Activities of Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ related to 2020/2112(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The Arctic: opportunities, concerns and security challenges (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Arctic: opportunities, concerns and security challenges
Amendments (65)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
— having regard to the European Commission communication presented in November 2008 entitled “The European Union and the Arctic Region” containing a wide-ranging and comprehensive proposal for a future EU Arctic policy, which is a milestone in the EU’s approach to the Arctic region,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)
Citation 18 b (new)
— having regard to the IPCC reports, particularly the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) and the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (SR15),
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 c (new)
Citation 18 c (new)
— having regard to the IPBES Workshop Report on Biodiversity and Pandemics of 29 October 2020,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 d (new)
Citation 18 d (new)
— having regard to its resolution on climate diplomacy of 03 July 2018,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 a (new)
Citation 25 a (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament’s Joint Motion for Resolution on “on the international treaty for the protection of the Arctic”, withdrawn by the Commission given serious objections by both the Council and the Commission representatives taking part in the discussion,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 b (new)
Citation 25 b (new)
— having regard to the Commission’s Communication on Critical Raw Materials Resilience: Charting a Path towards greater Security and Sustainability,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 c (new)
Citation 25 c (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2019 on the European Green Deal, and the resolution of the European Parliament of 15 January 2020,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 d (new)
Citation 25 d (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the climate and environment emergency,
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Arctic is home to over four million people, including more than 40 different indigenous ethnic groups and half a million EU citizens; whereas indigenous peoples and local communities play a vital role in the sustainable management of natural resources and conservation of biodiversity;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the geopolitical neutralisation of the region would allow an increase in cooperation between the circumpolar nations;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the effects of climate change in the Arctic and the re-emergence of geopolitical competition in the region may impact the economic development of the northern hemisphere; whereas since 2012, around 40% of the sea ice of the Arctic melts every summer;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) bans mining in Antarctic and there is a need for a similar ban in the Arctic;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the region’s geo-economic importance is quickly growing due to the competition for its natural resources, including critical raw materials, and the emerging new maritime routes;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas an investigation carried out by the United States Geological Institute calculated that 90,000 million barrels of oil and 44,000 million barrels of natural gas are hidden under the shrinking Arctic ice cap, which corresponds to 13% and 30% of the world reserves of these resources, respectively;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas, in December 2017, the five Arctic Ocean coastal states, including Russia, and five major fishing stakeholders: China. Japan, Iceland, South Korea and the EU, signed an agreement on fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean; whereas the agreement bans commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean for 16 years, in order to acquire better scientific knowledge of Arctic ecosystems and fish stocks dynamics;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas primary responsibility for the preservation and sustainable development of the Arctic lies with the Arctic statethe Arctic states are sovereign in deciding how to address their common challenges, including preservation and sustainable development of the Arctic; whereas those challenges are the responsibility of the whole world, especially climate change; whereas the EU has a historic responsibility in relation to climate change, and should act on this both through its own commitments and through its assistance to others;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the alarming pace of the melting ice caps in the Arctic is due to climate change and factors that mainly originated outside the Arctic; whereas climate change should be viewed as a threat multiplier, which exacerbates existing trends, tensions and instability;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the melting Arctic ice cap and the resulting rise in sea levels would have serious global environmental, economic, and human security implications; whereas the melting of Greenland ice cap could cause a rise of the sea level across the world of up to 7.2 metres, submerging many regions across the planet; whereas some populations are already experiencing the consequences of the melting and have become climate refugees, generating migratory flows from these places to neighbouring countries; whereas Greenland’s melting ice is also altering biodiversity;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas besides the five Arctic countries that encircle the Arctic Ocean (United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark and Greenland), the European Union has expressed a clear interest in the region;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
Fd. whereas among the various threats that the Arctic is exposed to due to the human activity, one of particular concern is the thawing of permafrost; whereas permafrost covers around 24% of the northern hemisphere soil, particularly large areas of the north of Russia; whereas permafrost contains large proportions of dangerous methane and CO2 and as it thaws greenhouse gases are released to the atmosphere, contributing to global warming; whereas the melting of permafrost can change ecosystems and affect security in unexpected ways;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the governance model of the Arctic has so far proven to be effective; whereas cooperation has proven to be the most useful way of establishing relations between the Arctic states;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas, the essential role of international law, in particular the UNCLOS and the conventions of the IMO, should be reaffirmed and reinforced; whereas the UNCLOS particularly grants economic rights to coastal states over their exclusive economic zones as well as over their continental shelves; whereas the UNCLOS serves as the main legal framework of the Arctic given that the high seas are not subject to any state sovereignty; whereas the United States has not ratified yet the UNCLOS;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the military importance of the Arctic is rapidly increasing due to the progressive and steady re-militarisation ofby the Russian Federation, significantly incwhereas the other Arctic states are contributing to the escalation of tension by acting in the same way; whereasing the likelihood of military confrontation in the regionmilitarisation of the area by all sides runs counter to the spirit of cooperation that has guided the relationship so far;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas Russian officials explicitly reject the need for a NATO presence in the Arctic and have explicitly stated that Russia would feel threatened by an extension of NATO's role in the Arctic, including NATO’s potential enlargement to or increased cooperation with Finland and Sweden;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)
Recital M b (new)
Mb. whereas the conversion of the Arctic into a security problem is linked to its commercial interest and this is contrary to the fight against climate change; whereas it is not possible to try to curb climate change and at the same time increase militarisation to seize resources that would be accessible due to a climate emergency and tragedy;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Is deeply concerned at the effects of climate change on the sustainability of the lives of the indigenous peoples in the region, in terms of both the general environment (melting ice cap and permafrost, rising sea levels and flooding) and the natural habitat (the retreating icecap poses problems for polar bears' feeding habits), and underlines that any international decisions relating to these issues must fully involve and take account of all peoples and nations of the Arctic;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Is highly concerned with the continuing melting of the Arctic as a direct result of climate change; stresses that according to some estimates, without action to mitigate human sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the Arctic ocean could be ice-free during the summer months before 2050;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Acknowledges that the EU, like other developed areas of the world, contributes substantially to climate change and hence bears special responsibility and must play a leading role in combating climate change; recognises the disproportionately large Arctic warming impact caused by black carbon emissions from the EU and other regions in the northern hemisphere;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses that the climate change is a threat multiplier, which exacerbates existing trends, tensions and instability; highlights that the risks are not just of a humanitarian nature; they also include political and security risks in a fragile multilateral order; highlights that EU is in a unique position to respond to the impacts of the climate change on international security, given its role in development and global climate policy and the wide array of tools and instruments at its disposal;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Notes that climate change is having and will continue to have geopolitical implications, namely, stoking political tensions and intensifying geopolitical instability; urges the European Union to take immediate action to fight against climate change as enshrined in the European Green Deal;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Expresses deep concern at the findings of the IPCC special report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, according to which over the last decades global warming has led to widespread shrinking of the cryosphere, with mass loss from ice sheets and glaciers, reductions in snow cover and Arctic sea ice extent and thickness, and increased permafrost; is highly concerned about the public health and security consequences of permafrost thawing laying bare bacteria and viruses that have been dormant for centuries or millennia;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1f. Is concerned that economic interests could guide EU action in the Arctic, to the detriment of climate action; insists that the environmental consequences of disasters in the Arctic are likely to be worse than in other areas; insists that the pursuit of economic business cannot be prioritised if it derives from climate degradation, particularly when it comes to the commercial exploitation of oil and gas reserves or of the benefits of the transport routes despite the insecurity and difficulties thereof;
Amendment 162 #
1g. Stresses that the EU should pursue policies that ensure that measures to address environmental concerns take into account the interests of the inhabitants of the Arctic region, including its indigenous peoples, in protecting and developing the region;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Paragraph 1 h (new)
1h. Recalls that indigenous peoples are active agents of environmental conservation; recalls that the IPCC recognises that indigenous peoples and local communities play a critical role in stewarding and safeguarding the environment and preventing climate change, and that strengthening their rights is a crucial solution in the context of the climate crisis; calls for greater international support for indigenous peoples’ collective rights to land, territories and resources, which would contribute to limiting global warming and biodiversity loss;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 i (new)
Paragraph 1 i (new)
1i. Stresses that the Arctic is losing biodiversity at an alarming rate, and expresses deep concern in relation to the findings of the IPBES Global Assessment Report; underscores that biodiversity loss is not only due to climate change, but also ocean mining, which the IPBES notes is likely to expand in the Arctic region as it melts;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes, however, that interest in the Arctic and its resources is growing because of the negative effects of climate change and resource scarcity, creating new opportunities for economic development but also increasing the risk of confrontation;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that conflict over resources, economic damage and risk to coastal cities and critical infrastructure, loss of territory and border disputes, environmentally induced migration, tension over energy supply and the pressure on international governance are the main issues at stake;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that the Arctic states hold the primary responsibility for tackling issues within their territories; reiterates that international law is the cornerstone of the legal framework regulating inter-state relations in the Arctic and underlines the importance of the UNCLOS, as the primary legal framework for Arctic governance; calls on the United States to ratify UNCLOS;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights that despite increased tensions and heightened military activities in the Arctic region, all Arctic States are interested in continued cooperation in the region and should continue to focus on diplomacy and cooperation; stresses that efforts must be made to avoid an increased military presence in the Arctic and to develop security cooperation in the area so as to maintain the Arctic as a region of low tension;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes with concern that the Arctic has lost its exceptional character as a zone of peace and cooperation; notes that over the past three years numerous states have published new Arctic strategy documents reflecting a significant shift in content by focussing on hard power security concerns; calls on the EU to initiate an expert dialogue on Arctic military security as a substitute for the Chiefs of Defence meetings that were suspended in 2014;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that cooperation with Russia in the Arctic should be consistent with the principle of selective engagement and should not jeopardise the goals of sanctions against Russian actions elsewhere, under the framework of the Arctic Council and UNCLOS should be enhanced giving it the flexibility to adapt to new challenges;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that the inclusion of the Arctic by China in its economic development programmes, with the aspirations to integrate the Arctic’s nNorthern sSea rRoute into its Belt and Road Initiative (as a ‘Polar Silk Road’), as well as the Arctic’s prominent place in the military strategy of the Russian Federation, and India’s investment in the new Artic Russian gas developments, are cause for concern and challenge any idea that the Arctic could be dealt withof dealing with the Arctic as a self-contained region;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes with concern that the North Shipping Route, fuelled by climate change that is rapidly shrinking the northern ice cap, has become an arena of growing competition;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission to initiate negotiations with the Arctic states - including Russia - to guarantee freedom of navigation and right of passage and ensure that no discriminatory practices are followed, especially as regards charges, compulsory services and rules and regulations, so as to ensure the viability and environmental sustainability of new shipping routes;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the importcurrent reliance ofn the Arctic for current EU energy securitupply;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Is very concerned over the ongoing race for natural resources in the Arctic; underlines the contradiction between making oil and gas a source of dispute and conflict when the European Union aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Notes the increased accessibility of the enormous hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic region is changing the geo- strategic dynamics of the region with potential consequences for international stability; calls on the States in the region to resolve any current or future conflicts over access to natural resources in the Arctic by way of a constructive dialogue, possibly within the Artic Council;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Stresses that all economic activities in the Arctic should be sustainable and take into consideration their environmental impact, in particular on climate change, and their social implications; stresses the need for further promotion of sustainable regional development for the benefit of those living in the Arctic, low-carbon activities, knowledge and circular economy;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Stresses that because of long distances, sparsely populated areas, harsh climate and demographic imbalances, increasing connectivity, accessibility and integration of communities through investment in information and communications technologies and transport infrastructures (on rail, sea, land and air) is crucial to improve productivity and trade within and beyond the Arctic; better transport and broadband connectivity will also enhance opportunities for cross-border labour, student mobility and further extension of cross;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines the importance of takingto implement a precautionary approach toat all stages of Arctic fisheries, at all stages, and encourages the adoption of and encourages a sustainable, science-tific based approach; isrecognises the ambition and novelty of the precautionary approach to fisheries management; is, however, concerned by the inability of Arctic coastal states to agree on how to divide quotas on transboundary fish stocks and expresses its support for existing regional fisheries management organisations;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is concerned by the persistent intention of the Russian Federation and China to, China and private enterprises from other countries of pursueing far-reaching and highly impactful exploitation projects without an appropriate assessment of their environmental impacts;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recognises that the effects of the melting ice and milder temperatures are not only displacing indigenous populations and thereby threatening the indigenous way of life; acknowledges the wish of the inhabitants and governments of the Arctic region with sovereign rights and responsibilities to continue to pursue sustainable economic development while at the same time protecting traditional sources of the indigenous peoples' livelihood and the very sensitive nature of the Arctic ecosystems, taking into account their experience in using and developing the various resources of the region in a sustainable way;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Stresses that policy options must respect the indigenous populations and their livelihoods;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Is concerned that the melting of the Arctic’s ice cap, while increasing the region’s geopolitical and geo-economic importance, significantly exacerbates its environmental fragility and threatens the traditional way of life of the indigenous population;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. States that theany exploitation of the Arctic’s resources should benefit local inhabitants; advocates, in this regard, for a stronger link between businesses operating in the Arctic and local communities, without prejudice to the indigenous people; calls on the EU to take note of the recent elections in Greenland that has clearly demonstrated it opposition to a large rare earth mining project;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Reiterates its call on all the remaining Member States to ratify without delay the ILO’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention of 1989 (ILO Convention No 169);
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recognises the validity of the three founding pillars of the integratedStresses that the EU policy for the Arctic, namely must be based on ambitious climate changeaction, sustainable development and international cooperation;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Highlights that, as expressed in the 2008 Commission communication, the following main policy objectives of the EU are: (1) protecting and preserving the Arctic in unison with its population, (2) promoting the sustainable use of resources, and (3) contributing to the enhanced Arctic multilateral governance; stresses that science and research at the heart of the EU policy towards the Arctic region;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Stresses that the EU must contribute to the enhanced Arctic multilateral governance, promote a sustainable use of resources as well as protect and preserve the Arctic in unison with its population;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the updating of the EU’s Arctic policy, which should also reflect new environmental and security realities; i. Is of the opinion that the EU should engage with stakeholders which have a vested interest in promoting regional stability and prosperity under the Arctic multilateral governance;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the need for the EU and its Member States to mainentertain constructive relations with Arctic states (including Russia) and underlines the need for the EU to keep engaging with the indigenous peoples of the Arctic;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22