62 Amendments of Andrea COZZOLINO related to 2020/2002(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
Citation 3
— having regard to the Joint Declaration of the heads of the member states of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) and the President of the French Republic made at the summit of 13 January 2020 held in Pau, France (the Pau Declaration) and the Joint Declaration of 28April 2020 made by the members of the European Council with the Member States of the G5 Sahel,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2018 on Somalia,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and with special attention to SDG 16, aiming at the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Secretary General’s appeal for a global ceasefire in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas security is a precondition for development; whereas human security is a precondition for lasting peace and stability; whereas a strong nexus between security, development, and humanitarian intervention is essential for the sustainable development of the Sahel, West Africa and Horn of Africa regions; whereas without development and poverty eradication, there will be no sustainable peace; whereas in order to ensure its security and sustainable development, each country must have or acquire adequate capacities in all essentialkey sectors, including security and defence and whereas this will not only stabilise that country, but will also enable it to contribute constructively to peace, stability and crisis prevention in its region;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas security is a precondition for development; whereas without development and poverty eradication, there will be no sustainable peace; whereas in order to ensure its security and development, each country must have or acquire adequate capacities in all essential sectors, including security and defence and whereas this will not only stabilise that country, but will also enable it to contribute constructively to peace, fight against impunity, stability and crisis prevention in its region;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the east, Africa is struggling to contend with challenges, such as historical underdevelopment compounded by the destruction of the traditional agro-pastoral economy as a result of climate change, massive exploitation of natural resources by foreign countries and companies, population growth and deforestation; whereas another major challenge is the emergence of new forms of mafia economy, including human and drug trafficking and the uncontrolled export of gold deposits, which, combined with the abandonment, inefficiency and corruption of the administration, is producing a hybridisation between terrorist groups, traffickers and traditional community and regional conflicts, with the phenomenon of jihadist religious extremism appearing as a false response for the societies concerned;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the east, Africa is struggling to contend with challenges, such as historical underdevelopment compounded by the destrucabilisation of the traditional agro- pastoral economy as a result of climate change, population growth and pressure on the natural and environmental resources such as deforestation; whereas another major challenge is the emergence of new forms of mafia economy, including human and drug trafficking and the uncontrolled export of gold deposits, which, combined with the abandonment, inefficiency and corruption of theweak governance, rising inequalities and lack of trust in governments and public administration, is producing a hybridisation between terrorist groups, traffickers and traditional community and regional conflicts, with the phenomenon of jihadist religious extremism appearing as a false response for the societies concerned;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas billions of dollars’ worth of gold is being smuggled out of west African countries every year through the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East; whereas according to the United Nations the Somali extremist group Al Shabaab generates millions of dollars in revenue off exports of charcoal to Iran and then the United Arab Emirates, in violation of UN sanctions;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas poverty and insecurity feed off each other and push young people to migrate to Europe in search of a better life, impoverishing states by depriving them of their best human resourcescombined with other factors such as bad governance, corruption and lack of employment opportunities, particularly affect young people and the possibilities given to them, thus pushing many to migrate;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU is also supporting the establishment and operationalisation of the G5 Sahel Joint Force;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas after years of training, the above-mentioned EU missions have been hampered in their sustainability and effectiveness due to restrictions on their mandate, training programmes, and a lack of basic equipment, including weapons, ammunition and vehiclessustainability plans and local ownership;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas any training, financing, or equipping of security forces in third countries should abide by European fundamental values and human rights law;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas these restrictions have allowed third countries, notably Russia, China, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to fill the void left by the European Union by supplying such equipment;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas in 2017 China’s Communist Party formally adopted in National Party Congress the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with an announced investment as high as $8 trillion for a vast network of transportation, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure linking Europe, Africa, and Asia; whereas China is a major stakeholder in Africa's economy with a significant influence on many aspects of the continent's affairs;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas over the last decade, the UAE has gradually increased its presence in the Horn of Africa, using development and humanitarian projects to boost its geostrategic prominence particularly in the Gulf of Aden; whereas Somalia has urged the United Nations Security Council to take action against the construction of a United Arab Emirates (UAE) military base in Somaliland;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas Turkey has spent years building trust in the Horn of Africa as it seeks to increase its influence particularly in the Red Sea region; whereas Turkish companies still manage Mogadishu's main seaport, airport and even provide military training for Somali government soldiers;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
H b. whereas the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has set its first overseas military base in Djibouti and China holds over 70 per cent of Djibouti’s gross domestic product in debt; whereas the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)’s loans catch vulnerable, developing countries in “debt-traps” depleting government reserves and sticking generations of taxpayers with gigantic debts;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas after years of involvement in the above-mentioned civil and military missions, the general situation has become worse and worsenot improved significantly and a new and comprehensive strategy therefore needs to be implemented;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the European Union must coordinate the development and, security and humanitarian initiatives in which it is involved as part of an integrated strategy; considers that the African Union and African States from the region are key partners with which the EU is meaningfully engaged in order to jointly achieve sustainable development and human security; considers that the EU- Africa security cooperation must be based on human rights and humanitarian law and must respect the do-no-harm principle; considers that a security strategy for the Sahel, West Africa and Horn of Africa regions must first and foremost lie on addressing the root causes of the conflicts in the region, and notably the deep inequalities;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point b
Paragraph 5 – point b
b) to adapt the APF in order to overcome the current limitations onput in place the proposed European Peace Facility, with full respect for the Common Position, for Human rights and humanitarian law, and with effective transparency provisions such as the publication of a detailed list of military equipment provided to partner countries under the Facquisition of arms and muniility and with full safeguards to ensure that any military equipment is not given to partner countries that are committing abuses, atrocities, and other harms against their civilian populations;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point b
Paragraph 5 – point b
b) to adapt the APF in order to overcome the current limitations on the acquisition of arms and munitionsput in place the proposed European Peace Facility, with full respect for the Common Position, for Human rights and humanitarian law, and with effective transparency provisions such as the publication of a detailed list of military equipment provided to partner countries under the Facility;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that the use of all funding instruments should be exploroptimized with a view to address underlying causes of the conflict beyond supporting the development of security capabilities in the affected African countries, as per Articles 209 and 212 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in the light of the very serious security crisis in the Sahel-Saharan region;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends that the EU considers contributing to the operational and logistical costs of the operations against jihadist terrorism conducted by the national armed forces of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad, within the framework of peacekeeping operations in the Sahel- Saharan area and by taking a similar approach to the one it takes to financing the G5 Joint Forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISON);
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Believes that the EU should conduct a comprehensive analysis on key individuals and corporates benefiting from the war economy, employing its policy toolkit to deter all forms of corruption and abuses;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Calls for sufficient funding for technical legal assistance, training, and capacity building aimed at ensuring third country forces respect their human rights obligations;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recommends that any financing of capacity-building operations for African countries is conditional on an action plan, which includes training on security sector reform, human rights, international humanitarian law, and the rule of law, with reasonable deadlines with the possibility of further adjustments depending on the evolution of the situation;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Considers that any increase in security force assistance should be subjected to a robust risk mitigation analysis that provides for adequate human rights protection mechanisms and civilian harm mitigation approach;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 10 – point d a (new)
d a) putting in place a Human Rights monitoring mechanism to prevent Human Rights violations;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that the EU must conduct a comprehensive evaluation, and put in place proper monitoring systems and oversight, of the EUCAP Sahel Mali, EUCAP Sahel Niger, EUCAP Somalia and EUAM CAR civilian missions, adapting them to real needs in order to make them fully operational and effective;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that the Government of Somalia is unable to perform its duties and that the Somali army is also unable to counter al-Shabab’s terrorist activities and is not yet ready to take over from AMISOM; recalls that the Somali army waRecalls that the Somali army is supposed to take over from AMISOM in December 2021; underlines that the achievement of that objective requires a new and comprehensive assistance programme to the government and the army of Somalia;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Believes that the Gulf Crisis is having serious ramification in Somalia whereby United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to support explicit actions that directly undermine the security and political gains made so far in Somalia, creating national disunity between the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States (FMSs) on security, national elections and developmental issues, and calls for such actions to cease forthwith;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Supports the African Union request to the United Nations Security Council for the G5 Sahel joint force and AMISON to be placed under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in order to benefit from sustainable funding;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that coordination with the countries of North Africa is desirable as well as an effective contribution to peace and reconciliation in Libya in order to prevent it from becoming a hotspot for the spread of jihadism, arms and human trafficking; welcomes in this respect, Morocco’s initiative to donate 3.3milions dollars to the priority investment program of the G5 Sahel join force tasked with fighting terrorist and insurgents in West Africa;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the effand supports ofthe Mauritania to taken comprehensive and global approach which includes a social and development approach to itsstrategy with the military and security response; expresses its solidarity with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, countries that are deeply affected by terrorism; compliments the efforts and sacrifices of the international community, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the Multinational Joint Task Force, the G5 and the French Armed Forces (Operation Barkhane), EUTM Mali and the Chadian Army, which is the essential force in the central and east sectors of the G5 requiring special support for its battalions;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the efforts of Mauritania to take a social and development approach to its military and security response; expresses its solidarity with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, countries that are deeply affected by terrorism; compliments the efforts and sacrifices of the international community, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the Multinational Joint Task Force, the G5 and the French Armed Forces (Operation Barkhane), and EUTM Mali and the Chadian Army, which is the essential force in the central and east sectors of the G5 requiring special support for its battalions;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Welcomes the joint declaration of President of the European Council, Charles Michel and President of Islamic Republic of Mauritania, President in office of the G5 Sahel, Mohamed Cheikh el Ghazouani of 28 April 2020, in which they renewed and increased commitment to the security, stability and development of the Sahel in close cooperation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Chair of the African Union Commission and the current Chair of the Economic Community of West African States;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the EU to pay particular attention to the spread of jihadism and Saudi Wahhabism in areas such as the Indian Ocean and West Africa and to lend cooperation and establish aid programmes when required;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Good governance and sustainable development
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. States that there can be no security strategy without joint developmentsustainable development and humanitarian action;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Believes that the European Union should ensure that sustainable development plans are multi-sectoral and provide a global solution to the challenges of the region concerned; stresses that an integrated approach to peace, security and sustainable development requires the meaningful involvement of local civil society actors, and especially of women and young people; is of the opinion that these plans must be adopted by the administration in agreement with the local beneficiary communities and implemented with the participation of humanitarian organisations and local civil society organisations to ensure effective coordination and ownership;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – introductory part
Paragraph 25 – introductory part
25. Considers that the development of Africa should bea meaningful security cooperation between the EU and Africa must be built upon sustainable development, and especially focused on:
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point a
Paragraph 25 – point a
a) consolidating democracy by ensuring a real parliamentary system, its institutions and the rule of law, guaranteeing all civil society liberties;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 25 – point a a (new)
a a) ending conflicts and preventing their recurrence while addressing their root causes in order to achieve long lasting peace and security;
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point b
Paragraph 25 – point b
b) empowering women by recognising them as agents of change and their role as the centre of gravity ofin African families andhouseholds and communities, promoting their participation in local and national institutions; and decision-making, and fostering their role in peace-building, conflict prevention and mediation;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point b
Paragraph 25 – point b
b) empowering women by recognising their role as the centre of gravity of African families and promoting their participation in local and national institutions and combating sexual violence against women and girls;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 25 – point b a (new)
b a) strengthening the promotion of the right of access to information, media freedom, safety & security of journalists and freedom of association;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point c
Paragraph 25 – point c
c) providing basic services such as food security, health, and education to increase people’s confidence in the stateccess to basic hygiene, social protection and education;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point d
Paragraph 25 – point d
d) ensuring administrative and legal stability and fighting poverty, impunity and corruption;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point d b (new)
Paragraph 25 – point d b (new)
d a) fighting poverty and corruption;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Expresses its deep concern that the current security crisis in Africa could lead to a massive displacement of the population, suppression of freedom of expression, undermining North African states and affecting Europe;
Amendment 453 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Recommends that the EU strengthens its structural support for and the provision of avenues for civil society and communities most affected by violence and displacement to interact directly with donors on their needs.
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26 b. Welcomes the EU strategy for the Horn of Africa, encompassing as it does not only security and humanitarian policy but also longer-term development policy and the MDG objectives; underlines the importance of this longer-term vision of development policy, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to coordinate their policies in this respect and to employ joint programming for the various countries and the region as soon as possible;
Amendment 460 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26 b. Calls for the EU to strengthen its support to independent media and civil society groups reporting on and seeking constructive solutions to tackle the economic and political roots of the conflicts;
Amendment 462 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26 c. Recalls that boosting regional security and combating terrorism and piracy, while essential, must not eclipse the absolute necessity of supporting as a first priority the eradication of poverty in the regions, particularly since the EU has an obligation under its founding Treaty to take account of the objectives of development cooperation – foremost among which are the reduction and eradication of poverty – in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries (Article 208(1) TFEU);
Amendment 463 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26 c. Believes that the EU should strengthen its collaboration with national parliaments, including security and defense committees, in order to improve critical oversight functions over national and external security interventions;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)
Paragraph 26 d (new)
26 d. considers that any conditionality of humanitarian and development aid to measures to block migratory movements would produce perverse and dangerous effects for safety of people and would cause imbalances and ineffectiveness of aids;
Amendment 470 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers it essential to provide extraordinary assistance to the regions concerned in view of the extraordinary challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and to adapt current programmes and projects to this new challenge by demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to the situation;
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Recommends that the EU, together with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, intervenes on a financial level to help control debt and the payment of interest; welcomes in this regard, the initiative taken in October 2019 on the side lines of the World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington DC by the finance ministers of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia to forge closer economic ties, building on the improving political climate in the sub- region;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Recommends that the EU, together with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, intervenes on a financial level to help control debt and the payment of interest; calls for all possibilities to be explored, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, for debt relief, debt suspension and debt sustainability for African countries;