29 Amendments of Stelios KOULOGLOU related to 2018/2160(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Arab uprisings that affected the MENA region in 2011 constituted a moment of mass upheavals against authoritarian regimes fuelled by anger over youth unemployment and poor living conditions; whereas a large segment of the protesters was composed of young women and men aspiring to a better and more inclusive future; whereas the overthrow of most of the regimes and the introduction of liberal reform, the establishment of new governments and political reforms and social justice; whereas the overthrow of some of the regimes gave rise to great hope and expectations;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas 8 years later, human rights continue to be attacked by the governments of the region; whereas some of the dictatorial governments remain and new governments with these characteristics have been established; whereas those who demand a more just and open society are being repressed; whereas human rights defenders and political opponents are being imprisoned under the umbrella of the fight against terrorism that is also used to justify the lack of progress in the 2011demands; whereas few perpetrators of the violence, murders and torture that took place before and after the 2011 protests, have been brought to justice; whereas the lack of opportunities and in some cases the vacuum of power, is being exploited by radical jihadist groups such as the Islamic State;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas the region holds some of the worst records of freedom of expression in the world and any progress made since 2011 revolutions remains fragile as new forms of control and repression have appeared; whereas freedom of speech and freedom of association are still restricted through legislation, fines and arrests with not only journalists, but also media outlets being under existential threat;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas human rights defenders are suffering a wave of arrests and convictions in an escalating attack on the right to free expression; whereas authorities across the region are leveraging accusations of spreading misinformation and are imposing harsh prison sentences based on online postings; whereas activists and HRDs are at risk, due to vague laws that are favouring the governments and facilitate the silencing of dissent and imprisonment of activists;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
A d. whereas widespread discrimination against women still exists across the region; whereas women's rights are regressing in the region and women activists are suffering repression and threats;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
A e. whereas according to UNICEF, the first threat affecting children living in MENA conflict areas is child labour; whereas 2.1. million children in Syria and 700.000 Syrian refugee children do not have access to education; whereas continuing violence and external displacement, natural disasters, growing economic and gender inequality, and high rates of youth unemployment and poverty in several MENA countries have left 28 million children in need of humanitarian assistance;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
A f. whereas there are numerous armed conflicts and thousands of people have been murdered and disappeared and millions displaced; whereas ISIS/Da’esh and other jihadist groups have committed atrocities, including brutal executions and unspeakable sexual violence, abductions, torture, forced conversions and the enslavement of women and girls; whereas children have been recruited and used in terrorist attacks; whereas there are serious concerns about the welfare of the population currently under the control of ISIS/Da’esh and their possible use as human shields during the liberation campaign; whereas these crimes may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, eight years after the Arab Spring and political developments which have led countries in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions to follow many diverse evolutionary paths in terms of politics and stability, it is essential to assess how to respond to the legitimate democratic aspirations in the region; whereas it is important to take stock of the efforts and policy stance adopted by the EU in response to the Arab Spring and to assess its capacity for policy delivery; whereas it is essential to reassess the policy framework of the EU towards Southern Neighbourhood countries and its future objectives, while paying close attention to the heterogeneity in the region;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the weapons and surveillance equipment sold by European companies are contributing to feed and prolong the armed conflicts, the commission of war crimes and social repression in the region; whereas the EU is financing and delivering arms to rebel groups and militias that are repressing civil society;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas the region suffers from a deep social and economic crisis that was the root of the 2011 protests and which is again generating protests in some countries; whereas the countries of the region have the highest unemployment rates in the world;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas the austerity policies promoted by the IMF are maintained; whereas the economic cuts, the increase in taxes and prices of basic products, were already one of the causes of the 2011 protests and are causing new protests;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
B d. whereas fear of the rise of political Islamism, control of migration, the fight against terrorism and energy security should not justify violations of the rule of law and human rights in the region;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
B e. whereas conflict in Syria and Libya has led to a growth in the numbers of refugees in neighbouring countries such as Tunisia Egypt and Jordan; whereas migrants and refugees are facing serious abuses; whereas many of them are victims of sexual abuse, torture, aggression and exploitation along migratory routes and in countries such as Libya, Egypt and Morocco; whereas the EU is signing migratory agreements with these countries despite their violations of human rights;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the capacity of Member States to exert a positive influence in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions is very unequal and has often been marred by fragmentation; whereas individual Member States’ action in the region needs to be in synergy with the EU’s objectives; whereas the EU needs to increase its political leverage; whereas long-term political and economic stability in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions is of fundamental strategic importance to the EU, and as such requires a longer-term approach as regards the policy framework and its objectives;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Condemns the economic, social and political interference implemented in third countries through the Structural Adjustment Plans of the IMF; stresses that these policies have led to economic, social, political and humanitarian crises;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the EU’s efforts to promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms in post-Arab Spring countries, and acknowledges the complexity of such a task; tTakes the view, however, that, despite a fifteen-year EU policy focus on Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, renewed policy efforts and increased budgetary resources in the wake of the Arab Spring, the failure to work along with the contrasts of the actors involved in the region has led to the EU’s goals and policies have not yet beening achieved;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses concern about the fact that, in spite of its considerable political and budgetary investments and continuous political and economic outreach, the EU has not been able to gain real political and economic leverage, and is no longer perceived as a game changer by the countries in the region; points to the dissatisfaction felt by civil society and local NGOs at how the EU translates its vision into action on the ground; is concerned about the increasingly complex political situation in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions, and the emergence of new political and economic regional players such as Russia and China, in addition to the competing narratives and financing from the Gulf countries and Iran;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Condemns the EU’s connivance and complicity with dictatorships in the region; is highly critical of the role played by the various Western interventions of recent years in exacerbating conflicts in the area; states that there can be no military solution to the conflicts in the region; rejects the use of the notion of ‘responsibility to protect’, as it violates international law and does not offer an adequate legal basis for justifying the unilateral use of force;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Strongly condemns the direct or non-direct support (in the form of finance, arms, training, etc.) that the United States, the EU, Turkey and the monarchies of the Gulf region have been providing to terrorist groups; calls in particular on the EU Member States and regional players, especially Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to stop financing all militias and, more specifically, to stop buying oil from oil fields controlled by ISIS/Da’esh and transported by truck through Turkey, as brought to light by reports submitted to the UN Security Council; believes that mechanisms are required to stop the financing of terrorism through offshore entities involving states and financial institutions, and to stop arms trafficking and the buying and selling of energy resources and raw materials which benefit terrorist groups;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Strongly condemns the intensive arms trade of Member States with various countries in the region, as in the cases of the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Sweden; calls for an immediate suspension of arms transfers and military support to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners; reiterates its call for the Council to impose an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia, given the serious allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, which would mean that the continued licensing of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia is in breach of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings; demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose pursuant to its abovementioned resolution of 27 February 2014 on the use of armed drones, paragraph 2(a) and (b) of which call on the VP/HR, the Member States and the Council to ‘oppose and ban the practice of extrajudicial targeted killings’ and ‘ensure that the Member States, in conformity with their legal obligations, do not perpetrate unlawful targeted killings or facilitate such killings by other states’ respectively;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Is convinced that any long-term solution for the armed conflicts should address the underlying causes of poverty and instability in the countries and also fulfil the legitimate demands and aspirations of the peoples; reaffirms its support for any peaceful political effort to protect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Opposes any foreign military intervention in the countries, be it Saudi or Iranian, Arab or Western; is very concerned at the escalation of tensions in the region; denounces the instrumentalisation of religious differences in order to instigate political crises and sectarian wars;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls the EU and its Member States to facilitate their access to asylum seekers to European territory and ensure human rights to all migrants; strongly condemns all readmission policies, especially those relating to countries where these people risk their lives and face ill-treatment contrary to the Geneva Convention; criticises the financial support of the EU for policies whose aim it is to externalise border controls without changing the current situation of the people in need in those countries and endangering those most in need of protection; calls for ensuring rights and a safe passage to both migrants and refugees; stresses further that European politics must not be made conditional on cooperation in migration matters such as border management or readmission agreements; recalls its concerns about the increasing use of trust funds, such as limited transparency, lack of consultation and regional ownership;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Reiterates that terrorism can only be eradicated by addressing its roots, i.e. poverty, exploitation and society’s inability to address peoples’ needs and create opportunities for the youth; believes that the utmost respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, as well as respect for the multicultural nature of their societies, constitute the sole means of preventing the spread of terrorist ideology;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that, as the EU struggles to come up with a renewed vision for the management of migration and assistance to refugees, there is an increasing risk that some countries in the region might use migration containment and their role therein to seek greater leverage in their political and policy dialogue with the EU; stresses, instead, the importance of a policy framework promoting democratic, political and socio- economic inclusion as mutually reinforcing factors; is convinced that, where the prerequisites for the negotiation of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements, conditional on democratic progress, are not yet in place, the EU should provide increased access to trade and investment, and assistance for reconstruction and infrastructure modernisation in strict correlation with progressive political and economic reforms;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Is disappointed that the situation of women has not improved in most countries affected by the Arab Spring in spite of their large-scale support for the revolutions; underlines that women’s commitment and empowerment in the public, political, economic and cultural spheres of the countries in the region are vital if long-term stability, peace and economic prosperity are to be achieved; considers that women’s access to education, supported by civil society organisations, is essential in order to accomplish this; emphasises that women can be powerful drivers of change, able to draw up and implement effective strategies for climate adaptation, conflict resolution, anti-radicalisation and reducing the impact of these;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls once again on the Commission to act on Parliament’s proposal for the creation of an ambitious Euro-Mediterranean Erasmus programme separate from Erasmus+, with dedicated funds and an ambitious dimension in terms of scope and available resources; reiterates that investing in youth will provide a solid basis for the long-term stabilazation of the region; calls for the Commission and Parliament to increase the scope and participation of their European Union Visitors programme and to facilitate the participation of young people and of women political leaders;