31 Amendments of Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ related to 2020/2111(INI)
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic, which is affecting millions of human lives, giving rise to an unprecedented global health, economic, social and humanitarian crisis, while having a strong impact on security and defence inside and outside the European Union;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas COVID 19 crisis reveals once more the need to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based order to better address global challenges
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the challenges the EU was facing prior to the pandemic persist or/and have worsened by it
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas the pandemic has aggravated the critical humanitarian situation of vulnerable people notably in conflict zones, refugee camps and fragile states; whereas in this perspective, the EU supported the United Nations' appeal to ease sanctions amid pandemic to not impede the delivery of essential equipment and supplies necessary to fight the coronavirus;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas the EU echoed the United Nations' appeal for an immediate global ceasefire
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
Be. whereas the EU was the target of disinformation campaigns from governmental and non-governmental actors with the direct intention to destabilize the EU institutions and the Member states and to weaken European values;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets the lack of global leadership and coordinated international response in the initial phases of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as tendencies to opt for isolationist solutions, the withholding of critical information, the rise of authoritarian nationalism, state- sponsored disinformation campaigns and the promotion of false narratives which create distrust and undermine international cooperation, raising questions around the role that the EU could and should play in the world;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Deplores the early denial of the reality of the pandemic by a number of governments and political leaders across the globe, slowing down decisive actions against the spread of the virus in a dangerous way for the population;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is concerned about the lack of leadership the United States has shown in fighting COVID-19 and about the lack of participation in joint initiatives on vaccines; believes that the false information in President Trump’s tweets and during his press conferences, as well as the attempts to buy European pharmaceutical companies working on potential vaccines and treatments have been very unhelpful in the joint fight against the virus;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Acknowledges the need for the EU and the US to better work together in order to tackle a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, to ensure consistent supplies of personal protective equipment from reliable sources, to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine and to ensure the flow of medically accurate information to their citizens;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is worried about the decision of the US to withdraw funding from the World Health Organization (WHO), Open Skies Treaty and the general tendency of its President to withdraw the US from the multilateral organisations that were created to establish a rules-based world order, expresses concern about President Trump’s decision to withdraw 12.000 American troops from Germany and sees this move as another blow to transatlantic cooperation;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Acknowledges the need to find a new and more effective method of cooperation between the EU and US, based on mutual respect and a joint agenda to defend multilateralism, the rule of law and human rights, notes that, in a world marked by great power competition, it is essential for the EU and the US to strengthen ties, to better manage China’s rise and the accompanying challenges and to cope with a more assertive Russia;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about the lack of transparency related to the Chinese reaction to the global outbreak, involvingcluding its failure to provide reliable and accurate information about the virus and its transmission in the early stages to the WHO and international partners, the withholding of information, censorship, the suppression of whistle-blowers and human rights activists, and the projection of power in the region, stresses the need for the EU to actively contribute to the WHO investigation into the origins and handlings of COVID-19;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that with the help of the social media platforms, particularly Twitter, some Chinese officials engaged in an aggressive campaign diverting attention from China, blaming others and sowing doubt about the origin of the virus, is concerned about the spread of disinformation by Chinese officials and state media used with the aim to undermine European democracies and expresses concern about the effect this phenomena had on China’s already tense relation with the European Union
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges the Chinese regime to fully cooperate with an independent investigation into the origins of COVID- 19, and calls on the Member States to present a united front towards a rising China, with which the EU does not share the same values, political system and approach to multilateralism, in order to fully protect the EU’s strategic autonomy, notes that China which is leading a crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and has threatened to annex Taiwan; calls on the Member States to advocate Taiwan’s membership of the WHO;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the VP/HR to recognise these concerns and simultaneously create an atmosphere of dialogue, engagement and genuine cooperation, based on a new, more assertive long-term strategy in which the EU pushes back when necessary to defend European values, strategic autonomy and security; is of the view that, as part of this new strategy, the EU should seek closer collaboration with countries in the region and other democracies;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Expresses concern over the structural attempts of the Russian Federation to undermine EU unity by the intensification of disinformation campaignsand propaganda campaigns as soon as the pandemic began; is concerned about the strong disinformation campaigns that Russia and China promoted in the Western Balkans, particularly in Serbia and in the Serbian part of Bosnia- Herzegovina, aimed at discrediting EU’s help in the region;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes with concern that Russia, in partnership with China, is taking some assertive steps in the international arena, with the aim to promote its own geopolitical agenda; is worried about Russia’s actions taken in order to expand its presence in Europe’s neighbourhoods, negatively affecting EU efforts for peace in Syria, Libya and Ukraine
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that the multilateral rules- based world order is vital for global peace, the rule of law and democracy; believes that a geopolitical EU must play a firmer role in defending it and seek ways to de- escalate tensions between powers; underlines the European Union's commitment to effective multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, as a central element of the EU’s external policy; notes the need for the EU to actively participate in restructuring the WHO, including by financial means, especially in the absence of US leadership in this regard, with the aim to create a more comprehensive, multilateral strategy on health, able to better prepare and respond to global pandemics or local outbreaks; notes the need for the EU to lead reforms of the WTO;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the important role of the armed forces during the COVID-19 pandemic and believes that a more in-depth joint operation and coordination of member states’ armed forces within existing frameworks - such as the European Medical Command - or within new frameworks - such as military hospital trains - could lead to greater efficiency and contribute to the EU’s preparedness to fight pandemics; recognises the need to review the EU’s security and defence strategies to develop strategic autonomy, to become better prepared and more resilient to the new and hybrid threats and technologies that have made the nature of warfare less conventional and challenge the traditional role of the military, as well as for a future in which Russia and China are becoming more assertive; underlines the need for military mobility to be strengthened in order to help Member States to act faster and more effectively in the context of a future possible conflict, including by funding dual use transport infrastructure and simplifying diplomatic clearances and customs rules; stresses that the future Strategic Compass on security and defence should reflect these developments and take account of the broader geopolitical implications of COVID-19; believes that, given the new political balance and a potential worsening of the international security environment following COVID-19, the EU defence budgets must not be cut, as EU defence initiatives, such as the European Defence Fund (both Research and non-Research), are aimed to strengthen collaborative actions and cross-border cooperation throughout the Union;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for the expansion and modernisation of EU communication strategies so that EU action is sufficiently visible both within and beyond the EU; urges the European External Action Service (EEAS) to further strengthen its capacities to counter disinformation, and propaganda by creating a concrete European legal framework, by improving coordination efforts and information sharing among the Member States, by including the creation of a dedicated far- East StratCom Task Force focused on the disinformation emanating from China, and imposing costs on countries that deliberately spread disinformation to divide and harm the EU and its Member States; stresses the need for the Member States to create strong national action plans to fight disinformation and propaganda, together with fact-checkers, researchers, start-ups and civil society organisations;
Amendment 447 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for the expansion and modernisation of EU communication strategies so; asks thate EU action is sufficiently visible both within and beyinstitutionds the EU; urges the European External Action Service (EEAS) to further streo step up its efforts on increasing then its capacities to counter disinformation, including the creation of a dedicated far- East StratCom Task Force focused on the disinformation emanating from China, and imposing costs on countries that deliberately spread disinformation to divide and harm the EU and its Member Stat visibility of the EU actions and EU 'support to third countries;
Amendment 460 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Welcomes the work of EUvsDisinfo on the fight against disinformation and calls the European External Action Service (EEAS) to further strengthen its capacities and to impose costs on countries that deliberately spread disinformation to divide and harm the EU and its Member States;
Amendment 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need to reduce dependency on third countries in certain strategic and existential sectors such as health or future technologies and might prompt diversification of its most critical supply chains;
Amendment 503 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Welcomes the Team Europe package and the mobilisation of 36 billion euros to help partner countries in Africa, the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood, the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to tackle the impact of the coronavirus.
Amendment 514 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines the strategic importance of EU engagement and support in its neighbourhood, both in the East and in the South, by actively engaging with the civil society and decision-makers willing to engage in dialogue and reform; stresses that the EU must give Western Balkan countries that are not yet part of the EU a fair chance to join the EU, and that the EU must continue its efforts to invest in the region;
Amendment 521 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines the strategic importance of EU engagement and support in its neighbourhood, both in the East and in the South; stresses that the EU must givwelcomes the inclusion of the Western Balkans countries that are not yet part of the EU a fair chance to join the EU, andin the EU joint procurement of medical equipment and stresses that the EU must continue its efforts to invest in the regionWestern Balkans;
Amendment 552 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses that Latin America was one of the hardest-hit regions by the COVID-19 pandemic, underlines the strategic importance of EU engagement and support in Latin America, as the EU remains Latin America’s most important development partner; notes that cooperation must continue with the aim to reduce disparities between people, promote sustainable development, mitigate climate change, promote good governance and advance higher education and research
Amendment 556 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls on the EU to defend humanitarian accesses to remote conflict zones
Amendment 568 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that the current COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the existing CSDP missions, notably due to a temporary reduction in staff on EU training missions in places such as Mali, Somalia or the Central African Republic and underlines the importance for the EU to consider what more could be done to minimize and manage the risk of staff being infected, what additional resources are needed, as well as what adjustments work best in different environments to make sure the operational effectiveness is maintained; Calls for the common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions tasked with conflict prevention or mitigation to be strengthened, notably those in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, to help stabilise already fragile settings and prevent a relapse in conflicts and violence due to additional tensions caused by COVID-19; calls in this regard for a swift adoption of the European Peace Facility;
Amendment 576 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Calls on the EU Commission to work with its international partners to ensure that no one will be left behind once a vaccine will be made available;