Activities of Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ related to 2015/0302M(NLE)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, of the other part PDF (245 KB) DOC (90 KB)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, of the other part
Amendments (25)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that Afghanistan is one of the world’s largest recipients of development aid and that EU institutions committed EUR 3.6 billion in aid to the country between 2002 and 2016; regrets the fact that, despite international assistance,at the proportion of Afghans living in poverty has risen from 38 % (2012) to 55 % (2017) and highlights that the country has registered slow growth since 2014 with the draw- down of international security forces, accompanying reductions in international grants as well as a worsening security situation;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls the EU commitment to support poverty reduction by focusing its efforts in areas in which it adds most value and by respecting the principles of aid efficiency and effectiveness, in line with “Policy Coherence for Development” (PCD);
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises that this recent reversal in development progress is largely due to the intensification of long-lasting violence and conflict, and that internal displacement, the arrival of returnees from the surrounding region and climatic factors, such as drought, have all led to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation; urges therefore the EU and its Member States to enhance all their efforts to address key humanitarian challenges and human needs and to pay particular attention to vulnerable people, including people located in hard to reach areas;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Highlights that an estimated 10 million people have limited or no access to essential health services; emphasizes in this regard the need to remain committed to supporting the government to strengthen basic health provisions, with a focus on ensuring health care to vulnerable people including women, girls and children, as well as addressing disability and mental health care;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the CAPD will also enable the EU and Afghanistan to jointly address global challenges, such as nuclear security, non-proliferation and climate change;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Notes that rural economies and agriculture constitute the current main source of employment generation and calls on the EU to scale up its interventions in this area in order to improve food and nutrition security, rural livelihoods and employment, including the sustainable management of natural resources; underlines that particular attention should be given to the impact of natural hazards and climate change on small subsistence farmers;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. SRecalls that 8.7 million people have chronic needs which require longer- term systemic actions; stresses the need to comprehensively address humanitarian, development and security challenges and to better operationalise the nexuses between them; insists that pacifying the country and normalising the functioning of the state and its institutions are indispensable prerequisites for development in Afghanistan;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Emphasizes the importance of ensuring that civil society organisations (CSOs) will continue to play an essential role in exercising social control necessary to verify the good provision of public services;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Calls on the EU to further promote equality between women and men and women’s empowerment though its development efforts, bearing in mind that changing societal attitudes towards women's socio-economic role calls for accompanying measures in awareness raising, education and reform of the regulatory framework;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Regrets the lack of parliamentary oversight and democratic control on the conclusion of the Joint Way Forward informal readmission agreement between the EU and Afghanistan and stresses the importance of conducting continuous dialogue with the relevant actors in order to find a sustainable solution on the issue of Afghan refugees in its regional dimension; emphasizes that the EU development assistance to Afghanistan should not be seen through the prism of purely migration and border management purposes and considers that development aid should address effectively the root causes of migration, in line with its primary objective of poverty eradication;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. The Agreement provides the basis for developing a mutually beneficial relationship in an increasing range of areas such as the rule of law, health, rural development, education, science and technology, as well as actions to combat corruption, money laundering, the financing of terrorism, organised crime and narcotics;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, areis vital for peace and essential to thefor stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; regrets that a stable and successfulconsiders that closer relations with its neighbours are imperative for Afghanistan i's not always the end goal for these regional actorrmalization process to achieve stability; encourages them to cooperate constructively to promote a genuine and results-oriented negotiation process without preconditions;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that a military presence will be required in the long termlong term assistance is need in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Underlines the need to increase and strengthen capabilities of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) and National Police Force, critical for Afghanistan’s security and reconstruction;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Government of Afghanistan to increase political inclusiveness, strengthen accountability and actively combat corruption;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Supports and endorses the Government of Afghanistan’s new counter- narcotics strategy, backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); underscores the importance of a genuine internal reconciliation process; underlines that combating terrorism and its financing is a key ingredient of creating an environment conducive to security in Afghanistan;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Underlines the necessity to support Afghanistan´s system of education in favour of increasing the number of children following school classes at all levels;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the fact that the EU- Afghanistan CAPD proposesreflects the principles and conditions for the EU-Afghanistan partnership with an emphasis on holding regular dialogues on human rightspolitical and economic issues, including thehuman rights of women and childrenand gender equality;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. The CAPD also foresees cooperation on migration and effectively reinforces EU assistance for Afghanistan in addressing migration and forced displacement challenges, in particular the reintegration of people on the move and returnees in Afghanistan;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recognises that the end goal of EU aid to Afghanistan is to help the country’s government and economy develop to a state of independence and growth with internal development and regional cooperation through external trade and investment, as opposed to a reliance on aid that supports the state over the peoplef the Afghan people have on state aid;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Following the country’s accession to the WTO in 2016, which increased Afghanistan’s ties to the global economy, the EU granted Afghanistan the duty free and quota free access to the EU market, but further concrete measures are needed in order to allow the private sector to take the advantage of this regime and as such increase its internal development;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Further efforts are need in order to increase the capacity of government institutions to formulate and implement trade strategies and policies, improve cross border movement of goods, and enhance the quality of products to meet international standards;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Reiterates the need for the international community to continue its engagement in Afghanistan and to contribute to rebuilding the country, developing the economy and resisting terrorism; encourages further financial engagement by the EU and the Member States;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the establishment of the joint cooperation bodies at executive level, with an emphasis on holding regular dialogues on political issues including human rights, in particular the rights of women and children and to address challenges and create opportunities for a stronger partnership, which are essential elements of this agreement;