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Document 52019IP0330
European Parliament recommendation of 28 March 2019 to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the Proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the support of the Commission, to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility (2018/2237(INI))
European Parliament recommendation of 28 March 2019 to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the Proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the support of the Commission, to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility (2018/2237(INI))
European Parliament recommendation of 28 March 2019 to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the Proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the support of the Commission, to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility (2018/2237(INI))
OJ C 108, 26.3.2021, p. 141–149
(BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)
26.3.2021 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
C 108/141 |
P8_TA(2019)0330
Decision establishing a European Peace Facility
European Parliament recommendation of 28 March 2019 to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the Proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the support of the Commission, to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility (2018/2237(INI))
(2021/C 108/14)
The European Parliament,
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having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), |
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having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 1, 16 and 17, aimed at the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development (1), |
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having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000, |
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having regard to Council Regulation (EU) 2015/322 of 2 March 2015 on the implementation of the 11th European Development Fund (2), |
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having regard to Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/528 of 27 March 2015 establishing a mechanism to administer the financing of the common costs of European Union operations having military or defence implications (Athena) and repealing Decision 2011/871/CFSP (3), |
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having regard to Regulation (EU) No 230/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an instrument contributing to stability and peace (4), |
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having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/2306 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 amending Regulation (EU) No 230/2014 establishing an instrument contributing to stability and peace (5), |
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having regard to the Interinstitutional Declaration, annexed to Regulation (EU) 2017/2306, concerning sources of funding of assistance measures under Article 3a of Regulation (EU) No 230/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an instrument contributing to stability and peace (6), |
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having regard to Council Regulation (EU) 2015/323 of 2 March 2015 on the financial regulation applicable to the 11th European Development Fund (7), |
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having regard to Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment (8), and Council Regulation (EC) No 428/2009 of 5 May 2009 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering and transit of dual-use items (9), |
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having regard to the Internal Agreement between the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the European Union, meeting within the Council, on the financing of European Union aid under the multiannual financial framework for the period 2014 to 2020, in accordance with the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, and on the allocation of financial assistance for the Overseas Countries and Territories to which Part Four of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union applies (10), |
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having regard to the Proposal of 13 June 2018 of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the support of the Commission, to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility (HR(2018) 94), |
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having regard to the European Council conclusions of 20 December 2013, 26 June 2015, 15 December 2016, 9 March 2017, 22 June 2017, 20 November 2017, 14 December 2017 and 28 June 2018, |
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having regard to the document entitled ‘Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe — A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy’, presented by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on 28 June 2016, |
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having regard to the Council conclusions of 13 November 2017, 25 June 2018 and 19 November 2018 on security and defence in the context of the EU Global Strategy, |
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having regard to the Commission communication of 7 June 2017 entitled ‘Reflection Paper on the Future of European Defence’ (COM(2017)0315), |
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having regard to the Joint Communication of the Commission and the EEAS of 5 July 2016 on ‘Elements for an EU-wide strategic framework to support security sector reform’, |
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having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ special report No 20 of 18 September 2018 on ‘The African Peace and Security Architecture: need to refocus EU support’, |
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having regard to its resolution of 21 May 2015 on financing the Common Security and Defence Policy (11), |
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having regard to its resolution of 22 November 2016 on the European Defence Union (12), |
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having regard to its resolutions of 13 December 2017 (13) and 12 December 2018 (14) on the Annual Report on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), |
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having regard to Rule 113 of its Rules of Procedure, |
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having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A8-0157/2019), |
A. |
whereas the EU’s ambition is to be a global actor for peace, striving for the maintenance of international peace and security and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law; |
B. |
whereas the EU has a growing responsibility to safeguard its own security within a strategic environment that has significantly deteriorated over the last few years; |
C. |
whereas the challenging security environment surrounding the EU requires it to have strategic autonomy, which was acknowledged in June 2016 by the 28 Heads of State and Government in the EU Global Strategy, and which necessitates the provision of instruments which enhance the EU’s ability to preserve peace, prevent conflicts, promote peaceful, just and inclusive societies and strengthen international security; whereas it has been acknowledged that secure and peaceful societies are a prerequisite for lasting development; |
D. |
whereas the purpose of the European Peace Facility (hereinafter ‘EPF’ or ‘the Facility’) is not to militarise the European Union’s external action but to yield synergies and efficiency gains by providing a package approach to operational funding of external action that already exists today, and where funding from the EU budget is not possible; |
E. |
whereas the Treaty requires the EU and its institutions to implement a common foreign and security policy (CFSP), including the progressive framing of a common defence policy, which might lead to a common defence in accordance with the provisions of Article 42, thereby reinforcing European identity and its independence in order to promote peace, security and progress in Europe and in the world; whereas the proposed Facility is to be welcomed as a progressive step in this direction, and the VP/HR is to be encouraged to pursue its further development and implementation; |
F. |
whereas the EU is the world’s biggest provider of development and humanitarian aid, strengthening its security and development nexus towards achieving sustainable peace; |
G. |
whereas further use of Union funding and instruments should be encouraged for the purposes of improving cooperation, developing capabilities and deploying missions in the future, as well as to preserve peace, to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts, and to address threats to international security; underlines that the EPF should, in particular, finance the Union’s military missions, strengthen the military and defence capacities of third states, regional and international organisations, and contribute to the financing of peace support operations led by a regional or international organisation or by third states; |
H. |
whereas the EU has found it challenging in the past to finance operations with defence implications; whereas Parliament has repeatedly emphasised the need for funding that is more flexible and efficient and expresses solidarity and determination; whereas additional instruments and tools are necessary to ensure that the EU can play its role as a global actor in the field of security; whereas any such instruments need to be subject to proper parliamentary control and EU legislation; |
I. |
whereas women’s participation in peace processes remains one of the most unfulfilled aspects of the women, peace and security agenda, despite women being the primary victims of security and humanitarian crises and in spite of the fact that when women have an explicit role in peace processes, there is a 35 % increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least 15 years; |
J. |
whereas internal and external security are increasingly intertwined; whereas the EU has taken significant steps to increase cooperation between its Member States in the area of defence; whereas the EU has always prided itself on its soft power and will keep doing so; whereas an evolving reality that gives rise to concerns, however, requires the EU not to remain an exclusively ‘civilian power’, but to develop and strengthen its military capabilities, which should be used in a consistent and coherent manner with all other EU external action; whereas development in third countries is not possible without security and peace; whereas the military plays a key role in this, especially in countries where civilian authorities are unable to fulfil their tasks in the light of the security situation; whereas the Facility has the clear potential to lead to a stronger engagement of the EU towards partner countries and will increase the effectiveness of EU external action, allowing the EU to become a relevant stability and security provider in the future; |
K. |
whereas the EU’s external action must not be instrumentalised as ‘migration management’, and all efforts to work with third states must go hand in hand with improving the human rights situation within these countries; |
L. |
whereas non-proliferation and disarmament will have a significant effect in reducing the fuelling of conflicts and contributing to more stability, in accordance with the obligations stemming from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and Parliament’s related resolution on nuclear security and non-proliferation (15); whereas a world without weapons of mass destruction is a safer one; whereas the EU has been a leading actor in banning nuclear weapons and should expand its role in this sense; |
M. |
whereas the Treaties do not provide for any external military action of the Union outside the framework of the CSDP; whereas a genuine CFSP for all EU Member States increases the EU’s scope for external policy action; whereas the only external military action possible under the CSDP takes the form of missions outside the Union for peace-keeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter as referred to in Article 42(1) of the TEU; |
N. |
whereas support to partners’ military peace support operations has up to now been provided outside of the EU budget through the African Peace Facility (APF), established under and funded by the European Development Fund (EDF); whereas the APF is currently limited to operations led by the African Union (AU) or by African regional organisations; |
O. |
whereas the EPF is expected to give the Union the capacity to contribute directly to the financing of peace support operations led by third states, as well as to the relevant international organisations, on a global basis and not limited to Africa or to the AU; |
P. |
whereas the proposed Facility will replace the Athena mechanism and the APF; whereas it will complement the Capacity Building for Security and Development initiative by financing the costs of EU defence activities such as AU peace-keeping missions, common costs of own military CSDP operations, and military capacity building of partners, which are excluded from the EU budget in accordance with Article 41(2) of the TEU; |
Q. |
whereas operations carried out under the Facility must comply with the principles and values enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and respect international humanitarian and human rights law; whereas operations which are not defined as ethically acceptable from the point of view of human safety, health and security, freedom, privacy, integrity and dignity, must be thoroughly assessed and reconsidered; |
R. |
whereas the current proportion of the common costs remains very low (estimated at approximately 5-10 % of all costs), and the high share of nation-borne costs and responsibilities in military operations based on the ‘costs lie where they fall’ principle runs counter to the principles of solidarity and burden-sharing, and further deters Member States from taking an active part in CSDP operations; |
S. |
whereas the proposed average annual envelope for the EPF is EUR 1 500 000 000, while the combined spending under the Athena mechanism and the APF has fluctuated between EUR 250 000 000 and EUR 500 000 000 annually; whereas the potential purposes of the additional EUR 1 000 000 000 per year are not adequately specified or guaranteed in the proposal; |
T. |
whereas as an off-budget mechanism financed through yearly contributions by Member States, based on a GNI distribution key, the EPF is expected to allow the EU to fund a higher proportion of the common costs (35-45 %) of military missions and operations, as is currently the case with the Athena mechanism; whereas the EPF is also expected to ensure that EU funding is available on a permanent basis, ensuring adequate programming for crisis preparedness and making rapid deployment easier, and improving flexibility in case of rapid response; whereas the ambitious inclusion and expansion of the Athena mechanism for the common funding of CSDP missions and operations has been a long-standing demand of Parliament; whereas, however, the proposed Council Decision does not have the same binding character as the internal agreement of the APF, which means that Member States may opt out from funding EPF actions; |
U. |
whereas through the increase of the common costs, the proposed Facility will enhance solidarity and burden-sharing between Member States, and encourage Member States, especially those lacking financial or operational resources, to contribute to CSDP operations; |
V. |
whereas in its conclusions of 19 November 2018, the Council is reserved in its support for the EPF proposal; whereas it is nonetheless important to work towards the adoption of an ambitious proposal containing all proposed components, including the Athena mechanism; |
W. |
whereas all military tasks under the Facility, such as joint disarmament operations, humanitarian and rescue tasks, military advice and assistance tasks, conflict prevention and peacekeeping tasks, tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking and post-conflict stabilisation, the fight against terrorism, including by supporting third countries in combating terrorism in their territories as listed in Article 43(1) of the TEU, with full respect for human rights, fall within the remit of the CSDP; whereas the exception of Article 41(2) of the TEU applies to the operating expenditure arising from those military missions only; whereas all other operating expenditure arising from the CSDP, including expenditure arising from any other action referred to in Article 42 of the TEU, should be charged to the Union budget; whereas the administrative expenditure of the EPF should be charged to the Union budget; |
X. |
whereas under Article 41(2) of the TEU all operating expenditure to which the CFSP gives rise shall be charged to the Union budget except for expenditure arising from operations having military or defence implications; whereas Article 2 (a) and (d) of the proposal for a decision state respectively that the EPF should fund both ‘operations having military or defence implications’ and ‘other Union operational actions having military or defence implications’; |
Y. |
whereas under Article 21(2) (d) of the TEU, the Union shall define and pursue common policies and actions and shall work for high degree of cooperation in all fields of international relations, in order to foster the sustainable economic, social and environmental development of developing countries, with the primary aim of eradicating poverty; |
Z. |
whereas according to Article 208(1), second paragraph of the TFEU: ‘Union development cooperation policy shall have as its primary objective the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty’; whereas, according to the same paragraph, ‘the Union shall take account of the objectives of development cooperation in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries’; whereas the second sentence forms a Treaty provision, and as such, a constitutional duty for the EU, referred to as ‘Policy Coherence for Development’ (PCD); |
AA. |
whereas military and civilian missions outside the Union need to be kept separate from each other in order to ensure that the civilian missions are funded from the Union budget only; |
AB. |
whereas the EU should grant the personnel of CSDP missions a status similar to that of seconded national experts by providing them with a uniform status and the best possible protection under the Union’s Staff Regulations; whereas all allowances arising from that status and all travel, subsistence and healthcare expenditure should be charged to the Union budget as administrative expenditure; |
AC. |
whereas the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has published a special report on the African Peace and Security Architecture funded via the APF, which is proposed to be included and expanded in the EPF; whereas the ECA finds that this support was poorly prioritised and had limited effect; whereas the recommendations from the ECA must be duly taken into account in view of the ambitious increased funding for the new Facility; |
AD. |
whereas no financial impact assessment regarding the administrative expenditure accompanied the proposal; whereas the administrative expenditure for the EPF has substantial implications for the EU budget; whereas no extra staff should be hired by or delegated to the EPF beyond the staff currently working on the instruments being replaced; whereas the synergies arising from bringing together the current distinct instruments in one administrative structure should facilitate managing the larger geographical scope of the EPF; whereas additional staff should only be recruited if and when the revenue for a mission or measure has been effectively collected from all participating Member States; whereas the time-limited character of the revenue calls for the contracts of staff recruited by the Facility or the secondments to the Facility for a particular mission or measure to have corresponding time limits; whereas no staff should be recruited by or seconded to the Facility from a Member State where it has made a formal declaration under Article 31(1) of the TEU for a particular mission or measure; |
AE. |
whereas the VP/HR should regularly consult Parliament on all main aspects and basic choices of the CFSP and CSDP and their subsequent evolution; whereas Parliament should be consulted and informed in a timely manner to allow it to present its views and ask questions, including on PCD, to the VP/HR and the Council before decisions are made or decisive action is taken; whereas the VP/HR should consider Parliament’s views, including on PCD, and incorporate them into his or her proposals, should reconsider decisions or parts of decisions that Parliament opposes, or withdraw such proposals, notwithstanding the possibility of a Member State advancing the initiative in such a case, and should propose Council decisions relating to the CSDP where invited by Parliament to do so; whereas Parliament should have a yearly debate with the VP/HR on operations funded by the Facility; |
1. |
Recommends the following to the Council:
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2. |
Recommends the following to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:
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3. |
Instructs its President to forward this recommendation to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and, for information, to the European External Action Service and the Commission. |
(1) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
(3) OJ L 84, 28.3.2015, p. 39.
(5) OJ L 335, 15.12.2017, p. 6.
(6) OJ L 335, 15.12.2017, p. 6.
(8) OJ L 335, 13.12.2008, p. 99.
(9) OJ L 134, 29.5.2009, p. 1.
(10) OJ L 210, 6.8.2013, p. 1.
(11) OJ C 353, 27.9.2016, p. 68.
(12) OJ C 224, 27.6.2018, p. 18.
(13) OJ C 369, 11.10.2018, p. 36.
(14) Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0514.