Activities of Nicole KIIL-NIELSEN related to 2009/2217(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
A new strategy for Afghanistan (A7-0333/2010, Pino Arlacchi) (vote)
A new strategy for Afghanistan (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT Report on a new strategy for Afghanistan PDF (273 KB) DOC (185 KB)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
– having regard to the (forthcoming)conclusions of the "Kabul Conference" scheduled forof 20 July 2010, which will assess progress in implementing decisions taken at the London Conference, and will provide an opportunity for the Afghan Government to chart the way forward, notably on anti- corruption, reinforced security, good governance, economic and social development, human rights, gender equality, economic growth, and improved electoral processesestablishing that control of military operations in all provinces is to be transferred to the Afghan forces by the end of 2014,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the national elections of 18 September 2010, like last year's presidential elections, have been marred by fraud (including the handing out of 17.5 million voter cards for an estimated 10.5 million potential voters) to an extent that the very notion of a democratic process has been lost,
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is aware of the set of factors hampering progress in Afghanistan but, given space constraints, has chosen to focus in this report on four main elements where, it believes, efforts expended willcould result in very significant improvements that could turn the course of eventsimprovements : international aid; implications of the peace process; impact of police training; elimination of opium cultivation through alternative development;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates that the EU and its Member States should support Afghanistan in the construction of its own state, with stronger democratic institutions capable of ensuring national sovereignty, state unity, territorial integrity, sustainable economic development and the prosperity of the people of Afghanistan, and respecting the historical, religious, spiritual and cultural traditions of all ethnic and religious communities in Afghan territory; calls for more support to be given to local authority development projects in those provinces which display good governance;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that the combined EU (European Community and Member States) budget for aid to Afghanistan for the period 2002- 2010 totalled around EUR 8 billion, including 600 million euros of EU aid for the period 2007-2010;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that according to the Afghan Minister of Finance, as corroborated by other independent sources, only USD 6 billion (or 15%) of the USD 40 billion in aid in fact reached the government between 2002 and 2009; and that, of the remaining USD 34 billion, which has been channelled through international organisations, between 70% and 80% has never reached the intended beneficiaries, the people of Afghanistan; notes the decision taken at the Kabul Conference that 50% of the international aid should be channelled through the Afghan national budget by 2012, in line with Afghanistan’s request;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Deplores the fact that a significant proportion of European and other international aid money is lost in the course of the distribution chain, which has been drastically revealed in the recent scandal around the Kabul Bank, and draws attention to the four main ways this happens: waste, excessive intermediary and security costs, overbilling and corruption;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Calls on the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, the Council and the Commission to set up a joint team of researchers with the aim of evaluating all EU and Member State measures and missions in Afghanistan once a year by using explicit qualitative and quantitative indicators especially with regard to development aid (including public health and agriculture), good governance (including the justice sector and respect for human rights), and security (especially the training of Afghan police); calls in this context also for an evaluation of the relative impact of EU measures on the overall situation in the country and of the level of coordination and cooperation between EU actors and other international missions and measures, and to publish the findings and recommendations;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recognises the potential for local corruption but believhopes that this will be outweighed by the strengthened legitimacy the Afghan State will gain by being responsible for implementing aid and by ensuring that aid effectiveness indicators and effective monitoring mechanisms, agreed upon by both donors and the Afghan Government, are in place;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes that the decision to place the US military supply chain in private hands without any reliable criteria for assuring accountability, transparency and legality is fuelling extortion and corruption, as warlords, local mafia bosses and ultimately Taliban commanders end up taking a significant share of the USD 2.2-3 billion business of military logistics in Afghanistan; notes that this amount surpasses the funding going to the Taliban from their "taxation" of the narcotics industry (calculated by the UN at 15% of their war budget);
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Believes, consequently, that the real strength of the Taliban was overlookedin depth knowledge about the situation of Afghanistan was lacking, the ability of the Karzai government to provide governance overestimated, and little attention paid to the task of rebuilding and developing the country;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Believes, too, that this, plus the poor performance of international aid and of the Afghan government in delivering it, its high level of corruption and the increased use of lethal force by coalition troops, has further alienated ordinary Afghans;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Firmly believes that the EU's three main prerequisites for tha future peace process must bshould include an Afghan commitment to banishing Al Qaeda from the country, thecredible practical steps towards elimination ofng poppy cultivation, and the will to establish respect for fundamental human rights based on the 2004 Constitution;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Stresses, however, that for peace to be allowed to take root in Afghanistan will require all its neighbours to agree to a common position of non-interferenceregional cooperation will be essential, based on the agreement of all its neighbours to support an independent Afghanistan;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Cannot stress strongly enough the need for a much more active EU role in theresponsibility of the EU and its Member States not to abandon the people of Afghanistan, who were promised reconstruction and, development of Afghanistan, as noand lasting peace, and notably its possible without significantwomen; insists therefore on the need to continue investing in poverty reduction and sustainable development;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Stresses, too, that the potentially vast mining and mineralse resources belong exclusively to the people of Afghanistan, and that "protection" of these assets can never be used as an excuse for the permanent presence of foreign troops on Afghan soil;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
Paragraph 55
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55 a. Urges the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and EU Member States to intensify police training in Afghanistan and to significantly increase the number of police trainers on the ground so that the objective of the London Conference to reach 134 000 trained Afghan police officers by the end of 2011 becomes a realistic scenario; urges the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy to amend EUPOL Afghanistan's mission by also mandating training for low grade personnel in all provinces, by increasing the number of weeks dedicated to basic training, and by conducting patrols and other police activities jointly in the field; urges EU Member States not only to merge their bilateral police training mission with EUPOL but also to refrain from imposing caveats for national police deployed in EUPOL;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64