Activities of Attila ARA-KOVÁCS related to 2019/2209(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the June 2020 Summit
Amendments (33)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to Euronest Parliamentary Assembly resolution of 9 December 2019 on the future of the Trio Plus Strategy 2030: building a future of Eastern Partnership,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
– having regard to its resolutions of 18 September 2014 on the situation in Ukraine and state of play of EU-Russia relations3a, of 15 January 2015 on the situation in Ukraine3b, of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide4 , of 9 July 2015 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy5 , of 21 January 2016 on Association Agreements / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine6 , of 23 November 2016 on EU strategic communication to counteract propaganda against it by third parties7 , of 13 December 2016 on rights of women in the Eastern Partnership States8 , of 16 March 2017 on Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia and situation in Crimea3c, of 19 April 2018 on Belarus9 , of 14 June 2018 on Georgian occupied territories 10 years after the Russian invasion10 , of 4 July 2018 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part11 , of 4 October 2018 on the deterioration of media freedom in Belarus, notably the case of Charter 9712 , of 14 November 2018 on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Moldova13 , of 14 November 2018 on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Georgia14 and of 12 December 2018 on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine15 , __________________ 3a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2014)0025. 3b Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0011. 3c Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0087. 4 OJ C 328, 6.9.2016, p. 2. 5 OJ C 265, 11.8.2017, p. 110. 6 OJ C 11, 12.1.2018, p. 82. 7 OJ C 224, 27.6.2018, p. 58. 8 OJ C 238, 6.7.2018, p. 42. 9 OJ C 390, 18.11.2019, p. 100. 10 OJ C 28, 27.1.2020, p. 97. 11 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0284. 12 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0375. 13 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0458. 14 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0457. 15 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0518.
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas for the foreseeable future the EU remains the dominant political and economic power of Europe, and this generates responsibility towards its neighbours;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas cooperation between the EU and allthe EaP countries is not a linear process by all means, and cooperation can be achieved and maintained only in so far as those core values and principles are respected, moreover, in serious cases it can be reversed;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas to improve economic and political stabilization of the region the EU should strengthen the political and economic cooperation with the EaP countries, moreover the EU should verify whether the principles of democracy and the rule of law are adhered to;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a "more for more" and "less for less" approach in the bilateral relations between the EU and the EaP countries is welcome, now it is time to provide the EaP countries that signed an Association Agreement with DCFTA with the EU with clearer guidance on specific reform priorities, alignment criteria and on the next steps in the EU integration process;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas there is a necessity to encourage the development of closer relations with the EU and to set out a tailor made strategy for the most advanced EaP countries to support and sustain an ambitious pace of implementation of European integration reforms and that even more advanced forms of cooperation and integration are possible, provided that comprehensive reforms are implemented in a timely and sustainable manner;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the EaP the European Council emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership with the EaP countries and called upon the Commission and the Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to make long-term policy proposals in order to prepare the June 2020 Summit;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the EU’s Eastern European Partners are still imperilled by unresolved regional conflicts, the Eastern Partnership pursues the common goals of good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation as well as peaceful resolution of all ongoing conflicts within existing agreed negotiating formats and principles based on the norms and principles of international law, the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the European Parliament backs the EU’s continued support of the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co- Chairs to achieve progress in the search for a political, equitable and lasting settlement of the conflict in Nagorno- Karabakh; whereas this process continues to be based on the principles of territorial integrity, non-use of force, and equal rights and self-determination as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the success of transformation in the EaP countries, in particular of the three associated partner countries, can yield positive example for other countries;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) acknowledge and strive for a continuous impetus to effective cooperation, intense dialogue and close partnership within the EaP, enhanced by transformational impact of EaP policy in order towhich supports reforms that bring about political, social, economic and legal change in the three associated partnerall EaP countries;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(aa) consider that the EaP process must be based on the principle of differentiation and that the scope and depth of cooperation between the EU and the EaP countries must be determined by the ambitions of the parties, as well as by the implementation of reforms, notably regarding respect for democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and good governance;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a b (new)
(ab) reiterate that the Eastern Partnership is based on shared fundamental values such as democracy, human rights, rule of law and good governance, common principles as well as joint commitments taken at previous Eastern Partnership summits which should be carried forward;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) acknowledge that those countries that are undertaking comprehensive reforms and taking action to meet the criteria of Article 49 of the TEU may be eligible for EU membership, through a process of gradual integration; consider that for an eventual accession process both the EU and the partner country must be well prepared;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) emphasize the importance of unity in the adherence of all Member States to the EU’s common position on the fundamental values, principles and commitments of the EaP policy;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) embrace an enhanced and future- oriented vision for the next decade of the EaP with the aim of ensuring lasting and irreversible achievements and deepening EU-EaP cooperation; encourage the accession of the EaP countries to the EU, which should be in line with criteria of Article 49 of the TEU, and the accession to the NATO;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) embrace an enhanced and future- oriented vision for the next decade of the EaP with the aim of ensuring lasting and irreversible achievements and deepening EU-EaP cooperation; invite institutions to lead the creation of ever closer relations with the most advanced EaP countries;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) embark on a process to create a common economic space that facilitates deeper political and economic integration with the EU and closer economic and trade relations among the EaP countries;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) provide greater financial assistance, including in the context of the external financial instruments that are currently under legislative negotiation; such assistance should be tailored to the specific needs of the individual partners and used to implement activities under the EaP programme; consider that EU’s financial assistance is also an investment into the future, since it supports reforms that increase the economic and social stability of partner states, and lays down the basis for a successful future cooperation;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j
Paragraph 1 – point j
(j) engage further in State building and in strengthening institutions, by making instruments similar to the Support Group for Ukraine available to all EaP countries, with the associated partners first and foremosttaking priority; strong, independent and efficient institutions at a central and local level are key to democratic accountability, rule of law, deoligarchisation, and the fight against corruption and State capture;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) acknowledge and encourage initiatives by the governments of associated countries to boost their mutual cooperation; a similar approach should be applied to cooperation amongst all the Eastern European Partners on various issues; open a visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
(la) propose targeted sanctions against individuals involved in grave human rights violations in Azerbaijan, particularly arrests, kidnappings and beatings of civil society and opposition activists and journalists, and violent repression of the peaceful protests following the parliamentary elections on 9th of February 2020, which were not recognized as genuine, free and fair by the OSCE ODIHR;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l b (new)
(lb) express strong concern about the rushed procedure in Armenia to initiate changes in the constitution that might jeopardise the independence of the country’s constitutional court and call on the Armenian authorities to request and consider the opinion of the Venice Commission on this matter;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m
Paragraph 1 – point m
(m) acknowledge that the implementation of the DCFTAs has been sufficiently successful that it may gradually lead to theencourage continuous and effective implementation of the DCFTAs in order to gradually create the conditions for opening up of the EU single market in line with the implemented EU standards and requirements;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
(q) extend to other associated partners the approach employed by the EU in its efforts to support the recovery of the Ukrainian economy, including by means of tailored and flexible macro-financial assistance and instruments and engagement and coordination of international financial institutions and donors, and by improving the environment for foreign direct investment (FDI); in the proposed single Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (FNDI)CI) stress the importance of differentiation within the EaP in assisting associated partners in line with the principal "more for more" and "less for less";
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point t
Paragraph 1 – point t
(t) strengthen intra-EaP academic cooperation by launching an EaP university and targeted EaP programmes focused on good governance and public administration;
Amendment 411 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v
Paragraph 1 – point v
(v) acknowledge the importance of security and stability for the future development of EaP members by boosting cooperation in security and defence and devoting particular attention to regional conflicts under the agreed negotiating formats and processes;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
(va) reaffirm support to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to their 2009 Basic Principles which reflect a compromise based on the Helsinki Final Act principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples; call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue negotiations in good faith with a view to implementing these principles to solve the conflict, which cannot be solved using military force; call on the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue high-level talks and commit to genuine confidence-building measures and dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society;
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w
Paragraph 1 – point w
(w) acknowledge the unique experience and expertise of EaP countries; recognise the contribution of the associated partners to common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; continue supporting Security Sector Reform (SSR); deepen cooperation in EU- related defence policies, including building resilience to hybrid threats, supporting capabilities development in cyber security and fighting disinformation;
Amendment 469 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point x
Paragraph 1 – point x
(x) acknowledge the contribution of EaP civil society actors and organisations to democratisation and reform processes in their countries and the whole EaP region; continue supporting their activities and safeguarding their working environment; moreover continue a wide-ranging dialogue with them;
Amendment 490 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
(ya) establish an EaP European municipalities Twining program to support Twining Partnerships between municipalities in EaP countries and the EU Member States;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z
Paragraph 1 – point z
(z) increase the visibility of the support provided by the EU in the recipient EaP countries and boost EU citizens’ awareness about the EaP, moreover to effectively counteract anti-EU propaganda;