BETA

Activities of Georgios EPITIDEIOS related to 2015/2001(INI)

Plenary speeches (1)

State of EU-Russia relations (A8-0162/2015 - Gabrielius Landsbergis) EL
2016/11/22
Dossiers: 2015/2001(INI)

Amendments (16)

Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Β
Β. whereas, in reaction to and despite Russia’s aggression against Georgia and violation of its territorial integrity in 2008, the EU opted for an increased cooperation model as a way to appease Russia; whereas, in line with this, rather than taking restrictive measures, a series of generous initiatives for deeper cooperation – such as the common spaces, the Partnership for Modernisation, the negotiations on a New EU-Russia Agreement, and the Human Rights dialogue – have been launched or deepened;
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas Russia has – by illegally annexing Crimea and waging an undeclared war against Ukraine, with the direct participation of Russian military units, and by deliberately destabilising this neighbouring sovereign and independent country – profoundly and for a long time damaged its relationship with the EU by jeopardising the basic principles of Europe’s security order and by breaking its international commitments, notably under the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the Budapest Memorandum;deleted
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas Russia is the instigator of and, directly or indirectly, party to a number of ‘frozen conflicts’ in its neighbourhood – in Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhasia, and Nagorno Karabakh – that constitute serious impediments to the development and stability of the neighbouring countries concerned;deleted
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ε
Ε. whereas in reaction to Russia’s covert military invasion of Ukraine, the EU has adopted a stage-by-stage series of restrictive measures; whereas similar sanctions have been adopted by a number of other countries in reaction to Russia’s aggression;deleted
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
F. whereas these restrictive targeted measures are not directed against the Russian people but aim at stimulating a change in Russian policy towards, and actions in, the common neighbourhood; whereas the sanctions could be lifted, partially or fully, as soon as Russia commits itself to implementing, fully and honestly, the provisions of the Minsk agreements and the return of Crimea to Ukraine; whereas the sanctions will be strengthened should Russia chose to do otherwise and refrain from taking any positive step to change its policy;
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
G. whereas the EU has firmly supported Russia’s accession and participation in different international organisations and fora, such as the G8, the G20 and the WTO; whereas this strategy of including Russia in international decision-making bodies has not had the results expected but instead created tensions owing to Russia’s habit of breaching rules, e.g. itse.g. non- compliance with WTO standards and obligations (by introducing a number of discriminatory measures against individual EU Member States and other countries in its neighbourhood), its failure to implement more than a thousand judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, etc.;
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
I. whereas the intrusions of Russian jet fighters into the airspace of EU and NATO members states jeopardise the safety of civilian flights;·
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates that, in the light of Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in the war in Ukraine, amounting to a deliberate violation of the core of the democratic principles and values sustained by the EU and widely shared internationally, the EU cannot envisage a return to ‘business as usual’; cCalls for a critical re-assessment by the EU of its relations with Russia, and for the drafting, as promptly as possible, of a soft- power contingency plan to counter the aggressive and divisive policies conducted by Russia against the EU and its partnerdivisive policies;
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that at this point, Russia, because of its actions, can no longer becan treated as, or considered, a ‘strategic partner’; points out that strategic partnerships are only conceivable with countries that do not jeopardise the international order, which is based on democracy, state sovereignty (including the choice of internal constitutional order and foreign policy orientation), the inviolability of state borders, respect for the rule of law and the principles of international trade, and mutual trust;
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Is deeply concerned by the fact that Russia now openly positions itself, and acts, not as a partner of, but as a rival to the international democratic community, seeking to challenge the current international order, and is in the process of redrawing borders within Europe; is extremely worried by the tendency of the Russian authorities to systematically denigrate liberal democracy and to consider democratic neighbouring countries as a threat to their own rule;deleted
2015/03/31
Committee: AFET
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that EU-Russia relations must henceforth be based on the rule of law and on preconditioned dialogue, whereby the EU would be ready to relaunch cooperation with the authorities in Moscow on the condition that Russia unambiguously and without pretence takes its share of responsibility and fully implements the Minsk Agreements; stresses that in order to ensure that such a dialogue – if renewed (for which the return of Crimea to Ukraine would be a prerequisite) – is not conducted at the expense of European values, standards and international commitments, it would be necessary to specify very clearly the EU’s expectations of Russia, along with the retaliatory measures it would take should Russia not keep to its commitments;
2015/04/01
Committee: AFET
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Commends the solidarity and the unity demonstrated by the Member States in the context of Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine, allowing the adoption and further extension of responsive measures; calls on the Member States to consider as an absolute priority the preservation of this unity; rReiterates that unity and solidarity amongst the Member States, as well as between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, is essential for ensuring the effectiveness of the EU’s policies and its ability to withstand external challenges and pressures;
2015/04/01
Committee: AFET
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the relevance of the suspension of cooperation with Russia in the defence sector, and calls on the Member States to refrain from taking any decisions that could jeopardise this united position; is therefore of the view that, notwithstanding their undisputable bilateral nature, agreements in the field of defence cooperation between some Member States and Russia should be assessed carefully at EU level, with a view to defining an appropriate and consistent approach; calls for the EU’s cooperation with NATO to be consolidated further;deleted
2015/04/01
Committee: AFET
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Is deeply concerned by the ever growing restrictions on free media, the tightening of online media control, the use of coercion to curb impartial reporting and the erosion of journalistic standards in Russia, as well as the increasing monopoly on the information available to Russian-language audiences abroad by state-owned media outlets; deplores that Russian state-controlled media have become players in the EU information sphere without keeping to the norms of independent journalism, including the rejection of hate speech;deleted
2015/04/01
Committee: AFET
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the EU to provide support to grass-roots projects aimed at developing high journalistic standards, freedom of the media, and unbiased and trustworthy information in Russia, and at deconstructing propaganda within the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries; supports the initiative to develop Russian- language media channels, with a view to providing a credible and accessible alternative to biased information for Russian-speaking minorities in the EU and in the Eastern Partnership countries;deleted
2015/04/01
Committee: AFET
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses its deep concern for the state of human rights and the rule of law in Russia, and strongly condemns the crackdown on independent civil society and the persistent and multiform repression of activists, political opponents and critics of the regime, which has in some cases led to their murder (Anna Politkovskaya, Natalya Estemirova, Boris Nemtsov, Sergey Magnitsky, Alexander Litvinenko, and others); demands that all assassinations of political activists, journalists and whistle blowers be investigated properly and independently; reiterates its call on the Council to deliver on its commitment to defend these principles, and to adopt restrictive measures for the officials involved in the well-documented Magnitsky case;
2015/04/01
Committee: AFET