20 Amendments of Geoffrey VAN ORDEN related to 2016/2238(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to the Interim Guidance of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in May 2002 relating to armed security personnel on board ships,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the array of services provided by PSCs is extremely broad, ranging from logistical services to actual combat support and participation in post- conflict reconstruction; whereas PSCs also provide vital services inside Member States such as running prisons and providing patrol guards at infrastructure sites;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas PSCs have been involved in incidents resulting in loss of life; whereas this has had repercussions on the efforts of the international community in the countries in question and has revealed considerable gaps in accountability structures; whereas this incidents have been prosecuted and it would be erroneous to suggest that PSCs fall outside of the law even if there is less clarity regarding rules of engagement;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
Amendment 103 #
1. Stresses that private security companies play an important role in aiding the state’s military and civilian agencies by closing manpower and capability gaps created by budget cuts andgiven the increasing demand for the use of forces abroad; emphasises the availability of surge capacity at short notice as an additional benefit of the private provision of security services;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises, however, that, particularly in conflict-prone environments, employing a PSC for certain duties can have negative side effects for the EU by accidentally associating it with armed actors in a conflict area, with negative repercussions in the case of armed incidents, or by possibly compromisingcomplicate the situation and sometimes impact on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR) efforts through the inadvertent strengthening of local actors; notes in particular the risks posed by uncontrolled sub-contracting;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends, therefore, that the Commission propose common PSC contracting guidelines that clearly spell out the requirements for international and local PSCs to qualify for EU contracts, with the goal of replacing the current patchwork of approaches; these guidelines should be based both on international best practices in relation to PSC conduct and management, such as the ICoC, and take into account the need for particular care to be taken when selecting local PSCs in a complex post-crisis context; urges the Commission and the EEAS to give clear preference to ICoC-certified providers as is already done by the UN for whom ICoC is a requirement;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Demands thatRecommends the Commission establish a black list of contractors who have demonstrably failed to comply with the EU’'s standards; notes that standards across the EU regarding PSCs vary greatly, with the UK and Sweden leading the way, and believes that other Member States should strive to achieve similar standards while remaining in line with their own constitutional obligations;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that nascent global regulatory frameworks, such as the Montreux document, the ICoC and other regulatory initiatives in the UN framework, constitute clear progress compared to the lack of meaningful regulation that prevailed only ten years ago; notes that as this is a global issue any potential legislation should be introduced by a global organisation, such as the UN;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that the transnational nature of PCSs and, in particular, their activities in areas of the world affected by crisis oftensometimes leads to jurisdictional gaps, particularly were the local legal structure is weak, that could make it difficult to hold the companies or their employees to account for their actions; notes that the national regulation of Private Security Companies often does not have extraterritorial application;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the EU and its Member States to push for an international framework that goes further than the Montreux document, by regulating the activities of PSCs, establishing a level playing field to ensure that host states have the authority to regulate PSCs and contracting states are able to use their power to protect human rights and prevent corruption; emphasises that such a framework must include dissuasive sancBelieves that the Montreux document is a potential basis for further binding international legislations for violations, the accountability ofcusing on those responsible for violations and effective access to remedies for gulating of activictims, in addition to a licensing and monitoring system requiring all PSCs to submit to independent audits and their personnel to participate in mandatory human rights traininges of PSCs;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that one of the most effective ways of influencing PSCs is through public sector procurement decisions; emphasises, therefore, the importance of making the award of contracts to PSCs conditional on the adoption of best practices, such as the ICoC, which some Member Statesthe UN and the US have already implemented; notes, however, that the ICoC compliance mechanism needs to be strengthened and its full independence assured to make it a credible incentive for compliance that of the Member States only Sweden and the UK have signed up to the ICoC and believes that the EU should focus on ensuring that other Member States sign up to this rather than creating its own unnecessary duplication; notes that in contrast to previous attempts to regulate PSCs the ICoC has been accepted by a variety of companies and has the support of states and NGOs, therefore believes that it is a strong basis to build on for further regulation;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes the considerable influence thsome EU and its Member States enjoy over the global security industry as a result of many major players having their headquarters in the EU; therefore places particular emphasis on the upcoming revision of the Common Military List as an opportunity to include certain services provided by PSCs, which would make them subject to export regulations and apply basic standards to their activities abroadnd believes that this can be utilised to expand the international standards for PSCs;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses the leading role of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which should be the key forum in regulation of the international maritime sector;