35 Amendments of Klaus BUCHNER related to 2015/2274(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the Council’s decision to lift all nuclear-related sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran as a result of implementation of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action provided the potential to reopen the Iranian market for European businessesincrease in mutually beneficial trade with the European Union; rRecalls that Iran has a large, relatively highly educated population, oneeds investment and is a potential market for high-quality European goods of the most diverse GDP compositions in the region, and would benefit from European investments and technology transfers in areas such as sustainable water management, pollution reduction, renewable energy and energy efficiency;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that European environmental technology and know-how in the areas of energy efficiency, water management and agricultural irrigation is at the global forefront; beliefs that the transfer and export of these technologies must be prioritized in the renewed trade efforts between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the European Union;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that trade and renewed access to the global rules-based trading system is a potentialcan be a way to break Iran’'s self-chosen isolatinternational isolation and increase regional development, employment and stability in the wider region;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to the statement by the VP/HR Federica Mogherini on the execution of a juvenile offender in Iran of 14 October 2015 and on the condemnation of Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi of 20 May 2016,
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls for coherence between the EU's trade policy and the principles of EU energy policy and believes that all current and future EU projects and investments in Iran must be fully in line with EU long- term decarbonisation commitments;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Considers it of key importance to reduce the European Union´s dependency on imported energy, in particular by increasing the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Supports the long-term goal of the EU as laid out in the European Commission Report "Towards an Energy Union" to move away from an economy driven by fossil fuels in light of Iran´s commitment to increase the production and the export of oil and gas to the European Union;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises that a potential renewal of trade ties between the EU and Iran must go hand in hand withshall be conditional on substantial improvements in respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Iran, and that the EU must use its position as an economic bloc as leverage to improve the living conditions and wellbeing of the Iranian people; recalls that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and calls upon Iran to honour its international commitments more consistently;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that some sectors of the Iranian economy are heavily controlled by the regimstate, potentially creating problems for EU companies in Iran, and that increased trade could strengthen the economic, military and political power of certain unelected individuals;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the EU to explore the possibility of restarting Iran’'s accession talks with the World Trade Organisation, as membership of the WTO would bring a further liberalisation of Iran’'s economy to drive growth, embed the country in the global rules-based system and provide a mechanism to hold the regimeIslamic Republic of Iran to account on international commitments made;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets that the American sanctions still in place restrict EU policy space, obstructing EU companies with US business activities doing business in Iran; cAcknowledges, that non-nuclear related US-sanctions, linked to human rights and ballistic weaponry, remain in place. Calls on the US Ggovernment to provide legal certainty and predictability, including by granting waivers, and asks the Commission to increase dialogue and cooperation with the US;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that EU-Iran relations should be developed through multi-layered dialogue involving political, technical, civil society, NGO and people-to-people contacts; supports the opening of EU-Iran relations for the mutual benefit of both parties, based on a realistic assessment of common interests and differences, with a view to encouraging step-by-step expansion of cooperation in a climate of confidence-building, foremost for the benefit of the peoples of Iran and the EU; supports, in this regard, the Commission’s commitment to a renewed engagement with Iran based on ‘a dialogue of the four Cs’: a dialogue that is comprehensive in scope; cooperative in the fields where Iran and the EU have mutual interests; critical, open and frank in areas where Iran and the EU disagree but are looking for common ground; and that is overall constructive in tone and practice;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the potential of an open and safe internet in Iran for the digital economy; reiterates its call for an effective European export controls regime to prevent certaindual-use goods and technologies being misused for human rights violations and against the EU;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that the effective implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility and supply-chain due- diligence guidelines is crucial if increased trade relations between the EU and Iran are to have a positive effect on Iranian society as a whole.
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Insists on the importance of developing the parliamentary dimension of EU-Iran relations as part of the strategy for re-establishing mutual trust; reiterates its support, in this regard, for the proposal discussed between Parliament and the Majlis for an inter-parliamentary dialogue on counter-terrorism; welcomes the renewed political dialogue between the EU and Iran, including on human rights; recognises that while there is suspicion and mistrust on both sides, there is also a long history between many Member States and Iran and that Iran has a strong ambition to have good relations with Europe, which provides the potential for a relationship based on mutual trust and respect; reiterates that the EU does not seek to interfere in internal political choices in this country or in any other, but seeks cooperation based on mutual respect for international standards and principles; believes that the full normalisation of relations can only occur by means of regular and sustained dialogue and thatby approximating the mutual concepts of respect for human rights, notably freedom of opinion and expression and freedom from discrimination; the immediate priority should be to broaden the scope of EU-Iran relations in areas where there is common agreement to do so; believes, however, that the ultimate aim must be one of partnership between Iran and the EU;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises that differences exist between the EU and Iran on the usemains critical of Iran's frequent use of the death penalty; believes that the political dialogue should have as one of its focus to reduce the application of the death penalty; nevertheless believes cooperation on anti- narcotics programmes and on the question of juvenile executions, in line with Iran’s own international commitments, could provide a common agenda for addressing this question; calls on the Members of the Iranian Parliament as a first step to revise article 91 of the 2013 penal code to abolish the death penalty for people under 18 years of age;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Takes note of the fact that eliminating the death penalty for drug- related offences would drastically reduce the number of executions (up to 80 % according to Iranian estimates); calls for EU-Iran cooperation ion the fight against drugs as a way of addressing the issue of executions in the country; calls on the Commissionreduction and treatment of drug addiction, but urges the EU not to provide technical assistance and administrative capacity- building for Iran to enable it to secure its borders with Afghanistan and Iraqto drug enforcement and border management programs as long as drug related offenses can carry the death penalty;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the EU and Iran to re- establish the human rights dialogue, including representatives from the judiciary, security forces and civil society organisations, which would operate in the framework public interim and long-term benchmarks;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes note of Iran’s stated objective of achieving a yearly growth rate of 8 %; believes that European investments are key for Iran to achieve this goal; stresses that for Iran to realise its economic potential, it will have to take steps to create a transparent economic environment conducive to international investment and take anti-corruption measures, particularly regarding compliance with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force; calls on the EU to fully support Iran’s efforts in this process via, in particular, support for work towards forging a bilateral investment treaty between the EU and Iran; calls for the EU to developstimulate economic cooperation with Iran in the interest of improved living conditions and employment of the Iranian people and increased regional development; takes note that Iran is the world’s largest economy outside the WTO; supports, in this regard, Iran’s bid to join the WTO;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls the impact that extraterritorial US sanctions, in particular US-related sanctions on banks, have on businesses willing to invest in Iran; insists on the need to address this and other financial matters to create the necessary conditions for businesses to prosperoperate in Iran and contribute to Iranians feeling relief from sanctions in their everyday lives;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that energy cooperation can play a significant role in diversifying the sources of energy supply to the EU, thereby contributing to the EU’s energy security; calls for coherence between the EU's energy trade policy and the principles of EU's energy policy and believes that all current and future EU projects and investments in Iran must be fully in line with the EU's long term de- carbonization commitments;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for environmental cooperation in the areas of water conservation management, the fight against desertification, earthquake monitoring, as well as addressing air pollution and waste management; expresses its particular concern in this context over the alarming disappearance of Lake Urmia and other water bodies as well as the pollution levels of the Caspian sea and urges active support by the EU and the member states of the efforts by the Iranian government to reverse the dramatic destruction;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. RBelieves that youth exchange programs are among the most successful activities to bring societies and cultures closer together and calls on the EEAS and the Iranian government to explore a window for EU-Iran informal youth exchanges within Erasmus+ for 14 to 18 year olds; further recognises that the young, educated and technologically advanced population in Iran can provide particular opportunities for advancing people-to- people contacts with the EU; calls for increased cooperation in the field of education, research and innovation via increased exchanges of students and researchers; calls for the Commission to study the possibility of visa liberalisation for Iranian academicprofessionals and researchers to study and undergo training in European universitiesthe EU;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes noteUnderlines the important influence which the various peoples and cultures of Iran have exerted over thousands of years including on Europe, and that because of its geostrategic location, the size of its population, its oil and natural gas reserves and its influence in the region, Iran iscontinues to be a major player in the Middle East and the Gulf region; stresses that the pursuit of Iranian interests does not and should not be in competitionnflict with other major players in the region;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Expresses concern about growing militarisation in the wider region and supports efforts towards greater arms control, while recognising legitimate defence concerns, but within a context of seeking to promote full respect for sovereignty of all countries in the region itself; remains concerned about Iran's financial and military support for Hezbollah;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Asks the Commission to present to the European Parliament a progress report after two years of the lifting of sanctions, notably concerning the situation of fundamental human rights, economic cooperation and remaining obstacles for EU citizens and companies operating in Iran;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Notes with concern that Iran has the highest level of death-penalty executions per capita in the world and that the number of executions have continued to rise since the beginning of the nuclear negotiations; stresses that eliminating the death penalty for drug- related offences would dramatically decrease the number of executions; welcomes, in this regard, the possibility that the newly-elected Majlis is considering legislation to exclude some drug-related offences from the list of crimes punishable with the death penalty;
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Welcomes the fact that the adoption of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code and Iran’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits child executionsindicate the government's intention to make progress towards ending juvenile executions; expresses however its dismay that some executions continues to happen despite the fact that the new penal code gives judges the discretion to replace the death penalty with an alternative punishment and allows all juvenile offenders sentenced to death prior to 2013 to seek retrial; calls on Iran to ensure this prohibition is fully implemented andthe Iranian authorities to ensure that all relevant offenders are made aware of this right; calls on Iran to declare a moratorium on the death penalty, at least for juvenile offenders;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Recognises the existence of a large variety of faiths and beliefs in the Islamic State of Iran; is however concerned that the number of individuals imprisoned form religious minority communities due to their beliefs, notably Sufi Muslim dissenters, Baha'ìs, Christian converts and atheists has increased since President Hassan Rouhani's inauguration; calls on Iran to respect its international obligations and guarantee equality before the law and to guarantee the basic rights to hold religious gatherings, organise private educational programmes and the possibility to buy or rent property in order to establish houses of worship to all religious minorities;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Calls on Iran to fully cooperate with the UN human rights body and its special procedures;
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on Iran to live up fully to its commitments under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by ensuring the enjoyment by its citizens of individual rights without discrimination as to sexgender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, sexual orientation, or other status, as provided for in these instruments; points out that this includes a basic right to equality before the law, as well as the right of equal access to education, health care and professional opportunities;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Calls on Iran to free imprisoned EU citizens detained or convicted under a judicial process that did not meet international standards, including: 58 year old Nazak Afshar held since March 2016, 76 year old Kamal Foroughi, held since May 2011, 65 year old Homa Hoodfar, held since June 2016, and 37 year old Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, held since April 2016;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Welcomes attempts to draft a bill "on the Protection of Women against Violence" and hopes that the newly elected Parliament will consider legislation that fully criminalises violence against women; also expresses its hope to see improvements on freedom of information, association, expression, assembly, movement, freedom of education and academia;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes President Rohani’s campaign promise to present a charter for citizens’ rights; underlines the importance of respecting the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in providing the necessary legal certainty required for foreign direct investments to take place; is concerned about cases of judiciary procedures, where fundamental principles such as the timely access to a lawyer of one's own choice, habeas corpus, publication of the verdict and access of lawyers to all relevant trial documents have not been followed; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to work together with the Iranian authorities in areas such as judicial reform, reform of the prison system, government accountability, respect for the rule of law, citizens’ rights and the fight against corruption; believes that these measures will increase legal certainty in Iran and the country’s attractiveness to foreign investors while also benefiting Iranian citizens.;