Activities of Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ related to 2016/2238(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on private security companies PDF (453 KB) DOC (66 KB)
Amendments (33)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
Amendment 27 #
C. whereas more than 1.5 million private security guardcontractors were employed in around 40 000 Private Security Companies in Europe in 2013; whereas these figures are continuing to increase; whereas globally the private security industry was valued up to 200 billion USD in 2016 with around 100 000 PSCs and 3,5 million employees;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, over the last few decades, private security companies (PSCs), a term which for the purposes of this resolution will also include Private Military Companies, have been increasingly employed by national governments as well as militaries and civilian agencies, both for the domestic provision of services and support for overseas deployment;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, in the context of the EU, Member State practice on the use of PSCs varies widely, with many using them to support their contingents in multilateral operations; whereas PSCs have been used in both civilian and military Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions, to guard EU delegations for real life support, construction of field camps, training, air lift and to support humanitarian aid activities;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the outsourcing of military activities, formerly an integral part of the activities of armed forces, is taking place, among other things, to provide services in a more cost-efficient manner, but also is taking place, among other things, due to shrinking budgets and the need to compensate for a shortfall certain capabilities in shrinking armed forces in the context of an increasing number of multilateral missions abroad; whereas PSCs can also , provide capabilities that are entirely lacking in national armed forces, often at short noticey shortfall, thus the reliance on PSCs is increasing; whereas PSCs could also be used for reasons of political convenience to avoid limitations on the use of troops and to overcome possible lack of public support to engage one's armed forces;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas PSCs have been involved in incidents resulting in loss of life; whereas this has had repercussions on the efforts of the international community in the countries in question and has revealed considerable democratic gaps in accountability structurand control of basic security of civilian populations in host countries;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas, in Europe’s current security environment, it is vitalt is of vital importance to prioritise the establishment of clear rules for interaction, cooperation and assistance between law enforcement and private security companies;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Q. whereas PSCs could play a more important role in the fight against piracy and in improving maritime security, in missions involving dogs, cyber defence, research and development of security tools, mixed surveillance missions and training in cooperation with public authorities; whereas the use of armed PSCs has created specific challenges for the maritime sector;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. StressNotes that private security companiePSCs play an important role in aiding the state’'s military and civilian agencies by closing manpower and capability gaps created by budget cuts and increasing demand for the use of forces abroad; emphasises the availability of surge capacity at short notice as an additional benefit of the private provision of security services; stresses that PSCs are used as an instrument of implementation of foreign policy of those countries;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Underscores the need for PSCs when operating in host countries, particularly those that significantly differ in terms of culture and religion, to be mindful of local customs and habits in order not to jeopardise the effectiveness of their mission and alienate the local population;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, compared to national troops, private security companiePSCs, particularly those based in host countries, can provide considerable cost savings as well as valuable local knowledge; points out that the quality of service should remain a priority and cannot be undermined;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that the EU makes use of Private Security CompanieSCs abroad to guard its delegations and staff and to support its civilian and military CSDP missions; stresses that theirPSCs services fill certain capacity gaps that the EU would otherwise have difficulties in tackling; demands that the Commission and the Council produce an overview of where, when and for what reason Private Security Companies have been employed in support of EU missions;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises, however, that, particularly in conflict-prone environments, employing a PSC for certain duties can have negative side effects for the EU by accidentally associating it with armed actors in a conflict area, with negative repercussions in the case of armed incidents, or by possibly compromising Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR) efforts through the inadvertent strengthening of local actors; notes in particular the risks posed by uncontrolled sub-contracting such as to local PSCs;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Demands that the Commission and the Council produce an overview of where, when and for what reason PSCs have been employed in support of EU missions;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends, therefore, that the Commission propose common PSC contracting guidelines for hire, use and management of military and security contractors that clearly spell out the requirements for international and local PSCs to qualify for EU contracts, with the goal of replacing the current patchwork of approaches; these guidelines should be based both on international best practices in relation to PSC conduct and management, such as the ICoC, and take into account the need for particular care to be taken when selecting local PSCs in a complex post-crisis context; urges the Commission and the EEAS to give clear preference to ICoC-certified providers ;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Demands that the Commission establish a black list of contractorPSCs whoich have demonstrably failed to comply with the EU’s standardscomplied with the EU standards such as clean criminal record, financial and economic capacity, possession of licences and authorizations, high standards of vetting of personnel;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Underlines that contracts with the PSCs should include inter alia clauses on possession of licences and authorisations, personnel and property records, training, lawful acquisition and use of weapons, and internal organisation;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – introductory part
Paragraph 12 – introductory part
12. Recommends supporting the creation ofUrges the Commission to develop a flexible, but rigorous, regulatory model which will:
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 12 – indent 1 a (new)
– set high level standards for PSCs operating in their country of origin and abroad;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes, however, that the evaluation of the performance of PSCs is hampered by the lack of consistent reporting about their use by both EU institutions and Member States’' governments; encourages Member States and EU institutions to provide this information more consistently to allow for a proper assessment of the use of PSCs by their respective budgetary authorities and independent audits;
Amendment 210 #
15a. Recommends to the Commission and the Council to establish a legal framework requiring national legislation to control the export of military and security services, as well as to report in the EU Annual Report on armaments exports on military and security service export licences granted by the Member States in order to increase public transparency and accountability;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that the transnational nature of PCSs and, in particular, their activities in areagions of the world affected by crisis often leads to jurisdictional gaps that could make it difficult to hold the companies or their employees to account for their actions; notes that the national regulation of Private Security CompanieSCs often does not have extraterritorial application; however, stresses that it is essential to ensure that there is no protection gap and no impunity for PSCs, including where they operate transnationally;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Considers that PSCs operating abroad, particularly in crisis-prone areas, should follow rules which give the host state authority to regulate PSCs and which ensure that contracting states are able to use their power to protect human rights and prevent corruption;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Notes that the use of PSCs in the maritime context differs considerably from their use on land due to operational and legal specifities; therefore, suggests to the Commission to integrate a specific maritime perspective in the EU legal framework on PCSs;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Commends the efforts of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in providing guidelines for the use of private armed security teams; encourages the Commission and EU Member States to continue to work with the IMO towards the global application of the guidance;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that one of the most effective ways of influencing PSCs is through public sector procurement decisions; emphasises, therefore, the importance of making the award of contracts to PSCs conditional on the adoption of best practices, such as the ICoC, which some Member States have already implemented; notes, however, that the ICoC compliance mechanism needs to be strengthened and its full independence assured to make it a credible incentive for compliance;