Activities of Sergey LAGODINSKY related to 2021/2042(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Direction of EU-Russia political relations (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the direction of EU-Russia political relations
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (59)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
— having regard to the ‘Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements’, adopted and signed in Minsk on 12 February 2015 and endorsed as a whole by UN Security Council resolution 2202 (2015) of 17 February 2015,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 c (new)
Citation 1 c (new)
— having regard to EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine, in force since 2014,
Amendment 6 #
— having regard to the results of the EU Foreign Affairs Council of 14 March 2016, specifically the agreement on the five principles guiding the EU's policy towards Russia,
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Russian Federation is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as a member of the Council of Europe, and has therefore committed itself to international standards and principles of rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms; whereas Russia increasingly breaches international law and commitments, and acts against good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the rule of law and an independent judiciary are at the core of resilient democratic societies; whereas the free and independent work of civil society organisations and the media is a cornerstone of a democratic society based on the rule of law;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the situation of human rights and the rule of law in Russia continues to deteriorate, with systematic efforts by the authorities to silence free speech, limit the freedom of assembly, obstruct opposition activities, react with repressions to any activities aimed at exposing corruption, and stifle the activities of Russian civil society;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas the ongoing repression of social dissent is reinforced by the impunity of police and security forces as well as by the unwillingness of the judiciary to persecute the real perpetrators of those crimes; whereas representatives of the opposition are systematically subject to verbal attacks, ad hominem campaigns and dehumanization by the government or pro-government media;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas over the past two decades there have been a number of attempted or successful assassinations of regime opponents and independent journalists, either within Russia itself or on foreign soil, including those of Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, Boris Nemtsov, Pyotr Verzilov, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Alexei Navalny; whereas, according to the Memorial Human Rights Centre, the Russian authorities currently hold nearly 400 political prisoners;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas new pieces of legislation adopted in December 2020 and January 2021 expanded the scope of individuals and groups that can be designated “foreign agents,” the definition of “foreign funds,” and the requirements for labelling materials; whereas new draft bills proposed in May 2021 aimed at expanding the impact of the law on “undesirable” organisations and imposing bans with retroactive effect on potential candidates for Parliament; whereas in recent years the Russian authorities have been increasingly using the labels of “foreign agents” and “undesirable organisations to stigmatize critics; whereas Russian authorities continue to prosecute people over alleged affiliation with groups designated extremist under Russia’s overly broad counter-extremism law;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
Ag. whereas as a result of the 2020 constitutional reform, the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman was incorporated into the constitution, and a bill submitted to parliament includes a ban on same-sex marriage and changes that negatively affect transgender people’s rights, including the right to marry and raise children;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
Ah. whereas serious gaps in the official response to widespread gender- based violence and domestic violence continue to exist, including lack of sufficient protection and recourse for survivors; whereas the draft law on domestic violence, introduced in November 2019, fell short of providing a comprehensive definition of domestic violence; whereas in early 2020, parliament deprioritized the draft law’s review, which remains pending; whereas Russia’s ombudsperson noted that domestic violence spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, with reported cases more than doubling during the spring lockdown;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas these domestic developments are a warning to the EU of what may come in the preparation and in the aftermath of the September 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia, when Mr Putin, in the same manner as Mr Lukashenko in Belarus, is waging a war against the people of Russiaforeshadow possible further deteriorations around the September 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia, similar to the developments in Belarus;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas all democratic parties should have equal access and equal chances during the upcoming Duma elections, as non-registration of parties is an abuse of registration procedure to destroy political competition and pluralist democracy; whereas, in contradiction to constitutional guarantees, the State Duma has adopted a ban on running for office for individuals linked to so-called extremist organisations;
Amendment 126 #
Cb. whereas opportunities for impartial election observation have been shrinking steadily in Russia over the past decade, as the absence of provisions for direct accreditation of election observing citizens forces them to act on behalf of contestants or media and therefore contradicts the very idea of independent election scrutiny by civil society, and is also at odds with international standards; whereas various other restrictions introduced on the eve of the 2021 parliamentary election campaign pose further organizational, administrative, and logistical challenges;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas in July 2020 the Russian authorities enacted a series of constitutional amendments, including an amendment giving President Putin a waiver from presidential term-limits in 2024, in a procedure that violated both Russian law and the Russian Federation’s OSCE obligations, and that the Venice Commission has assessed as clearly inappropriate;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the EU’s overarching key objective should be to shape relations with the Russian Federation in such a way that peace, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the EU and in the EU neighbourhood are preserved, international law is respected, human rights and the rule of law remain our guiding principles, and the possibility remains for collaborating to solve common problems;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the EU strategy on Russia should work in the interest of the EU and offer Russia a constructive dialogue aimed at promoting the values of human rights, rule of law, and democracy;
Amendment 189 #
Ha. whereas despite diversification efforts, about 40% of EU gas imports and 30% of oil imports still come from the Russian Federation, and some Member States remain overwhelmingly dependent on Russian gas, cemented by the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is a move in the wrong direction from a geopolitical, energy independence and political solidarity point of view;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas European gas consumption has peaked and the capacity of the current Nord Stream pipeline is not fully used at the moment; whereas the divisive decision by some Member States to build Nord Stream 2 is incompatible with the values of solidarity and trust of the Energy Union; whereas Nord Stream 2 is incompatible with the goals of the European Green Deal of reducing EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas the collapse of arms control with Russia (withdrawals from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, from the Treaty on Open Skies) and the lack of progress on nuclear disarmament under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as Russia's rejection of the new treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is of great concern for the security of European citizens; whereas this is coupled with a dangerous modernisation of Russian nuclear and conventional arsenals and their means of delivery and the introduction of destabilizing technologies (hypersonic nuclear-capable missiles, torpedoes, etc.);
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
(-a) the EU must fundamentally reform its foreign policy in order to credibly demonstrate that it is capable of decision-making and taking action in the field of foreign policy, including by extending the competencies of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and foreseeing a different role for the VP/HR, characterized by more autonomy and clear responsibilities, the abolition of unanimity in foreign-policy matters, clearer communication and leadership by Member States, while safeguarding unity and intra-European solidarity;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a a (new)
(-a a) the Member States must coordinate better among themselves in order to have a common approach towards Russia and stop the current practice of diverging national initiatives, because credible EU action will need consistent unity as a basis;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a b (new)
(-a b) the EU must focus on saving its credibility concerning its value-oriented behaviour internally, by upholding the rule of law and fundamental rights much more directly and honestly, as police violence, antiquated criminal laws, and resistance to gender equality and diversity in some Member States damage its reputation and credibility abroad; the EU must also communicate comparable expectations vis-à-vis all partners, by denouncing violations of international law, consistently taking harsh consequential measures, and refraining from measuring with double standards;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a c (new)
(-ac) the EU must react resolutely to Russia’s provocations and recent activities that threaten security and stability in the EU, pushing back against Russia's geopolitical ambitions, in particular by raising costs for military actions in third countries, including actions by proxies and mercenaries;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(aa) the EU should engage in negotiations on nuclear disarmament, arms reduction and arms control aiming at reducing nuclear detonation risk for the European continent, through reciprocal regional disarmament steps by Russia and EU countries, with Russia's entire nuclear arsenal and their means of delivery subject to reduction and elimination within a broader context, which would also include French, British, US and Chinese arsenals;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) the EU must have a clear goal and plans on how to cut its dependency on Russian gas and oil and other raw materials (notably iron/steel, aluminium, nickel), at least while President Putin is in power;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) the EU and its Member States must accelerate the implementation of the European Green Deal and reject the notion of natural gas as an alleged intermediate lower-carbon path towards achieving the EU climate goals, considering Russia’s most recent energy strategy for 2035 envisions an increase in gas export capacity through pipelines in the western direction;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c c (new)
(cc) the EU should also oppose the expansion of Russia’s nuclear energy sector towards the EU and prevent electricity produced in Rosatom-built nuclear power plants from being sold in the EU market;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c d (new)
(cd) the EU must continue to uphold the EaP countries’ independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within their internationally recognised borders, and condemn Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in armed conflicts in the EaP, as well as human rights violations carried out on territories occupied or annexed by Russia, including increased passportisation;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c e (new)
(ce) the EU should insist on the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, including the end of military activities in Eastern Ukraine in particular, as a condition to ending any EU sanctions in relation to the conflict; the EU must make sure that the OSCE missions in Ukraine are extended for as long as they are necessary;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c f (new)
(cf) the EU should decouple its policy towards the EaP countries from its relations with Russia and ensure that its Russia policy does not interfere with their European integration, if they choose this path and are committed to democratic reforms;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c g (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c g (new)
(cg) the EU should enable a discussion involving all regional actors from the EU to Russia, including the EaP countries, to discuss relevant regional geostrategic issues; the EU’s solidarity with the EaP countries should be underpinned by a clear strategy for long-term engagement, which also includes rebuilding trust in the EU as a reliable partner on security issues, such as the need for the EU’s greater involvement in peaceful conflict resolution;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
Paragraph 1 – point d
(d) the EU should initiate security compacts with EaP countries that have an association agreement with the EU and propose a new EU integration strategy for Eastern Partners building on former Commission President Romano Prodi’s formula of ‘everything, but the institutions’in order to strengthen their resilience;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) the EU must strengthen resilience and countermeasure capabilities against hybrid interference, in particular in order to prevent propaganda and disinformation originating from Russia from spreading in the EU, as well as to counter cyber- attacks and military espionage committed against Member States;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) the EU must come up with a strong strategy against disinformation campaigns and narratives of foreign state- associated media that distort public discourse in the EU, including measures to protect its own media landscape and systematically monitor content offered by Russian and Russian-affiliated media and internet providers (whether in Russian- or in any other language), without restricting press freedoms; the EU should further support independent media, journalists and bloggers in Russia in order to strengthen alternative sources and channels that are not controlled by the Kremlin;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) the EU should establish with the US a transatlanticnd other like-minded partners an alliance to defend democracy globally and propose a democracy defence toolkit, which should include joint actions on sanctions, anti- money laundering policies, rules on the conditionality of economic and financial assistance, international investigations, and support for human rights activists and defenders of democracy;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) in line with the ‘democracy first’ principle, the EU should strengthen the requirement of conditionality in its relations with Russia by including in any dialogue or agreement with Russia measures aimed at protecting human rights and the holding of free elections; accordingly, the EU and its Member States should revise their investment support and economic cooperation projects, starting with the halting of the Nord Stream 2 projectstop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 project and demand that the construction of controversial nuclear power plants built by Rosatom be stopped, as well as systematically review similar bilateral projects in the EU that undermine the principle of solidarity, support corruption or lead to human rights violations;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) the EU should increase its ability to prepare and adopt sanctions against the Russian authorities for their systemic repression of democratic forces in Russia and to centralise EU decision-making by making the triggering of sanctions automatic in cases of corruption orgrave violations of human rights, including by updating theadopting an EU anti-corruption sanctions regime in order to complement the current EU gGlobal sanctions mechanism (EU Magnitsky Act) to address cases of corruptionHuman Rights Sanctions Regime; in the event of further escalation, the EU should also consider sanctions that target the financing of intelligence services and the military, and the oil and gas sector;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j
Paragraph 1 – point j
(j) the EU must take responsibility for sharpening its own anti-money laundering regulation, consistently implement and enforce the existing rules, and create more transparency, especially in relation to the Russian elite’s funds deposited or spent in the EU; the EU should establish a centralised anti-money laundering framework, including an EU authority for financial controls, to be put under Parliament’s supervision and to be entrusted with the protection of the EU and its Member States from illicit financial practices and influences from Russia;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(ka) the EU should develop effective strategies in the field of digital policy in order to use technological standards and the open internet to support free spaces and restrict oppressive technologies; the EU should therefore support open-source technologies, services for secure communication, decentralized platforms, and new low-threshold and privacy- protected, attractive social media for the Russian population, while at the same time expanding global technological standards in privacy, creating ethical and legal standards that have a signalling effect to promote fundamental rights protection, working toward an international ban of mass surveillance technologies and invasive social scoring systems, and insisting on banning autonomous weapons systems;
Amendment 436 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
(kb) the EU should demand that the Russian authorities release all those unjustly imprisoned for political reasons and stop the harassment, intimidations and attacks on civil society, media, human rights organisations and activists, as well as those fighting for the rights of women and marginalised groups; the EU should, where appropriate, facilitate the issuing of emergency visas and provide temporary shelter in the EU Member States;
Amendment 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k c (new)
(kc) the EU should use every possibility to support, financially and otherwise, civil society and human rights defenders that promote democratic values, rule of law, fundamental freedoms and human rights, in particular gender equality and minority rights, and environmental action in Russia, including by holding high level meetings with Russian human rights defenders, and making public interventions with Russian authorities on individual cases involving civil society representatives, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and other activists;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k d (new)
(kd) the EU should continuously call on Russia to repeal or amend all laws incompatible with international standards, such as the “foreign agents” law and the law on “undesirable” organisations, remind Russia that the detention of political opponents is against its international commitments, and insist on the depoliticisation of the judiciary, the right to a fair trial and access to legal counsel;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k e (new)
(ke) the EU should closely monitor the human rights situation in the Russian Federation, including through monitoring of court cases of civil society organizations, opposition politicians, and activists by the EU Delegation in Russia and the embassies of the Member States;
Amendment 440 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k f (new)
(kf) the EU must strengthen people-to- people contacts with the citizens of Russia, including by lowering visa barriers and broadening school, university and cultural exchange programs, as well as by direct recruitment opportunities for both high-skill and low- skill workers from Russia; the EU must create and widen alternatives for politically motivated immigrants from Russia to be able to live in Europe under safe and legally certain conditions;
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k g (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k g (new)
(kg) the EU should call on the Russian government and State Duma to revise the legal framework for elections, including on election observation, in order to facilitate pluralism and free and fair elections according to international standards and create a level playing field for opposition candidates;
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k h (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k h (new)
(kh) the EU must support fundamental human rights including by championing of ender equality, LGBTIQ+ rights and minority rights in Russia; the EU should, wherever possible, help oppressed citizens in Russia, especially those who face discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, linguistic or social group, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, sex characteristics, or any other grounds;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k i (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k i (new)
(ki) the EU should put an emphasis on racism, xenophobia, hate crimes, police brutality, and other forms of discrimination against minorities that are still rampant in Russian society, as well as the Russian government’s continued discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons and use of the “gay propaganda” ban to justify criminal prosecutions; the EU should further condemn the persecution, arbitrary detention and torture of LGBTIQ+ persons, stress the continued need for investigations and call for the immediate release of all prisoners in such situations, including in Chechnya; the EU should, with the support of the Member States, facilitate asylum request procedures for such victims in accordance with European and national law;
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k j (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k j (new)
(kj) the EU should implement its commitment to gender mainstreaming in all external actions and raise the issue of gender equality, women’s rights and gender-based violence in its interactions with the Russian Federation, and raise awareness among the population; the EU should engage in particular on the treatment of women’s rights defenders, women’s representation in politics and public administration, women’s opportunities in the labour market, and sexual and reproductive health and rights in Russia;
Amendment 462 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
(ma) the EU’s engagement with Russia should go beyond treating the political elite as the sole political actor in the country, and increase engagement with the Russian regions in order to open the door to more independent cooperation with regional and local actors;
Amendment 503 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) the EU should adopt an ambitious strategy to support the successful development of EaP countries, which would serve as a good example and would incentivise the Russian people to support democracy; accordingly, the EU should propose to EaP countries that have an association agreement with the EU a new momentum of European integration with a view to keeping their motivation for reforms, including a realistic perspective towards EU membership;
Amendment 506 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subheading 5 a (new)
Paragraph 1 – subheading 5 a (new)
Engagement to prepare Russia’s transition, including sectoral cooperation
Amendment 507 #
(oa) the EU should continue institutional cooperation with Russia in international organisations and multilateral treaties in order to promote complementary or equal interests, such as in the realm of environmental issues and the green transformation of both Russia and the EU, including within the framework of the European Green Deal, while cooperation in certain specific fields does not presuppose any concessions regarding values, and the EU should never disregard geostrategic implications and the interests of its partners;
Amendment 511 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o b (new)
(ob) the EU should not implement joint transactional or business projects without prior political due diligence regarding transparency, corruption and political implications, as such projects should not jeopardize our solidarity among EU countries or with EU neighbours, the implementation of projects should not benefit structures of corruption either in Russia or in the EU, and the projects should not have a negative impact on human rights or the environment;
Amendment 513 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o c (new)
(oc) the EU should also use the European Green Deal and its climate objectives to work with Russia towards its green transition, in particular in order to accelerate decarbonisation that is still seen as an economic threat in Russia, to lower Russia’s CO2 emissions that are still growing despite its ratification of the Paris Agreement, to increase energy efficiency, and to extend the use of renewables that are still extremely few but for which there is huge potential in Russia; the EU can also help with raising awareness on climate change, which is only slowly spreading across Russia;