2015/0302M(NLE) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that Afghanistan is one of the world’s largest recipients of development aid and that EU institutions committed EUR 3.6 billion in aid to the country between 2002 and 2016; regrets th~~e fact that, despite international assistance,~~at the proportion of Afghans living in poverty has risen from 38 % (2012) to 55 % (2017) and highlights that the country has registered slow growth since 2014 with the draw- down of international security forces, accompanying reductions in international grants as well as a worsening security situation;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Underlines that according to UN OCHA, 5.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, including people being internally displaced due to conflict or drought, while the Humanitarian Response Plan is only 33.5% funded;

Amendment 11 #

Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Deplores the spate of attacks and killings in the run-up to the October 2018 parliamentary elections, which claimed the lives of many civilians and ten of the candidates standing for election;

Amendment 12 #

Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Points out that drought, which has beset Afghanistan for years, has led to the forced displacement of more than 250 000 people from northern and western parts of the country; maintains in addition that the EU’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular to eradicating poverty, bringing about zero hunger, and managing water, should also find expression in development aid and that Afghanistan is a key partner in achieving those goals;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Notes that rural economies and agriculture constitute the current main source of employment generation and calls on the EU to scale up its interventions in this area in order to improve food and nutrition security, rural livelihoods and employment, including the sustainable management of natural resources; underlines that particular attention should be given to the impact of natural hazards and climate change on small subsistence farmers;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Highlights that due to a crackdown on Afghans in Iran, 500.000 undocumented Afghans have returned from Iran since the start of the year;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2 c. Regrets the strong focus in the Agreement on the prevention of irregular migration; furthermore regrets that EU aid has indirectly been made conditional on Afghanistan's cooperation on returns; deplores that returns from the EU Member States are continuing despite a highly unstable security situation, ongoing drought and serious reintegration challenges due to extremely high number of people returning from the region; calls on EU Member States to refrain from returns to Afghanistan;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2 d. Notes that Article 28.4 of the cooperation agreement on partnership and development which states the aim to conclude a readmission agreement, has resulted in the Joint Way Forward; regrets that the Joint Way Forward is an informal agreement rather than a formal readmission agreement; considers it important that any agreements regarding readmission should be formalized to ensure democratic accountability;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2 d. Welcomes the very prominent place reserved in the Agreement for gender equality and related policies and the strong focus on civil society development;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. SRecalls that 8.7 million people have chronic needs which require longer- term systemic actions; stresses the need to comprehensively address humanitarian, development and security challenges and to better operationalise the nexuses between them; insists that pacifying the country and normalising the functioning of the state and its institutions are indispensable prerequisites for development in Afghanistan;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses the need to comprehensively address humanitarian, development and security challenges and the nexuses between them; insists that pacifying the country ~~and~~, normalising the functioning of the state and its institutions and expanding basic social services such as health care and education are indispensable prerequisites for development in Afghanistan;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 1 (new)

(1) Stresses that there should be no conditionality between development assistance and cooperation from beneficiary countries on migration issues; opposes any attempts to link aid with management of migratory flows or readmission agreements; underlines the need for close parliamentary scrutiny and monitoring of agreements linked to migration management and of migration- linked use of development funds;

Amendment 20 #

Mireille D'ORNANO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses the need to comprehensively address humanitarian, development and security challenges and the nexuses between them; insists that pacifying the country ~~and~~, normalising the functioning of the state and its institutions, and supporting the fight against the Taliban are indispensable prerequisites for development in Afghanistan;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses the need to comprehensively address humanitarian, development and security challenges and the nexuses between them; insists that pacifying the country ~~and~~, eradicating poverty, normalising the functioning of the state and its institutions are indispensable prerequisites for social and economic development in Afghanistan;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Member States to work as closely as possible with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as with China, Russia, and Iran, in order to fight drug trafficking and terrorism in Afghanistan and Central Asia;

Amendment 23 #

Mireille D'ORNANO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Maintains that supporting Pakistan in its fight against the Taliban based in the North-West, in the Pakistani border region, is a sine qua non for bringing about lasting stabilisation of the situation in Afghanistan, since the armed conflicts in these two countries are very closely linked;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the need to continue funding needs-based development aid for Afghanistan and to focus in particular on eradicating poverty, addressing vulnerabilities such as widespread food insecurity and chronic malnutrition and access for all to basic services, such as healthcare and education;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the EU-Afghanistan 5. State Building Contract (SBC) (budget support), signed in 2016, as it can strengthen government institutions and their ownership of development policies; notes that the SBC draws on an overall positive review of the progress made by Afghanistan on key reform areas; stresses that resources must be used effectively and systematically monitored to prevent misuses; calls on the Commission to keep Parliament regularly informed of the SBC’s implementation. and underlines that the findings related to the latter should be used to prepare the continuation of the budget support operation for the period 2018-2021;

Amendment 26 #

Cécile Kashetu KYENGE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Welcomes the Afghan national return management strategy, but points to the need for continuous monitoring for the purpose of implementing safe routes for the reintegration of Afghan citizens, especially children, who must be guaranteed access to primary and secondary education.

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Regrets the support foreseen in the Agreement for agricultural biotechnology in context where GMOs are strongly contested in Europe; welcomes on the other hand the reference to the development of a sustainable and environment-friendly agriculture.

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Emphasizes the importance of ensuring that civil society organisations (CSOs) will continue to play an essential role in exercising social control necessary to verify the good provision of public services;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Calls on the EU to further promote equality between women and men and women’s empowerment though its development efforts, bearing in mind that changing societal attitudes towards women's socio-economic role calls for accompanying measures in awareness raising, education and reform of the regulatory framework;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Recalls the EU commitment to support poverty reduction by focusing its efforts in areas in which it adds most value and by respecting the principles of aid efficiency and effectiveness, in line with “Policy Coherence for Development” (PCD);

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Regrets the lack of parliamentary oversight and democratic control on the conclusion of the Joint Way Forward informal readmission agreement between the EU and Afghanistan and stresses the importance of conducting continuous dialogue with the relevant actors in order to find a sustainable solution on the issue of Afghan refugees in its regional dimension; emphasizes that the EU development assistance to Afghanistan should not be seen through the prism of purely migration and border management purposes and considers that development aid should address effectively the root causes of migration, in line with its primary objective of poverty eradication;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recognises that this recent reversal in development progress is largely due to the intensification of violence and conflict~~, and~~; highlights that 2018 is on track to be the deadliest year for civilians on record; underlines that internal displacement, the arrival of returnees from the surrounding region and European Member States as well as climatic factors, such as an ongoing drought, have all led to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation; notes with concern that reintegration activities, funded from the EU’s development aid, are difficult to execute considering the current humanitarian and security situation of the country;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recognises that this recent reversal in development progress is largely due to the intensification of long-lasting violence and conflict, and that internal displacement, the arrival of returnees from the surrounding region and climatic factors, such as drought, have all led to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation; urges therefore the EU and its Member States to enhance all their efforts to address key humanitarian challenges and human needs and to pay particular attention to vulnerable people, including people located in hard to reach areas;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recognises that this recent reversal in development progress is largely due to the intensification of violence and conflict, and that internal displacement, the arrival of returnees from the surrounding region and climatic factors, such as drought, have all led to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation; maintains that NATO intervention, which has continued for more than 20 years, has not helped to resolve Afghanistan’s problems, whether as regards democracy, the rule of law, or social and economic development;

Amendment 7 #

Mireille D'ORNANO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recognises that this recent reversal in development progress is largely due to the intensification of violence and conflict brought about by foreign intervention, which in one form after another since 1979 has disrupted the fragile balance of Afghan society, and that internal displacement, the arrival of returnees from the surrounding region and climatic factors, such as drought, have all led to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Notes that, according to the UNODC, the production of opium, the raw material for heroin, almost trebled between 2002 (3 400 tonnes) and 2017 (9 000 tonnes), that it accounts for 52% of Afghanistan’s GDP, and that the number of child heroin addicts in Afghanistan is estimated at 300 000; maintains that, far from curbing it, the EU-backed NATO intervention has boosted drug production on Afghan soil;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Highlights that an estimated 10 million people have limited or no access to essential health services; emphasizes in this regard the need to remain committed to supporting the government to strengthen basic health provisions, with a focus on ensuring health care to vulnerable people including women, girls and children, as well as addressing disability and mental health care;

source: 629.475

2018/12/04 AFET 230 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 19 November 2018 and of 16 October 2017 on Afghanistan,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the CAPD will also enable the EU and Afghanistan to jointly address global challenges, such as nuclear security, non-proliferation and climate change;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 e (new)

7e. Highlights that four decades of war and conflicts, starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, led to many of the unresolved problems that Afghanistan faces today; in this regard acknowledges the role of the youth and Afghan diaspora in the process of building secure and better future for the country; calls on the EU to support transitional justice for the victims of the violence;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 f (new)

7f. Urges the regional powers fully support peace efforts in the country; supports regional cooperation fora, such as the Istanbul process (Heart of Asia);however is concerned at the parallel proxy involvement of some of its neighbours in the conflict, thus undermining the peace efforts; calls on the VP/HR to ensure that Pakistan, India, China, Iran, Russia, the Central Asian countries as well as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others play a constructive role in promoting regional stability, as well as to renew efforts for rapprochement and the restoration of good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan through a comprehensive dialogue;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. IRemains deeply concerned by the continuing deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan; stresses that the security forces only achieve limited results, despite the extended support of the international community; is concerned about the territorial gains of the Taliban and various terrorist groups and attacks committed by them against Afghan civilians, security forces, institutions and civil society; is particularly concerned about the local branch of Islamic State (Khorasan) that seems to be strongly reinforced by the presence of foreign fighters coming from other countries and other places of Jihad; reiterates its full commitment to fighting all forms of terrorism and pays tribute to all coalition and Afghan forces and civilians who have paid the ultimate price for a democratic, ~~secure and stable~~inclusive and prosperous Afghanistan;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is concerned about the territorial gains of the Taliban and various terrorist groups and attacks committed by them against Afghan civilians, security forces, institutions and civil society; reiterates its full commitment to fighting all forms of terrorism and pays tribute to all coalition and Afghan forces and civilians who have paid the ultimate price for a democratic, secure and stable Afghanistan; notes that more than half of the anti-government attacks in 2018 were attributed to IS-K (ISIS in Afghanistan) whose aim is to disrupt and derail the reconciliation and peace process;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is concerned about the territorial gains of the Taliban ~~and various terrorist group~~militants and attacks committed by them against Afghan civilians, security forces, institutions and civil society; reiterates its full commitment to fighting all forms of terrorism and pays tribute to all coalition and Afghan forces and civilians who have paid the ultimate price for a democratic, secure and stable Afghanistan; is concerned about the terrorist activity of the Daesh-linked terrorist organisation Islamic state- Khorasan Province;

Amendment 105 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is concerned about the territorial gains of the Taliban and various terrorist groups and attacks committed by them against Afghan civilians, security forces, institutions and civil society; reiterates its full commitment to fighting all forms of terrorism and pays tribute to all coalition and Afghan forces and civilians who have paid the ultimate price for a democratic, secure and stable Afghanistan; takes the view that the European Union absolutely cannot do anything in this area;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is concerned about the ongoing territorial gains of the Taliban and various terrorist groups and strongly condemns attacks committed by them against Afghan civilians, security forces, institutions and civil society; reiterates its full commitment to fighting all forms of terrorism and pays tribute to all coalition and Afghan forces and civilians who have paid the ultimate price for a democratic, secure and stable Afghanistan;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is concerned about the territorial gains of the Taliban and various terrorist groups, including IS, and attacks committed by them against Afghan civilians, security forces, institutions and civil society; reiterates its full commitment to fighting all forms of terrorism and pays tribute to all coalition and Afghan forces and civilians who have paid the ultimate price for a democratic, secure and stable Afghanistan;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Notes with concern that the current jihadist organizations, Da'esh, Al Qaeda and their various subsidiaries, have managed to adapt and take root, representing a major security challenge for European states;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace ~~process; calls on~~and reconciliation process; calls on all conflict parties, including the Taliban, to denounce violence and join the peace process; ~~recogni~~stresses that athe military presence ~~will be required in the long term in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process~~especially of US and NATO troops has only further fuelled the conflict; therefore calls for the withdrawal of all EU Members States, NATO and US troops as there is no military solution for this conflict;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated in 2018 and the number of government-controlled districts has decreased;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that a military presence will be required in the long term in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ERecalls that the EU stands ready to support a political settlement conditional on the agreed "red lines" (2011 Bonn Conference), i.e. the rejection of terrorism and violence and acceptance of the Afghan Constitution; emphasises the EU’s continued support for than inclusive Afghan- led and Afghan- owned peace and reconciliation process; is ready to offer concrete contribution with all EU instruments as soon as there will be a meaningful peace process; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that ~~a military presence will be required in the long term~~the question of a long-term military presence in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process must be addressed;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process, including the implementation of the peace deal agreed with Hezb-e-Islami; underlines its support for the comprehensive peace offer to the Taliban made repeatedly by the government; calls on the civil society to be fully involved in those talks; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that a military presence will be required in the long term in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process or terrorist groups; is concerned about the presence of ISIS-affiliated elements; recalls that on all parties to the conflict respect international humanitarian law;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process; calls on the Taliban ~~to denounce violence and join the peace process~~within the framework of the negotiations concerning the peace process to end the use of violence and to respect the rights of all Afghan people guaranteed by the Constitution; recognises that a military presence will be required in the long term in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that a combined military presence will be ~~required in the long term~~needed in order to assist the Afghan security forces in ~~the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process~~stabilising the country and preventing it from becoming once again a safe haven for terrorist groups and a source of regional instability;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that a ~~military presence will be required in the long term~~long term assistance is need in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Emphasises the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process; calls on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that ~~a military presence will be required in the~~the Afghan security forces will need long -term ~~in order to assist the Afghan security forces~~support in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Emphasise~~Considers the EU’s continued support for the Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process~~; calls~~ unrealistic; calls politely on the Taliban to denounce violence and join the peace process; recognises that a military presence will be ~~required~~useless in the long term in order to assist the Afghan security forces in the suppression of violent extremists or terrorist groups that refuse to join the peace process;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Notes that following the closure in December 2016 of the CSDP mission EUPOL Afghanistan providing specialised training and advice to the Afghan National Police and the Ministry of the Interior the Union's action with the Afghan police is continuing through the external instruments of the European Union, such as that the Instrument contributing to Stability for Peace (IcSP) which also finances reconciliation actions;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Emphasises the need to continue and enhance the fight against narcotics as Afghanistan economy is highly dependent on poppy production and whereas this illicit drug trade is used by the Taliban to fund its operations; notes that opium from Afghanistan is the main source of heroin in the EU; calls on Afghanistan to fight against the illicit mining, which is the second largest source of funding for terrorist organisations;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~Afghanistan is at a crucial point~~17 years of western intervention since 2001 – a period longer than the two world wars put together – have not led to any improvement in the situation; whereas drug production has increased dramatically over this period, mreanching ~~that if further efforts are not taken, then all of the effort, progress, and sacrifice so far put into the development of Afghanistan will be lost~~9000 tonnes of opium per year in 2017; whereas USD 1 000 000 000 000 (one trillion dollars) has been spent on military operations in Afghanistan; whereas USD 100 billion has been spend on political reconstruction (nation building); whereas 2300 soldiers have lost their lives and a huge number have sustained terrible injuries; whereas NATO is on the brink of defeat, even if it is reluctant to admit it (see Alfred W. McCoy’s long study, ‘How the heroin trade explains US-UK failure in Afghanistan’, The Guardian, 9 January 2018); whereas this intervention should therefore be brought to an end;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Notes that the ISAF mission successfully built the Afghan National Security Forces from scratch into a 352 000 capable force of soldiers and police officers with infantry, military police, intelligence, route clearance, combat support, medical, aviation and logistical capabilities, thereby combatting insurgent influence within the country;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Notes that ISAF made a secure environment for improving governance and economic development that led to the largest percentage gain of any country in basic health and other development indicators; notes that ISAF success led as well to the emergence of a vibrant media and millions of Afghanis now exercise their right to vote;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Underscores that combating terrorism and its financing is key to creating an environment conducive to security in Afghanistan; underlines the need to fight radicalisation, extremism and recruitment of terrorist organisations;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Welcomes the first ceasefire period since 2001, Eid al-Fitr, which demonstrated a widespread desire for peace among Afghans; calls for Taliban to adhere to the calls of Afghan president for a new ceasefire period;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Supports the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program, which reintegrates members of the Taliban who surrender themselves and renounce violence back into society; applauds the UK for already contributing over 9 million GBP;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Further encourages NATO’s Resolute Support mission to continue its training of the Afghan army with the objective of increasing democratic and civiliand oversight ofand the ~~Afghan army; encourages the Member States to offer civilian crisis management training~~respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law; encourages the Member States to offer capacity building in the areas of rule of law and security sector reform to the national and local governments of Afghanistan;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Further ~~encourages NATO’s Resolute Support mission to continue its training and oversight of the Afghan army;~~ encourages the Member States to offer civilian crisis management training to the national and local governments of Afghanistan;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Further encourages NATO’s Resolute Support mission to ~~continue~~give up its training and oversight of the Afghan army; encourages the Member States to offer civilian crisis management training to the national and local governments of Afghanistan;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Further encourages NATO’s Resolute Support mission to continue its training and ~~oversight~~ of the Afghan army; encourages the Member States to offer civilian crisis management training to the national and local governments of Afghanistan;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Recognises that further efforts need to be taken to combat influence and power of the Haqqani Network, Al Qaeda, and Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K); further requests that member state intelligence networks work to gather intelligence on such groups and support operations to undermine their legitimacy and power in Afghanistan and around the world;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~Afghanistan is at a crucial point, meaning that if further~~after more than 17 years of US and NATO-led military intervention with numerous civilian casualties Afghanistan is at a crucial point, meaning that the overall security situation and living conditions have gravely deteriorated, and if further non-military efforts are not taken, then all of the effort~~, progress, and sacrifice~~ so far put into the development of Afghanistan, the few progress made and the sacrifice done by the Afghan people will be lost;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses that in the future conflict prevention and addressing security challenges as well as the need of reconciliation, mediation and dialogue initiatives will make it necessary to significantly increase funds available for such initiatives, mainly through the use of the IcSP;

Amendment 131 #

Anders VISTISEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Urges all relevant partners to enhance their efforts in dismantling all terrorist financing networks, especially hawala networks, along with any international donors in an effort to cut off the support that Afghan terrorist organizations continue to rely upon;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Underlines the need to increase and strengthen capabilities of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) and National Police Force, critical for Afghanistan’s security and reconstruction;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Calls on the Government of Afghanistan to fully implement the UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, and to ensure women´s participation, protection and rights across the conflict cycle, from conflict prevention to post-conflict reconstruction;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Encourages NATO and the EU to work together to gather intelligence on insurgent groups that threaten Afghanistan and jointly coordinate policy recommendations to the Afghan Security forces;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10c. Encourages the Afghan government to develop effective chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) counter-measures; urges the EU to provide operational, technical and financial support in CBRN capacity building;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10d. Encourages the Afghan government to enhance its domestic control systems in the countering of widespread circulation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in line with existing international standards;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)

10e. Regrets deeply that the Taliban and other insurgent groups use EU and international presence and development as propaganda to promote a narrative as if foreign occupiers impeding on the Afghan country and way of life; encourages the EU and Afghan government to counteract such propaganda;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 f (new)

10f. Urges all relevant partners to enhance their efforts in dismantling all terrorist financing networks, especially Hawala networks, along with any international donors in an effort to cut off the support that Afghan terrorist organizations continue to rely upon;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Encourages~~Stresses the need for the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to step up efforts to stamp out corruption in the country and calls on the Afghan Government to enhance national capacity to recover stolen assets through programmes such as the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative run by the World Bank Group and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas Afghanistan is at a crucial point, meaning that if further efforts are n~~ot taken, then all of the effort, progress, and sacrifice so far put into the development of Afghanistan will be lost~~eeded to achieve peace, sustainable development and the respect of human rights and rule of law; whereas according to the United Nations, the number of civilians killed in 2018 has been the highest since 2014;

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Encourages the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to step up efforts to stamp out corruption in the country, as well as to strengthen responsive and inclusive institutions and to improve local governance as critical steps to build a stable and legitimate state able to prevent conflict and insurgency;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Welcomes the EU financial package for Afghanistan launched at the Geneva ministerial conference on 27-28 November 2018 in the amount of 474 million euros, which is intended to support Afghanistan public sector to sustain its reform and fight against corruption, as well as development of human rights and democratic governance, the peace process, work towards achieving gender equality, justice sector reform as well as challenges in migration and forced displacement;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Encourages and invites the Afghani government to take on a leading role in dealing with the Taliban both in peace talks and combatting influence throughout the country;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls on the Government of Afghanistan to increase political inclusiveness, strengthen accountability and actively combat corruption;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Stresses that the gap between the national and local governments need to be bridged; recognizes that this problem could potentially be mitigated if the Afghani government enforces the statute that requires regional governors to deploy to the country side;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls for the EU to continue its phasing-out plan following the closure of the EUPOL mission, which includes ensuring a sustainable transition of activities to EUPOL’s local and international partners; urges all parties to continue their efforts to strengthen all law enforcement institutions, with a particular focus on the ~~judicial and penitential system~~independence of the judicial system and on improving the state of Afghan prisons as well as respecting the rights of inmates;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Emphasises EU support for policing to Afghanistan since 2002 with the goal of developing the Afghan National Police into a professional force for safety and security has amounted to over 510 Million EUR;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. SRegrets that counter-narcotics campaigns in Afghanistan have been failing and that insufficient efforts have been made to target Taliban drug labs, which sit at the heart of drug trafficking and provide funding for the Taliban and terrorist operations; supports and endorses the Government of Afghanistan’s new counter- narcotics strategy, backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC);

Amendment 149 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Supports and endorses the Government of Afghanistan’s new counter- narcotics strategy, backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); underscores the importance of a genuine internal reconciliation process; underlines that combating terrorism and its financing is a key ingredient of creating an environment conducive to security in Afghanistan;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas Afghanistan is at a crucial point, meaning that if further efforts are not taken, then all of the effort, progress, and sacrifice so far put into the development of Afghanistan ~~will~~risks to be lost;

Amendment 150 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Supports and endorses the Government of Afghanistan’s new counter- narcotics strategy, backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); is concerned by the increase of opium cultivation in Afghanistan1a, and calls on the Government of Afghanistan to put in place targeted policies to invert this trend; __________________ 1a https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpag e/2018/May/last-years-record-opium- production-in-afghanistan-threatens- sustainable-development--latest-survey- reveals.html

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Supports and endorses the Government of Afghanistan’s new counter- narcotics strategy, backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); notes that it is critical to generate tangible and sustainable alternatives vis-a-vis poppy production and its producers;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Supports and endorses~~Is convinced that the Government of Afghanistan’s new counter- narcotics strategy, backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will be just as useless as the strategies tried before it;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Underlines that the main source of Taliban income is illegal mining and the production of opium; notes that it is currently estimated that the Taliban bring in revenues of 200-300million EUR a year from illegal mining activities;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the EU to ensure that EU funds are invested in projects that help the Afghan population and that adequate support is provided to municipalities in their provision of essential services and in building local governance, so as to ensure basic living standards for the population; to ensure coordination between central authorities and local municipalities in order to identify the priorities to invest in; to enhance support to civil society, notably human rights defenders; in particular, to prioritize funding for projects that support actors promoting accountability, human rights and democratic principles and that foster locally embedded dialogue and conflict-resolution mechanisms;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Recalls that the EU signed a State building contract with Afghanistan allocating 200 million EUR a year in order to increase resources for development priorities such as generating economic growth, reducing poverty and fighting corruption;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Recognises the importance in the outlining of the goals that the State Building Contract has put forth and the conditions for funding; further recognizes that while oversight is important, it is also important to let the Afghani government focus on development and stability;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Supports the efforts of the ICC to ensure accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed since May 2003;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Recalls that the EU is particularly focused on improving the conditions of women, children, poor and disabled persons and that these groups are in special need of assistance, including in the areas of health and education; points out that this kind of social engineering, which has been tried for centuries by foreign powers (British, Russian and others), has proven to be totally ineffective;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Recalls that the EU is particularly focused on improving the conditions of women, children, ~~poor and~~ disabled persons and people living in poverty, and that these groups are in special need of assistance, including in the areas of health and education;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Is concerned about the growing number of more violent and deliberate attacks on health facilities, health workers and the targeting of civilian infrastructure; urges all parties to respect their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law to prevent attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructures;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Underlines the necessity to support Afghanistan´s system of education in favour of increasing the number of children following school classes at all levels;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Stresses the need to work towards decreasing the mortality rate of women giving birth as well as newly born children;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that the EU- Afghanistan CAPD proposes dialogues on human rights issues, including the rights of ~~women and children~~children; welcomes the inclusion of gender equality in the CAPD, in particular the focus on women´s access to resources and their full exercise of their fundamental rights; stresses the need to recruit more women as part of Afghanistan's security and judicial systems;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that the EU- Afghanistan CAPD ~~proposes~~reflects the principles and conditions for the EU-Afghanistan partnership with an emphasis on holding regular dialogues on ~~human rights~~political and economic issues, including ~~the~~human rights ~~of women and children~~and gender equality;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that the EU- Afghanistan CAPD proposes dialogues on human rights issues, including the rights of women and children, and ethnic and religious minorities;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. The CAPD also foresees cooperation on migration and effectively reinforces EU assistance for Afghanistan in addressing migration and forced displacement challenges, in particular the reintegration of people on the move and returnees in Afghanistan;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Stresses the need for protection of the ethnic and religious minorities, which are threatened or under attack; notes that the Shiite Hazara ethnic group is more often targeted than other groups and therefore deserves particular attention;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls on the Afghan authorities to prioritise gender equality and the eradication of all violence and discrimination against women and girls, where important challenges remain, particularly in the field of implementation;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Insists that the EU maintain a strong stance on implementing human rights and ~~that it take punitive~~stresses that respect for democratic principles, human rights and rule of law are essential elements of the agreement; insists that the EU should take specific measures such as revoking funds if the Government of Afghanistan violates the essential elements of the agreement or if it backtracks on its commitments to human rights in any agreement with the Taliban or any other organisation or government;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the security situation in Afghanistan has been steadily deteriorating during 2018, with the Taliban militants controlling more territory than at any time since their ouster by the international coalition in 2001; whereas the emergence of the terrorist threat of the Daesh-linked Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) contributed significantly to further degradation of the security situation;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Insists that the EU maintain a strong stance on implementing human rights and that it ~~take punitive measures such as revoking funds if the~~s continued support for Government of Afghanistan ~~backtracks~~is conditional on its commitments to human rights, particularly women and religious minorities´ rights, in any agreement with the Taliban or any other organisation ~~or government~~;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Emphasises that more job opportunities outside of farming and working for the government are needed in order to prevent young men from being recruited to the Taliban and other insurgent networks;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Regrets the systematic discrimination of minority groups, including the Hazars, and condemns the increasing violence they have suffered during the last years;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Stresses the need to address high rate of unemployment and fight against poverty in order to work towards achieving peace and stability in the country;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Expresses appreciation and joy that primary access to healthcare has increased from 9% to more than 57% and that the life expectancy has increased from 44 to 60 and that these improvements were made possible by contributions from the EU, individual member states, and the international community; recognises, in light of these achievements that still more needs to be done to continue to raise the life expectancy and lower the infant mortality rate;

Amendment 175 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Calls on the Afghan government to introduce an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a step towards abolition;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Regrets that Afghanistan is still one of the most dangerous places to be in the world for children under five and for pregnant women;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)

17d. Recognizes that migration is an ongoing challenge for Afghanistan which presents issues for neighbouring countries and EU members states; and recognizes that the number of displaced persons continues to rise as people began to migrate looking for better lives;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)

17e. Expresses concern about the pressure that large amounts of returned migrants to Afghanistan can put onto the internal systems;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)

17f. Affirms that internally displaced people and returning migrants are due mostly in part to drought, climate change, lack of economic opportunity, and the threat of violence from conflicts with insurgent groups; applauds efforts by the EU and the international community to try and prevent mass migration at the root causes;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the European Union and its Member States are collectively the largest international donor to Afghanistan and its people; according to the Multiannual Indicative programme for Afghanistan (MIP 2014-2020), a new development funding of €1.4 billion for the period 2014-2020 is allocated;

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 g (new)

17g. Applauds the European Commission for establishing a major project in 2016 to better reintegrate returning migrants into Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan with 72 Million EUR earmarked specifically for Afghanistan between 2016 and 2020;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 h (new)

17h. Welcomes that the number of school enrolment has increased by 10 times since 2001 with39% of which are girls;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 i (new)

17i. Urges the Afghan government to take all necessary measures in ensuring that the prevention and countering of the spread of extremist ideologies be among its top priorities;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 j (new)

17j. Calls for the strengthening and support of national and sub-national human rights related institutions in Afghanistan, civil society organizations and academia; urges international counterparts to encourage closer cooperation and engagement with these respective Afghan partners;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 k (new)

17k. Urges that particular attention be paid to the youth generation and calls for the full use of programmes such as Erasmus + and Horizon 2020 to establish links between educational institutions, academia, research sectors and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Recognises that the end goal of EU aid to Afghanistan is to help the country’s government and economy develop ~~to a state of independence and growth with internal development and through external trade and investment, as opposed to a reliance on aid that supports the state over the people~~; stresses that trade and investment should contribute to the social, economic and environmental development of Afghanistan;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Recognises that the end goal of EU aid to Afghanistan is to ~~help~~eradicate poverty and to help the Afghan people, the country’s government and economy develop to a state of independence and growth with internal development and through fair external trade and sustainable public investment, as opposed to a reliance on aid that supports the state over the people; is convinced that the IMF programmes will not lead to an economically independent Afghan state;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Recognises that the end goal of EU aid to Afghanistan is to help the country’s government and economy develop to a state of independence and growth with internal development and through external trade and investment, as opposed to a reliance on aid that supports the state over the people; further recognizes that Afghani dependence on foreign aid is not an objective and that measures must be taken to prevent this;

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Recognises that the end goal of EU aid to Afghanistan is to help the country’s government and economy develop to a state of independence and growth with internal development and through external trade and investment, ~~as opposed to a reliance~~with the aim of becoming less and less dependent on aid that support~~s the state over~~ primarily the people;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Recognises that the end goal of EU aid to Afghanistan is to help the country’s government and economy develop to a state of independence and growth with internal development and regional cooperation through external trade and investment, as opposed to a reliance o~~n aid that supports the state over the people~~f the Afghan people have on state aid;

Amendment 19 #

Anders VISTISEN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas since 2002 the EU has provided EUR 3.66 billion in development and humanitarian aid, making it the fourth largest donor in support of the Afghan people; and another EUR 1.2 billion until 2020 in the framework of Multiannual Indicative Programme for Afghanistan (MIP 2014-2020);

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Stresses that there should be no conditionality between development assistance and cooperation on migration issues; opposes any attempts to link aid with management of migratory flows or readmission agreements, as foreseen in the CAPD in article 28.4; deeply deplores that the "Joint Way Forward" already contains such a conditionality;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Supports the EU and member state actions contributing to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund that is co- managed by the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance that works to deliver basic critical services with a specific focus on health and education;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Welcomes Afghanistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2016 and recognises the added value that trade and foreign direct investment will bring to Afghanistan’s future; recognises the positive role that WTO membership could have on the integration of Afghanistan into the world economy;deleted

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Welcomes Afghanistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2016 and recognises the added value that trade and foreign direct investment ~~will~~could bring to Afghanistan’s future; recognises the positive role that WTO membership could have on the integration of Afghanistan into the world economy;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. WBel~~comes~~ieves that Afghanistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2016 is absurd and recognises the added value that trade and foreign direct investment will bring to Afghanistan’s future; recognises the positive role that WTO membership could have on the integration of Afghanistan into the world economy;

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Stresses that Afghan authorities should develop a sustainable economic model with the principle of redistribution at its core; calls on the EU to support Afghanistan in its environmental development and energy transition, since provisions for clean and sustainable energy are essential to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Following the country’s accession to the WTO in 2016, which increased Afghanistan’s ties to the global economy, the EU granted Afghanistan the duty free and quota free access to the EU market, but further concrete measures are needed in order to allow the private sector to take the advantage of this regime and as such increase its internal development;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Following the recommendations put forth by the US 2018 SIGAR Report and subsequent reports, encourages that development projects and efforts begin in urban areas where insurgent group presence is at a minimum to take root and then move into more rural areas and areas of insurgent influence;

Amendment 198 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19b. Further efforts are need in order to increase the capacity of government institutions to formulate and implement trade strategies and policies, improve cross border movement of goods, and enhance the quality of products to meet international standards;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19b. Encourages the EU and other international agencies involved in the development of Afghanistan to work with the Afghan media to ensure strategic communication of the development efforts, their sources, purposes and impact, to the Afghan people;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 1~~6 Octo~~9 November 20178 on Afghanistan,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas since 2001 many European Member States, NATO partners and allied countries have contributed to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan with their military and civilian units, suffering several casualties and losses;

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19b. Regrets the fact that despite the important injections of foreign aid the impact has been limited; invites the Court of Auditors to draw up a special report on the effectiveness of EU assistance to Afghanistan over the last decade;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)

19c. Recommends that the EU join the USAID in working to reinforce the primary focus on building up the Afghan state as a credible/effective partner through better engagement with and activation of the economy going as an engine of growth, and the strengthening of civil society and social institutions’ ability to hold the state accountable to the public;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)

19d. Calls upon the EU to work with and coordinate with the World Bank on where and what kind development needs to take place within Afghanistan; recognizes the importance of such a relationship is crucial to the efficiency of the development process;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 e (new)

19e. Recalls that there is a current lack of civilian experts in Afghanistan; encourages the EU and its Member States to employ and properly train civilian experts in key areas crucial to economic development and counter narcotics to assist and train Afghani officials and locals;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 f (new)

19f. Calls for the EU to establish an office that will coordinate between the US, EU, NGOs, and any other actor involved in development and aid efforts in Afghanistan, and to share critical information, and ensure that there are no duplicate programs to ensure efficiency of money and efforts and further limit the number of NGOs on the ground; further calls for this office to identify the needs of each province and community and coordinate efforts based on the needs of the local Afghan communities;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 g (new)

19g. Calls for the enhancement of business-to-business relations between EU based companies and the Afghan private sector; encourages the implementation of favourable conditions for small and medium enterprise development;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls for efforts to put the EU’s experience in capacity building and public administration and civil service reform to good use; highlights the urgent need to improve governance in the field of taxation; calls on supporting civil society organisations, in full respect of their different ethnic, religious, social or political background;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Underlines that agriculture accounts for 50% of the income for Afghanistan’s population and a quarter of its GDP; notes that the EU is spending 1.4 billion EUR between 2014 and 2020 on developmental projects in rural areas; further notes that these projects are crucial to ensuring that farmers don’t move towards the black economy;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Urges the Commission to present comprehensive strategies for each sector with the aim to ensure widespread development in all areas of cooperation with Afghanistan;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Regrets the strong focus in the Agreement on the prevention of irregular migration, especially article 28.4, which imposes the obligation to conclude a readmission agreement when one of the parties requests to do so; opposes the Joint Way Forward on migration issues, which contains arrangements on readmission that have not been subject to the EP´s consent; deeply deplores that returns from EU Member States are continuing despite a highly unstable security situation and serious reintegration challenges and urges them to immediately halt returns to Afghanistan;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas according to the UN, corruption in Afghanistan undermines the legitimacy of the state, posing a serious threat to good governance and sustainable development by preventing ‘a real economy from emerging’;

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Reiterates the need for the international community to continue its engagement in Afghanistan and to contribute to rebuilding the country, developing the economy and resisting terrorism; encourages further financial engagement by the EU and the Member States;

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Notes that 80% of the Afghani population engages in subsistence agriculture in an environment hostile to agriculture and face poor irrigation methods; and supports enhancing efforts to ensure food security;

Amendment 212 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21b. Strongly deplores that EU Member States have not put in place sufficient preventive measures to ensure that people who have forcibly returned to Afghanistan, including children and young people, have not been subject to violence or coercion throughout the return procedures;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21b. Notes with concern the current drought in Afghanistan which is the worst in decades that threatens people, livestock, and agriculture; further concerned over the frequent natural disasters such as flash floods, earthquakes, landslides, and harsh winters;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)

21c. Notes with concern that harm to agricultural products such as wheat can lead to displacement, poverty, starvation, and in some cases movements to the black market and that three million people are at extremely high risk of food security and loss of livelihood;

Amendment 215 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)

21c. Stresses that the main focus of action against narcotics should be on supporting income alternatives for farmers; highlights the need for a broader strategy in relation to sustainable rural development and water management;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)

21d. Recognizes that moving more of the value chain of food processing back into Afghanistan could increase income for families, increase food security, decrease food costs, and provide more employment opportunities;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 e (new)

21e. Notes that human trafficking and migrant smuggling harms both sides, and in particular Afghan society; and calls for fast implementation of existing agreements, including exchange of information, to dismantle the transnational criminal networks which benefit from instability and weak institutions;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 f (new)

21f. Strongly condemns the corrupt practices in the Afghani healthcare system such as the importation of illegal pharmaceuticals and urges the EU to continue to apply pressure on the Afghani government to do more to prevent such corrupt practices;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 g (new)

21g. Reiterates the need for trained medical professionals within Afghanistan and encourages the EU and its member states to continue to bring in medical professionals to train local doctors and medics;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas such legal framework builds on the current EU Strategy on Afghanistan as well as the EU’s extensive external financing assistance;

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 h (new)

21h. Notes the unprecedented peak in opium poppy cultivation and production; notes the US and Afghan strikes against illicit drug infrastructure targeting insurgent revenue sources; however notes that such bombing will solve neither the country’s Taliban insurgency nor its drugs problem; underlines promoting alternative livelihood and development to create new jobs, access to education, financial services and markets;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 i (new)

21i. Recognizes that mineral reserves in Afghanistan provide an economic opportunity for the country to generate revenue and jobs; notes that China has shown interest in such mineral reserves with a particular emphasis on rare earth elements;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 j (new)

21j. Supports and welcomes the EU, individual member states, or any member of the international community to start a development program with the goal of assisting small business owners and entrepreneurs navigate legal costs, regulations, and other barriers of production that otherwise act to discourage business’s from entering the market and/or growing within the market;

Amendment 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8 a (new)

Migration Is concerned about the unprecedented numbers of returning migrants mainly from Pakistan and Iran and to a lesser extent from Europe; is concerned about the lack of standing integrational policies from the Afghan authorities to manage the present returnees; is convinced that proper integration of migrants is crucial to ensure stability in the country;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Welcomes the establishment of the joint cooperation bodies at executive level, with an emphasis on holding regular dialogues on political issues including human rights, in particular the rights of women and children and to address challenges and create opportunities for a stronger partnership, which are essential elements of this agreement;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Welcomes the CAPD as the first contractual relationship between the EU and Afghanistan;

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Calls on the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and the European Commission to evaluate all EU measures in Afghanistan on a regular basis by using explicit qualitative and quantitative indicators especially with regard to development aid, good governance, including the justice sector, respect for human rights and security; calls in this context also for an evaluation of the relative impact of EU measures on the overall situation in the country and the level of coordination and cooperation between EU actors and other international missions and measures, to publish the findings and recommendations and to report back to the European Parliament;

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Emphasises the importance of preventing and fighting fraud and corruption or any other illegal activities that would be to the detriment of CAPD;

Amendment 228 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Notes that the CAPD provides the basis for developing relationship in various areas such as the rule of law, health, rural development, education, science and technology, anti-corruption, money laundering, the financing of terrorism, organised crime and narcotics, migration, nuclear security, WMD non- proliferation and climate change;

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23c. Takes note of the EU’s replacement of the EU Special Representative for the country by a Special Envoy as of September 2017, streamlined within the EEAS structure;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas according to the Global Adaptation Index Afghanistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)

23d. Is concerned that despite no legal obligation on the Council’s parts, it has proceeded with a decision on provisional application in areas which are subject to EP consent, rather than requesting such ratification early in the process prior to taking such steps;

Amendment 24 #

Anders VISTISEN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas a stable independent Afghanistan that can provide for itself and deny safe haven to terrorist groups is still in the vital security interests of NATO, the EU, and its Member States;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas the CAPD will form the basis of EU-Afghan relations for the next ten years, and could be automatically extended for periods of 5 years;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

Cc. whereas the CAPD reflects the principles and conditions on which the EU-Afghanistan future partnership will be based (Title I and II), including the essential elements clauses on human rights and WMD non-proliferation; whereas the CAPD provides for the possibility of cooperation in a broad range of areas, including development (Title III), trade and investment (Title IV), justice and the rule of law (Title V), including the fight against organised crime, money laundering and counter- narcotics, cooperation on migration, and a potential future readmission agreement, as well as sectoral cooperation (Title VI);

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

Cc. whereas according to the European Asylum Support Office only one of the thirty-three provinces of Afghanistan is completely spared from armed conflicts;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)

Cd. whereas more than 450 000 Afghan people have returned or been deported from Iran since the start of 2018; whereas the Government of Pakistan has announced that the 1.7 million Afghan refugees registered in the country will need to forcibly return to Afghanistan; whereas the United Nations High Commission for Refugees has expressed its concerns about the compulsory repatriation of refugees, which violates the international law principle of non-refoulement;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)

Cd. whereas on 13 January 2016, the VP-HR and the Commission presented to the Council the Joint Proposal for Council Decisions on the signing and conclusion of the CAPD, as an agreement between the European Union and Afghanistan ('EU- only');

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)

– having regard to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons of 12 April 2017 on his mission to Afghanistan,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)

Ce. whereas there are more than two million internally displaced persons in Afghanistan as a result of the conflict; whereas according to OCHA, more than 301 000 individuals have been internally displaced in 2018 in Afghanistan due to the ongoing conflict in the country; whereas many of these individuals suffer from food insecurity, inadequate shelter, insufficient access to sanitation and health facilities and lack of protection;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)

Ce. whereas while agreeing with the substance of the Agreement, Member States expressed preference for a 'mixed' Agreement with provisional application, therefore asking the Commission and the VP-HR to revise the proposals accordingly to take into account mixed and provisional application;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)

Cf. whereas many children and young people have been forcibly sent back to Afghanistan, where they are at a particular vulnerable situation and at risk of being subject to sexual abuse, child labour or potential recruitment from Talibans and other criminal groups;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)

Cf. whereas the CAPD was signed on 18 February 2017; whereas it has been provisionally and partly applied since 1 December 2017;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)

Cg. whereas Parliament has been partially but not fully informed throughout negotiations; whereas Parliament received the Council’s negotiating directives for the EEAS only on 16 March 2018 instead of November 2011 when Parliament was informed about the decision to open negotiations;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)

Cg. whereas an estimated 87% of Afghan women suffer from gender- related violence; whereas Afghanistan ranks 154 out of 159 countries on the UN Gender Inequality Index;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)

Ch. whereas in 2017 opium cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record high, with a 63% increase in comparison with 2016; whereas illicit trafficking of opiates further fuels instability, insurgency and increases funding to terrorist groups in Afghanistan;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)

Ch. whereas the US SINGAR reported that as of May 2018 the Afghan government had control of 56% of the districts of Afghanistan, 58% of the territory, and 47% of the population with 30% of the districts being contested and 14% under insurgent control;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C i (new)

Ci. whereas Afghanistan is a low- income, post-conflict and landlocked country, representing special challenges to the international community and its institutions;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C j (new)

Cj. whereas since 2002 the EU has provided EUR 3.66 billion in development and humanitarian aid, making it the fourth largest donor in support of the Afghan people; and another EUR 1.2 billion until 2020 in the framework of Multiannual Indicative Programme for Afghanistan (MIP 2014-2020);

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)

– having regard to the Geneva ministerial conference on Afghanistan on 27-28 November 2018,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C k (new)

Ck. whereas new threats and international crises are arising, causing the public to lose focus, support, and concern for the situation in Afghanistan;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C l (new)

Cl. whereas a stable independent Afghanistan that can provide for itself and deny safe haven to terrorist groups is still in the vital security interests of NATO, the EU, and its member states;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C m (new)

Cm. whereas the Afghanistan´s GDP is currently USD 20 Billion and that the growth rate has shrunk since the withdrawal of ISAF in 2014; and whereas the Afghan economy still faces a number of challenges such as corruption, low revenue collection, poor infrastructure, and anaemic job creation;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C n (new)

Cn. whereas for the first time the Afghan budget of 2018 adheres to international standards for projections and accounting;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C o (new)

Co. whereas there are over 600 000 newly displaced people inside Afghanistan in 2016, 2.5 million registered refugees, and between 2 and 3 million undocumented Afghanis in Iran and Pakistan;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C p (new)

Cp. whereas the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan comes to a close after nine years of progress;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C q (new)

Cq. whereas the EU Member States still have over 3000 military personnel in Afghanistan participating in NATO Operation Resolute Support;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to ~~further~~ improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to foster resilience in the face of the national and regional security challenges, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’s , ethnic and religious minorities´ rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to further improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to eradicate poverty, to create jobs and alternative livelihoods to opium cultivation and terrorism, to help improve living conditions for Afghan people, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’s rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve social and fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive socio-economic growth;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to further improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’ and children's rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive economic growth; enabling the young people, (under the age of 25), who represent 2/3 of the population to access a better future;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 b (new)

– having regard to the request of the ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of 3 November 2017 to start an investigation on the war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Afghanistan since May 2003,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to further improve governance and the rule of law, to fight terrorism and extremism, to achieve sustainable peace and development, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’s rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive economic growth;

Amendment 51 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Remains committed to~~Believes that there is no point in further supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to further improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’s rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive economic growth;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to further improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’s rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive economic growth and rural development;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to further improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to ~~promot~~ensure the respect of human rights, including women’s rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in its efforts to build a secure and stable future for the people of Afghanistan by undertaking key reforms in order to ~~further~~ improve governance and the rule of law, to build legitimate, democratic institutions, to promote the respect of human rights, including women’s rights, to fight corruption, to counter narcotics, to improve fiscal sustainability and to foster inclusive economic growth;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. The Agreement provides the basis for developing a mutually beneficial relationship in an increasing range of areas such as the rule of law, health, rural development, education, science and technology, as well as actions to combat corruption, money laundering, the financing of terrorism, organised crime and narcotics;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Underlines the importance of continuing support of the EU and international community to achieve and preserve the stability and development of Afghanistan;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underscores that the long-term development of Afghanistan will depend on accountability of governance, the sustainable provision of human security, including poverty eradication, job opportunities and free and universal access to social and health services, the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights, and the creation by the country’s government of an environment that enables f~~urther foreign investment~~air trade and equal economic relations, which benefits the people instead of the profits of multinational companies;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underscores that the long-term development of Afghanistan will depend on good governance, accountability ~~of governance~~, the sustainable provision of human security and the achievement of human development, the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights, and the creation by the country’s government of an environment that enables further sustainable foreign investment; stresses the need to conserve and manage in a sustainable manner natural resources and biological diversity;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underscores that the long-term development of Afghanistan will depend on accountability of governance, the sustainable provision of human security, the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights, and the creation by the country’s government of an environment that enables ~~further foreign investment~~sustainable and inclusive economic growth, including through creating favourable conditions for foreign investment, with full respect for social, environmental and labour standards;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 c (new)

– having regard to the UN convention on the rights of children,

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underscores that the long-term development of Afghanistan will depend on accountability of governance, the sustainable provision of human security, the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights, and the creation by the country’s government of an environment that enables further foreign investment, and that none of these objectives can be met through foreign intervention, but that the Afghans will have to solve their own problems;

Amendment 61 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underscores that the long-term development of Afghanistan will depend on accountability of governance, the sustainable provision of human security, reduction of poverty, the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights, and the creation by the country’s government of an environment that enables further foreign investment;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan is needed and all efforts should be directed towards that most urgent objective;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned by the political instability marked by the fragility of the central government and the lack of control it exerts in some provinces; is further concerned that only 60% of Afghanistan is under the control of the central government;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned by the fragility of the central government and the lack of control it exerts in some provinces, also due to unresolved post-electoral issues; calls on the EU and international community to facilitate mediation in such cases;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned by the fragility and the instability of the central government and ~~the~~its lack of control i~~t exerts in some provinces~~n much of the country;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned by the fragility of the central government and the lack of control it exerts in some provinces; points out that the situation has been the same in Afghanistan for centuries and that nothing will change;

Amendment 68 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Is concerned of the highly volatile security situation in Afghanistan with continuing high number of incidents, especially the deteriorating security conditions in the North; is concerned about the worsening effect of the conflict on the civilian population in which in the first half of 2018 the conflict caused the highest number of civilian deaths in a six- month period since 2009;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the EU to assist efforts against the long-term trend of inter-ethnic tensions contributing to disintegration of central power and to support the rich multi-ethnic fabric of the Afghan society;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)

– having regard to the EU Country Roadmap for Engagement with civil society in Afghanistan 2018-2020,

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises its long-term support for credible, free ~~and fair~~, fair and transparent elections, in line with international standards, and expresses its support for EU election observation in the country, including observation of the 2019 presidential election; stresses that due to chronic political rivalries the result of these elections will have a tremendous impact on the future stability of the Afghan government;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Emphasises its~~Believes that the notion that, in the long- term ~~support for~~, credible, free and fair elections, in line with international standards, ~~and expresses its support for~~could ever be hold in the country is naive, and believes that EU election observation in the country, including observation of the 2019 presidential election, is useless;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises its long-term support for credible, inclusive, free and fair elections, in line with international standards, and expresses its support for EU election observation in the country, including observation of the 2019 presidential election;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Supports the Afghan government’s efforts to provide the population at large with security and stability;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Emphasises the vast economic opportunities of the country due to its geographical position and its human and natural resources;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Emphasises the EU's substantial financial and political support for Afghanistan's social and economic development, humanitarian aid and regional connectivity; urges further efforts towards joint programming between the EU and its Member States;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4d. Stresses, in this regard, the need for increased EU-US policy coordination and dialogue on Afghanistan and regional issues;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4e. Regrets the migration wave to the West, especially of the educated and the youth, due to the lack of prospects in the country; underlines the EU assistance to improve Afghan emigrants’ lives disbursed in Pakistan and Iran; calls on those countries not to expel those persons, which could have a deeply negative effect on Afghan stability and economy; calls for the return of refugees to their homes be based on a safe, orderly and voluntary conduct;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4f. Welcomes the Joint Communique adopted at the UN-hosted ministerial conference on Afghanistan, on 27-28 November 2018 in Geneva, with a view to the commitments made at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan in 2016;

Amendment 79 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Patricia LALONDE, Urmas PAET, Ilhan KYUCHYUK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; regrets that ~~a stable and successful Afghanistan~~the EU has placed itself in opposition to some of these regional powers – in particular Russia – and that its ~~not always the end goal for these regional actors~~political stance makes it impossible to cooperate with Moscow on matters such as this one;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 b (new)

– having regard to the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan on 26-27 of March 2018,

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Recogni~~Underlines that Afghanistan is subject to antagonistic objectives of regional powers; stresses that support and positive co-operation of~~rom~~ neighbouring countries and regional powers~~, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan,~~ are essential tofor the stabiliszation and development of Afghanistan~~; regrets that a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional actor~~ and underlines the crucial role of these countries in the peace process;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, ~~are~~is vital for peace and essential ~~to the~~for stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; ~~regrets that a stable and successful~~considers that closer relations with its neighbours are imperative for Afghanistan i's no~~t always the end goal for these regional actor~~rmalization process to achieve stability; encourages them to cooperate constructively to promote a genuine and results-oriented negotiation process without preconditions;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; re~~gret~~calls that ~~a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional actors~~Afghanistan is situated at the crossroads between Asia and the Middle East, and a neighbouring country to regional powers defending conflicting interests, which can infringe its stability and prosperity;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; re~~gret~~calls that a stable and ~~successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional~~economically viable Afghanistan should be the aim of all these actors;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; regrets that a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional actors; calls upon the EU to take the necessary steps to prevent neighbouring countries from blocking Afghani exports and products;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; ~~regrets that a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the~~stresses that peace and stability in Afghanistan should be an end goal for these regional actors;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; ~~regrets that a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional actors~~calls on all of these states to cooperate for the sake of a stable and successful Afghanistan;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recognises that support and positive co-operation from neighbouring countries ~~and~~, regional powers and Central Asia, in particular China, Iran, India, Russia and Pakistan, are essential to the stabilisation and development of Afghanistan; regrets that a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional actors;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses that the mobility and sustained activity of terrorist networks operating in Afghanistan and also in Pakistan contribute to the instability of the situation in the whole region;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Urge~~Thanks the regional powers ~~to fully support~~for their support for the peace efforts in Afghanistan; supports regional cooperation forums~~, however is concerned at the parallel proxy involvement of some of Afghanistan’s neighbours in the conflict, undermining peace efforts~~;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas on 10 November 2011, the Council adopted a decision authorising the European Commission to negotiate a CAPD between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan13 ; whereas the CAPD has been provisionally applied since 1 December 2017, before the European Parliament gave its consent to it; __________________ 13 Council Decisions of 10 November 2011 (16146/11 and 16147/11).

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the regional powers to fully support peace efforts in Afghanistan; supports regional cooperation forums~~, however is concerned at the parallel proxy involvement of some~~; stresses that the conflict is mostly driven by intra-Afghan hostilities; at the same time, calls ofn Afghanistan’s neighbours ~~in the conflict,~~to refrain from involving proxies in their rivalries in Afghanistan, thus undermining peace efforts;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the regional powers to fully ~~support peace efforts~~cooperate in order to achieve a long- lasting and sustainable peace in Afghanistan; supports regional cooperation forums, however is concerned at the parallel proxy involvement of some of Afghanistan’s neighbours in the conflict, undermining peace efforts;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the regional powers to fully support peace efforts in Afghanistan; supports regional cooperation forums, however is concerned atby the ~~parallel proxy~~ involvement of some of Afghanistan’s neighbours in the conflict, ~~undermin~~making peace efforts more difficult;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the EU to increase its efforts at ~~pressuring~~dialogue and cooperation with regional partners to combat drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorist financing and human smuggling;

Amendment 94 #