Activities of Javier NART related to 2022/2145(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward
Amendments (35)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5
Citation 5
— having regard to the action plan entitled ‘Strategic Compass for Security and Defence – For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security’, which was approvdopted by the Council on 21 March 2022 and endorsed by the European Council on 25 March 2022,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
— having regard to the Response Force of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Response Force,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union has extensive experience in deploying multinational missions and operations abroad in order to promote peace, security and progress in Europe and in the world; whereas these common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions regularly operate alongside and complement missions of the Member States, United Nations, NATO, international organisations and third countries;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the Strategic Compass sets out EU-level action in many of these areas; whereas the European Defence Fund and the European Peace Facility are EU instruments which have already been deployestablished and that are designed to improve military capabilities, in the case of the European Defence Fund; and foster operational support, cooperation and burden-sharing abroad, in the case of the European Peace Facility;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas in cases when EU battlegroups have not been usdeployed, individual EU Member States have oftenccasionally acted outside the EU framework instead, either on their own or with other EU or non-EU states;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas although NATO remains the foundation of the Euro-Atlantic security, the European Union urgently needs to assume more responsibility for its own safety by acting in its neighbourhood and beyond; to this end, the EU must improve its own security and defence capabilities to ensure its strategic autonomy as well as its ability to safeguard its own values and interests;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the Strategic Compass sets out a clear roadmap for implementing EU- level actions, in particular for transforming the EU battlegroup system,, by establishing a rRapid dDeployment cCapacity (EU RDC), building on substantially modified EU battlegroups and paving the way towards entrusting the implementation of specific CSDP tasks to a group of Member States within the Union framework in accordance with Articles 42(5) and 44 of the TEU;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas while adopting the Strategic Compass, MS agreed that they must collectively be able to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis situation outside the Union at any stage of the conflict cycle and to develop a rapid deployment capability for the EU to rapidly deploy a modular force of up to 5000 troops, including land, air and maritime components, as well as the necessary strategic assets;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the practicalossible implementation of Article 44 of the TEU, as well as the establishment and operation of the EU RDC, should be considered among the main aspects of the CSDP on which the Vice- President of the European Commission / High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) needs to regularly consult Parliament;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas, in line with Article 41(2) of the TEU, the administrative and operating expenditure for the RDC should bereaty on European Union (TEU) prohibits ‘expenditure arising from operations having military or defence implications’ from being charged to the EUnion budget except for expenditure that is covered by the European Peace Facility, notwithstanding the possibility for participating Member States to make free-of-charge contributions to the RDC; whereas the CSDP military missions and operations, in their common costs, are funded under the European Peace Facility;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the VP/HR’s proposal, enshrined in the Strategic Compass, to establish an RDC; stressethe EU RDC, a modular capability that will be able to be used in different phases of an operation in a hostile environment, such as initial entry or reinforcement, or as a reserve force to secure an exit, where the development of this capability will be based on operational scenarios, initially focusing on rescue and evacuation operations, as well as the initial phase of stabilization operations; recalls that the capability will be composed of substantially modified EU Battlegroups and pre-identified military forces and capabilities from Member States, in accordance with the principle of the single set of forces; recalls the importance of the EU having the necessary capabilities and structures to take action rapidly and decisively during crises in order to serve and protect the Union’s citizens, interests and values across the world;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – introductory part
Paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Strongly encourages the VP/HR to propose a Council Decision on establishing an EU RDC to protect the Union’s values and serve its interests along the following lines:
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point b
Paragraph 2 – point b
(b) The RDC’s tasks should include, but not be limited to, rescue and evacuation operations, initial entry and initial phase of stabilisation operations, temporary reinforcement of other missions, andthe tasks referred to in article 43 as well as acting as a reserve force to secure exit; the Council could assign further tasks as referred to under Article 44 of the TEU, and the duration and scope of the assignments should be consistent with resources allocated to the RDC;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
(ba) Stresses that joint training for civil and military officials in the DRC requires the progressive adaptation of the teaching and training of the European Security and Defence College (Established by Joint Action 20008/550/CFDP);
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point b b (new)
Paragraph 2 – point b b (new)
(bb) Underlines the vital need to have exercises at the strategic, joint forces, and tactical level in line with NATO standards; advises that training of the tactical level should remain the responsibility of Member States, though it must be coordinated by the MPCC/OHQ in order to optimise their ability to operate together;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c
Paragraph 2 – point c
(c) The RDC should number at least 5 000 troops, excluding strategic enablers such as air and sea lift personnel, intelligence assets, special operations forces and medical evacuation and care units; points out that the target number for the RDC should be at least between 7 000 and 10 000 troops in total; 5 000 troops may be insufficient in some cases, thus the force limit should be increased to meet all eventual scenarios' requirements;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c
Paragraph 2 – point c
(c) The RDC should number at least 5 000 troops, excluding strategic enablers such as air and sea lift personnel, intelligence assets, strategic transportation, satellite communication, special operations forces and medical evacuation and care units; the target number for the RDC should be at least between 7 000 and 10 000 troops in total;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point d
Paragraph 2 – point d
(d) The RDC should frequently simulatedevelopment of the EU RDC will be based on operational scenarios and on holding joint exercises following uniform training and certification standards such as those for EUBG and in NATO;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point d a (new)
(da) The RDC should cooperate with the European Defence Agency, NATO and relevant CSDP projects to ensure that the RDC is fully equipped with the necessary operational capabilities to respond to any crisis, natural disaster or armed conflict, which could impact Europe in one way or another, as they occur;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point e
Paragraph 2 – point e
(e) All force elements of the EU RDC should be assigned exclusively to it and not to any other international high-readiness forces, notwithstanding the possibility for Member States to call them up for national duty in the event of an emergency;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
(ea) Takes into account that the RDC must be able to be deployed on the ground, so all participating Member States must communicate to the RDC Headquarters at the time of their engagement which units and equipment, including air, sea and land transport will be permanently at the disposal of the RDC so that the responsible country can deploy them without delay; stresses that each Member State engaged in the RDC should be responsible for a rotation term of one year;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point f
Paragraph 2 – point f
(f) In line with Article 41 of the TEU,Change the current arrangement to fund the RDC’s administrative expenditure, should be funded from under the Union budget; evaluate the relevance of a amending article 41 TEU;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point g
Paragraph 2 – point g
(g) Similarly, its operating expenditure should be funded from the Union budget via a change in the treaties with the exception of expenditure that is charged to the European Peace Facility; in this regard, a re-evaluation and adequate increase of the EPF budget to ensure the proper and timely financing of the RDC under any conceivable scenario is absolutely vital;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that Europe is a pillar of peace and stability in the world, which requires the strong support of the European citizens; highlights, in this context, the need to counter hostile disinformation campaigns, and to proactively communicate the purpose and objectives of RDC deployments to the European citizens, the local populations of host countries and the international community;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to transform the EU battlegroup system to match the financial and equipment needs of the EU RDC; considers that the EU battlegroups should be funded from the Union budget during their stand-up, stand- by and stand-down phases as well as replacement of equipment lost or spent in action;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Asks for the swift approval of the EU's military mobility package to ensure a speedy force deployment capacity across the Union for the armed forces of Member States;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. The RDC must, at any moment, be fully operational and adequately equipped with strategic enablers -such as information systems, intelligence and target acquisition, strategic airlift, or air- to-air refuelling; therefore, calls on the Member States to adequately increase and coordinate their defence procurement programs, and to give special consideration to the RDC's potential needs in existing frameworks such as PESCO;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points outInsists that the RDC should have permanent operational headquarters under the Military Planning and Conduct Capability in order to ensure its effectiveness and organise training exercises, with sufficient office space, including a proper communication and information system as well as adapted facilities for secure meetings and for the use of intelligence services; suggests to keep one or more national ‘High Readiness’ OHQs as a fall-back option, as long as the MPCC has not reached FOC necessary resources and capabilities to reach FOC status; therefore, calls for a fast implementation of the role of Operational Commander of the Director of the MPCC; emphasises that a permanently activated headquarters requires 200 staff members, up to 300 in the case of executive operations, to be fully operational, and that this important staffing step requires a genuine political will and rapid action from the MS;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the RDC should have permanent operational headquarters under the Military Planning and Conduct Capability in order to ensure its effectiveness, provided that it can be upgraded from a small-scale centre to a full-fledged EU Military Operation Headquarters with secure communication systems and sufficient military personnel in order to be ready for planning and directing the RDC employment when it reaches full operational status;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the EU RDC should have pa Permanent oOperational hHeadquarters under the Military Planning and Conduct Capability, as well as immediate access to EU decision centres and connexion with NATO in order to ensure its effectiveness;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU RDC to have the possibility of being deployed and acting in emergencies, natural disasters such as floods or wildfires, or other significant civil-protection crises inside EU territory, at the proposal of the VP/HR and following the pertinent authorisation procedures;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 – introductory part
Paragraph 7 – introductory part
7. Calls on the Member States participating in the RDC twho agreed to act in the name of the European Union as mandated by the Council under Article 44 of the TEU:, under the EU CSDP, to do so solely upon a proposal by the VP/HR, who should ensure that the views of Parliament are duly taken into consideration in their proposal;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 – point b
Paragraph 7 – point b
(b) acting by qualified majority after deliberation in the Council, demanding abstention from those Member States that do not wish to contribute to the RDC;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 7 – point b a (new)
(ba) calls on the HR/VP to regularly inform the EP as stated in Article 36 TEU;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Highlights that the use of Article 44 can offers significant benefits, such as speed, flexibility and freedom of action whilst preserving joint EU action compared to Member States acting outside the EU framework;