Activities of Luis YÁÑEZ-BARNUEVO GARCÍA related to 2012/2138(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (based on the Annual Report from the Council to the European Parliament on the Common Foreign and Security Policy) PDF (242 KB) DOC (165 KB)
Amendments (32)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, at the same time, threats and challenges to global security are growing because of uncertainties linked to the attitudes of States engaged in programmes which dangerously encourage nuclear proliferation, the escalation of local crises in the EU's neighbourhood with major regional implications, such as the current Syrian conflict, the vagaries of the transition process in the Arab countries and its security dimension (Libya, Sinai ...), the evolution of the Afghan-Pakistan area in view of the prospect of the withdrawal of NATO troops and increased terrorist threats in Africa, in particular in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Nigeria,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the European Union has a duty to respond by speaking with one voice and acting in a spirit of solidarity between Member States; whereas the EU can and must assume its responsibility in facing global challenges, and use all means and instruments at its disposal to further the cause of peace and ensure the safety of the public,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas disarmament and non- proliferation are integral parts of the ESDP, which must be emphasised in its political dialogue with third countries, and constitute an obligation for the EU under international conventions and agreements; whereas such a commitment is fully in keeping with the CSDP’s goal of civil and military capacity-building.
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the Lisbon Treaty has introduced major innovations to the CSDP, which require the CSDP to be strengthened, but these are still far from being fully exploited,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasizses in this regard the need for the EU to assert its strategic autonomy through a strong and effective foreign, security and defence policy enabling it to act alone if necessary; emphasises that this strategic autonomy will remain illusory without credible military capabilities; recalls that this strategic autonomy is being built with due respect for existing alliances, while maintaining a strong transatlantic link, as stressed in Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union, and duly observing and reinforcing genuine multilateralism as a guiding principle of EU international crisis management operations;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that, despite the continuing validity of its assertions and analyses, the European Security Strategy, which was drawn up in 2003 and finalised in 2008, is beginning to look outdated, since a strategic vision formed in 2003 is no longer sufficient to understand today's world; calls therefore on the High Representative / Vice-President of the Commission and the Council rapidly to present a White Paper on the Security and Defence of the EU, which precisely defines the EU's strategic interests, available means and takes account of changing threats and the development of relations with our allies and partners, but also with emerging countries, and based on that analysis formulate clear priorities for security policy; stresses the importance of such a strategic framework to guide the external action of the Union European, channel the foreign policies of Member States towards common goals and also guide the medium and long-term strategic planning of the civilian and military capabilities to be developed and acquired within the context of the CSDP;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Advocates basing the revision of the European Security Strategy on the same concepts as the current strategy and on which the EU and its Member States already agree; calls for the review to take account of new security challenges and dimensions as well as the concept of human security, among other considerations;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Points out that the EU has advocated and shown its commitment to the principle of the ‘responsibility to protect’, coined at the United Nations, and which justifies outside intervention in cases of genocide, war crimes or heinous human rights violations in regions or countries; calls for this principle to be included in the new strategic framework;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Emphasizes that the strength of the European Union compared to other organizations lies in its capacityunique potential to mobilise a wholethe full range of political, economic, development and humanitarian instruments to support its civilian and military crisis management operations under the roof of a single political body and that this comprehensive approach gives it a unique and widely appreciated flexibility and efficiency;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes, however, that the implementation of a comprehensive approach must not contribute to a marginalisation of the CSDP; emphasizes that the CSDP, through these operations, must remain the EU's preferred crisis management instrument, as it is the only one able to impart political credibility and visibility to the Union's actions, while allowing political control; considers that, in a context of crisis, the task of the other external action instruments is to support CSDP operations, subsequently, in the longer term, to take over when the situation on the ground so permits and the political urgency has passed;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the positive role played by the EULEX Kosovo mission, which is operating in a difficult political environment, to help this countterritory establish the rule of law and a judicial, police and customs apparatus free from all political interference, in line with internationally recognised, as well as European, best practices; recognises, however, that much remains to be done if EULEX is to fully accomplish the missions assigned to it and enjoy the full confidence of the population, especially the Kosovo Serb community; calls on the mission to answer with the greatest care and rigour the questions raised by the Council of Europe report on the veracity of allegations of organ trafficking and to implement, with the States concerned, a witness protection programme so that rigorous judicial proceedings can establish the facts;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that currently three operations (EUNAVFOR Atalanta, EUTM Somalia and EUCAP Nestor) are deployed for the benefit of the region and stresses the need to continue the coordination of the EU's intervention with efforts by the international community, first and foremost the African Union, to ensure that Somalia once again has a functioning State; considers that an EU operations centre would lead to more effective coordination in the framework of the Strategy for the Horn of Africa;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the launch of the EUCAP Nestor mission to build up maritime capabilities in Djibouti, Kenya and the Seychelles and support the rule of law in Somalia (Puntland and Somaliland initially) by developing an accountable coastal police force and a judiciary; with full respect for the rule of law, transparency and human rights;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Pays tribute to the vital contribution made by the EUNAVFOR Atalanta operation in combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean and its humanitarian contribution to ensuring maritime safety by protecting World Food Programme ships and other vulnerable vessels, and approves the extension of its mandate until December 2014; approves also the extension of the scope of this mission to include Somalia's coastal zone and territorial and inland waters; calls on Member States to provide adequate air and sea resources for this operation and encourages commercial vessels to continue to apply best navigational practices so as to reduce the risk of attack; welcomes the contribution by the Netherlands to operation Atalanta in the form of an on- board protection team intended to ensure the safety of humanitarian convoys and encourages other Member States to make this type of contribution;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Declares that piracy is akin to organized crime and that it is important, for the sake of freedom of trade and the protection of an essential maritime passage, to disrupt the economic profitability of this activity and to tackle the root causes of piracy by long-term engagement fostering good governance and self-sustaining, legitimate economic opportunities for the population; calls on the Commission and the Council to take all necessary measures to ensure the traceability of the financial flows generated by this activity and facilitate exchanges of information between EUNAVFOR Atalanta and Europol ;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Highlights the positive role played by EUTM mission in Somalia, in close cooperation with Uganda, the African Union and the United States, to train more than 3 000 Somali recruits, some 2 500 of whom have already been reintegrated in the Somali security forces while fostering the rule of law; estimates that the mission has contributed in particular to improving the situation in and around Mogadishu by strengthening the security forces of Somalia and AMISOM; urges to concentrate the missions efforts on establishing accountable, transparent command and control structures, a financial framework which would provide for regular payment of salaries, as well as ensuring a minimized amount of defections by trained soldiers;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Approves the extension of the mandate of the EUTM Somalia mission until December 2012 and the focus placed on the command and control capabilities, specialized capabilities and self-training capabilities of the Somali national security forces with a view to the transfer responsibility for training to local players; notes that the European Union will be obliged to pursue its training efforts beyond 2012 and, in this context, calls on the EEAS to explore the possibility of transferring all or part of this training to parts of Somalia that are under the control of the authorities in the light of the improvement in the security situation;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Expresses its utmost concern at the development of a zone of instability in the Sahel, characterizsed by criminal activitiesthe interconnected nature of criminal activities, particularly drug, weapons and people trafficking, and armed operations by radical terrorist groups which are undermining the territorial integrity of States in the region and whose actions could lead to the establishment of a permanent zone of lawlessness in part of the territory of Mali;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Notes, however,Deplores that the EUBAM Rafah mission has suspended its operations since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and suppdeplortes therefore a reduction in its staff complement, while stressing that its continued presence in the region demonstrates the willingness of the European Union to contribute to any action that might facilitate the dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians; regrets that the Israeli government has not authorised the head of the EUPOL COPPS mission also to head the EUBAM Rafah mission and that the headquarters of this mission is located in Tel Aviv and not in East Jerusalem;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Considers the experience gained from civilian missions and operations to be of particular relevance; points out that the EU has undertaken extensive work in this area which has yielded admirable results; believes that the added value of EU civilian operations ought to be taken into consideration in the coordination and division of work with our partners and allies in international crisis management.
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Takes note of the increasing military and weapons capacities in Asia and especially China; calls for wider-ranging dialogue with the region, stressing security and defence issues;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51 a (new)
Paragraph 51 a (new)
51a. Calls for the role of private security forces and mercenaries in current conflicts to be examined and studied; requests a wide-ranging process of reflection on their impact and potential effect on the work of EU CSDP missions and operations in third countries.
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Stresses that, in terms of absolute value, spending in the combined European defence budgets of all Member States compares favourably with that of the major emerging powers and that the problem is thus less a budgetary than political one, ranging from the definition of a European industrial and technological base to the pooling of certain operational capabilities; points out that EU-wide consortia, joint initiatives and proposals for mergers of European businesses could contribute to the development of a European defence industry;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Recalls that the war in Libya has also highlighted the lack of reconnaissance drones in European armed forces and notes that in Europe there are currently two rival MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone projects; notes also Franco-British cooperation over UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles), which would benefit from not being exclusive, but open to other European partners; strongly highlights that a fundamental decision to acquire weaponised drone capabilities has to be accompanied by the development of clear, enforceable and transparent norms governing its use drawn up with the involvement of a broad range of actors including legal experts and civil society organizations;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62
Paragraph 62
62. Notes that the financial and budgetary crisis facing the European Union and its Member States will lead to loss of expertise unless a major programme is launched at European level on a bilateral or multilateral basis, and may also lead to the disappearance of a highly specializsed industrial fabric; stresses that medium- sized European companies in the defence industry have also been affected by the economic and financial crisis, and that they contribute to the economy and provide jobs in some Member States;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63
Paragraph 63
63. Notes with concern the reduction in the appropriations allocated to research and technology, which in the long term will affect the ability of Europeans to maintain a credible defence capability; points out that investment in defence research and technology has yielded impressive results in terms of civilian applications;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65
Paragraph 65
65. Call on Member States fully to implement the Defence Procurement Directive in order to achieve greater interoperability of equipment and to combat market fragmentation which often benefits third countries;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 a (new)
Paragraph 66 a (new)
66a. Calls for the European Defence Agency (EDA) to play a more important role in the coordination of capacity- building, with a view to preventing duplication of programmes and the implementation by Member States of parallel programmes, which generate huge costs to the taxpayer and rule out economies of scale;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73
Paragraph 73
73. Believes that this undermines the credibility of the battlegroups as an instrument and of the CSDP in general, since they could already have been deployed; encourages Member States to remain mobilised and to meet their commitments in respect of this instrument; highlights also that the battlegroups have already made a valuable contribution to European security policy by providing a framework for tangible improvements in interoperability and joint capability development;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 a (new)
Paragraph 73 a (new)
73a. Reiterates that the ATHENA mechanism should be further adjusted to increase the proportion of common costs and thus ensuring fairer burden-sharing in military operations and overcoming a disincentive for Member States to take on leadership roles in CSDP missions;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79
Paragraph 79
79. Advocates the creation of posts of temporary or permanent security expert in the most significant European Union delegations for the CSDP in order to better relay security issues; calls for consideration of the preventive role it could play in security matters and early warning systems;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80 a (new)
Paragraph 80 a (new)
80a. Considers that EU civilian and military capacity-building will also benefit NATO, and help to create synergies between them.