14 Amendments of Michael GAHLER related to 2022/2145(INI)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the EU has been striving for over 20 years to become a capable security actor and encourages cooperation of EU Member States through a variety of structures and instruments such as the European Defence Agency, the Capability Development Plan, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) and the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) in order to improve capabilities, interoperability and cost-effective solutions in European defence; whereas results and effectiveness of these instruments still remain rather limited; whereas since 2017 61 PESCO projects have been launched without any having achieved tangible results;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the practical implementation of Article 44 of the TEU, as well as the establishment and operation of the RDC, should be considered the mainkey aspects of the CSDP on which the Vice- President of the European Commission / High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) needs to regularly consult Parliament;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the VP/HR’s proposal, enshrined in the Strategic Compass, to establish an RDC; stresses the importance of the EU having the necessary capabilities and structures to take action rapidly and decisively during crises in order to serve and protect the Union’s citizens, interests and values across the world; considers the RDC as a crucial element for closing the gap between the EU’s level of ambition and its actual capabilities; calls on EU Member States, especially those participating in PESCO with its 20 binding commitments, and the EEAS to facilitate participation in the RDC by providing adequate financial incentives in order to ensure provision of forces for the RDC by the Member States;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point a
Paragraph 2 – point a
(a) The RDC should be established as a European Union structure with its own legal and institutional identity following the example of the EEAS in order to allow for setting up the RDC as a standing force that is permanently stationed and trains together;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c
Paragraph 2 – point c
(c) The RDC should number at least 5 000 troops, excluding strategic enablers such as air and sea lift personnel, intelligence assets, special operations forces and medical evacuation and care units; the target number for the RDC should be at least between 7 000 and 10 000 troops in total; for the EU to be able to deploy up to 10.000 troops it is important for the Member States to ensure in parallel adequate capabilities of national reserve forces;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
(ca) The RDC should be considered as a nucleus for a joint EU military corps as already envisaged in the Helsinki Headline Goal 1999 by gradually assigning additional troops and force elements to the RDC;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c b (new)
Paragraph 2 – point c b (new)
(cb) The RDC should also function as a facilitator for EU capability development by establishing a priority scheme within PESCO in which the PESCO project EUFOR Crisis Response Operation Core (EUFOR CROC) that aims at the creation of a coherent full spectrum force package should provide the anchor from which other projects are prioritised along the most urgent needs to fulfil the ambition of EUFOR CROC and the RDC in particular;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
(ea) The RDC should be certified according to NATO standards in order to ensure compatibility and interoperability between EU and NATO, to enable Member States to swiftly reassign RDC elements to NATO after their RDC commitments have been concluded as well as to allow for the RDC to be assigned under NATO command if deemed necessary by EU Member States;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point g a (new)
(ga) Since the RDC will be constituted by forces that will train and work together, and the expenditures will be financed by the EU as long as they are under EU command, those soldiers should also enjoy the same working and social rights;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to transform the EU battlegroup system to match the needs of the RDC; considers that the EU battlegroups should be funded from the Union budget during their stand-up, stand-by and stand-down phases; calls on Member States to adapt national procedures and if necessary the legislative framework in order to allow for rapid deployment;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights that rapid deployment requires flexibility in political decision- making and the highadequate readiness of military modules, which implies not only having land troops on high readiness, but also the necessary air, sea and special operation components and strategic enablersncludes in addition to ground forces the necessary air, sea and special operation components and strategic enablers; stresses the insufficient progress of the EU with regard to strategic enablers over the past 20 years and calls on the Council to substantially increase its efforts to close these crucial capability gaps; underlines in that regard the role of the European Defence Fund for addressing capability shortfalls and calls for increased funding of the instrument; welcomes, furthermore, the Commission’s initiatives to facilitate joint procurement as an complementary instrument to improve EU’s capabilities and interoperability;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the RDC should have permanent operational headquarters under the Military Planning and Conduct Capability in order to ensure its effectiveness; expresses its concern that despite the ambition for the MPCC laid out in the Strategic Compass, the MPCC is still lacking sufficient staffing that should amount to at least 180 personnel and also lacks the necessary command and communication capabilities as well as an adequate infrastructure; calls therefore upon the EU Member States, the Council and the Commission to swiftly provide the necessary personnel, allocate sufficient funds as well to establish the necessary infrastructure, including access to EU capabilities in order to enable the MPCC to fulfil its tasks;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU RDC to have the possibility of being deployed and acting in emergencies, natural disasters such as floods or wildfires, or other significant civil-protection crises inside EU territory, at the proposal of the VP/HR and following the pertinent authorisation procedures; points out that to enable the armed forces to be able to effectively deal with natural disasters, proper training and equipment should be provided;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights that the RDC can significantly contribute to a more capable European Defence Union which in turn will also strengthen the European pillar within in NATO, thus allowing for an improved burden-sharing in transatlantic security; underlines the necessity for close cooperation and coordination between EU and NATO; calls, therefore, upon the Commission and the Council to further develop EU-NATO cooperation through an ambitious Joint Declaration;