7 Amendments of Rebecca HARMS related to 2018/0243(COD)
Amendment 427 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The implementation of this Regulation should be guided by the five priorities established in the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy (the 'Global Strategy')59 , presented on 19 June 2016, which represents the Union's vision and the framework for united and responsible external engagement in partnership with others, to advance its values and interests. The Union should enhance partnerships, promote policy dialogue and collective responses to challenges of global concern. Its action should support the Union’s interests and values in all its aspects, including preserving peace, preventing conflicts, ensuring nuclear safety, strengthening international security, fighting root causes of irregular migration and assisting populations, countries and regions confronting natural or man-made disasters, supporting trade policy, economic diplomacy and economic cooperation, promoting digital solutions and technologies, and fostering the international dimension of Union’s policies. In promoting its interests, the Union should comply with, and promote, the principles of respect for high social and environmental standards, for the rule of law, for international law and for human rights. _________________ 59 "Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe. A global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and Security Policy", June 2016.
Amendment 488 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) The Union should seek the most efficient use of available resources in order to optimise the impact of its external action. That should be achieved through coherence and complementarity among the Union's external financing instruments, notably the Instrument for Pre-Accession III63 , the Humanitarian Aid Instrument64 , the Decision on Overseas Countries and Territories65 , the European Instrument for Nuclear Safety to complement the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument on the basis of the Euratom Treaty66 , the common foreign and security policy and the newly proposed European Peace Facility67 which is financed outside the Union budget, as well as the creation of synergies with other Union policies and Programmes. This includes coherence and complementarity with macro-financial assistance, where relevant. In order to maximise the impact of combined interventions to achieve a common objective, this Regulation should foresee strict conditionalities for suspension of assistance and allow for the combination of funding with other Union Programmes, as long as the contributions do not cover the same costs. _________________ 63 COM (2018) 465 final Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) 64 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid (OJ L 163, 2.7.1996, p. 1). 65 COM(2018) 461 final Proposal for a Council Decision on the Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union including relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other ('Overseas Association Decision'). 66 COM(2018) 462 final Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a European Instrument for Nuclear Safety complementing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument on the basis of the Euratom Treaty. 67 C(2018) 3800 final Proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility.
Amendment 490 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) This Regulation should reconfirm nuclear safety as an important part of the EU external action and facilitate the objectives of cooperation specified in Regulation (EINS). Therefore, in the event where a partner country persistently fails to respect the basic nuclear safety standards, such as provisions of the relevant international Conventions within the Framework of the IAEA, the Espoo and Aarhus Conventions and their subsequent amendments, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the additional Protocols thereto, the commitments to implementation of stress tests and related measures, and the objectives of cooperation specified in Regulation (EINS), assistance under this Regulation for the country concerned should be reconsidered and might be suspended or partly suspended.
Amendment 539 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 32
Recital 32
(32) The types of financing and the methods of implementapplication under this Regulation should be chosen on the basis of their ability topartner’s needs, preferences and specific context, their relevance, sustainability and ability to comply with the development effectiveness principles, achieve the specific objectives of the actions and to deliver results, taking into account, in particular, the costs of controls, the administrative burden, and the expected risk of non- compliance. This should include consideration of the use of lump sums, flat rates and unit costs, as well as financing not linked to costs as referred to in Article 125(1) of the Financial Regulation. Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/10461a of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘the Financial Regulation’). The role of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) as a foundation mandated through the European institutions for the support of democracy, civil society and human rights worldwide should be strengthened and increased under this Regulation. The EED should be given the administrative flexibility and the financial opportunities to disburse targeted grants to civil society actors in the European Neighbourhood standing for the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy – notably where it concerns the development of democracy, human rights, free elections and the rule of law as referred to in Article 17/18 of this Regulation.
Amendment 782 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 b (new)
Article 9 b (new)
Article 9 b Scope of the thematic programmes 1. Thematic programmes shall cover the following areas of intervention: (a) Human Rights, Fundamental Freedoms and Democracy: - protecting and promoting human rights and human rights defenders in countries and urgency situations where human rights and fundamental freedoms are most at risk, including through addressing urgent protection needs of human rights defenders in a flexible and comprehensive manner. - upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, contributing to forging societies in which participation, non-discrimination, equality, social justice and accountability prevails. - consolidating and supporting democracy addressing all aspects of democratic governance, and supporting credible, inclusive and transparent electoral processes, in particular by means of EU Election Observation Missions (EU EOMs). - supporting the fundamental right to vote and to be elected through the support of citizen election observation organisations and their regional networks worldwide. - promoting effective multilateralism and strategic partnerships contributing to reinforcing capacities of international, regional and national frameworks and empowering local actors in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law. - fostering new cross-regional synergies and networking among local civil societies and between civil society and other relevant human rights bodies and mechanisms so as to maximise the sharing of best practices on human rights and democracy, and create positive dynamics .(b) Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities: - supporting inclusive, participatory,empowered and independent civil society in partner countries; - promoting dialogue with and between civil society organisations; - supporting capacity building of local authorities and mobilising their expertise to promote a territorial approach to development; - increasing awareness, knowledge and engagement of Union citizens about objectives specified in Article 3 of this Regulation. (c) Stability and Peace: - assistance for conflict prevention, peace- building and crisis preparedness; - assistance in addressing global and trans-regional threats and emerging threats; (d) global challenges: - health, - education, - women, - children and youth, - migration and forced displacement, - decent work, social protection and inequality, - culture, - ensuring a healthy environment and tackling climate change, - sustainable energy, - sustainable and inclusive growth, decent jobs and private sector engagement, - food and nutrition, - promoting inclusive societies, good economic governance, and transparent public finance management. (e) Foreign Policy Needs and Priorities: - providing support for the Union's bilateral, regional and inter-regional cooperation strategies, promoting policy dialogue and developing collective approaches and responses to challenges of global concern; - providing support for Union trade policy; - contributing to the implementation of the international dimension of internal Union policies and promoting the widespread understanding and visibility of the Union and of its role on the world scene; 2. Further details of the areas of cooperation referred to in paragraph 3 are set out in Annex III.
Amendment 857 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 a (new)
Article 15 a (new)
Article 15 a Suspension of assistance Without prejudice to the provisions on the suspension of aid in agreements with partner countries and regions, where a partner country persistently fails to observe the principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the nuclear safety standards, the Commission shall be empowered, in accordance with Article 34, to adopt delegated acts amending Annex VII a by adding a partner country to the list of partner countries for which Union assistance is suspended or partly suspended. In the case of a partial suspension, the programmes for which the suspension applies shall be indicated. Where the Commission finds that the reasons justifying the suspension of assistance no longer apply, it shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 34 to amend Annex VII a in order to reinstate Union assistance.
Amendment 1225 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex III – point 1 c (new)
Annex III – point 1 c (new)
1c. Consolidating and supporting democracy, addressing all aspects of democratic governance, and supporting credible, inclusive and transparent electoral processes, in particular by means of EU EOMs. Democracy shall be strengthened by upholding the main pillars of democratic systems, including the rule of law, democratic norms and values, independent media, accountable and inclusive institutions including political parties and parliaments, and the fight against corruption. Election observation plays a full part in the wider support of the democratic processes. Within that context, EU election observation shall continue to be a major component of the programme as well as the follow-up to recommendations of EU EOMs. The capacity and visibility of citizen election observation organisations in the European Neighbourhood East and South and of the respective regional platform organisations shall be strengthened through the introduction of a sustainable peer-learning programme for independent, non-partisan citizen election observation organisations. This programme will improve the capacities of domestic citizen election observation organisations, provide voter education, media literacy, programmes for the monitoring of the implementation of domestic and international election observation missions’ recommendations, will defend credibility and trust in the institutes of election and of election observation. The programme shall be managed and guided by the European Endowment for Democracy and shall be earmarked with a funding of not less than 10 mio € annually.