45 Amendments of Paulo RANGEL related to 2020/2196(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
– having regard to the ongoing legislative work on the revision of the Schengen Borders Code as regards the rules applicable to the temporary reintroduction of border control at internal borders, on reforming the Visa Information System, on the completion of the ETIAS legislative framework, on the recast of the return directive, on the instrument for financial support for border management and visa 2021-2027, and the new proposal for a Regulation introducing a screening of third country nationals at the external borders (COM/2020/0612),
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission’s guidelines (‘COVID-19: Guidelines for border management measures to protect health and ensure the availability of goods and essential services’) of 16 March 2020 (C(2020)1753), endorsed by the Heads of State or Government on 17 March 2020,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)
Citation 9 b (new)
– having regard to the conclusions of the President of the European Council following the videoconference of 17 March 2020 with members of the European Council on COVID-19, which endorsed the call to reinforce the external borders by applying a coordinated temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for a period of 30 days, based on the Commission communication ‘COVID-19: Temporary Restriction on Non-Essential Travel to the EU’ (COM(2020)0115) and its subsequent prolongation,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 c (new)
Citation 9 c (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication ‘COVID-19: Guidance on the implementation of the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU, on the facilitation of transit arrangements for the repatriation of EU citizens, and on the effects on visa policy’ of 30 March 2020 (C(2020)2050),
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 d (new)
Citation 9 d (new)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 e (new)
Citation 9 e (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 8 April 2020 on the assessment of the application of the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU (COM(2020)0148),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 25 November 2020 on the Functioning of the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism pursuant to Article 22 of Council Regulation (EU) No 1053/2013 (COM(2020)779 final)
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the very concept of Schengen cooperation, that of ensuring the absence of controls at internal borders, has been further challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been added to the grounds invoked since 2015 for the persistent retention of; reiterates in this context its concern about the current situation with regard to some internal border controls by some Min four member Sstates; reiterates its condemnation of the maintenance of internal border checks and its view that many of the prolongations are not in line with the rules pertaining to their extension, necessity or proportionality, and are therefore unlawful, while fully supporting the public health measures put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 through physical distancing, including imposed confinement measures decided on by Member States to be applicable to their territories;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. A. whereas as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most Member States, which, given the subject-matter of this resolution, include the Schengen associated countries, have reintroduced internal border controls or have closed such borders, either partially or totally, or have closed them to certain types of travellers, including EU citizens and their family members and third-country nationals residing on their territory or that of another Member State; whereas there was a clear lack of coordination among Member States and with the Union institutions when these measures were introduced;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Whereas there was a downward trend in terms of numbers of terrorist attacks in the EU in 2019, but the EU has recently witnessed new terrorist attacks; whereas according to a Commission report published on 30 September 2020, major gaps in the implementation of Directive (EU) 2017/541 have been reported in the majority of Member States;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Whereas new forms of organised criminal activity continue to emerge in Europe, exploiting changing societal vulnerabilities, with most organised crime groups involved in multiple criminal activities; whereas the profits of organised crime groups in the EU are estimated at EUR 110 billion per year, but only around 1 % of these profits are confiscated; whereas there is a strong link between organised crime and corruption;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Reiterates its condemnation of the maintenance of internal border checks since 2014 and its view that many of the prolongations are not in line with the rules pertaining to their extension, necessity or proportionality, and are therefore unlawful;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Deplores the fact that internal border controls are continuing to be introduced by some Member States as a unilateral response to new challenges, bAcknowledges the Commission's effore they have given proper consideration to the common European interest in maintaining Schengen as an area without internal border controlt to coordinate answers to new challenges; reiterates its call on the Commission to exercise appropriate scrutiny over the application of the Schengen acquis, including through the use of infringement procedures, and underlines the urgent need to enhance mutual trust and cooperation, instead of artificial and meaningless constrains, among the Schengen states and appropriate governance for the Schengen area;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Further to its numerous requests for the full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in Bulgaria and Romania, requests the Council to take an immediate decision on the abolition of checks at internal land, sea and air borders; is prepared, when consulted by the Council in accordance with Article 4 of the Act of Accession, to express its opinion on the full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in Croatia; considers that solidarity and responsibility are for all, and that the future of the Schengen area can only be one without fragmentation;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes with concern that the Schengen evaluation reports and the vulnerability assessments continue to point to deficiencies and vulnerabilities in the protection and management of the external border; calls on the Member States to implement the recommendations addressed to them by the Council and Frontex, aimed at remedying the deficiencies and vulnerabilities; stresses the importance of recently adopted measures, such as systematic checks at the external border;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the decision of the Frontex management board to conduct an inquiry into these allegations and to set- up a dedicated working-group for that purpose; considers that the European Parliament should appoint one of its Members to attend, as an observer, the Management Board meetings;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. DIs deeply regrets the fact that there have beenconcerned by the persistent and serious reports about violence and pushbacks at the external border, as well as the lack of adequate monitoring mechanisms to ensure respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law at the external borders; considers that the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) must be given an enhanced operational role with regard to the monitoring of respect for fundamental rights at the external borders; reiterates that Member States are obliged to prevent unauthorised border crossings and recalls that this obligation is without prejudice to the rights of persons requesting international protection; considers that the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) must be given an enhanced role at the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Deeply regrets the fact that there have been delays in the implementation of the fundamental rights provisions of the new European Border and Coast Guard Regulation15 , such as the recruitment of 40 fundamental rights monitors by 5 December 2020 as stipulated in the Regulation; calls on Frontex, on the basis of Article 265 of the TFEU, to ensure the implementation of Article 110(6) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 within two months from the date of adoption of this resolution at the latest;Welcomes the publication of the notices of vacancies and calls on the recruitment to happen as a matter of urgency. __________________ 15 Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 of 13 November 2019.
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to review the SEMM; recalls the discussions on its legal basis during the negotiations on the Schengen Governance Package in 2012 and insists on being involved in the reform of the mechanism on an equal footing with the Council, either through the use of the ordinary legislative procedure, or using the same method as for the adoption of Council Regulation (EU) No 1053/2013 establishing the SEMM; considers that shortening the deadlines, evaluating respect for fundamental rights, bolstering the possibility to conduct genuinely unannounced visits and improving transparency must be key elements of any future reform;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the importance of introducing clear deadlines for all steps of the procedure, including the implementation of recommendations by Member States, the assessment of Commission proposals by the Scheval expert group and the presentation of action plans; reiterates also the importance of increasing flexibility in the multi-annual and annual planning and reinforcing the Commission’s role, notably in the event of no-opinion by member states and the need of genuinely unannounced visits;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Considers that all JHA agencies should be able to participate, funded in their expenses by the European Commission’s budget;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Further considers that the Schengen Evaluation mechanism should further reinforce its synergies with the vulnerabilities assessment of the European Border and Coast Guard; Reiterates that duplications must be avoided and Schengen evaluators given access to result of the vulnerabilities assessment;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that another visit to Croatia should take place to further assess the protection of the external border, further to the visits of 2016, 2017 and the renewed visit of 2019; calls on Croatia to continue to implement ongoing actions and remedy any deficiencies identified, especially as regards staffing levels and land border surveillance capacity; insists that the forthcoming visit must also assess respect for fundamental rights and the reports about violence and pushbacksWelcomes the revisit to Croatia by the Commission in November 2020 and the monitoring visit by the deputy Director General of DG Home and calls for the finding to be shared with this Parliament;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. NotWelcomes the progress made in the development of the new large-scale IT systems and interoperability among them; calls on the Member States, the Commission and the agencies involved to uphold the envisaged timetable for implementation and to make adhering to this timetable a political priority;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Shares the commitment of the European Commission to have all new large-scale IT systems, and the reformed ones, implemented by 2023;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Welcomes the political agreement reached regarding the reformed VIS, in particular the establishment of a clear and legally binding deadline for start of operations;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Recalls the necessity of a stable legal framework for the implementation of those information systems and calls for the swift adoption of the ETIAS consequential amendments and EURODAC;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Recalls the crucial role of eu-LISA in the implementation of these systems and calls for the appropriate financial and human resources; furthermore, stresses the national component of these new large-scale IT systems and urges members states to allocate the appropriate financial and human resources necessary for a timely implementation;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
11e. Acknowledges the studies carried out by the Joint Research Centre for the use of fingerprints, palm prints, facial images and DNA in the Schengen Information System;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11f. Highlights the substantial increase in the activity of the Supplementary Information Request at the National Entry (SIRENE) Bureau and reiterates its call on Member States to reinforce the means at its disposal by ensuring that it has adequate financial and human resources to carry out its new functions;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that the Commission and the Council have seriously neglected their obligations following the detection of serious deficiencies in the UK’s use of the Schengen Information System during the 2017 evaluation; reminds all actors of its request to immediately disconnect the UK, as expressed in the letters to the Commission and to the Council Presidency of 15 June 2020; recalls its position that ‘as a third country, the UK cannot have access to SIS’;Notes that the United Kingdom, as a third country, has no longer access to the Schengen Information System; calls on the Commission to make public all the arrangements for its disconnection.
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Welcomes the Commission’s announcement to fully digitalise the visa procedure by 2025 and considers it essential for an efficient, citizens-friendly and secure Union visa policy;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Considers long-stay visas and residence permits to be an essential element for a fully functional Schengen area; call therefore for an harmonisation of the issuance of long-stay visas and residence permits;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Shares the Commission’s objective of improving the effective implementation of the Return Directive and the effectiveness of return procedures in the Member States; calls on the Commission to launch infringement procedures where justified; calls on the swift adoption of the Commission’s proposal;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Calls on the Member States to ensure swift and effective return procedures, with full respect for fundamental rights and under humane and dignified conditions, once a return decision has been issued;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)
Paragraph 14 e (new)
14e. Notes that the Member States have the opportunity offered by Directive 2001/40/EC to acknowledge and implement a return decision taken by another Member State rather than making a new return decision or sending an irregular migrant back to the first issuing Member State;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)
Paragraph 14 f (new)
14f. Welcomes the publication of the new EU Security Union Strategy and highlights the need for the effective implementation and evaluation of existing EU legislation in this area; agrees with the Commission that where gaps in the regulatory and enforcement framework have been identified, follow-up is needed in the form of legislative and non- legislative initiatives; stresses, furthermore, that measures in the framework of the Security Union Strategy must be sufficiently flexible to respond to constantly changing circumstances and criminal organisations changing their modus operandi;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 g (new)
Paragraph 14 g (new)
14g. Calls on the Member States to further develop mutual cross-border police cooperation, including by stepping up protection of public spaces, including places of worship;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 h (new)
Paragraph 14 h (new)
14h. Welcomes the Commission’s plan to revise Europol’s mandate to enable it to become a hub for the exchange of information on law enforcement and for cooperation in the fight against terrorism and serious and organised crime in the EU; stresses that this new upgraded mandate should provide Europol with the relevant tools for cooperating more effectively with all the relevant partners and calls for its swift adoption;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 i (new)
Paragraph 14 i (new)
14i. Considers that the current pandemic has shown the need to harmonise restrictions at European level, not necessarily following national borders but rather a regional approach; Considers that the upcoming Schengen strategy should provide an holistic approach to this matter, that includes measures from a free movement approach (such as vaccine certificates) and other alternatives to internal border controls, including use of new technologies;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that the Schengen Borders Code, in particular as regards rules on internal border controls, is are no longer fit for purpose and requires an urgent and meaningful reform in order to strengthen mutual trust and solidarity, and to safeguard the integrity and full restoration of the Schengen area; stresses that the reintroduction of internal border controls should only ever be a measure of last resort, for a limited period of time, and to the extent that the controls are necessary and proportionate to the identified serious threat, while maintaining a distinction between different legal bases; considers that on each occasion that border controls are prolonged by a Member State, additional safeguards should apply and that, in all circumstances, such measures should be withdrawn as soon as the underlying grounds for them cease to exist, learning from recent challenges, in order to strengthen mutual trust and solidarity; urges, therefore, the commission to withdraw it’s 2017 proposal and submit a new proposal;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Considers that a structured and transparent consultation mechanism in case of crisis situations should be foreseen, so as to determine mitigating, or alternative, measures to checks at the internal borders and uniform rules binding and applicable at the external borders;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Recalls that reintroduction of internal border controls, remain a national prerogative; Believes that more clear rules for sanitary crisis should be foreseen and that accountability and scrutiny should be enhanced;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Considers that there is an inextricable link between national measures and measures at the internal borders;