13 Amendments of Maria GRAPINI related to 2016/2052(INI)
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the current geopolitical environment and the situation in Europe call for the Union to assume greater responsibilities in the fields of both external and internal security and to pursue more ambitious goals such as a European Armyprogressing towards a European Defence Union and much deeper integrated defence initiatives, and welcomes the European Council’s conclusions of June 2015 asking for further development of both civilian and military capabilities and the strengthening of Europe’s defence industry;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls that the internal market instruments offer solutions for effective cooperation among Member States and for building on economies of scale, in order to avoid duplications and make expenditure more efficient in times of budget constraints and in view of the imminent risks of the EU defence sector losing critical expertise and innovation, autonomy and competitiveness advantages; underlines in this context the need for advanced planning and cooperation in purchase and modernisation of defence equipment by the Member States;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Draws attention to persisting defence market fragmentation and to the fact that the majority of contracts are still awarded at national level; draws attention also to the fact that at this moment the defence industry is mainly concentrated on 6 EU Member States, even though in the entire EU there exist specialized companies, including SMEs; Commission and European Defence Agency should intervene in identifying solutions that might contribute to reducing differences between national defence industries;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Draws attention to the problems and obstacles that SMEs face when accessing contracts on the market and in the entire subcontracting chain for defence procurements, for example the lack of transparency; underlines the importance of offering qualitative and clear information which would allow business to identify the opportunities in the defence sector and to take informed decisions;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Member States to fully enforce Directive 2009/81/EC, concerning procurement in the fields of defence and sensitive security, and Directive 2009/43/EC, concerning the transfer of defence-related products, while noting that Member States have made little use of the available tools, for example joint purchases through central purchasing bodies such as the European Defence Agency; calls on the Commission to evaluate if the objectives of the Directive have been reached and to take the appropriate measures in case of upgrading the legislation to the real defence market needs;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that the new CSDP provides greater flexibility, for example through stronger Member State cooperation within a ‘permanent structured cooperation’ framework open to all Member States, which could take various forms, including joint development and procurement; calls for the creation of a structure for the exchange of information on terrorism and cybersecurity;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that stimulating technological developments in Europe is vital in for der to satisfy the upcoming needs of European armed forcesfence sector, as is fostering a more integrated internal market through the development of joint cooperative programmes, under which the Joint Research Centre could aggregate dual-use technology efforts across the EU and could facilitate SMEs access to Internal Market;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that often new businesses, including SMEs, face difficulties when entering the market, especially because of high investment costs in research and innovation that are difficult to bear; underlines the need for financing in research and innovation in defence sector in order to assure the good-functioning of the market for all market participants; encourages the Commission to consolidate research in defence sector through funding in order to improve the defence industry and technology;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights the importance of intensifying the synergies between security and defence and the synergies with other Union policies, and of building on integrated capabilities in order to develop common approaches in the areas of, for example, hybrid threats, terrorism, external border security, illegalsustainable management of immigration, common intelligence, cybersecurity and customs controls;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights the importance of intensifying the synergies between security and defence and the synergies with other Union policies, and of building on integrated capabilities in order to develop common approaches in the areas of, for example, hybrid threats, terrorism, external border security, illegal immigrationhuman trafficking, common intelligence, cybersecurity and customs controls;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Considers that certification and common European standards in defence sector should be established, where possible, to increase competitiveness, to make access to defence procurement easier for all market operators, and to ensure similar high standards;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that sovereignty concerns, sensitivities and divergent threat perceptions in the different Member States and differing national industries and operational capabilities hamper integration of the defence sector and contribute to market fragmentation, and; believes that a European Defence Union may create more trust, align the different plans for development of national capabilisupply chain transparency, tackling market distortion, providing the necessary support for SMEs and ensuring the full application of both Directives and ultimately lead to more common projects and the opening of the2009/81/EC and 2009/43/EC are necessary steps to removing barriers for a fair, accessible and innovative European defence and security markets.
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Reminds the Commission the importance of strengthening European defence industry and technology in the internal market and that it should allow all Member States to improve their military capabilities.