26 Amendments of Michael GAHLER related to 2020/2003(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
— having regard to the principles enshrined in Article 346.1 (b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the production of or trade in arms, in Article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) on “defining a European capabilities and armaments policy”, and in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), notably the promotion of democracy and the rule of law, the preservation of peace, the prevention of conflicts and the strengthening of international security,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the latest SIPRI figures24 show that arms exports from the EU-28 amounted to some 26 % of the global total in 2015-2019, making the EU-28 collectively the second largest arms supplier in the world after the USA (36 %) and followed by Russia (21 %); questions the validity of this comparison because under Article 346 TEU the production of or trade in arms remain with member states and therefore the aggregated figures cannot be compared to unitary states like the USA or Russia; _________________ 24 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), fact sheet of March 2020 entitled ‘Trends in international arms transfers, 2019’.
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the publication of the 20th and 21st annual reports; deplores the late publication of information about exports during 2017 and 2018; welcomes Member States efforts to comply with Article 346.1 (b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the production of or trade in arms;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that ten Member States made full submissions to the 20th annual report, and eleven to the 21st; deplornotes the fact that two of the main exporting countries – Germany and the UK – did not make full submissions; , amongst others, Germany and the UK did not make full submissions as regards actual exports, a non-mandatory requirement; welcomes however the additional information provided by the governments of Germany and the UK in the “reports by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on its Policy on exports of Conventional Military Equipment” 2017 and 2018, and the “UK Strategic Export Controls annual reports” 2017 and 2018;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, a region of several armed conflicts, remain the foremost regional destination for exports according to the last two annual reports; is concerned that this regional focus undermines the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and specific EU action aimed at regional peace and stabilitywelcomes these efforts because they are in line with the overall objectives of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) set out in Article 21 and of the regional priorities set in the EU Global Strategy (2016);
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that the EU has been implementing a number of arms embargoes25 ; welcomes the decisions of the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands adopting restrictions on their arms exports to countries involved in the Yemen war; _________________ 25 https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main?chec ked=
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1560 and the relevant conclusions of 16 September 2019 have the potential to ensure that national oversight bodies, parliaments, and EU citizens are furnished with better information about the strategic choices made by their governments in an area which directly affects their security and their countries’ adherence to values and norms;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes with concern theat there is no clear information of alleged growing divergences between the arms export policies and practices of the Member States and the failureon possible attempts to introduce new instruments to promote convergence towards the strict application of EU rules in this area;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. NotWelcomes that since the adoption of the legally binding Common Position in 2008, an increasing number of weapon systems produced in Europe are made up of components from multiple countriEU member states and involve bi- or multilateral cooperation for technological, industrial and political reasons;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes anthe lack of information of an alleged increase in the transfer of knowledge and technology, which allows third countries to undertake licensed production of European military technology;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that most Member States have not outlined a policy regulating the transfer of weapons components to another Member State which would ensure that any export to third countries from the Member State of assembly is consistent with the export policy of the Member State providing the components; regards this as particularly problematic because of a lack of information in the context of the increasingalleged divergences between licensing practices across the EU; observes that Directive 2009/43/EC on intra- Community transfers has proven ill- equipped to fachieve the stated goal of setting high common standards for exports to third countriesilitate the transfer in the European armaments market;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Observes a trend whereby the diverging export policies of the Member States the lack of cleare increasingly considered as obstacles to cooperation projects, which is giving rise to a multitude of bilateral and specific agreements on weapon systems that allow for exports to third countries basedformation on alleged diverging export policies onf the least restrictive standards, rather than a joint, EU-wide approachMember States;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that bilateral and multilateral aAgreements may further reducimprove convergence at EU levelmong Member States and that the failureachievement to regulate exports uniformlin harmony between the Member States and the lackimprovement of convergence in export decisions to third countries have a negativen impact on human rights and international law, generate market distortions, and hinder industrial strategic planning, economies of scale and a level playing fieldthe European defence market; welcomes in this regard the Franco-German Treaty of Aachen and the provision on a common approach on arms exports with regard to joint projects;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that EU funds such as the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), initiatives such as the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Peace Facility (EPF), legislation such as the intra-Community transfers and defence procurement directives of 2009, and the creation of administrative capacities such as the Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) are heralding an increasing Europeanisation of arms production and capability developmentleading towards the definition of a “European capabilities and armaments policy” as foreseen in Article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU);
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Underlines the fact that the interinstitutional agreement on the establishment of the EDF authorises the Commission to assess whether the transfer of ownership or the granting of an exclusive licence of EDF-co-funded military technology contravenes the security and defence interests of the EU and its Member States or the objectives of the fund as set out in Article 3 of the proposed regulation; notes that this new legislation establishes a specific type of control function for the Commission with regard to a specific category of exports of military technology to third countriesEU legislation of the EDF has not yet been finalized;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes that the lack of convergenceharmonization of national arms export policies and decision- making is becoming increasingly untenable in the context of the prevailing Europeanisation of arms production and the stated ambnecessary in view of the definition of a “European capabilitiones and plans to incarmaments policy” as forease this furtheren in Article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU);
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – introductory part
Paragraph 19 – introductory part
19. Believes that the Europeanisation of arms production needs to go hand in hand with increased transparency; believes that there is still room for improvemdefinition of a “European capabilities and armaments policy” as foreseent in this area, particularly as regards the quality and uniformity of the data submitted by Member States; calls on the Working Party on Conventional Arms Exports (COARM):Article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) needs to be in line with the Common Position 2008/944/CFSP;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point a
Paragraph 19 – point a
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point b
Paragraph 19 – point b
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point c
Paragraph 19 – point c
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – introductory part
Paragraph 21 – introductory part
21. Calls on COARM to work towards amending Article 7 of the Common Position, by calling for an improved exchange of ‘relevant information, including information on denial notifications and arms export policies’ and other ‘measures to further increase convergence’; stresses the need, to this endMember States to use COARM to implement better Article 346.1 (b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the production of or trade in arms:
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point a
Paragraph 21 – point a
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point b
Paragraph 21 – point b
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point c
Paragraph 21 – point c
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that the increasing Europeanisation of arms production, the recent Council conclusions on convergence in arms exports and the establishment of the EPF should be complemented by a mechanism for EU- level monitoring and control based on strict compliance with the eight criteriadefinition of a “European capabilities and armaments policy” as foreseen in Article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) should be complemented by national oversight mechanisms in line with Article 346.1 b of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the production of or trade in arms;