20 Amendments of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2011/2050(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the EU and Russia are mutually dependent and would both benefit from greater economic cooperation; deplores therefore that political relations are often marked by mistrust and rivalry, forming an obstacle to improved trade relations;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Highlights the special role and importance central and eastern European Member States of the EU could play in improving economic and trade relations between the EU and Russia, given their advantage in expertise in overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers between the partners;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out that Russia could become a highly relevant partner for the European Union's trade interests not only in a bilateral dimension but also in a multilateral dimension through its importance in the BRIC(SA) cooperation process and as mediator in the central and far Eastern region; assumes that, once a member of WTO, Russia's influence in this organisation will be considerable;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Considers it a mistake to exclude Russia from the Eastern Neighbourhood, since no problem there can be solved without Russia, while any problem can result in serious conflicts with Russia including a direct impact on trade relations;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Is convinced that the development of Russia and the economic success of its society will also have a strong influence on the security and economic development of the European Union and that consequently a qualitatively new level of economic and trade partnership should be developed, including joint efforts to address common challenges from climate change to stable and sustainable social, financial and economic development;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas these changes, along with the new significance of these challenges and opportunities facingfor the EU-Russia relationship, have to be addressed on both the bilateral and the multilateral level must be discussed together with the new challenges and opportunities and be incorporated in suitable approaches; whereas the basis for a genuine strategic partnership should be an ambitious and comprehensive new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement covering the most important areas of cooperation; whereas the need for building a genuine partnership between the EU and Russian societies should be emphasised;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Observes that trade relations between the EU and Russia are currently severely hindered by excessive formalism; regards corruption, a lack of legal certainty and discrimination based on nationalities as highly adverse to establishing sustainable trade and economic relations;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Emphasizes that trade and economic relations between the EU and Russia should go beyond the activities of a limited number of major corporations and should be expanded with the aim of involving large numbers of small and medium sized enterprises and much larger segments of society; points out that statistics on poverty in Russia display dramatic figures and that overcoming this problem is a key to stability and must be in the core interest of the European Union;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Is unsatisfied with the lack of trade union involvement in the ongoing negotiations; deplores the weakness of civil society structures in Russia and emphasises the importance of active social partners and the efficiency of their organisations for the smooth functioning of economic and trade relations;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Calls on the Commission to seek in public events the advice of Russian think tanks such as the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, the Higher School of Economics, the Institute of Europe and the Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences to develop a common vision for the future of EU-Russia trade relations and to use public fora as a tool for more public support for the improvement of the bilateral relations;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is convinced that a precondition to the development of stable and prospering trade relations with Russia is to address open questions related to the energy supply to Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltic States and that besides the work on the Energy Charta other approaches to solve this problem should also be taken into consideration;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Considers the improvement of visa regulations between the EU and Russia as very important for the building up of broad based trade relations; acknowledges the road map approach pursued by the EU with regard to the Western Balkan countries as a positive example for a way to reach a visa-free regime with Russia one day;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
a) ensure that the new agreement provides a comprehensive and forward-looking framework for the further development of relations with Russia in upcoming years, and take the necessary action to ensure that the negotiations with Russia continue at a steady pace on the basis of a mutually- advantageous balance of interests;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
Paragraph 1 – point d
d) remain vigilant on the requirements that the EU intends to set as rsafeguards respect foring democratic principles, and consider this respect as an absolute prerequisite for the signature of a is an essential framework condition for the development of cooperation on the basis of the new EU-Russia Agreement;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
h) follow closely Russia’s internal evolution, broaden dialogue with Russia’s civil society, the unions, social and environmental movements and all major political protagonists, support institution building in Russia and the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
n) promote strategic partnership between the EU and Russia in meeting global challenges, such as, inter alia, non- proliferation, counter-terrorism, the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the basis of the principles of the UN Charter and existing international law, the security of energy supply, the Arctic dimension, climate change, poverty reduction;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
q) pursue the efforts for full implementation of common steps towards visa-free short-term travel, with a view of a gradual as a first step towards phasing out of the visa regime between the Schengen countries and Russia; facilitate as much and as quick as possible visa facilitation for academics, students and researchers;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point t
Paragraph 1 – point t
t) underline that full compliance by Russia with the WTO rules is a necessary precondition, and minimum standard, for an agreement with the EU; review in this regard existing barriers to the import of Russian goods and services in terms of their conformity to WTO standards and initiate the lifting of these where appropriate;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u
Paragraph 1 – point u
u) insist onwork towards a bilateral agreement between the EU and Russia that in the long run cshould beform the basis for an agreement between the EU and the Russian-led Customs Union;