Activities of Thijs REUTEN related to 2022/2142(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation of passerelle clauses in the EU Treaties
Amendments (14)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. Whereas a growing number of threats, including the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the continued rise of global authoritarianism, the assertive foreign policy of the People’s Republic of China, the climate emergency, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, are profoundly reshaping the EU’s immediate geopolitical environment; whereas the proliferation of new and emerging challenges requires the EU to be in a position to act in a swift and decisive manner in its external action; whereas the present de facto requirement of Council unanimity in all matters under Title V TEU severely hampers the Union’s ability to pursue this objective;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the potential for fast, efficient and effective foreign policy, security and defence action, as set out in the Lisbon Treaty, has only been used in a very limited wayparticular in Article 48(7) and Article 31(3) TEU, has yet to be ovper the past decadeationalised due to a lack of political will from the Member States;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the use of passerelle clauses would immediately boostenhance the efficiency of decision-making in the field of the EU’s common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and would be highly appropriate given; whereas doing so would allow the EU to respond more swiftly and decisively to the dramatic change to the European security environment as a result of the Russian warFederation’s war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Strongly believes that the Council’s unanimity-based decision- making process in matters falling under Title V TEU is deeply inadequate to effectively respond to emerging international challenges and crises and shape the EU’s pro-active and decisive external action on the global stage;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. RegretsDeplores the fact that passerelle clauses have never been used in the field of the CFSP, even though due to Member States’ lack of political will and contrary to the Parliament’s clear position on the matter; takes the view that emerging global challenges and the Union’s immediate geopolitical environment, notably the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has, clearly called fornecessitate the EU to adopt swifter and more efficient and swift decision- making processes;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Calls on the Member States to demonstrate the political will to overcome the practice of imposing vetoes on matters related to the Union's external action for purposes of obtaining concessions in unrelated policy areas;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the Swedish Council Presidency to follow up on the Czech initiative in an effective way by putting the useinitiative of the Czech Council Presidency in an effective way, starting with the addition of the use of passerelle clauses in the field of the CFSP on the agendaand relevant Commission external action to the agenda of the first Council meeting following the adoption of the present report;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Recalls that Article 48(7) and Article 31(3) TEU contain passerelle clauses that can enable switching from unanimity to qualified majority voting in areas that fall under Title V TEU; calls on the Member States to make full use of the passerelle clauses, in particular that contained in Article 31(3) TEU, without further delay, especially in priority areas;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urges the Member States to switch to QMV for decisions in all areas of the CFSP, starting within a year with priority areas such as the EU global human right and relevant Commission areas of external action, starting within a year by activating the passerelle clauses for priority areas; insists that these priority areas include all decision-making regarding the Union’s sanctions regimes, restrictive measures and other instruments linknotably the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, as well as any measures related to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and interim steps in the enlargement process; stresses that unanimity decisions should remain required for the creation and deployment of military missions or operations under the common security and defence policy (CSDP); , including restrictive measures, defence assistance, and financial and economic support, and interim steps in the EU accession process; urges Member States to give consideration to switching to QMV for relevant Council decisions pertaining to the common security and defence policy (CSDP) with the exception of the mutual defence clause in Article 42(7) TEU; encourages the consideration of the use of QMV in situations where passerelle clauses do not apply and for the creation and deployment of military missions under the CSDP that do not involve an executive mandate;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Urges the Council to make greater use of the flexibility provided for in Article 31(2) TEU; calls on the European Council to explore the adoption of a greater number of decisions regarding the EU’s CFSP and relevant Commission external action as relating to the Union’s strategic interests and objectives under Article 22(1) TEU, whether concerning the relations of the Union with a specific country or region or thematic in approach, thereby enabling qualified majority voting under Article 31(2) TEU;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Encourages, pending the activation of the passerelle clauses and the full application of qualified majority voting in all areas of the CFSP and relevant Commission areas of external action, the use of constructive abstention in line with Article 31(1) TEU;
Amendment 53 #
3 c. Invites the Member States, where appropriate, to make greater use of enhanced cooperation in the fields of CFSP and relevant Commission external action and consider the adoption of decisions in line with the provisions for qualified majority voting set out in Article 333(1) TFEU and Article 330 TFEU;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Insists that any activation and implementation of passerelle clauses regarding Title V TEU may not delay, nor form a pretext for any lack of political will to facilitate, convening a convention by activating the procedure for revising the Treaties provided for in Article 48 TEU, with the objective of, inter alia, enshrining qualified majority voting for all matters relating to the EU’s CFSP and relevant Commission areas of external action in the Treaties;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates the need for strong parliamentary oversight of the CFSP and CSDP, CSDP, and Commission external action to ensure accountability and democratic legitimacy; calls on the Council, Commission and European External Action Service to proactively engage with Parliament and keep it informed; commits itself to improving the efficiency of its oversight mechanisms, so as to potentiallyin particular where doing so could contribute to speeding up decision-making within the Council.