41 Amendments of Bart GROOTHUIS related to 2022/2050(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
— having regard to the Charter of the United Nations, in particular its article 2.4 prohibiting the use of force and article 51 on the inherent right to individual and collective self-defence,
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 54 a (new)
Citation 54 a (new)
— having regard to its recommendation of 9 March 2022 on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Europe is facing the most complex combination of both military and non-military threats since the end of the Cold War accentuated by Russia’s unjustifiprovoked and illegal war against Ukrainemilitary aggression against Ukraine; whereas such non-military means include disinformation, cyberattacks, economic pressure, food and energy blackmailing, instrumentalisation of migration, and subversive political influence that tend to seek support to illegitimate military operations; whereas this requires the EU to enhance the effectiveness of its security and defence policy to defend its interests and values; whereas the Strategic Compass aims to equip the EU with the necessary tools to make it an effective security provider and an assertive global actor; whereas there is a new urgency to boosting EU security and defence capabilities, including building on the unprecedented support for Ukraine and including the use of the EPF;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Europe is facing the most complex combination of both military and non-military threats since the end of the Cold War accentuated by Russia’s unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine; whereas this requires the EU to enhance the effectiveness of its security and defence policy to defend its interests and values and to support its partners; whereas the Strategic Compass aims to equip the EU with the necessary tools to make it an effective security provider and an assertive global actor; whereas there is a new urgency to boosting EU security and defence capabilities, including building on the unprecedented support for Ukraine and including the use of the EPF;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an attack against the rules- based international order; whereas this war of aggression is an attack to the European security architecture that was built after the Second World War and the end of the Cold War to which Russia was a party; whereas Russia’s persistent attempts to create instability in the Union and to undermine the European security architecture demands that the Union substantially enhance the cohesion and effectiveness of its foreign, security and defence policy as well as its strategic sovereignty; whereas, on 21 September, the Russian occupation authorities of Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson announced referendums to join the Russian Federation, in a blatant violation of international law; whereas the EU strongly condemned it; whereas President Vladimir Putin announced a so- called partial mobilisation and threatened Ukraine and its allies with nuclear war on 22 September;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines was a targeted attack against the EU’s critical infrastructure; whereas the Nord Stream gas leaks will have a substantial negative impact on climate;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the European Commission and the EEAS have proposed the establishment of the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA), an EU short-term instrument aimed at incentivising joint procurement to fill our most critical needs; whereas it will be backed by 500 million EUR from the EU budget on top of MS own investments; whereas by the third quarter 2022, the Commission will put forward a Regulation establishing a European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) setting conditions for Member States to jointly procure while benefitting from VAT exemption and EU financial support;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas CSDP has 11 civilian missions and 7 military operations under way with around 5 000 personnel deployed on three continents; whereas total personnel deployed by the Member States has steadily declined in recent years, and missions and operations persistently suffer from Member States not delivering on their pledges to provide sufficient military or civilian personnel; whereas CSDP missions and operations suffer from slow decision making process and excessive micro-management from the Council, as well as from insufficient coordination between training activities and providing of military equipment to partners;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas EU CSDP missions and operations are often targeted by hybrid threats, including disinformation, putting at risk their effectiveness in stabilising the country in which they are deployed and, instead, reinforcing pre-existing instability whose only beneficiaries are malicious third states;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas Russia’s influence in Africa has developed, in particular due to an increased footprint of the Wagner group on the continent; whereas Wagner has been gaining a strong foothold in countries like Mali and the Central African Republic; whereas the regions in which Wagner is present are subject to rampant human rights abuses, plundering of resources; whereas all this is done in all impunity; whereas in Mali, it is reinforced by the non-cooperative stance of authorities towards Western partners (including EUTM Mali), regional organisations as well as MINUSMA; whereas the EU has responded firmly to these developments and excludes all cooperation with Wagner or other mercenaries; whereas in both CAR and Mali, the mandates of CSDP missions have been adapted accordingly;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the dramatic deterioration in European security accelerated by Russia’s unjustified and illegal warprovoked military aggression against Ukraine; stresses that this situation demands that the EU step up its strategic sovereignty and defence capacities and show greater willingness to act in order to deliver the security expected by the EU’s citizens; underlines the unprecedented and united EU response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, including the provision of military equipment through the EPF; remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s defence of its territorial integrity and sovereignty; calls on the EU to sustain its efforts and provide Ukraine with all necessary financial, humanitarian and military aid; strongly supports the creation of a training mission in support of the Ukrainian army;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the dramatic deterioration in European security accelerated by Russia’s unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine; stresses that this situation demands that the EU step up its defence capacities and show greater willingness to act in order to deliver the security expected by the EU’s citizens; underlines the unprecedented and united EU response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including the provision of military equipment through the EPF; remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s defence of its territorial integrity and sovereignty; calls on the EU to sustain its efforts and provide Ukraine with all necessary financial, humanitarian and military aid;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the need for solidarity among Member States, especially with those whose geographical position leaves them directly exposed to imminent threats and challenges; fully supports efforts to operationalize article 42.7 in this respect;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes new EU initiatives to enhance defence, notably the Versailles Declaration, the Strategic Compass and Joint Communication on defence investment gaps; welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a regulation to incentivise joint procurement while stressing the need for budgetary resources that genuinely meet the ambitious goals set; welcomes the upcoming review of the European defence investment programme regulation, the budget of which should be significantly increased as well; therefore, calls for a swift revision of the MFF, in order to allocate the adequate budget to all European Defence instruments, notably the European Defence Fund, Military Mobility, the future EDIRPA and EDIP, given the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on European and global security;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the new ambition in the Strategic Compass to provide the Union with a vision, a common strategic defence culture and the tools to be an effective security provider in a hostile environment, as well as to enhance the CSDP to build resilience and make it more capable and responsive, so it can act rapidly to defend our interests and values and protect the EU and its citizens; considers the Strategic Compass a major step towards a genuine European Defence Union enabling the EU to act as a credible partner; calls for the timely and sound implementation of the approximately 80 concrete actions and for them to be updated regularly along with the EU Threat Analysis; calls for the sustained political will of all Member States and EU institutions in this process;; therefore calls on Member States to engage in systematic, regular and frequent updates of the threat analysis; stresses that this threat analysis will strengthen the Union’s strategic culture and provide guidance on prioritising policy objectives in the field of security and defence, as set up in the strategic compass; recalls that the Strategic Compass must be a dynamic process, which must be regularly updated and adapted on the basis of the common threat analysis;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the need to substantially strengthen the society-wide focus on resilience and the response to hybrid warfare; welcomes the decision to develop an EU Hybrid Toolbox for a coordinated response to hybrid threats; encourages further development of the EU’s cyber- defence policy and capabilities; cyber-defence policy and capabilities; underlines that the EU institutions, bodies, agencies, delegations, mission and operations networks, buildings and staff area target for all types of hybrid threats and attacks by foreign state actors and should, therefore, be properly protected, paying special attention to the EEAS’s assets, premises and activities abroad and the safety of EU staff delegated to non- democratic countries with repressive regimes; reiterates the urgent need for European institutions, agencies and other bodies to develop their strategic communication capabilities, to equip themselves with secure communication systems and a rapid reaction capacity to attacks, and to greatly increase their resilience;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the need to substantially strengthen the society-wide focus on resilience and the response to hybrid warfare; welcomes the decision to develop an EU Hybrid Toolbox for a coordinated response to hybrid threats; encourages further development of the EU’s cyber- defence policy and capabilities; emphasises the need for effective efforts in fighting adverse disinformation and propaganda;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Calls for a thorough investigation and proportionate response to the sabotage explosion in the Nord Stream pipelines, as well as a plan to manage the environmental impact of gas leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes the need for comprehensive assessment and actions to secure offshore oil and gas pipelines, cables and other strategic infrastructure assets;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to take decisive decisions on the EU energy market in order to ensure a stable energy supply and mitigate the negative impact of the energy crisis on European households and businesses;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on Member States to assess the reform of the decision-making process with a view to realising untapped potential within the Treaties, in particular by activating Article 31 TEU extending qualified majority voting (QMV) to areas relating to the CSDP and pursuing full use of the ‘passerelle clauses’ and scope of articles that enhance EU solidarity and mutual assistance in the event of crises; proposes changes to the Treaties in the CSDP, to be discussed and decided upon within a convention following up on the Conference on the Future of Europe, primarily focusing on switching from unanimity to QMV for Council decisions with military implications and on defence matters for situations where passerelle clauses do not apply, only in the case of the dispatch of military equipment or CSDP missions that do not involve an executive mandate;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the EU’s ambition to strengthen its military and civilian capabilities; stresses the need to make full use of EU capability-development initiatives and budgets, notably the EDIRPA, EDF, PESCO, the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and Military Mobility, in order to fill critical capability gaps, reduce fragmentation in the defence-procurement sector, achieve full interoperability of our forces and strengthen, strengthen the supply chain security of the European defence industry by excluding risky vendors from third countries with an offensive intelligence and IP theft programme against the Union and its Member States, to contribute to a resilient, competitive and innovative European defence technological and industrial base; calls for ensuring maximum consistency between these initiatives;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers it important to fill the identified defence investment gaps such as replenishing stockpiles, replacing Soviet- era systems, reinforcing air and missile defence systems towards a mature European-wide anti-ballistic missile shield, expanding existing main battle tank capabilities and armoured vehicles, strengthening naval forces and improving satellite-based secure connectivityEurope's ship-building capacity and naval forces, intensifying coastguard cooperation to counter hybrid threats against offshore cables and pipelines that are vital to Europe's energy and connectivity security, improving satellite-based secure connectivity and investing in industry partnerships that contribute to a stronger European cyber defence ecosystem; strongly calls on Member States to commit to a significant increase in funding for EU procurement mechanisms and to take swift and thorough action in this crucial field;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers it important to fill the identified defence investment gaps such as replenishing stockpiles, replacing Soviet- era systems, reinforcing air and missile defence systems, expanding existing main battle tank capabilities and armoured vehicles, strengthening naval forces and improving satellite-based secure connectivity; strongly calls on Member States to commit to a significant increase in funding for EU procurement mechanisms and to take swift and thorough action in this crucial field, as well as to consolidate and coordinate investments into increased military mobility;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Deplores the fact that Member States are still not making full use of the PESCO framework and that, despite political declarations, progress in implementing the initiative remains far below expectations, particularly in terms of meeting commitments; is concerned that a very limited number of PESCO projects have reached the maturity phase and even a smaller number of projects have reached a full operational capacity; calls on the HR/VP and the Member States to draw the necessary consequences by deciding to merge, regroup or even abandon projects that are insufficiently advanced and to redirect efforts towards a small number of priority projects intended to lead to concrete actions as stated in the Strategic Compass, also given the changing security environment; deplores that the Parliament isn’t in a situation to exercise proper scrutiny of PESCO projects ; considers that at a stage when 25out of 27 Member States participate in PESCO, the mechanism should be turned into a fully EU initiative keeping the possibility of opt outs for non-interested member states, and enjoy full scrutiny from the Parliament;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the need for much more support for EU research and development, development and production in high-tech defence systems that would otherwise be too expensive for individual Member States, such as ballistic and hypersonic missile defence systems or advanced electronic warfare capabilities, to ensure that the defence industrial and technological base is able to remain competitive, meet increasing demands and ambitions, and to reduce reliance on foreign parties;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for moreMember States defence spending at 2 % of GDP and smarter spending to foster industrial consolidation, cost savings and increased interoperability; calls for synergies with other EU financial instruments to be leveraged and access to private funding for the defence industry to be facilitated;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Calls for strengthening the resilience of our supply chains and industries’ access to private funding as they are necessary for our European Defence Technological and Industrial Base; calls on the European Investment Bank to take stock of the recent major geopolitical changes and to use all its tools to contribute to that effort, including by revising its rules; considers it is equally important to ensure that horizontal EU policies, such as initiatives on sustainable finance, remain consistent with the European Union efforts to facilitate the European defence industry’s sufficient access to public and private finance and investment;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Commands the work of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), that despite its relocation due to the war, has kept on supporting Ukraine; welcomes the extension of its mandate to training activities to identify and document war crimes;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Welcomes the HR/VP proposal to establish a CSDP non-executive military assistance CSDP Mission for Ukraine, as expressed by the Ukraine ministry of Defence, and as Ukraine urgently needs to regenerate its armed forces, as many training initiatives are already under way, but needs are considerable in the short and longer term; calls for its swift launch; expects it to addressing Ukrainian training needs in a flexible way, by bringing added value by expanding training offers and to be synchronized with other training initiatives already underway; thus, expects EUMAM and other training initiatives to be mutually reinforcing; considers that this mission should be based on EU soil; considers that this mission will be efficient to the condition that EU Member States and the MPCC are reinforced, to be able to exercise strategic command and control over the mission; calls on the EEAS to open this mission to the participation of third states, for example to those who have been participating in the work of the Clearing House Cell;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers it important that EU interventions are based on a clear understanding of the types of crisis and conflict the EU seeks to respond to, especially where others are not willing orthe EU should be able to intervene in hostile or in non-permissive environments in the future;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Takes note of the extension and refocusing of the EUAM and EUTM in the Central African Republic (CAR) missions on strategic communication, on strategic advice to the Ministry of Defence and the FACA staff, and on teaching the FACA about human rights, international humanitarian law, gender issues, the protection of civilians, the women, peace and security programme and the children and armed conflict programme; remains strongly preoccupied with the continuing deterioration of the political and security situation there; deplores that since 2018 the President of the CAR has turned to the Wagner Group, a private military company and Russian proxy responsible for war crimes and grave violations of human rights in the CAR; remains concerned about the impact of this decision on the viability and effectiveness of the training mission for Central African troops;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Expresses concern about increased tensions as a result of aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea and Taiwan resulting into potential disruption of trade links and regional security;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Is concerned about the increasing manipulation of information, disinformation and hybrid threats and attacks stemming in particular from Russia and China but also from other actors, affecting several theatres and CSDP missions and operations directly, destabilising whole regions and delegitimising the EU’s missions abroad; recalls that, to have an effective CSDP, the EU and its Member States must complement it with the tools necessary to ensure that the efforts undertaken to provide stability have long term effect; calls the EEAS to upgrade its strategy and to take concrete actions dedicated to support CSDP missions and operations fighting against and countering disinformation and propaganda, in countries where CSDP missions and operations are deployed, in particular in the Sahel and CAR, but also in EU candidate and potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans and in Eastern Partnership countries;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Reiterates its call to the EEAS to rapidly setting up a fully functional EU military headquarters by merging the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) structure and the Civil Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) directorate, in order to create a fully- fledged civil-military operational headquarters; insists on the fact that they must be provided with the necessary personnel, equipment and resources and be able to exchange classified information in a secure way, including with Member States and missions or operations;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Supports the EU training mission for Ukraine’s armed forces and calls on the Member States to provide necessary support for its implementation;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls for stronger military-security cooperation with Western Balkan countries, in particular in areas such as resilience, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, counter-terrorism and countering disinformation; calls on, in this regard, the EEAS to strengthen the role of the EU delegations and EU CSDP missions in third countries in order to reinforce their ability to detect and debunk disinformation campaigns orchestrated by foreign state actors, and to fund education projects strengthening democratic values and fundamental rights; calls on EU delegations and EU CSDP missions to play an active role in identifying early developments, in third countries, that might provide concrete examples, experience and solutions to the EU and its missions abroad;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls for stronger military-security cooperation with likeminded Western Balkan countries, in particular in areas such as resilience, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, counter-terrorism and countering disinformation;
Amendment 474 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Expresses deep concern about the situation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, where Armenia has been attacked within its internationally recognised borders and where Russia has not played a stabilising role; urges the HR/VP to fully engage in efforts to uphold the ceasefire, including by supporting an international observers mission with the participation of EU Member States;
Amendment 484 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 – introductory part
Paragraph 27 – introductory part
27. Stresses the need to involve Parliament more actively in CSDP decision-making, in particular with regard to the implementation of the Strategic Compass and the EPF, the EPF and the various policies and initiatives which affects or are of particular importance for European defence and security, in order to ensure that they contribute in the most effective way to the achievement of EU strategic objectives and to the protection of European security and defence interests; encourages proposals for further action by Parliament, and in particular its Subcommittee on Security and Defence, to improve its impact on the CSDP, such aand to ensure the effectiveness, the consistency and the democratic accountability of EU defence and security policies and initiatives by:
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for further strengthening Parliament’s relations with the NATO PA, in the framework of which Parliament should support the establishment of the NATO Centre for Democratic Resilience aimed at monitoring and identifying challenges to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and facilitating democracy and governance assistance to member and partner states;