16 Amendments of Michael GAHLER related to 2015/2037(INI)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the lack of consolidation in European defence markets means that external dependencies in the European defence sector are increasing at a dangerous ratcould further increase, at a time of multiple and direct threats to European security which are unprecedented since the end of the Cold War;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that the 'Defence Package' launched by the European Commission aims to support the competitiveness of the European defence sector and one of its goals is to limit the problems due to the fragmentation of the European defence market, some protectionist attitudes in the award of defence contracts and the lack of coordination between different Member States control on regimes transfers of defence-related products;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to step up its efforts to achieve a level playing field in European defence markets, limiting the use of justified exclusions to a strict minimum; calls on the Commission to inform the Parliament of effects of the already published seven Guidance Notes (Field of Applications, Exclusions, R&D, Security of Supply, Security of Information, Subcontracting, Offsets) and notes that it plans to release two more in 2015; believes that these notes thus constitute the perfect opportunity for the Commission to establish a dialogue with Member States on subjects that have never been addressed in a structured and open manner and requests information on the outcome of such dialogue with Member States;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the full phase-out of offsets, unless duly justified on the basis of article 346. of the Treaty, is indispensable for ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market in the European defence sector;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Warns of worrying developments in the European defence market that are increasing external dependencies in the European defence sector at a time of an increasingly challenging security environment; warns, in particular, of the combination of Member States’ declining defence budgets, persisting market fragmentation despite new internal market rules, the growing dependence of the defence industry on extra-EU exports and increased foreign investment in Europe’s defence sector in some countries, yielding control of strategic national and European defence industries, assets and technologies;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the European Commission to inform the European Parliament in due time on the status of the Green Paper "on possible shortfalls of the current system for the control of assets" and requests information on the outcome of the announced stake holder consultations;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes thatInvites the Commission has yet to publishto consider publishing as soon as possible its Green Paper on the control of assets, initially scheduled for the end of 2014, in accordance with its 2014 Roadmap;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to accompany its implementation reports to Parliament and the Council on Directives 2009/81/EC and 2009/43/EC in 2016 with legislative proposals, if the findings of the report point in this direction;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls the need for greater convergence between national defence planning processes and welcomes, in this context, the adoption of the Policy Framework for Systematic and Long-Term Defence Cooperation; finds regrettable, however, its non-binding nature and the fact that it has not introduced a clear and structured process; calls on the Member States to launch permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) as means for better coordination and to use EU financing for peacetime cooperation; calls on the VP/HR to deliver realistic plans for the successful launch of PESCO;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Draws attention to the new ‘innovation partnership’ procedure and calls for it to be introduced in defence procurement, allowing contracting authorities to establish this procedure for the development and subsequent purchase of new, innovative products, services or works, providing the necessary market incentives and supporting the development of an innovative solutions without foreclosing the market.
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Demands that cooperation and the pooling and sharing of initiatives be given priority and that incentives – in particular tax incentives – be created to this endbe created to this end; calls on the European Commission to put forward a proposal clarifying how tax incentives could serve these objectives; welcomes the work of the European Defence Agency (EDA) on a pooled procurement mechanism and expects it to contain measures to incentivise the cooperative acquisition of and support for defence equipment;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Warns that European defence companies are increasingly compensating for their reduced turnover in Europe through extra-EU exports at the cost of engaging in ruinous competition, transferring sensitive technologies and intellectual property rights to their future competitors and moving production outside the EU, thus compromising Europe’s security of supply and increasing the risks of violating the Common Position on Arms Exports and fostering armed violence and conflict in other regions; believes that exposing the EU to the risk of the EDTIB being dependent on customers in third powers with different strategic interests constitutes a serious strategic mistake;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that EU export control policies should be substantially revamped with a view to developing a more integrated EU regime and a level playing field, making sure that overarching foreign and security policy objectivethe Common Position defines the broadest common understanding for the control of exports of military technology and equipment serving the coordination of national export control systems; recalls thave priority over short-term financial, economic and commercial interests; notes that the Council has failed to ensure the uniform application of the common position on the control of exports of military equipment; is disconcerted that even in cases of flagrant non-compliance by a buyer country with several of the eight criteria, including those on the preservation of regional peace, security and stability, and on the behaviour of the buyer country with regard to the international community and its respect for international law, the common position is almost entirely absent from the political decision-making sphere and public discourset a stronger verification and reporting system has been observed since the presentation of the annual Council reports according to article 8(2) of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment; calls on the Member States to overcome legislative and organizational obstacles in order to achieve better possible compliance with the eight criteria independently verified;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges Member States to comply with the principles of the common position and to report fully and regularly on the state of their defence equipment exports to third countries; calls on the Council and the VP/HR to identify the reasons for Member States’ incomplete compliance with the reporting obligation and to implement a new mechanism that may fill that gap; recalls that adherence to the common position is fundamental to the fulfilment of EU principles and values, particularly in the field of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and its responsibilities as regards global securitycalls on the Member States, where appropriate, to take into account the effect of proposed exports on their economic, social, commercial and industrial interests, these factors shall not affect the application of the above principles;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that while the growing importance of dual-use technologies offers benefits in terms of synergies between the defence sector and commercial production, it also makes it dependent on civilian supply chains, which often base their production outside Europe; warns also of the growing internationalisation of industrial supply chains and threquests information from the Commission and the European Defence Agency on the possible risks of growing internationalisation and the possible effects that changes in ownership in the defence sector may have on the security of supply in the EU and also the heightened risks for European and national security;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the work of the EDA and the Commission on an EU-wide security of supply (SoS) regime, as mandated by the European Council, calls on the European Commission to provide information about the status of the work on the Roadmap for a comprehensive EU-wide Security of Supply regime, especially whether the Parliament proposal on "a comprehensive and ambitious EU-wide security-of-supply regime (...) based on a system of mutual guarantees and an analysis of risks and needs, and possibly using the legal basis of permanent structured cooperation" (A7-0358/2013) was included in the preparatory work; and looks forward to a roadmap with specific steps to be presented for endorsement in June 2015;