Activities of Gilles PARGNEAUX related to 2015/2275(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on Peace Support Operations – EU engagement with the UN and the African Union PDF (405 KB) DOC (128 KB)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the security landscape in Africa in particular has changed dramatically in the last decade, with peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations becoming the rule rather than the exception in many areas; whereas the porous borders within the continent help fuel violence and reduce security; whereas the emergence of new centres of terrorist activity in the Sahel- Sahara region and the tensions in Central Africa are forcing the EU to reassess its civilian and military involvement in these parts of the world;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas in 2014 more than 90% of the budget of the African Peace Facility was earmarked for peace-support operations; whereas 65% of those funds were set aside to fund expenditure on AMISOM staff; whereas, according to the head of AMISOM, Francisco Caetano José Madeira, the EU has cut its funding for uniformed mission staff by 20%;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas, nevertheless, the EU is a key contributor to PSOs; whereas France trains 25 000 African soldiers each year and deploys 4400 men in operations in the context of MINUSCA and MINUSMA and in support of the armies of the Sahel G5 countries;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas the EU should not compete with or duplicate the work of others who may be betsupport actors already present on the ground, in particular those of its Member Staters able to fulfil particular rolelready involved in PSOs;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Q. whereas Article 41(2) TEU prohibits expenditure from EU budgets on operations having military or defence implications; whereas this expenditure is charged to the Member States under the Athena mechanism; whereas Articles 209 and 212 TFEU do not explicitly exclude the financing of capacity-building in the security sector;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urges the EU, given the scale of the challenges and the complex involvement of other organisations and nations, to seek an appropriate division of labour and focus on where it can best add value; notes that a number of Member States are already involved in operations in Africa and that the EU could generate real value added by supporting these operations more;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Believes that the African Peace Facility provides both an entry point and a potential lever for creating a stronger partnership between the EU and the AU; considers it vital that the EU institutions and Member States should remain closely engaged if the Facility is to be fully exploited; call on the Commission to strike a fresh geographic balance as regards the use of the funds concerned, however, in order to take account more effectively of the new security challenges in Africa, in particular in the Sahel-Sahara region and in Central Africa; takes the view that the African Peace Facility ought to focus on structural support, in particular infrastructure facilities, rather than bankrolling African forces' pay; acknowledges that there are other funding mechanisms in use, but believes that given the Facility’s singular focus on Africa, as well as its clear goals, it is especially important with regard to PSOs in Africa;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Backs the Council conclusions of 24 September 2012, which state that 'funding, alternative to the funding from the European Development Fund, will have to be considered';
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes the importance of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions for Africa's security, in particular training and support missions for African forces, and especially EUTM Mali, EUCAP Sahel Mali and EUCAP Sahel Niger, EUTM Somalia, and EUCAP Nestor; notes the additional support provided by those missions for the efforts of other, UN-run missions; calls on the EU to step up the capabilities of those training missions, in particular by allowing African soldiers who have been trained to be monitored on and after their return from theatres of operations;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Insists that the EU, in supporting PSOs, should not act in isolation but should, rather, take full account of the contributions of other international actors, improve coordination with them and rapidity of response, and focus its efforts on certain priority countriesbe in a position to mount a balanced response to crises throughout the region, using the most appropriate and experienced Member States as lead nations;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that border management assistance should be a priority for EU engagement in Africa; notes that porous borders are one of the main factors behind the increase in terrorism in Africa;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Points out that the Council Legal Service's contribution of 7 December 2015, entitled 'Capacity building in support of security and development - legal questions', gives thought to ways and means of financing matériel for African countries' militaries; calls on the Council to continue this discussion;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Welcomes the positive responses received by France after activation of Article 42(7); very much welcomes the re- engagement of European armed forces in Africa;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Points out that security and development are intrinsically linked; welcomes the fact that since the adoption of the regulation on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, which came into force on 1 January 2013, the Commission has been authorised to set up and manage trust funds under an agreement concluded with other donors; gives strong backing, accordingly, to initiatives such as the Békou trust fund operating in the Central African Republic, which seeks to pool European development-related resources, expertise and capacities in order to overcome the fragmentation and ineffectiveness of international action in the context of reconstruction of a country;