24 Amendments of Cristian Dan PREDA related to 2014/2230(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
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1. Points out that more than 13 years of western intervention with numerous casualties (10 548 killed and wounded civilians in 2014 alone) have made it painfully clear that no military solution is possible in Afghanistan; stresses that the Western military presence, and especially its offensivReminds that Afghanistan has been torn by nearly 40 years of conflict and war which led to the destruction of the country, more than a million casualties and forced a significant part of the poperulations, are part of the conflict and not a solution to it into exile, thus making it in effect a failed state;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
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2. Calls for a break in the vicious circle of violence so that peace may be achieved; calls, therefore, on the EU, NATO and the US to withdraw all military troops; urges all foreign parties immediately to cease all civil-military cooperation since such an approach can imply a risk for aid organisations and civil societyHighlights that under the Taliban regime Afghanistan emerged to become one of the most fertile grounds for the spread of terrorism, resulting in the tragic events of 9/11;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reminds that Afghanistan today has achieved progress in political, security, economic and development spheres thanks to the dedication of the Afghan population as well as the commitment of the international community, funds, know-how and personnel on the ground; underlines however that the progress achieved is still fragile and reversible; and that its sustainment requires further reforms, stable relations with neighbours and a continued provision of a necessary level of security;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
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3. Regrets the signing of the BSA and the NATO SOFA by the new Afghan administration as it underminesPays tribute to the efforts of the international community which provided security to Afghanistan during the sovereignty of the state of Afghanistan and its institutions and may lead to impunity of war crimes; is concerned that the NATO-Afghanistan SOFA allows Western troop deployments until the end of 2024 and beyo decade long Operation Enduring Freedom and the ISAF mission in Afghanistan , during which nearly 3 500 servicemen and women died ; welcomes the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission operating since 1st January 2015 which is mandated to train, advice and assist the Afghan security forces and; is concerned by the fact that US President Obama authorised a more expansive and combative role for the US military in Afghanistan in Novembernstitutions; reminds that the Afghan National Security Forces are fully responsible for combat operations which have been taken over from ISAF as of 1st January 20145;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underscores the importance of the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Afghanistan and the United States as well as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with NATO, thus providing the legal framework for the presence of international forces in Afghanistan;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
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4. Is concerned about the high costs ofNotes the increased burden on the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), which is estimated to have reached USD 6 billion in 2014, and the lack of long-term commitments by the EU, or by other members of the international community, to finance the ANSF budget; stresses that even with the planned reduction of personnel to absince 1st January 2015 when they took over full responsibility for providing security and conducting in principle exclusive military operations around the country; expresses regret due to the increasing number of casualties among the Afghan security personnel; underlines the paramount 230 000 in the coming years it will be impossible for the Afghan Government to provide the necessary financing; expresses its grave concern that this may lead to a dangerous situation in which a highly militarised and equipped police and army could look for alternative ways of generating incomeimportance of sustaining security of the Afghan people as prerequisite for the proper functioning of the state; is aware of the grave consequences of a deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan for the future of the country and stability of the region; expresses strong concern over the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan that represent a new threat to the country's security;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
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5. Calls on the EU to support the Afghan Ggovernment in its pursuit of a comprehensive and inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace and reconciliation process, actively including the whole range of civil society and all conflict parties, including – following a ceasefire – combatant, with those insurgent and militia groups, as no lasting solution to the conflict can otherwise be achieved; calls on the EU actively that commit to and show respect to the constitutional order and human rights principles and to support an Afghan- led disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration into society (DDR) of former insurgents into society;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
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6. CRecalls forthat the transformationmandate of EUPOL Afghanistan into a support mission for an Afghan-led DDR process, i.a. with the goals of demobilising the various militias and reducing the total number of ANSF personnel as far and as fast as possible, the EU civilian mission providing training and assistance to the Afghan Police force as well as advisory tasks at strategic level for relevant parts of the Afghani administration, has been extended until the end of 2016; Calls for an evaluation of the mission's achievements and relevance on the field; calls on the EU and on NATO to continue to support and adequately fund efforts for demining Afghanistan;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
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7. StExpresses the need for inclusive regional cooperconcern about the fragile security situation within the objective of promoting long-term peace, stability and security in the wider region; promotes a new approach towards the security situation in Afghanistan and its neighbours in the form of a multilateral forum for dialogue and negotiation between country; underscores the important role which neighbouring countries should play in this regard promoting stability and security; highlights the importance of enhanced political and economic dialogue withe countries and regions concerned, covering issues and commitments on politico-security, social, economic, environmenof Central Asia, China, India, Pakistaln and human rights issues; stresses that this forum could signal a new and constructive approach of ownership, self- determination and the behaviour of states towards their citizens, as well as towards each other; emphasises that this forum should be initiated in cooperation with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the UNRussia, as part of a regional framework; expresses support for the "Heart of Asia" process launched in Istanbul in 2012 with the aim of building stability and prosperity in the region;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
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8. Believes that women’s rights are part of the security solution and that it is impossible to achieve long-term stability in Afghanistan unless women must enjoy their full rights in political, social and economic life; is deeply concerned that Afghan women continue to be victims of discrimination, sexual abuse and rape; stresses, therefore, the need for more female employees in all public offices; points out that progress in peace talks may not be made at the cost of any of the rights acquired by women in recent years; emphasises the need to ensure that women and civil society actors play a prominent role at all stages of any peace and reconciliation process;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
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9. Recognises the presidential elections 2014; regrets that every presidenWelcomes the first ever peaceful transition of power following the election of Ashraf Ghani as President to succeed his predecessor Hamid Karzai; appreciates the brokered political and parliamentary election in Afghanistan since 2005 has been marred by fraud and violence; welcomes the formation of a government of national unitycompromise between Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah leading to the creation of the Government of National Unity, thus creating a chance for the major political forces concentrated around the two major presidential candidates to work in concert for the future of Afghanistan and not to fuel political divide or violence; expresses hope with the to-date conciliatory rhetoric and constructive cooperation between the President and Chief Executive;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
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10. Welcomes the stated intent of the new President Ashraf Ghani to make combating corruption one of his priorities; encourages the Afghan Government to engage in establishing an independent judiciary; encourages a thorough review process of the role and failures of the attemptscalls on the Government of National Unity to address this pressing matter as well as of drug trafficking, mismanagement, waste, security for the people; reiterates the need for the international community to esustablish a functioning justice system, as well as of the role of the EUPOL mission in this contextin its engagement in Afghanistan and to help continue rebuilding the country, developing the economy and resisting terrorism leading to sustaining and strengthening progress;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
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11. Notes the lack of substantialslow progress on human and fundamental rights since 2002, in particular with regard to women and girls in Afghanistan; calls on the new government to dedicate more political capital to this issue and, in particular, to implement the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan and the law on the elimination of violence against women (EVAW), as well as to comply with all other international treaties concerning human rights; calls on the Afghan authorities to promote the effective participation of women in all key bodies, nationally and internationally, and at all levels;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
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13. Regrets the fact that, despite modest progress in some areas, theWelcomes the efforts of the International community that provides a large amounts of development aid provided so far has failed to improve significantly the social and economic situation of the majority of the populationto support the country; notes that progress has been done in some areas, but regrets that overall the social and economic situation of the population has not improved significantly enough; is concerned about the high rate of unemployment (which is estimated to have reached 50 %)7 , the poor access to medical care, the poor state of the health system and the fact that more than half of the population is living in poverty; __________________ 7 German Foreign Ministry progress report on Afghanistan 2014 (‘Fortschrittsbericht Afghanistan 2014’). http://www.auswaertiges- amt.de/cae/servlet/contentblob/691670/pub licationFile/199488/141119- Fortschrittsbericht_AFG_2014.pdf.
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the EU and Member States to continue its policy of engagement with Afghanistan; recalls that Afghanistan is the single biggest recipient of EU development aid, amounting to over 1 billion euro annually; recommends that the EU creates a Trust Fund for Afghanistan , which would raise the visibility of the EU and contribute to addressing the inefficiencies related to the distribution chain, lack of transparency and accountability;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
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14. Is critical of the fact that a large portion of thEmphasises the need to enhance the local economy, to gradually decrease the dependence on international assistance aind provided through various funding channels does not serve the needs of the Afghan people, and that project fundingbuild a sustainable economy; reminds of the vast natural resources of the country which are estimated to have a value of USD 1 trillion and should be used responsibly isn often not guided by social but by military considerder to generate substantial own revenue to the state from export, extractions; urges the EU to use all allocated aid strictly for development, not for security purposes, and to encourage its allies to follow suit fees, licenses, etc. and provide incentives for sustainable development and economic progress of the country;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
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15. Calls for an EU strategy for Afghanistan that focuses on development, in particular in rural areas wWelcomes the adoption of the European Strategy for Afghanistan 2014 - 16 in June 2014 as the operational framework for EU's support for the development of Afghanistan's institutions to provide the re the majority of the population lives; calls on the EU to prioritise poverty alleviation and to tie development aid to Afghan public employment measures to create urgently needed jobs; recognises the need to strengthen local and regional authoritiessilience needed to safeguard progress to date focusing on the objectives of promoting peace, security , regional stability, reinforcing democracy, encouraging economic and human developments, fostering the rule of law and human rights; regrets however at the same time that the EU and Afghanistan have not managed to conclude the stalled negotiations on the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD) which would constitute a long-term comprehensive engagement of the EU in Afghanistan;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
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16. Is alarmed about the country’s Reminds that in order to reverse the trend of Afghanistan being an aid- addicted country its authorities need to introduce a sustainable long-term strategy whigch aid-dependency ratio, severe budget deficits and decline in domestic revenue; emphasises the need for development programmes to create a gradually more independent economy in Afghanistan, weaning it off dependence on foreign donors; highlights the potentially important role that the country’s neighbours can play for such development; encompasses all relevant actors enhancing coordination of their efforts, aiming at improving economic governance, investment in local human resources capabilities, strengthening the rule of law, investment in infrastructure (power plants, roads, providing supplies of water), eradicate corruption which increases significantly the costs of doing business ( in 2014 Afghanistan ranks 172. out of 175 in Transparency's International global corruption ranking), improve reputation as an investor friendly country (World Bank's report Doing Business 2015: Doing business in a more transparent world ranks Afghanistan 183 out of 189), create more favourable conditions for small and medium enterprises to develop, by cutting red-tape, in particular in the agriculture sector, construction, transportation, handicrafts;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
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Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
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Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
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Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
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20. Appreciates the fact that today between 8 aaround 98 million (ca. 80 %) of Afghan children attend school (whereof 40 % are girls), which is a significant increase compared to the situation in 2001, when the figure was one million, but is concerned about the low school graduation rates, and about the fact that the estimated national adult literacy rate for citizens aged 15 and older is still very low (34 %, of which women account for 18 % and men for 50 %); reminds that one of the biggest achievements of the last decade is the significant increase in the number of girls attending schools in comparison to 2001, which amounts today to some 40% of the total of 8 to 9 million children ;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
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22. Highlights the importance of efforts to phase out opium cultivation in Afghanistan, but notes that they have had little success so far; calls, in this regard, for viable alternative livelihoods and for measures to help improve living conditions for populations in rural areas in general; urges the EU to consider, together with its international partners, a fundamental review of the counter-narcotics policies they are currently pursuing in Afghanistan, ensuring that they fit into a wider development strategy; proposes that measures be taken to fight money- laundering and that the creation of massive subsidy programmes for cropsubsidy for crop substitutions programmes be considered;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
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23. Points out that opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan reached record levels in 2014; recognises the fact that Afghanistan suffers one of the world’s highest prevalence rates for opiate use, and that 100 000 people around the world are killed by Afghan opium each year; urges the Afghan authorities, and all other parties concerned, to combat transnational organised crime and drug trafficking;