86 Amendments of Frédérique RIES related to 2021/2042(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation -1 (new)
Citation -1 (new)
— having regard to the resolutions adopted by the Parliament and recalled below reflecting the need to counter the external interferences of Mr Putin's regime and the constant violations of freedoms and human rights in Russia; the will of the European Union to stabilise the European continent while respecting international borders, the sovereignty of States and good neighbourly relations with the Russian Federation; its conviction that, like all people, the Russian people aspire to the universal values of freedom and democracy; the opportunity to present to the Russian people concrete proposals for mutually beneficial cooperation,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the European Parliament distinguishes - the Russian people and the Putin’s regime - and critical actions proposed in this report are directed towards the Putin’s regime, while stressing the urgent need to reach out to the Russian people and show that the EU is welcoming to them;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A
Recital -A
-A. whereas the Union's relations with the Russian Federation must be based on the principles of international law, democracy and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and whereas the current Russian government has shown contempt for these principles;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas Russia is an authoritarian state run by President Vladimir Putin and his loyalists, in which there are no free and fair elections, both the State Duma and the Council of the Federation are submissive to Mr Putin’s orders, opposition forces are under constant intimidation and threat, which includes searches of their offices, arrests and imprisonment sentences, assassination attempts and actual killings;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital –A a (new)
Recital –A a (new)
-Aa. whereas the Russian Federation has committed itself to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights through its membership of the Council of Europe and the OSCE;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital –A b (new)
Recital –A b (new)
-Ab. whereas the EU is Russia's largest trading partner, while Russia is the EU's fifth largest trading partner;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A b (new)
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas Mr Putin’s 20 years-long ruling has been possible only through manipulation of the Russian Constitution; whereas the latest constitutional reforms enacted in July 2020 during the COVID- 19 pandemic – including an amendment giving President Putin a waiver from presidential term-limits in 2024 – avoided full referendum procedures, violated both Russian law and the Russian Federation’s OSCE obligations, and were assessed by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) as “clearly inappropriate” and, according to Russian statisticians, were adopted by means of probably the most fraudulent vote in Russian history;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital –A c (new)
Recital –A c (new)
-Ac. whereas the current Russian regime is stirring up animosity and mistrust in Russian civil society towards foreigners, particularly Europeans, and conveying the image of the West as an enemy, and whereas this misinformation has become the cultural and political foundation of the policy of Russian authorities, which are losing economic and social credibility and deepening the rupture between Russia and Europe;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A c (new)
Recital -A c (new)
-Ac. whereas the Freedom in the World 2021 report placed Russia in the category of ‘not free’ countries; whereas citizens’ fundamental freedoms are limited in Russia the election environment is controlled, Russian people are discouraged from public protests by the burdensome bureaucratic procedures established in order for citizens to receive a permission and by police violence during peaceful protests;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A d (new)
Recital -A d (new)
-Ad. whereas, according to the Memorial Human Rights Centre, the Russian authorities currently hold nearly 400 political prisoners in violation of the Russian Federation’s obligations under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 23 of the Concluding Document of the Vienna Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A e (new)
Recital -A e (new)
-Ae. whereas the organisers and masterminds of the 2015 assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov remain unidentified and unindicted, while the OSCE report on this issue has concluded that “the main issue for addressing impunity is not the capabilities of the Russian law enforcement, but political will”;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A f (new)
Recital -A f (new)
-Af. whereas the media space in Russia is controlled and owned by the state, there is no public broadcaster, the remaining few independent media sources struggle financially and face persecution, including physical attacks and imprisonment of media workers; whereas since 1992, 58 journalists have been killed in Russia; whereas the “sovereign internet” law enables the government to block any unwanted Internet content;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A g (new)
Recital -A g (new)
-Ag. whereas the Russian Orthodox Church strongly supports the Putin regime, acts as agent of Russian propaganda abroad, takes an active role in the special operations resulting in occupation and annexation of foreign territories, and in return enjoys its privileged political and financial position; whereas Russian laws allow the repression of religious groups that are deemed extremist;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A h (new)
Recital -A h (new)
-Ah. whereas the LGBTI+ community in Russia faces extensive discrimination, including harassment, torture, imprisonment and killings; whereas situation for LGBTI+ community is particularly dangerous in Chechnya, which in 2017 started its purge of LGBTI+ people, detaining and torturing dozens, with at least two killed, and many seeking for safe refuge abroad; whereas existing laws prohibit any public discussion on “non-traditional sexual relationships”;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A i (new)
Recital -A i (new)
-Ai. whereas the Putin regime rejects multilateralism and the rule of law based international order, disregards international law and Helsinki OSCE principles, as demonstrated by the 2020 constitutional reforms elevating Russian law above international law;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A j (new)
Recital -A j (new)
-Aj. whereas the 2020 Russian constitutional reforms revised the history of the WWII, cleansing the Soviet history and naming Russia as a successor of the Soviet Union, introduced the right to intervene internationally in defence of Russian compatriots and outlawed discussions about returning Russian lands to foreign actors;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A k (new)
Recital -A k (new)
-Ak. whereas in 2019 Russia re-joined the Council of Europe but extensive violations of human rights continue, as well as its refusal to comply with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A l (new)
Recital -A l (new)
-Al. whereas Russia uses other international institutions, primarily the UN and the OSCE, to prevent justice and conflict resolution worldwide;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A m (new)
Recital -A m (new)
-Am. whereas Russia is implementing a hostile “Russian World” concept to prepare the ground for its interference in third countries in defence of Russian compatriots;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A n (new)
Recital -A n (new)
-An. whereas a passportization policy is being used to boost the numbers of Russian compatriots and de facto incorporate into Russia citizens of territories occupied by it and breakaway territories, notably Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Donbas and the Crimean Peninsula; whereas these Russian actions are a violation of international laws;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A o (new)
Recital -A o (new)
-Ao. whereas the EU Member States allowing dual citizenship are exposed to Russia’s passportization policy; whereas the EU Member States which adopted so- called “golden passports” regimes enable Kremlin loyalists to enjoy the European quality of life with money stolen from the Russian people and to spread corruption into the EU;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A p (new)
Recital -A p (new)
-Ap. whereas the Kremlin’s propaganda opposes Russian and European/Western values by calling the latter “rotten liberal- progressive West” and supports pro- Russian and other organizations of divisive nature that are able to undermine policies of national governments, spread defamation and demonise the West, especially the EU and NATO, promote hatred, intolerance and Soviet nostalgia, and rewrite the history of Soviet crimes;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A q (new)
Recital -A q (new)
-Aq. whereas the “Russian World” is being promoted by state-owned media channels such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in the native languages of the EU Member States; whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is being used by Kremlin’s propaganda to seed division among the EU Member States, portray the EU as unable to cope with the pandemic, seed doubts about the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency, discourage EU citizens from vaccination, and rehabilitate Russia’s image in the eyes of EU population, particularly via the promotion of the Sputnik V vaccine;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A r (new)
Recital -A r (new)
-Ar. whereas the Russian “foreign agents” law adopted in 2012 was used to get rid of Western grant-giving organisations and deprive democracy- promoting local NGOs from essential funding, and has been gradually expanding and currently any ordinary citizen can be branded as a foreign agent for its political activity; whereas another law prohibits the financing of public events in Russia by foreign governments, organizations and other actors labelled as foreign agents;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A s (new)
Recital -A s (new)
-As. whereas Russian embassies, consulates and their affiliated cultural centres in the EU Member States are offering free cultural events and Russian language lessons and numerous local NGOs and radical groups, including political movements, receive Russian funding;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A t (new)
Recital -A t (new)
-At. whereas the Russian financial support for political parties and movements is a direct interference into the democratic processes of the EU and its Member States, as these parties and movements promote Russia’s interests as well as values contradictory to those of the EU;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A u (new)
Recital -A u (new)
-Au. whereas the EU and its Member States institutions as well as objects of strategical importance, leadership and democratic processes such as elections are the constant target of Russian cyber- attacks;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A v (new)
Recital -A v (new)
-Av. whereas Putin’s Russia seeks to maintain its influence in the former Soviet space at any cost, it rejects the right of self-determination of neighbouring countries and openly disrupts their efforts to implement pro-European democratic reforms and jeopardises their ambitions to join the EU and NATO;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A w (new)
Recital -A w (new)
-Aw. whereas Russia remains engaged in several parts of the world and seeks to disrupt EU influence in the Eastern Partnership region, the Western Balkans, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America; whereas Russia establishes alternative models for cooperation such as the Eurasian Economic Union not necessarily with the intention to demonstrate its superiority, but to oppose the EU and the West in general;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Russiathe current Russian regime is continuing its aggressive behaviour on the border with Ukraine and interfering with acts of terrorism on the territory of EU Member States, such as Czechia, and its eastern neighbours, inter alia by supporting the illegitimate regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Russia is continuing its aggressive behaviour on the border with Ukraine and interfering with acts of terrorism on the territory of EU Member States, such as Czechia, and its eastern neighbours, inter alia by supporting the illegitimate regime of Alexiaksander Lukashenkoa in Belarus;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Western Balkans region, which includes countries on the official waiting list to join the EU is characterized by a strong Russian presence, particularly Serbia where Russia has intentions to open an office of the Russian defence ministry; whereas in 2016 in Montenegro Russian military intelligence was involved into attempts to overtake country’s parliament, to assassinate the Prime Minister and install a pro-Russian and anti-NATO government, and to prevent Montenegro’s accession to NATO;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas Russia uses its paramilitary organization (the “Wagner Group”) to support dictatorial regimes around the world and undermine the EU’s and international community’s efforts to mitigate conflicts, build peace and stability;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas these domestic developments are a warning to the EU of what may come in the preparation and in the aftermath of the September 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia, when Mr Putin, in the same manner as Mr Lukashenkoa in Belarus, is waging a war against the people of Russia;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the EU and Russia have longstanding trade relations, the EU is the largest trading partner for Russia, while Russia is the fifth largest trading partner for the EU, and the EU is the largest investor in Russia; whereas the EU is dependent on Russian gas and oil imports, which will further increase should the Nord Stream 2 project be completed;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas Russia ranks 120 out of 180 countries in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index, as massive state-level corruption prevents Russian population from quality public services, which remain underfunded, including the public health care, which is of particular importance during the pandemic; whereas nearly 19 million of Russians live under the poverty line;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the Russian Government has approved a list of “unfriendly countries”, which includes Czechia and the United States;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas there is growing concern in the world about Russia's involvement in several international and national conflicts and there is a need for the European Union and the Russian Federation to find common ground, healthy and balanced relations, where their interests converge;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the current confrontation between the EU and the government of the Russian Federation is not in the interests of either party and whereas this confrontation jeopardizes peace and stability of the entire European continent;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas a constructive relationship would still be in the interests of both parties and their peoples, although a constructive dialogue with the Russian authorities will require closer cooperation and unity between the Member States and more strength and firmness in its response to any provocation and aggression from Moscow;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
Fd. whereas the EU must remain open to a dialogue and a reinforced relationship and would be prepared to return to relations based on cooperation with Russia if the Russian authorities fully respected their legal and international obligations and demonstrated in practice their commitment to restoring the trust that has been broken;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
Recital F e (new)
Fe. whereas any new framework for relations between the EU and the Russian Federation must be based on full respect for international law and the founding principles of the OSCE;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the role of the EU as a global actor and the foreign policy competences of the EU institutions should be strengthened;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas it is in the Union's interest to strengthen the strategic, democratic and social progress of its eastern neighbourhood;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Affirms that the European Union must adopt a firmer and more forceful overall strategy towards the Russian authorities and that its Member States must unify their approaches towards Russia in order to strike a balance between firmness and openness to dialogue on issues of common interest;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Stresses that the EU's foreign and security policy approach towards the Russian authorities requires greater coordination and coherence, in particular in strategic areas such as the European Defence Union, the European Energy Union, cyber defence, cyber terrorism and strategic communication tools;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. Recalls that HR/VP Josep Borrell outlined, after his visit to Moscow, the contours of a new strategy that the European Union should adopt towards Russia based on three pillars: retaliation, pressure and dialogue, and that it would be useful to identify the best tools to transform this vision into concrete policies;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
-1c. Is aware that the revanchism of the current government and its nostalgia for the Soviet borders are fuelling the mistrust of the countries formerly under the yoke of the Soviet Union, which, as members of the EU, would reluctantly consider any premature official dialogue with the Kremlin;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 d (new)
Paragraph -1 d (new)
-1d. Deplores the fact that the Russian authorities are tending to lock themselves into a privileged partnership with China, which can only weaken the Russian Federation and the entire European continent and, in particular, enable the Beijing authorities to expand their presence and influence in Central Asia and Siberia;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 e (new)
Paragraph -1 e (new)
-1e. Stresses that it is nevertheless necessary to keep the channels of communication open with Russia, and in particular to promote dialogue in multilateral forums, notably the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Arctic Council or the Council of Europe;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – introductory part
Paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. Recommends that the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) review, together with the Member States, the EU policy vis-à-vis Russiathe current regime of the Russian Federation, including the five guiding principles, and develop a comprehensive EU strategy towards Russia based on the following principles and actions:
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the EU, together with NATO and international partners, should deter Russia and keep stability in the EaP region by taking a more active role in the peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflicts and in the prevention of any future conflicts, by pressing Russia not to interfere in the region and to return the occupied territories in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the EU, together with NATO and international partners, should deter Russia and keep stability in the EaP region by pressing Russian authorities not to interfere in the region and to return the occupied territories in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) the EU must have a clear goal and plans on how to cut itswork towards the implementation of the European Green Deal and reduced dependency on Russian gas and oil, at least while President Putin is in power; the Nord Stream 2 threatens to increase this dependency, as well as finances Russian expansionism in neighbouring states;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) Considers as essential for the EU to invest in projects to strengthen its security and its joint military, counter- espionage, cyber and energy capacities;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
(cb) considers that the EU must step up its efforts to establish a genuine European defence within the framework of the strengthened Atlantic Alliance in order to be able to intervene with more effective, deployable, interoperable and sustainable military capabilities and forces, so as to project itself as a strong and confident international actor capable of deterring any aggression, threat or blackmail of a military nature;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subheading 2
Paragraph 1 – subheading 2
Containing the current Russian threat – fighting Russian interference in the EU and Eastern neighbourhood countries
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
Paragraph 1 – point d
(d) the EU should initiate security compacts with EaP countries that have an association agreement with the EU and propose a new EU integconsider creating an enhanced cooperation strategy for Eastern Partners building on former Commission President Romano Prodi’s formula of ‘everything, but the institutions’;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) the EaP policy poses no threat to Russia and its relations with EaP countries; the EU must recognize the European aspirations of neighbouring countries and keep its own doors open for willing and capable countries, as there can be no compromises and concessions to appease Russia or follow its policy of spheres of influence;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) increase resilience and strengthen capacities to react to hybrid treats posed by Russia and others: cyber-security, propaganda and disinformation; call out Russia each time it executes hybrid attack against the EU and the Member States; increase resilience to cyber-attacks and expand capacities of the EU StratCom, as there is a need to cover not only the East and the Western Balkans, but also disinformation in the EU space;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) ensure a swift implementation of the incoming proposals of the European Parliament Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation (INGE);
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
(ec) strengthen the EU’s role as a global player, as well as the capacities of the EU institutions, not allow Russia to continue a so-called bilateralization of relations with the EU, as Brussels should be the only capital where key decisions about the EU-Russia relations are taken;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
(ed) the EU should maintain close coordination with transatlantic partners in implementing decisions towards Russia, and, in coordination with transatlantic partners, consider additional sanctions to Russia should it fail to reduce tensions on Ukraine’s borders; sanctions against Russia can only be lifted or mitigated once Russia has fully implemented the Minsk agreements;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) in line with the ‘democracy first’ principle, the EU should strengthen the requirement of conditionality in its relations with Russia by including in any dialogue or agreement with Russia measures aimed at protecting human rights and the holding of free elections; accordingly, the EU and its Member States should revise their investment support and economic cooperation projects, starting with the halting of the Nord Stream 2 project, which in addition to increasing the EU dependency on Russian gas, will expose Ukraine to Russian malevolence and pressure to recognize the autonomy of separatist regions;;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) deny recognition of any attempt by President Putin to continue in office beyond the end of his current and final presidential mandate on 7 May 2024, should he attempt to do so on the basis of the 2020 constitutional amendments that the European Parliament has assessed as “illegally enacted”;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
(gb) adopt a foreign agents law at the EU level to regulate the work of registered lobbyists active in political interference and disinformation, inter alia;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g c (new)
(gc) increase efforts to curb the Kremlin’s strategic investments, which often stem from the EU Member States through the financial flows of Russian oligarchs and companies set up to fund Russia’s malign interference and spread of corruption in the EU;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g d (new)
(gd) pay special attention to the institute of double citizenship, as it is often exploited for subversion, continue insisting on Bulgaria and Malta to abandon their “golden passports” regimes;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g e (new)
(ge) strengthen the European banking system in order to detect and prevent money laundering by Russia and other countries;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g f (new)
(gf) initiate a review of Russia's compliance with its commitments to the Council of Europe;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) the EU should increase its ability to prepare and adopt sanctions against the Russian authorities for their systemic repression of democratic forces in Russia and to centralise EU decision-making by making the triggering of sanctions automatic in cases of corruption or violation of human rights, including by updating the EU global human rights sanctions mechanism (EU Magnitsky Act) to address cases of corruption;
Amendment 430 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(ka) must call all the national governments and the international organisations to conduct inquiries on hidden patrimonies of the main Russian leaders and oligarchs and publicize those figures;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(ka) demand that the Russian authorities release all those unjustly imprisoned for political reasons, including Alexei Navalny, Alexei Pichugin, Yuri Dmitriev, and all the others designated by the Memorial Human Rights Centre as “political prisoners” in accordance with the criteria of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Resolution 1900 (2012)
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
(kb) the EU should support Russian civil society and foster people-to-people contacts between the EU and Russian citizens, particularly as Russian citizens are the biggest recipients of Schengen visas in the world, most of which are multiple-entry and multiannual; consider reducing the visa fee for Russian citizens and lead an effective information campaign to show that the EU is welcoming to the Russian people;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) the EU should confront the Russian-language propaganda of President Putin’s regime and support the establishment of a Free Russia Free Television with 24/7 airtime;
Amendment 474 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) the EU should adopt and announcpromote a strategic vision for its future relations with a democratic Russia, which should include a broad offer with conditions and incentives such as visa liberalisation, free trade investment and modernisation programmes, and a strategic partnership aiming among others at the stability of the continent and the full respect of its international borders; it should also convey the potential benefits that it is willing to offer in return for a democratic transformation of Russia;
Amendment 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
(na) urges the EU and its Member States to continue and intensify the promotion of good relations with Russian citizens, particularly in key areas such as education, research, science, culture, the environment and cross-border cooperation;
Amendment 482 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n b (new)
(nb) therefore stresses the importance of intensifying dialogue with the Russian people and of strengthening political and financial support for civil society activists, human rights defenders, independent media, investigative journalists, academics and public figures and NGOs; calls on the EU Member States to contribute more -materially and technically - to this support;
Amendment 485 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n c (new)
(nc) suggests that the EU-Russia parliamentary delegation should take on the task of identifying persons of interest, playing a leading role in society, who would be open to the establishment of a constructive and uninterrupted dialogue and to setting up an agenda of public contacts with Russian civil society, its universities, its major scientific and cultural institutions, its non-governmental organizations, its political movements and its artistic and intellectual circles;
Amendment 488 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n d (new)
Amendment 491 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n e (new)
(ne) urges the EU to establish a binding legal framework enabling it to react strongly to campaigns aimed at undermining democracy or the rule of law, including through targeted action against those responsible for such campaigns;
Amendment 492 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n f (new)
(nf) is deeply concerned about the links between the Russian government and far- right parties and populist governments in the EU and must fight against aggressions to democracy;
Amendment 494 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n g (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n g (new)
(ng) stresses that money laundering and criminal financial activities perpetrated by Russian nationals constitute a threat to the security and stability of Europe;
Amendment 496 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subheading 5
Paragraph 1 – subheading 5
Engagement to support the Russian people and democracy – Eastern Partnership success as an inspiration for the people of Russia
Amendment 498 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n h (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n h (new)
(nh) considers that the Union should continue to support the fulfilment by Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus of the political, democratic, social and legal criterias of the Union on which the EU treaties and charters are based;
Amendment 509 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)
(oa) the EU should express its will to improve relations between the itself and the people of the Russian Federation by the adoption and the publication of an "Address to the Russian people";