20 Amendments of Eleftherios SYNADINOS related to 2016/2036(INI)
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Α
Recital Α
Α. whereas the EU is now surrounded by an arc of instability, as large parts of the Middle East and North Africa are engulfed in ethno-religious conflicts and proxy wars and terrorist groups such as ISIS and the Jabhat al-Nusra Front proliferate throughout the region, while an aggressive, revisionist Russia continues to violate its neighbours’ sovereignty and openly challenges the European security order;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls what many seem to have forgotten, namely that the European Union is one of the greatest achievements in European history and that the transformative power of the EU has brought peace, stability and prosperity to its citizens; emphasises that the EU remains the largesta strong economic power, the most generous donor of humanitarian and development assistance, and a frontrunner in global diplomacy on issues such as climate change, non-proliferation and human rights;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the current crisis is also an opportunity for the EU if it is used to make the EU work better; recalls that European citizens see an effective common foreign and security policymeasures to counter terrorist attacks and illegal migration as a priority area of action for the EU and that this is one of the areas where European cooperation can yield most value added; emphasises, therefore, that Member States must change their mentality since nowadays thinking about foreign policy and security in a narrow minded national perspective is obsoletecan contribute in this respect; is convinced that no single Member State alone is able to tackle any of the challenges we face today; urges Member States to finally show sufficient levels of political will and trust in one another to make it possible to use the tools at hand in a concerted manner in order to pursue our interests and values; reiterates that the EU can only be a strong global player on an equal footing with other major powers if all Member States speak with one voice and act together in the framework of a strong EU foreign policymake use of the Member States’ available resources in its efforts to make Europe both safe and advantageous for its citizens;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that an effective implementation of the EU Global Strategy presented by the VP/HR in June 2016 is not possible without strong commitment, ownership, political will and leadership from the Member States; highlights that the appropriate resources need to be allocated to the implementation of this strategy, in particular in the crucial area of security and defence, so as to avoid overlap with the activities of the North Atlantic Alliance;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the intention of devising an implementation plan on security and defence; underlines that this implementation plan should be complemented by a White Book process, which would specify the level of ambition, tasks, requirements and capability priorities for European defence; calls on the VP/HR, in close cooperation with Member States and the Commission, to start working on such a White Book as a matter of priority in order to deliver first resultinitial findings in the first semester of 2017;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the proposal for a yearly reflection on the state of play of the strategy’s implementation; believes that this reflection should take place in the framework of an annual debate in the European Council and Parliament and on the basis of an implementation report drawn up by the VP/HR;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises that the EU must strengthen its security and defence capabilities, as it can only use its full potential as a global power if it combines its unrivalled soft power with hard power; recalls that stronger civilian and military capacities are key elements for the EU to fully respond to crises, build the resilience of partners and protect Europe; notes that since power politics is again dominating international relations, defence and deterrence capabilities are critical for our leverage in diplomatic talks; in this regard, reiterates that the Common Security and Defence Policy needs to be strengthened, as the only realistic way to strengthen our defence capabilities in a time of budgetary constraints is to increase synergies by stepping up defence cooperation, remaining consistently within the framework clearly established by Article 42 TFEU;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is convinced that in view of an already underfinanced EU budget, additional efforts for operations, administrative costs, preparatory actions and pilot projects under the Common Security and Defence Policy, additional funding from the Member States is also needed; believes that Member States should seize the opportunity of the current revision/review of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) to that ensound financial management is also needed;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – indent 1
Paragraph 10 – indent 1
- creating a permanent civil-military headquarters, which would strengthen strategic and operational planning, enhance civil-military cooperation and improve the EU’s ability to react speedily to crises, making use of the existing EU military structure and organisation, including the EU Military Committee;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – indent 2
Paragraph 10 – indent 2
- enhancing the EU’s rapid reaction tools, notably by further improving the Battlegroups’ usability, by operationalising Article 44, and by strengthening and making greater use of Eurocorps for CSDP missions and operations, as well as missions provided for under Article 42;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – indent 3
Paragraph 10 – indent 3
- extending the common financing of CSDP operations, including through a review of the Athena mechanism, remaining consistently within the framework of Article 41 TFEU and especially for expenditure arising from initiatives with military or defence implications;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the ongoing work on the European Defence Action Plan and the Commission’s efforts to maximise defence cooperation, including through incentives in areas such as research, the development of innovative technologies, transport, space, cyber, energy and industrial policies; notes the proposal by the French President for a European Security and Defence Fund, and supports the development of new and innovative financing and investment concepts, including through the European Investment Bank; supports the proposals for a ‘European Semester for Defence’ and calls on the VP/HR to present concrete proposals to this effect; commends the European Defence Agency’s role in fostering and coordinating capability development, and calls for its strengthening, notably by increasing its budget;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises that the security of EU Member States is undividable and that in line with Article 42(7) TEU all Member States must enjoy the same level of security; believes it is crucial to strengthen the European security architecture, which is based on the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and which has been severely damaged by Russia’s illegal military interventions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Takes the view that it is time to define a new, more realistic strategy for the EU’s relations with Russia, based on credible deterrence but also on dialogue in areas of common interest; stresses that sanctions have proven to be the most effective means for deterring Russian aggressioninflicted irreparable economic damage on many Member States; recalls that the full implementation of the Minsk agreement is a prerequisite for the suspension of sanctions; insists that the EU should reconsider imposing further sanctions in case Russia continues to violate international lawthe imposition of sanctions; believes it is in the common interest of the EU and Russia to achieve a better relationship, provided international law is applied;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the EU to step up its cooperation with its Eastern partners in order to strengthen their resilience and independenceunderpin security and peace in border regions;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that a deepening of the relationship with the US and Canada is of strategic interest to the EU, while at the same time it is important for the EU to strengthen its relationship with Central and South America, Russia and China;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that the EU must pay particular attention to improving the living conditions in its neighbourhood, using all available policy tools, including trade, development aid and diplomacy, as well as crisis management capabilities; welcomes in this regardconsiders, however that the EU’s new migration partnerships and the External Investment Plan is inadequate and ineffectual; underlines the need to develop a new approach towards Africa, providing better opportunities for trade, investment and economic growth and supporting African countries in building democratic, transparent and effective institutions; is convinced that the EU should review its development and trade policies to make sure that they contribute to these goals; calls on the EU, and in particular the Member States, to significantly increase their financial commitments to the region, including through the Africa Trust Fund and the European Development Fund;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Underlines also the need to intensify the fight against Islamist terrorism, which affects ever larger parts of the Middle East and North Africa and has also been creeping into Europe; urges the EU to undertake concerted diplomatic efforts, together with the US, Russia and other international allies, to convincempel partners in the region, such as Turkey, and Saudi Arabia and Iran, of the need for a common strategy towards this global challengeto end their support for Da’esh;
Amendment 420 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. RecogniseCondemns Turkey’s role as an important partner in solving the Syrian conflict and the fight against Da’esh; strongly condemns the attempted military coup against the democratically elected government of Turkey; encouragesin the development and funding of Da’esh; demands that the Turkish government to protect the constitutional order, while underlining the importance of respect for the rule of law and independence of the judiciary in the aftermath of the coup, in cooperation with the Council of Europe;
Amendment 502 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Stresses that the financial means available for the EU’s external action are not commensurate to the challenges we are facing; calls in this regard for a substantial increase in the resources available under heading IV of the MFF in the context of the upcoming mid-term review; ·sound economic management and cuts in pointless NGO initiatives and funding;