20 Amendments of Alyn SMITH related to 2015/2002(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation -1 a (new)
Citation -1 a (new)
– having regard to the Treaty on the European Union and in particular to its Articles 2, 8(1) and 21,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the Guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council of 24 June 2013,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was created to strengthen the European Union's (EU) partnerships with neighbouring countries in order to develop an area of shared respect for democracy, human rights, rule of law, stability, security and prosperity;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the neighbourhood is currently in a state of flux and is lesssince the launch of the ENP the neighbourhood has undergone sudden and deep changes and has experienced an overall deterioration of the human rights situation and a reversal of democratisation trends in most countries, with some rare exceptions such as Tunisia; whereas the situation is far from stable and less secure than when the ENP was launched; ; whereas the main challenge of the ENP should be to facilitate the ongoing transition towards inclusive, accountable, stable and viable democracies;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas foreign occupation or annexation remains one of the main obstacles to peace and security in the neighbourhood; whereas the right to self- determination and ownership of natural resources is violated in the territories of Western Sahara and Palestine; whereas the EU has a contrasting approach to cases of occupation, notably in its own neighbourhood; whereas coherence and strict compliance with international law by the EU in relation to cases of occupation or annexation are key to the effectiveness and credibility of the ENP;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas differentiation is needed, especially as the EU neighbourhood has become more fragmented than ever, with the countries differing in many respects, including in their ambitions and expectations as regards the EU; whereas the EU's bilateral relations with ENP countries are at different stages of development; whereas the effective use of the "more for more" principle is of fundamental importance in shaping and differentiating the relations with partner countries;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that respect for the universal fundamental values of human rights, rule of law and democracy on which the EU is founded must remain at the core of the revised policy, and calls for stronger conditionality on respect for these fundamental values;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the renewed policy must be more strategic and coherent, with a real political vision, and politically driven; calls for special envoys to be appointed for the East and the South, with the task of politically coordinating the revised policy, in this regard, on the EU to avoid double standards with regard, in particular, to human rights and frozen or protracted conflicts and must be strictly in line with the international human rights and humanitarian law framework; takes the view that the same principles should apply on these questions to all the partner countries regardless of the parties in power or the geopolitical interests of the EU;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that economic reforms must go along with political reforms and that good governance can only be achieved through an open, accountable and transparent decision-making process based on democratic institutions;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls, in this respect, for consistent implementation of the "differentiated approach" and emphasizes that the principle of "more for more", which is the cornerstone of the revised ENP, implies also "less for less" for those ENP countries that show no will to undertake the agreed reforms;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Insists that the additional assistance provided under the "more for more" principle should be substantial in order to effectively reward and support partner countries which are genuinely committed to and make tangible progress towards democratisation and respect for human rights;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines the continuous need to focus on strengthening and consolidating democracy, the rule of law, the independence of the justice system, and respect for minorities and diversitydiversity and the rights of minorities, including the rights of LGBTI persons, the rights of persons with disabilities, and the rights of persons belonging to ethnic minorities; highlights that capacity-building in national institutions, including their national assemblies, together with support for civil society, pro- democracy groups and political parties, will enhance political dialogue and pluralism;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines the continuous need to focus on strengthening and consolidating democracy, the rule of law, the independence of the justice system, respect for minorities and diversity; emphasises in particular the importance of promoting the rights of women and their equal participation in political, economic, social and cultural affairs; calls on the EU to ensure the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all its policies; highlights that capacity-building in national institutions, including their national assemblies, together with support for civil society, pro- democracy groups and political parties, will enhance political dialogue and pluralism;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses the importance of developing a thriving, and active and independent civil society in the processes of transformation and democratisation, and of monitoring and identifying threats to independent operation of civil society and taking steps to address these threats; underlines the need to support which includes social partners and the business community for the process of transformation and democratisation; underlines the importance of European companies and their role in the promotion and dissemination of international standards for business;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the need to implementapply effective conditionality in relation to reform processeshuman rights, rule of law and democratic reform; emphasises that the EU cannot compromise its fundamental values and should avoid creating double standards; stresses that countries that are making progress in implementing reforms and following European policy should be granted more substantial support; underlines the importance of fully applying the "more for more" principle;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes that security and stability are basic concerns in the neighbourhood and that current developments in the region call for a strong security component in the ENP, which has regrettably been missing to date; recalls that universal values should be at the core of this policy in any circumstances; stresses that ENP efforts in the security field should be pursued in a comprehensive manner, taking into account the root causes of the current instability, including the lack of democratic and inclusive governance, widespread human rights violations and impunity, exclusion or discrimination of entire social groups, pervasive corruption and socio-economic inequalities;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Reminds EU Member States of their obligations under the EU Common Position on arms exports (944/2008), which inter alia requires Member States to deny an export licence for military technology or equipment to any neighbourhood country, if there is a clear risk that the military technology or equipment to be exported might be used for internal repression, in the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law, would provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or conflicts in the country of final destination, or be exported aggressively against another country or to assert by force a territorial claim;
Amendment 515 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls for increasing efforts to boost regional cooperation in the Mediterranean, through greater political support and a revised role of the Union for the Mediterranean, allowing the Secretariat to fulfil its efforts in becoming an effective and dynamic platform for Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and cooperation; calls for greater articulation between the regional dimension of the ENP and the activities of the UfM; expresses the need to follow-up on the commitments and disbursement of funds for the 29 projects, which have been labelled by the UfM since 2008;
Amendment 587 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Stresses that women's rights, gender equality and the right to non- discrimination are fundamental rights and key principles of the EU's external action; believes that this should be given priority within the European Neighbourhood Policy and that EU assessments should include the rights of the LGBTI community and the integration of minorities in political, social and economic life;
Amendment 595 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that high unemployment, social exclusion, corruption and poverty, combined with the low political participation of women, are root causes of instability, and demands engagement beyond the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs); calls, in this regard, on the Commission to monitor closely the implementation of DCFTAs in order to avoid social and environmental dumping; calls for more transparency and engagement of all relevant stakeholders on the process of ENP policy formulation, notably in the areas of trade, investment, energy and migration; calls for systematic impact assessments of trade and investment and migration agreements as well as of EU assistance within the framework of the ENP, notably in relation to human rights, public services, decent work and social development;