Motion for a resolution - B7-0159/2009Motion for a resolution
B7-0159/2009
European Parliament

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on piracy off the Somali coast

23.11.2009

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Marielle De Sarnez, Ramon Tremosa I Balcells on behalf of the ALDE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0158/2009

Procedure : 2009/2780(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B7-0159/2009
Texts tabled :
B7-0159/2009
Debates :
Votes :
Texts adopted :

B7‑0159/2009

European Parliament resolution on piracy off the Somali coast

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2008 on piracy at sea[1],

–   having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2008 on an integrated maritime policy for the European Union[2],

–   having regard to its resolution of 19 June 2008 on the routine killing of civilians in Somalia[3],

–   having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council meetings of 15 September 2008 (13028/2008) and 15 June 2009,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the External Relations Council meetings of 26 May 2008 (9868/2008) and 27 July 2009,

–   having regard to Council Joint Action 2008/749/CFSP of 19 September 2008 on the European Union military coordination action in support of UN Security Council Resolutions 1816 (2008) (EU NAVCO)[4], and to UN Security Council Resolution 1838 (2008),

–   having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1846 (2008) of 2 December 2008,

–   having regard to the 1988 United Nations Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation,

–   having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1814 (2008) of 15 May 2008 and 1816 (2008) of 2 June 2008 on the situation in Somalia,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Somalia, a chronic failed state, is plagued by one of the world's worst humanitarian and security crises, which has been further undermined by the piracy in the region; whereas the acts of piracy and armed robbery are due to the continuing conflict and political instability in Somalia,

B.  whereas the piracy threat is still present in the Gulf of Aden and off the coasts of Somalia, and 336 attacks have been perpetrated since January 2008, 225 of them in the Gulf of Aden and 111 off the coasts; whereas there has been a significant increase in the number of successful pirate attacks in the last three years and in subsequent hostage-taking and seizure of vessels,

C. whereas the attacks and kidnappings have been carried out against numerous fishing boats of European flag states, and have involved the hijacking of several Spanish tuna vessels since 2008, the latest case being that of the tuna fishing boat Alakrana on 2 October 2009,

D. whereas a power-sharing deal was signed in Djibouti on 9 June 2008, which aimed to initiate a broad-based national reconciliation and create a strong and inclusive political alliance capable of securing peace, reconciling the country and re-establishing a central state authority,

E.  whereas, in the Code of Conduct adopted in Djibouti by 17 states from the Western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea areas on 26 January 2009 under the authority of the IMO, which recognises the extent of the problem of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region, the signatories declare their intention to cooperate to the fullest possible extent and in a manner consistent with international law in combating piracy and armed robbery against ships,

F.  whereas the EU has pledged over EUR 40 million from the European Development Fund to support the Somali police; whereas it has pledged over EUR 60 million to AMISOM (the African Union's military mission to Somalia) from the African Peace Facility,

G. whereas, on 8 December 2008, the EU launched its first maritime operation EU NAVFOR Somalia-Atalanta, aimed at tackling the problem of piracy and protecting World Food Programme (WFP) maritime convoys and other merchant ships sailing through the waters off Somalia,

H. whereas until 2008 the attacks by pirates targeted not only merchant ships but also fishing boats, and have since focused on European fishing boats,

I.   whereas on 17 November 2009 the Council approved a 'Crisis Management Concept' on a possible ESDP mission to further contribute to the training of Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces,

1.  Underlines that piracy on the high seas is gravely undermining the security situation and severely affecting the supply of food aid in an already critical humanitarian situation;

2.  Welcomes the deployment of EU ships and planes under Operation Atalanta to combat piracy, and its effectiveness in a narrow area of the Gulf of Aden, but calls on Member States and the Commission to act in the rest of the area where the danger is present, especially in view of the fact that, to the south and east of Somalia, lawful and duly regulated fishing is conducted by Community flag-state fishing vessels, outside Somali waters (200 miles);

3.  Calls on the Member States to consider fishing boats as vulnerable vessels, given their particular characteristics (fishing nets that make it easier for pirates to get on board) and their permanent presence in the piracy activity zones, and therefore to provide them with protection under Operation Atalanta;

4.  Strongly supports the Djibouti peace and reconciliation process; calls for a comprehensive approach to the situation in Somalia, linking security with development, the rule of law and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law;

5.  Calls on the Transitional Federal Government, led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, to continue its efforts to improve the living conditions of the population, particularly as regards security and the delivery of basic services;

6.  Calls on the TFG, in collaboration with the UN and the African Union, to treat piracy and armed robbery committed from the Somali coast against vessels carrying humanitarian aid as criminal acts, the perpetrators of which must be brought to justice;

7. Welcomes the EU's financial support to the Somali security sector in the field of police training and capacity building; stresses, however, the importance of TFG ownership and the commitment to building a viable and sustainable security sector;

8.  Calls on the international community to act decisively inland to prevent the launching of so-called mother ships and small skiffs;

9.  Strongly recommends that the EU support the TFG's attempts to improve basic infrastructures for fisheries activities, marine resource conservation and waste management, in order to encourage employment that will reduce the recruitment of young people into piracy and militia activities, bearing in mind, in particular, that pirates are more and more organised and are multiplying their activities in areas such as trafficking in human beings, drugs and arms;

10. Calls for the coordination of all the international forces (EU, NATO, USA, etc.) to find a solution to end piracy;

11. Calls on Member States, mindful of the French example, to carefully study the possibility of having military forces on board cargo and fishing vessels, given that this solution has proved effective and flexible in use; calls also on Member States to put in place a European military force for this purpose;

12. Calls on Member States and the Commission to respect the IMO recommendation of 26 June 2009 not to allow on board private security companies, and to examine appropriate legal provisions and the legal implications of taking employees of such companies on board;

13. Asks the Commission to exert pressure on Member States to establish a viable legal solution to the problem of bringing pirates to trial, and to consider the various opportunities for holding such trials in stable countries near Somalia;

14. Regrets that 35-40% of vessels in the area are not registered with the central maritime security coordination body and that, as a result, these vessels are not aware of the specific security threats; calls, therefore, on the Member States to ensure that all their boats are registered;

15. Calls on Member States and the Commission to take into account the European crews working on vessels with flags of convenience;

16. Calls on Member States to examine the possibility of training crews and fishermen, as well as the media, in the event of hostage taking; calls on the institutions to work jointly with a view to achieving a change in people's attitudes to the Somali pirates, who engage in a very lucrative criminal activity;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

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