Preparatory phase in Parliament
2017/2280(INI) Implementation of the EU external financing instruments: mid-term review 2017 and the future post-2020 architecture
Legal Basis RoP 052
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | AFET | SCHAAKE Marietje (ALDE) | LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE Antonio (EPP), CRISTEA Andi (S&D), VISTISEN Anders Primdahl (ECR), LÖSING Sabine (GUE/NGL), SOLÉ Jordi (Verts/ALE), CASTALDO Fabio Massimo (EFD) |
| Opinion | BUDG | ARTHUIS Jean (ALDE) | |
| Opinion | DEVE | MCAVAN Linda (S&D) |
Legal Basis RoP 052
Subjects
Activites
-
2018/04/16
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 343 |
2017/2280(INI)
2018/01/24
DEVE
40 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Citation 2 a (new) - having regard to the Council conclusions of 19 June 2017 on EU engagement with civil society in external relations,
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Recital D b (new) D b. whereas the Common Implementing Regulation (CIR) contains key provisions on development and aid effectiveness principles such as untying of aid and the use of partner countries' own institutions, systems and procedures,
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Recital D b (new) D b. whereas the EU has recognised the importance of partnerships with civil society organisations (CSOs) in external relations; whereas this includes involvement of CSOs in programming and implementing external instruments; whereas such a more strategic engagement has not been implement yet;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that the EU’s external financing instruments (EFIs) are a complex set of tools for the EU to support and enhance its action
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that the EU’s external financing instruments (EFIs) are a complex set of tools for the EU to support and enhance its action on the international scene, and that their complexity is coordinated by the Common Implementing Rules Regulation, which ensures a
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that the EU’s external financing instruments (EFIs) are a
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Is pleased to note that the evaluation of the different instruments and the mid-term review report consider the current architecture generally fit for purpose and that therefore a major restructuring is not needed,
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1 b. Regrets that it is not possible for the Commission to measure if the different instruments reach their objectives; recalls in that context the observations made by the European Court of Auditors in its Special Report 18/2014 on EuropeAid's Evaluation and Results Oriented Monitoring Systems; calls on the Commission to use this occasion in order to improve its evaluation and monitoring system along the recommendations made by the Court;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1 c. Recalls the key importance of development and aid effectiveness principles in external action as highlighted in the Common Implementing Regulation and calls on the Commission to maintain these principles throughout all the measures it will take following the mid-term review report;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1 d. Regrets that the issue of a lack of CSO participation in programming and implementing external instruments has not been raised in the Commission's mid- term review report; calls on the Commission to mainstream a more strategic involvement of CSOs in all external instruments and programmes as requested by both the Council and the European Parliament,
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Urges a separate instrument for humanitarian aid, with its own regulation and budget so that the integrity of mandates and objectives and the independence of decision making are preserved;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Citation 2 b (new) - having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament of 23 September 2013 on local authorities and civil society: Europe’s engagement in support of sustainable development,
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1 b. Calls for an Human Rights and Democracy Instrument, with a separate regulation, to advance and consolidate human rights and democracy in the EU’s external action and to preserve the independence of that action;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1 c. Recommends a dedicated instrument to support conflict prevention and peacebuilding, with a focus on human security and civilian action and excluding any military expenditure. At the same time, the EU should also ensure that conflict sensitivity is better mainstreamed in other external financing instruments, to enable greater complementarity;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1 d. Calls for an increase in the resources available for development aid. The 0.7% GNI to ODA is a commitment of the EU that so far has never been met and falls short of the financial resources needed to implement Agenda 2030;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Calls for conducting the lessons learned exercise in order to identify shortcomings in the coordination, and to improve coordination of the EU external financing instruments with financing instruments of other international institutions, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other development/financing institution, in order to create synergies and maximum impact of the financing instruments in the development countries;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 e (new) 1 e. Suggests to consider the integration of Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) into the framework of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), with the goal to provide a more stable political frame for emergency budget support,
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Considers that sufficient time is key to Parliament being able to
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Considers that sufficient time is key to Parliament being able to properly and duly exercise its scrutiny powers with regard to draft implementing acts, which in the end has the goal to make better and efficient use of EU financing;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Considers that sufficient time is key to Parliament being able to properly and duly exercise its scrutiny powers with regard to draft implementing acts; considers that sufficient time must be allowed in order to guarantee Parliament's rights under this procedure, one instance in which Parliament is too often accused of having a democratic deficit;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3.
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Regrets, therefore, that the Commission does not always meet the deadline of 20 calendar days
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Citation 2 c (new) - having regard to the report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of 15 December 2017 on the mid-term review of the External Financing Instruments,
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Regrets, therefore, that the deadline of 20 calendar days is not always respected, and considers
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Points, as the Cotonou Agreement is about to be reviewed, to the importance of remaining strictly within the time- frames for the continental-scale projects provided for in the Pan-African Programme intended to underpin the strategic partnership between the EU and Africa;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls for submission of all draft implementing measures at least 20 days in advance, and calls on the Commission to amend the Rules of Procedure of the DCI Committee in order to extend this 20-day time limit for submission, thus facilitating Parliament’s
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Calls, equally, for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny mechanisms for all EFIs intended for countries outside the EU, as well as for vehicles for their implementation such as trust funds, which enable Parliament to genuinely engage in the programming of funds and in the examination of their implementation.
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Considers it important that Parliament should be placed on an equal footing with the Council for the purposes of exercising the power of democratic control.
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Stresses that the EU Partnership Instrument should be removed from the external heading;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 b (new) 6 b. Requires transparency, accountability, scrutiny, development additionality, respect for aid/development effectiveness principles and strong environmental, human rights, and social safeguards when using development aid to leverage private sector investment;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Calls for trust funds, which are out of range of Parliament's scrutiny, to be included in the EU budget.
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 c (new) 6 c. Transparency and accountability should be at the cornerstone of EU’s approach to private sector in development given that blended finance tends to be much less transparent and accountable than pure public concessional funding, as shown by the experience of the EU’s blending facilities. It is crucial to ensure that private entities which benefit from EU ODA - through blending or guarantees - respect human rights, social and labor standards, and the environment.
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 d (new) 6 d. Highlights the country aid allocations should not be dependent on migration deals with the EU, and there should be no diversion of finance from poor countries and regions to the migrants’ countries of origin, or of transit to Europe, on the sole basis that they are on the migration route;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Citation 2 d (new) - having regard to the European Court of Auditor's Special Report 18/2014 on EuropeAid's Evaluation and Results Oriented Monitoring Systems,
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 e (new) 6 e. Calls for an increase support to role of CSO in policy dialogue and programming, the recognition of the civil society organisations is absent from the DEVE draft opinion as the European Parliament is the only EU institution elected by the EU citizens;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Citation 4 — having regard to the Rules of Procedure of the Development Cooperation Instrument Committee (DCI Committee), the purpose of the instrument being to improve development assistance,
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Citation 4 a (new) – whereas the amalgamation of the geographical and thematic instruments into a single development cooperation financing instrument has to meet clarity and transparency criteria in order to improve development cooperation;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Citation 4 b (new) – whereas the DCI has to conform to the principles of effectiveness, differentiation, consistency, and predictability and be encompassed within the EU's global strategy, without negating the values specific to development cooperation;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Recital D a (new) D a. whereas the Commission considers in its mid-term review report that the current external instrument architecture is generally fit for purpose,
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Recital D b (new) D b. whereas the Commission states in its mid-term review that it is difficult to measure the overall effectiveness of the instruments in meeting their objectives, partly because of the difficulty in defining appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems at the instrument-level (p.10); recalls that the Court of Auditors pointed to serious deficiencies in EuropeAid's evaluation system in its Special Report 18/2014,
source: 616.785
2018/02/05
BUDG
23 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Regrets that the quantity and lack of flexibility and coherence of the EU funding under Heading 4 of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF) have been indicative of the EU’s limited ambition to act as a genuine global player; notes however that many of the partner countries and themes addressed by the EU external financing instruments (EFIs) have experienced positive progress thus proving the relevance and importance of the EFIs.
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 1 a (new) - allow for clear synergies between the budget and the EU’s political influence within genuine partnerships with third countries;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 3 - bring real EU added value:
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 4 a (new) - strengthen Parliament's democratic scrutiny role;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 4 b (new) - strengthen the promotion of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality; is convinced that the EU external financing instruments should support practical measures to improve the health and lives of women and girls including financial support for voluntary, modern sexual and reproductive health services, including access to birth control and safe and legal abortion;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Is of the opinion that EFI architecture could be simplified
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Is of the opinion that EFI architecture could be simplified if it increases the coherence and visibility of Union action, efficiency, flexibility and accountability; believes that streamlining the EFIs in order to reduce the barriers between geographic and thematic programmes will lead to synergies and efficiency gains, for instance by facilitating the transfer of funds within and between instruments when dealing with emergency situations; warns, however, that an excessively radical simplification of the structure would not be without risks; calls for the new architecture to reflect EU values and clear political objectives;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Recalls the unprecedented needs for humanitarian aid, caused by natural and man-made disasters driven, inter alia, by climate change and human insecurity, conflicts and forced displacement; calls in particular for maintaining a separate instrument for humanitarian aid with its own legal basis, budget and long term funding strategy to ensure the four humanitarian principles 'humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence'; calls as well for a substantial humanitarian aid reserve;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Believes that performance does not depend solely on the architecture of the EU external financing instruments themselves, but also on partner countries' political will, admistrative capacity and ability to implement the necessary reforms and policies that the instruments encourage;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls for better integration of the EU Trust Funds into the budget in order to increase the transparency and democratic scrutiny of the EFIs; recalls the agreement, as part of the latest revision of the Financial Regulation, on a prior consultation of Parliament and Council before setting-up a new Trust Fund fort hematic actions; calls, in addition, on the Commission to provide Parliament with detailed information about any significant autonomous transfer or decommitment under Heading 4.
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls for better integration of the EU Trust Funds and facilities into the budget in order to increase the transparency and democratic scrutiny of the EFIs; calls, in addition, on the Commission to provide Parliament with detailed information about any significant autonomous transfer or decommitment under Heading 4.
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2.
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls also for trust funds and other financial instruments to play an ever- diminishing role, given that they are established with public guarantees to finance private initiatives where, in the end, if they fail, the cost is borne by the tax-payer, but if they are successful, they contribute to private profit. European external action should be an expression of international solidarity and mutual collaboration and this type of instrument only makes sense for non-strategic actions and for those which cannot be shouldered by public initiatives alone so that the risk must be shared with private initiative.
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Deplores the redeployment of funds envisaged in the 2018 draft budget from development (DCI) to finance the new Capacity Building for Security and Development under the IcSP; highlights in this regard that military actors should never be financed from development funds and calls on the Commission to adhere to this stance during this year's budgetary procedure;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5 b. Deplores that important revenues are lost through tax evasion and agressive tax avoidance by multinational companies and very wealthy individuals in partner countries around the world; points out that strengthening Domestic Revenue Mobilisation (DRM) has been recognised as essential to sustainable development by all major international texts and conferences on financing for development including the conference in Addis Ababa in 2015; calls for a stronger emphasis on support for DRM in the programming of EU's external financial instruments, especially those focused on development;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 c (new) 5 c. Takes the view that mid-term review and budgetary control processes should be sufficiently rigorous and transparent to ensure the maximum absorption of funds possible and to enable appropriate redeployment of funds where events render absorption impractical;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2.
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Regrets that the contributions from the EU budget to the EU Trust Funds and the Facility for Refugees in Turkey have reduced the overall coherence, long-term vision and impact of the Union’s action; stresses once again that new priorities must be financed with new appropriations; considers it unfortunate that the principle of budgetary unity is increasingly being breached even though it is essential in order to produce a transparent, comprehensible, and legitimate EU budget;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Regrets that funds previously earmarked for development cooperation are used to fund policies under the European Agenda on Migration in order to influence third countries as regards their policies on the management of migration towards the EU without addressing the underlying causes driving such migrations, such as climate, poverty, military conflict and social or political discrimination, or the tiered consequences which need to be dealt with in the event of migrations: as regards their origin, the movement of persons, their reception and integration in the host countries. The policies elaborated neither prevent nor limit the negative consequences but exacerbate them.
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 1 - be at the service of an ambitious and overarching EU global strategy; match the EU’s political ambitions in size, flexibility and harmonisation between and within the EFIs, and overall political coherence;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 1 - be at the service of an ambitious and overarching EU global strategy; match the EU’s political ambitions in size, flexibility between and within the EFIs, and overall political coherence, also when it comes to being a key actor in post-war and post-conflict reconstruction in its larger neighbourhood;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 1 - be at the service of an ambitious and overarching EU global strategy; match the EU’s political ambitions in size, flexibility between and within the EFIs,
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – indent 1 a (new) - be projected and assessed beyond line items that specifically refer to foreign affairs, but also through emerging horizontal and vertical effects of foreign affairs on the EU financial framework, such as migration and trade realignments following Brexit and the protectionist policies advocated bythe Trump administration in the US;
source: 618.051
2018/02/13
AFET
280 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 33 a (new) - having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 6 February 2018 entitled ‘A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans' (COM(2018)65),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) C a. whereas no equal and robust parliamentary scrutiny of all instruments in particular of the IcSP, is in place;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 b (new) 17 b. Regrets that the commonality of rules has not led to joint programming of assistance amongst the instruments;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for EU and universal values to remain at the core of all EU external actions; stresses that EU external action must prioritise tackling critical global challenges, such as the peace, security and development nexus, and recognise that the promotion of human rights and democracy, and support for human rights defenders and civil society organisations, are essential to working towards these interlinked goals;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for EU and universal values of human rights to remain at the core of all EU external actions;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for EU and universal values and rights to remain at the core of all EU external actions;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for EU and universal values and rights to remain at the core of all EU external actions;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Urges
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Urges increased synergies and coherence between all instruments under Heading IV; calls, in this regard, on the Commission and the EEAS to strengthen their cooperation and coordination, particularly to fulfil their responsibilities under Article 21 TEU;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Urges increased synergies and coherence between all instruments under Heading IV, as well as with bilateral assistance programmes of Member States; calls, in this regard, on the Commission and the EEAS to strengthen their cooperation and coordination;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) C a. whereas the EU has been facing numerous challenges in its close neighbourhood but also on the global scene;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls for the establishment of solid monitoring
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls for the establishment of solid and transparent monitoring and evaluation systems that are consistent for all instruments;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20 a. Stresses the need to provide additional financial resources and training support to CSOs; insists that urgent measures are required to further diminish the bureaucratic burden and procedural obstacles encountered by civil society organisations, especially by local CSOs; calls for specific budget lines devoted to capacity building for CSOs in order to enhance their ability to access funding;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20 a. Recommends improving transparency by the creation of a single common transparent public database of projects and actions;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20 a. Is in favour of a more direct and active promotion of EU policies, its financial assistance and its visibility;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20 a. Is in favour of a more direct and visible promotion of EU policies;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20 b. Reiterates its position that at least 10% of unallocated funds of ENI and IPA II are kept in reserve for unforeseen events, whilst maintaining the objectives prescribed in the relevant ENI and IPA II regulations;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20 b. Calls for bigger efforts to ensure joint programming of assistance with Members States and, where possible, other donors;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20 a. Calls for tangible progress on crucial reform-related goals in neighbouring countries, particularly where those reforms have stalled or otherwise been delayed; notes that in the absence of such reforms the validity and efficacy of IPA II as a whole is called into question;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C b (new) C b. whereas due to limited resources the external financing instruments have been often stretched to their limits;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recommends a stronger emphasis on
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recommends a stronger emphasis on democratisation, strengthening the rule of law and improving respect for universal human rights; calls for more support for reforms in the sectors relevant for the accession process, as well as stimulation of the regional cooperation;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recommends a stronger emphasis on democratisation, public administration reform, strengthening the rule of law and improving respect for universal human rights, thereby assisting in a complementary manner to achieve the EU´s enlargement policy;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recommends a stronger emphasis on democratisation
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21.
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Recommends enabling the transfer of funds to civil society when state authorities are unwilling to meet the EU’s stated objectives
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22.
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Recommends
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Recommends enabling the transfer of funds to civil society when state authorities are unwilling to meet the EU’s stated objectives and calls upon the Commission to s
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Recommends enabling the direct transfer of funds to civil society when state authorities are unwilling to meet the EU’s stated objectives and calls on the Commission to suspend funding for countries not fulfilling the basic Copenhagen criteria;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) D a. whereas there is an urgent need to enhance the visibility of EU assistance targeting both the citizens of partner countries and those of the European Union in order to better communicate the benefits of EU support; whereas investing in favour of concrete and tangible projects the visibility of which is more easily accessible by the wider public, while developing a comprehensive, effective and systematic communication strategy within each instrument can be of significant value in this regard;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22 a. Insists on strong ownership of the beneficiaries from programming to monitoring and auditing; calls on the European Commission to provide targeted assistance to national audit authorities in terms of methodology, planning, recruitment training and supervision;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 b (new) 22 b. Regrets the lack of transparency regarding the absorption capacity of these funds;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 c (new) 22 c. Calls for increased visibility of the IPA II in the region considering the crucial importance of the enlargement policy for the EU;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23 a. Calls for appropriate targeted communication and information campaigns by means of national, regional and local media outlets or any other as it may be deemed appropriate, with minimum requirements and the monitoring thereof defined by the Commission in close cooperation with beneficiaries;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23 a. Supports targeted counter- propaganda and strategic communication efforts, especially, when the EU’s image and interests are actively targeted and undermined;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23 a. Reiterates the usefulness of the financial performance reward for countries making progress, as prescribed by the IPA II Regulation;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 b (new) 23 b. Considers that flexibility and the use of funding to address specific crisis situations must be in line with the instrument's key priorities and the fundamentals of the enlargement strategy and the accession process, which have to remain the main focus of IPA II;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 b (new) 23 b. Recommends larger support to those national authorities responsible for donor coordination which have a weak capacity but show political willingness to meet objectives;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 c (new) 23 c. Calls for better coordination and additional synergies during the planning and programming phases of IPA II with the actions of other instruments, namely the EIDHR and the IcSP, in order to ensure coherence and enhance complementarity both internally amongst its own set of objectives and programmes and vis-à-vis other EFIs;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 c (new) 23 c. Urges the channelling of funds into sectors with a proven track record avoiding further chronic delays that have occurred under the indirect management with the beneficiary country (IMBC), mainly in Turkey;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital d a (new) d a. whereas EU external action must prioritise critical global challenges, such as peace and sustainable development, and recognise that the promotion of human rights for all, rule of law and democracy, with a particular focus on gender equality and social justice, as well as the support for human rights defenders, are essential to achieving these goals;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24 a. Urges that the ENP should be refocused on a tighter range of priorities such as socio-economic development, education and employment – especially of youth, the promotion of regional cooperation between partner countries, especially in the Southern neighbourhood as well as the promotion of added value chains and sustainable management of (energy) resources;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24 a. Regrets that the multiannual programming has taken place already for majority of the beneficiaries in the course of 2017, prior to finalisation of the MTR of assistance in those countries; recalls that Parliament has provided its recommendations on programming during a Strategic Dialogue with the Commission in April 2017;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Calls for the existing balance in the allocation of funds between the Union's southern and eastern neighbourhoods to be maintained;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24 a. Stresses the political visibility and leverage of the EU that ENI as a separate financing instrument grants in the neighbourhood;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Underlines the
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Underlines the need to take into account the link between stabilisation, conflict prevention
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Underlines the need to take into account the link between stabilisation, conflict prevention, respect for human rights, education that promotes the values of peace and tolerance, and socioeconomic development;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 25. Underlines the need to take into account the link between support for democratisation, stabilisation, conflict prevention, respect for human rights and socioeconomic development;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25a. Points out that the primary objective of the European Neighbourhood Policy is growth and employment, particularly for young graduates; calls on the Commission to step up funding under the next ENI programme for projects promoting the employability of young people in the countries in the EU's neighbourhood;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25 a. Stresses that investment into stabilising and developing countries in the neighbourhood helps to tackle problems such as migration, terrorism, local conflicts and economic instability, which in the long run will be beneficial for the EU as a whole;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) D a. where as the EU’s external financial assistance is a key instrument for supporting economic reforms, as well as for supporting democratic, political and institutional consolidation in partner countries;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25 a. Calls for making full use of conditionality and an incentivised approach related to reforms and strategic objectives;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 26 a (new) 26 a. Calls on improvements in donors’ coordination; especially in pairing with funds from other EU instruments, fellow donors and international financial institutions to underpin economic transition and stability in partner countries;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 26 a (new) 26 a. Calls for effective monitoring of ENI at instrument level;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 a (new) 27 a. Recommends to continue differentiation based on beneficiaries’ various needs and situations within the Eastern Partnership area and in case of the associated partners; underlines a primary task of swift and effective implementation of the Association Agreements (AAs) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs) and all related reforms, which must be backed with adequate financial resources from the EU side;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 a (new) 27 a. Underlines that the specificity of challenges in the neighbourhood requires an integrated and comprehensive approach including synergies with other EFIs and across policies of the Union; stresses, in this context, the need to continue focusing on democracy, human rights and civil society in a coherent and persistent manner;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 a (new) 27 a. Expresses alarm at the increase in destruction and confiscation of EU- funded humanitarian assistance in the West Bank; deplores the lack of resolve of the EEAS and the Commission, as highlighted by the European Court of Auditors, to secure compensation from and guarantees of non-repetition by the Israeli authorities;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 a (new) 27 a. Reiterates that the objectives of funds programmed under the ENI are to be adhered to when such funds are shifted to other modalities such as Trust Funds, and that scrutiny and oversight by parliament are needed and must never be circumvented;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 a (new) 27 a. Calls for a stronger involvement of civil society in the identification of needs;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 b (new) 27 b. Concludes that increasing the indicative financial amount by means of legislative amendment to the ENI Regulation might be necessary in the light of the magnitude of challenges in the Neighbourhood;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 b (new) 27 b. Reiterates the importance of a deeper joint programming with the Member States, in addition to the good progress made on joint analyses, coordination and consensus-building on donor priorities;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D b (new) D b. whereas strategic communication is often confronted with external challenges including misinformation campaigns against the EU and its Member States requiring further efforts; whereas promoting objective, independent and impartial information while also addressing the legal aspects of the media environment where EU instruments and actions operate are therefore of fundamental importance;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 c (new) 27 c. Welcomes the implementation of the incentive-based approach defined in the ENI, even though the ENI has not been able to provide sufficient incentives to those countries reluctant to engage in political reforms;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 c (new) 27 c. Regards economic development, and especially opportunities to support youth as a primary element in developing the Neighbourhood;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 c (new) 27 c. Calls for further efforts to improve the EU's strategic communication and visibility in neighbourhood countries;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 28. Calls for better efforts to leverage IcSP influence through regular strategic dialogues with partners and international organisations; in this context asks to ensure co-financing by other important donors with stakes in the outcomes of relevant actions;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 a (new) 28 a. Strongly criticises the amended regulation of the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) which facilitates the support for actions carried out under the Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development (CBSD) initiative, which will enable the EU to fund training and equipment for military actors in partner countries, considering this a door-opener to the misuse of development aid and contradictory to Article 208/209 TFEU which aims primarily to eradicate poverty; opposes in this regard any subordination of development aid and cooperation under security or defence policy;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls for an improved strategic framework and for synergies between IcSP and follow-up actions under other instruments and by other actors; points out that the link between security and development is a key principle underpinning the Union’s integrated approach to external crises and conflicts;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls for an improved strategic framework and for synergies between IcSP and follow-up actions under other instruments and by other actors, highlights the importance of increasing the efficiency of EU measures by creating an explicit link between security and development policies;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls for an improved strategic framework and for synergies between IcSP and follow-up actions under other instruments and by other actors in particular the DCI, IPA II and ENI with regards to medium and long term peacebuilding;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls for increased
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D c (new) D c. whereas current administrative procedures often entail excessive bureaucratic burden for potential recipient candidates making it difficult for smaller civil society organisations and social partner organisations to get involved in project design and implementation as they often lack the know-how and administrative capacity to bring forward eligible and successful proposals;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 a (new) 30a. Stresses that this instrument will from now on enable the Union to fund training measures for and the supply of non-lethal equipment (such as IT systems, hospitals, etc.) to third-country armed forces in order to meet urgent, short- and medium-term needs, as part of the efforts to achieve sustainable development objectives;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 a (new) 30 a. Welcomes the Commission´s initiative to allow EU support of military actors under certain circumstances, and calls for a more long-term approach;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 a (new) 30 a. Recommends a more strategic use of IcSP mediation capacity not only to conflicts of localised impact, but also to support peace process and dialogues in existing or emerging conflicts with global significance;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 a (new) 30 a. Calls for an improved strategic framework and synergies between IcSP and follow-up actions from other instruments and actors;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 b (new) 30 b. Calls for better early warning systems and conflict-analysis tools that allow for better prevention and peace- building;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 31 31. Reiterates the importance of supporting and promoting democracy and human rights in third countries, regardless of the consent or acquiescence by third countries;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 31 31. Reiterates the importance of supporting and promoting democracy and human rights in third countries, including the protection of human rights defenders;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 31 31. Reiterates the fundamental importance of supporting and promoting democracy and human rights in third countries;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 31 a (new) 31 a. Notes the effectiveness and importance of the EIDHR as an independent key EU External Financing Instrument which supports CSOs and HRDs in an ever shrinking civil society space; supports the continued need of dedicated funding towards human rights and democracy, without decrease; furthermore calls for the consideration of increased funding for urgency assistance to HRDs, and as well as the effective promotion of the availability of such funds;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Reiterates that the EIDHR should not
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Stresses that these financing instruments are essential for effective EU external action, in particular in the ENI and IPA II recipient countries;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 a (new) 32 a. Urges the Commission to find solutions to closing civil society space, increased human rights violations and repression, for example by increasing the funds available for global, reactive programmes such as the EU human rights defenders mechanism; calls on the EU to continue funding the Human Rights Defenders (HRD) protection mechanisms;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 33. Recommends increased strategic planning in conjunction with political guidance from EU authorities and coherence with the other instruments, especially in countries experiencing a decline in human rights and democratic standards, to counter the global trend of illiberalism; underlines that determined strategic action needs to be taken in order to reverse the alarming trend of closing civil society space and growing repression, including through increased support for civil society and human rights defenders; calls on the Commission to prioritise funding on NGOs and human rights defenders, especially those with a particular focus on marginalised groups such as women, indigenous peoples, Roma, persons with disabilities, children and elderly;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 33. Recommends increased strategic planning in conjunction with political guidance from EU authorities and coherence with the other instruments, especially in countries experiencing a decline in human rights and democratic standards, to counter the global trends of illiberalism and the closing space for civil society; in this context, insists that the EIDHR concentrates its funding on supporting human rights defenders and civil society organisations at risk, notably through the expansion of the EU human rights defenders mechanism and the Emergency Fund;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 33. Recommends increased strategic planning in conjunction with political guidance from EU authorities and coherence with the other instruments, especially in countries experiencing a decline in human rights and democratic standards, and to counter the global trends of
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 a (new) 33 a. Underlines the importance to focus on internationally relevant thematic issues that may underpin, in the short-, mid- and/or long-term, the globalisation of human rights and the rule of international law and justice; calls for greater EIDHR support in a number of emerging thematic issues, notably the fight against corruption, business and human rights, environmental rights and rights of migrants;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 a (new) 33 a. Welcomes support to international and regional human rights and accountability mechanisms, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC);
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 b (new) 33 b. Recommends continued efforts to abolish the death penalty worldwide;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 34. Insists that urgent work is required to further diminish the bureaucratic obstacles encountered by local civil society organisations (CSOs); encourages EU delegations to publish calls for proposals in local languages and to allow applicants to submit project proposals therein; thereby also strengthening local ownership and long-term embeddedness of projects,
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 34.
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 34. Insists that urgent work is required to further diminish the bureaucratic obstacles encountered by local civil society organisations (CSOs); encourages EU delegations to publish calls for proposals in local languages and to allow applicants to submit project proposals therein;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Suggests that the Union's objectives should be reassessed in the light of their impact on the diplomatic policies and the economies of the Member States;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 a (new) 34 a. Calls for an increased focus on the sustainability of EIDHR-funded actions, notably in the context of Election Observation Missions, where there is significant scope to step up transfer of knowledge to local actors and improve follow-up of recommendations;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 a (new) 34 a. Praises the support the EIDHR gives to election observation, and highlights the need to follow-up recommendations from election monitoring;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 a (new) 34 a. Calls upon the Commission to specifically provide funding to projects targeting the increasing abuse of surveillance technology and online attacks by repressive governments;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 a (new) 34 a. Encourages the European Commission to work with EU delegations in third countries to actively seek out human rights defenders (HRDs) and CSOs working on sensitive issues requiring funding;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 a (new) 34 a. Recommends increased attention to the promotion of civic space and the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) as they promote the values of the European Union;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 b (new) 34 b. Calls for the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems that involve input from human rights defenders (HRDs);
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 c (new) 34 c. Encourages coordinated action with the IcSP in pursuit of actions preventing crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocides;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 d (new) 34 d. Suggests an enhanced follow-up to the election observation missions’ (EOM) recommendations; calls on the EOM planning to be better coordinated with European Parliament’s election observation activities;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35.
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 33 a (new) - having regard to the report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of 6 February 2018 entitled ‘EU enlargement strategy - Western Balkans’(COM(2018)65),
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Is concerned, however, about
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36 a. Underscores the importance of a well-resourced Partnership Instrument for pro-actively defending EU values and interests in the context of a declining trans-Atlantic consensus and the growing number of middle-income countries whose strategic importance is rapidly increasing, including in Asia and Latin America;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36 a. Recommends a review of the geographical allocations in the next MIP in order to adapt to challenges; in this context suggests enhanced coverage of cooperation with third non-strategic countries, such as middle-income countries (MICs) which are currently not sufficiently covered;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36 a. Recommends better alignment with CIR objectives and cross-cutting themes;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 b (new) 36 b. Recommends to finalise its monitoring and evaluation system, including relevant qualitative indicators;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 a (new) 37 a. Calls for the inclusion of gender mainstreaming amongst the provisions of the CIR;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 b (new) 37 b. Calls for further stepping up efforts to increase visibility of EU external policy funding through a comprehensive and coherent communication strategy which includes measures to tackle disinformation; calls for introducing conditionality mechanisms vis-à-vis implementing partners when measures to increase EU visibility are not complied with;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 38. Calls for funding of an external relations instrument to reflect ambitious external actions, based on values and fundamental rights and principles; underlines that in the event of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the European Union, the current budget ratio destined to external action should be increased or at least maintained at current levels with the same rationale being applied to existing instruments, policies and priorities; reiterates that EU external actions also serve the common interests of EU citizens;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 38. Calls for funding of an external relations instrument to reflect ambitious external
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 38. Calls for funding of an external relations instrument to reflect ambitious external actions, based on values and fundamental rights and principles; reiterates that EU external actions also serve the common interests of EU citizens; calls for more strategic political guidance in preparing and implementing the new external financing instruments;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Is concerned, however, about a variety of other findings, including the lack of political guidance and overarching vision, inconsistent implementation of EU values and partnership principles, the slow or non-existent progress of objectives related to social and juridical reform in the wider Neighbourhood, the absence of evaluation mechanisms and the lack of flexibility;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 38. Calls for funding of
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 38. Calls for funding of an external relations instrument to reflect ambitious external actions, based on values and fundamental rights and principles, and human rights; reiterates that EU external actions also serve the common interests of EU citizens;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 38. Calls for funding of
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 a (new) 38 a. Recalls that the EIDHR was established on the request of the European Parliament and has become, since 2006, the concrete expression of the EU commitment to support and promote democracy and human rights in third countries; moreover, its strengthening in 2014 and the achievements obtained and consolidated under the previous programming period has made of the EIDHR the largest pro-democracy and human rights programme worldwide; underlines therefore the importance to keep the EIDHR as a separate instrument for being the unique financing tool active to allow the EU to intervene without the consent of governments, in support of registered and non-registered NGOs, and in areas not always covered by EU Member States, rightly needed in contexts of shrinking space for civil society;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 a (new) 38 a. Underlines that increased transparency and accountability can only be ensured if a strengthened role and scrutiny of the European Parliament is recognised across all the instruments and if civil society is regularly involved in political dialogue as well as in programming, implying timely and regular information on funding modalities which should be made available to civil society organisations throughout all instruments/programmes (both thematic and geographical);
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Reiterates that reform of the current instrument architecture is required in order to provide more
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Reiterates that reform of the current instrument architecture is required in order to provide more flexibility, efficiency, coherence and responsiveness, and would also increase cost-effectiveness, accountability, transparency and public oversight, the challenges occurring on strategy, programming and implementation level need to be tackled more effectively;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39.
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39.
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Reiterates that reform of the current instrument architecture is required in order to regulate conflicts of interest, provide more flexibility, efficiency, coherence and responsiveness, and would also increase cost-effectiveness, accountability, transparency and public oversight;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Is concerned
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Reiterates that reform of the current instrument architecture is required in order to provide more flexibility, efficiency,
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 a (new) 39 a. Recalls that the external financing instruments, including the IcSP, shall be implemented in such a way that they contribute to sustainable development, poverty eradication and the achievement of stable, peaceful and inclusive societies; stresses that the Union’s assistance under the different instruments shall be used to prevent conflicts, ensure preparedness to address pre- and post-conflict situations and consolidate peace, guided by the principle of a strict commitment to a purely civilian and non-military approach;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Notes that this could be achieved through a simplification of the current architecture; calls, in any case, for the current Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) and the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to continue as separate instruments owing to their specific political and financial nature;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Notes that this could be achieved through a simplification of the current architecture; is opposed, however, to the "one size fits all" approach and underlines that such simplification should not lead to merging all the existing instruments into one;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Notes that this could be achieved through a simplification of the current architecture while finding it important for the current IPA II and the ENI to continue as separate instruments;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Notes that th
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Notes that a way this could be achieved is through a simplification of the current architecture;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Is concerned, however, about a variety of other findings, including the lack of political guidance and overarching vision, inconsistent implementation of EU values and partnership principles, the absence of solid monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and the lack of flexibility;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 a (new) 40 a. Recalls the role of the Parliament as a co-legislator in the regulation for the next MFF; reiterates its willingness to work with the Commission, EEAS and Council to optimise the architecture of the external financing instruments; stresses however that the objective of any restructuring of the instruments should be increased transparency, accountability, efficiency, coherence as well as flexibility; stresses that these objectives cannot be achieved without a clear governance structure that allows for political control, is strategy driven, inclusive and accountable; stresses that the Parliament will not accept any reform of the instruments without a solid governance structure taking these criteria into account; urges the Commission and EEAS to propose a plan for the reform of the instruments that includes such a governance structure and allows for clear ring-fencing of funds to meet clear objectives;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 a (new) 40 a. Believes that a simplified architecture of the EFIs, achieved through their consolidation and the merits of which are yet to be ascertained, would have to be accompanied by a new oversight model of governance and parliamentary scrutiny ensuring full accountability throughout the programming and implementation phases; stresses furthermore that such streamlined architecture should lead to increased transparency and the incorporation of trust funds and facilities; believes that the Instrument for Pre– accession Assistance, due to its specificities in terms of objectives and implementation, should maintain its current form and should not be affected by such changes;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 a (new) 40 a. Emphasises that the programming of instruments must closely involve the civil societies of the respective countries and be based to a greater extent on decentralised cooperation in its conception, rollout and implementation, in order to establish solid and lasting partnerships, to meet the precise needs of populations and take the social realities of the concerned people into account;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 a (new) 40 a. Underlines that a reform and a simplification should harmonise existing procedures and significantly reduce bureaucratic burden for beneficiaries without undermining the specificity of each instrument, in particular it should not endanger the independent action of the EIDHR;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 a (new) 40 a. Underlines that the staff working documents on the midterm review declare all instruments “relevant and fit for purpose” and that the EEAS services have so far been lacking any concrete examples to justify why a merger would bring improvements;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 a (new) 40 a. Emphasises that it is important to concentrate external spending in order to avoid the inefficiencies resulting from sectorial dispersion and aid fragmentation;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 b (new) 40 b. Expresses its concern in particular about the three thematic instruments which differ in the decision-making modalities from the geographical instruments that are programmed in cooperation with the recipient countries: the EIDHR operates independently from the consent of partner country authorities, the IcSP covers in its article 3 non- programmable crisis response measures and the PI is supposed to finance the ‘external dimension of EU’s internal policies’; recalls the specific implementing rules which make for example the IcSP such a useful instrument to support civilian conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities and which need to be maintained (e.g. variety of activities, geographical coverage, range of actors, etc.);
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 b (new) 40 b. Notes that in the new architecture the EIDHR should be preserved as a separate instrument because of its specific nature: it cooperates directly with human rights defenders and local civil society organisations and, in some circumstances, with unregistered organisations, without the need for a prior approval of national authorities;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 c (new) 40 c. Underlines that the EU, when creating the EIDHR and the IcSP, laid a particular focus on human rights, conflict prevention and peace-building; stresses that it is important to preserve these priorities not only in its activities but also visibly for the outside communication by maintaining separate instruments; stresses that the preservation of these thematic instruments is crucial for the Union's credibility, in particular regarding its level of ambition regarding peace and security;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Is concerned, however, about a variety of other findings, including the lack of political guidance and overarching vision, inconsistent implementation of EU values and partnership principles, the absence of evaluation mechanisms and
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that a single instrument cannot exist without the inclusion of clear and dedicated envelopes for the various goals, objectives and priorities of EU external action, including democracy, human rights, the rule of law, support to civil society, conflict resolution, fragile states, development policy, economic and social development, and support to countries in various stages of EU accession; underlines that a supplementary and progressively increasing financial support is needed for candidate countries, especially frontrunners such as Montenegro and Serbia, in order to ensure their successful preparation for full membership; stresses that the result-oriented approach of IPA II for candidate and potential candidate countries should be reinforced in the post- 2020 pre-accession assistance framework;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that, a
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that a single instrument cannot exist without the inclusion of clear and dedicated envelopes for the various goals, objectives and priorities of EU external action, including democracy, human rights, the rule of law, support to civil society, civil conflict resolution, fragile states, development policy and poverty eradication, economic and social development, and support to countries in various stages of EU accession; furthermore, underlines that a robust democratic and transparent scrutiny by national parliaments and the European Parliament must be ensured;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that a single fin
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that a single instrument cannot e
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses that
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. Stresses, however, that a single instrument cannot exist without the inclusion of clear and dedicated envelopes for the various goals, objectives and priorities of EU external action, including democracy, human rights, the rule of law, support to civil society, conflict resolution, fragile states, development policy, economic and social development, and support to countries in various stages of EU accession;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 a (new) 41 a. Insists that any merger must be conditional on the new thematic instrument being policy driven and the predictability of long-term funding of all programmes being ensured to the greatest extent possible, while introducing a large amount of flexibility; considers, in addition, that the simplified structure calls for proper checks and balances and sufficient transparency, including enhanced strategic policy input and scrutiny of implementation by Parliament; calls for the inclusion of clear and dedicated envelopes for the various goals and objectives of EU external action, including the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, support to civil society, conflict resolution, fragile states, development policy, economic and social development;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Regrets the absence of one clear vision document clarifying synergies between the instruments and how these feed into a global, overarching EU foreign policy strategy;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 a (new) 41 a. Instructs the EU to keep a single, dedicated instrument for civil society and human rights and democracy, including a mechanism on support and protection for human rights defenders, with its own legal basis and separate from other instruments; underlines that this is in order to ensure that there are no risks to its independence and that its funds cannot be diverted to other objectives; calls on the Commission to ensure that human rights and democracy objectives are mainstreamed into the objectives of all other instruments;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 a (new) 41 a. Stresses in addition that each instrument should set up common goals including the necessity to enhance a rights-based approach and to mainstream human rights, providing substance to Art. 21 of the TEU requiring that the EU seek to consolidate democracy, human rights and the rule of law as a necessary objective of external relations;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 a (new) 41 a. Calls on the EEAS and Commission to ensure clear communication to partner countries about any reforms;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 b (new) 41 b. Instructs the EU to keep a single, dedicated instrument for civilian conflict prevention and rapid civilian crisis response; urges to take into account the growing demand in Europe’s neighbourhood by tripling funds available for civilian conflict prevention in particular for financing initiatives in the field of mediation, dialogue and reconciliation; underlines that such an increase should not be at the expense of civilian conflict prevention and peacebuilding in other regions;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 42 42. Calls for the
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 42 42. Calls for the establishment of solid and consistent evaluation and monitoring procedures that are able to track progress in achieving set objectives by means of EU funding via different instruments;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 43. Reiterates that flexibility
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 43. Reiterates that flexibility is reliant on the ability to transfer funds between envelopes; recalls that funds destined for external action objectives cannot be rerouted to serve other objectives, including migration management, border security, military capacity-building of partner countries and internal security; calls for a dedicated proportion of the total external action instrument budget (no less than 15 %) to be reserved for flexible and/or urgent action and thus to remain unprogrammed;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 43. Reiterates that flexibility is reliant on the ability to transfer funds between envelopes; recalls that funds destined for external action objectives cannot be rerouted to serve other objectives, including migration management and internal security; calls for a dedicated proportion of the total external action instrument budget (no
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 a (new) 43 a. Stresses however that specific envelopes and rules should be preserved for the European Instrument for Human Rights and Democracy, with a secured and non-transferable established amount of dedicated funding; furthermore, stresses that the characteristics of the current instrument should be preserved and enhanced (universal, flexible, responsive, important focus on HRDs, capacity to be mobilised without call for proposal and without the consent of the government, in cases where NGOs are not registered, entities without legal personality or based in the country, with subgranting facilities, confidentiality opportunities and ease reporting, waiver for need for co-financing);
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 44 44. Recalls the difficulties that beneficiaries currently experience in securing funding under the instruments; calls for simplif
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 44 44. Recalls the difficulties that beneficiaries currently experience in securing funding under the instruments; calls for simplified procedures, the establishment of a one-stop-shop for organisations applying for EU funding and the use of digital solutions where possible to streamline and reduce bureaucratic burdens but not at the cost of budgetary oversight, traceability and control;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 44 44. Recalls the difficulties that beneficiaries currently experience in securing funding under the instruments; calls for simplified procedures, easing administrative burden, the establishment of a one-stop-shop for organisations applying for EU funding and the use of digital solutions where possible to streamline and reduce bureaucratic burdens;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 45 a (new) 45 a. Calls for the reform to enhance NGOs´ core funding, to clarify and provide more opportunities to derogate to the co-financing requirement, to provide for multiannual partnership and to ensure the sustainability of the activities;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 46 46. Stresses the need for an overarching strategy and accompanying documents, developed
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 46 a (new) 46 a. Calls for exploring ways to increase coordination and coherence with external funding policies by EU Member States, including through the enhancement of joint programming;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 47 47. Calls for improved requirements for faster decision-making, more flexibility as well as simplification of rules and procedures, in order to increase the EU’s capacity to respond to rapidly evolving events;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 47 47. Calls for improved requirements for faster decision-making with regard to enabling funds from the specific instruments in order to increase the EU’s capacity to respond to rapidly evolving events;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 47 a (new) 47 a. Underlines the importance of increasing the visibility and raising awareness of the EU external action - including through the utilisation of the EU’s Strategic Communication Task Force - and influence around the world; calls this to be seen as a policy objective, therefore stresses the imminent need for country- and/or region-specific strategic communication in the EU delegations and significantly increased coordination and information sharing between EU delegations and Member States;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 48 48. Emphasises that EU delegations play a key role in local programming, oversight of programming, the eventual disbursement of funds and the identification of beneficiaries, particularly in the case of human rights defenders and CSOs active in sensitive areas; reiterates that EU delegations cannot be solely responsible for funding decisions due to the relationship they also need to maintain with governments in third countries;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that the EU and its instruments face significant challenges, including political trade-offs between the promotion of values and rights and short- term security interests, numerous violent global conflicts
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 48 48. Emphasises that
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 48 a (new) 48 a. Recalls that in certain instances EU political goals and objectives, such as human rights, rule of law and development, are better served through the disbursement of several smaller grants to civil society organisations, rather than one larger envelope to a single beneficiary;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 49 Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 49 49. Underlines the importance of the more-for-more and conditionality principle
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 49 49. Underlines the importance of the more-for-more and conditionality principles; considers that stronger conditionality mechanisms should be set up under which direct budget support to state authorities
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 50 50. Stresses that a simplified structure calls for proper checks and balances, transparency, the right of scrutiny of implementation, including enhanced strategic policy input and scrutiny of implementation by Parliament, the use of delegated acts for the revision of thematic priorities, if contained in annexes to legislative acts, and the adoption of substantial additional elements such as strategic and multi-annual programming documents;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 50 50. Stresses that a
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 50 a (new) 50 a. Believes that the IcSP’s follow-up regulation should not include the military capacity building for partner countries component (CBSD) as this politically weakens the EU’s only instrument for civilian conflict prevention; also recalls that CBSD funding under the current IcSP is noncompliant with Article 209 TFEU, relevant case-law of the ECJ and the limits to military spending imposed by Article 41(2) TEU;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 50 b (new) 50 b. Believes that it is of crucial importance to building a reinforced and purely civilian IcSP for the next MFF also for the purpose of redressing the imbalance between low Union commitments regarding civilian conflict prevention and on the other side defence activities such as CBSD, European Defence Fund and PESCO;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 50 c (new) 50 c. Notes plans to create a European Peace Facility; underlines that such a facility should be restricted to civilian actions in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding and all military activities should be grouped under the umbrella of another dedicated instrument;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that the EU and its instruments face significant challenges, including political trade-offs between the promotion of values and rights and short- term
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 50 d (new) 50 d. Recalls that according to 41(2) TEU expenditure arising from operations having military or defence implications cannot be charged to the Union budget under the next MFF; calls therefore on the Council to adapt the ATHENA mechanism to new demands such as military capacity building of partner countries, PESCO and joint research and development in line with the Parliament’s resolution of 22 November 2016 on the European Defence Union (2016/2052(INI)) and the related recommendation contained within its paragraph 47;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that the EU and its instruments face significant challenges, including political trade-offs between the promotion of values and rights and short
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 34 a (new) - having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2017 on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 20181a, _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0408.
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that the EU and its instruments face significant challenges, including political trade-offs between the promotion of values and rights and short- term security interests, volatility in the close neighbourhood, numerous violent global conflicts, new security challenges and a decline in trans-
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Notes that EU Trust Funds were created to address the root causes of migration; regrets that the contributions from the EU budget to the EU Trust Funds and the Facility for Refugees in Turkey have reduced the overall coherence, long- term vision and impact of the Union’s action; stresses once again that new priorities must be financed with new appropriations; deeply regrets that the Parliament was not in any stage of the decision-making process of the Turkey statement formally consulted nor asked to give its approval;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Reiterates the need for the instruments to be complementary and adaptable to the local context as well as be able to respond to new and unforeseen challenges quickly and effectively without losing sight of their original objectives;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Notes that the limited budget foreseen for the thematic instruments and the fact that EU development aid (ODA) still falls short of the UN target of 0.7 % of GNI, have hampered the impact of EU cooperation with third countries, especially when tackling poverty and other root causes of migration;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Regrets that the instruments do not contain any explicit reference to the possibility of suspending assistance in cases where a beneficiary country (in particular where indirect management with the beneficiary country - IMBC, has been used) fails to observe such basic principles as democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Is deeply concerned about the backsliding of Turkey in terms of rule of law and democracy, despite the EUR 4,5 billion programmed under the IPA II for the current MFF period; recognises that the current accession perspective for Turkey feeds into widespread uncertainty over the value of IPA II in the country;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Highlights the instrumental role of IPA II in the management of migration crises, which clearly demonstrates the added value of EU reactiveness and joint action;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Notes the IPA II assistance led to limited results in steering reforms, especially in the areas of rule of law, public administration, fight against corruption;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Notes the varying stages of progress of several countries in the Western Balkans under the long-term assistance from the IPA II;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Recital –A (new) -A. whereas the European Union remains the world´s biggest provider of external assistance;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5 b. Is concerned about the huge backlog of unspent funds from IPA I & II in Turkey in the context of inefficiencies of the indirect management with the beneficiary country (IMBC) as well as weak absorption capacities;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5 b. Notes remaining weaknesses in the quality of indicators in country programmes and action documents;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Re
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Regrets the current systemic
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Regrets the current systemic and political inability to
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Welcomes that, compared to its predecessor, IPA II has become more strategic, focusing increasingly on the promotion of key reforms targeting priority areas including the rule of law, public administration and economic governance; notes, however, that IPA II funding has also been used to react to emerging crisis situations, notably the refugee crisis and extensive floods in the Western Balkans; reminds that funding should be used in accordance with the specific objectives pertaining to the instrument and that the main focus of the IPA II should be to support the compliance of the beneficiary countries with the Union's values as well as the Union's rules, standards, policies and practices with a view to Union membership and not ad hoc dealing with unpredictable crises;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Reiterates the importance of IPA II as a key investment in economic, political and institutional reforms, as well as supporting key sectors in concerned countries to reach the EU standards in any of the concerned enlargement countries; given the importance of this instrument, underlines the necessity to allocate additional funds to the IPA II in order to achieve required reforms;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Recalls that IPA II was intended to secure crucial social and juridical reforms, inter alia, in beneficiary countries, with a view toward improving regional security in the long-term; notes that in many beneficiary countries these reforms have yet to materialise and that the extent of clearly observable positive results directly linked to IPA II is not at all evident;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Notes the existence of the performance framework; however, regrets that the performance rewards are yet to be considered and awarded; calls in this regard on increased work to be undertaken to further improve the framework, also taking into account cases of negative performance and an ensuing decrease in funding;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Considers the sectoral approach valid but regrets the lack of clear ownership of projects due to fragmented responsibilities; notes that indirect management has improved overall ownership of the programmes but has also led to decreased efficiency;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) A a. whereas the EIDHR and in particular the IcSP are subject to the legal basis of Article 209 and 212 of TFEU referring both to Article 208 TFEU which states that the "Union development cooperation policy shall have as its primary objective the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Welcomes initiatives to set up systems to better monitor and measures performance, including through Sector Monitoring Committees, internal guidelines, and the developing of a new information management system (OPSYS);
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 b (new) 6 b. Notes that the indirect management of IPA II funding by beneficiaries has produced a positive impact in terms of ownership; stresses, however, the lack of transparency with regard to absorption capacity as well as longer delays in implementation;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 c (new) 6 c. Takes note that the complementarity of IPA II with actions of other Instruments, notably the EIDHR and the IcSP, has increased; notes, however, that the coordination during both the planning and programming phases has not been sufficient;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 d (new) 6 d. Underlines that IPA II, as the main EU funding instrument for pre- accession support, finances actions required not only for aligning with the EU acquis, but also to promote the social, economic and institutional development of beneficiaries; strongly believes that overall funding available under IPA II must be ambitious and forward looking and must match the actual needs, obligations and aspirations linked to the accession process and EU membership;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 e (new) 6 e. Acknowledges that IPA II provides crucial support to local civil society organisations (CSOs), including through a dedicated Civil Society Facility; emphasises, however, that support to CSOs is in many instances limited compared to the real needs on the ground and calls for additional efforts to successfully address this deficit;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Welcomes the support to structural reforms provided in the form of programmed assistance and underlines the special nature of ENI, enabling the EU to devise tailor - made policies adapted to the specific needs of the partner countries;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7 a. Regrets that the ENP has not respected the specific expectations, sensitivities and aspirations of the countries and their population concerned but focused on Association Agreements with neighbouring countries which force neoliberal reforms and dictate the strict compliance with the EU’s economic legislation without giving the neighbours any say about their formulation nor implementation;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7 a. Shares the EC assessment that the existence of a dedicated financing instrument for the neighbourhood has been a concrete evidence of political importance attached by the EU to relations with the neighbours and to deepen political cooperation and economic integration with and within the region;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Recognises that current challenges
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Notes discrepancies between objectives, the EU particular interests and financial resources available;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) A a. whereas external financing instruments are the main mechanism to support the EU´s action on the global scene and whereas the EU external action has an increasing importance to European citizens;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Is concerned that ENI funding in politically sensitive contexts remains challenging, especially with regard to promotion of the shared values of democracy and human rights; regrets that the “more for more” approach that was adopted by the Commission in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring has been progressively discarded, and that countries that are manifestly departing from their stated commitments to human rights and democratic reform have enjoyed increasing financial assistance over the recent period;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Is concerned that ENI funding
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Is concerned that ENI funding in politically sensitive contexts might remain
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Is concerned that ENI funding in politically sensitive contexts remains challenging but necessary, especially with regard to promotion of the shared values of democracy and human rights;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Stresses that ENI remains a relevant and important instrument for promoting the interests of the Union in the neighbourhood and has contributed to the articulation of an EU single voice in the neighbourhood as a whole; underlines that EU values and principles including democracy, rule of law, human rights and efficient, accountable and transparent public institutions are in the interest of neighbouring societies as much as of our own in terms of stability, security and prosperity; considers that the implementation of the principle of differentiation has allowed the EU to adapt its support to partner countries’ needs and ambitions;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Welcomes the support to structural reforms provided under programmed assistance; notes that shortcomings related to the lack of joint programming with Member States have slightly improved; takes note of the limited effectiveness of the incentive-based approach in the ENI Regulation so far;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Notes that in some cases the ENI had a limited impact because the EU approach was not aligned with the strategic objectives of partner countries;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Takes note of contributions under ENI to the Madad Fund and the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Reiterates that the neighbourhood has been confronted with unprecedented challenges since 2014 due to the increasing number of long-standing and newly emerging challenges, such as the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation and the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, the Syrian crisis, the stabilisation of Libya, radicalisation and terrorism, unsustainable youth unemployment and the challenge of migration, and is, as a result, less stable and considerably less secure than ever before thus hampering political, social and economic transformation as well as regional cooperation, stability and security; stresses that the financial capacity of this instrument has been stretched to the limit and notes that the response brought under ENI has not been proportionate to the needs and challenges of the neighbourhood;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Welcomes differentiation as the 16 Neighbourhood countries are in various stages of economic and political reforms and their ability and willingness to implement the reforms varies;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the money used by the European Union to carry out its external action comes from the Member States;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Welcomes the monitoring of ENI assistance through Results-Oriented Monitoring (ROM); regrets that no consistent monitoring and evaluation systems exist at instrument level;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 c (new) 9 c. Underlines the need for stronger coordination between regional and bilateral programmes and investment facilities to better support and foster private-sector development;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises that the IcSP’s primary added value is its speed and flexibility when it comes to addressing conflict and its broad range of civilian actors with whom the EU can partner; reminds that the IcSP is the only EU instrument for civilian conflict prevention including mediation, dialogue and reconciliation;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10 a. Takes note of the complications in collecting data and measuring results of IcSP actions, both of which may have been proven challenging due to difficulties in assessing political outcomes, attribution of results to IcSP actions when followed up with concurrent actions under other instruments as well as access to conflict affected areas;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Notes that the need for conflict prevention and to address security challenges have increased drastically in the recent period; believes that there is a very high demand for reconciliation but also mediation and dialogue initiatives in many post-war crisis countries with sectarian cleavages; therefore stresses the need to significantly increase funds available for such initiatives;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Notes that the need for conflict prevention and to address security challenges have increased drastically in the recent period; notes that the IcSP may function as a measure of last resort or forerunner for longer-term actions funded by other instruments;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Notes that the needs for conflict prevention and
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Notes that the need for civil conflict prevention
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Notes that the legislative proposal to overhaul the Instrument contributing to Security and Peace (IcSP) was adopted in November 2017 with a view to supporting a strengthening of the security and defence capabilities of the partner countries and thus enhancing the effectiveness of the steps taken by the EU to foster stability, security and sustainable development in third countries;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11 a. Stresses that the new military capacity building component (CBSD) may set a precedent for the next MFF which could lead to the IcSP and Heading IV becoming open for all kinds of military funding purposes and pose risks for CSO working with the EU being perceived as parties in armed conflict;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the Commission is responsible for the identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of EU assistance under these instruments; whereas the EEAS has the responsibility to ensure the continuity and coherence of EU external policies, amongst others through the instruments; whereas the European Parliament is responsible for democratic oversight and scrutiny and as co-legislator under co- decision procedures;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11 a. Notes that IcSP is in the early stages of countering cyber threats globally; urges a stronger emphasis on cyber security, including through a coherent strategy applicable throughout all EU external actions; calls for an accompanying increase in funds allocated for cyber security under the IcSP as the appropriate instrument to deal with such threats;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11 a. Notes that cooperation with CFSP actions and CSDP operations and missions as well as EU humanitarian aid provision has increased;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Underlines the added value of the worldwide holistic approach of the EIDHR, despite its relatively small budget, as well as its unique feature of being the only instrument through which the EU can support civil society actions regardless of the consent of the authorities of the State concerned by such actions;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Underlines the added value of the worldwide holistic approach of the EIDHR, despite its relatively small budget, and the importance of civil society organisations in achieving its objective;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Notes that during the current period
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Notes that in the current period the EIDHR has been used more flexibly and with more complementarity than in the previous period; welcomes the increased focus on human rights defenders, including through the emergency fund available at the level of EU delegations, and the establishment and the successful operation of the EU Protect Defenders mechanism;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Notes that in the current period the EIDHR has been used more flexibly and with more complementarity than in the previous period, reacting to emerging human rights and democracy crises more quickly;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Is concerned about the difficulties in mainstreaming human rights and democratic values through geographic programmes
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14 a. Believes that the EU must show leadership and ambition by deploying an overarching policy for mainstreaming its support to democracy in all its external relations; considers therefore the funding attributed to democracy support must be increased accordingly in particular in the light of current attacks on democracy worldwide; insists on the need to ensure that the spending on objective 1 for the Country Based Support Scheme (CBSS) reaches effectively and efficiently those human rights defenders most at risk; urges in this regard the EU delegations to deploy all the needed support;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14 a. Recognises that evaluation of EIDHR actions is challenging due to the absence of strategic and operational indicators; notes that challenges in evaluation also arise due to significant levels of support to CSOs and human rights defenders being understandably delivered confidentially in order to protect identities and safety of beneficiaries;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas various projects and grants under the current instruments cannot be evaluated fully as they remain in the early stages of implementation, whilst some objectives are qualitative by nature and are related to legislation, practices and attitudes that cannot be easily measured quantitatively;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 b (new) 14 b. Reiterates the added value of EU election observation missions, an area where the EU is leading globally; welcomes that observation and follow-up missions to election observation missions’ recommendations, have increased;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Underlines that the PI has been designed specifically to pursue thematic EU and mutual interests with partners; notes that in practice the PI is used as an instrument of last resort, being deployed when it is considered the only instrument to facilitate the pursuit of the EU policy agenda and tackling global challenges;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Underlines that the PI
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15 a. Notes the benefits of EU´s Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Mechanism ProtectDefenders.eu implemented by civil society and which has provided critical support to a large number of HRDs; urges continued support of such mechanisms;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16 a. Is of the opinion that increasing provision of resources and input by policy-making services is necessary to ensure they are fully involved in designing, programming and implementing the actions as well as enhancing the active role of EU delegations in the formulation of actions; increasing information sharing with Member States;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16 a. Notes with regret that the evaluation has been hampered by the fact that no central depository of action documentation has been created due to the late adoption of a results indicator framework, and the unfinished nature of most projects;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 b (new) 16 b. Advocates for improving the visibility, knowledge and understanding of the objectives of the PI, especially within the EU institutions;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17.
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17 a. Notes that the CIR has been established with the purpose of harmonisation, simplification of implementation, higher flexibility, coherence and consistency, efficiency of the use of the Union’s resources;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17 a. Regrets that visibility of the EU External Funding Policy remains limited in a context where third actors are actively seeking to undermine EU foreign policy through disinformation;
source: 618.095
|
History
(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)
2018-09-12Show (12) Changes | Timetravel
| activities/0 |
|
| activities/1 |
|
| activities/2 |
|
| activities/3/date |
Old
2018-04-16T00:00:00New
2018-04-17T00:00:00 |
| activities/3/docs |
|
| activities/3/type |
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single readingNew
Debate in Parliament |
| activities/4 |
|
| committees/3 |
|
| procedure/Modified legal basis |
Rules of Procedure EP 150
|
| procedure/dossier_of_the_committee |
AFET/8/11783
|
| procedure/legal_basis/0 |
Old
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052New
Rules of Procedure EP 52 |
| procedure/stage_reached |
Old
Preparatory phase in ParliamentNew
Procedure completed |
2018-01-20Show (5) Changes
| activities |
|
| committees |
|
| links |
|
| other |
|
| procedure |
|