37 Amendments of Juozas OLEKAS related to 2022/2050(INI)
Amendment 41 #
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 against Ukraine; whereas this requires the EU to enhance the effectiveness of its security and defence policy to defend its citizens, interests and values and to deliver peace, human security, sustainable development and democracy; 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; whereas energy security is an important component in achieving strategic autonomy;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas Parliament’s active role in framshaping CSDP policies bolsters the EU’s democratic foundations; whereas Parliament can legitimately exercise political control and oversight over the executive at EU level; whereas Parliament’s diplomacy is a proven and complementary means of enhancing strategic communication, and the visibility and effectiveness of CSDP missions and operations;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the dramatic deterioration in European security accelerated by Russia’s unjustified and illegal war against Ukraine; stresses that this situation demands that the EU step up its defence capacities and show greater willingness to act united 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 as well as financial and humanitarian assistance; 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 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes new EU initiatives to enhance European security and 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;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the new ambition in the Strategic Compass 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 in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as well as regularly along with the EU Threat Analysis; calls for the sustained political will of all Member States and EU institutions in this process; calls on the EEAS to regularly and comprehensively report on the implementation of the Strategic Compass to the Subcommittee on Security and Defence;
Amendment 170 #
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 to assist partner countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership to effectively combat cyber-attacks and hybrid warfare;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of improving and activating the implementation procedures of Article 44 TEU on mission delegation to make the CSDP more flexible and efficient in the field, to make Article 42(7) TEU on mutual assistance operational in the short run and to clarify the coherence between this and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, considering that not all EU Member States are NATO Allies;
Amendment 220 #
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 a resilient, competitive and innovative European defence technological and industrial base; calls for ensuring (EDTIB); urges for maximum consistency between these initiatives; to prevent overlaps and guarantee efficient public investments; calls for a frequent progress review of EU capability-development initiatives and budgets by DG DEFIS to be presented to the Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence;
Amendment 235 #
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 joint EU procurement mechanisms and to take swift and thorough action in this crucial field; endorses the proposal for a Regulation establishing EDIRPA for 2022-2024 and its implications for the creation of a European Defence Union and the establishment of a joint procurement mechanism in the near future; urges Member States to utilise EDIRPA to commonly procure defence products and avoid competition, facilitate cost savings, strengthen the EDTIB and promote interoperability;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the need for much more support for EU research and development to ensure that the defence industrial and technological base is able to meet increasing demands and ambitionsEDITB is able to meet increasing demands and ambitions; requests that part of the EU’s support to be dedicated to dual-use goods to service the civilian domain and encourages synergies between civilian and defence instruments; calls for the strengthening of the EDF budget in the mid-term review of the MFF; noting with approval that 43% of entities selected in the EDF 2021 calls for proposals in defence industrial cooperation projects are SMEs; encourages the establishment of further initiatives to increase SME involvement and innovation in the defence and military industry by increasing opportunities for capital investment and funding;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for more 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; stresses the importance of a competitive and innovative EDTIB for the production of sufficient high quality military equipment for Member States and partners; emphasises the importance of the EDTIB respecting internal market rules and the EU’s Common Position on arms exports; reminds that EDF and PESCO are crucial to the development of a genuine Defence Union through enhancing defence cooperation between Member States, promoting interoperability between defence systems, reducing fragmentation in capabilities and improving operational capacities;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Notes with approval the significant use of the EPF throughout 2022 to support partners around the world in the areas of military and defence, including the African Union, the Balkan Medical Task Force, the Republic of Moldova, Mozambique, Niger and Ukraine; stresses the importance of the EPF in preventing conflict, preserving peace, and strengthening international security and stability through improving the security and defence capacities of third countries and regional and international organisations; emphasises that military assistance and weapons deliveries by the EPF should comply fully with the EU Common Position on arms exports, international human rights law and humanitarian law, and provide adequate transparency and accountability;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the need to significantly raise the ceiling of the EPF and create a separate EPF envelope for Ukraine which guarantees adequate support for the country without systematically neglecting other priority regions, including our immediate neighbourhood and Africa; calls for significantly increased military support in all its aspects, including training and information sharing with other particularly vulnerable countries such as the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Western Balkan countries; calls for all EPF support for the provision of equipment to be carried out in coordination with NATO to increase efficiency and avoid unnecessary duplication; reiterates that the EPF does not solely address the provision of equipment to partners but also functions as a funding option for the common costs of military operations within the CSDP; concurs with the Strategic Compass that the scope of common costs can be expanded to allow greater EPF utilisation and incentivise force generation for CSDP military missions and operations;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses deep concern about developments in the Sahel region and the recent coups d’état in the region; condemns the increasing presence of the Kremlin- backed Wagner Group in the Sahel; firmly believes that the latter’s involvement in West Africa runs counter to the objective of bringing peace, security and stability to the region; acknowledges that the various international missions have not yet achieved their primary goal of lasting peace in the region and that a reflection process on the mandates and roles of international missions and policies is therefore needed to align with the changing political and geopolitical landscape; calls for a rethinking of the EU’s engagement in the Sahel region, involving a more human security-centred approach, human rights monitoring and a sustainable exit strategy; expresses similar concern over the increased presence and activity of Islamist terrorist groups, in particular Al-Qaeda, Daesh and Al- Shabaab in the Middle East and Africa;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Reiterates the call for deeper cooperation with international organisations, such as but not limited to, the UN, the African Union, and its peacekeeping missions in joint theatres and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on security;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for faster operationalisation of the Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) based on the increased readiness of Member States’ military forces; calls on Member States to commit to substantially narrowing critical gaps in strategic enablers by 2025, in particular linked to the RDC, such as strategic airlift, space communication assets, medical assets, cyber-defence capabilities and intelligence and reconnaissance; underlines the need for an effective and just cost-sharing mechanism between Member States pertaining to mission specific costs; calls for a balanced and practical division of competences between the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) and Member States’ national bodies regarding the operational command, control and planning of the RDC’s missions; emphasises the importance of regular live exercises on land and sea with Member State, allied and partner forces to improve and deepen operational readiness and cooperation;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls for the EU to play a significant role in the Mediterranean, having become an actor with the ability to guarantee the stability of the region, including in relation to energy security; calls for enhanced cooperation with partner countries in the Mediterranean to combat extremism, terrorism, the illicit trade in weapons and human trafficking;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Taking into account that the EU is currently deploying 11 civilian and 8 military missions and operations; notes that only three of these missions have an executive mandate: European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia Operation ATALANTA, EUNAVFOR Mediterranean Operation IRINI (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) and the EU military force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR ALTHEA); recalls that EU’s overall engagement in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa through six civilian missions(the EU Capacity Building Mission in Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali), EUCAP Sahel Niger, EUCAP Somalia) and six military missions (the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali), EUTM Somalia, EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI);
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17 c. Welcomes the declaration of full operational capacity of EUTM Mozambique on 9 September 2022; further welcomes that the EUTM is on track to fulfil its mandate of completing the training 11 units of the Mozambican army; regrets however the delays in the provision of equipment to the trained units; calls on all relevant actors to speed up the delivery of equipment; regrets that the Member States were not able to provide sufficient personnel to the EUTM and as a consequence, key positions remain vacant;
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17 d. Regrets that following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) is no longer able to fully implement its mandate in Ukraine; welcomes the new tasks assigned to EUAM Ukraine following the Russian invasion, according to Council Decisions (CFSP) 2022/452 of 18 March 2022 and 2022/638 of 13 April 2022 amending Decision2014/486/CFSP, which include providing support to law enforcement agencies to facilitate the flow of refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring Member states, the entry of humanitarian aid into Ukraine and advice, training and support to rule of law institutions to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of international crimes; expresses its satisfaction at the re-opening and relaunch of operation activities of the EUAM Headquarters in Kiev and the Field Offices in Lviv and Odessa; stresses the importance of communicating to the Ukrainian people that the EU will remain by their side throughout the period of Russian aggression; calls on the EUAM Ukraine to continue working closely with their Ukrainian counterparts to implement the necessary reforms, ensure significant knowledge and equipment transfer, and continue the work towards an efficient and accountable civilian security sector; welcomes the HR/VP initiative to work towards setting up an EU Military Advisory and Training Mission Ukraine(EUATM), with the aim of coordinating the training of Ukrainian armed forces in the short, medium and long term, calls for this mission to be set up as soon as possible;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)
Paragraph 17 e (new)
17 e. Welcomes the EU’s Climate Change and Defence Roadmap, published in March 2022, which recognizes climate change as a “threat multiplier that fundamentally affects our long-term security”; stresses that climate change threatens global stability, will likely increase crisis situations across the world and affect the operational environments European and Member State security and defence capabilities face; insists that climate change implications are considered during the planning and implementation of CSDP missions and defence research and development; emphasizes the need to support technological innovation, through various EU instruments such as PESCO and the EDF, in the area of security and defence to reduce fossil fuel dependencies and increase energy efficiency; welcomes the decision that all CSDP missions and operations will have environmental advisors as a standard position by 2025;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)
Paragraph 17 f (new)
17 f. Recalls that the EU Gender Action Plan(GAP) III (2020-24) requires a systematic integration of a gender perspective in all EU policies and external actions including the CSDP; regrets that the representation of women in CSDP missions and operations has not changed over the past five years, with women constituting 24% of international staff in civilian missions and 5-6% in military missions and operations[1];welcomes the EEAS Strategy and Action Plan to Enhance Women’s Participation in Civilian CSDP missions 2021 – 2024, and its ambitious target to increase the representation of women to 40% by 2024 across all categories of personnel; calls on the EEAS to report on its progress to the SEDE Subcommittee, calls for similar efforts on the side of the military missions and operations; calls on the Member States to nominate more women candidates for CSDP missions and operations; welcomes the establishment of the Missions and Operations Gender Monitoring Team at the EUMS on the 23 February 2022 with the aim of enhancing gender-related cooperation at the operational level;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 g (new)
Paragraph 17 g (new)
17 g. Recognizes the important role of young people and youth organisations in maintenance and promotion of peace and security; calls for a more systematic implementation of the UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) at EU level;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 h (new)
Paragraph 17 h (new)
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 i (new)
Paragraph 17 i (new)
17 i. Welcomes the importance of situational awareness and strategic foresight rooted in intelligence-based capacities within the Strategic Compass; stresses the significance of accurate and timely intelligence for effective decision- making and crisis management by EU agencies, bodies and institutions; calls for the institution of intelligence units in all CSDP missions and operations which would provide information to the EU Intelligence and Analysis Centre (EU IntCen), EUMS and Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC); underlines the importance of secure communications for reliable intelligence and welcomes efforts to streamline security rules and regulations in this respect to better protect information, infrastructure and communication systems from foreign interference and attacks; calls on Member States to utilise the EU IntCen as an effective intelligence-sharing body to share intelligence safely, formulate a common strategic culture and provide strategic information to better anticipate and respond to crises within and outside the EU;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the fundamental shared democratic values at the heart of the EU and NATO; calls for the deepening of EU- NATO relations, such as throughon the basis of the principles of inclusiveness, reciprocity, mutual openness and transparency, in compliance with the decision-making autonomy and procedures of our respective organisations and without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of any of our members; in this context, underlines the importance of a third Joint EU-NATO Declaration; underlines the need to strongly upgrade the strategic partnership with NATO to base it on the strengthening of political unity and solidarity and enhanced political dialogue on all aspects of common challenges and strategically relevant issues; encourages coordinated responses in conflict prevention and crisis management mechanisms to counter emerging common threats; notes with concern the deep and persistent periods of tension between EU Member States and Turkey, a NATO ally, which hamper cooperation between the EU and NATO;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Welcomes Member States' announcements concerning defence investment plans aimed at military procurement and improvement of their defence forces, strengthening further European security and increasing open strategic autonomy; reiterates the importance of joint procurement of military hardware by EU Member States to enable the purchase of interoperable capabilities, facilitate cost savings, contribute to efficient public spending and avoid competition for the same products;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Stresses the importance of Finland’s and Sweden’s applications to join NATO and their rapid ratification by NATO Allies in order to enhance European security and defence; underscores the significance of close cooperation with NATO allies; emphasises the need to maintain focus on improving common defence capabilities and strategic culture within the EU and addressing the security and defence concerns of Member States which are not part of NATO;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Emphasises the importance of developing coherent, complementary and interoperable defence capabilities to increase the security of the Euro-Atlantic area in line with the principle of the single set of forces; calls for the EU and NATO to maintain global technological leadership in military capabilities; stresses the need to ensure coherence between EU and NATO capability development planning processes; underlines the need for the EU to develop its own defence capabilities and strategic autonomy in order to enhance EU’s capacity to be a stronger partner to its allies;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the participation of the US, Canada and Norway in the PESCO project on military mobility as important to increase coherence between EU and NATO capability development efforts; welcomes the EU-NATO Structured Dialogue on Military Mobility; calls for the strengthening of the Connecting Europe Facility regarding projects in military mobility;
Amendment 447 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges institutionalised security and defence cooperation with the United Kingdom; encourages the United Kingdom to seriously engage with the EU on pressing strategic challenges; encourages the VP/HR to invite the United Kingdom to informal Council meetings of foreign affairs (and defence) ministers to exchange views on issues of common concern;
Amendment 472 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Amendment 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)
Paragraph 26 d (new)
26 d. Laments the use of Russian hypersonic missiles in Ukraine; believes that the European Union should contribute to preventing an international hypersonic missile arms race; suggests an in-depth threat assessment of the use of hypersonic missiles and the dangers they pose to the security of the EU; calls for increased funding in missile defence systems capable to detect, track and intercept hypersonic missiles;
Amendment 481 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 e (new)
Paragraph 26 e (new)
26 e. Condemns the suspected sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea on 26 September and demands that the Union takes effective measures to protect European critical infrastructure, valuable supply chains and democratic institutions from hybrid threats; calls on the EU to put in place effective monitoring and surveillance systems for critical infrastructure such as pipelines and fibre optics cables to ensure the prevention and rapid detection of attacks; welcomes the proposed update of the EU Maritime Security Strategy in the Strategic Compass and stresses the importance of including the protection of undersea infrastructure, such as pipelines and fibre optics cables, as a priority;
Amendment 482 #
26 f. Reaffirms its full support for the EU and its Member States’ commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of the nuclear non- proliferation and disarmament regime; insists on the need to ensure that the EU plays a strong and constructive role in developing and reinforcing global rules- based non-proliferation efforts and arms control and disarmament architecture; expresses deep concern that no outcome was reached at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the NPT due to Russia's unwillingness to join the consensus; considers this as yet another example of Russia’s blatant disregard for the multilateral nuclear non-proliferation order; strongly condemns unlawful and reckless actions of the Russian military forces at and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant;
Amendment 496 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 – indent 4
Paragraph 27 – indent 4
- reinforcing inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation with national parliaments on European security and defence, including through the Inter- Parliamentary Conference on CFSP/CSDP, with the aim of reinforcing accountability and scrutiny of security and defence policy;
Amendment 500 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Stresses the importance of meaningful involvement of the civil society in the formulation and oversight over CSDP;