46 Amendments of Assita KANKO related to 2021/2183(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
— having regard the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 a (new)
Citation 26 a (new)
— having regard to Russia's illegal invasion and annexation of Crimea,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 b (new)
Citation 26 b (new)
— having regard to Russia's violation of airspace and maritime borders of member states,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 d (new)
Citation 26 d (new)
— having regard to the threat of domestic and foreign terrorism, primarily from groups such as ISIS,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 e (new)
Citation 26 e (new)
— having regard to new technologies such as artificial intelligence, space capabilities and quantum computing which present new opportunities for mankind, but also create new challenges in defence and foreign policy that require a clear strategy and consensus among allies,
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the EU is facing new threats, including hybrid threats at the borders of EU Member States; new variants of the COVID-19 virus and the potential for renewed pandemics; fragile states on the European continent and in its vicinity, provoking migratory pressures and human rights abuses; Cyber-attacks and information manipulation. Corrosive capital flows; Weakening of disarmament efforts and international arms control regimes; Increasing threats to natural resources, energy insecurity, climate change, increased militarisation around the world and a still unstable neighbourhood, both in the East and in the South;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls that NATO remains the cornerstone of collective defence for those Member States that are also members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as explicitly recognised in the TFEU; believes that EU-NATO cooperation should be complementary and take full account of each of the two institution’s specific features and roles, and should not unnecessarily replicate or replace structures;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Considers that instability and unpredictability on the Union’s borders and in its immediate neighbourhood (North Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Russian aggression against Ukraine and Georgia, etc.), as well as in its extended neighbourhood(Sahel, Horn of Africa, etc.), pose both a direct and indirect threat to the security of the continent; stresses the inextricable link between internal and external security; acknowledges that active engagement in the neighbourhood is in the interests of the European Union;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that 2020 was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed our dependencies vis-à-vis the rest of the world; stresses that the EU must learn lessons from this with a view, in particular, to increasing its resilience and strategic autonomy, operational capabilities and capacity to act autonomously if need be, but preferably in cooperation with our partners;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the launch of the work on the Strategic Compass, which should be completed in March 2022; with a strong effort to coordinate with NATO’s new Strategic Concept; stresses that it is a beginning, not an end, and that it constitutes a major step towards a European Defence Unionincreasing defensive capacities of the Member States and making the EU a more prominent player within the Transatlantic security architecture;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the Strategic Compass must make it possible to strengthen the Union’s capacity to act as an increasingly credible strategic partner; stresses that this exercise must be regularly updated, must set out an ambitious and operational course – with a timetable for the implementation of decisions and monitoring mechanisms – and must enable the Union to have a coherent defence policy, a common strategic culture, a capacity to anticipate threats and provide a rapid and coordinated reaction and a capacity for autonomous resilience, to be able to mobilise resources on the basis of solidarity when a Member State is threatened and requests them, and ultimately to play a part in the protection of European citizens; also against terrorist threats; underlines the need to closely coordinate EU sanctions in this respect with NATO;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the Union is currently deploying 11 civilian missions and six military missions and operations; recognises that these missions do not yet realize their full potential in security sector reform and require a revised mandate to ensure that effective training and operational capabilities are required to keep pace with the evolving threat environment to Europe’s East and South; recalls that only three of the military missions are executive missions; notes that these missions and operations are suffering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited their effectiveness;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Further calls upon the EU to keep its commitments in the Fourth EU- African Summit to support economic and political stability and to further support the capabilities of the African Standby Force; acknowledges that closer cooperation with existing regional forces such as the African Union, G5 Sahel Force and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as the US, are essential to successful operations in Africa;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes with satisfaction the results of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia); approves its extension for a perstresses the need for further prolongatiodn of two years; stresses the need for further reflection on CSDP commitments in the area; is concerned about the deterihe CSDP commitments in the area, as a strong presence is important to remain relevant as a regional actor; in the light of the current situation, a longer mandate extension would ensure stability and predictability, effectiveness of the mission; stresses that the situation is not evolving in a good direction for the EU; recognises that this mission can be enhanced by secure informating security situation in the region; on and communication channels to Member State capitals, improvement of open source intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the launch of the CSDP operation in the Mediterranean, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI; stresses its key role in the implementation of the arms embargo; deplores the fact that, in 2020, it encountered many refusals to allow inspections; calls for a transparent communication from the European External Action Service (EEAS) on this issue; laments the fact that NATO, which is active in the area through Operation Sea Guardian, is unwilling to cooperate; encourages greater burden sharing and cooperation with NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the launch of the CSDP operation in the Mediterranean, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI; stresses its key role in the implementation of the arms embargo; deplores the fact that, in 2020, it encountered many refusals to allow inspections on Turkish vessels; calls for a transparent communication from the European External Action Service (EEAS) on this issue; laments the fact that NATO, which is active in the area through Operation Sea Guardian, is unwilling to cooperate;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is deeply concerned about the low force generation for operations and missions, and urges the Member States to address this matter as soon as possible; considers that third-country participation in CSDP operations and missions must always be in line with European interests and values; calls on the EU to provide staff in missions and operations with appropriate equipment and training to become more alert and more resilient under less permissive conditions; considers that third-country participation should be expanded when and where appropriate; special consideration should be given to including participation from recipient countries that hosted former CSDP operations;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Is concerned about the increasing information manipulation, disinformation and hybrid threats affecting several theatres, stemming mostly from Russia, China, but also other actors; calls for a structured response to these threats by CSDP missions;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for a strengthening of the Union’s command structures, in particular the Military Staff (EUMS) and the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), which must be provided with the requisite personnel, equipment and resources as soon as possible, and be able to exchange classified information safely, including with Member States and missions/operations; reiterates its calls for the creation of a European HQ for conduct of operationsclose coordination with NATO in order to avoid duplication and ensure greatest possible added value;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Regrets the lack of initiatives for actively defending the freedom and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Regrets the lack of initiatives for defending the security of the Republic of Armenia;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Supports the ambition of creating a ‘rapid entry force’; recalls the existence of battlegroups and the need to make them credible by conducting regular field exercises; deploresis concerned with the Member States’ lack of commitment to the battlegroups; criticises the fact that only one, led by Italy, is operational in 2021; lamentsis concerned with the weakness of the planning for 2022 and 2023;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the establishment of the European Peace Facility (EPF) in 2020 and calls for it to be made operational swiftly; stresses that the requisite equipment and training must be delivered in the relevant theatres of operation; undertakes to ensure coherence and complementarity between CSDP missions and operations, the Union’s financial instruments (NDICI) and the EPF; underline that the EPF should be used to effectively support EU’s partners in the Eastern Partnership that are facing threats from Russia, most notably Ukraine and Georgia;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Reaffirms its unwavering support to the Eastern Partnership countries, and in particular as regards their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within their internationally recognised borders; condemns Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in armed conflicts, its illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, violent annexation of Crimea and occupation of certain parts of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as Russia’s military build-ups inside the EaP region or on its borders with the region; urges the EU to keep demanding Russia to engage constructively in the Geneva International Discussions and the Normandy Process, and to implement its obligations under the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and the Minsk Agreements; encourages the EU to strengthen its engagement in peaceful conflict resolution throughout the EaP region;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Notes with concern the increasing militarisation of the Crimean peninsula and the attempts by the Russian Federation to destabilise the Black Sea region, with this situation having led to the recognition, at the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014, of the vulnerability of the eastern flank of the Alliance; calls for the EU to recognise the vulnerability of eastern European Member States as a means of strengthening European defence, and to develop, together with NATO, a comprehensive strategy for securing and defending the eastern flank;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
Paragraph 22 c (new)
22c. Welcomes in this regard Operation Atlantic Resolve and NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence on the European continent and recognises the importance of NATO troops in the effort to deter further Russian aggression and provide crucial support in the event of a conflict;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)
Paragraph 22 d (new)
22d. underlines the need to closely monitor actions of private security and military companies (PSMC’s), notably the Russian Wagner Group which is increasing its global footprint in vulnerable areas including Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls for the expansion of cooperation with India in the defence sector;
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Recognizes the growing importance of cyber and automated intelligence capabilities, stresses that these provide threats to all the Member States and EU institutions, urges all EU institutions and Member States to continue to improve upon their cyber and automated technologies, further encourages cooperation on these technological advances;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Recognizes the growing importance of cyber and automated intelligence capabilities, stresses that these provide threats to all the Member States and EU institutions, urges all EU institutions and Member States to continue to improve upon their cyber and automated technologies, further encourages cooperation on these technological advances;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Union to develop a space defence strategy, which is essential for its strategic autonomy in space; encourages the Union to improve its situational awareness and geo-intelligence support; stresses the importance of the Union having its own launchers; insists that the Union should lead the way in strengthening the increasingly contested area of international space law;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Notes the growing importance of space security and satellites, stresses the importance of the European Union Satellite Centre and commissions the agency to analyse and provide a report regarding the safety and/or vulnerabilities of the EU and Member State satellites to space debris, cyber-attack and direct missile attack;
Amendment 420 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls for the EU to address the consistent and growing threats to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage and clamp down on the smuggling of cultural artefacts, especially in conflict zones; notes that depriving societies of their cultural heritage and historical roots makes them more vulnerable to radicalisation and more susceptible to global jihadist ideologies; calls for the EU to develop abroad strategy to counteract such threats;
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. LamentsIs concerned with the reduction in the amount of the EDF under the MFF, which makes coherence between Union defence initiatives even more necessary; stresses, in this regard, the role of the European Defence Agency (EDA); Considers that EDF should collaborate actively with NATO in order to facilitate transatlantic technological and industrial development in a manner that removes barriers and protectionism and ensures export licensing processes/technological transfer policies are harmonized among Member States; special consideration should be given to the development of a task force between EDA and NSPA/NCIA for developing a roadmap on identifying ideal equipment for procurement and to generate the best value on defence expenditure as well as the formulation of a ‘transatlantic DARPA’;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Recalls that third-country participation in PESCO projects must be decided on a case-by-case basis; welcomes the initial stages of military mobility and calls for subsequent stages to be implemented swiftly; approves the participation of countries that share the same values, like the United States, Norway and Canada in the military mobility project;
Amendment 547 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Recognizes the growing political, economic, environmental, security and strategic value of the Arctic Circle, urges the Member States to continue cooperation with the Arctic Council on all issues of EU interest and to form a comprehensive strategy for the region;
Amendment 549 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 b (new)
Paragraph 40 b (new)
40b. Condemns the recent use of Chemical Weapons by Syria, North Korea, Russia and terrorist organizations and maintains the view that the lack of accountability for such incidents undermine the international norm against chemical weapons and requires Member States to consider how best to respond to the use of chemical weapons, including how future use could be deterred, and whether Member States are adequately protected and how to strengthen the OPCW to ensure speedy and accurate attribution and effective response mechanisms;
Amendment 550 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 c (new)
Paragraph 40 c (new)
40c. Reiterates its grave concern at the attempted assassination of Alexei Navalny as well as of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, by using a banned nerve agent Novichok, considered as use of a chemical weapons under the CWC (AM186); welcomes the sanctions imposed on Russian officials on 14 October 2020 in response to this blatant violation of international norms and of Russia’s international commitments;
Amendment 608 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Considers the cooperation with Israel and Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean as vital for the regional security and stability;
Amendment 615 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Calls for closer relations with non- traditional partners in the Indo-Pacific region, like (India, Japan, and Australia), and in specific policy sectors (cybersecurity, hybrid, maritime, etc.), and with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN);
Amendment 623 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45a. Encourages Member States to continue to work with ASEAN countries in all aspects already agreed upon, further stresses the need to cooperate on economic manners and combatting terrorism;
Amendment 649 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47a. Expresses grave concern at the continued escalations of tensions in the East and South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, including China’s increasingly provocative military manoeuvres aimed at Taiwan; calls for all parties concerned to resolve their differences through peaceful means to de- escalate the tensions and to refrain from taking unilateral action to change the status quo; underlines the importance of the peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait to maintain peace, stability and prosperity for China and Taiwan, and in the Asia-Pacific region, which remains of critical importance to the interests of the EU;
Amendment 651 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47a. Notes that the continuous Turkish aggression against its neighbouring countries is a policy option of destabilising the region that excludes Turkey from NATO defence cooperation;
Amendment 670 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Stresses that Parliament should be regularly informed and consulted on the implementation of PESCO, given its essential linkage with the various financial instruments of the CSDP, in particular the EDF, over which Parliament exercises scrutiny; calls for the closest possible access to PESCO for third countries who are also NATO Members, acknowledging that such countries' defence industries have expertise, related instruments and capabilities that EU Member's industries could benefit from;
Amendment 672 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Encourages that initiatives such as EDIDP, PESCO and EDF facilitate SME engagement by advancing efforts that support incubation and capital investment;