BETA


2011/2007(INI) Progress on mine action

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead AFET VAN ORDEN Geoffrey (icon: ECR ECR)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2011/07/07
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2011/07/07
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2011/07/07
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 544 votes to 5, with 7 abstentions, a resolution on Progress on Mine Action.

Parliament recalls that according to the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitors, in 1999 there were an estimated 18 000 casualties from anti-personnel landmines (APL) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) and by 2009 this had fallen to around 4 000. Even though the rate of casualties has been drastically reduced, Members regret the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and especially deplore the high proportion of child casualties. They also stress that more than 90 countries are still affected by APL and other ERW to some degree but the most seriously afflicted are Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. The international community has responded magnificently to the challenge of the APL tragedy, contributing some USD 3.9 billion to mine action between 1999 and 2009.

Global efforts on mine action : Parliament applauds the progress that has been made in mine action over the past decade but emphasise that efforts need to be refocused and intensified if the APL threat is to be eliminated within a finite period. It strongly welcomes the fact that 156 countries have now signed and ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, including 25 EU Member States, and urges those that have yet to accede to the Treaty to do so. Members support fully the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan, that provides for a detailed five-year plan of commitments in all areas of mine action, and recognise that the US has been the leading global sponsor of mine action. They urge Russia to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty, noting that Russia was removed from the 2010 list after declaring that it had halted deployment. However, they are concerned that China and Russia have the largest stockpiles of APL with an estimated 100 million and 24.5 million respectively, and urge the EU to include in the negotiations with Russia and China the issue of destroying their existing stockpiles and rapid accession to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Parliament calls furthermore for the EU to continue promoting the universalisation of the Mine Ban Treaty and other relevant conventions, also by including the issue of mine action in its political dialogue and agreements signed with third countries.

Case studies: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia : Parliament examines the situation in certain countries and notes that Afghanistan is one of the world’s most heavily contaminated countries, with 508 APL and other ERW casualties between March 2009 and March 2010, over half were children. Noting that some USD 80 million were donated by the international community for mine action in Afghanistan in 2009, Members express concern at the apparent unwillingness of the Afghan Government at central and provincial levels to assume responsibility for mine action.

With regard to Angola , also one of the most APL-afflicted countries, Members are deeply concerned by the many structural problems highlighted by the Commission's 2009 evaluation, and urge the EU to control the effective use of money. They regret the fact that the extent of the APL/ERW threat is still not known with confidence and that, at current rates of progress, it will take 100 years to clear the country.

With regard to Bosnia, Parliament regrets that, 16 years after the end of conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still a high level of APL/ERW contamination, with about 11 000 minefields and an estimated 220 000 active APL and ERW throughout the country. Whilst noting the improvements in mine action management, it regrets that the government’s principal body in charge of mine action, the Demining Commission, has not met with donor representatives based in Sarajevo for some years and that its members have not attended international meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty since the treaty’s Second Review Conference in 2009.

Although the committee responsible highlighted the case of Egypt which is equally confronted with mine problems, Plenary preferred not to focus on this case in its final resolution.

Victim assistance : Parliament welcomes the fact that, through mine action, the rate of casualties has been drastically reduced but much regrets the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and especially deplores the high proportion of child casualties. It regrets that landmine survivors or their representative organisations participated in the implementation of victim assistance in less than half of the affected countries, and agrees that such survivors' views and rights must be fully respected. It urges the international community and the EU to significantly increase the proportion of its funding available for victim assistance but not at the expense of mine clearance.

Progress in mine detection and survey techniques : even if advances have been made in mine detection technology, training and techniques - rapid, reliable, cost effective solutions remain elusive and techniques using manual probes inevitably remain in widespread use. Parliament acknowledges the important contribution of the UN International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) in enhancing the safety and efficiency of mine action but notes that the most fruitful prospects for technical advances in detection lie in tailor-made methods based on the combination of a number of technologies. They also recognise that properly conducted survey is only as valuable as the accuracy and efficiency of subsequent reporting. They call for the Commission to allocate further research funding to mine survey and detection technologies and techniques.

Towards an end to the APL threat: Parliament is concerned that some of the countries which suffer from APL affliction are relying too much on international financial assistance for mine action and not deploying enough of their own resources in manpower or revenue (particularly Angola). It is also concerned at the diversion of resources into 'mine clearance' in areas where there is little threat in humanitarian or economic development terms to the detriment of a focus on areas of high threat to life. There must be greater emphasis on improved planning and management of operations. Members express concern at the poor security and control of military magazines holding weapons and explosive ordnance, including landmines, particularly in countries in revolt and disorder . They believe that the international community should focus its attention on those countries least able to help themselves and on mine clearance and assistance to victims. They urge donors to provide funding with more effective targeting, monitoring and evaluation.

Parliament also calls for the following:

efforts to be concentrated on developing greater local capacity, which may include specially trained local personnel on a structured and professional basis or greater use of military units in post conflict situations; improved national planning, drawing on best practice, and enhanced international coordination of mine action that more effectively targets resources to areas of priority need; a reliable census of the current number of victims of APL/ERW/IED and a proper analysis be made as a guide to targeting resources more effectively, with greater consideration being given to the needs of victims and their families; standardising methods of monitoring and evaluating the cost effectiveness of mine actions, so that they are more open to comparison and scrutiny on a country-by-country basis.

Parliament regrets that, since the elimination of the EU’s dedicated budget line in 2007, the EU has lacked an instrument that is flexible and multi-country in nature, responding coherently to mine action priorities, and that there is, in quantitative terms, a drop in overall EU funding for mine action.

It calls therefore for the restoration of a more dedicated approach, with one budget line under one lead directorate that will signal the strength of the EU’s continued commitment to mine action. It also calls on the Commission to update its ’Guidelines on European Community Mine Action 2008-2013’, to reflect proposed changes in the institutional and funding architecture, to ensure more rapid and flexible dispersal of funds, to provide clear instructions to access funding, focusing on the most urgent priorities and best practice, to foresee ‘packages’ of assistance to enable the most needy countries to comply with their Mine Ban Treaty obligations and to monitor and evaluate properly the effectiveness of funding.

Lastly, Members underline that mine action should form a compulsory element of country strategies where mines are known to exist and/or to be stockpiled and call for better international coordination and prioritisation, and more astute and better use of funds for a world free of the APL threat to life within a finite period.

Documents
2011/07/07
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2011/06/08
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Documents
2011/06/07
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Documents
2011/05/24
   EP - Vote in committee
Details

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Geoffrey Van ORDEN (ECR, UK) on Progress on Mine Action. Members recall that according to the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitors, in 1999 there were an estimated 18 000 casualties from anti-personnel landmines (APL) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) and by 2009 this had fallen to around 4 000. Even though the rate of casualties has been drastically reduced, Members regret the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and especially deplore the high proportion of child casualties. They also stress that more than 90 countries are still affected by APL and other ERW to some degree but the most seriously afflicted are Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Global efforts on mine action : Members applaud the progress that has been made in mine action over the past decade but emphasise that efforts need to be refocused and intensified if the APL threat is to be eliminated within a finite period. They strongly welcomes the fact that 156 countries have now signed and ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, including 25 EU Member States, and urge those that have yet to accede to the Treaty to do so. They supports fully the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan, that provides for a detailed five-year plan of commitments in all areas of mine action, and recognise that the US has been the leading global sponsor of mine action. Members urge Russia to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty, noting that Russia was removed from the 2010 list after declaring that it had halted deployment. However, they are concerned that China and Russia have the largest stockpiles of APL with an estimated 100 million and 24.5 million respectively, and urge the EU to include in the negotiations with Russia and China the issue of destroying their existing stockpiles and rapid accession to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Case studies: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia : the committee examines the situation in certain countries and notes that Afghanistan is one of the world’s most heavily contaminated countries, with 508 APL and other ERW casualties between March 2009 and March 2010, over half were children. Noting that some USD 80 million were donated by the international community for mine action in Afghanistan in 2009, Members express concern at the apparent unwillingness of the Afghan Government at central and provincial levels to assume responsibility for mine action.

With regard to Angola , also one of the most APL-afflicted countries, Members are deeply concerned by the many structural problems highlighted by the Commission's 2009 evaluation, and urge the EU to control the effective use of money. They regret the fact that the extent of the APL/ERW threat is still not known with confidence and that, at current rates of progress, it will take 100 years to clear the country.

With regard to Bosnia, Members regret that, 16 years after the end of conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still a high level of APL/ERW contamination, with about 11 000 minefields and an estimated 220 000 active APL and ERW throughout the country. Whilst noting the improvements in mine action management, they regret that the government’s principal body in charge of mine action, the Demining Commission, has not met with donor representatives based in Sarajevo for some years and that its members have not attended international meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty since the treaty’s Second Review Conference in 2009.

Victim assistance : the committee much regrets the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and also regret that landmine survivors or their representative organisations participated in the implementation of victim assistance in less than half of the affected countries. It urges the international community and the EU to significantly increase the proportion of its funding available for victim assistance but not at the expense of mine clearance.

Progress in mine detection and survey techniques : even if advances have been made in mine detection technology, training and techniques - rapid, reliable, cost effective solutions remain elusive and techniques using manual probes inevitably remain in widespread use. Members acknowledge the important contribution of the UN International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) in enhancing the safety and efficiency of mine action but note that the most fruitful prospects for technical advances in detection lie in tailor-made methods based on the combination of a number of technologies. They also recognise that properly conducted survey is only as valuable as the accuracy and efficiency of subsequent reporting. They call for the Commission to allocate further research funding to mine survey and detection technologies and techniques.

Towards an end to the APL threat: the committee is concerned that some of the countries which suffer from APL affliction are relying too much on international financial assistance for mine action and not deploying enough of their own resources in manpower or revenue (particularly Angola). It is also concerned at the diversion of resources into 'mine clearance' in areas where there is little threat in humanitarian or economic development terms to the detriment of a focus on areas of high threat to life. There must be greater emphasis on improved planning and management of operations. Members express concern at the poor security and control of military magazines holding weapons and explosive ordnance, including landmines, particularly in countries in revolt and disorder . They believe that the international community should focus its attention on those countries least able to help themselves and on mine clearance and assistance to victims. They urge donors to provide funding with more effective targeting, monitoring and evaluation.

Members also call for the following:

efforts to be concentrated on developing greater local capacity, which may include specially trained local personnel on a structured and professional basis or greater use of military units in post conflict situations; improved national planning, drawing on best practice, and enhanced international coordination of mine action that more effectively targets resources to areas of priority need; a reliable census of the current number of victims of APL/ERW/IED and a proper analysis be made as a guide to targeting resources more effectively, with greater consideration being given to the needs of victims and their families; standardising methods of monitoring and evaluating the cost effectiveness of mine actions, so that they are more open to comparison and scrutiny on a country-by-country basis.

The committee regrets that, since the elimination of the EU’s dedicated budget line in 2007, the EU has lacked an instrument that is flexible and multi-country in nature, responding coherently to mine action priorities, and that there is, in quantitative terms, a drop in overall EU funding for mine action.

It calls therefore for the restoration of a more dedicated approach, with one budget line under one lead directorate that will signal the strength of the EU’s continued commitment to mine action. It also calls on the Commission to update its ’Guidelines on European Community Mine Action 2008-2013’, to reflect proposed changes in the institutional and funding architecture, to ensure more rapid and flexible dispersal of funds, to provide clear instructions to access funding, focusing on the most urgent priorities and best practice, to foresee ‘packages’ of assistance to enable the most needy countries to comply with their Mine Ban Treaty obligations and to monitor and evaluate properly the effectiveness of funding.

Lastly, Members underlines that mine action should form a compulsory element of country strategies where mines are known to exist and/or to be stockpiled and call for better international coordination and prioritisation, and more astute and better use of funds for a world free of the APL threat to life within a finite period.

2011/05/05
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2011/04/04
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2011/01/20
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2010/10/28
   EP - VAN ORDEN Geoffrey (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in AFET

Documents

AmendmentsDossier
93 2011/2007(INI)
2011/05/05 AFET 93 amendments...
source: PE-462.847

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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  • date: 2011-05-24T00:00:00 body: EP committees: body: EP responsible: True committee: AFET date: 2010-10-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: VAN ORDEN Geoffrey type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2011-06-08T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-211&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0211/2011 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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  • date: 2011-05-05T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE462.847 title: PE462.847 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2011-06-08T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-211&language=EN title: A7-0211/2011 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP
events
  • date: 2011-01-20T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2011-05-24T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP summary: The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Geoffrey Van ORDEN (ECR, UK) on Progress on Mine Action. Members recall that according to the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitors, in 1999 there were an estimated 18 000 casualties from anti-personnel landmines (APL) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) and by 2009 this had fallen to around 4 000. Even though the rate of casualties has been drastically reduced, Members regret the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and especially deplore the high proportion of child casualties. They also stress that more than 90 countries are still affected by APL and other ERW to some degree but the most seriously afflicted are Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Global efforts on mine action : Members applaud the progress that has been made in mine action over the past decade but emphasise that efforts need to be refocused and intensified if the APL threat is to be eliminated within a finite period. They strongly welcomes the fact that 156 countries have now signed and ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, including 25 EU Member States, and urge those that have yet to accede to the Treaty to do so. They supports fully the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan, that provides for a detailed five-year plan of commitments in all areas of mine action, and recognise that the US has been the leading global sponsor of mine action. Members urge Russia to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty, noting that Russia was removed from the 2010 list after declaring that it had halted deployment. However, they are concerned that China and Russia have the largest stockpiles of APL with an estimated 100 million and 24.5 million respectively, and urge the EU to include in the negotiations with Russia and China the issue of destroying their existing stockpiles and rapid accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. Case studies: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia : the committee examines the situation in certain countries and notes that Afghanistan is one of the world’s most heavily contaminated countries, with 508 APL and other ERW casualties between March 2009 and March 2010, over half were children. Noting that some USD 80 million were donated by the international community for mine action in Afghanistan in 2009, Members express concern at the apparent unwillingness of the Afghan Government at central and provincial levels to assume responsibility for mine action. With regard to Angola , also one of the most APL-afflicted countries, Members are deeply concerned by the many structural problems highlighted by the Commission's 2009 evaluation, and urge the EU to control the effective use of money. They regret the fact that the extent of the APL/ERW threat is still not known with confidence and that, at current rates of progress, it will take 100 years to clear the country. With regard to Bosnia, Members regret that, 16 years after the end of conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still a high level of APL/ERW contamination, with about 11 000 minefields and an estimated 220 000 active APL and ERW throughout the country. Whilst noting the improvements in mine action management, they regret that the government’s principal body in charge of mine action, the Demining Commission, has not met with donor representatives based in Sarajevo for some years and that its members have not attended international meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty since the treaty’s Second Review Conference in 2009. Victim assistance : the committee much regrets the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and also regret that landmine survivors or their representative organisations participated in the implementation of victim assistance in less than half of the affected countries. It urges the international community and the EU to significantly increase the proportion of its funding available for victim assistance but not at the expense of mine clearance. Progress in mine detection and survey techniques : even if advances have been made in mine detection technology, training and techniques - rapid, reliable, cost effective solutions remain elusive and techniques using manual probes inevitably remain in widespread use. Members acknowledge the important contribution of the UN International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) in enhancing the safety and efficiency of mine action but note that the most fruitful prospects for technical advances in detection lie in tailor-made methods based on the combination of a number of technologies. They also recognise that properly conducted survey is only as valuable as the accuracy and efficiency of subsequent reporting. They call for the Commission to allocate further research funding to mine survey and detection technologies and techniques. Towards an end to the APL threat: the committee is concerned that some of the countries which suffer from APL affliction are relying too much on international financial assistance for mine action and not deploying enough of their own resources in manpower or revenue (particularly Angola). It is also concerned at the diversion of resources into 'mine clearance' in areas where there is little threat in humanitarian or economic development terms to the detriment of a focus on areas of high threat to life. There must be greater emphasis on improved planning and management of operations. Members express concern at the poor security and control of military magazines holding weapons and explosive ordnance, including landmines, particularly in countries in revolt and disorder . They believe that the international community should focus its attention on those countries least able to help themselves and on mine clearance and assistance to victims. They urge donors to provide funding with more effective targeting, monitoring and evaluation. Members also call for the following: efforts to be concentrated on developing greater local capacity, which may include specially trained local personnel on a structured and professional basis or greater use of military units in post conflict situations; improved national planning, drawing on best practice, and enhanced international coordination of mine action that more effectively targets resources to areas of priority need; a reliable census of the current number of victims of APL/ERW/IED and a proper analysis be made as a guide to targeting resources more effectively, with greater consideration being given to the needs of victims and their families; standardising methods of monitoring and evaluating the cost effectiveness of mine actions, so that they are more open to comparison and scrutiny on a country-by-country basis. The committee regrets that, since the elimination of the EU’s dedicated budget line in 2007, the EU has lacked an instrument that is flexible and multi-country in nature, responding coherently to mine action priorities, and that there is, in quantitative terms, a drop in overall EU funding for mine action. It calls therefore for the restoration of a more dedicated approach, with one budget line under one lead directorate that will signal the strength of the EU’s continued commitment to mine action. It also calls on the Commission to update its ’Guidelines on European Community Mine Action 2008-2013’, to reflect proposed changes in the institutional and funding architecture, to ensure more rapid and flexible dispersal of funds, to provide clear instructions to access funding, focusing on the most urgent priorities and best practice, to foresee ‘packages’ of assistance to enable the most needy countries to comply with their Mine Ban Treaty obligations and to monitor and evaluate properly the effectiveness of funding. Lastly, Members underlines that mine action should form a compulsory element of country strategies where mines are known to exist and/or to be stockpiled and call for better international coordination and prioritisation, and more astute and better use of funds for a world free of the APL threat to life within a finite period.
  • date: 2011-06-08T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-211&language=EN title: A7-0211/2011
  • date: 2011-07-07T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=20182&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2011-07-07T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20110707&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2011-07-07T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-339 title: T7-0339/2011 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 544 votes to 5, with 7 abstentions, a resolution on Progress on Mine Action. Parliament recalls that according to the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitors, in 1999 there were an estimated 18 000 casualties from anti-personnel landmines (APL) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) and by 2009 this had fallen to around 4 000. Even though the rate of casualties has been drastically reduced, Members regret the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and especially deplore the high proportion of child casualties. They also stress that more than 90 countries are still affected by APL and other ERW to some degree but the most seriously afflicted are Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. The international community has responded magnificently to the challenge of the APL tragedy, contributing some USD 3.9 billion to mine action between 1999 and 2009. Global efforts on mine action : Parliament applauds the progress that has been made in mine action over the past decade but emphasise that efforts need to be refocused and intensified if the APL threat is to be eliminated within a finite period. It strongly welcomes the fact that 156 countries have now signed and ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, including 25 EU Member States, and urges those that have yet to accede to the Treaty to do so. Members support fully the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan, that provides for a detailed five-year plan of commitments in all areas of mine action, and recognise that the US has been the leading global sponsor of mine action. They urge Russia to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty, noting that Russia was removed from the 2010 list after declaring that it had halted deployment. However, they are concerned that China and Russia have the largest stockpiles of APL with an estimated 100 million and 24.5 million respectively, and urge the EU to include in the negotiations with Russia and China the issue of destroying their existing stockpiles and rapid accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. Parliament calls furthermore for the EU to continue promoting the universalisation of the Mine Ban Treaty and other relevant conventions, also by including the issue of mine action in its political dialogue and agreements signed with third countries. Case studies: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia : Parliament examines the situation in certain countries and notes that Afghanistan is one of the world’s most heavily contaminated countries, with 508 APL and other ERW casualties between March 2009 and March 2010, over half were children. Noting that some USD 80 million were donated by the international community for mine action in Afghanistan in 2009, Members express concern at the apparent unwillingness of the Afghan Government at central and provincial levels to assume responsibility for mine action. With regard to Angola , also one of the most APL-afflicted countries, Members are deeply concerned by the many structural problems highlighted by the Commission's 2009 evaluation, and urge the EU to control the effective use of money. They regret the fact that the extent of the APL/ERW threat is still not known with confidence and that, at current rates of progress, it will take 100 years to clear the country. With regard to Bosnia, Parliament regrets that, 16 years after the end of conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still a high level of APL/ERW contamination, with about 11 000 minefields and an estimated 220 000 active APL and ERW throughout the country. Whilst noting the improvements in mine action management, it regrets that the government’s principal body in charge of mine action, the Demining Commission, has not met with donor representatives based in Sarajevo for some years and that its members have not attended international meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty since the treaty’s Second Review Conference in 2009. Although the committee responsible highlighted the case of Egypt which is equally confronted with mine problems, Plenary preferred not to focus on this case in its final resolution. Victim assistance : Parliament welcomes the fact that, through mine action, the rate of casualties has been drastically reduced but much regrets the fact that civilians made up 70% of all casualties in 2009 and especially deplores the high proportion of child casualties. It regrets that landmine survivors or their representative organisations participated in the implementation of victim assistance in less than half of the affected countries, and agrees that such survivors' views and rights must be fully respected. It urges the international community and the EU to significantly increase the proportion of its funding available for victim assistance but not at the expense of mine clearance. Progress in mine detection and survey techniques : even if advances have been made in mine detection technology, training and techniques - rapid, reliable, cost effective solutions remain elusive and techniques using manual probes inevitably remain in widespread use. Parliament acknowledges the important contribution of the UN International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) in enhancing the safety and efficiency of mine action but notes that the most fruitful prospects for technical advances in detection lie in tailor-made methods based on the combination of a number of technologies. They also recognise that properly conducted survey is only as valuable as the accuracy and efficiency of subsequent reporting. They call for the Commission to allocate further research funding to mine survey and detection technologies and techniques. Towards an end to the APL threat: Parliament is concerned that some of the countries which suffer from APL affliction are relying too much on international financial assistance for mine action and not deploying enough of their own resources in manpower or revenue (particularly Angola). It is also concerned at the diversion of resources into 'mine clearance' in areas where there is little threat in humanitarian or economic development terms to the detriment of a focus on areas of high threat to life. There must be greater emphasis on improved planning and management of operations. Members express concern at the poor security and control of military magazines holding weapons and explosive ordnance, including landmines, particularly in countries in revolt and disorder . They believe that the international community should focus its attention on those countries least able to help themselves and on mine clearance and assistance to victims. They urge donors to provide funding with more effective targeting, monitoring and evaluation. Parliament also calls for the following: efforts to be concentrated on developing greater local capacity, which may include specially trained local personnel on a structured and professional basis or greater use of military units in post conflict situations; improved national planning, drawing on best practice, and enhanced international coordination of mine action that more effectively targets resources to areas of priority need; a reliable census of the current number of victims of APL/ERW/IED and a proper analysis be made as a guide to targeting resources more effectively, with greater consideration being given to the needs of victims and their families; standardising methods of monitoring and evaluating the cost effectiveness of mine actions, so that they are more open to comparison and scrutiny on a country-by-country basis. Parliament regrets that, since the elimination of the EU’s dedicated budget line in 2007, the EU has lacked an instrument that is flexible and multi-country in nature, responding coherently to mine action priorities, and that there is, in quantitative terms, a drop in overall EU funding for mine action. It calls therefore for the restoration of a more dedicated approach, with one budget line under one lead directorate that will signal the strength of the EU’s continued commitment to mine action. It also calls on the Commission to update its ’Guidelines on European Community Mine Action 2008-2013’, to reflect proposed changes in the institutional and funding architecture, to ensure more rapid and flexible dispersal of funds, to provide clear instructions to access funding, focusing on the most urgent priorities and best practice, to foresee ‘packages’ of assistance to enable the most needy countries to comply with their Mine Ban Treaty obligations and to monitor and evaluate properly the effectiveness of funding. Lastly, Members underline that mine action should form a compulsory element of country strategies where mines are known to exist and/or to be stockpiled and call for better international coordination and prioritisation, and more astute and better use of funds for a world free of the APL threat to life within a finite period.
  • date: 2011-07-07T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: External Relations commissioner: ASHTON Catherine
procedure/Modified legal basis
Old
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
New
Rules of Procedure EP 150
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
AFET/7/05002
New
  • AFET/7/05002
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 052
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
procedure/subject
Old
  • 6.10.03 Armaments control, non-proliferation nuclear weapons
New
6.10.03
Armaments control, non-proliferation nuclear weapons
activities
  • date: 2011-01-20T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: True committee: AFET date: 2010-10-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: VAN ORDEN Geoffrey
  • date: 2011-05-24T00:00:00 body: EP committees: body: EP responsible: True committee: AFET date: 2010-10-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: VAN ORDEN Geoffrey type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2011-06-08T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-211&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0211/2011 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2011-07-07T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=20182&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20110707&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-339 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0339/2011 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
committees
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: AFET date: 2010-10-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: VAN ORDEN Geoffrey
links
other
  • body: EC dg: External Relations commissioner: ASHTON Catherine
procedure
dossier_of_the_committee
AFET/7/05002
reference
2011/2007(INI)
title
Progress on mine action
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
stage_reached
Procedure completed
subtype
Initiative
Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
type
INI - Own-initiative procedure
subject
6.10.03 Armaments control, non-proliferation nuclear weapons