29 Amendments of Michal ŠIMEČKA related to 2019/2135(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes the lasting deterioration in the Union’s strategic environment in the face of multiple challenges directly or indirectly affecting the security of its Member States and citizens: armed conflicts immediately to the east and south of the European continent, jihadist terrorism, cyber attacks, uncontrolled migration and in particular migration facilitated by transnational organized crime networks, increasing threats to natural resources, climate change, etc.;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes the lasting deterioration in the Union’s strategic environment in the face of multiple challenges directly or indirectly affecting the security of its Member States and citizens: armed conflicts immediately to the east and south of the European continent, jihadist terrorism, cyber attacks, hybrid threats, uncontrolled migration, increasing threats to natural resources, energy insecurity, climate change, etc.;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that global actors (the US, China, Russia) and an increasing number of regional actors (Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc.) are seeking to assert power through a combination of unilateral diplomatic posturing, destabilizing activities of a primarily hybrid nature and increasing military military build-ups;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Deplores the fact that, in this context, some of these actors are deliberately circumventing or attempting to destroy the multilateral mechanisms essential to maintaining peace;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Is concerned about the activities and policies by Russia that continue to destabilise and change the security environment; stresses that Russia´s occupation in Ukraine is still ongoing, the Minsk agreements have not been implemented and the illegal annexation and militarisation of Crimea and Donbass are continuing; is concerned about the continuing frozen conflicts kept by Russia in Europe (in Moldova, Georgia); stresses the need to have a common voice as regards EUs policy in that context;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses that these challenges are best met together, not by any single country; considers it vital for the EU to respond to these challenges rapidly, consistently, effectively, with one voice and in concert with allies, partners and other international organisations;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is convinced that the response to the Union’s security challenges lies primarily in strengthening its strategic autonomy and its ability to work in strategic partnership with others, especially with NATO;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Underlines that the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO is fundamental to addressing the security challenges facing the EU and its neighbourhood; stresses that the EU strategic autonomy is not challenging NATO and is not undermining the current security architecture in Europe; a stronger Europe strenghtens NATO and allows us to take on more global challenges together;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers, therefore, that European strategic autonomy is based, above all, on the ability of the Union to assess a crisis situation and take a decision autonomously, which necessarily entails an independent decision-making process, the availability of means of assessment and a freedom to analyse and take action; considers, also, that European strategic autonomy is based on the ability of the Union to act alone when its interests are at stake (theatres of operations not considered as priorities by its European partners) or within the framework of existing cooperation arrangements; considers, lastly, that European strategic autonomy is part of a multilateral framework which respects commitments within the UN and complements the (NATO)NATO, and alliances and partnerships to which most Member States are signed up; stresses that strategic autonomy does not and should not mean that the Union will systematically act alone, everywhere and always;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Stresses that in order to increase EU´s strategic autonomy, Member States need to increase their defence spending and aim for the target of 2% of GDP; considers that increased investment in security and defence is a matter of urgency for the Member States and the EU and that defence solidarity and cooperation should become the norm;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Reiterates the strategic importance of the Eastern Europe and Western Balkans for the stability and security of the EU and the need to focus and strengthen the EU´s political engagement towards these regions, including the strong mandate for the EU´s CSDP missions;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes with concern that the effectiveness of the most recent CSDP civilian and military operations has been hampered by persistent structural weaknesses and calls for the creation of a common EU solution to them;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses the need to assess missions and operations on a regular basis in order to make them more effective; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to draw up mandates and budget, budgets and rules of engagement and operational procedures which are appropriate to the operations concerned and to provide for an exit strategy; calls, in that connection, for more regular consultations with the relevant parliamentary committees, and calls on the latter to focus their missions and delegations on areas where CSDP missions and operations are deployed;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Recalls the importance of organising and executing joint training and exercises between European armed forces, thereby promoting organizational, procedural and technical interoperability, with a view to maximising mission preparedness and addressing a broad range of threats, both conventional and non- conventional;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Notes the failure of the Union’s battlegroup project; the battlegroups have never been deployed since their creation in 2007, owing in particular to opposition on the part of all the Member States and the complexity of their implementation and funding, which is at odds with the original objective of speed and efficiency; calls for a re-evaluation and reinvigoration of the battlegroup project based on past lessons learned;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Notes the failureIs of the Uopinion’s battlegroup project; that the EU battlegroups have never been deployed since their creation in 2007, owing in particular to op system should be restructured, further developed poslition on the part of all the Member States and the complexity of their implementation and funding, which is at odds with the original objective of speed and efficiencycally and with effective funding to become functional, usable, fast and efficient as was the original objective of establishing the battlegroup system;
Amendment 277 #
34. Notes that the mutual assistance clause (Article 42(7) TEU), which has been invoked once, demonstrates the solidarity among Member States in the common fight against terrorism; notes, however, that the conditions for triggering the article and the arrangements for providing the assistance required have never been clearly defined; calls for a moreprecise guidelines to provide a well-defined framework for the future activation and operational implementation of this instrument;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Welcomes the significant reversal of the trend of cutting defence budgets; is of the opinion that this should be supported and encouraged at Union level; encourages Member States to increase their defence spending to 2% of GDP;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal of June 2017 to create a European Defence Fund (EDF), which would foster cooperation between Member States and support the European defence industry; notes that this proposal is the first initiative for which Community funds are to be used in direct support of common EU defence projects; recognises that this is a major step forward for European defence, from both a political and an industrial perspective; notes that the EDF could finance structural projects such as the future European aircraft or tank or a European anti-missile defence capability; notes that the 2019 work programme for the preparatory action will focus on electromagnetic spectrum dominance and future disruptive defence technologies, two key areas for maintaining Europe’s technological independence in the long term; welcomes, also, the adoption by the Commission in March 2019 of the first European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the publication of nine calls for proposals for 2019, including for the Eurodrone, which is a key capability for Europe’s strategic autonomy; points out that 12 further calls for proposals will follow in 2020, covering priority areas in all domains (air, land, sea, cyber and space); notes the link between the procurement decisions taken today by the Member States and the prospects for industrial and technological cooperation under the EDF;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. NotUnderlines the importance of military mobility; welcomes the Commission’s proposal to allocate EUR 6.5 billion to military mobility projects in the next MFF;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Stresses the still virtual nature of the European Defence Fund; points out that that this instrument has not yet been finally approved, with only partial and political agreement having been given in April 2019; stresses the importance of maintaining Parliament’s position concerning the amount of the EDF, the involvement of third countries and the establishment of an appropriate intellectual property policy in relation to security and defence in order to protect research results; draws attention, in that connection, to the highly sensitive and strategic nature of defence research, both for industrial competitiveness and for the strategic autonomy of the Union; calls for the initial lessons learned from the implementation of the EDIDP (in particular concerning the application of derogations for eligible entities), the pilot project and the preparatory action on defence research to be properly taken into account; calls on the Member States to be fully involved in the decision-making process in order to avoid bureaucratic excesses and to ensure that the programmes included address the strategic needs of the CSDP and the Member States; considers that the success of the EDF will depend on its ability to cater for the specific defence needs of the participating states and to guarantee the availability of sufficient budgetary resources, whilst ensuring that industrial know-how is not duplicated, national defence investment is not crowded out and, cooperation does not become over-complicated and is based on common EU armament and military equipment standardisation and interoperability; considers that developing the European defence industry by regulating access for entities controlled by non-EU third parties to projects financed by the Fund is fully consistent with the European ambition of strategic autonomy;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Believes that the Union and its Member States face an unprecedented threat in the form of cyber attacks as well as cyber crime and terrorism; believes that the nature of cyber attacks makes them a threat that requires a Union-level response including common analytic support capabilities; encourages the Member States to provide mutual assistance in the event of a cyber attack against any one of them;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Considers it vital that the EU and NATO continue and step up the sharing of intelligence in order to enable the formal attribution of cyber attacks and consequently enable the imposing of restrictive sanctions on those responsible for cyber attacks; deems it necessary to continue active interaction between EU and NATO by participating in cyber exercises, joint trainings and keeping up active interaction in the field of cyber security and defence;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 b (new)
Paragraph 50 b (new)
50b. Urges the EEAS and the Council to step up their ongoing efforts to improve cybersecurity, in particular for CSDP missions, inter alia by taking measures at EU and Member State levels to mitigate threats to the CSDP, for instance by building up resilience through education, training and exercises, and by streamlining the EU cyber-defence education and training landscape;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 a (new)
Paragraph 52 a (new)
52a. Notes that emerging technologies, including AI, that are used in weapons systems must be developed and applied according to the principles of responsible innovation and ethical principles, such as accountability and compliance with international law; taking into account the highly controversial concept of fully autonomous weapon systems, the EU must explore the possibilities of AI and at same time guarantee the full respect of human rights and international law;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 b (new)
Paragraph 52 b (new)
52b. Underlines that as the risk of proliferation and use of chemical weapons poses a serious threat to international peace and security the EU needs to continue its strong and consistent support to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the implementation of its mandate, politically and financially and the EU must step up the its resilience to hybrid and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-related threats;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53a. Stresses the need to apply a gender perspective in the EU’s CSDP action, considering the role that women play in war, post-conflict stabilisation and peace- building processes; emphasises the need to address gender violence as an instrument of war in conflict regions; underlines that women are more adversely affected by war than men; invites the EU and its international partners to actively involve women in peace and stabilisation processes, and to address their specific security needs;
Amendment 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55a. Stresses that partnerships and cooperation with countries and organisations that share the EU’s values contribute to a more effective CSDP; welcomes the contributions made by CSDP partners to ongoing EU missions and operations that contribute to enhancing peace, regional security and stability;
Amendment 481 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Considers that progress in European defence will pave the way for major structural changes; notes the announcement of the creation of a Directorate-General for Defence and Space at the Commission under the responsibility of the Commissioner-designate for the Internal Market; notes that this new DG should be responsible for supporting, coordinating or complementing the Member States’ actions in the area of European defence and would thus contribute to strengthening European strategic autonomy; notes the definition of its five main tasks (implementation and oversight of the EDF, creation of an open and competitive European defence equipment market, implementation of the action plan on military mobility, enhancement of a strong and innovative space industry, implementation of the future space programme), but calls on the Commission to provide further details on the role and responsibilities of the new DG; Wonders how it will coordinate its work with that ofstresses the need for coordination with other defence policy structures which have other responsibilities (EDA, EEAS, etc.);