2020/2113(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ongoing conflicts with a regional dimension; stresses that the presence of foreign forces in these conflicts, isn particular Russian, contribut~~ing~~e to maintaining the~~m and~~ conflicts and leading to further regional instability; notes that as well as ongoing conflicts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the region;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ongoing conflicts with a regional dimension; stresses that the ~~presence of foreign forces in these conflicts is contributing to maintaining them and to further regional in~~any involvement of the EU Member State or other external parties must be aimed at resolving the conflicts and increasing security and stability; notes that as well as ongoing conflicts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the region;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ongoing conflicts with a regional dimension; stresses that the presence of foreign military and paramilitary forces in these conflicts is ~~contributing to maintain~~fuelling them ~~and to~~, thus furthering regional instability; notes that as well as ongoing conflicts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the region;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ~~ongoing conflicts with a regional dimension~~a crippling proxy conflict; stresses that the presence of foreign forces such as Iranian proxies in these conflicts is contributing to maintaining them and to further regional instability; notes that as well as ongoing conflicts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the region;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ongoing conflicts with a regional dimension; stresses that the presence of foreign forces in these conflicts is contributing to maintaining them and to further regional instability; notes that as well as ongoing conflicts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the region; stresses that the reopening of the border between Syria and Jordan on 29 September 2021 has benefitted the Syrian economy and people and has reduced tensions across the region; calls on the EU to resume dialogue with Syria and to allow the return of Syrian refugees who wish to do so in order to prevent conflict;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ongoing conflicts ~~with a regional dimension; stresses that the presence of f~~and crises of many oreig~~n forces in these conflicts is contributing to maintaining them and to further regional instability; notes that as well as ongoing~~ins (territorial disputes, ethnic and religious rivalries, state failures, political and religious extremism, etc.) which make it particularly confmplic~~ts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the reg~~ated to develop a comprehensive EU strategy, as any contribution must be multidimensional, adapted to the specificities of each situation while maintaining a coherent regional dimension;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Welcomes the EU’s efforts to promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights, economic development and fundamental freedoms in the Middle East region and calls on the EU to further encourage each country to carry out political and economic reforms;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Stresses that the EU promotes a peace and stability agenda and is ready to cooperate closely and share conflict prevention, mediation and counter- terrorism methods, experiences and best practices, both at a bilateral and regional level;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, asnamely promoting peace and stability and de-escalation of tensions in the broader region, fighting climate change and cooperating on the production of clean energy, promoting and implementing multilateralism, promoting the respect for human rights, the rule of law and good governance, increasing prosperity, meeting growing global development and humanitarian needs, ensuring global health; stresses that EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights that EU funding instruments directed at the region make an important contribution to stability and prosperity;

Amendment 109 #

Urmas PAET, Salima YENBOU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, asnd that EU security is ~~interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights~~affected by the insecurity and instability of the region; stresses that, in line with thate EU ~~funding instruments directed at the region make an important contribution to stability and prosperit~~Strategy on Combating anti-Semitism, EU external funds may not be misallocated to activities that incite hatred and violence; calls for financial accountability, transparency and performance based budgeting in all EU financial resources allocated to the region, either directly or indirectly;

Amendment 11 #

A. whereas the broader Middle East region referred to in this report encompasses the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf; whereas this region is strategic for the European Union given its geographical position and common ties; whereas the stability and security of Europe and the broader Middle East region are interdependent, and whereas the situation in the region is ~~currently~~ characterised by ongoing conflicts with a strong regional dimension;

Amendment 110 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, as EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights that EU funding instruments directed at the region ~~make an important contribution to stability and prosperity~~seek to contribute to stability and prosperity of the region; stresses the responsibility of the relevant EU authorities in continuing to ensure that no EU funding can be directly or indirectly diverted to terrorist organisation or activities;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, asnamely security, stability, peaceful resolution of conflicts, non-proliferation, respect for human rights and energy partnerships; highlights that EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East~~; highlights that~~ and EU funding instruments directed at the region should make an important contribution to stability and prosperity;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region~~, as~~; highlights that EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East~~; highlights that~~ and EU funding instruments directed at the region should make an important contribution to stability and prosperity;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, as EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights that EU funding instruments directed at the region should make an important contribution to stability and prosperity;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the ~~EU has its~~Member States have their own interests in the region, as EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights that EU funding instruments directed at the region could make an important contribution to stability and prosperity; criticises the fact that the sanctions imposed by the EU and US are causing more instability in the Middle East;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, as EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights that EU funding instruments directed at the region~~Considers the Middle East to be an area of major interest that affects the security of the EU and its citizens; highlights that EU funding instruments directed at the region, the European Peace Facility, humanitarian aid operations and the NDICI instrument make an important contribution to stability and prosperity;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that global and regional actors, who do not at all make their aid conditional on the principles of good governance promoted by the EU, are increasingly stepping up their efforts, especially in the area of military affairs with African countries, and are undermining the multilateral mechanisms that are essential for peacekeeping;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the region is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers this counterproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholders;deleted

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Notes that~~Calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with countries in the region, i~~s becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers~~ncluding on migration, security, trade and science; believes that Union efforts should be to seek to decrease migratory pressure and illegal entry into Member State territory by establishing third country partner state reception centres; calls for the prioritisation of the readmission of illegal migrants in relations with thisrd count~~erproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to enhance its bila~~ries and notes the principle of conditionality to development aid; welcomes the British and the Danish government's policies and initiatives to combat illegal migration as this destroys the business model of human traffickers and organised crime thus contributing to regional stability; calls on the Commission to adopt similar measures and to finance physical barriers at the Union's external ~~discussions with all the different stakeholder~~borders to prevent the illegal entry of migrants, as requested by 12 Member States;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Notes that~~Strongly condemns Iran's growing interference in the region, is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers this counterproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholdersncluding through its support to proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza; condemns the increasing attacks by Iran's proxies against bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria and targeted killings by Iran's proxies in Iraq, as well as their failed attempts, including against Iraq's Prime Minister; calls on the EU to proscribe Hezbollah in its entirety on the EU terror list;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the countries in the broader Middle East region referred to in this report, which encompasses the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, are very diverse; whereas this region is strategic for the European Union given its geographical position and common ties and requires a long-term approach and coordinated policy; whereas the stability and security of Europe and the broader Middle East region are interdependent, and whereas the security situation in the region is, currently characterised by ongoing conflicts with a strong regional dimension, is fragile and very concerning;

Amendment 120 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the region is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers this counterproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to foster multilateralism and regional integration in the broader Middle East through the EU-GCC inter-institutional partnership and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, including strong inter-parliamentary relations; encourages the EU in parallel to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholders;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the region is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers this counterproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholderhas undergone historical changes since the Arab spring of 2011; stresses however that the instability that has followed has been caused by the decision of authoritarian regimes to use violence against peaceful protests and criticism, and not by the fact that their citizens had the courage to demand more rights and freedoms;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Notes that the region is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; consid~~calls on the EU to enhance its partners thips ~~counterproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholders~~with all those stakeholders that are seriously committed towards bringing peace and stability in the region;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the region is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers this ~~counterproductive for the EU’s~~dangerous for the Member States’ goals in the area of stability and security; ~~calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholders;~~

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that the Abraham Accords, and the process they have set in motion in terms of security and trade, are a powerful factor in the reorganisation of inter-state relations in the region and must be taken into account in any European strategy aimed at helping the region to achieve stability;

Amendment 125 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; commends, in this sense, the efforts of regional actors, such as Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, to promote constructive intra-regional diplomatic engagement, including through such initiatives as Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership of 2021 and normalization talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia facilitated by Iraq; calls for deepened engagement with Qatar particularly on the situation in Afghanistan, leveraging the contacts it forged with the de-facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, notably with the aim to reverse some of the draconian restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women, such as denial of their right to education and introduction of highly restrictive compulsory dress code; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations to be enhanced;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; commends, in this sense, the efforts of regional actors, such as Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, to promote constructive intra-regional diplomatic engagement, including through such initiatives as Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership of 2021 and normalization talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia facilitated by Iraq; calls for deepened engagement with Qatar particularly on the situation in Afghanistan, leveraging the contacts it forged with the de-facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, notably with the aim to reverse some of the draconian restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women, such as denial of their right to education and introduction of highly restrictive compulsory dress code; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations to be enhanced;

Amendment 127 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations to be enhanced; encourages the European Commission, the Council, and the HR/VP to coordinate EU actions in the region with those of like-minded partners and actors, with them being both international organisations and individual countries;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations to be enhanced, and to work with relevant members of the Southern Neighbourhood in order to facilitate increased economic interaction with Israel, in order to unleash the potential benefits offered by the Abraham Accords;

Amendment 129 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional and local stakeholders, including civil society peaceful opposition voices, unions and the business community, which is key to fostering stability; calls, therefore, for cooperation with ~~the regional supranat~~civil society actors and the regional organisations to be enhanced;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the Middle East region is plagued by outbreaks of instability, resulting from both structural geopolitical tensions and persistent internal factors such as socioeconomic development challenges, weak governance and religious radicalism;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations, such as the GCC and the Arab League to be enhanced;

Amendment 131 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations to be enhanced; emphasises the importance of cooperating closely with partners in the region at a bilateral, regional and international level to help form a collective response towards achieving stabilisation and development;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Congratulates the NATO and European Union Advisory Mission in Iraq for their excellent military work on the ground;

Amendment 133 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes the European Commission’s and the European External Actions Service’s Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf; considers the communication an important step to acknowledge the Arab Gulf countries´ role in the region and put inter-regional relations between the EU and the Gulf on a new footing; commends the central role of cooperation in the green transition, however, misses a more critical engagement vis-a-vis the poor human rights record and problematic foreign and security policy of the countries concerned; invites the EU and its Member States to stress that a closer partnership with Gulf countries should be linked to clear human rights benchmarks for progress in the GCC, including on accountability for war crimes in Yemen, women’s rights, freedom of expression and association, release of human rights defenders, moratorium on the death penalty, rights of migrant workers, and alignment in international fora;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes the ambition of the Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf to promote wide-ranging cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in green transition, digitalization, regional security, gender equality, trade, human rights, people-to-people contacts and other areas; regrets, however, that the scope of the Communication was limited to the GCC countries, excluding Iran and Iraq, and thus failing to develop policies aimed at overcoming the existing lack of trust between different stakeholders in the Gulf; considers that the EU should support the issue-oriented cooperation between regional actors on common challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, trade, Sustainable Development Goals, among others, as means of confidence-building in the region;

Amendment 135 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes the ambition of the Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf to promote wide-ranging cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in green transition, digitalization, regional security, gender equality, trade, human rights, people-to-people contacts and other areas; regrets, however, that the scope of the Communication was limited to the GCC countries, excluding Iran and Iraq, and thus failing to develop policies aimed at overcoming the existing lack of trust between different stakeholders in the Gulf; considers that the EU should support the issue-oriented cooperation between regional actors on common challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, trade, Sustainable Development Goals, among others, as means of confidence-building in the region;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recalls that after 50 years the occupation must end; furthermore, in contradiction with International Law, Israel is "de facto" proceeding with the process of annexation of the occupied territories through illegal settlements that impede the establishment of the two States solution as set out in the Oslo Accords;

Amendment 137 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Stresses that the Oslo Accords and the United Nations Resolutions are the only basis for the resolution of the Palestinian conflict;

Amendment 138 #

4 b. Recalls that the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority for a definitive settlement of the conflict based on a solution enabling both countries to live side by side in peace and security, based on the 1967 borders, is a perquisite for regional stability; expresses again its deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and calls for the immediate lift all the restrictive measures on the movement of people and goods imposed by Israel on the territory which are having a devastating impact on the population; is gravely concerned about the Israeli settlements policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Reiterates the longstanding EU commitment reaffirmed at the UN Security Council in January 2022 for a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, based on the two state solution, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition, and with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states; acknowledges the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan on the one hand and Israel on the other hand; stresses that while the normalisation agreements have formalised and increased cooperation, especially between the UAE and Israel, the accords have hitherto not contributed to the settlement of long-lasting conflict between Israelis and Palestinians; calls on the European Commission and the Council to revive its engagement for the two state solutions and discourage activities that undermine it, such as the continuation of settlement construction, mass evictions and property demolitions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; calls on the Commission and the Council to explore with the respective Arab countries how their normalisation agreements with Israel can be conducive to the two state solution;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas numerous countries in the broader Middle East have faced war, instability and social and financial crises; whereas terrorist organisations have exploited the instability and security situation and have caused many civilian deaths; whereas terrorist organisations, including Da'esh/ISIS have targeted youth in the broader Middle East and in Europe, and their communication strategy and use of social media have been effective in the susceptibility of youth recruitment; whereas the root causes of violent extremism and terrorism remain complex;

Amendment 140 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, Frédérique RIES, Javier NART, Salima YENBOU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Reaffirms UNRWA’s essential contribution to stability and security in the Middle East, and appeals to the EU and the wider international community to increase its support to the Agency both politically and financing, also in view of the renewal of its mandate by the UN General Assembly in 2022;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Expresses its concern about the growing food crisis in the region caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, calls on the governments of the region to cooperate in addressing food shortages, and calls on the EU to play an active role and provide support in this area;

Amendment 142 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Urges the EU and its Member States to tackle the consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine on the global food supply and prices for the stability of the region; calls in this regard on the EU to collaborate with those countries in the Middle East region having the financial means and energy capacities to address these issues;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Calls on the European Commission to address, as a matter of priority, the impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine on certain countries in the broader Middle East in terms of food security, prioritising those countries most vulnerable due to high import dependency and lack of social security and ensuring that financial support directly benefits the most vulnerable groups;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Reiterates its grave concern of Iranian and Russian interference in the region; strongly condemns the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the growing global food and energy insecurity as an impact of the war, which also has a great impact on the security and stability of the broader Middle East;

Amendment 145 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Stresses the need to end the ongoing occupation of different parts of Syria by regional actors; calls on the European Union to impose an arms embargo on Turkey until it ceases its offensives against its neighbouring country; highlights the need for an inclusive and democratic resolution to the ongoing conflict in Syria based on democracy and the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; underlines that this resolution much be reached through dialogue between the Government and democratic opposition forces;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Calls on the Commission and Member States to adopt a realistic position on Syria, taking into account the real forces with presence in the region, hence calling for the inclusion of the Democratic Federation of North-East Syria, given its status as an undeniable actor on the ground, in any international conference or discussion table;

Amendment 147 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recalls that Syria is not a safe country of return for the seven million refugees who have fled repression and conflict since 2011;

Amendment 148 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Recalls that the Syrian civil war is one of the region’s most deadly conflict in decades causing the death of half a million people and forcibly displacing 14 million Syrians; reiterates the European Parliament’s position rejecting any role for President Bashar al-Assad in post- conflict Syria with reference to UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015); welcomes the European Union’s financial support to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan for hosting Syrian refugees; welcomes all efforts by the EU, its Member States and civil society to document and prosecute crimes against humanity by al-Assad and his associates and calls on the European Union to intensify efforts to end impunity;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4 f. Calls on EU Member States to fulfil their obligation to immediately repatriate their nationals, both the minors and their mothers, who have been detained for more than four years in the Al Hol and Al Roj detention camps in the Democratic Federation of North East Syria; and in the event that the mothers or fathers bear any criminal responsibility, they should be held accountable upon their return to the Member State;

Amendment 15 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas, in this troubled context, and in view of historical and neighbourly relations, the EU has a key role to play in helping the region to achieve stability;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Recalls that the conflict in Lebanon is a consequence of the political actors' deep sectarianism and clientelism, coupled with very serious corruption, and that any financial help from the EU must be conditional towards a democratic and inclusive government that adopts a clear stance against corruption;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Is highly concerned about the protraction of the political, economic, financial and social crisis in Lebanon, which continues to cause suffering to the population; takes note of the parliamentary elections in Lebanon that were held on 15 May 2022 and calls for a swift and inclusive formation of a new government; calls on the VP/HR, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Member States to continue to firmly pressure Lebanon’s political representatives towards reform, including by conditioning large-scale structural support on the implementation of real change; calls, in parallel, on the EU and on its Member States to increase humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people coupled with support for core public services as well as supporting grassroots organisations and civil society;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Emphasises the importance of Palestinian elections for restoring the democratic legitimacy of popular support for political institutions in the Palestinian territories, however, expresses grave concern about people affiliated with EU- listed terror organisations running for political office; stresses the importance of condemning and rejecting terrorism and reiterates that no EU funding may directly or indirectly be transferred for terrorist purposes or to persons and groups affiliated with terror organisations, in accordance with EU funding regulations;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes that during the start of the civil war none of the main drivers of the conflict have been resolved, while regional tensions have increased and Syria's economic crisis has further deteriorated, causing terrible civilian suffering; rejects any role for President Bashar al-Assad in post conflict Syria with reference to UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2254 (2015) and condemns any country legitimising President Assad by strengthening diplomatic contacts with this cruel and barbaric dictator; in this regard, welcomes and supports criminal inquiries that target al-Assad and his associates over the use of chemical weapons and hold them accountable for numerous war crimes; recommends that the Member States expand the list of those subject to targeted sanctions, including civilian and military officials within the Assad regime who are credibly implicated in war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations;

Amendment 154 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Expresses grave concern about the situation in Lebanon and deeply urges the Lebanese leadership to keep their promises to create a functional government that is mission-driven, credible and accountable and that is free from foreign influence; stresses the particular responsibility of Hezbollah and other factions in repressing Lebanon’s 2019 popular movement and in Lebanon’s political and economic crisis; calls on Iran to refrain from meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs and calls for Lebanon's sovereignty and political independence to be respected; expresses grave concern about statements by Hezbollah leader Nasrallah that Hezbollah has over 100,000 fighters in Lebanon; strongly condemns the firing of rockets by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon towards civilian areas in Israel and expresses deep concern at the continued lack of progress made towards the establishment of a permanent ceasefire and other key provisions of UN Security Council resolution 1701(2006) in view of on-going tensions along Lebanon’s southern border;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the particular responsibility of the Syrian regime in destabilising the region following its all- out repression on peaceful protesters in 2011; underlines the particular responsibility of Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, in opposing 18 vetoes against the UN Security Council resolutions which aimed at finding a political situation to the Syrian crisis since 2011; recalls the human tragedy caused by the killing of half a million Syrians and the displacement of over half of its population internally and as refugees across the region and Europe; urges Syria to stop using chemical weapons on its civilian population; welcomes the decision of April 2021 of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to suspend Syria's members from the organisation;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the attacks on the people of Yemen which are responsible for thousands of deaths, the destruction of key civilian infrastructure and widespread famine; calls on Saudi Arabia and all other countries involved in its coalition to immediately stop their military intervention; calls on all countries in the region to stop all transfers of arms into the country and on EU Member States to stop their arms trade in countries participating in this war;

Amendment 157 #

Radosław SIKORSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Underlines that a stable, secure, united, and prosperous Libya is a priority for the EU; recommends, in this regard, that the EU remains neutral in the ongoing power struggles in the country, especially after the recent fighting; stresses that the EU should support projects to increase job creation, especially in the Fezzan region, which would play an important role in stabilising the country;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that any form of cooperation must be based on a human security approach as ~~defined by the UN General Assembly resolution entitled ‘Follow-up to paragraph 143 on human security of the 2005 World Summit Outcome’~~well as respect for international law, rule-based world order and the shared objectives of promoting human rights and democracy;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Recognizes the essential and stabilizing role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in a difficult context of growing humanitarian and development needs; asks to increase and promote worldwide support towards the Agency in order to ensure the fulfilment of its mandate;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas the EU’s aim is to promote peace, security and the protection of human rights in strict compliance with international law;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

~~6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a strict application of all criteria;~~deleted

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

~~6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a strict application of all criteria;~~deleted

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to ~~adopt a strict application of all criteria~~ensure monitoring by the Council, annual reporting on the implementation of the Common Position to the European Parliament and the adoption of a strict application of all criteria, envisaging sanctions when these are not met;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a strict application of all criteria; calls for a consultation mechanism to be put in place among Member States to assess compliance with the Common Position;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a strict application of all criteria, , including by halting arms exports when these criteria are not met;

Amendment 165 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a ~~strict~~n application of ~~all~~its criteria, however, notes that arms export policies remain a Member State competence;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a strict application of all criteria, including by halting arms exports when these criteria are violated;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies~~Stresses that arms export policies, including the aligning with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, a~~nd to adopt a strict application of all criteria~~re a Member State competence;

Amendment 168 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing violence in Yemen since 2015; recalls that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Yemen and that the crisis can only be resolved sustainably through an inclusive Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned negotiation process involving all quarters of Yemeni society and all parties to the conflict; welcomes the UN-brokered truce from April 2022 and its renewal from June 2022; calls on all parties to respect the truce and to engage in good faith negotiations leading to viable political and security arrangements, in line with by UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), the Joint implementation mechanisms of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement and the global ceasefire, as called for by UN Security Council resolution 2532 (2020); urges EU and Member States to commit to re-establish accountability measures and redress for victims of international human rights and international humanitarian laws violations in Yemen, including notably the re-establishment of a UN monitoring and reporting mechanism; reiterates its call for an EU-wide ban on the export, sale, update or maintenance of arms or other security equipment to all members of the Saudi-led coalition, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, given the serious risk of violations of international humanitarian law or humanitarian law;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses the humanitarian disaster caused by the war in Yemen since 2016; calls on all parties to abide by International Humanitarian Law and fully engage in the UN-led peace talks;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)

Ad. whereas the EU, as a global player with no intention of promoting a unilateral agenda to the detriment of any country in the region, must be able to assert itself as a constructive partner, drawing on its mediation capabilities to help the MENA countries achieve stability and prosper;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Expresses concern about the situation in Iraq and underlines the deep popular frustration in the country vis-a- vis the political elite as well as persistent corruption; encourages the European Union and its Member States to contribute to stability in Iraq by supporting post-conflict re-construction and conciliation as well as accountable institution-building in order to shield the country from geopolitical rivalries and to bridge widening social cleavages; underlines that destruction of cultural heritage as well as looting of works of art and other cultural goods during armed conflicts needs to be addressed in terms of both reconstruction and restitution in order to protect and ensure the integrity of the cultural heritage and identity of societies, communities, groups and individuals;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6 c. Underlines the EU’s contribution to regional de-escalation and maritime safety in the Persian Gulf through the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) surveillance mission;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;deleted

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;deleted

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;deleted

Amendment 175 #

Andreas SCHIEDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; in this regard, strongly condemns Turkey’s ongoing violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq through the regular and illegal air strikes causing civilian deaths, notably in Sinjar region, and building up an illegal military and intelligence presence in the Nineveh province (through the base in Bashiqa); deplores the profoundly destabilizing effects of these Turkish actions on the security and humanitarian situation in the region; calls on Turkey to immediately cease these activities, end its military presence in Iraq and commit itself fully to the respect of the international law, the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq, and the right of all its ethnic and religious groups to live in peace, security, and democracy; condemns the persistent pattern of the use by Turkey of extremist mercenaries, including those associated with the UN Security Council-designated terrorist organizations, to advance its expansionist foreign policy and military goals, notably in Libya, Syria and South Caucasus; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose; as well as a commitment to work in the relevant international fora on a global ban;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation as they undermine state structures and spon-sor a pool of fighters with different ideo-logical orientations; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on theird countries ~~in the region~~ to refrain from exporting arms ~~or combatants or intervening militarily in other countrie~~to the countries affected by internal conflicts or intervening militarily in these hostilities through regular and paramilitary groups, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; ~~firmly opposes the use of drones in~~express serious concern over extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects ~~and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose~~; highlights in particular the dangers associated with the use of autonomous and remotely operated systems for such operations;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)

Ae. whereas there are many heated state, ethnic and religious rivalries in the Persian Gulf that will likely not only perpetuate current crises, such as the one in Yemen, but also spread instability across the entire region;

Amendment 180 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in ~~other~~ countries in conflict, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions ~~are some of the main causes of~~contribute to regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on ~~the~~all countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; ~~firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;~~

Amendment 183 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other count~~Deplores the fact that neighbouring countries interfere too often in each others’ internal crises, asnd that such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purposeference – whether political or even military in nature – is harmful, causing long-term damage to inter-state relations in the region and preventing conflicts from being resolved;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Takes note of an UN-mediated truce announcement in Yemen between the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Houthi rebels; insists that the truce should be the first step to prepare the ground for credible peace talks between the Yemeni parties that should lead to an end of the war and one of the world’s greatest humanitarian disasters through an inclusive, Yemeni-led political settlement; stresses that the conflict cannot be truly solved without the accountability for the alleged war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia, UAE and their allies, and Houthi rebels;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Takes note of an UN-mediated truce announcement in Yemen between the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Houthi rebels; insists that the truce should be the first step to prepare the ground for credible peace talks between the Yemeni parties that should lead to an end of the war and one of the world’s greatest humanitarian disasters through an inclusive, Yemeni-led political settlement; stresses that the conflict cannot be truly solved without the accountability for the alleged war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia, UAE and their allies, and Houthi rebels;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Holds the view that the more the policies and priorities of EU Member States vis-a-vis the broader Middle East region diverge, the less influence they can exert; calls on all European Member States to avoid being dragged into regional rivalries and refrain from engaging in one-sided partisanship with conflicting parties in the region; urges EU Member States to stop fuelling armed conflicts and halt arms exports to countries involved in armed conflict;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Calls on the EU to make full use of the new forms of cooperation and financial support such as the NDICI and the EPF, acting in line with the guiding principles already set and in a way that promotes stability and human development;

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Stresses that there remains a Jihadist threat in several countries in the region, in the form of terrorism or insurgency, posed in particular by the Islamic State; calls on the EU and its Member States make a firm commitment to legitimate governments fighting against jihadist networks;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Applauds the efforts being made by the Commission and EEAS to set up a network of experts in the field of counter- terrorism among the EU delegations in several countries in the region and to provide tailored support as requested by several governments; calls for more systematic cooperation in preventing and combating radicalisation and terrorism through targeted, tailor-made and regularly assessed civilian programmes;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the influence and role of different EU Member States in the region is very unequal, with strategies and agreements in the field of stability and security sometimes differing or promoting conflicting priorities; whereas all EU Member States share the common objective of security and stability, as well as promoting human rights and democracy;

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Applauds the efforts being made by the Commission, and the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments in particular, to set up programmes to develop a partnership with several countries in the region to combat radicalisation and terrorism; considers that such tailor-made programmes, supported by material and financial resources suited to the specific needs of the recipient countries, can be an effective instrument of security cooperation; calls, however, for an in- depth assessment to be made of the effectiveness of these projects and for it to be ensured that service providers, often from Member State agencies, provide training that is appropriate and adapted to the needs indicated by the host countries and based on genuine professional expertise;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. EWelcomes the EU’s commitment establishing a WMD-free zone in the Middle East, in accordance with the resolution on the Middle East of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the EU’s promotion of confidence- building measures in support of this process in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner; expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; ~~calls on Israel to ratify~~notes that Israel, as a non-party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has long maintained ambiguity regarding its nuclear status;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate ~~all diplomatic~~ efforts to avoid it; calls on Isra~~el to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons~~n to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA); deplores that Iran is halting the JCPOA negotiations due to its requirement for the USA to abolish the sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) which is considered a terrorist group in the US;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; and to declare any nuclear weapons it may have, progressively dismantling them in order to achieve a denuclearized region;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; ~~calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;~~

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; ~~calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;~~

Amendment 196 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; ~~calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;~~

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to ~~activate~~step up all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; ~~calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;~~

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Expresses deep concern about ~~a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to ac~~nuclear proliferation in the region and supports the efforts being made by the EU and Member States to promote multivlate alral diplomatic ~~efforts to avoid it; call~~initiatives oin ~~Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weap~~order to put an end to this phenomenons;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

— having regard to the resolution on the implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2021;

Amendment 20 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the influence and role of different EU Member States in the region is very unequal~~, with strategies and agreements in the field of stability and security sometimes differing or promoting conflicting priori~~ because of their specific historic, cultural and socioeconomic ties;

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Notes that the conflict in the Persian Gulf must take into account the security needs of all regional actors and that there can be no peace without security for all of them; recalls that the JCPOA must be implemented and respected by all signatories;

Amendment 201 #

Radosław SIKORSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; underlines that the JCPOA is currently the best means to address tensions between Iran and its neighbours, and to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons, which threatens regional and global security; calls on all sides to finalise the negotiations on a renewed JCPOA, which should be faithfully implemented by all parties; warns that lack of progress on a renewed JCPOA may cause stakeholders in the region to undertake unilateral military action;

Amendment 202 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability and creating conditions for further talks on a new, inclusive regional security architecture; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as the only viable way of solving the remaining safeguards issues related to Iran’s nuclear activities; stresses that the restoration of the JCPOA would provide a foundation for the EU’s renewed engagement with Iran, to complement the existing EU’s partnerships and relations in the region;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability and creating conditions for further talks on a new, inclusive regional security architecture; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as the only viable way of solving the remaining safeguards issues related to Iran’s nuclear activities; stresses that the restoration of the JCPOA would provide a foundation for the EU’s renewed engagement with Iran, to complement the existing EU’s partnerships and relations in the region;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Welcomes~~Notes that the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ~~as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Jo~~have come to a stalemate; expresses grave concern about the IAEA finding traces of uranium in Iran's sites, Iran's instalment of advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear site and strongly condemns Iran's continued efforts to pressure the IAEA through provocations; stresses that any agreement with Iran needs to include sufficient safeguards that Iran will not be able to acquire nuclear weapons; condemns Iran's human rights violations against ~~Comprehensive Plan of Action~~its own people, its ballistic missile programme and terror activities in the region and in Europe;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; calls on the EU to consider setting up dialogues with the Arab Gulf countries and Israel that accom-pany the negotiations on a nuclear agreement with Iran with the aim of pro-moting regional understanding and re-ducing perceived threat;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Welcomes the negotiations on~~Rejects the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as ~~a necessary step towards achieving regional stability; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action~~Iran continues to negotiate in bad faith; stresses the need to include Iran's ballistic missile programme in any follow-up agreement with Iran; condemns Iran's nuclear activities, its grave human rights violations, its support for terror activities in the broader Middle East region and in Europe and expresses grave concern about Iran's statements that it seeks the destruction of the State of Israel;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Welcomes~~Acknowledges that the negotiations on the J~~oint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a~~CPOA are necessary steps towards achieving regional stability; ~~calls on the US and Iran~~deplores that Iran is not attempting to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by removing IAEA cameras from its nuclear sites;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Welcom~~Notes the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability; calls on ~~the US and~~ Iran to pursue ~~meaningful~~ negotiations with a view to ~~returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Act~~achieving stability and security in the region;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Warmly welcomes the signing of the Abraham Accords and calls on other regional countries to join without delay; reiterates the EU's strong support for the two-state solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict based on the 1967 lines and mutually agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as a capital of both states, with a secure State of Israel and a democratic, independent and viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas EU policy has been primarily focused on the issues of migration and asylum, as well as counter terrorism; whereas it is necessary to focus on the underlying causes of instability in order to provide long-term strategies and solutions to shared challenges;

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Acknowledges the remarkable mediation efforts of countries like Oman, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar to solve regional conflicts and disputes; calls on the European Union wherever possible to support these diplomatic tracks and to encourage regional ownership and responsibility for de-escalating tensions;

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9 b. Calls on the European Union and EU Member States to incorporate UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security in all its conflict resolution efforts in the broader Middle East; asks the European Union and EU Member states to call on their interlocutors in the region to increase the participation of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction; asks the EU in this regard to lead by example and ensure fair representation of women in their own EU delegations and missions; reiterates its calls for full implementation and prioritisation of Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) in every aspect of EU external action through a gender- transformative and intersectional approach as well as gender mainstreaming in all areas of external action and to address the root causes of gender inequalities; calls on the European Union and its Member States to urge all parties to conflict in the region to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict;

Amendment 212 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9 b. Welcomes the Abraham Accords and stresses their importance for peace and cooperation in the region; acknowledges the important role the US played in the public diplomatic normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco; recalls the EU's commitment to a negotiated and viable two-state solution, based on international parameters and on the 1967 lines, with land swaps as may be agreed between the parties, with a secure Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9 c. Welcomes the adoption of the Magnitsky Act by the Council as an important EU instrument to sanction violators of human rights; calls for the preparation of restrictive measures against Iranian officials involved in the unfair trail, detention and executions of Ruhollah Zam, Navid Afkari and imminent execution of Swedish national Mr. Ahmadreza Djalali, all other Iranian, dual and foreign nationals unfairly held in Iran as well as those responsible for the violent crackdown against Iranian citizens peacefully protesting in the country; considers further sanctions against Iran necessary if authorities do not free Mr. Djalali as demanded by the EU and Member States;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. ~~Underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy and calls for~~ Calls on the European Union not to merely substitute its gas and oil imports from Russia with hydrocarbon supply from the broader Middle East but to seize the opportunity of cutting reliance on Russian gas~~sessment of the security implications of any agree~~ by two-thirds before 2022 to decrease the EUʼs over-all reliance on fossil fuels and boost investment into ~~import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU~~energy generation from renewable sources as well as electricity interconnection;

Amendment 215 #

Radosław SIKORSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy and calls for an assessment of the security implications of any agreement to import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU; underlines that regional stability and prosperity is a key objective of the EU given the region’s importance in diversifying EU energy sources in the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and calls for an assessment of the security implications of any agreement to import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU;

Amendment 217 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy and calls ~~for~~on the EEAS and the Commission to conduct an assessment of the security implications of any agreement to import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy and calls ~~for~~on the EEAS and the Commission to conduct an assessment of the security implications of any agreement to import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. UNotes the strategic dimension of energy cooperation in the Middle East region; underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy and calls for an assessment of the security implications of any agreement to import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas these differences can sometimes give rise to contradictory or conflicting views in the region’s countries and rival strategies that are deeply detrimental to the EU achieving a more coherent and effective approach;

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Calls on the European Union to increase its engagement with the countries of the broader Middle East on the European Green Deal; calls on the European Union to encourage and support the regionʼs countries in achieving their climate targets, especially by capitalizing on their large renewable energy capacity; considers the regionʼs reliance on the extraction and trade of hydrocarbon a threat to their future stability; calls on the European Union to stress the mutual benefits of cooperation in the green transition, notably the advantages of sustainable growth, vis-a- vis their interlocutors in the region; invites the European Union to consider setting up a renewable energy partnership with the countries of the broader Middle East; holds that electricity interconnection and renewable hydrogen are the two most promising fields of clean energy cooperation between the sides.

Amendment 221 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses that the conflict in Ukraine could build up inflationary pressures already triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and thus aggravate the food and humanitarian crisis in the most dependent countries of the Middle East;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering and stem illicit financial flows by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds by several states in the region; notes that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were recently added to the list of countries under increased monitoring (grey list) of the Financial Action Task Force, as a "jurisdiction with strategic deficiencies" in preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism; highlights that, in line with previous practice and the Commission's methodology, all countries that are under this list are subsequently listed by the EU through a delegated act under Article 9 of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive; notes with concern that, as reported by the press, several Russian oligarchs have flocked to the UAE following the targeted sanctions in the EU; calls on the Commission to propose a delegated act to list the UAE as a high risk third country without further delay;

Amendment 223 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering and stem illicit financial flows by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds by several states in the region; notes that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were recently added to the list of countries under increased monitoring (grey list) of the Financial Action Task Force, as a "jurisdiction with strategic deficiencies" in preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism; highlights that, in line with previous practice and the Commission's methodology, all countries that are under this list are subsequently listed by the EU through a delegated act under Article 9 of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive; notes with concern that, as reported by the press, several Russian oligarchs have flocked to the UAE following the targeted sanctions in the EU; calls on the Commission to propose a delegated act to list the UAE as a high risk third country without further delay;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering and stem illicit financial flows by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds by several states in the region; deplores the UAE's welcoming safe haven for Russian oligarchs avoiding EU sanctions on Russia; underlines that the advanced and historical security partnership with the region requires a joint approach towards Russia's aggression of Ukraine and fundamental European interests; equally deplores that EU sanctions on the Syrian regime have been circumvented via Lebanon, Iran and Russia since 2011;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities both in Europe, the broader Middle East region and around the world; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering ~~and~~, stem illicit financial flows and funding of Islamist institutions and organisations in Europe by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds ~~by several states in the region~~;

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering and stem illicit financial flows by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds by ~~several states~~terrorist organisations and certain countries, notably Iran, in the region;

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Welcomes the proposal by the Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf to step up the EU´s engagement with the Gulf countries on funding of international humanitarian and development aid; calls on the European Commission to encourage Gulf donors to channel more of their humanitarian and development aid through multilateral institutions as their aid is mainly bilateral and only 1-6% of aid goes to multilateral institutions; recommends the European Commission to offer the respective countries assistance in reconsidering their aid objectives as well as enhancing cooperation and coordination among them as well as between them and the EU;

Amendment 228 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Underlines that the EU and the US must synergize their efforts to combat terrorism and radicalization and ensure that efforts made are supported by the necessary resources and commensurate with the threat that it poses; notes that both partners should strive to improve current practices of intelligence-sharing among Member States with particular emphasis on achieving better, common situational awareness in key areas including emerging safe havens and terrorists’ use of EDTs, as well as hybrid tactics;

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Calls on the EEAS to create a StratCom Task Force on interference emanating from the Middle East, in particular from Iran to analyse, assess, and prevent the threats from Iran and its proxies in the region and on the European continent;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas the ongoing war in Yemen begun in 2014 and has a devastating effect on the country; whereas it is estimated that over 150,000 people have died as a direct consequence of the war and over 4 million have been displaced; whereas Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and Senegal have troops on the ground in Yemen; whereas the conflict has been fueled by regional arms transfers;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Applauds the historical Abraham Accords and calls on the VP/HR and the Commission to support the normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab States and recognise that the implementation and extension of the Abraham Accords is a key component to peace and stability in the region; commends the role that the United States has played in facilitating the Abraham Accords and calls on the VP/HR to become involved in this process and support the positive developments;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Welcomes the adoption of the Magnitsky Act by the Council as an important EU instrument to sanction violators of human rights; calls for the preparation of restrictive measures against Iranian officials involved in the grave human rights violations against Iranian human rights defenders, prisoners of conscience and those peacefully protesting in the country;

Amendment 232 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Stresses the need to monitor and evaluate EU naval force missions (EUNAVFOR) in line with human security criteria, and to consider their future tasks in line with the needs set out by these criteria;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11 c. Strongly condemns the terrorist attacks by terror groups against Christians, such as in Egypt and Iraq; in this context recalls the crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed in Iraq and Syria by the so-called ISIS/Daesh against Christians, Yazidis and other religious and ethnic minorities in the territories under its control during the period 2014-2020;

Amendment 234 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights that people-to-people contacts and cooperation in fields such as education, science or culture play an important role in the region and can make a key contribution to regional stability and the bridging of divides both with the EU and among the different states; welcomes, in this context, the proposal presented by the Commission for the visa exemption for the citizens of Kuwait and Qatar; calls on the Commission to swiftly engage in technical discussions to ensure fulfilment of relevant criteria in view of ultimately achieving visa exemption for the citizens of Kuwait, Qatar and Oman;

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights that people-to-people contacts and cooperation in fields such as education, science or culture play an important role in the region and can make a key contribution to regional stability and the bridging of divides both with the EU and among the different states; welcomes, in this context, the proposal presented by the Commission for the visa exemption for the citizens of Kuwait and Qatar; calls on the Commission to swiftly engage in technical discussions to ensure fulfilment of relevant criteria in view of ultimately achieving visa exemption for the citizens of Kuwait and Qatar;

Amendment 236 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights that people-to-people contacts and cooperation in fields such as education, science or culture play an important role in the region and can make a key contribution to regional stability and the bridging of divides both with the EU and among the different states; recalls that all education curricula funded by the EU must be in line with UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, co-existence and non- violence and strongly condemns the hate speech, violence and anti-Semitism that continue to be found in the Palestinian Authority education curricula;

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights that people-to-people contacts and cooperation in fields such as education, science or culture play an important role in the region and can make a key contribution to regional stability and the bridging of divides both with the EU and among the different states; calls on the European Commission to facilitate the access of students from the region to the Erasmus programme;

Amendment 238 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights that people-to-people contacts and cooperation in fields such as business, education, science or culture play an important role in the region and can make a key contribution to regional stability and the bridging of divides both with the EU and among the different states;

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Regrets that people-to-people contacts are being hindered by education material containing hate speech, antisemitism and incitement to violence in Palestinian schools, sponsored by the UNRWA; reiterates its position that all school material supported by the Union funds must be in line with the UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, coexistence, and non-violence; urges the Palestinian Authority to immediately remove all school material which is not in compliance with the UNESCO standards and ensure full transparency and work in good faith with the aim to move forward in reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority; insists that the Commission must guarantee that no Union funds are allocated or linked to any form of terrorism and/or religious and political radicalisation; therefore, reiterates its call for conditionality of EU financial assistance in the educational sector;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas Yemen is in the midst of a protracted political, humanitarian and developmental crisis; whereas 80 per cent of the population, 24.1 million people, are in need of humanitarian aid and protection; whereas the war in Yemen is now the largest humanitarian crisis in the world; whereas in 2015 Saudi Arabia led a military coalition to intervene in the Yemen war to support former president Hadi against the Houthi movement sponsored by Iran; whereas following the 2 April 2022 truce between the warring parties, civilian casualties fell to the lowest level in month;

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Strongly condemns that millions of Christians have been uprooted from their homes, and that many have been killed, kidnapped, imprisoned, discriminated against and restrictions have been placed on their freedom of worship; notes with particular concern that forms of persecution also exist in all aspects of their social lives, including in employment and education; welcomes at the same time the enormous contribution of Christian communities in their respective countries;

Amendment 241 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines the importance of a constant and growing EU political and diplomatic presence in the region in promoting strategic political dialogue and fostering exchanges between countries in the region in order to promote stability;deleted

Amendment 242 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines the importance of a constant and growing EU political and diplomatic presence in the region in promoting strategic political dialogue and fostering exchanges between countries in the region in order to promote stability; urges the EU and its Member States to increase diplomatic and political for democracy, human rights and the rule of law as demanded by peaceful popular movements across the MENA region;

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. condemns that throughout the region, human rights defenders, activists, journalists and perceived critics continue to suffer severe and pervasive state repression; calls on EU and Member States’ delegations on the ground to prioritize human rights issues in their interaction with local authorities and ensure full and scrupulous implementation of all EU guidelines, including the Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, and the action plan on human rights and democracy;

Amendment 244 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Expresses deep concern regarding the human rights impact of the EU’s military cooperation policy, in particular sales of arms and cooperation in the field of security, which has enabled states to take part in regional conflicts or engage in repressive activities against their own populations; calls for clear transparency criteria concerning these forms of cooperation ensuring that no EU resources are being used to fuel further regional instability;deleted

Amendment 245 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Expresses deep concern regarding the human rights impact of the EU’s military cooperation policy, in particular sales of arms and cooperation in the field of security, which has enabled states to take part in regional conflicts or engage in repressive activities against their own populations; calls for clear transparency criteria concerning these forms of cooperation ensuring that no EU resources are being used to fuel further regional instability;deleted

Amendment 246 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Expresses deep concern regarding the human rights impact of the EU’s military cooperation policy, in particular sales of arms and cooperation in the field of security, which has enabled states to take part in regional conflicts or engage in repressive activities against their own populationssituation in the region, including that of religious minorities; stresses the need to ensure a safe and enabling environment where it is possible to defend and promote human rights without fear of reprisal, punishment or intimidation; stresses, furthermore, that fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and assembly must always be respected; calls for clear transparency criteria concerning these forms of cooperation ensuring that no EU resources are being used to fuel further regional instability;

Amendment 247 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Expresses deep concern regarding the human rights impact of the EU’s military cooperation policy, in particular sales of arms and cooperation in the field of security, which has enabled states to take part in regional conflicts or engage in repressive activities agaisale, export, update and maintenance of mass surveillance technology in the region, given their dismal track record in misusing technology for domestic repression; condemnst the~~ir own populations; calls for clear transparency criteria concerning these forms of cooperation ensuring that no EU resources are being used to fuel further regional instability~~ region's abusive use of spyware technology such as the Pegasus spyware of Israel's NSO company; underlines that any misuse of surveillance software targeting political leaders, activists, or civil society, constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights and freedoms;

Amendment 248 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Expresses deep concern regarding the human rights impact of the EU’s military cooperation policy, in particular sales of arms and cooperation in the field of security, which has enabled~~ Notes that the EU and its Member States are currently involved in various military operations and cooperation in the region: Operation Atalanta against piracy, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI against migrant smuggling, Operation Inherent Resolve againsta te~~s to take part in regional conflicts or engage in repressive activities against their own populations;~~rrorism, Operation Sea Guardian against terrorism in the Mediterranean, etc.; believes that with these commitments, which respond to caoll~~s for clear transparency criteria concern~~ective threats recognised by international law, the EU is making a significant contribution to security ing the~~se forms of cooperation ensuring that no EU resources are being used to fu~~ region; notes, however, that certain Member States’ individual involvement in local crises or conflicts is not part of efforts more closely coordinated at European level, f~~urther regional instability~~or the cases of Syria or Libya for example;

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Calls on the EU and Member States to commit to re-establish accountability measures and redress for victims of international human rights and international humanitarian laws violations in Yemen, including notably the re-establishment of a UN monitoring and reporting mechanism;

Amendment 25 #

Susanna CECCARDI, Jaak MADISON

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

B c. whereas the conflict in Syria which begun in 2011 is ongoing with areas of the country controlled by the Turkish and US military; whereas it is estimated that more than 500,000 been killed and 12 million displaced; whereas regional, as well as international, powers have fueled the conflict with weapons and fighters;

Amendment 250 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Condemns the attacks in Yemen carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, along with the repeated attempts at cross-border attacks on the territory of Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries, which undermine efforts to end the ongoing war in Yemen;

Amendment 251 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Calls on the EU and its Member States to use all multilateral fora at their disposal, including the UN, to renew or establish independent international investigative and reporting mechanisms to address the most serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the MENA region, notably torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings; to this end, calls for there-establishment of the UN Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) on Yemen, the establishment of a UN monitoring and reporting mechanism on human rights violations in Egypt and the renewal of the mandate of the UN independent Fact Finding Mission (FFM) in Libya;

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Stresses that closer partnership with Gulf countries should be linked to clear human rights benchmarks for progress in the GCC, including on accountability for war crimes in Yemen, women’s rights, freedom of expression and association, release of human rights defenders, death penalty, migrant workers, and alignment in international fora;

Amendment 253 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Stresses the specific threat that the new digital technologies pose for human rights defenders, opposition figures, journalists and others in controlling, restricting and undermining their activities, as illustrated by the Pegasus revelations; calls on the EU to take an initiative to promote an immediate, global moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of spyware technology until the adoption of a robust regulatory framework in this field; calls on the EU and Member States to ensure full due human rights diligence and proper vetting of any future exports of European surveillance technology and related technical assistance; calls on the EU and Member States to engage with third country governments to end repressive cybersecurity and counter- terrorism legislation practices and legislation;

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Is deeply concerned about the steady deterioration of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, expressing itself in the execution of 81 men in March 2022, the largest mass execution in years, apparent war crimes in Yemen, continued imprisonment of peaceful dissidents and human rights activists, persistence of the male guardianship over women and discriminatory laws and policies against women, lack of meaningful accountability for the murder of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in which a U.S. intelligence report released in 2021 implicated the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman personally; reiterates its call to use the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to introduce targeted sanctions against the Saudi officials involved in grave human rights violations;

Amendment 255 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, Frédérique RIES, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Is deeply concerned about the steady deterioration of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, expressing itself in the execution of 81 men in March 2022, the largest mass execution in years, apparent war crimes in Yemen, continued imprisonment of peaceful dissidents and human rights activists, persistence of the male guardianship over women and discriminatory laws and policies against women, lack of meaningful accountability for the murder of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in which a U.S. intelligence report released in 2021 implicated the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman personally; reiterates its call to use the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to introduce targeted sanctions against the Saudi officials involved in grave human rights violations;

Amendment 256 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Underlines the importance to tackle disinformation and spread of fake news in the region and calls on the EU to take appropriate action, in particular by supporting independent media and educational civic initiatives to promote critical thinking;

Amendment 257 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Deplores that leaders in the region have responded with authoritarian restoration to wide spread street protests calling for democratic reforms in numerous Arab countries in 2010/2011 and again as of 2018, further restricting freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of press of citizens and residents; stresses that rule of law and human rights, good governance and anti- corruption bring benefits to people and foster stability in the region;

Amendment 258 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

~~15. Calls on the EU to promote the development of a strong civil society in the region; highlights that the shrinking civil space in several countries poses a threat to regional stability;~~deleted

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the EU to further promote the development of a strong and independent civil society in the region; highlights that the shrinking civil space in several countries poses a threat to regional stability; deeply deplores the sharp deterioration of freedom of association and attacks against civil society organizations, whether through legal or de facto repression and intimidation, in a number of countries in the past decade; strongly reaffirms that defending basic civil and political rights and freedoms are a legitimate field of work for civil society organizations, including in the MENA region;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)

B d. whereas there are ongoing social and political conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon in which different regional powers attempt to influence the local population in order to expand their control; whereas these conflicts have the potential to further develop;

Amendment 260 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the EU to promote the development of a strong civil society in the region, particularly through engagement with trade unions, women’s organisations or environmental organisations; stresses the need for them to be consulted while designing and evaluating the EU’s policies in the region; highlights that the shrinking civil space in several countries poses a threat to regional stability;

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the EU to promote the development of a strong civil society in the region, particularly social, labour or environmental organisations as well as womenʼs or religious associations; notes that the EU has an interest in engaging with local civil society organisations to better inform and diversify its policies towards the countries of the region; highlights that the shrinking civil space in several countries poses a threat to regional stability;

Amendment 262 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the EU to ~~promote the development of a strong civil society in the region; highlights that the shrinking civil space in several countries poses a threat to regional stability~~foster support for minorities and Christian communities in the Middle East;

Amendment 263 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Welcomes the holding of bilateral human rights dialogues with Arab Gulf countries as well as Israel, Jordan and Lebanon; stresses, however, that such dialogues should not be box-ticking exercises and should instead aim at securing concrete commitments and deliverables for specific human rights progress in partner countries; further emphasizes that yearly human rights dialogues should not be the only opportunity for human rights talks with the respective countries and urges EU and member states’ leaders to echo concerns and formulate recommendations expressed in the dialogues during all high level interactions with their counterparts;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Calls on the EU to promote tolerance and freedom of religion in the region;

Amendment 265 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the authorities in the region to uphold the ban on torture as enshrined in particular in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which most of them have signed and ratified; calls for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the region; regrets that the Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf failed to introduce any human rights safeguards to counter-terrorist cooperation with the Gulf states and insists that any cooperation in this field with the Gulf and Middle East countries be submitted to strict application of such safeguards; notes with deep concern the persistent pattern in the countries of the region to adopt vaguely drafted “anti- terrorism” laws the implementation of which in practice leads to criminalization of legitimate, peaceful dissent;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the authorities in the region to uphold the ban on torture as enshrined in particular in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which most of them have signed and ratified; calls for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the region; regrets that the Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf failed to introduce any human rights safeguards to counter-terrorist cooperation with the Gulf states and insists that any cooperation in this field with the Gulf and Middle East countries be submitted to strict application of such safeguards; notes with deep concern the persistent pattern in the countries of the region to adopt vaguely drafted “anti-terrorism” laws the implementation of which in practice leads to criminalization of legitimate, peaceful dissent;

Amendment 267 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the authorities in the region to ~~uphold the ban on torture as enshrined in particular~~effectively ban torture under all circumstances as enshrined in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment~~, which most of them have signed and ratified~~; calls for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the region;

Amendment 268 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. CNotes the progressive improvements shown by some countries in the region on human rights, but calls on the authorities in the region to uphold the ban on torture as enshrined in particular in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which most of them have signed and ratified; calls for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the region;

Amendment 269 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Stresses that the prospect of being arbitrarily detained and tortured constitutes an unacceptable form of insecurity to all the citizens of the region, causing more social unrest, mistrust and resentment towards national institutions;

Amendment 27 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Salima YENBOU

Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)

B e. whereas the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine continues to be a source of regional instability;

Amendment 270 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the democratic clause in our Association Agreements with third countries is effectively applied whenever there are clear human rights violations;

Amendment 271 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16 b. Calls on authorities to release all prisoners of conscience, including journalists and citizen journalists, and to allow a free, independent and diverse media landscape to develop in the long term interest of their own stability and security;

Amendment 272 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

~~17. Highlights the importance of the sustainable development goals set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as key promoters of regional stability;~~deleted

Amendment 273 #

17. Highlights the importance of the sustainable development goals set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ~~as key promoters of regional stability~~, inter-alia climate action, the eradication of poverty or the promotion of gender equality, as key promoters of regional stability; stresses the need to further enhance cooperation between the EU and countries in the region in order to fulfil all of them, particularly the ones concerning challenges which require global cooperation such as climate change, setting out clear strategies, timeframes and goals in these areas;

Amendment 274 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Highlights the gravity of violence against women in the region, particularly in situations of conflict; calls for the EU to establish bilateral dialogue with the countries in the region on this topic in order to promote the abolition of all laws enshrining gender inequality; stresses the importance of supporting local women’s organizations as a means of empowerment;

Amendment 275 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Calls on the EU to pay special attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due to its exceptional length and to current perspectives that do not allow for a realistic path towards the stability across the MENA region;

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17 b. Stresses that the best way for the EU to promote security and stability in the region is through tackling the underlying causes, particularly lack of democracy, and promoting social development and cooperation, including people to people contacts; stresses therefore that the EU should develop its own strategy to discourage a military race which would have grave security implications;

Amendment 277 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17 c. Highlights that human rights dialogues with Gulf countries should aim at securing concrete commitments and deliverables for specific human rights progress in partner countries; calls on EU and Member States’ leaders to echo concerns and formulate recommendations expressed in the dialogues during all high level interactions with their counterparts in GCC member states;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the unresolved conflicts in Libya and Syria are a reason of major concern, hampering the stability of the whole region; whereas the presence of third actors in these countries, and the involvement of military and paramilitary groups in these conflicts - i.e. through the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group in Libya - is further destabilising EU and international efforts to find negotiated solutions and to support democratic transitions;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B f (new)

B f. whereas ongoing conflicts in other countries have strong regional implications due to the direct military involvement, such as in Libya, or attempts to influence and exercise control over local political actors, such as in Sudan;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

— having regard to the Joint Declaration between the European Union and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on European Union support to UNRWA (2021-2024),

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the US continues to play a relevant role in the region~~, including through a direct military presence~~; whereas Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt all have major non- NATO ally status; whereas NATO plays an important role in the broader Middle East while at the same time the security situation on Europe's southern periphery remains challenging due to threats to ranging from regional conflicts, to state fragility, terrorism, human trafficking and transnational organised crime;

Amendment 31 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Christophe GRUDLER, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the US continues to play a relevant role in the region, including through a direct military presence; whereas Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt all have major non-NATO ally status; whereas Russia has emerged as a military actor in the region following its 2015 intervention in the Syrian war to perpetuate the Assad regime;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the US ~~continues to play a relevant role in the region, including through a direct military presence; whereas Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt all have major non- NATO ally status~~, EU Member States, Iran, Russia, Turkey and UN peace keeping forces have a direct military presence in the region;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the US continues to play a relevant role in the region, including through a direct military presence; whereas Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt all have ~~major~~ non-NATO ally status; whereas NATO member Turkey and Qatar, however, have played a particularly destabilising role in the Middle East;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~the US continues to play a relevant role in the region, including~~, despite giving low priority to the region, the US continues to be an important actor, particularly in the field of security through ~~a direct~~its military presence; wh~~ereas Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt all have major non- NATO ally statu~~ich is on the decline but plays a decisive role in many countries;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the Abraham Accords signed on 15 September 2020 enshrine the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and two Arab states: Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE);

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas on 15 September 2020, Israel and the UAE, as well as Bahrain, agreed to normalise their relations by signing the so-called Abraham Accords;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into blocks;deleted

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security ~~and confirme~~; welcomes the signing of the Abraham Accords and their co~~untries’ intention to divide the region into blocks~~mmitment to strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world through dialogue and cooperation based on mutual understanding and co-existence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into blocks; whereas Iran since 2011 has significantly expanded its influence in the region, including via proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

— having regard to the Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council on a strategic Partnership with the Gulf; having regard to the EU Council conclusions from 20 June 2022,

Amendment 40 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and confirmed the countries’ intention to ~~divide the region into blocks~~improve regional security and the commitment to further expand economic and diplomatic cooperation;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security ~~and confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into blocks~~;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security ~~and confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into blocks~~;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security ~~and confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into blocks~~;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security;

Amendment 45 #

Salima YENBOU, Klemen GROŠELJ, Javier NART, Christophe GRUDLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and confirmed these countries’ intention to ~~divide the reg~~forge a closer relationship based on shared threat perceptions in~~to blocks~~ the region;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and ~~confirmed the countries’ intention to~~ divided the region into blocks;

Amendment 47 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach ~~to security and confirmed the~~; whereas the Abraham Accords provide an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen cooperation in promoting tolerance and counteri~~es’ intention to divide the region into blocks~~ng extremism in the broader Middle East region;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and ~~confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into block~~builds on the success of the Abraham Accords;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas at the 2021 Al-Ula summit Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain ended its boycott of Qatar after nearly four years; whereas in 2021 talks between Saudi-Arabia and Iran and high-level dialogues between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have contributed to de-escalation in the region;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

— having regard to the joint communication by the VP/HR to the European Parliament and the Council on a strategic partnership with the Gulf;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas the Russian criminal invasion of Ukraine will have severe impacts on the whole Middle East region, causing shortages in wheat and cereals, and a subsequent consistent increase of prices of products and goods;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas both Ukraine and Russia are leading exporters of agricultural products to many countries of the region; whereas disruptions related to the war are exacerbating already-rising food prices and deepening poverty;

Amendment 52 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas Russia and Ukraine are important global grain and fertiliser producers and exporters; whereas a number of Member States are heavily reliant on wheat imports from those two countries;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas Russia's war in Ukraine and the blockade of Ukraine’s grain export could push up to 49 million people into famine or famine-like conditions because of its devastating impact on global food supply and prices, particularly for bread and gasoline; whereas in this regard several countries in the MENA region are particularly vulnerable to the wide-ranging effects on global food prices;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

~~E. whereas EU Member States continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression;~~deleted

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

~~E. whereas EU Member States continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression;~~deleted

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

~~E. whereas EU Member States continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression;~~deleted

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

~~E. whereas EU Member States continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression;~~deleted

Amendment 58 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas EU Member States ~~continue to~~ export of arms to countries in the region d~~espite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression~~o not always follow the EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, which defines common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas EU Member States continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression in contravention to the EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment;

Amendment 6 #

Salima YENBOU, Christophe GRUDLER, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)

— having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas EU Member States ~~continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repression~~have stepped up their security ties with the region amidst a gradual withdrawal of the US from Iraq since 2020 and Saudi Arabia since 2003;

Amendment 61 #

Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas hundreds of European children have been held for more than four years in the Al Hol and Al Roj detention camps, abandoned by their governments;

Amendment 62 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas countries in the region are key trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis, exacerbated by the Russian aggression in Ukraine, has led to increased contact with ~~Qatar~~the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other countries in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, better governance and human rights; whereas the Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf outlined multiple areas of common interests between the EU, GCC and other Gulf countries;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas countries in the region are key trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis has led to increased contact with ~~Qatar and other countries~~countries, including Israel, Egypt, and Qatar, in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas the proposed EastMed Pipeline linking Israel with Greece and Cyprus promises significant benefits in this regard; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, better governance and human rights;

Amendment 64 #

Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas countries in the region are key trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis has led to increased contact with Qatar and other countries in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, climate change mitigation and adaption, better governance and human rights;

Amendment 65 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas countries in the region are key trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas ~~the ongoing global energy crisis has led to increased contact with Qatar and other countr~~new, promising trade agreements are currently being negotiated, signed and ratifiesd in the ~~region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, better governance and human rights~~Middle East region, for instance the historic free trade deal between the UAE and Israel, ratified in June 2022;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas countries in the region are ~~key~~important trading partners for the EU ~~and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis~~; whereas the latest energy crisis exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine has led to increased contact with Qatar and other countries in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, tourism, better governance, culture, education and human rights;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas countries in the region are key trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis has led to increased contact with Qatar and other countries in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, better governance and human rights; whereas the aforementioned makes the EU dependent on a country that supports Islamist movements by funding, embracing and harbouring terrorist and extremist groups and using charities to sponsor the spread of radical Islam by global terrorist entities;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

F a. whereas the broader Middle East is among the most affected by climate change worldwide with temperatures rising twice as fast as global average; whereas the region’s countries face a multitude of environmental challenges, such as desertification, biodiversity loss, pollution in marine and coastal areas, air pollution, and water scarcity and quality which will be exacerbated by climate change; whereas the frequency and intensity of sand storms is steadily increasing in the region; whereas climate- induced water shortages, desertification and food insecurity threaten human security and may aggravate existing- or trigger new conflicts in the region;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

F a. whereas increased contact with the partners in the region is needed against the backdrop of the ongoing global energy crisis and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, better governance and human rights;

Amendment 7 #

Manu PINEDA

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

— having regard to the European Parliament’s resolution of 23 October 2020 on gender equality in the EU’s foreign and security policy (2019/2167(INI)),

Amendment 70 #

F b. whereas in October 2021 the United Arab Emirates pledged net-zero emissions by 2050, Saudi Arabia pledged to achieve net-zero emissions domestically by 2060 and Qatar pledged achieving a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)

F c. whereas the European Green Deal can create channels for constructive cooperation between the EU and countries in the region; whereas the EU will have to import renewable energy to meet its climate targets; whereas in the context of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and divestment from fossil fuels the countries of the broader Middle East need to diversify their economies that strongly rely on the extraction and trade of hydrocarbons;

Amendment 72 #

Susanna CECCARDI, Jaak MADISON

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas Israel is a strategic partner for the EU when it comes both to developing trade cooperation in the area of natural gas imports and to the stepping up of collaboration in connection with the development of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity technologies;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

Fb. whereas the United States, in the context of rising energy resource prices, is strengthening its ties with Saudi Arabia, which also highlights for Europe the importance of building important and constructive partnerships with Saudi Arabia;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas ~~problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region~~the region continues to face problems associated with Islamic extremism, terrorism, corruption, foreign interference, notably by Iran, which are a significant sources of instability~~; whereas~~ and insecurity; is concerned by the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and ~~social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict~~human rights activists in several countries across the region;

Amendment 75 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Maria ARENA, Pierfrancesco MAJORINO, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict; whereas the use of death penalty remains prolific in the region, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict; whereas the use of death penalty remains prolific in the region, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran;

Amendment 77 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas problems associated with non-inclusive governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region ~~is paving the way for further conflict~~has increased in response to the legitimate democratic aspirations expressed in the Arab spring in 2011;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas problems associated with governance ands well as breaches of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms in the region are aworrying and are significant sources of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict;

Amendment 79 #

G. whereas in particular Iranian interference, corruption, violent extremism and problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment orand torture of peaceful political opposition figures and ~~social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict~~human rights defenders remain concerns;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 c (new)

— having regard to European Parliament resolution of 23 October 2020 on Gender Equality in EU’s foreign and security policy,

Amendment 80 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict; whereas increasing persecution, ranging from routine discrimination in education, employment and social settings to genocidal attacks, is leading to the exodus of Christians;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas the definitions of stability and security are positively related to democratic development and to the respect of rule of law; whereas recent research1a in political economy confirms that "there is an economically and statistically significant positive effect of democracy on future GDP per capita", and implies that "long-run GDP increases by about 20- 25% in the 25 years following a democratization" process; _________________ 1a https://economics.mit.edu/files/16686

Amendment 82 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

G b. whereas conflicts in the region affected the lives of millions of people forced to leave their homes, including around 14 million Palestinians1a, 7 million Syrians2a and 2 million Iraqis3a; _________________ 1a https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2022/5/ 627a72354/message-united-nations- humanitarian-refugee-development- chiefs-situation.html 2a https://www.unhcr.org/syria- emergency.html 3a https://www.unrefugees.org/news/iraq- refugee-crisis-explained/

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas, according to UNICEF, children and young people (aged 0-24 years) in the Middle East and North Africa region currently account for nearly half of the region’s population; whereas according to the 2021 Arab Youth Survey rising cost of living and other 'kitchen table' issues are seen as top obstacles, as over a third of young Arabs struggle to make ends meet; whereas due to difficulties in accessing quality education and getting jobs, more young Arabs are turning to entrepreneurship; whereas fewer young Arabs see religion as central to their identity while over two-thirds are looking for reform of religious institutions;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas in many countries of the region the death penalty is applied; whereas according to Amnesty International in 2021 520 executions were recorded in seven countries, Egypt, Iran Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, constituting an 19% increase in comparison to 2020;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas the financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is worsening, and where is an overwhelming political support for the Agency, it is not adequately matched by sufficient funding from the international community;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas the EU’s continued support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is a key element in the EU strategy of contributing to the promotion of security, stability and development in the region;

Amendment 87 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

H b. whereas the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) continues to contribute to regional stability and peace in a region affected by conflicts; whereas underfunding recurrently jeopardizes its work which is yet key for the human development and humanitarian support of some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees, whose needs continue to grow;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the ~~EU guidelines on violence against women and girls and~~full inclusion of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts has proven to be beneficial in promoting security and stability globally; whereas the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality ~~should~~continues to be at the core of ithe EU's strategy ~~for the region~~; whereas women’s ~~human rights are being~~fundamental rights continue to be systematically violated and women’s rights activists in the region continue to be ~~detained and imprisoned in the region~~harassed, intimidated, imprisoned or barred from travelling;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the EU guidelines on violence against women and girls and the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality ~~should be at the core of its strategy for~~ought to be strengthened in the region; whereas women’s human rights are being systematically violated and women’s rights activists continue to be detained and imprisoned in the region; whereas honour killings remain prevalent in many countries in the broader Middle East, as well as women who continue to live in marital captivity;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the broader Middle East region referred to in this report encompasses the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf; whereas this region is strategic for the European Union given its geographical position and common ties; whereas the stability and security of Europe and the broader Middle East region are interdependent, and whereas the situation in the region is currently characterised by ongoing conflicts with a strong regional and extra-regional dimensions;

Amendment 90 #

Salima YENBOU, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Malik AZMANI, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the EU Human Rights guidelines, including EU guidelines on violence against women and girls and the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality should be at the core of its strategy for the region; whereas women’s human rights are being systematically violated and women’s rights activists continue to be detained and imprisoned in the region;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas studies have demonstrated that the clampdown on media pluralism and freedom of the press has further destabilised the region, by increasing the promotion of violence and demonizing all opposition voices;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in recent years there has been significant focus to increase women representation in the workforce as well as in municipalities or parliaments;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas minorities, including religious minorities such as Christians, and LGBTI people continue to be victims of repression and violence ~~throughout~~in many countries in the region; whereas same-sex relations are punished by imprisonment in many countries in the region and by the death penalty in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas LGBTI people continue to be victims of repression and violence throughout the region~~; whereas same-sex relations are punished by imprisonment in many countries in the region and by the death penalty in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yeme~~ and the death penalty is still exists in many countries in the region;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

J a. whereas problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas deeply rooted corruption adversely impact employment, growth and development and compromise states’ ability to fulfil their obligation to promote, respect and protect the human rights of individuals within their jurisdictions; whereas the worlds’ highest levels of youth unemployment and the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region fuel tension and conflict;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

J a. whereas the persecution of Christians is pervasive in the Middle East, at times amounting to genocide, which has prompted an exodus of Christians from the region over the past two decades, resulting in Christians making up 4%, or roughly 15 million people, of the population in the Middle East and North Africa, down from 20% a century ago;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

J a. whereas anti-Semitism is still a major problem in the Middle East region, that needs to be more seriously addressed; whereas there are high levels of persecution, coercion, discrimination, harassment, violence and repression against Christians in the region;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)

J b. whereas the Arab Gulf countries have become leading international humanitarian and development aid donors;

Amendment 99 #