40 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2015/2342(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
– having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on the future partnership priorities and compacts with Jordan and Lebanon on 17 October 2016,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
– having regard to recent events in the Caribbean, where Hurricane Matthew left thousands of people displaced and in need of aid,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas human mobility is at an unprecedentedly high level, with 244 million international migrants, owing to various reasons, including the doubling of the world’s population since 1960; whereas international migration occurs primarily within the same region and between developing countries;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas human mobility is at an unprecedentedly high level, with 244 million international migrants, owing to various reasons, including the doubling of the world’s population since 1960;migrating both voluntarily and involuntarily, whereas such international migration occurs primarily within the same region and between developing countries;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas 65 million people – including 40.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 21.3 million refugees – have been forcibly displaced because of conflicts, violence, poor socioeconomic prospects, and human rights violations, further to people displaced on account of natural disasters;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the number of people who have been forcibly displaced because of conflicts, violence and human rights has reached an alarming 65 million people – includingof which 40.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 21.3 million refugees – have been forcibly displaced because of conflicts, violence and human rights violations, further to peoplin addition to those displaced on accounas a result of natural disasters;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas thise challenge of dealing with both migrants and refugees requires global solutions;, whereas, however,ich are not only reactionary but anticipate possible future crises, whereas 86 % of the world’'s refugees live in developing regions, with least developed countries hosting 26 % of the total; whereas some of these countries host up to 20% of their population in refugee numbers; whereas the million people who arrived in the EU in 2015 represented only 0.2 % of the EU population, compared with much higher percentages in neighbouring countries;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas thisglobal challenges requires global solutions and a multilateral approach; whereas, however, 86 % of the world’s refugees live in developing regions, with least developed countries hosting 26 % of the total; whereas the million people who arrived in the EU in 2015 represented 0.2 % of the EU population, compared with much higher percentages in neighbouring countries;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas concerted and firm EU action is the best guarantee of a sustainable approach to the migration and refugee phenomenon;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas vulnerable people, in particular women, but also children, people with disabilities, LGBTI people, people in need of urgent medical treatment and the elderly, who are particularly exposed to all kinds of dangers, namelybodily and psychological dangers, including violence, trafficking and abuse, should be urgently protected and granted humanitarian protection as part of their resettlement;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas vulnerable people, in particular women, but also children(unaccompanied) minors, people with disabilities, people in need of urgent medical treatment and the elderly, who are particularly exposed to all kinds of dangers, namely violence, trafficking and abuse, should be urgently protected and granted humanitarian protection as part of their resettlement;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the increase in human mobility, if managed in a safe, orderly, regular and responsible manner, can provide significant benefits, as recognised by the 2030 Agenda, but these are often largely underestimated; whereas the ageing of the European population requires, among other measures, relying on foreign workersEU must produce workable solutions, including making use of foreign workers, in anticipation of increasing European population ageing, in order to guarantee an adequate balance between the active and retirednon-active peopleulations in the EU;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the ongoing food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel causes the erosion of people's resilience, aggravated by quick succession of crises, the absence of basic services and the conflicts in the region; whereas this situation will cause more migration;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the conditions in "the Jungle" in Calais are inhuman, the camp is solely administered by volunteers and more than 1000 children are there trying to survive unaccompanied; whereas the French authorities threaten to break up the camp, while human traffickers are waiting to take abuse of the situation;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Calls on the Council and Commission to take action on the scandalous situation in "the Jungle" in Calais; asks the Council to accommodate the refugees and asylum seekers from that camp in a human way; urges the Commission to come with an inclusive strategy for unaccompanied children including a EU-database of fingerprints, pictures and place of residence;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Urges the European Council to replace the Dublin Regulation with a European Asylum Procedure based on the UNHCR criteria; The European Asylum Procedure should replace the 28 national procedures;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that to take away the incentive to undertake the dangerous journey to Europe, refugees should be able to apply for a European humanitarian visa and asylum in the hot spots;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Calls for a fair distribution scheme of refugees between all Member States; considers that applications for asylum should be made to the EU and not to a specific member state; underlines that this should be based on a fair sharing of responsibility between Member States; stresses that the country of first arrival criteria should be removed from the Dublin regulation and replaced with a fair and mandatory distribution mechanism between Member States; indicates that this relocation mechanism should be based on objective criteria such as population, and GDP;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Urges the Commission and Council to establish a European Blue Card to manage economic migration for skilled and unskilled workers facilitated by the EURES network;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that well-managed international migration represents an important contribution to socioeconomic development, as it has done historically, and that it is necessary to encourage this by changing the current narrative and developingthe narrative employed in this connection must be a positive one, countering xenophobic, populist and nationalistic discourses and adopting policies focused on the medium and long term and not exclusively guided by immediate political pressures or national electoral considerations, while also addressing legitimate concerns regarding border management, social protection for vulnerable groups and integration of refugees and migrants;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. RecogniStresses that the humanitarian aid system is dangerouslyextremely (financially) overstretched and that it will never be sufficient to respond to forced displacement crises, in particular given the protracted nature of a majority of them; welcomes therefore the new policy framework outlined in the Commission communication on ‘Forced Displacement and Development’ of April 2016; notes the importance of promoting closer humanitarian-development links and the need to engage with different partners – governments, local authorities, civil society, including refugees themselves, and the private sector – to develop targeted evidence-based strategies to tackle this challenge;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that EU development cooperation has the ability to, and should continue to address the root causes of forced displacement by promoting peace, democracy and security, reducing poverty and inequality, strengthening basic services, addressing state fragility and promoting human rights, the rule of law and good governance, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 in the new 2030 Agenda;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that EU development cooperation should continue to address the root causes of forced displacement by promoting peace, democracy and security, reducing poverty and inequality, strengthening basic services, addressing state fragility and promoting human rights and good governance, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 in the new 2030 Agenda; calls therefor for the necessary analyses made per country of those root causes;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the crucial role of women in cases of forced displacement, not only as they are more vulnerable to certain abuse, but also because of the role they play in responding to emergencies, their socioeconomic contributions and their active participation in conflict resolution and prevention and the rebuilding of a democratic society; notes that a focus on women’s empowerment is therefore necessary to address the deeper causes of forced displacement; reiterates the importance of adding a gender perspective to the EU policies addressing movements of migrants and refugees;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that children – particularly unaccompanied ones –, people with disabilities, LGBTI people and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence, even once they have reached places deemed secure; calls for these groups to be given special assistance and humanitarian protection as part of their resettlement, and to particularly safeguard vulnerable people against violence and discrimination during the asylum process;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 6 – point 1 (new)
(1) Underlines the fact that children have an, often overlooked, right to education in their host countries; welcomes the focus on financial support to provide more education and training for Syrian children in the EU-Jordan compact; reiterates that a similar need continues to exist in Lebanon;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. WelcomesTakes note of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting to Address Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants of 19 September 2016 and the hosting of the Leaders’ Summit by the USA, as migration flows are a global responsibility which demand a global response and enhanced cooperation between all stakeholders; welcomes the outcome of these summits as the expression of a political commitment of unprecedented force, initiating the path towards a truly international sharing of responsibilities for refugees and large migration movements; regrets however the lack of specific pledges or legally binding commitments in terms of (financial) aid or reform, which are needed to close the current gap between rhetoric and reality; calls on all the parties involved to ensure continued political engagement, funding and concrete acts of solidarity in support of host countries; calls for the EU and its Member States to take the lead in international efforts, particularly as regards ensuring that the agreements –including the future compacts on refugees and on safe, orderly and regular migration – are swiftly put into practice, establishing follow-up mechanisms as needed;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses nonetheless the need to find durable diplomatic and political solutions to violent conflicts and to invest in early-warning and conflict- prevention mechanisms so as to reduce them in the future; calls for the EU to take a more active and effective role in the field of prevention and mediation; stresses that the response to forced displacement needs to be rights-based and take account of the population’s vulnerabilities – in particular as regards women and minors – and not be limited to humanitarian assistance but also involve development actors;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses nonetheless the need to find political solutions to violent conflicts and to invest in early-warning and conflict- prevention mechanisms so as to reduce them in the future; calls for the EU to take a more active and effective role in the field of prevention and mediation; stresses that the response to forced displacement needs to be rights-based and take account of the population’s vulnerabilities – in particular as regards women, LGBTI people and minors – and not be limited to humanitarian assistance but also involve development actors;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that EU external action should be forward-looking instead of mainly reactive with changing objectives in response to new crises; recalls that the migration phenomenon stems from a complex set of causes such as political oppression, human rights abuses, undemocratic governance, a growing population, poverty, insufficient job creation, political instability and climate change; recalls that addressing these problems can eliminate the push factors driving migration in the first place;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 10 – point 1 (new)
(1) Condemns the dramatic numbers of death of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and expresses its concern about the growing numbers of human rights abuses against migrants and asylum seekers on their route to Europe;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point 2 (new)
Paragraph 10 – point 2 (new)
(2) Deplores the institutional failing of the EU in developing a coherent and systematic policy in response to the current refugee crisis; expresses concern about recent developments in member states which go directly against commonly agreed EU principles concerning a shared responsibility among its member states in relation to migration;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point 3 (new)
Paragraph 10 – point 3 (new)
(3) Stresses that 'quick fixes' in the form of migration deals with third countries - such as the recent deal with Turkey - are not a sustainable solution; underlines the fact that EU foreign policy cannot and should not be used as a tool to only manage migration, but has a lot of value in and of itself and should be employed to, among others, strengthen democracy and human rights;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point 4 (new)
Paragraph 10 – point 4 (new)
(4) Reiterates the 'more for more' principle as the basis of the EU's foreign policy under which the EU should develop ever closer (financial) partnerships with those countries making progress in the field of democratic reform, rather than the current migration compact, which focusses on - and sometimes unjustifiably and unconditionally rewards - those countries producing the highest number of refugees; underlines that a focus on improving the quality of life of people in third countries should be one of the priorities in the EU's foreign policy;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for the establishment of a genuine, comprehensive and value-based common European migration policy – with adequate legal channels for migration as a sustainable long-term policy to promote grow, in addition to, rather th and cohesion within the EU – in order to set a clear framework for EU relations with third countries; welcomes as the goal of, an EU foreign policy; takes note of the EU Action Plan against migrant smuggling (2015- 2020), which envisages closer cooperation with third countries, but underlines that the implementation of a common EU legal migration policy would be instrumental in breaking the business model of smugglers;
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. WelcomesTakes note of the new Partnership Framework with third countries as a signal of real political action; stresses that the success of the approach outlined in the communication of June 2016 depends on the EU’s capacity to offer real, commonly agreed incentives to third countries and is concerned by the limited offer mainly focused on border management or Assisted Voluntary Return schemes, which – while essential and needed – in return for almost non conditional financial support, which constitute only a partial response to the situation; highlights the need to balance and complement this response, focusing on the development of local economies, qualification and regional mobility and improved levels of protection in countries of transit and origin; reiterates that when it comes to financing and the need for financial oversight, priority should be given to working with partners on the ground, rather than direct budget support to (undemocratic) governments;
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is extremely concerned by the continuing conflict in Syria, in which violence against civilians and violations of international humanitarian law over the past five years have led to the forced displacement of half of the country; calls for more EU leadership towards a negotiated end to violence, and in ensuring perpetrator are brought to justice; expresses its full (financial) support to Lebanon and Jordan, which continue to demonstrate extraordinary solidarity in hosting millions of refugees in spite of limited resources; calls on the EU to increase is political and financial efforts to support Lebanon and Jordan through both international organisations and European channels; welcomes the acknowledgment by the Foreign Affairs Council on 17 October 2016 of the need to strengthen the economic resilience of host countries such as Lebanon and Jordan;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Urges the EU Council and Commission to engage with the US, Russia and the international community to develop a coherent strategy to defeat ISIS; stresses that this should be the start of a European Defence Union to protect Europe against future threats from other regional blocks or terrorists;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. SupportAcknowledges the Commission’s proposal for a new and ambitious External Investment Plan (EIP) to mobilise investments in developing third countries; considers that supporting private sectors in third countries while fostering an environment of good governance and business practices should not be presented as a new measure; calls on the Commission to ensure coherence between external financing instruments – for example with the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and the European Development Fund (EDF) – and projects in order to focus the EU’s assistance on priorities and to avoid the scattering of funds and efforts;
Amendment 531 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 20 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Stresses that, for the action it itself takes to combat people trafficking and people smuggling, the EU must have sufficient resources and operational tools to carry out the task properly, and also points to the need for stepped-up cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries in order to curtail the criminal and reprehensible practices of networks of smugglers and traffickers;