Activities of Tamás MESZERICS related to 2016/2052(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Defence Union PDF (383 KB) DOC (90 KB)
Amendments (38)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas in recent years the security situation in and around Europe has significantly worsened and has created arduous challenges that no single country or organisation is able to face alone; whereas solidarity and resilience requires the EU to stand and to act together, and to do so in concert with our allies; whereas the fight against terrorism is a priority for the EU and should be engaged within as well as outside the EU’s bordersending armed conflict, overcoming widespread human rights abuses, the spread of democracy and the rule of law, and the fight against terrorism are priorities for the EU;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the security and defence building capacityLisbon Treaty requires the Member States to the make available appropriate capacities for civilian and military CSDP missions and operations; whereas this objective of security and defence capacity building for CSDP as enshrined in the Treaties has yet to be accomplished; whereas it is the responsibility of the Member States to build a European Securityn effective and Defence Unionficient CSDP which is able to implement the Union's objectives of Article 21 TEU;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union requires the progressive framing of a common Union defence policy as part of the common security and defence policy, which will lead to a EU common defence when the European Council so decides by an unanimity vote; whereas Article 42(2) TEU also recommends to the Member States the adoption of such a decision in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas that same articlearticle 42 TEU also provides for the creation of defence institutionsthe European Defence Agency as well as for a European capabilities and armaments policy to be defined; whereas it also requires that the EU’'s efforts will be NATO-compatible; whereas a European Defence Unionfective CSDP will enable a stronger North Atlantic Treaty Organization, consequently promoting further a more effective national (territorial), regional and global security and defence;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas except for the creation of the European Defence Agency (EDA), none of the other missing elements of the EU common security and defence policy have so far been conceived, decided or implemented; whereas the EDA still needs to be harnessed to develop its full potential; and prove that it generates an added value, makes CSDP more effective and can lead to harmonized national defence planning processes in those fields which are relevant for CSDP military operations in line with the Petersberg tasks described in Article 43 TEU;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy requires that the EU systematically encourage defence cooperation, over the full spectrum of capabilities, in order to respond to external crises, build our partners’ capacities, to guarantee Europe’s safety, and to create a solid European defence industry, which is critical for Europe’s autonomy of decision and action relevant for a CSDP fulfilling the Petersberg tasks, in order to respond to external crises;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the European Council of June 2015, which focused on defence, called for fostering greater and more systematic European defence cooperation with a view to delivering key capabilities, including through the use of EU funds for CSDP;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas France invoked the Article 42(7) TEU on 17 November 2015 and subsequently requested and managed the other Member States’' aid and assistance contributions on a purely bilateral basis; whereas a limited number of Member States have the necessary management capacity to follow this example;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the EU level white book on security and defence will represent the first steps towards the European Defence Union (EDU),a more effective CSDP as provided for in the Lisbon Treaty;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
European Defence Union
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Encourages the European Council to lead the progressive framing of the EDUa more effective CSDP, with a view to its establishment undertil the next multiannual political and financial framework of the EU (MFF)European elections; takes the view that the Lisbon Treaty provides a solid basis for the EDUdevelopment of an effective CSDP;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Urges the EU Member States to unleash the full potential of the Lisbon Treaty with regard to CSDP in particular with regard to the permanent structured cooperation of Article 42(6), or the start- up fund of Article 41(3) TEU; reminds that the Petersberg tasks of Article 43 TEU list a long list of ambitious military tasks such as joint disarmament operations, humanitarian and rescue tasks, military advice and assistance tasks, conflict prevention and peace-keeping tasks, tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peace-making and post-conflict stabilisation; reminds that the same article also states that all these tasks may contribute to the fight against terrorism, including by supporting third countries in combating terrorism in their territories; stresses that the current state of CSDP does not allow the EU to fulfil all the tasks listed; believes that the order of the day should be to systematically work on ways to allow the EU to fulfil the objectives of the Lisbon Treaty and to not to further enlarge the list of military tasks which would severely endanger the EU's credibility;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Takes the view that the Union should dedicate own means to fostering greater and more systematic European defence cooperation among the Member States, including permanent structured cooperation (PESCO); is convinced that the use of EU funds would be a clear expression of cohesion and solidarity, and that this would allow all Member States to improve their military capabilities in a more common effort and the establishment of a permanent military planning and conduct capability which would make military CSDP much more effective, faster and less dependent on the foreign policy and other interests of the lead or host nation;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that the Member States which are willing to make more binding commitments to one another should establish permanent structured cooperation within the Union framework; encourages those Member States to establishpermanently pool national contingents forming multinational forces within the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and make these forces available to the common security and defence policy; believes that the Council should normally entrust the implementation of a peace-keeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security task to those multinational forces; is convinced that the EU battle group system should be further developed to that endwill only become a useful and available CSDP capability in case the lead nation concept is abandoned, joint training is done on a regular basis and groups are created according to specific military functions for an unlimited period of time; underlines that PESCO is open to all Member States;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages the Member States participating in the EDA to establish a common European capabilities and armaments policy; encourages the Commission to work in liaison with the EDA to that end, and to strengthen the industrial and technological base of the on the basis of a catalogue of very precise capability requirements for CSDP operations and harmonized national defence planning and procurement processes with regard to those specific capabilities; encourages the Commission to work in liaison with the EDA to that end, and to strengthen the industrial and technological base of the defence sector with regard to areas which are relevant for specific CSDP capability requirements; urges the Commission and Member States to guarantee the full implementation of the two defence-related directives of the so called Defence Package and to consider further steps towards the introduction of internal market rules to the defence sector; is convinced that such steps will lead towards a more transparent and efficient defence sector;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the ongoing work on setting-up a preparatory action for a futReminds that collectively EU Member States spend almost EUR 200 Billion annually on defence and rank as second largest defence spender globally; notes the fact that according to latest EDA figures EU defence research programme starting in 2021 as requested by the European Council (EUCO) 2013 and 2015; calls on the Member States to outline future cooperative programmes in which EU fundedMember States loose more and more interest in collaborative research and development and deplores that Member States are far from meeting the 20% target of collaborative defence research spending fixed in 2007; rejects any attempts to use EU budget funds for defence research can build a starting poid development;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of putting in place the necessary measures to allow a working, accessible, transparent and simple European market in defence equipment in order to enable Member States to reach bettera much more efficient better use of their respective defence and security budget maximisation; is concerned that the progress towards improved competitiveness, greater transparency, and less red tape in the defence sector has been slow so far, and that a sound European defence industrial policy and the respect for internal market rules is still missing;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the joint declaration by the presidents of the European Council and the Commission, and the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization of 8 July 2016; emphasises the need for stronger cooperation between the EU and NATO in the area of security and defence; is convinced that EU-NATO cooperation should involve building resiliencecooperating together in the east and the south as well as harmonising national defence investments; considers that cooperation on capabilities offers the prospect of improving compatibility and synergy between both frameworks; is convinced that this would also strengthen NATO’'s role in security and defence policy, and in collective defence;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is deeply concerned by reports that administrative procedures unnecessarily slow down the cross-border movement of rapid response forces inside the EU; calls on the Member States to establish an EU- wide system for the coordination of rapid movement of defence forces personnel, equipment and supplies for the purposes of the common security and defence policy, where the solidarity clause is invoked, and where there is an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Member States to make the necessary arrangements for the implementation of the Article 42(7) TEU, in order to allow the Member States to effectively manage other Member States’' aid and assistance contributions, or to have them effectively managed within the Union framework; calls on the Member States to aim for the 2 % GDP target to be spent on defence, and; calls on the Member States to spend 20 % of their defence budgets on major equipment, including related research and development;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Invites the VP/HR to propose an initial EU security and defence white book which will be based on the EU global strategy endorsed by the European Council; takes the view that the security and defence white book should guide the Union contributions in security and defence policy for each multiannual political and financial framework of the EUlegislative term;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Considers that, based on the EU global strategy, the white book should encompass the EU’'s security and defence strategy, the capabilities deemed necessary for the deployment of that strategy and the EU levelMember States measures and programmes to deliver those capabilities, which should be based on a common European, inter alia, on a collaborative national capabilities and armaments policy;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 1
Paragraph 16 – indent 1
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 2
Paragraph 16 – indent 2
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 3
Paragraph 16 – indent 3
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 4
Paragraph 16 – indent 4
- development of the regular white book process, for a first application in the planning for the next MFFwhich specifies possible scenarios of military CSDP operations, and reviews national defence investments and capability development measures in view of specific military CSDP capability requirements;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 4
Paragraph 16 – indent 4
- development of the regular white book process, for a first application in the planning for the next MFF which specifies possible scenarios for military CSDP operations, reviews national defence capabilities and investments with regard to specific military CSDP capability requirements;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 5
Paragraph 16 – indent 5
- a stakeholder conference on the development of a common Europeanproposals regarding the harmonisation of national armaments and capability policyies;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 a (new)
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 a (new)
- establishment of a permanent military planning and conduct capability;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 b (new)
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 b (new)
- reform of the EU Battle Groups concept aiming at the establishment of permanent units, independent of a lead nation and subject to systematic joint training;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 c (new)
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 c (new)
- creation of the military start-up fund as foreseen in Article 41(3) TEU which would help to launch military CSDP operations in a much faster way;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 d (new)
Paragraph 16 – indent 5 d (new)
- reform of the ATHENA mechanism aiming at enlarging its potential for cost sharing and common funding especially with regard to the deployment of EU Battle Groups, other rapid response assets' deployment or for building the capacity of military actors in partner countries (training, mentoring, advice, provision of equipment, infrastructure improvements and other services);
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 6
Paragraph 16 – indent 6
- a reflection process on foreign direct investment in defence and security critical industries and service providers with a view to developing EU-level legislation;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 7
Paragraph 16 – indent 7
- a reflection process on dual-use standardisation with a view to developing EU level legislation;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 8
Paragraph 16 – indent 8
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 10
Paragraph 16 – indent 10