Activities of Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ related to 2022/2007(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood – a new agenda for the Mediterranean (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a European Parliament recommendation to the Commission and the Commission Vice-President / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood – a new agenda for the Mediterranean
Amendments (35)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to Article 8 of the Treaty on European Union,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
— having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 c (new)
Citation 1 c (new)
— having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 d (new)
Citation 1 d (new)
— having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 e (new)
Citation 1 e (new)
— having regard to the EU Gender Action Plan III,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 f (new)
Citation 1 f (new)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 g (new)
Citation 1 g (new)
— having regard to the Barcelona Declaration, adopted at the Euro- Mediterranean Conference of 27-28 November 1995, establishing a Euro- Mediterranean Partnership with a detailed work programme,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 h (new)
Citation 1 h (new)
— having regard to the Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with Eastern Mediterranean Countries of 2011,
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the Southern Neighbourhood of the European Union has specific and concrete problems due to its geographical location and specific context; whereas the Southern Neighbourhood Policy should be a priority for the European agenda in the region and should focus on the real promotion of human rights, action in the face of renewed authoritarianism, relations with repressed social movements and activists, a real ecological transition, feminism, guarantees of the rights of LGTBIQ+ people, social justice, and a culture of peace;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas twenty-five years after the launch of the first European instrument for the Mediterranean, the number of conflicts, economic inequality, expulsion of peoples, insecurity and anti-democratic regimes in the Mediterranean have increased, the consequences of which are being felt in the European Union;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas the interdependence of the two shores and the common challenges we face must be recognised; whereas the whole of the Southern Neighbourhood is a strategic partner; whereas the European Union should recognise the diversity and heterogeneity of the region and adapting our relationship to each of the contexts of each state;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
B d. whereas the Southern Neighbourhood policy must focus on human security, democracy and human rights and overcome the economistic and extractivist vision of the region as a source of resources; whereas the European Union's border policy has turned the Mediterranean Sea into a mass grave; whereas the active role that Frontex has played in the human rights violations that have recently led to the resignation of its director;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
B e. whereas 1,924 people died or went missing on the Central and Western Mediterranean routes, while an additional 1,153 perished or went missing on the Northwest African maritime route to the Canary Islands in 2021, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); whereas 1,776 people died or went missing for the three routes in 2020; whereas 23,000 people have died or gone missing on the Mediterranean since 2014 according to the Missing Migrants Project, the initiative implemented since 2014 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM);
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B f (new)
Recital B f (new)
B f. whereas the Southern Neighbourhood policy should contribute in the short and medium term to de- escalate conflicts in the European neighbourhood and to prevent them in the future, providing it with the necessary resources to effectively contribute to the construction of peace, respect for international law and human rights, human security, gender equality and equity, and sustainable, inclusive, and equal development; whereas women suffer particularly intensely from the conflicts in the Mediterranean countries; whereas international organizations and multilateralism are the best tools to achieve the joint development of peoples and the solution of conflicts; whereas the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) remains an indispensable lifeline for millions of refugees and a beacon for stability in a volatile region;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the war in Ukraine has underlined the threat posed by third countries that seek political and economic hegemony in the EU’'s neighbourhood to the detriment of the democratic aspirations and territorial integrity of target countries; whereas Russia, China and Iran are allthe EU's Southern Neighbourhood should not be a playground for major powers, including Russia, China, Iran, the United States and EU Member States, which are seeking to increase their capacability to exercise political and/or economic hegemony in certain countries in the Southern Neighbourhood countries and, there; whereas it is crucial fore, the EU’s capacity-building for fighting to promote the fight against disinformation and promoting freedom of the press is crucialon both sides of the Mediterranean; whereas the EU should reaffirm its role as the primarymain political, economic and democratic anchor for the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the war in Ukraine and the resulting need to further diversifymove with the utmost urgency to renewable energy and to increase the EU’'s energy supply have shownautonomy have highlighted the essential role of the Southern Neighbourhood in securing sufficient gas and oil supplies to the EUadvancing the ecological transition, with mutual benefits for both the EU and the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood countries; whereas the discovery of relevant; whereas natural gas reserves in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean provides a unique opportunity for economic development in the countries concerned; whereas these gas reserves equally provide an important opportunity for partnership, investment and the sharing of know-how between the countries of the Southern Mediterranean and the EU and its Member Statesare a threat to Europe's energy transition and security, precisely because tensions and conflicts in the Southern Neighbourhood have increased; whereas the Southern Neighbourhood is therefore not only essential for reasons of regional security and stability, but also as a primarymajor partner for access to energy sources, including renewablesin combating climate emergency and renewable energy production; whereas after the Arctic, the Mediterranean is the second region in the world most affected by the climate emergency;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas securitwomen's civil, political, social and economic rights are human rights and their promotion in the Southern Neighbourhood should be a priority of the new agenda for the Mediterranean; whereas development, human security, democracy and stability in the Southern Neighbourhood are closely correlated withlinked to the prospects for real socio- economic integration of women and youthng people and their capacability to access education, vocational training, employment and adequppropriate longer-term professionalcareer development;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) Secure adequate resources for timely and effective implementation of the new agenda for the Mediterranean based on the objectives and priorities jointly determined with Southern Neighbourhood partner countries, building on valuable synergies through the programming of the external action for the region under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and pursuing close coordination with Member State programming as well as facilitating as much as possible opportunities for blending through partnerships between the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other relevant international financial institutions; takes the view thatand pursuing close coordination with Member State programming; guarantee that the new neighbourhood policy go beyond its purely economic-focused relationship with the region; stresses that the COVID- 19 crisis displaced austerity policies on our continent and should encourage the EU to rethink its economic policies with its neighbours; highlights the need for the nNew aAgenda for the Mediterranean can introduce a positive conditionality under which active EU support for a closer and effective policy interface with Southern Neighbourhood countries can lead to further partnerships and convergence on other policy priorities for the benefit of both the EU and Southern Neighbourhood countries; recalls, in this regard, the importance of ensuring EU visibility in all EU financial resources allocated to the region directly or indirectly through partnership with the UN or other international organisto commit to more egalitarian economic relations that are mutually beneficial for both shores, renounce its extractive, resource-predatory policies and focus on changing the economic model, encouraging the growth of SMEs, the social economy, educational and scientific exchange, and research development, on the strengthening of trade unions, the ILO conventions on decent work and the EU work towards a binding treaty of Human Rights and the due diligence of European companies; furthermore, the New Agenda for the Mediterranean should support social dialogue before adopting any austerity policies that could affect workers’ rights, avoiding economic collapse such as support for small- and medium-sized enterprises, which constitute more than 90% of the productive fabric of the Arab world; insists that the economic agenda should be at the service of achieving greater purchasing power and decent living conditions, as widespread poverty is one of the main causes of the lack of guarantees of social and economic rights of the populations;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(a a) Guarantee that the neighbourhood policy focus on human security, through a commitment to achieving mutual development of the people and minimum decent living conditions for all, taking into account that, currently, lives on both shores of the Mediterranean are threatened by climate change, the lack of food sovereignty, the outbreak of conflicts and the regression of rights and freedoms; include in this new agenda for the Mediterranean the need, in the short- and medium-term, to defusing conflicts in the European neighbourhood and preventing them in the future, providing it with the necessary resources to effectively contribute to peacebuilding, the respect of international law and human rights, human security, gender equality, respect and protection of rights of LGTBIQ+ people and inclusive and egalitarian sustainable development; take stock of the impacts of its own foreign policies that are based on encouraging stability at all costs in countries in the Southern Neighbourhood and its own security; redefine its objectives with regard to resilience, security, economic development, and the threat posed by the direction taken so far to European strategic interests;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a b (new)
(a b) Assess of the impact of EU policies on the deterioration of human rights, stop whitewashing governments of countries in the south that restrict the freedoms and rights in the region; prioritise the relationship between political, social, and economic stakeholders and institutions that protect rights and freedoms as they are the best guarantee of a vibrant and democratic civil society; ensure a people- centred agenda that would ensure that the EU actively supports local agents of change and human rights defenders and prioritise the demands of local populations; put significant pressure on protecting the freedom of association and expression, as well as stronger support for grassroots movements, considering them as valid interlocutors and enhancing democratisation;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) Address, as a matter of priority, the impact of the war in Ukraine on certain Southern Neighbourhood countries in terms of food security, with particular reference to countries most vulnerable because of their population size, dependence on food imports or economic model; asks the Commission to engage with Parliament on ways to ensure food security for countries in the Southern Mediterranean that face difficulties in this regard and devise a robust policy and assistance response for this purpose without further delay, also building on the Food and Resilience Facility in order to address food security in the region; recalls that food insecurity in the region is exacerbated by the consequences of the climate emergency, especially droughts and the increase in extreme temperatures;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) Implement under the NDICI, as a matter of priority, strategies and dedicated programming for broader youth access to education, vocational training, higher education together with adequate funding for access to education; recalls that youth migration, whether regular or irregular, and professional brain drain are a matter of serious concern to our partners in the region, as well as a serious threat to the longer-term capacity for economic growth and economic viability of Southern Neighbourhood countries; stresses the importance of expanding access to the Erasmus and Erasmus+ programmes for participants from Southern Neighbourhood countries; recalls the importance of circular mobility, including South-to-South exchanges, so that professionals from Southern Neighbourhood countries can have concrete opportunities to further their professional training in the EU and return to their country of origin to share and build knowledge; recalls the importance of mainstreaming the socioeconomic integration of women in the region and of gender equality in all EU policies areas whenever possible; stresses the importance of targeted EU support for women with the objective of improving their access to education, training and employment and, more generally, promoting equal professional and socioeconomic opportunities;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(c a) Prioritise in the New Agenda for the Mediterranean the fight against the violence against women, including forced marriages, female genital mutilation, the application of biased, patriarchal religious laws regarding matters of divorce or custody, impunity for sexual harassment, mistreatment of female refugees who are victims of prostitution rings, domestic workers being abused by their employers and by the law, honour killings, etc.; support the advance of feminist movements throughout the Arab neighbourhood, particularly in Lebanon, Algeria, Iraq, and Sudan, supporting their demands for greater representation of women in politics; carrying out economic reforms, reducing unemployment and distributing wealth so that women can exercise their rights with dignity, as well as supporting the implementation and ratification of international conventions to combat violence against women; work to ensure that all the EU Member States and the Southern Neighbourhood countries sign, ratify and implement the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) as well as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) Prepare an analysis of the positive role which the Southern Neighbourhood countries can play in the EU’s strategy of reducing its carbon emissions, and the contribution of these countries to the EU’s strategy of diversifying its energy resources and increasing its energy supply from renewable energy sourcesand sustainable energy projects chosen by the local communities themselves; consider the fact that fossil fuels are harmful to communities, not only because of the pollution their use causes, but also due to the infrastructures required to facilitate their extraction, as well as the geopolitical and human rights impacts; recognise that fossil fuel extraction macro-projects is not a solution to the climate crisis nor to security and this policy has led to more conflicts in the Southern Neighbourhood;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) Build on the very positive experience of some Member States in supporting start-up companies and further advancing their work through dedicated incubators or accelerators, especially in key sectors such as health, renewable energy and educationmall and medium enterprises; takes the view that the EU should set up incubators or accelerators in relevant Southern Neighbourhood countries, support the creation of local start-up companies, and increase their digital and green capacities; concurs on the importance of further improving the digital infrastructure of relevant Southern Neighbourhood countries and including these countries in the EU’s digital agenda; points out that this is a prerequisite for economic development, socioeconomic integration and wider access to education; recalls the importance of close policy dialogue and cooperation between the EU and the Southern Neighbourhood countries to develop adequate cybersecurity policies and partnership in international forums on cybersecurity standards; takes the view that the EU should build on the StratCom Task Force South and develop a concrete strategy for combating disinformation in our Southern Neighbourhood countries, aiming to counter fake news and propaganda in order to reinforce democracy and stability;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(g a) Ensure that the migration policy tackles the factors that push people to migrate or seek refuge outside of their own countries, such as the increase in the number of conflicts, the lack of resources, the regression in rights and freedom and violence which are the root causes of the movement of many people; end the policy of containing people, that goes against the EU’s values and only serves the interests of the military industry and the mafias who make business out of the lives of civilians; end Frontex and establish legal and safe routes to stop the Mediterranean from being a mass grave; put an end to the disgraceful and disastrous agreements of people containment that the EU signed with Turkey and Morocco, which violate human rights and hold the EU hostage of their erratic and antidemocratic policies; make the new Agreement on Migration and Asylum a real tool to guarantee the right to migrate and protect the human rights of people who are forced to move; activate the Temporary Protection Directive for all conflicts, as it has been done for people fleeing the war in Ukraine;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
(g b) Include economic and labour rights in the new agenda, innovate and encourage strategies based on in-depth analysis of what is occurring on the southern border and to focus on decent work, sustainable development, and international labour standards; effectively include the trade union movement in national consultations and encourage social dialogue; take into account the root causes of the protests for freedom, equality, and social justice; live up to its responsibilities and support the demands of the trade unions on the southern shore; respect the effective enforcement of international labour laws and standards, by subjecting foreign investments to respect for human rights and by activating the social clauses in agreements, work towards ending child labour, guaranteeing the right to a salary and compensation and the freedom to unionise, put an end to situations of slavery and non-discrimination; support the processes of democratisation of labour rights is required, encouraging social dialogue and collective bargaining, and promoting the inclusion of women and young people in trade union structures and political spaces; work to ensure that the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood and EU Member States advance work on the Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights in the UN framework;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
(h a) Support United Nations resolutions on the Western Sahara, from support for self-determination, to the latest UN resolutions, in order to achieve a just and peaceful solution through referendums and in accordance with the dialogue processes encouraged by the Special Envoy; with regards to trade relations, respect the legality and rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) regarding the plundering of natural resources of the Sahara by Morocco;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point h b (new)
(h b) Condemn the apartheid situation to which the State of Israel has subjected the Palestinian people; activate the clause of respect for human rights of the EU- Israel Association Agreement given the continued violations of human rights and the latest events: the expulsion of more than 1,300 Palestinians from Masafer Yatta in the largest decision on expulsions since 1967 and the murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqla; implement policies against the Israeli occupation, blockade, and apartheid and for the immediate, unilateral, and unconditional recognition of the State of Palestine; work to bring war crimes and human rights violations to justice and apply the Common Position on the sale of arms to Israel; implement the necessary regulation to effectively prevent the import of products, goods and services produced in or coming from illegal settlements, in line with international law and the United Nations, support the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and increase financial contributions towards the Agency in recognition of its essential role at contributing to regional stability and development;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point h c (new)
(h c) Defend the full respect of the democratic, political, and cultural rights of Kurdish peoples; demand that Turkey stop harassing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and free the Kurdish politicians currently in prison, whose detention is illegal in the eyes of the European justice system; work for the recognition of their rights in Syria, Iraq, and Iran;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point h d (new)
(h d) Implement a country-specific approach and, furthermore, must promote an effective coordination of Member States’ policies within the New Agenda for the Mediterranean; develop a holistic relationship with the Maghreb countries, particularly Morocco and Algeria; re- evaluate trade policies with Tunisia to ensure that just development be the basis of a democratic transition that cannot afford to regress, support Tunisian civil society and parliamentary forces against the current antidemocratic regime; push for a united position so that a solution can be accepted by all parties in Libya to end the international, regional, and private militia war ravaging the country and which harbours very serious human rights violations against migrant populations; promote the release of activists, journalists, feminists and so many other people unfairly imprisoned in Egypt by the dictatorial regime, as well as the respect of human rights; avoid the collapse of Lebanon by working with the solutions proposed by civil society against corruption and for social justice; not forget the Palestinian and Syrian refugee population in Jordan; prevent the lives of refugees from Syria from being endangered because of their ideas in their country or in Europe itself as well as implement justice measures to prosecute crimes committed in the last decade; undertake coordinated European action with Turkey, an essential country in the neighbourhood, based on human rights, democracy, and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) Ensure a positive link between the new agenda for the Mediterranean and the capacity of the EU and its Member States to build a coalition of like-minded countries to support a rules-based, effective multilateral system capable of boosting the capacity of the international community to address global challenges; reiterates its view that the new agenda for the Mediterranean should include dialogue on the value for Southern Neighbourhood countries converging with the EU not only on policy dialogue, stability and economic growth, but also onhuman security, shared development, the capacity to promote peace and stability, democratic values and human rights in the UN system and relevant multilateral forums;