Activities of Timothy Charles Ayrton TANNOCK related to 2017/2121(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy - Annual report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy - Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) – opening a new chapter in European Security and Defence Policy (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Annual Report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy PDF (356 KB) DOC (73 KB)
Amendments (46)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regard to the EU-NATO joint declaration of July 2016 in Warsaw;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Emphasises that Member States must change their mentality from a national to a European perspective, as the most effective solution to protect Europe from increased threats is common EU action; is concerned about the EU’s security architecture, which remains fragile in the face of continued and fresh challenges every day and in which a ‘hybrid peace’ has become an unsatisfactory reality; urges the Member States to take action and fulfil the wishes of those European citizens who have repeatedly stressed that EU foreign and security policy is the most important and most necessary of all EU policiethe EU's foreign and security policy can be an important means for advancing multilateral, shared concerns and as an effective solution to protecting Europe from increased threats;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Believes that the European Union and its Member States must develop effective foreign, security, and defence policies which respect national interests but also seek to work together with NATO and other international partners, the United Nations, NGOs, human rights defenders, and others on issues of shared concern and in order to promote peace, prosperity, and stability around the world;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view that, in order for the EU and its Member States to succeed in addressing the challenges it faces, and in particular security threats, it needs to both be an effective global player andthey need to focus its resources on strategic priorities;
Amendment 40 #
– coordination of an assessment of profound threats and challenges within the EUrecognition that the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union can only operate effectively where there is common understanding and perception of threats between Member States,
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – indent 2
Paragraph 3 – indent 2
– consolidation and deepening of the European project through enhanced EU capabilitiesordination of an assessment of profound threats and challenges within the EU, like terrorist and hybrid threats, including information warfare,
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises that the EU’s foreign and security policy ambitions must not adopt a one size fits all approach and must therefore be more flexible and responsive to changing situations in its eastern and southern neighbourhoods in particular; further encourages consideration of the policy of less for less with regard to those countries which go into reverse in terms of governance, democracy, and human rights;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Welcomes the EU Global Strategy’s commitment to NATO as the cornerstone of Europe’s collective security, and to strengthening the United Nations as the bedrock of international order;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that guaranteeing the security of EU citizens and the integrity of the EU’s territory, stabilising the neighbourhood and preserving a rules- based, cooperative international order are the key conditions for the stability of the EU; recognises that the EU’s objectives in this regard - diplomacy, state institution building, economic and trade cooperation, security, and development aid - are increasingly taking place in conflict zones, thereby undermining the opportunities for success;
Amendment 77 #
5. Is of the view that, in an international environment that is increasingly conflict-ridden and unstable, only a joint soft power with credible hard power can confront major security challenges, notably the refugee crisis, terrorism, conflicts in the Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods, proxy wars and, hybrid and information warfare, andthe challenging assertggressive behaviour by Russia and ChinaNorth Korea and increasingly assertive policies of China, as well as the deteriorating relationship with Turkey; takes the view that it is necessary to tackle the root causes of instability, conflict, and of forced and irregular migration, namely poverty, the lack of economic opportunities, armed conflicts, bad governance and climate change, human rights abuses, inequality, corruption, natural disasters and climate change; recognises that such challenges must be met through enhanced cooperation by Member States through NATO;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines the need to intensify the fight against Islamist terrorism in the Southern neighbourhood and among the neighbours of our neighbours, as well as targeting those groups which seek to encourage EU citizens to fight for their extremist cause; urges the need for concerted diplomatic efforts on the part of the EU, the US and other international allies, to convince players in the region, such as Turkey, the Gulf states and Iran, of the need for a common strategy to address this global challenge; believes that these diplomatic efforts should be accompanied by the wide range of other tools and instruments at the EU’s disposal; underlines strengthening cooperation with countries experienced in combatting terrorism, like Israel and Morocco;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that a sustainable political solution to the Syrian crisis needs to be based on an inclusive, Syrian-led political settlement involving all relevant national and international stakeholders, and continues to urge all members of the UN Security Council, in particular Russia and China to honour their responsibilities with regard to the crisis; supports the call of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria on the ceasefire guarantor states to undertake urgent efforts to uphold the ceasefire regime; further encourages the expansion of the EU sanctions regime to cover more people and organisations responsible for human rights violations in Syria; calls on all parties involved, inside and outside Libya, to support both the Libyan political agreement signed on 17 December 2015 and its resulting Presidential Council, which is the only authority recognised by the international community and by the UN; underlines that solving the Libyan crisis is a prerequisite for stability in the Mediterranean;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Condemns the repeated use by Russia of its veto powers on the United Nations Security Council and considers it undermines international efforts for peace and conflict resolution in Syria and the European Union’s southern neighbourhood more widely;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls for international investigation into the crimes against humanity committed in Syria, especially mass murders in Saydnaya prison;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Acknowledges that further efforts should be made to make legal migration and mobility possible, including at bilateral level, by fostering well-managed mobility between and within continents, as well as encouraging policies that promote regular channels for migration; underlines the efforts undertaken by individual Member States in this regard; notes that the European Union has struggled to find a unified position on dealing with the migration crisis and that the EU's provision of aid to the victims of disasters, refugees and others in need has delivered mixed results;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Encourages the European Union and its Member States to distinguish more clearly between refugees fleeing persecution and conflict, and those doing so for purely economic reasons;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Strongly believes that a new approach to the EU’s relations with its Eastern neighbours is needed; believes that supporting those countries that wish to have closer ties to the EU must be a top priority for EU foreign policy; welcomes the prolongation of sanctions against Russia and stresses the need to clearly acknowledge European aspirations of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine; welcomes the prolongation of sanctions against individuals and entities in Russia in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and deliberate destabilisation of Ukraine and continues to see full implementation of the Minsk agreements as the basis for a sustainable political solution to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine; reiterates its commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders; stresses that Russia’s decision of 21 March 2014 to incorporate Crimea into the Russian Federation remains illegal, and deplores the subsequent decision of the Russian authorities to give all inhabitants of Crimea Russian passportsforcefully impose Russian passports on all inhabitants of Crimea and strongly condemns rusification policies resembling those used in the past;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises the importance of selective engagement and, where possible, dialogue with Russia so as to ensure accountability and to maintain the possibility of future cooperation on resolving global crises where there is a clear EU interest, but regrets that Russia today is more autocratic internally and more aggressive towards its neighbours than at any time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Condemns unreservedly Russian aggression in Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea and the Russian-sponsored conflict in the east of Ukraine, and calls on EU Member States and the international community to speak with one voice in sending a clear message to the Russian Government that its actions will have costs and consequences; further demands a de-escalation of the current crisis and insists that the EU and its Member States work with international partners to put diplomatic, political, economic and other pressures on the Russian Government to end its aggression; reiterates its call to immediately release all political prisoners held in Russia and in the occupied territories;
Amendment 188 #
10b. Strongly supports all efforts for a lasting peaceful solution respecting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and which ensures a stable, prosperous and democratic future for all its citizens;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Calls for more active and effective role of the international community, including the UN and EU, in resolution of the conflict in the east of Ukraine in particular by deployment - with consent of Ukrainian authorities - of an armed peace-building and peace-keeping missions covering the whole territory, which would exclude participation of the aggressor;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reiterates the need for a strategic refocus on the Western Balkans, giving a fresh impetus to EU enlargement policy based on a strict application of the Copenhagen criteria and strengthening the rule of law and the resilience of state institutions; further believes that the stability of the Western Balkans must continue to be a major priority for the European Union; is convinced that regional reconciliation and integration through the transatlantic institutional architecture is the best means to address the dangers stemming from destabilising foreign interference, organised crime, disinformation and hybrid threats; in this regard welcomes Montenegro’s accession to NATO;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for stronger support for the neighbours of our neighbours, in particular in Africa, where close cooperation between European and local small and medium- sized enterprises and support for African countries in building democratic, transparent and effective institutions, and measures to mitigate the impact of climate change are needed; considers international cooperation and development and environment policies to be fundamental instruments for achieving such objectives and urges the need for improved, efficient and effective allocation and use of EU funding and for greater synergies with other international organisations; emphasises the need to address the major security threats in the Sahel, Sahara, Lake Chad, Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions with a view to eradicating the terrorist threat posed by ISIL/Da’esh, al- Qaeda and Boko Haram, or any other affiliated terrorist groups;
Amendment 226 #
12a. Encourages the development of a coherent, robust strategy for the Sahel region aimed at improving governance and the accountability and legitimacy of state and regional institutions, boosting security, tackling radicalization, the trafficking of people, arms and drugs, and strengthening economic and development policies;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Recognises that climate change could have a series effect on regional and global stability, as global warming disputes over territory, food, water, and other resources weaken economies, threaten regional security, and act as a source of migratory flows; further encourages the EU and its Member States to consider how national and EU military planning can include climate change adaption strategies and what would be considered an appropriate capability, priority, and response;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Encourages a renewed relationship between the EU, its Member States, and Iran with both sides working closely on bilateral and multilateral issues to ensure a more stable region and effective implementation of the nuclear deal; deplores, however, Iranian actions aimed at destabilising the region;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recommends an updated strategy for EU-Asia relations; voices support in this context for stronger cooperation within the framework of the Asia-Europe Meetings, including in terms of its parliamentary dimension; encourages support for closer regional cooperation and trust-building measures in South Asia with a view to reducing tensions between India and Pakistan; recommends continued support for EU peace mediation in the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process; recommends developing an updated EU strategy for the North-East Asia region in the light of the continued military build-up by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK); further encourages the EU and its Member States to work with international partners in Asia in order to uphold international law, including in the South China sea, and in order to address issues relating to the protection of human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Stresses that preserving peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region is of substantial interest to the EU and its member states; calls for all parties concerned in the region to solve differences through peaceful means and to refrain from taking unilateral actions to change the status quo, including in the East and South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, in order to safeguard regional security; acknowledges the continued good will and flexibility shown by the government of Taiwan in maintaining cross-Strait relations and encourages the resumption of bilateral dialogues, which will be conducive to regional peace and stability; reiterates its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and activities;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Urges the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to adopt an EU comprehensive approach at every relevant opportunitywhere appropriate, and believes that coherent, coordinated action across EU polices, in particular in the areas of humanitarian aid, development, trade, energy, climate and science, should be applied in the EU’s external action in a consistent and structured manner, while respecting the right of Member States to make their own decisions when it is their national interest to do so; believes that energy security and climate diplomacy remain important aspects of the EU’s common foreign and security policy to be addressed as part of the comprehensive approach, and that the Energy Union should be further advanced;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Strongly supports the strengthening of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as an important governing principle in the European Union and its Member States’ work across the conflict spectrum, as well as on human rights and development;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Recognises that climate change could have a serious effect on regional and global stability, as global warming affects disputes over territory, food, water and other resources, weakens economies, threatens regional security, and is a source of migratory flows; further encourages the EU and Member States to consider how national and EU military planning can include climate change adaption strategies and what would be considered an appropriate capability, priority, and response;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes the view that the EU institutions must work more effectively with Member States in order to improve their capacity to anticipate conflicts and crises; believes that the EU needs to be able to react more swiftly and effectively to developing crises and should place a greater emphasis on preventing conflicts at an early stagetakes the view that in order to achieve greater capabilities to deal with current crises and anticipate future threats Member States must increase their defence expenditure in line with the two per cent GDP NATO commitment;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. CWelcomes actions taken by individual Member States in the area of combatting propaganda, disinformation, and other hybrid threats; reiterates its calls on the VP/HR, the Commission and the Member States to step up their efforts to increase the EU’s ability to confront hybrid threats, including by allocating more resources and turning Stratcom task force into a fully-fledged unit within the EEAS; calls, in this regard, for the development of joint, comprehensive risk and vulnerability analysis capacities and methods and for bolstering the EU’s strategic communication capabilities;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is of the view that Europe’s power lies in its ability to build a community of values and culture that binds together all Europeans; believes in that context that the EU plays a major role as a promoter of democracy and should continue to promote its values outside the EU but believes current crises have exposed weaknesses in the EU and its structures, and calls on Member States to cooperate more effective to address common challenges; highlights that cultural diplomacy should become a substantial part of the EU’s external action and urges the Commission to foster the development of ambitious science diplomacy;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for the industrial and technological resources needed to improve cyber security to be developed, including through the promotion of a single market for cybersecurity products; emphasises the need to mainstream cyber defence into external action and common foreign and security policy, and calls for closer coordination on cyber defence with NATObetween EU Member States, EU institutions, NATO, the United States and other credible partners as Israel and Taiwan;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Notes that information and cyber warfare, stemming mainly from Russia and China and targeting European Union Member States and other Western countries, individuals, and organisations, is a deliberate attempt at a state and non- state level to destabilise and discredit political, economic, and social structures;
Amendment 309 #
18b. Emphasises that the security of EU Member States who are also members of NATO is guaranteed under Article 5 of the Alliance;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses the role of independent media both on and offline in promoting cultural diversity and intercultural competences, and the need to strengthen such media as a source of credible information, especially in the EU and its neighbourhood, and to further strengthen the EU’s capacity to fight fake news and disinformation; highlights in this context the need to develop stronger resilience at EU level against such information spread over the Internet; calls on the Commission to coordinate better with the EEAS and Member States on those issues;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Believes that Europe should consider increased defence cooperation with European security priorities in mind, including territorial integrity, the link between external and internal security, and risk control in the periphery of Europe; welcomhen it is in the strategic interest of Member States to do so; notes in this context the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence; considers that the European Defence Agency (EDA) capabilities and permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) should be used to their full potentialconsidered only on the basis of unanimity among EU Member States;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Encourages a review of the EU’s approach to civilian CSDP missions from the nature of interventions to their objectives and the people involved, in order to ensure they are properly devised, implemented, and supported;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Strongly supports the 2016 Warsaw Summit Declaration, particularly on EU-NATO cooperation and welcomes decisions on closer cooperation between NATO and the EU in numerous areas as well as placement of US, Canadian and other multinational forces at the Eastern flank of the EU;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the EU to continue to deepen the transatlantic partnership, while focusing on creating own capabilities to better address regional and international conflicts that have an impact on the EU; believes that the EU and US should focus on adapting transatlantic structures to today’s challenges, such as defending human rights, combatingtackling climate change, combating corruption, international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and countering third- party countries’ efforts to destabilise the EU and NATO;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Believes that Europe must build a virtuous alliance between the private and public sectors and should develop a strategic relationship with the US, being the EU’s most important partner in terms of economic and security cooperation; further stresses the importance of continued cooperation between the EU and US bilaterally and through NATO on issues such as Syria, Ukraine, Libya, Iran, North Korea and relations with Russia;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Recognises the need to look for creative solutions for cooperation between the EU and the UK in the area of the CFSP/CSDP;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls for increased inter institutional intelligence sharing and coordination between the EU, Member States and NATO, and insists that the EU, Member States and NATO must continue to cooperate as closely as possible in a complementary manner; acknowledges that information sharing and coordinated action between the EU, Member States and NATO will produce results in areas such as response to hybrid threats, situational awareness, resilience building, strategic communications, cybersecurity and capacity building vis-à-vis the EU’s partners; believes that further coordination and closer cooperation with other existing multilateral entities such as Eurocorps is needed in order to increase the EU’s security;