Activities of Momchil NEKOV related to 2015/2104(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The role of the EU within the UN (A8-0308/2015 - Paavo Väyrynen) BG
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the role of the EU within the UN – how to better achieve EU foreign policy goals
Amendments (23)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
Cultural diplomamension of the EU foreign policy
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that culture is a powerful instrument for European diplomatic relations, fostering EU core values and global citizenship, promoting dialogue and mutual understanding, and that it should be incorporated consistently into the EU's external action; calls for a more strategic and integrated approach, and a fruitful cooperation between the European Commission – more specifically its Directorate-General (DG) for Education and Culture and its DG for International Cooperation and Development –, the European External Action Service and the UN in areas such as cultural heritage at risk and illicit trade in cultural property, conflict prevention and peace building, the development of creative industries, the mobility of culture professionals, cultural goods and services, and education in emergencies;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that culture is a powerful instrument for European diplomatic relations, fostering EU core values, cohesion and global citizenship, and that it should be incorporated consistently into the EU's external action; calls for a fruitful cooperation between the European Commission – more specifically its Directorate-General (DG) for Education and Culture and its DG for International Cooperation and Development –, the European External Action Service and the UN in areas such as cultural heritage at risk and illicit trade in cultural property, conflict prevention, the development of creative industries, the mobility of culture professionals, cultural goods and services, and education in emergencies and access to culture and education;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Notes that education plays an important role in human, social and economic development and is a crucial tool in achieving goals laying at the core of the EU foreign policy, such as building peace and stability in the world, long lasting development, intercultural dialogue and combating poverty, both within its borders and at the global level; stresses the importance of an effective cooperation between the EU and the UN aiming at supporting Education for All, improving access and quality education, and strengthening educational systems worldwide;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Stresses the important role of cultural diplomacy, cultural cooperation and education and cultural exchange in strengthening a common core of universal values;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Paragraph 1 h (new)
1h. Encourages the EU and the Member States to promote common interests together with third countries, through an equal-based partnership focused on mutual exchange and intercultural cooperation; recommends the development of a dynamic role for culture on the international stage as a "soft power" that can benefit the EU and its Member States in their relations with the wider world;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 i (new)
Paragraph 1 i (new)
1i. In this regard, welcomes the Preparatory Action on culture in EU external relations as an important instrument in enhancing the role of culture as a strategic factor for human, social and economic development contributing to external policy objectives;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 j (new)
Paragraph 1 j (new)
1j. Calls the HR/VP to appoint a culture professional in each EU representation in third partner countries (as in the EU- China Delegation) and to provide EEAS staff with training on the cultural dimension of external policy;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 l (new)
Paragraph 1 l (new)
1l. Calls for a more coherent strategy for the protection and promotion of World heritage and reinforced international cooperation in conflict areas in closer cooperation with the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS);
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 m (new)
Paragraph 1 m (new)
1m. Recommends the Commission to pro- actively cooperate with the cultural network-based clusters of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture), in cooperation with local institutions, cultural practitioners, civil society, together with Members States' Cultural Institutes;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 o (new)
Paragraph 1 o (new)
1o. Stresses the need for setting up of statistical data on culture and cultural industries aimed at contributing to the cultural policy debate as well as to further emphasise the economic potential of cultural and creative industries and their impact on social well-being;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 p (new)
Paragraph 1 p (new)
1p. Stresses the role of culture to foster democratization, peace-building and respect of human rights; underlines the commitment of the EU to support artistic freedom and freedom of cultural expression against censorship and harassment of artists, researchers, journalists, and civil society organisations; encourages the setting of priorities linked to the cultural dimension within the EIDHR (The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights);
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 q (new)
Paragraph 1 q (new)
1q. Draws the attention to the importance of the "Declaration on promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non- discrimination through education" adopted in Paris on March 2015 highlighting the need of fostering active dialogue between cultures as well as a global solidarity and mutual respect;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the consolidated cooperation between the EU and UNESCO, based on the adoption of the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement between the European Union and the United Nations (FAFA) of 2003, the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding between the UNESCO and the EU and the EU's participation in the UN General Assembly following the UN General Assembly resolution adopted in 2011; calls, however, for more effective EU representation within the UN, particularly in the fields of culture and education and in line with the Lisbon Treaty; stresses that a genuine EU- UN strategic partnership could be achieved by having EU representatives with voting rights on the boards of UN agencies in the areas of culture and education and by taking action jointly with UNESCO – and with UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, UNRWA and UNWOMAN – in the form of financial cooperation and common project management, in agreement with the beneficiary partner countries;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines that in order to strengthen the EU-UNESCO cooperation there is a need to go beyond the financial assistance and joint project management by enhancing partnership in the field of education and culture in a long term perspective; calls, therefore for the establishment of high level annual strategic dialogue with regards to tackling common challenges in a more sustainable way;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Considers that culture should become an essential part of political dialogue with third countries and that there is a need to systematically integrate culture into development projects and programmes;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Highlights that culture is a key driver for building sustainable societies and calls for mainstreaming of the cultural dimension in the UN Post-2015 agenda for sustainable development and therefore in the set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030, as culture has a major impact on economic development, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, peace and security;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Recognises that cultural heritage represents the diversity of cultural expressions and therefore plays an important role in the Union's external relations; calls the for the adoption of an harmonised legislation and international agreements to protect cultural heritage and fight against illicit trafficking of cultural goods in close cooperation with UNESCO;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Highlights the impact of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) for local and regional development and calls for the continuation and extension of the EU/UNESCO Expert Facility Projects and for the consideration of UNESCO Culture for Development Indicators (CDIS) as methodological reference to assess the multidimensional role of culture in development processes;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2f. Underlines that cultural tourism facilitates people-to-people contacts across the world and welcomes joint efforts to strengthen UNESCO heritage- based tourism in cooperation with the EU, that spurs investment in the cultural sector and proposes sustainable and high- quality offer to promote the diversity of the cultural expressions;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 g (new)
Paragraph 2 g (new)
2g. Underlines the need to remove obstacles and improve mobility for artists and culture professionals through a set of preferential treatments, such as visa for educational and cultural purpose, to facilitate cultural exchange, research projects, artists' residencies and grants for creators and performers, in line with the Article 16 of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, co-signed by the EU;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 h (new)
Paragraph 2 h (new)
2h. Recommends to ensure cooperation between the EU and UN for education in emergencies programmes in case of humanitarian crisis, armed conflicts and natural disasters, by continuing to support programmes such as UNICEF Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition, UNHCR Quality education programme in refugees camps and the educational work of UNRWA;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recallminds that the EU has ratified the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and calls on the Member States thatwho have not already done so to ratify the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and, the 1950 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen and Illegally exported Cultural Objects, which represent important tools for strengthening the protection of global cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. and its two protocols;