34 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2024/2082(INI)
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the seriousness of the threats to the security of the European continent, which have reached a level unprecedented since the Second World War; expresses deep concern at the rise of geopolitical fractures, new imperialist ambitions for domination by authoritarian powers and their increased coordination, systemic rivalry of great powers, nationalist unilateralism and the primary and growing use of force and violence by certain states and non-state actors to promote their political objectives and interests or to resolve disputes; believes that the geopolitical theatres in Ukraine, Middle East and Taiwan are increasingly interconnected as Russia, China and Iran are deepening their ties, and this trend amounts to a paradigm shift, as it reverses the logic of building international security on the basis of respect for international law, a rules-based international order and multilateralism;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Acknowledges that geopolitical theatres in Ukraine, the Middle East and Taiwan are interconnected as Russia, China and Iran are deepening their ties and want to challenge the liberal world order; therefore calls for a much-needed paradigm shift in the EU’s CSDP and deepened cooperation with its allies;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the EU and its Member States to accelerate their commitments made in the Versailles Declaration, adopted on 11 March 2022, to assume greater responsibility for their defence and security, including by achieving greater strategic autonomy; stresses that NATO and the transatlantic partnership with the United States remain the cornerstones of European collective defence; stresses the need for EU Member States to step up their efforts by increasing their spending and procuring more joint capabilities, thereby strengthening their armed forces whether for national, NATO or EU operational purposes; calls upon the EU to enhance its conventional deterrence capabilities on its eastern border;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Concurs with the ambition of building a European pillar within NATO and stresses that the development of a European defence union can go hand-in- hand with the deepening of EU-NATO cooperation; stresses that a European pillar within NATO consists of jointly acquiring strategic enablers or strategic weapon systems that are often too expensive for a single member state, such as air-to-air refueling capability, command & control capability, hypersonic weapons, layered air defence, electronic warfare capabilities; believes that the European added value lies in jointly developing or buying those enablers and systems that we severely lack as individual Member States;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reaffirms its unwavering support for the EU and its Member States to stand in solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression, and to provide it with theall necessary military means and in time it needs to defend itself, end the conflict and restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders; welcomes the joint security commitments between the EU and Ukraine, and the bilateral security agreements concluded by Ukraine with several Member States; reiterates its call for Member States to accelerate their delivery of weapons, air defence systems and ammunition to Ukraine, including air- launched cruise missiles; calls for Member States to lift all restrictions hindering Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against military targets within Russia, as allowed by international law;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reaffirms its unwavering support for the EU and its Member States to stand in solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression and to provide it with the necessary military means to defend itself, end the conflict and restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders; welcomes the joint security commitments between the EU and Ukraine, and the bilateral security agreements concluded by Ukraine with several Member States; reiterates its call for Member States to accelerate their delivery of weapons, fighter aircrafts, drones, air defence systems and above all ammunition to Ukraine, including air-launched cruise missiles; is deeply concerned that the EU failed to deliver the shells it has promised, with a significant delay; calls on the Council to commit to transferring all confiscated military equipment or ammunition from EU operations and missions inside and outside of the EU, to Ukraine, and to promote this idea globally; calls for Member States to lift all restrictions hindering Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against military targets within Russia, as allowed by international law;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the EU and its Member States to support Ukraine in expanding the international coalition in support of its Victory Plan presented by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the only viable route to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the basis of international law, thereby holding Russia and its accomplices, in particular Belarus, to account for itstheir war crimes, including the crime of aggression, and ensuring Russian reparations and other payments for the massive damage caused in Ukraine;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the EU and its Member States to support Ukraine in expanding the international coalition in support of its Victory Plan presented by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the only viable route to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the basis of international law, thereby holding Russia to account for its war crimes, including the crime of aggression, and ensuring Russian reparations and other payments for the massive damage caused in Ukraine; calls on the HRVP to mobilize more diplomatic support for Ukraine and for the sanctions imposed on Russia, using the full spectrum of the diplomatic toolbox, including secondary sanctions;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Strongly condemns the deployment and training of thousands of North Korean troops in Russia in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine, and views such action as an attempt to further escalate the conflict;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Welcomes the G7 loan of €45 billion in financial support to Ukraine from the mobilization of interest from frozen Russian assets, and welcomes the swift approval by the Council and Parliament of the EU’s share of that loan, amounting to €35 billion; but strongly disapproves Hungary’s veto of the recent attempts to extend the EU sanctions renewal period, which would secure more long-term stability and support for this loan structure;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Urges that the ongoing EU military training and financial assistance to Ukraine be used to accelerate Ukraine's accession to the EU, to start adapting the Ukrainian Armed Forces to EU capability requirements and to involve them in cross-border technological and defence industrial cooperation projects and programmes;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Welcomes the ongoing initiatives of several EU Member States to deepen cooperation with Ukraine in the field of defence industrial production and urges further use of Ukraine’s innovative defence potential to develop weapons and ammunition and to accelerate their production in close cooperation with the EU and other Western partners, using available support mechanisms;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Deplores the fact that some components of Western origin are found in weapons and their systems used by Russia against Ukraine, and calls on the EU and Member States to implement sanctions more thoroughly;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the vision set out in the European Defence Industrial Strategy accompanied by the Commission’s proposal for establishing the European defence industry programme; supports the objective of strengthening EU defence industrial preparedness to further enable Member States to identify and discussaccelerate joint defence programming and procurement, as well as European defence projects of common interest, and to secure supply lines to deal with shortages in defence production, such as for gunpowder and explosives;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Recognizes that military logistics can contribute to deterrence by signalling Europe's overall military preparedness; calls on the Commissioner for Defence and Space to develop an integrated approach to military mobility and logistics that ensures that the Council's pledge to remove all remaining barriers by 2026 is upheld, and coincides with much higher EU investments in key aspects of military mobility;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Emphasizes the importance of developing, maintaining and protecting the infrastructure necessary to ensure rapid and efficient military mobility and calls for the appropriate EU funding for ongoing and necessary military mobility projects to be secured in the next MFF;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to initiate an open discussion based onstart implementing the recommendations presented in Mr Draghi’s report on the future of European competiveness, including that concern the increasing thee of resources allocated to security and defence in the next multiannual financial framework and exploringe all funding options to this end; further calls on Member States to amend the EPF financing process to ensure adequate and sustainable support for partners and allies, while also aligning with CSDP missions and operations;
Amendment 487 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Expresses deep and increasing concern over China’s support to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, in particular through the exportation of dual- use goods to Russiafeed the Russian war machine, and the ongoing involvement of China- based companies in sanctions evasion and circumvention and calls upon the VP/HR to consider secondary sanctions and other tools to close the sanction evasion loop; is concerned that China weaponizes supply chains to bolster its industry and support Russia; is also deeply concerned over the increasing number of escalatory and hostile acts being conducted by China against Taiwan, including cyberattacks, influence campaigns, Chinese warplanes entering Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone and the severing of subsea cables;
Amendment 504 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Chinese authorities to put an end to all aggressive actions, in particular air and maritime operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, that endanger the stability in the Indo- Pacific region and thereby undermine international security, the sovereignty of regional countries, the safety of life at sea and freedom of navigation; stresses that further escalation in the Taiwan Strait would have detrimental effects on the European economy and therefore urges the Commission to start with the development of contingency planning and mitigation measures based on likely scenarios of escalation such as an economic blockade of Taiwan by the People's Republic of China (PRC);
Amendment 514 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Condemns Iran, in the strongest terms, for its destabilising activities in the Middle East region and for its continued support for terrorist groups, which pose a direct threat to regional and global security; expresses concern at the growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia, in particular the intention to sign a treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership, and strongly condemns Iran's provision of drones and ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine and its people; expresses, however, full support for and solidarity with Iran’s civil society and democratic forces;
Amendment 518 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Condemns Iran, in the strongest terms, for its destabilising activities in the Middle East region and for its continued support for terrorist groups, which pose a direct threat to regional and global security; expresses, however, full support for and solidarity with Iran’s civil society and democratic forces; calls on the VP/HR to put the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the EU-terror list;
Amendment 591 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Emphasises the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflicts on women and girls, especially in terms of conflict-related sexual violence; highlights the imperative need to ensure the provision and accessibility of appropriate related healthcare in armed conflicts, including sexual and reproductive health and rights; calls in this regards on the Member States to guarantee the respect for sexual and reproductive health and rights of refugees in their territory; calls on the EU and Member States to ensure that armed conflicts are considered through the lens of gender;
Amendment 592 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Recalls that mainstreaming and operationalising gender perspectives in external relations and implementing the women, peace and security agenda are long-standing priorities for the EU; insists that the update of the Strategic Compass propose further measures to ensure gender equality and the full and meaningful participation of women in CSDP, especially in military missions;
Amendment 656 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of enhanced intelligence sharing and information exchange among Member States and EU institutions, including Parliament, to combat foreign interference, improve situational awareness and to be able to better anticipate and counter threats to collective security and define common lines of actions under the CSDP, particularly in the area of crisis management; therefore calls for the creation of a European equivalent of the Five Eyes intelligence cooperation for foreign intelligence collection, attribution of digital operations and sanction evasion;
Amendment 666 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Expresses serious concern over the growing security challenges posed by cyber and hybrid attacks, andwhich are aimed at critical infrastructure or supply chains, as well as foreign information manipulation and interference, which are aimed, inter alia, at festering polarisation and undermining the stability of democratic societies, especially in the run- up to elections; calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to strengthen their capabilities to address these challenges and increase resilience against disinformation;
Amendment 673 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Expresses serious concern over the growing security challenges posed by cyber and hybrid attacks, and foreign information manipulation and interference, which are aimed, inter alia, at undermining the stability of democratic societies, especially in the run-up to elections; calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to strengthen their capabilities to address these challenges and increase resilience against disinformation; is concerned by the delay of many Member States in implementing the Directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS2 Directive) and calls for a swift implementation to secure European critical infrastructure; calls on the VP/HR to better synchronize and more actively use the cyber, hybrid and FIMI sanction toolboxes, and explore how sectoral sanctions may be carried out;
Amendment 697 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Calls for European solidarity and support for building a defence infrastructure system along the EU’s external border with Russia and Belarus to protect the EU from military and hybrid threats, in particular artificially facilitated waves of illegal migrants;
Amendment 703 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Welcomes the findings and recommendations proposed by Mr Draghi in his report on the future of European competitiveness, which encourage Member States to update governance and investment rules in the space domain, in particular for defence-related areas; calls on the Commission and Council to prioritize the fully operationally capable European IRIS2 space communication capabilities and to grant access to Taiwan and Ukraine as soon as possible;
Amendment 717 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Expresses serious concerns over Russian surveillance and sabotage of offshore communication cables and energy infrastructure, and calls on the Member States to fully abide to the commitments of the New York declaration on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables, including to procure submarine cable networks only from companies in allied countries; also calls for regional coastguard cooperation to counter, mitigate and repair threats to our subsea and maritime infrastructure;
Amendment 742 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. HWelcomes the report by Mr Sauli Niinistö to strengthen Europe’s civil and military preparedness and readiness, and urges the Commission to implement the recommendations with high ambition, including by developing a EU risk assessment, preparedness Union strategy, joint exercises, a coherent vision and stronger EU-NATO interface in view of crisis situations; highlights the need for EU citizens to have a broader understanding of security threats and risks in order for a consciousness on European defence to emerge; calls for the EU and its Member States to develop awareness- raising and educational programmes aimed at improving knowledge on defence among citizens, especially young people, and at strengthening the resilience and preparedness of societies to face security challenges;
Amendment 777 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses the importance of NATO and the EU playing complementary, coherent and mutually reinforcing roles in supporting international security and thus avoiding the duplication of defence efforts while maintaining a strong mutual cooperation; welcomes the accession of Sweden to NATO in 2024, following Finland in 2023, representing a historic step forward in strengthening security in Europe;
Amendment 782 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses the importance of NATO and the EU playing complementary, coherent and mutually reinforcing roles in supporting international security and thus avoiding the duplication of defence efforts; welcomes the accession of Sweden to NATO in 2024, following Finland in 2023, representing a historic step forward in strengthening security in Europe; calls on the VP/HR to operate in close coordination and unity with the NATO Secretary-General;
Amendment 783 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses the importance of NATO and the EU playing complementary, coherent and mutually reinforcing roles in supporting international security and thus avoiding the duplication of defence efforts; welcomes the accession of Sweden to NATO in 2024, following Finland in 2023, representing a historic step forward in strengthening security in Europe; reiterates its belief that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to NATO membership;
Amendment 827 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 22
Subheading 22
Partnership with the Eastern Partners and Western Balkan countries