Activities of Željana ZOVKO related to 2020/2111(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak
Amendments (26)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the pandemic disproportionately affects the most vulnerable countries, increases the likelihood of new conflicts and intensifies the implications of ongoing conflict;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU has a responsibility to act as a global player and adjust its foreign policy in line with the changing geopolitical situation in the world and the global fight against COVID-19;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the fact that from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU has been working to provide multilateral responses to the implications of the health crisis in coordination with the G7,G20, UN, WHO and the World Food Programme;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Welcomes the creation of Team Europe, through which the EU supports partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences in an attempt to mitigate the wider impact on societies and economies and to help reducing the risk of destabilisation;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the geopolitical competition and tensions following the COVID-19 outbreak, and recognises that the European Union still has to position itself in the new world ordergeopolitical environment in which, alongside the EU, the US, China and Russia play a leading role;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Expresses concern about the disinformation campaigns of third countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries; notes that the intensity of disinformation campaigns has increased significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is concerned about the lack of leadershipcooperation the United States has shown in fighting COVID-19; believes that the false information in President Trump’s tweets and during his press conferences have been very unhelpful in the joint fight against the virus; calls on the both the EU and the US to strengthen cooperation and solidarity in the common fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in terms of research and development of the vaccine and the strategic medical equipment;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reminds that transatlantic cooperation remains paramount for mutual security and trade interests of the EU and the US, as well as for allied and partner countries, and therefore reiterates the need for the stronger relations;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is worried about the decision of the US to withdraw funding from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the general tendency of its Presidentdecision to withdraw the US from thmultiple multilateral organisations that were created to establish a rules-based world order;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Acknowledges the need to find a new method ofstrengthen the cooperation between the EU and US, based on mutual respect and a joint agenda to defend multilateralism, shared democratic values, the rule of law and human rights;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes the strengthening of the People’s Republic of China’s worldwide diplomatic effortsassertive public diplomacy following the COVID- 19 outbreak, seeking to position itself as thea major aid donor in order to become a dominant global player;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about the lack of transparency related to the initial Chinese reaction to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, involving the withholding of information, censorship, the suppression of whistle-blowers and human rights activists, and the projection of power in the region;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that Chinese investments and loans to African and Asian countries along the Belt and Road Initiative have made these countries co-dependent and increased the visibility of China in the region; Stresses that the European Union should actively increase its visibility as leading donor of development assistance to the region;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges the Chinese regime to fully cooperate with an independent investigation into the origins of COVID- 19, and calls on the Member States and partner countries to present a united front towards a rising China, which is leading a crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and has threatened to annex Taiwan; calls on the Member States to advocate Taiwan’s membership of the WHO;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the VP/HR to recognise these concerns and simultaneously create an atmosphere of dialogue, engagement and genuine cooperation, based on a new, more assertive strategy in which the EU pushes back when necessaryadopted to the changed geopolitical and geo-economic landscape to defend European interests and values; is of the view that, as part of this new strategy, the EU should strengthen relations and seek closer collabooperation with partner countries in the region and other democracies; Asia-Pacific region;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Expresses concern over the structural attempts of the Russian Federation to undermine EU unity by the intensification of disinformation campaigns; commends the European External Action Service and the StratCom East department on their efforts to identify and supress disinformation campaigns of Russian related media outlets in several Member States;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that only a more united EU, backed up by sufficient and credible military capacitstrong and united European Union with established foreign, security and defence policies, will be able to conductplay a strong foreign policy, and believes that the VP/HR should receive a stronger mandate in speaking on behalf of the EUrole in the new geopolitical environment;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Regrets the proposed cuts in the European Council July Summit conclusions on the budget lines for external policy instruments in the new multiannual financial framework and the lack of funding via the Next Generation EU recovery package; underlines that these cuts can hinder the EU’s role on a global level and deal a blow to the EU's ability to stabilise and transform accession countries;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 427 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the important role of the armed forces during the COVID-19 pandemic and believes that a more in-depth joint operation and coordination of member states’ armed forces within existing frameworks - such as the European Medical Command - or within new frameworks - such as military hospital trains - could lead to greater efficiency and contribute to the EU’s preparedness to fight pandemics; recognises the need to review the EU’s security and defence strategies to develop strategic autonomy, to become better prepared and more resilient to the new and hybrid threats and technologies that have made the nature of warfare less conventional and challenge the traditional role of the military, as well as for a future in which Russia and China are becoming more assertive; stresses that the future Strategic Compass on security and defence should reflect these developments and take account of the broader geopolitical implications of COVID-19; believes that, given the new political balance and a potential worsening of the international security environment following COVID-19, the EU defence budgetfunding for the EU defence initiatives and programmes must not be cut;
Amendment 467 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that its biggest global consumer market of almost 500 million people gives the EU leverage on the world stage, and believes that a geopolitical Commission should use this leverage to defend EU interests when other countries are not prepared to comply with the rule of law or international treatiewell- established practices of international law and bilateral agreements;
Amendment 517 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines the strategic importance of EU engagement and support in its neighbourhood, both in the East and in the South; stresses that the EU must givehas to support Western Balkan countries that are not yet part of the EU a fair chance to join the EU, and that the EU must continue its efforts to invest in the regionand encourage them to continue with the ongoing reforms towards a full alignment with the EU values and rules with a view to Union membership and thereby contribute to stability, security and prosperity;
Amendment 534 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Reminds that the European Union is the biggest trading partner and investor in the Western Balkan countries and that it has secured so far more than 3.3 billion euros of aid to mitigate the socio- economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 542 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses that the COVID-19 crisis could destabilise countries in Africa which often have a fragile health infrastructure and high debts acting as a "conflict multiplier"; calls for the EU presence in Africa to be strengthened, for financial assistance and recovery plans to be fostered and for an alternative to Chinese investments to be provided;
Amendment 572 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Notes the importance of the European capacity building and training missions in fostering peace, security and stability in the Sahel, West Africa and Horn of Africa regions; Reminds that European presence and credible commitment is crucial in mitigating the humanitarian and socio-economical consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic that might cause migratory spill-over effect to the Member States;