22 Amendments of Reinhard BÜTIKOFER related to 2012/2318(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas 90 % of the EU's external trade and 40 % of its internal trade is transported by sea; whereas the EU is the world's leading maritime shipping actor, with European ship ownerany EU maritime strategy should first and foremost promote the basic principles of Article 21 TFEU such as democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights managing 30 % of the vessels and 35 % of world shipping tonnage - inter alia 55 % of container vessels and 35 % of tankers, representing 42 % of the value of global seaborne traded fundamental, freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principles of equality and solidarity, and respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the importance of global maritime flows for the Union has increased exponentially as a result of globalisation and growing global interdependence; whereas the geostrategic maritime balance is fast changing, with emerging powers adopting access denial strategies to constrain traditional US and European presence at seas; whereas a more complex and diffuse maritime security environment makes effective multilateralism and international cooperation in regulating maritime affairs more difficult;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the global outlook on naval capabilities and power projection is fast changing, with emerging powers increasingly unwilling to adhere to UNCLOS principles or submit to international arbitration or regulation; whereas, most significantly, China pursues its String of Pearls policy, endeavouring to increase and extend its presence at sea for a multitude of stated and unstated reasons, from securing trade and energy routes to controlling marine resources and maritime critical infrastructure; whereas, as a global actor, the EU must consider maritime security challenges and possible joint responses worldwide, from the nearby Mediterranean Sea and West Atlantic areas to the Pacific, via East and West, and from the Arctic to the Antarcticespecially with regard to the Mediterranean Sea and at the Horn of Africa;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a European Maritime Security Strategy (EMSS) is needed in order to mainstream the stakes, risks and opportunities that the European Union faces at sea, including protection for European citizens; whereas that strategy, while grounded in shall promote European values and principles, and must be forward-looking and proactive and mobilise all relevant institutions and actors, both civilian and military;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the EU has a vital interest in a secure and open maritime environment that allows the free passage of commerce and the peaceful, legal and sustainable use of the oceans' riches, that maritime flows represent the lifeblood of European trade and are conduits of European power and influence; that the security of European citizens is an EU and Member States' responsibility and that the EU has the ambition to be a provider of global security, which includes security of the seas and at seathe security of European citizens and the promotion of the principles of Article 21 TFEU; and that the EU institutional framework should, therefore, be transformfurther developed in order to provide for the objectives, means and capabilities necessary to meet that responsibility;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reminds Member States that only in a spirit of commitment, mutual understanding and genuine solidarity will the Union be able to fulfil its role as a global security provider and to project its political, diplomatic, social, economic and cultural influence worldwide, enhancing the security of Europe and that of its citizenslaid down in the Lisbon Treaty; recalls, in this connection, that Article 42(7) TEU (‘mutual defence clause’ or ‘mutual assistance clause’) and Article 222 TFEU (‘solidarity clause’), introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, provide for the institutional framework for effective solidarity among all the Member States in the field of the security and defence of the Union; commends, therefore, the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) for the Joint Proposal on the arrangements for the implementation by the Union of the solidarity clause and invites them to assess what this would entail in the event of its being activated to address any challenges at sea or involving maritime assets or infrastructure; urges the Council to swiftly approve this proposal;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes, however, that a European Maritime Security Strategy is needed to ensure an integrated and comprehensive approach, focusing specifically on the threats, risks, challenges and opportunities present at sea; that an EMSS, while grounded in European values and principles, must develop synergies and joint responses mobilising all relevant institutions and actors, both civilian and military; that the EMSS should identify all potential threats, from conventional security threats to those posed by natural disasters and climate change, from threats affecting the protection of vital marine resources to the security of maritime infrastructure and trade flows; that it must also identify the specific means and capabilities needed to address all challenges, including intelligence, surveillance and patrolling, search and rescue, sealift, evacuation of EU and other nationals from crisis zones, enforcing embargoes, and assistance to any CSDP- led missions and operations;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Invites the High Representative, the Commission, the Council and all other bodies participating in the relevant task force to elaborate an EU Maritime Security Strategy that involves, and is centred on, articulation and coordination among all European actors relevant to maritime safety and security; urges the Commission and the HR/VP, accordingly, to address the shortcomings of the 2007 Integrated Maritime Policy, which failed to make use of the full potential of a truly integrated operational approach to all EU agencies, bodies and instruments which could assist in improving results and cutting/sharing costs; is of the view that the EMSS should be the offspring of the European Security Strategy and a sibling of the Integrated Maritime Policy and that its level of ambition and means and capabilities should be determined not just by direct maritime interests but by the need to regulate maritime flows and access on the high seas worldwide;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that illegal migration is likely to continue putting pressure on EU maritime borders, especially in the light of political and economic evolution in the southern neighbourhood and the prospect of continued instability in northern Africa, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Sub- Saharan Africa; recalls, however, that migration must not be regarded as a security threat, but rather as a human phenomenon that requires a robust management strategy which combineseffective regional, political and diplomatic cooperation and development policies and investment in regional partnerships; draws attention to the fact that this effort requires the development of maritime capabilities and coastguard activities to patrol and rescue migrants travelling on board illegal vessels;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that today the Black Sea represents one of the most important energy routes to Europe and that the main risks it poses to the EU's stability stem from protracted regional conflicts, such as the one between Georgia and the contested territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the related conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi; stresses that, given Europe's dependence on the Black Sea for the transit of energy supplies, the EU has a strategic interest in deterring regional actors from brinkmanship and, for that purpose, may need to mobilise European naval assets;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses that there is a need to identify adequate European naval capabilities with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of EU activities in the Gulf of Guinea, specifically in the field of surveillance, patrolling and the fight against organised crime; suggests that specific synergies be created in order to bring added value from the articulation of existing EU instruments and structures, especially the expertise of the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the EU Satellite Centre (SatCenenhance the effectiveness of EU activities in the Gulf of Guinea; suggests that specific synergies be created in order to bring added value from the articulation of existing EU instruments and structures as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA);
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the HR/VP to map EU Member States' and ACP partners' facilities in strategic locations – such as the Lajes Air Base in the Azores, Portugal, and the Cape Verde islands – which may be used to develop specific naval and air operatioinitiate plans to counter proliferation, terrorism, piracy and organised crime in the Gulf of Guinea and wider South Atlantic Ocean, in a three-way partnership involving transatlantic cooperation with the US, Canada, Brazil and other Latin American countries as well as EU-African Union cooperation;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Stresses that the comprehensive approach concept, which in this particular case stems from the Strategic Framework Strategy for the Horn of Africa, is evident in the combination of the three ongoing CSDP missions in the region (EUNAVFOR Atalanta, EU Training Mission in Somalia and EUCAP Nestor), flanked by political engagement and development policies; welcomes the activation of the EU Operations Centre, with the aim of facilitating the coordination and strengthening the synergies among these missions, which represents a significant step in the development of CSDP; points out that this example of complementarity and coordination should inspire other such actions where CSDP missions and operations are engaged in response to a multifaceted problem; notes that a permanent General HQ for CSDPmilitary planning and conduct capability could only further enhance the integration of any naval component in CSDP missions and operations;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Underlines the potential importance of the safety and security of new world trade routes through the sea passage opened in the Arctic, including for the EU and its Member States' economies; underlines the fact that the EU and its Member States should actively uphold the freedom of the seas and the right to free passage through international waterways; sStresses that existing long-standing territorial disputes between Arctic states call for greater EU involvement in the region and an assessment of what tools and capabilities might be needed to respond to conflict in the area; highlights, in any case, the need to avoid the militarisation of the Arctic; calls on the Commission to put forward proposals as to how the Galileo Project could have an impact on Arctic policy and how it could be developed to enable safer navigation in Arctic waters, thus investing in the safety and accessibility of the North East Passage in particular;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the HR/VP to identify the risks to peace and the security of maritime flows and open access that European ships, commercial interests and citizens may face if tension and armed conflict were to escalate in the East and the South China Seas; calls also as a matter of urgency for identification of the means and capabilities, particularly naval capabilities, that the EU may eventually need to deploy in the region, in order to evacuate EU and other nationals, preserve and defend its interests and international legality and participate in any international endeavours to deter brinkmanship, contain aggression and guarantee the security and safety of navigation in the East and the South China seas, as well as in the Strait of Malaccaif tension and armed conflict were to escalate in the East and the South China Seas;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Regrets the fact, however, that EU Member States have been imposing severe cuts in national defence budgets in response to the financial crisis and economic slowdown, and that such cuts, which are mostly uncoordinated at EU level and disregard the European Security Strategy, may entail serious consequences for the Union's ability and preparedness to face maritime and other security challenges and meet international obligations, and hinder its role as provider of global securityunable to agree on a sufficient number of joint capability development projects and that they have also ignored the need to consult and coordinate when cutting national defence budgets in response to the financial crisis and economic slowdown;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses that the ‘Pooling and Sharing’ priority put forth by the EU to bring about more coordination, smarter defence spending and greater economies of scale among the Member States, has yet to deliver results, including in the field of maritime security capabilities; deplores the fact that, the blind austerity measures imposed on bailed-out Member States with strong maritime traditions and naval capabilities such as Portugal, Greece and Ireland, and also Spain, may actually have a negative impact on EU maritime capabilities and strategic assets, forcing them to sell the control of ports and maritime routes, shipyards, naval technology industries and other critical maritime and naval infrastructure to competing powers;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Commends the work of the EDA in laying the groundwork for achieving ‘Pooling and Sharing’ through harmonising requirements and projects as regards naval training and logistics; welcomes the Wise Pen team's 2012 study of maritime requirements and capabilities; in light of the EDA's mandate and expertise, urges the Members States to resort to its advice and technical assistance when faced with the need to cut defence budgets, so as to avoid compromising strategic capability development across the EU, which needs to address gaps and shortfalls in a coordinated manner; encourages Member States to work with the EDA to identify capability needs, particularly civilian, military and dual-use capabilities in the maritime domain; urges the HR/VP, assisted by the EDA and DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, to identify all naval and maritime assets that meet the maritime capabilities and requirements of 2012 and which are at risk of being lost by EU Member States as a result of financial and economic constraints, and to look at ways to preserve them and put them at the service of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy and the future EMSS;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Recalls that dual-use capabilities are relevant and should be welcomed in the implementation of the CSDP, in light of the complex security challenges in today's world; stresses that the current crises in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa highlight the need for a comprehensive approach that makes use, on the one hand, of the full range of civilian-military engagement and, on the other, of dual-use equipment and capacities, including European naval capabilities; invites the Member States to work with the appropriate EU bodies and agencies, notably the EDA and the Commission, ion seeking EU funding for dual-use capability development, which is a way to fill in capability gaps at the national, regional and Union level; recalls the dual-use potential of the Galileo programme and its value for the implementation and effectiveness of CSDP operations,effective capability development particularly in the maritime domain;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Recalls the need for the consolidation of an EU-based and EU-funded technological base in the field of defence, including naval construction and equipment production capabilities; recalls, in light of the current economic and financial crisis, that the inception of, and support for, capable, self-sustainable European defence industries means the creation of jobs and growthpriority shall be given to more transparency, efficiency and multilateral approaches without allocating new financial resources; calls for a more qualitative dialogue with industrial stakeholders, as the development of naval capacities entails many years of commitment; stresses the need for EU Member States and the industry to rationalise and harmonise standards to ensure European operational compatibility in the field of maritime and naval capabilities, including communication systems and technology;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44