56 Amendments of Dragoş TUDORACHE related to 2021/2042(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the European Parliament distinguishes - the Russian people and the Putin’s regime - and critical actions proposed in this report are directed towards the Putin’s regime, while stressing the urgent need to reach out to the Russian people and show that the EU is welcoming to them;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas Russia is an authoritarian state run by President Vladimir Putin and his loyalists, in which there are no free and fair elections, both the State Duma and the Council of the Federation are submissive to Mr Putin’s orders, opposition forces are under constant intimidation and threat, which includes searches of their offices, arrests and imprisonment sentences, assassination attempts and actual killings;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A b (new)
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas Mr Putin’s 20 years-long ruling has been possible only through manipulation of the Russian Constitution; whereas the latest constitutional reforms enacted in July 2020 during the COVID- 19 pandemic – including an amendment giving President Putin a waiver from presidential term-limits in 2024 – avoided full referendum procedures, violated both Russian law and the Russian Federation’s OSCE obligations, and were assessed by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) as “clearly inappropriate” and, according to Russian statisticians, were adopted by means of probably the most fraudulent vote in Russian history;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A c (new)
Recital -A c (new)
-Ac. whereas the Freedom in the World 2021 report placed Russia in the category of ‘not free’ countries; whereas citizens’ fundamental freedoms are limited in Russia the election environment is controlled, Russian people are discouraged from public protests by the burdensome bureaucratic procedures established in order for citizens to receive a permission and by police violence during peaceful protests;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A d (new)
Recital -A d (new)
-Ad. whereas, according to the Memorial Human Rights Centre, the Russian authorities currently hold nearly 400 political prisoners in violation of the Russian Federation’s obligations under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 23 of the Concluding Document of the Vienna Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A e (new)
Recital -A e (new)
-Ae. whereas the organisers and masterminds of the 2015 assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov remain unidentified and unindicted, while the OSCE report on this issue has concluded that “the main issue for addressing impunity is not the capabilities of the Russian law enforcement, but political will”;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A f (new)
Recital -A f (new)
-Af. whereas the media space in Russia is controlled and owned by the state, there is no public broadcaster, the remaining few independent media sources struggle financially and face persecution, including physical attacks and imprisonment of media workers; whereas since 1992, 58 journalists have been killed in Russia; whereas the “sovereign internet” law enables the government to block any unwanted Internet content;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A g (new)
Recital -A g (new)
-Ag. whereas the Russian Orthodox Church strongly supports the Putin regime, acts as agent of Russian propaganda abroad, takes an active role in the special operations resulting in occupation and annexation of foreign territories, and in return enjoys its privileged political and financial position; whereas Russian laws allow the repression of religious groups that are deemed extremist;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A h (new)
Recital -A h (new)
-Ah. whereas the LGBTI+ community in Russia faces extensive discrimination, including harassment, torture, imprisonment and killings; whereas situation for LGBTI+ community is particularly dangerous in Chechnya, which in 2017 started its purge of LGBTI+ people, detaining and torturing dozens, with at least two killed, and many seeking for safe refuge abroad; whereas existing laws prohibit any public discussion on “non-traditional sexual relationships”;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A i (new)
Recital -A i (new)
-Ai. whereas the Putin regime rejects multilateralism and the rule of law based international order, disregards international law and Helsinki OSCE principles, as demonstrated by the 2020 constitutional reforms elevating Russian law above international law;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A j (new)
Recital -A j (new)
-Aj. whereas the 2020 Russian constitutional reforms revised the history of the WWII, cleansing the Soviet history and naming Russia as a successor of the Soviet Union, introduced the right to intervene internationally in defence of Russian compatriots and outlawed discussions about returning Russian lands to foreign actors;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A k (new)
Recital -A k (new)
-Ak. whereas in 2019 Russia re-joined the Council of Europe but extensive violations of human rights continue, as well as its refusal to comply with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A l (new)
Recital -A l (new)
-Al. whereas Russia uses other international institutions, primarily the UN and the OSCE, to prevent justice and conflict resolution worldwide;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A m (new)
Recital -A m (new)
-Am. whereas Russia is implementing a hostile “Russian World” concept to prepare the ground for its interference in third countries in defence of Russian compatriots;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A n (new)
Recital -A n (new)
-An. whereas a passportization policy is being used to boost the numbers of Russian compatriots and de facto incorporate into Russia citizens of territories occupied by it and breakaway territories, notably Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Donbas and the Crimean Peninsula; whereas these Russian actions are a violation of international laws;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A o (new)
Recital -A o (new)
-Ao. whereas the EU Member States allowing dual citizenship are exposed to Russia’s passportization policy; whereas the EU Member States which adopted so- called “golden passports” regimes enable Kremlin loyalists to enjoy the European quality of life with money stolen from the Russian people and to spread corruption into the EU;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A p (new)
Recital -A p (new)
-Ap. whereas the Kremlin’s propaganda opposes Russian and European/Western values by calling the latter “rotten liberal- progressive West” and supports pro- Russian and other organizations of divisive nature that are able to undermine policies of national governments, spread defamation and demonise the West, especially the EU and NATO, promote hatred, intolerance and Soviet nostalgia, and rewrite the history of Soviet crimes;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A q (new)
Recital -A q (new)
-Aq. whereas the “Russian World” is being promoted by state-owned media channels such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in the native languages of the EU Member States; whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is being used by Kremlin’s propaganda to seed division among the EU Member States, portray the EU as unable to cope with the pandemic, seed doubts about the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency, discourage EU citizens from vaccination, and rehabilitate Russia’s image in the eyes of EU population, particularly via the promotion of the Sputnik V vaccine;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A r (new)
Recital -A r (new)
-Ar. whereas the Russian “foreign agents” law adopted in 2012 was used to get rid of Western grant-giving organisations and deprive democracy- promoting local NGOs from essential funding, and has been gradually expanding and currently any ordinary citizen can be branded as a foreign agent for its political activity; whereas another law prohibits the financing of public events in Russia by foreign governments, organizations and other actors labelled as foreign agents;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A s (new)
Recital -A s (new)
-As. whereas Russian embassies, consulates and their affiliated cultural centres in the EU Member States are offering free cultural events and Russian language lessons and numerous local NGOs and radical groups, including political movements, receive Russian funding;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A t (new)
Recital -A t (new)
-At. whereas the Russian financial support for political parties and movements is a direct interference into the democratic processes of the EU and its Member States, as these parties and movements promote Russia’s interests as well as values contradictory to those of the EU;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A u (new)
Recital -A u (new)
-Au. whereas the EU and its Member States institutions as well as objects of strategical importance, leadership and democratic processes such as elections are the constant target of Russian cyber- attacks;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A v (new)
Recital -A v (new)
-Av. whereas Putin’s Russia seeks to maintain its influence in the former Soviet space at any cost, it rejects the right of self-determination of neighbouring countries and openly disrupts their efforts to implement pro-European democratic reforms and jeopardises their ambitions to join the EU and NATO;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A w (new)
Recital -A w (new)
-Aw. whereas Russia remains engaged in several parts of the world and seeks to disrupt EU influence in the Eastern Partnership region, the Western Balkans, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America; whereas Russia establishes alternative models for cooperation such as the Eurasian Economic Union not necessarily with the intention to demonstrate its superiority, but to oppose the EU and the West in general;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Russia has interfered, without regard for international law, with the independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of EU partner countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova; whereas Russia is continuing its aggressive behaviour on the border with Ukraine and in the Black Sea and interfering with acts of terrorism on the territory of EU Member States, such as Czechia, and its eastern neighbours, inter alia by supporting the illegitimate regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus; ;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Russia is continuing its aggressive behaviour on the border with Ukraine and interfering with acts of terrorism on the territory of EU Member States, such as Czechia, and its eastern neighbours, inter alia by supporting the illegitimate regime of Alexiaksander Lukashenkoa in Belarus;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas Russia is providing consistent political and economic support to the illegitimate and reprehensible regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus; whereas Russian support has emboldened the dictator Lukashenko to engage in massive repressions of democratic movements in Belarus, mass detention of political opponents and journalists, and in the hijacking of a European airplane traveling between European destinations, in an unprecedented attack on European and international law;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Western Balkans region, which includes countries on the official waiting list to join the EU is characterized by a strong Russian presence, particularly Serbia where Russia has intentions to open an office of the Russian defence ministry; whereas in 2016 in Montenegro Russian military intelligence was involved into attempts to overtake country’s parliament, to assassinate the Prime Minister and install a pro-Russian and anti-NATO government, and to prevent Montenegro’s accession to NATO;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas Russia uses its paramilitary organization (the “Wagner Group”) to support dictatorial regimes around the world and undermine the EU’s and international community’s efforts to mitigate conflicts, build peace and stability;
Amendment 120 #
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 Lukashenkoa in Belarus, is waging a war against the people of Russia;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the EU and Russia have longstanding trade relations, the EU is the largest trading partner for Russia, while Russia is the fifth largest trading partner for the EU, and the EU is the largest investor in Russia; whereas the EU is dependent on Russian gas and oil imports, which will further increase should the Nord Stream 2 project be completed;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas Russia ranks 120 out of 180 countries in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index, as massive state-level corruption prevents Russian population from quality public services, which remain underfunded, including the public health care, which is of particular importance during the pandemic; whereas nearly 19 million of Russians live under the poverty line;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the Russian Government has approved a list of “unfriendly countries”, which includes Czechia and the United States;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the Kremlin regime is engaging in massive disinformation and fake news campaigns against European Member States and the European Union, which, on one hand, represents an attack on democracy and European values and, on the other hand, has had an impact on the EU’s ability to combat the COVID pandemic and has costed countless lives;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the EU, together with NATO and international partners, should deter Russia and keep stability in the EaP region by taking a more active role in the peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflicts and in the prevention of any future conflicts, by pressing Russia not to interfere in the region and to return the occupied territories in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood;
Amendment 252 #
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 itswork towards the implementation of the European Green Deal and reduced dependency on Russian gas and oil, at least while President Putin is in power; the Nord Stream 2 threatens to increase this dependency, as well as finances Russian expansionism in neighbouring states;
Amendment 287 #
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 integconsider creating an enhanced cooperation strategy for Eastern Partners building on former Commission President Romano Prodi’s formula of ‘everything, but the institutions’;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) the EaP policy poses no threat to Russia and its relations with EaP countries; the EU must recognize the European aspirations of neighbouring countries and keep its own doors open for willing and capable countries, as there can be no compromises and concessions to appease Russia or follow its policy of spheres of influence;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) increase resilience and strengthen capacities to react to hybrid treats posed by Russia and others: cyber-security, propaganda and disinformation; call out Russia each time it executes hybrid attack against the EU and the Member States; increase resilience to cyber-attacks and expand capacities of the EU StratCom, as there is a need to cover not only the East and the Western Balkans, but also disinformation in the EU space;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) the EU should define concrete mechanisms to combat and sanction Russian hybrid threats, disinformation campaigns and election interference, and implement bolder, coordinated, proportionate responses and adequate deterrence mechanisms to counter such threats;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) calls on the EU to engage with NATO and leverage and expand current engagements in the Black Sea region and specifically further engage with countries in the Eastern Partnership through a whole-of-society approach in order to ensure a secure and stable Black Sea region;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) ensure a swift implementation of the incoming proposals of the European Parliament Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation (INGE);
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
(ec) strengthen the EU’s role as a global player, as well as the capacities of the EU institutions, not allow Russia to continue a so-called bilateralization of relations with the EU, as Brussels should be the only capital where key decisions about the EU-Russia relations are taken;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
(ed) the EU should maintain close coordination with transatlantic partners in implementing decisions towards Russia, and, in coordination with transatlantic partners, consider additional sanctions to Russia should it fail to reduce tensions on Ukraine’s borders; sanctions against Russia can only be lifted or mitigated once Russia has fully implemented the Minsk agreements;
Amendment 368 #
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 project, which in addition to increasing the EU dependency on Russian gas, will expose Ukraine to Russian malevolence and pressure to recognize the autonomy of separatist regions;;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) deny recognition of any attempt by President Putin to continue in office beyond the end of his current and final presidential mandate on 7 May 2024, should he attempt to do so on the basis of the 2020 constitutional amendments that the European Parliament has assessed as “illegally enacted”;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
(gb) adopt a foreign agents law at the EU level to regulate the work of registered lobbyists active in political interference and disinformation, inter alia;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g c (new)
(gc) increase efforts to curb the Kremlin’s strategic investments, which often stem from the EU Member States through the financial flows of Russian oligarchs and companies set up to fund Russia’s malign interference and spread of corruption in the EU;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g d (new)
(gd) pay special attention to the institute of double citizenship, as it is often exploited for subversion, continue insisting on Bulgaria and Malta to abandon their “golden passports” regimes;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g e (new)
(ge) strengthen the European banking system in order to detect and prevent money laundering by Russia and other countries;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g f (new)
(gf) initiate a review of Russia's compliance with its commitments to the Council of Europe;
Amendment 394 #
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, Russian oligarchs, and Vladimir Putin’s acolytes 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 or violation of human rights, including by updating the EU global sanctions mechanism (EU Magnitsky Act) to address cases of corruption;
Amendment 397 #
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 or violation of human rights, including by updating the EU global human rights sanctions mechanism (EU Magnitsky Act) to address cases of corruption;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(ka) demand that the Russian authorities release all those unjustly imprisoned for political reasons, including Alexei Navalny, Alexei Pichugin, Yuri Dmitriev, and all the others designated by the Memorial Human Rights Centre as “political prisoners” in accordance with the criteria of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Resolution 1900 (2012)
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
(kb) the EU should support Russian civil society and foster people-to-people contacts between the EU and Russian citizens, particularly as Russian citizens are the biggest recipients of Schengen visas in the world, most of which are multiple-entry and multiannual; consider reducing the visa fee for Russian citizens and lead an effective information campaign to show that the EU is welcoming to the Russian people;
Amendment 469 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) the EU should adopt and announce a strategic vision for its future relations with a democratic Russia, which should include a broad offer with conditions and incentives such as visa liberalisation, free trade investment and modernisation programmes, and a strategic partnership; it should also convey the potential benefits that it is willing to offer in return for a democratic transformation of Russia, conditional upon Russia’s transition into a fully-fledged democratic system of governance, respecting fundamental rights, individual freedoms, freedom of the press, international law and the international rules-based system;