– Before the vote:

  Arnaud Danjean, rapporteur. – Monsieur le président, il ne s'agit pas ici de réouvrir un débat de fond, nous demandons l'autorisation d'entrer en négociations interinstitutionnelles sur un texte qui a fait l'objet d'un large accord en commission Affaires étrangères et qui est basé lui aussi sur un large compromis. Je rappelle quand même que le texte dont nous discutons provient d'une initiative lancée par la Haute représentante en décembre 2013, qu'on a perdu beaucoup de temps et que le résultat des négociations que nous entamerons est attendu avec beaucoup d'urgence par des missions européennes qui sont déployées au Mali, en Somalie, en Centrafrique et qui ont besoin du financement que nous allons leur proposer.

  President. – Who would like to speak against? Mrs Hautala, you have the floor.

  Heidi Hautala (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, the legal basis for this proposal is incorrect. We should not turn a blind eye when a Common Foreign and Security Policy instrument is masked to look like development policy. The legal services of all institutions, also in this Parliament, were very reluctant to approve the proposed legal basis, and in the Committee on Legal Affairs in July, the legal basis of this proposal was pushed through by minority votes, while the majority of the committee was voting against or abstaining.

There can hardly be development without security, but that should not mean that legal bases are interchangeable. Article 209 on Development Cooperation and Development Cooperation Instrument funds cannot be used to finance military capacity-building abroad. We have to make clear that, also internally, we respect the rule of law in the European Union institutions.

Many of us may think that the European Union, and especially the European Parliament, should have more of a say in the Common Foreign and Security Policy matters, but it does not mean that we should sacrifice the development policy principles and bend legal rules. That should not be done. This regulation would create the precedent that development aid and non-Common Foreign and Security Policy instruments and funds are used for military purposes and development funds are used for capacity-building for the armed forces.

These activities go far beyond development policy. Therefore, I ask you to vote against starting the negotiations.

(Applause)

  President. – Colleagues, Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mrs Federica Mogherini, would like to say a few words. You have the floor.

  Federica Mogherini, Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. – Mr President, I understand you are under time pressure, but I think we are discussing something important.

Just to confirm what Mr Danjean said: this decision to enter negotiations has been long awaited. Next week in New York, many of our partners – the Central African Republic, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel – will ask us again, as they have done for many years now, if we are ready to do more to support their own work on peace and security, and I would really like finally to bring them good news after four years. This is not about moving the objective from development to security. On the contrary, it is to fulfil SDG No 16 that links development and security and asks all international players also to dedicate resources to guarantee that the security conditions are there for the development work to be effective. So I hope for a wise decision from this Chamber.

(Applause)

  President. – Thank you very much. We will now decide by roll call vote.

  Matt Carthy (GUE/NGL). – Mr President, can you please explain to this House under what provision in our rules is it permitted for an outside institution to intervene in a debate in the course of votes taking place?

(Applause)

  President. – I think that if we raise these sorts of questions – why the Vice—President of the Commission/High Representative, who is with us all the time – we question her credentials to come and tell us something which is relevant to the vote which we are taking, I think we should not expect that.

(Shouting and applause)

I therefore open the vote.