Activities of Jean LAMBERT related to 2015/2342(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU external action
Amendments (35)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas human mobility isinternational migration occurs primarily within the same region and between developing countries; whereas the doubling of the world's population since 1960 has led to increased human mobility, which is now at an unprecedentedly high level, with of 244 million international migrants, owing to various reasons, including the doubling of the world’s population since 1960; whereas international migration occurs primarily within the same region and between develop; whereas migrant women make up the majority of international migrants in Europe (52.4%) and North America (51.2%); whereas South-South migration flows continued to grow compared to South-North movements: in 2015, 90.2 million international migrants born in developing countries resided in other countries in the Global South, while 85.3 million born in the South resided ing countries in the Global North;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. whereas a billion people could be displaced because of climate change by 2050, with more than 40 per cent of the global population living in areas of severe water stress; whereas already know, climate change has become a major cause for migration; whereas economic losses from natural disasters are likely to increase dramatically from the $300 billion currently lost annually;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. whereas the Court of Auditors has expressed serious doubts on the effectiveness of the EU's external migration spending, including the respect of projects for the human rights of migrants; whereas the Court also found that security and border protection were the predominant element in European migration spending;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. whereas developing a human rights-based migration framework, allowing for the creation and expansion of regular migration channels, including resettlement opportunities for refugees, will enable the EU to draw on the economic and social benefits of mobility;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. whereas the successful implementation of a human rights-based migration policy requires us to challenge negative perceptions of migration and ideas of migration that underpin counterproductive and ineffective security policies, which result in the criminalisation and stigmatisation of migrants, and which have fostered the rise of xenophobia within the European Union;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Considers the EU response to the migration phenomenon with its strong focus on return, border management and development as ill-conceived; underlines the fact that development instruments are inappropriate instruments in order to reduce migration flows in the short and medium term as economic development leads to more not less migration; invites the EU to address much more the main causes of forced displacement which is violent conflicts and negative effects of environmental degradation;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Recognises that children are a significant proportion of migrants and refugees, and specific procedures must be developed and put in place to ensure protection of all children, both unaccompanied and with their parents or other caregivers, regardless of migration status, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas this challenge requires global solutions; whereas, however, 86 % of the world’s refugees live in developing regions, with least developed countries hosting 26 % of the total; whereas the million people who arrived in the EU in 2015 represented 0.2 % of the EU population, compared with much higher percentages in neighbouring countries and in Europe in the 1990s;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a billion people could be displaced because of climate change by 2050, with more than 40 per cent of the global population living in areas of severe water stress; whereas already now, climate change has become a major root cause for migration; whereas economic losses from natural disasters are likely to increase dramatically from the $300 billion currently lost annually;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the European Court of Auditors has expressed serious doubts on the effectiveness of the EU's external migration spending, including the respect of projects for the human rights of migrants; whereas the Court also found that security and border protection were the predominant element in European migration spending;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas violent conflicts constitute the main root cause of forced displacement; whereas the EU response to the increased migratory flows did hardly focus on improving EU crisis management and conflict prevention tools, but focused largely on development instruments;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas economic development of countries leads to increased migration outflows as more people have the means to leave their country; whereas this trend can only be reverted in the long term;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is concerned by the growing tendency to make all EU policies conditional on management ofcooperation on border management, readmission, return and prevention of irregular migration flows and denounces the use of development and humanitarian aid funds in this area;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Expresses concern regarding the negotiation of informal agreements with third countries covering cooperation concerning forced return and readmission to countries of origin or provenance of third-country nationals who do not or who no longer fulfil the conditions for entry, presence or residence in the territory of one of the Member States in the absence of due scrutiny and oversight of the European Parliament, as in the case of the negotiations of the EU-Turkey deal of 18 March 2016 and of the "EU- Afghanistan Joint Way Forward on migration issues" of 4 October 2016; recalls that, in line with Article 218 TFEU, the European Parliament's consent must be obtained prior to the conclusion of association and similar agreements and that the European Parliament shall be immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedure.
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for all agreements with third countries to guarantee that the rights of migrants, whatever their status, are respected and promotes the adoption of appropriate laws, including in respect of asylum; recognises that the rule of law and good governance are essential elements of a state able to deliver on sound asylum policy and combat trafficking in human beings;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses its concern about the treatment of migrants who are sent backforcibly returned to their country of origin or to a third country;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Urges the Commission and Member States to consider the cumulative effect of significant numbers of returns, in conjunction with returns from other countries as well, on the stability of the country to which these returns are being made; recognises that returns must be well prepared and accompanied by effective integration measures to minimise the risk of any conflict: such measures should be supported through specific funding for migration policy and not taken from general development budgets
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Points out the considerable number of "non-removable returnees", i.e. irregular migrants in a return procedure who cannot be returned for varying reasons, ending up in a limbo situation; calls on EU Member States to regularise the situation of these non- removable returnees;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Strongly regrets that the Commission, despite itself regularly putting forward pressing needs, did not propose to increase budgetary means for external action - a budget heading already relatively low, but basically limits itself to transfer funds from development instruments to so-called migration management measures;
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Union and Member States to get involved in the debate on the terms ‘climate refugees’ and ‘environmentally displaced persons’ and to take their responsibilities seriously concerning the challenge of climate change and to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement; calls in particular on the EU to put sufficient means at the disposal of countries affected by climate change in order to help them to adapt to its consequences and to mitigate its effects; urges that this should not happen at the expense of traditional development cooperation aiming at reducing poverty.
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines that jobs and economic opportunities are critical to mitigating the impact of displacement induced vulnerabilities; calls on the EU to help migrants and refugees to move to places offering such opportunities, to help create opportunities in their place of exile (including by removing the barriers and obstacles to access the labour market) and to help them to develop new skills more attuned to the needs of the local labour market;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. StresseConsiders thate EU development cooperation should continue to address the root causes of forced displacement by promoting peace, democracy and security, reducing poveresponse to the migration phenomenon with its strong focus on return, border management and development as ill-conceived; underlines the fact that development instruments are inappropriate instruments in order to reduce migration flows in the shorty and inequality, strengthening basic services, addressing state fragility and promoting humedium term as economic development leads to more not less migration; invites the EU to address much more the main rights and good governance, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 in the new 2030 Agendaoot causes of forced displacement which is violent conflicts and negative effects of climate change;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses nonetheless the need to find political solutions to violent conflicts and to invest in early- warning and conflict- prevention mechanisms so as to reduce them in the future; callasks for the EU to take a more active and effective role of the EU in the field of prevention and mediation; stresse, mediation and reconciliation and appropriate resources in terms of budget and staffing; highlights that the response to forced displacementmigration needs to be rights- based and take account of the population’'s vulnerabilities – in particular as regardsnotably women and minors – and not be limited to humanitarian assistance but also involve development and civil society actors;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that EU external action should be forward-looking instead of mainly reactive with changing objectives in response to new crises; recalls that the migration phenomenon stems from a complex set of causes such as aviolent conflicts, climate change, lack of human rights, growing population, poverty, insufficient job creation, and political instability and climate change;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the EU and Member States to take their responsibilities seriously concerning the challenge of climate change and to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement; calls in particular on the EU to put sufficient means at the disposal of countries affected by climate change in order to help them to adapt to its consequences and to mitigate its effects; urges that this should not happen at the expense of traditional development cooperation aiming at reducing poverty;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls on the EU and Member States to improve means regarding conflict prevention and crisis management; regrets the worrying absence of EU influence on major conflicts like the one in Syria; calls for a further enhancement of EU diplomatic means and improved coordination;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Is strongly concerned by the completely intransparent nature of the Khartoum process and the risks related to the respect of human rights of migrants when engaging with international pariah states like Eritrea and Sudan; underlines that in Sudan at least one Member State has started to cooperate with Sudanese border management authorities, possibly financing them and that a paramilitary force commander, whose troops have been involved in war crimes in Darfur, has claimed receiving EU support and fighting "illegal" migration on behalf of the EU; reminds that returning migrants from Europe to certain States participating in the Khartoum process risks contributing to further instability;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Supports the Commission’´s proposal for a new and ambitious External Investment Plan (EIP) in order to mobilise investments in developing third countries; considers that supporting private sectors in third countries while fostering an environment of good governance and business practices should not be presented as a new measure; notes that the proposed European Fund for Sustainable Development will be partly financed through DCI (Development Cooperation Instrument) allocations, which constitutes a transfer between official development funds to subsidies for the private sector; urges the board of the fund to define stringent social and environmental criteria for the selection of supported projects and to develop relevant administrative capacities in these fields; calls on the Commission to ensure coherence between financing instruments –- for example with the Development Ccooperation Instrument (DCI) and the European Development Fund (EDF) –EDF- and projects in order to focus the EU’s assistance on priorities and to avoid the scattering of funds and efforts;
Amendment 491 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Underlines that without sufficient funding, the EU cannot perform the functions it is expected to, nor meet the expectations of the European people; underlines the political and economic costs of inaction; notes that the mid-term revstrongly regrets that the Commission of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – or the negotiation of the next MFF at the latest – provides a necessary opportunity for the revision of the external instruments related to migration, and also to increase the EU’s budget in such a manner that it would allow an end to ad hoc instruments and restore the unity of the budget, despite itself regularly putting forward pressing needs, did not propose to increase budgetary means for external action - a budget heading already relatively low -, but basically limits itself to transfer funds from development instruments to so-called migration management measures;
Amendment 499 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Underlines that addressing new and chronic disasters and vulnerabilities requires long term predictable investments and the compliance with the new sustainable development agenda, mainly by promoting joint risk assessment, planning and financing between humanitarian, development, peacebuilding and climate change actors;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that the creation of trust funds and ad hoc financial instruments, while helping to mobilise necessary resources and bringing flexibility to EU action, alsopool resources, also puts in danger development effectiveness principles like alignment to country priorities and undermines the unity of the budget and Parliament’s budgetary authority; calls therefore for Parliament’s greater involvement in supervision of these instruments, including by being part of the steering committees; recalls that the effectiveness of trust funds depends heavily on Member States’ readiness to contribute and their full involvement;
Amendment 508 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Reminds that according to Article 21(c) TEU one of the EU's core objectives is to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security; recalls that civilian and military capacities are key elements for the EU, if combined with its economic and trade instruments including targeted sanctions and embargos, to prevent the outbreak of armed conflict, fully respond to crises, build the resilience of fragile countries and partners and protect Europe; notes that it is important to adopt a comprehensive approach which ensures strong coherence between the EU's economic weight as superpower in terms of trade with CFSP and CSDP policies and measures; in this regard, reiterates that the Common Security and Defence Policy needs to be strengthened via increased efficiency and effectiveness, in particular with regard to the aim of increasing synergies by stepping up defence cooperation between Member States;
Amendment 512 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Recalls the UN-EU Strategic Partnership on Peacekeeping and Crisis Management and its priorities for 2015- 2018 as agreed in March 2015; encourages further work by the EU in order to take account of the key role of other organisations and countries and facilitate Member State contributions; deplores that only 11 of 28 EU Member States made pledges at the 28th September 2015 Leader's Summit on Peacekeeping; calls on the EU Member States to significantly increase their military and police contributions to UN peacekeeping missions;
Amendment 522 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. WelcomNotes the use of common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions such as EUCAP SahelAHEL Niger and EUNAVFOR MED, cooperation with NATO, and EU initiatives such as Europol’'s Joint Operational Team (JOT) Mare to gather intelligence and fight smugglers, while underlining that global mobility should not be considered a threat; recommends the use of CSDP tools for and a military response to migration such as EUNAVFOR MED Sophia is morally and legally highly questionable; stresses in this context that the rights of migrants must be of paramount importance in all these operations; recommends more efforts in the field of early warning (forecasting), mediation and conflict resolution, while stressing the importance tof starting to planning for durable solutions as early as possible in conflict situations;
Amendment 533 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Urges the HR/VP, the Commission and the Member States to significantly strengthen civilian conflict prevention structures as well as financial and human resources; is deeply concerned about plans to dissolve the EEAS's only directorate in charge of civilian conflict prevention and calls instead for an increase in numbers of relevant policy planners, mediators and analysts; reminds that the EU Global Strategy calls for investments in conflict prevention but that in reality far reaching cuts have been proposed by both the Commission and the Council on the 2017 budget for the EU's only instrument for conflict prevention (IcSP); stresses the need to redouble efforts in the field of conflict prevention, mediation, reconciliation given the many security challenges in the European neighbourhood and beyond;