Activities of Liisa JAAKONSAARI related to 2015/2001(INI)
Plenary speeches (4)
State of EU-Russia relations (debate) FI
State of EU-Russia relations (debate) FI
State of EU-Russia relations (debate) FI
State of EU-Russia relations (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the state of EU-Russia relations PDF (147 KB) DOC (91 KB)
Amendments (31)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, in reaction to and despite Russia’s aggression against Georgia and violation of its territorial integrity in 2008up to now, the EU has opted for an increased cooperation model as a way to appease Russia; whereas, in line with this, rather than taking restrictive measurebuild good neighbourly relations with Russia; whereas, in line with this, a series of generous initiatives for deeper cooperation – such as the common spaces, the Partnership for Modernisation, the negotiations on a Nnew EU-Russia Agreement, and the Human Rights dialogue – have been launched or deepened;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Russia and the EU cooperate constructively and for the benefit of their citizens in the Arctic region, in the Northern Dimension Partnerships and in cross-border cooperation;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Russia has – by illegally annexing Crimea and waging an undeclared war against Ukraine, with the direct participation of Russian military units, and by deliberately destabilising this neighbouring sovereign and independent country – profoundly and for a long time- damaged its relationship with the EU by jeopardising the basic principles of Europe’s security order and by breaking its international commitments, notably under the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the Budapest Memorandum;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Russia is the instigator of and, directly or indirectly, party to a number of ‘frozen conflicts’ in its neighbourhood – in Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhasia, and Nagorno Karabakh – that constitute serious impediments to the development and stability of the neighbouring countries concerned;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas these restrictive targeted measures are not directed against the Russian people but aim at stimulating a change in Russian policy towards, and actions in, the common neighbourhood; whereas thea differentiation in sanctions cshould be lifted, partially or fully, as soon as Russia commits itself to implementing, fully and honestly, the provisions of the Minsk agreements and the return of Crimea toenvisaged between the sanctions imposed in response to the annexation of Crimea where no change is expected in the short term and sanctions related to the destabilisation in eastern Ukraine;, whereas the sanctions will be strengthened should Russia chose to do otherwise and refrain from taking any positive step to change its policyich can be gradually scaled down and lifted if Russia demonstrates a significant and measurable progress in implementation of the Minsk agreement;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU has firmly supported Russia’s accession and participation in different international organisations and fora, such as the G8, the G20 and the WTO; whereas this strategy of including Russia in international decision-making bodies has not had the results expected but instead created tensions owing to Russia’s habit of breaching rules, e.g. itRussia’s non-compliance with WTO standards and obligations (by introducing a number of discriminatory measures against individual EU Member States and other countries in its neighbourhood), and its failure to implement more than a thousand judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, etc.pose deep concerns and obstacles to advance in closer cooperation between the two economic areas - the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union (EUEA);
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas in June 2013 Russia passed a law banning the distribution of information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) relationships to children; whereas the law effectively legalizes discrimination based on sexual orientation; whereas its passage led to a ratcheting up of homophobic rhetoric in state media and an increase in homophobic violence around the country; whereas the Russian authorities have largely failed to effectively tackle the spread of homophobic violence and in some cases public officials engaged in explicit anti-LGBTI hate speech;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas Russia and the EU face common global challenges as the new types of threats of terrorism, extremism, of climate change and new technological developments;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas Russia has been constructive in the recent Iran negotiations;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas Russia has developed policies and instruments for, and became an active user of, a new type of hybrid warfare, deliberately blurring the lines between military/paramilitary activity and political activism, employing a mix of weaponised information (informationwhich is deliberately altered and aired to inflict damage to societal, political and institutional structures), using professional instigators of insurgency in foreign countries, targeting local minority- language groups abroad for destabilisation, controlling information space and combining cyber warfare with military means;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas due to the current conflict, renewed trust-building is essential;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines that EU-Russia relations should be cooperative, based on both parties' international commitments and on mutual respect; emphasises that due to the current crisis, renewed trust-building is essential; therefore, calls on Russia to adhere to its commitments made in the Minsk II agreement which has been endorsed by the UN Security Council and to fully implement its commitments in the agreed time frame;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Stresses the need for a comprehensive approach in the re-design of EU-Russia relations by also bearing a long-term perspective in mind; notes the geographically based interdependence of Russia and the EU and therefore, encourages both, Russia and the EU, to find together new ways to a good and secure future neighbourhood;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Recommends to concentrate on those areas where the EU and Russia cooperation has been constructive and therefore, successful, for example in the Northern Dimension Partnerships, cooperation in the Arctic region, cross- border cooperation and in the Iran negotiations;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Is of the opinion that Russia and EU share common global challenges as the new types of threats of terrorism, of extremism, of climate change and new global technological developments which only can be addressed in a positive spirit of cooperation and collaboration;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Is of the opinion that, in the long run, a constructive and predictable relationship between the EU and Russia is possible, for the benefit of both partners, especially in view of the existing political, trade and energy relations, people-to- people contacts and of the common challenges and interests on the world scene;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that EU-Russia relations must henceforth be based on the rule of law and on preconditioned dialogue, whereby the EU would be ready to relaunch cooperation with the authorities in Moscow on the condition that Russia unambiguously and without pretence takes its share of responsibility and fully implements the Minsk Agreements; stresses that in order to ensure that such a dialogue – if renewed (for which the return of Crimea to Ukraine would be a prerequisite) – is not conducted at the expense of European values, standards and international commitments, it would be necessary tothe EU should be ready to re-engage with Russia on a number of issues, including high-level political dialogue, cooperation in tackling regional and global foreign policy challenges, creation of a common economic space ‘from Lisbon to Vladivostok’, sectorial cooperation, including in energy area, visa facilitation agreement, climate change, environment, resumption of the Partnership for Modernization and Erasmus + program on the condition of Russia´s implementation of the Minsk agreements, respect for international law and OSCE-based European specify very clearly the EU’s expectations of Russia, along with the retaliatory measures it would take should Russia not keep to its commitmenturity order and ending of destabilising military and security activities at the EU MS borders;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for an intensification of dialogue with Russia on tackling major regional and global challenges, such as the rise of the Islamic State or Daesh in Syria and Iraq; believes that Russia has a major role to play to contribute to a political solution to the civil war in Syria; believes that the counter-terrorism cooperation with Russia is an important part of an overall effort to tackle the challenge of the violent extremism; stresses that such cooperation should adhere fully to the international human rights standards;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Welcomes Russia´s constructive role in the nuclear negotiations with Iran aimed at ensuring the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran´s nuclear program; calls for Russia´s continued engagement in talks;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Notes that Russia, as a member of the Middle East Quartet and UN Security Council, has an important contribution to make to the Middle East Peace Process; calls on the EEAS and EU MS to work with Russia to encourage the de- escalation of tensions and taking steps to revive the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian autonomy;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to explore ways of possible engagement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which has a direct impact on the EU´s economic relations with Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia; emphasises that the cooperation with the EEU can only be based on the non- negotiable principle of free choice to join political or economic organisations for all partners in the common neighbourhood;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Commends the solidarity and the unity demonstrated by the Member States in the context of Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine, allowing the adoption and further extension of responstrictive measures; calls on the Member States to consider as an absolute priority the preservation of this unity; reiterates that unity and solidarity amongst the Member States, as well as between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, is essential for ensuring the effectiveness of the EU’s policies and its ability to withstand external challenges and pressures;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Renews its call for the development of EU reconnaissance capabilities of weaponised information and the preparation of information contingency plans, including the strengthening of analytical and monitoring capabilities, especially in the Russian language, in order to be able to identify, and respond swiftly and appropriately to, purposefully biased information; calls on the Commission to earmark without delay adequate funding for concrete projects aimed at countering Russian propaganda within the EU and abroad; calls on the Commission and the Member States to devise as well a mechanism for the collection, monitoring and reporting of financial, political or technical assistance provided by Russia to political parties and other organisations within the EU, with a view to assessing its involvement in, and influence over, political life and public debate in the EU;
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates that uncompromising respect for the rule of law is a core and founding principle of the EU, and rejects past attempts to put forward pragmatic interpretations of the rules to accommodate Russia as a trade partner; calls, therefore, on the strict, swift and unconditional applic; calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to stress the need for Russia to fully comply with its WTO commitments, end all unjustified trade restriction measures, approach constructively the WTO membership aspirations of the rule of law – in the event of any breach of the rules – and of the principle of free and fair competition, including in the proceedings against GazpromWTO candidate countries, comply with the EU energy legislation, provide non-discriminatory access to Russia´s energy market;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on improving the transport cooperation between the EU and Russia, including the phasing-out of Siberian overflight fees;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Calls on strengthening people-to- people contacts in the fields of individual mobility, education, culture, science and research;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Is deeply concerned with Russia´s support for and financing of radical and extremist parties in the EU Member States; considers a recent meeting in St Petersburg of the far right parties an insult to the memory of millions of Russians who sacrificed their lives to save the world from Nazism;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)
Paragraph 12 d (new)
12d. Deplores the law adopted in 2012 that requires NGOs to register as ‘foreign agents’ with the Ministry of Justice if they engage in ‘political activity’ and receive foreign funding; notes with deep concern that this law has been used to harass and intimidate the human rights groups in the country;
Amendment 411 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)
Paragraph 12 e (new)
12e. Calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to acknowledge the scope and gravity of the problem of violence and harassment against LGBTI people in Russia, and commit to taking steps to end these abuses and to repeal provisions of Law No. 135-FZ of June 29, 2013 (the ‘gay propaganda’ law) banning distribution of information about LGBT relationships; calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the EU Member States to raise the issue of homophobia and violence against LGBTI people and activists in meetings with relevant Russian officials, including at the highest level; calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the EU Member States - in line with the June 2013 EU guidelines - to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by LGBTI persons, to contribute to combatting any form of anti-LGBTI violence by seeking assistance and redress for victims of such violence and by supporting civil society and governmental initiatives to monitor cases of violence, and by educating law enforcement personnel;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of continued political and financial support to independent civil society activists, media and NGOs; encourages the EU to reach out to Russian officials and civil society organisations that are inclined to develop an alternative vision of political and diplomatic relations with the EUsitive actions towards Russian citizens and support for democratic values, the fundamental freedoms and human rights;