BETA

Activities of Alexandr VONDRA related to 2021/2102(INI)

Plenary speeches (1)

The EEAS’s Climate Change and Defence Roadmap (debate)
2022/06/06
Dossiers: 2021/2102(INI)

Shadow reports (1)

REPORT on the EEAS’s Climate Change and Defence Roadmap
2022/04/04
Committee: AFET
Dossiers: 2021/2102(INI)
Documents: PDF(201 KB) DOC(72 KB)
Authors: [{'name': 'Thomas WAITZ', 'mepid': 190464}]

Amendments (29)

Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
— having regard to the NATO Climate Change and Security Action Plan,
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
B. whereas climate change and climate-related impacts, including environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, deforestation and natural disasters are already threatening local, regional and international security, stability and peace; whereas climate change, which is predicted to accelerate in the medium and long term, has become an increasingly dominant risk multiplier and must be viewed as a new security challenge, together with hybrid and cyber threats;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas the US armed forces have lost more military hardware and infrastructure due to natural disasters than due to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq combined;deleted
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
G. whereas the defence sector is not mentioned in the 2015 Paris Agreement, leaving it tois a competence of the member states, national governments to decide whether to include mitigation efforts by the defence sector in their national commitments towards the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in their defence strategies;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
H. whereas, due to the security effects of global warmingclimate change and climate-related impacts, climate security measures and their financing have to be understood as contributing to defence and security;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. UnderlinNotes that Article 21 of the TEU provides a strongcould potentially be an appropriate legal basis for making the Union’s external action and the common security and defence policy (CSDP) fit to meet the 21st century’s main challenges, of which climate change is a main driverincluding climate and climate-based factors; recalls that Article 21 of the TEU demands the following of the Union: ‘(c) preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security; [...] (f) develop measures to preserve and improve the quality of the environment and the sustainable management of global natural resources...; [and] (g) assist populations, countries and regions confronting natural or man-made disasters’;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Strongly believNotes that military activities and technology have to contribute to the Union’s carbon neutrality targets in order to both contribute to the fight against climate change and increase mission security; underlines, in that regard, that the Union’s external action should work towards reduceing its own carbon footprint and its negative effects on natural resources and biodiversity to a minimum;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) to make sure that climate change is mainstreamthe effects of climate change and climate- related impacts are appropriately integrated in the Union’s external action; calls for climate-specific strategies, policies, procedures, measures and capabilities to be developed; calls on the VP/HR to make sure that the development of a Union policy on climate security and defence entails the implementation of a human security approach;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines the importance of addressing the links between climate change, security and defence in the forthcoming Strategic Compass, with a view to identifying clear goals and concrete measures for Member States;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the Roadmap and calls on the EEAS to ensure, together with the relevant Commission services and the EDA, the EDA and in close cooperation with member states, where appropriate, the comprehensive implementation of the three work strands – the operational dimension, capability development and partnerships; calls on the Member States to develop national structures in support of the objectives; urges all actors to treat this process as a priority and to develop and implement initiatives in line with the integrated approach; stressnotes the need to assess the environmental footprint of armed forces, as proposed in the Roadmap; urgescalls on the VP/HR to propose to the Member States an immediate action programme which consists of prioritised actions presented in the Roadmap which can be implemented in the short term; calls for the timeframes for reviewing the Roadmap to be reconsidered and, in particular, for the overall objectives to be reviewed much earlier thain 2030;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the light-touch reporting process based on indicators of progress related to the environmental footprint, including energy, water, waste management, etc., of CSDP missions and operations; stresses the necessity to generate more detailed assessments by 2022;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the VP/HR to present, by mid-end 2022, an assessment of the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the EU’s external action; stresses the need to develop by 2022 a meaningful methodology to quantify the emissions from all EU security and defence activities; believes that the Roadmap should be used to trigger clear national pledges to reduce military emissions, including mandatory military emissions reporting to the UNFCCC, as without reporting and transparency, there will be no pressure to cut emissions and no means of determining the impact of any pledges;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Strongly welcomes the fact that the Union’s new Global Europe instrument (NDICI) reflects well the urgency and importance of swift, strong and extensive external climate action; strongly welcomes the NDICI climate security policy (See subsection B.1.(d) of Annex III to the NDICI Regulation); calls on the Commission to prioritise actions seeking to achieve comprehensive and inclusive outcomes through linking climate mitigation and adaptation to conflict prevention and peacebuilding; stresses the need to include greater support for fragile and conflict-affected states in environmental governance, including institution-building; demands that the full potential for environmental peacebuilding be unleashed under the NDICI peace, stability and conflict-prevention programme;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the need to boost the Union’s strategic foresight, early-warning, situational awareness and conflict-analysis capacities using qualitative and quantitative data and innovative methods from various sources; underlines that, in addition to systematic cooperation with civil society organisatione added value of close collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the Union's space programmes and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) should also contribute;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Underlines that the principle of data-driven policy and programmes must be central to climate security programmes; is mindful, at the same time, of the limitations of big data approaches and quantitative environmental stress indices with regard to conflict prediction, as they risk paying too little attention to the local societal context; recalls the non- availability of reliable data in some fragile countries, alsoeg as a result of corruption andor weak governance structures, in which case proxy data should be used instead;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the importance of strengthening the resilience of communities, and that supporting local ownership and inclusive local governance structures is essential to ensure that efforts are sustainable; stresses that an inclusive and accountable approach towards local populations and which increasesmore effective environmental protection andmeasures, eg access to vital resources also increases the security of EU forces and personnel;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that environmental cooperation for peace building should be reinforced, as it generates sustainable and fair solutions addressing the effects of climate change and can also present opportunities to build peace, while fostering dialogue and cooperation at the local, national and international level and presenting opportunities to adopt a transformational approach to address the root causes of conflict and structural drivers of marginalisation; stresses the need to increase pre-conflict mediation initiatives, including by means of higher levels of funding via NDICI;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines that the Union’s climate action should be inclusive, aim to advance gender equality, apply the EU’s human rights-based approach, promote good governance and implement the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda in line with the EU’s Gender Action Plan III; calls, in particular, for the initiatives of grassroots women’s, youth, and indigenous organisations to be supported and for lessons to be learned from them;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Proposes the nomination of an EU Special Representative on Climate, Peace and Conflict (EUSR CPC), who should coordinate the Union’s external action in this regard, support the mainstreaming of climate sensitivity across institutions, oversee the implementation of specific actions and promote the development of internal capacities, expertise and knowledge; underlines that the EUSR CPC should propose relevant initiatives to the VP/HR, the Commission and the Council, and should regularly brief Parliament; stresses the need to deploy climate security experts to EU delegations;deleted
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Strongly believes that there is an urgent need to mandateupports the integration of a climate-sensitive approach for all CSDP missions and operations and all European Peace Facility (EPF) actions to contribute to the integrated approach for addressing climate security challenges, in particular in the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions, in order to raise the likelihood of successfully attaining the missions’ objectives;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. HighlightNotes that CSDP missions and operations and EPF actions can contribute to enhancing the climate resilience of their host countries and stresses that a positive legacy in terms of their local footprint should be included in particular in their exit strategies, without jeopardising mission effectiveness or the security of own personnel;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Stressesupports that the need to design of mission infrastructure and a supply-chain that are climate- and environment-sensitive andmanagement take into account climate- and environmental factors and strive to be as carbon-neutral as possible, and that makthe use of new technology such as mobile solar systems, in particular for static features may be an added value, where applicable;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – introductory part
20. Stresses the need to strengthen the EU’s environmental peacebuilding and climate security by including tasks and support efforts relating to mediation, dialogue, the protection of civilians, conflict resolution and reconciliation in order to ease climate-induced tensions between different communities competing over scarce resources, such as farmland or water, and which easily strengthen violent armed and extremist groups or transform into armed conflicts or even inter-state wars; proposes that new missions could focuse inclusion onf the following items for consideration for future missions:
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. States that all military capabilities and services used by the Union should contribute to reaching the EU’s climate targets and adapt to increasingly challenging climate conditions in order to be able, inter alia, to guarantee the fulfilment of their tasks at home and abroadto thereby help mitigate the effects of climate change;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Underlines that an increase in defence expenditure should not lead to an increase in emissions, and that part of defence spending should be dedicated to investments in instruments that significantlygo hand in hand with efforts to invest in modern technology, rather than maintaining a status quo; supports the promotion of modern weapons technology, which takes into consideration climate concerns and work towards reduceing emissions levels; recalls that EU and NATO military strategists and planners have been working on the question of how armed forces can reduce their carbon footprint for more than a decade; welcomes, in this respect, the EDA’s activities, in particular the Go Green policy it launched in 2012, its Military Green concept and its working group on the circular economy, and calls for an acceleration and broadening of such projects and for an independent external evaluation thereof;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Notes that the EDA has concluded that the subsequent reduction in fossil fuel consumption cuts costs, decreases emissions and reduces dependencies on non-European sources, and that the number of casualties can be reduced significantly given that there are far fewer fuel convoys for adversaries to target, thereby freeing up resources that are used to protect convoys, and that overall capabilities are made more effective through enhanced endurance, mobility and autonomy; stresses that the missions viability is of prior concern, as any degradation thereof would inevitably lead to risks of instability, etc;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on DG DEFIS, the Member States, the EEAS and the EDA to adopt an approach incorporating a low energy, carbon and environmental footprint by designincorporate a climate-sensitive consideration factor when implementing relevant EU funds and to regularly report on progress; welcomes, in this respect, the fact that 30 % of the European Defence Fund aims to contribute to climate action; welcomes the relevant investment of EUR 133 million provided for in the first annual work programme, but notes that this represents only 11 % of the overall annual EDF budget;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Underlines the need to significantly increase investments in ‘green’ defence, in particular by dedicating a higher share of military R&D funded from the EU budget to carbon-neutral fuels and propulsion systems for military aircraft, ships and other vehiclesSupports a general review of ‘green’ defence expenditure, in particular as regards future major weapons systems (e.g. the future combat air system (FCAS) and the European main battle tank (EMBT)), in order to identify areas, where improvements could be made; underlines that, given the dual nature of such investments, they have strong positive spill-over effects in the civilian sector, in particular for the ailing civil aviation industry; believnotes that there has been an overall push for more electrification of military technology should be further promoted and extensively financed via the EDF, in particular as regards weapons systems, but also in terms of housing, barracks and related heating or cooling systemsfinanced via the EDF; recalls that high electricity prices and third-country dependency are of particular concern and recommends close and active collaboration among all relevant actors to assess further possible solutions for improvement ;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET
Amendment 197 #
29. Welcomes the stated ambition of NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg that NATO reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050; underlines the fact that 22 Member States are NATO members and calls on the VP/HR to make sure that emission reduction objectives, benchmarks and methodologies are synchronised, as Member States have only a single set of forces and cannot afford to have different EU and NATO standards or the duplication of forces; believes that NATO and the EU should decide to treat climate security as a new area for cooperation and concrete actions;
2021/11/12
Committee: AFET