BETA

19 Amendments of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2015/2220(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the EU-Central Asia Strategy was adopted in a context of ~~growing importance of the region and increased EU engagement in neighbouring Afghanistan, the extension of the European Neighbourhood Policy to the Caspian regio~~increasing focus on the development of countries in this region and against the backdrop of increased EU engagement in neighbouring Afghanistan, ongoing EU support for reform and modernisation of post-Soviet societies, and EU energy security interests; whereas it also recognised the security threats and challenges that require cooperation between Central Asia and the EU;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas severe political and social repercussions have arisen as a result of the short-term, simultaneous upheaval of all social conditions in Central Asian countries which occurred following the latter’s independence, the comprehensive privatisation of all existing forms of ownership, the abrupt introduction of market-based instruments, the state’s withdrawal from the social sphere, the change in elites, and the restructuring of the political system; whereas the Central Asia partner states are characterised nowadays by the indivisibility of political and economic power, the personalisation of power, the extensive political, social and economic exclusion of large parts of society, and an intense revival of civil, cultural and religious traditions; whereas economic and structural weaknesses and crisis effects, in combination with deep socio-economic distortions and shortcomings in political governance, have given rise to a veiled risk to the stability of these societies, which should receive closer attention in the context of the Central Asia Strategy;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the Review of the EU-Central Asia strategy conducted by the EEAS, the Commission and the Council in 2015; takes the view, nevertheless, that the priorities, objectives and targets should be ~~better defined and accompanied by benchmarks and indicators in a credible timeframe, in order to identify and correct eventual shortfalls;~~ tailored more specifically to the interests, requirements and framework conditions of the Central Asia partner states and therefore more precisely defined and accompanied by benchmarks and indicators in a credible timeframe, in order to adapt the latter more flexibly to framework conditions within the region, which are clearly in a state of evolution at present;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Agre~~Notes that the Strategy adopted in 2007 and the long-term priority areas defined therein (human rights and the rule of law; youth and education; trade and investment; energy and transport; the environment and water; common security threats and challenges; and intercultural dialogue) remain relevant and provide the basis for a concrete and potentially fruitful European engagement in the region, in line with the objectives set in the EU strategy;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Points out that the strategic approach adopted to date to shape relations with Central Asian countries has demonstrated only limited viability and success; recognises that economic relations between the EU and the Central Asia Strategy’s target countries have seen no relevant expansion, that the aim of promoting regional cooperation and integration between Central Asian countries by means of an exchange of experience and transfer of standards on the part of the EU has stalled, and that the EU has still been unable to make any relevant contribution, on the basis of its own values and societal models and concepts, to solving the severe socio-economical and environmental issues of Central Asian societies, nor to the latter’s modernisation; highlights in this context that the development of the constitutions and political systems of the Central Asia partner states, following a transitional period, is at present clearly oriented long-term towards the values and experiences of their historical, and to some extent Islamic, traditions, and the political ruling elites have at their disposal clear alternatives, including those with geostrategic relevance, in terms of the various regional cooperation and integration projects in Central Asia, irrespective of their current state of readiness and the inconsistency of their development;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Points out that the review is rather ambitious give~~Highlights the political contradiction that the region is not a geopolitical priority for the EU and the majority of its Member States, but ~~concurs with the Council’~~the Council, in its revised strategy, nevertheless designat~~ion of~~ed the region as strategically important, with the condition that democratic transformation should lead to improved and stronger political, diplomatic and trade relations; ~~in this context~~highlights that the present Central Asia Strategy represents a common position carefully balancing out the varying interests of Member States, rather than a common strategy for the region, and therefore calls for this strategy to be improved further within its review cycle, welcomes the 56 % increase in and more specific focusing of EU development assistance to the region in period 2014- 2020 as compared with the previous period;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Shares the view that a differentiated and conditional~~Recognises that the stability of political systems in the Central Asia partner states is under a veiled threat with regards to the ever more divergent interests of political associations and their respective representatives, mass political exclusion, and the precarious social conditions in which the vast majority of society live; is convinced that the central strategic objective of the EU must be that of pushing for economic development in the Central Asia partner states, in close cooperation with other countries operating in the region, such as China, the USA, France, India, Turkey and Japan, and international organisations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), such development serving to free these Central Asian countries from a commanding dependence on commodity exports and the transfer of funds from citizens abroad, and to form the basis for sustainable societal development by means of a drastic improvement in social circumstances and employment as a foundation for political stability; shares the view that a differentiated approach should be applied in order to achieve better results abothve all bilaterally and, where possible, regionally; believes that regional programmes, such as those for border management, drugs and trafficking, transport and energy, should be tailor-made so as to target interested parties, and could therefore benefit from participation in them being confined to a limited or flexible number of countries of the region, possibly also including Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Azerbaijan;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines that the disbursement of EU funds should be ~~conditionality- and~~ incentives- based, a~~long the lines of the principles agreed for the European Neighbourhood Policy, rewarding performance on a number of benchmarks to be established for each country, and depending on measurable progres~~nd performance should seek to achieve measurable progress with respect to a series of benchmarks with regard, in particular, to the fields of democratisation, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, development, human security and good neighbourly relations;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Takes note of the re-establishment of the post of EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia after a year-long gap, and expects the newly appointed EUSR to make an important contribution to ~~the implementation of the strategy for~~shaping relations with Central Asian countries by ensuring consistency of the external actions of the Union in the region;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Urges the Council, the EEAS and the Commission to ~~prioritise~~attach great importance to the promotion of democratic transformation, the~~reby providing a stronger bulwark aga~~ enforcement of civil, political and social human rights, including those social rights codified in the UN’s Social Covenant, the establishment of rule of law, and the qualification of governance and administrative action in Central Asian countries, thereby laying the foundations for security and stability, for establishing open societies in the countries in question and, as a result, for tackling external and internal political, security and economic ~~pressures and~~ challenges;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that the legal obligations vested in the PCAs to uphold democracy and the rule of law have not been observed in most cases, with the exception of limited and fragile progress in Kyrgyzstan; calls on the Council, the EEAS and the Commission, in the course of the further development of relations, to increase pressure on Central Asia partners to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as soon as possible, and to approve and implement essential core standards and other rules of the ILO that are outstanding;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Highlights the added value and further potential of the Rule of Law Platform, coordinated by Germany and France with active support from Finland; underlines that this Platform is presently targeted towards supporting judicial reforms in the countries in question and, on the part of the EU, is addressed towards the key issue of the separation of powers in the sense of eliminating existing monopolies and the personalisation of political, military and legislative power, and the resultant dissolution of the close affiliation between political structures and economic property cartels; reiterates that the experiences of Neighbourhood Policy have demonstrated that the endemic corruption found within these societies cannot be overcome without this dissolution;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Expresses its deep concern at the growing trend towards clampdown on civil society on the pretext of security and stability; recognises that the relevant EU tools, such as the conducting of regular seminars with the general public and increased exchanges therewith have, to date, made no contribution to strengthening their position, and many of these communities are more inclined at present to rely upon the relationships between groups and clans or, failing that, regional networks which are purposefully controlled by the ruling elite;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Highlights the success of Central Asia partners which, in the wake of the unavoidable societal transformation process, have managed to moderate a sharp increase in societal inequality; points out in this context, however, that an extremely large part of the population, that is 70 % to 80 %, still lives in poverty or is directly at risk of poverty, and that Central Asian countries therefore still fall far short of securing the internationally recognised fundamental right to social security for their citizens, not merely in a legislative sense, but primarily in a real-life sense as well; calls on the Council, the EEAS and the Commission, in the course of the development of further relations with these countries, to tighten the political and financial focus on establishing national social protection floors pursuant to ILO Recommendation No 202 (Recommendation concerning National Floors of Social Protection (SPF)), in order to contribute, as a result, to overcoming central socio-economic obstacles to development;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. WPoints out that, in the context of a profound demographic transformation in Central Asian countries, the size of the younger generation is rapidly increasing, with the majority of these young people, however, living in extremely precarious circumstances characterised by poverty, long-term unemployment and a lack of personal prospects; welcomes the recent commitment of Latvia, with the help of Poland, to lead the regional programme on education; regards sustainable investment in ~~education as the bes~~the development and expansion of the education system, universities, and vocational training to be an important way to improve the socio-economic situation of the region; calls on the Council, the EEAS and the Commission to not merely group together existing EU education programmes relating to Central Asia, but also to condense these into a single education policy, which also addresses the core issue of providing concrete job opportunities outside of the so-called informal economy; in this context, calls on the institutions to pay close attention to the aforesaid aspects when developing cooperation in the context of, for example, China’s ‘Silk Road’ Initiative;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Encourages the EU to prioritise and deploy its ‘water diplomacy’ further in order to facilitate improved cross-border water management and to mediate dispute settlement, including promotion of an open and effective framework, in particular in the case of the Rogun dam; in this context urges the EU to stimulate and accelerate further adhesion to international conventions and legal principles relating to shared water resources;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Recognises that the main threats and challenges identified in the Strategy for Central Asia remain relevant; is, however, acutely aware of the additional external pressures stemming from the current security challenges in Afghanistan, as well as the opaque foreign policy of Russia aimed at reintegration of former Soviet space, triggered by the crisis in Ukraine;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Is concerned that stalled and uneven socio-economic development, poor governance and a weak institutional framework, lack of respect for rule of law; unresolved ethnic issues and lack of prospects for orderly succession in the countries of Central Asia are sources of potential instability, and therefore the successful implementation of core EU interests following on from the Central Asia Strategy, that is creating conditions for stability in Afghanistan by ensuring stability in the region, is being seriously called into question;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. ~~Recognis~~Acknowledges the continued implementation of the Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone by the five Central Asian Republics;

2015/12/11
Committee: AFET