26 Amendments of Vincent PEILLON related to 2015/2220(INI)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas Russia and China have strong ties and influence in the region, but there is still great scope for the EU to enhance its action and cooperation with Central Asian countries;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas reaching a common understanding ofspect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights is a basic prerequisitecondition for deeper cooperation between the EU and the five countries of Central Asia in areas of mutual interest, in the very meaning of the term ‘partnership’ as vested in the Partnership Cooperation Agreements; whereas the overall situation of democracy and human rights in the region remains to various degrees poor and deeply worrying;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the level of development aid wasEU development aid to Central Asia, mainly under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), has been increased from EUR 750 million in 2007- 2013 to EUR 1 028 million in 2014- 2020, i.e. by 56 %;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the strong strategic, political and economic interest of the EU in strengthening its bilateral and multilateral relations with all the Central Asian countries, on the basis of common shared values as stated in the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreements between the EU and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and in the agreement not yet in force with Turkmenistan;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates the EU’s strong interest in a peaceful, democratic, stable and economically and environmentally sustainable, inclusive and prosperous Central Asian region, as stated in the strategy of 2007;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Review of the EU-Central Asia strategy conducted by the EEAS, the Commission and the Council in 2015; takes the view, nevertheless, that the priorities, objectives and targets should be better defined and accompanied by benchmarks and indicators in a credible timeframe, in order to identify and correct eventual shortfalls; highlights the importance of making the Strategy consistent with global commitments, in particular with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as adopted on 25 September 2015 at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Agrees that the Strategy adopted in 2007 and the long-term priority areas defined therein (human rights and the, rule of law, good governance and democratization; youth and education; economic development, trade and investment; energy and transport; the environmental sustainability and water; common security threats and challenges; and intercultural dialogue) remain relevant and provide the basis for a concrete and potentially fruitful European engagement in the region, in line with the objectives set in the EU strategy; welcomes, however, the more focused approach of the Strategy Review;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the review is rather ambitious given that the region is not a geopolitical priority for the EU and its Member States, but concurs with the Council’s designation of the region as strategically important, with the conditionof the greatest strategic importance for the region and the challenges it faces; takes the view that democratic transformation shouldencouraged by the EU will lead to improved and stronger political, diplomatic and trade relations; in this context, welcomes the 56 % increase in and more specific focusing of EU development assistance to the region in period 2014- 2020 as compared with the previous period;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Shares the view that a differentiated and, conditional and incentive-based approach should be applied in order to achieve better results both bilaterally and regionally; believes that regional programmes, such as those for border management, drugs and trafficking, transport and energy, should be tailor-made so as to target interested parties, and could therefore benefit from participation inincluding ones from them being confined to a limited or flexible number of countries of the region, possibly also includingroader region, such as Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Azerbaijan;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Takes note ofWelcomes the re-establishment of the post of EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia after a year-long gap, and expects the newly appointed EUSR to make an important contribution to the implementation of the strategy for Central Asian countries by ensuring consistency of the external actions of the Union in the region;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Expresses its deep concern at the growing trend towards clampdown on civil society on the pretext of security and stability, including through doubtful charges of terrorist activity or vague accusations of inciting social hatred;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Recalls that protection and promotion of children's rights is among the key objectives of the EU and calls on the authorities to support its implementation in compliance with international law and standards, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the authorities to make further efforts to protect ethnic and religious minorities and LGBTI persons in Central Asian societies and, to end discrimination against them and to enforce the rights of vulnerable people, in particular of persons with disabilities;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. WStresses that education is one of the key areas for the EU to deploy its action in Central Asia; in this regard, welcomes the commitment of Latvia, with the help of Poland, to lead the regional programme on education; regards investment in inclusive and quality education as the best way to improve the socio-economic situation of the region; points out that such investment should pay special attention to targeting the most vulnerable groups, such as girls, children with disabilities and children belonging to minorities;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Points out that investing in young people should be a key priority in Central Asian countries, given the positive effects in terms of social inclusion, social cohesion and stability; recalls that these factors play a crucial role in preventing the serious problem of radicalisation among youth in the region;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Points out that inclusive and sustainable economic development is among the key priorities of the Strategy; stresses the need for Central Asian countries to promote active policies aimed at poverty reduction and in fighting social exclusion; underlines, in this regard, that the deteriorating economic trends as a consequence of lowering commodity prices, of the devaluation of the Rouble and of the fall in remittances from migrants working in Russia, many of whom are now returning home unemployed, pose serious socio-economic challenges to the region;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on the EU to further its efforts in fostering cooperation among Central Asian states on water management;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Encourages continuing support to disaster risk reduction and resilience building with regards to the serious threats posed by environmental disasters and climate change in the region;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Recognises that the main threats and challenges identified in the Strategy for Central Asia remain relevant; is, however, acutely aware of the additional external pressures stemming from the current security challenges in Afghanistan, as well as the opaque foreign policy of Russia aimed at reintegration of former Soviet space, triggered by the crisis in Ukraine;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Is concerned that stalled and uneventhe lack of socio- economic development, which is stalled and uneven, poor governance and a weak institutional framework, lack of respect for rule of law; unresolved ethnic issues and lack of prospects for orderly succession in the countries of Central Asia are sources of potential instability and extremism;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Is deeply worried about the risk posed by the Islamic State in terms of attracting radicalised youth in the region;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Condemns the excessive use of important international police cooperation mechanisms, such as the Red Notice system of the Interpol, to silence critics of the current Kazakh authorities living and working abroad;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)
Paragraph 34 b (new)
34b. Expresses its high concern over the new draft law on NGOs in Kazakhstan, foreseeing the establishment of a centralised operator, tasked with allocating both government and non- government grants to local NGOs, which would lead to even greater state control over the civil society sector, hindering its independence and often putting its very existence at risk;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Points out that further efforts are needed to develop a fully functioning democracy, despite the initial encouraging signs shown by Kyrgyzstan regarding pursuing democratic reforms and shifting towards a genuine multi-party system, as one of the pilot countries for EU democracy support; is concerned by the recent bills on foreign-funded NGOs and anti LGBTI propaganda;
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Regrets the lack of genuine internal reconciliation in Tajikistan following the civil war of 1992-1997; expresses, in this regard, its deepest concern at the decision to ban the Islamic Renaissance Party, following a worrying trend aimed at suppressing legitimate political forces and silencing critical voices for the sake of security concerns; calls on the Tajik authorities to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee freedom of expression, pluralism and a free and open political environment;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Welcomes progress to ending child labour in the cotton fields and, in particular, the Government's ban in this sense; recalls the importance of monitoring the implementation of such act;