalisation Agreement, which is of a technical nature, takes place within a broader political and geopolitical context;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the EU and its Member States do not recognise the sovereignty of Morocco over the territory of Western Sahara; whereas the United Nations and the African Union recognise the Front Polisario as representative of the people of Western Sahara, but neither the EU nor its Member States do;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas the United Nations lists Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory for the purposes of Article 73 of the Charter;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises the two conditions set in the CJEU judgment, to explicitly mention Western Sahara in the Agreement text and to obtain the consent of the people of Western Sahara, as well as the third criterion added by the Council which is theof a need to ensure that it benefits the local population; notes that the key requirement according the CJEU judgement was consent, not benefits;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Underlines that the EU and its Member States do not recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; stresses that the CJEU has confirmed the separate and distinct status of the territory of Western Sahara in relation to any state;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Recalls that any engagement with Western Sahara must be in line with the territory's status under international law;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Recalls the Parliament's position in support of the UN efforts to secure a fair and lasting settlement of the Western Sahara conflict, on the basis of the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people and in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Takes note of the tensions between different interests in the territory and believes that a respected and accepted end to the ongoing conflict is required to ensure the broader participation ofreal and long-term benefits for all groups, in the territory’s economic development; is, at the same time, convinced that the local population also has the right to develop while awaiting a political solutioncluding the Saharawi people in the refugee camps in Tindouf, and for a sustainable economic development of the territory;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that products coming from the part of Western Sahara that is not under Moroccan control do not seem to benefit from any preferences under the agreement, which raises questions about the obligations of the EU and its Member States to respect the principle of territorial integrity as a part of the right to self- determination; expresses concerns of further reinforcing a division of the territory of Western Sahara in social and economic terms;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the Commission and the EEAS kept the negotiation rounds about the agreement in Rabat and Brussels, this despite the EU and its Member States not recognising Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and despite the separate and distinct status of Western Sahara;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that the CJEU did not specify in its judgment how the people’s consent has to be expressed and; considers therefore that someat uncertainty remains as regardsconcerning if the EU has fulfilled thise criterion of consent of the people of Western Sahara;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the criticism against the consultation process carried out by the Commission and the EEAS; notes that a large share of the stakeholders that the Commission referred to as being consulted rejected taking part or were not invited; notes that close to one hundred Saharawi civil society groups have protested against the agreement and criticised the consultation process; notes that the UN recognised representative of the people of Western Sahara, the Polisario Front, has objected to the proposed agreement;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. RecognisNotes the present economic, social and environmental development observed in Dakhla and Lâayoune and the significant potentialbut stresses that this cannot be seen without the broader context; stresses that achieving a political solution and legal certainty is key for further creation of both low- and high- skilled local employment opportunities for all groups including the Saharawi people living in the refugee camps in Tindouf;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that the EU tariff preferences have had a positive impact on the agricultural and fisheries products sectors and their export levels in the non- autonomous territory of Western Sahara under Moroccan control; notes however that those preferences did not have a legal basis;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Is convinced that, notwithstanding the outcome of the peace process, the local population will profit from economic development and the spill-over effects created in terms ofUnderlines the need for results in the UN process, and stresses that this is the way to guarantee the legal certainty needed in order for the territory to profit from economic development and investment in infrastructure, health and education;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Acknowledges the existing investment in the renewables sector and the circular economy, such as in the seawater desalination plant, and encourages further work in this direcbut stresses that investments currently take place in the context of an occupation;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Endorses business initiatives by young Sahrawis, many of whom are women, and highlights their need for extended export opportunities and legal certainty in order to allow for further investment in sectors with high employment demand;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Warns of the adverse effects of a permanent withdrawal of tariff preferthat an absences on products from the non- autonomous territory of Western Sahara,f a political solution has and the message this sends to the younger generation and its potential to develop the territory; underlines the risk of activities being relocated to regions in Morocco where they would benefit from the preferences;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is convinced that an EU presence through trade and investment is preferable to withdrawal when it comes to engagement in and monitoring of human rights and individual freedoms, and demands a rigorous assessments and dialogue with Morocco part on these issues;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Emphasises that a key criterion for Parliament is to ensure that there will be a mechanism in place to technically trace products from Western Sahara so that Member States customs authorities have a clear indication of their origin; calls on the EU and Morocco to swiftly present a viable solution to this present such a mechanism prior to the vote on the agreemendt; expects the corrective measures laid down in the agreement to be used in that regard;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Stresses that this agreement does not imply any recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and underlines the EU's support for the UN efforts to secure a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable settlement of the Western Sahara conflict, on the basis of the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara and in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Suggests that the European Parliament could ask the CJEU for an opinion about the agreement and its conformity with law;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Believes that the European Parliament should reject the agreement as long as it does not have the free and informed consent from the people of Western Sahara;