Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2015/2273(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the EU relations with Tunisia in the current regional context PDF (312 KB) DOC (122 KB)
Amendments (36)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3a (new)
Citation 3a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 10 May 2012 which considers the public external debt of the countries in North Africa and the Middle East to be ‘odious’;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3b (new)
Citation 3b (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 23 May 2013 on asset recovery by Arab Spring Countries in transition;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the continuation of the peaceful democratic transition process in Tunisia represents a successful example in the Arab worldis of major political and geostrategic importance to Maghreb, the Middle East and beyond, and its consolidation is paramountcrucial for the stability of the whole region;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas there is a need to develop a genuine partnership through which the interests of communities on both sides of the Mediterranean are taken into account and which is designed to work on Tunisia’s social and regional inequalities in particular;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas Tunisia currently, following the Libyan war, Tunisia hosts over a million displaced Libyans,people fleeing instability and violence in Libya, thereby putting, and whereas that continues to put a strain on the internal situation and infrastructures, and leading displaced peoplewhereas many of them do not receive any support from the Tunisian authorities, and, because of this, a number of them have been driven to use the premises of former refugees camps such as Choucha, without any basic services being provided;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the Tunisian public debt rose under the Zine Ben Ali regime, and whereas that has helped the country’s elite to become rich, and, under international law, that rise should be defined as odious;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the recovered assets fraudulently acquired by the Ben Ali family and relatives are still frozen in a number of – mostly European – countries, whereas those assets are of paramount economic and social importance for the funds needed by Tunisia to meet the serious economic and social challenges which it is still facing and to stabilise its economy, create employment and reduce inequality;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas on 3 March 2014 the EU and Tunisia decided to establish a mobility partnership based on dialogue and reciprocity, with a view to better managing the movement of people travelling short-term so that regular and professional migration takes place between their respective territories, taking into account the socio-economic situation and the state of the labour market in the signatory countries;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges the mobilisation of substantial resources for support Tunisia; underlines that without stability and good governance in the region, any prospect of reform will be put at riskEuropean Union and its Member States to mobilise substantial resources for support Tunisia; considers that this aid cannot be given in the form of loans which further exacerbate the country’s debt; asks for a better country by country balance between the key eastern and Mediterranean partners in the ENP; underlines that without stability, democracy in the region and taking into account social demands, any prospect of reform will be put at risk; therefore calls for the establishment of a genuine ‘deep and comprehensive partnership between the European Union and Tunisia’;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on participants of the Deauville Partnership to fulfil pledge commitments; considers that the situation in Tunisia justifies the launch of a real ‘Marshall Plan’ with appropriate funding to support the consolidation of the democratic transition and foster investment and development in all sectors of the economy in a comprehensive waand society in the country, particularly employment creation and maintaining quality public services that are accessible to everyone; also calls for the consolidation of efforts to support civil society;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Commends the good cooperation between Tunisia and its neighbours, as illustrated for example by the signing of a preferential trade agreement and the establishment of local transborder committees with Algeria aimed at fostering local development, and by the intertwining of Tunisia’s economy with Libya’s and by; hopes that stability returning to Libya will enable mutually beneficial economic links to be established and support the solidarity of the Tunisian people with displaced Libyans; expresses the utmost concern regarding a possible foreign military intervention in Libya;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the need to support the People’s Representatives Assembly (PRA) given the challenge of enhancing stability in a volatile regional context while deepening democracy; expresses concerns at the lack of means of the PRA thereby hindering its scrutiny of the executive; encourages Parliament’s services to enhance the capacity-building support activities provided to the PRA in the framework of the Comprehensive Democracy Support Approach; recommends that Parliament assesssupport a review of the needs in terms of support of the PRA and organise a political meeting at the highest political level, such as a ‘Tunisian Week, on its premises, in order to foster parliamentary cooperation and express its support for Tunisia;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the continuationstrengthening of technical and capacity-building support for civil society groups, since these have proven to be of fundamental importance for democratic transition and overall development, government accountability, and monitoring of respect for human rights, including the protection of womengender equality;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the Commission and the EEAS to launch a programme in support of the reform of the judicial sector and the rule of law in respect of the values of the Tunisian Constitution; notes that the EU Programme on Justice Reform (PARJI) was only endowed with very limited funding and stopped in 2011; calls for it to be reinstated and properly funded, and for it to focus its efforts on transitional justice;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the Commission and the EEAS to launch a programme in support of the reform of the judicial sector and the rule of law in respect of the values of the Tunisian Constitution; notes that the EU Programme on Justice Reform (PARJI) was only endowed with very limited funding and stopped in 2011;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Is concerned about the threat to fundamental rights imposed by way of the anti-terrorist legislation recently adopted by Tunisia; points out that security considerations do not absolve authorities from upholding human rights and fundamental liberties; points out the principles of necessity and proportionality in this area, and for independent control of the judiciary, including over the security forces; points out its long- standing opposition to capital punishment, stresses the importance of Tunisia repealing the death penalty or at least reinstating a moratorium on its use and stresses once more that abolishing the death penalty helps to bolster human dignity and should be, without exception, a fundamental principle of a democratic regime;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Notes that NGOs condemn the persistent practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, particularly in prisons and in custody; points out the Tunisian Government’s responsibility to put an end to the culture of impunity; calls on the Tunisian authorities to adopt, as quickly as possible, legislation which ensures that victims of torture and their families receive compensation and that the compensation is in line with the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Tunisia ratified in 1988;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for a strongerthe process of decentralisation and the empowerment of the regions by means of further local autonomies; supports partnerships with EU Member States encouraging decentralised approaches (e.g. training, capacity- building in that field)to be set up rapidly and for regions and municipalities to be responsible for consequent steps, with the aim of enabling local autonomies to develop further; supports partnerships with EU Member States and their local authorities when those partnerships are intended to encourage decentralisation;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Encourages best practice standards in the media sector to truly reflect investigative andReiterates that the right to freedom of expression is a fundamental principal of democracy and points out that no one can be condemned for freely expressing an opinion; Encourages best practice standards in the media sector to enable journalists to practise their profession, including investigative journalists, and to ensure differentiated journalism; recognises the enabling effects of uncensored access to the internet and of the development of digital and social media; welcomes Tunisia’s vibrant and open online media landscape but calls on the Tunisian authorities to further invest in basic technological infrastructures and to promote digital connectivity and literacy, especially in the poorest areas of the country; calls for bloggers to receive special protection, too;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a macro-financial assistance of EUR 500 million and calls for a swift adoption by the Council and Parliament; deplores the fact that this assistance would be given in the form of loans and conditional on structural and economic reforms; calls for real assistance in the form of grants paid under the framework of the ENP to be turned to full account;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for an increase in EU aid to Tunisia through the ENI and for the coordination of international aid to Tunisia, primarily through grants at a comparable rate to the aid granted to Ukraine; encourages partnerships with other interested global and regional donor countries and organisations, and in particular, measures promoting investment in the manufacturing sectorreducing regional disparities, supporting and developing local agriculture and promoting training and investment particularly in the manufacturing sector, SMEs and the social and robust economy which would boost employment; notes that the tourism sector has been dramatically impacted by the attacks in 2014 and, considering the measures implemented since then by the Tunisian authorities, calls on the Member States to reassess the security situation as quickly as possible;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. WelcomNotes the Tunisian Strategic Plan for Development 2016-2020 and calls for its swift implementation with the adoption of regulatory frameworks aimed at facilitating the absorption of European support and of all international financial institustresses the paramount need to strengthen the Tunisian economy and its domestic consumptions; welcomesexpresses concern about the adoption of the new investment code, which should create regulatory stability and facilitate investments, and the tax reforms; and fiscal reforms which neither meet the needs of the Tunisian economy nor the social justice ambitions which were central to the Tunisian revolution; stresses the importance of involving all stakeholders, including those in civil society, calls for the modernisation of the public administration, which should operate in an efficient and transparent way, thus greatly facilitating the implementation of projects and the better use of funds;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls the strategic importance of the agricultural sector in Tunisia and welcomes in this regard the measures foreseen in the 2016 Tunisian budget, including the cancellation of debts for farmers, and the launch of a national consultation on the agricultural sector; considers it essential for this national consultation to involve civil society and the broadest possible number of actors, including small farmers from the south of the country as well as young farmers; believesto ensure that the agricultural sector requires a deep reform andplanned reforms are understood by interested parties and meet their expectations and so that a series of urgent practical measures are taken, such as developing the capacities of desalination plants to tackle the water deficit issue and other emerging problems owing to climate change;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Expresses concern at Tunisia’s lack of frozen asset recovery, namely, owing to the lengthy and cumbersome processes involved in confiscating and repatriating assets; calls for specific technical capacity support to be provided to Tunisia in order to undertake investigations and collect the intelligence and evidence needed to build cases of assets recovery; deplores the delay in establishing the ‘support for asset recovery by Arab Spring countries’; questions the actual results of that and calls on the Commission to swiftly provide the Council and the European Parliament an accurate assessment of the progress made with regard to proceedings;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls for the conversion ofIs concerned about the difficulties that Tunisia has had in repaying its external debt, which has lead it to borrow on the financial markets at a rate which only serves to worsen its debt problems; supports the suspension of payment of that debt with a view to undertaking an audit on its legitimacy; calls for the cancellation of the illegitimate and odious part of the debt; calls on the Members States to convert the remaining Tunisian debt into investment projects especially for building strategic infrastructures and reducing regional disparities;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recommends the use of European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) funds to further assist SMEs; recommends that Tunisia join the EU’s COSME (Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) programme as soon as possible; encourages private lending to SMEs by reforming the undercapitalised banking sector; welcomes the recent twinning programme for the Tunisian Central Bank aimed at supporting the modernisation of the banking sectorencourages lending to SMEs, particularly public SMEs; is concerned about any banking reform project which is not based on the real needs of the Tunisian economy;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Eencourages the integration of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) with pan-EU initiatives such as the Energy Union;and Partnership Instrument into pan-European projects, encourages, at the same time, more North African regional cooperation on specific issues such as afforestation and water management, as well as greater socioeconomic integration, with increased trade and cultural exchange, across North Africa;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls for EU cooperation to focus more on the green economysustainable development and to increase the use of renewable energies, especially considering Tunisia’s high potential in the renewable energy sector; welcomes projects such as the depollution of the Lake of Bizerte;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. recognises that Tunisian security is weakened by the current internal situation in Libya; notdenounces the building of a wall at the border with Libya; expresses concerns at the high number of Tunisian foreign fighters joining Daesh and other terrorist groups; underlines the necessity to reform the country’s intelligence services while respecting the rule of law and human rights conventions;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. calls for an increase in support for security sector reform in Tunisia and calls for swift implementation of the programmes currently in place; calls for the establishment of a nationalMember States to share best practices in the security adviserfield in Tunisia; calls for the Member States to share best practices in the security field in Tunisia, focusing on the training of security personnel and respect for human rights;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls therefore for a better social inclusion of young people to prevent theenable them to find stable employment and prevent them from becoming targets for recruitment of newas fighters for terrorist organisations; recommends using the expertise gathered through the initiative of international organisations such as Hedayah to develop local and regional strategies for countering violent extremism; calls for awareness raising about these existing networks or similar initiatives in Tunisia;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls therefore for a better social inclusion of young people to prevent the recruitment of new fighters; recommends using the expertise gathered through the initiative of international organisations such as Hedayah to develop local and regional strategies for countering violent extremism; calls for awareness raising about these existing networks or similar initiatives in Tunisia;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Stresses the importance of the free movement of people, and supports enhancing mobility within the neighbourhood, in a secure and well managed environment, through visa facilitation and liberalisation, particularly for families, students, young people, artists and researchers; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, to develop possibilities for circular migration schemes which would open up safe and legal routes for migrants; also calls on the Commission to support a programme that would enable Tunisia to put in place legislation to protect migrant rights, including the rapid establishment of an asylum regime in compliance with international law; condemns trafficking in human beings, most of the victims of which are women, and stresses the importance of reinforcing cooperation with partner countries in order to combat it;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Welcomes the EU-Tunisian partnership in the field of research and innovation, the participation of Tunisia in the Horizon 2020 Framework programme; underlines thatcalls on Tunisia shouldto become a full participant in the Erasmus + programme in order to develop the further exchange of university students; is concerned about the growing difficulties faced by Tunisian students wanting to study in Europe; calls for a ‘positive discrimination policy’ to be implemented, particularly for young students coming from less developed regions with incentives to allow their participation in such programmes;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Ccalls for a strengthened partnership in the creative, cultural, sport, popular education, community life and audiovisual sectors through the strengthening of networks as well as through initiatives for an increased intercultural dialogue, mobility of players, the promotion and circulation of cultural and audiovisual content, including through festivals and exhibitions; encourages Tunisia to participate in the Creative Europe Programme;