MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the pressure exerted by Russia on Eastern Partnership countries (in the context of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius)
9.9.2013 - (2013/2826(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Elmar Brok, Mairead McGuinness, Michael Gahler, Arnaud Danjean, Cristian Dan Preda, Daniel Caspary, Jacek Protasiewicz, Lena Kolarska‑Bobińska, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Jerzy Buzek, Traian Ungureanu, Gunnar Hökmark, Andrey Kovatchev, Anne Delvaux, Krzysztof Lisek, Oreste Rossi on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0389/2013
B7‑0389/2013
European Parliament resolution on the pressure exerted by Russia on Eastern Partnership countries (in the context of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius)
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Vilnius in November 2013,
– having regard to the fact that Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova have the prospect of, respectively, signing and initialling Association Agreements with the European Union; having regard in particular to the new, enriched character of association that is at stake, offering a broad and deep relationship with European partners, and therefore going well beyond merely economic benefits towards strong political and societal relations,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. recalling that the 1994 Budapest Memorandum concerning Ukrainian nuclear disarmament gives Ukraine guarantees against the use or threat of force and provides for support being given to the country should an attempt be made to place pressure on it by economic coercion,
B. whereas the Association Agreements and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs) between the EU and Eastern Partnership countries are a commitment by the willing and able to strengthen and successfully pursue cooperation between the parties in many areas;
C. whereas the pressure most recently faced by Eastern Partnership countries progressing on the road to Association Agreements, including trade restrictions and protective measures applied by Russia, has put these countries in a precarious position as a result of geopolitical constraints to which they should not be subject;
D. whereas the type of pressure exerted on Eastern Partnership countries ranges from current economic and political aspects to the announcement of future economic restrictions, and opposes the prospect of these countries’ closer integration with the EU via the Association Agreements;
E. whereas Eastern Partnership countries have the full sovereign right and freedom to build relations as equal partners with countries of their choice;
F. whereas, now more than ever, attention needs to be drawn to the alarming pressures in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood and on the Eastern Partnership project itself, which is being contested and questioned by Russia;
1. Recalls that the principles of sovereign equality and respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty, non-intervention in internal affairs, good cooperation among states and the fulfilment in good faith of obligations under international law, as agreed in the framework of the Helsinki Accords, are fundamentals governing international relations among independent states and, as such, should in no way be infringed upon;
2. Deplores the fact that as the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit approaches, different types of pressure are mounting on Eastern Partnership countries reaching the final phase of negotiating the signing or initialling of their Association Agreements; regards this pressure as unacceptable and calls on Russia to refrain from taking any action which is in clear contradiction to the above-mentioned Helsinki principles;
3. Strongly underlines the fact that the free choice of the Eastern Partnership countries, which does not have any negative impact whatsoever on trade with Russia, should not make them bear consequences such as trade measures, visa restrictions, worker mobility restrictions and interference in frozen conflicts;
4. Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to view those developments as going beyond the purely trade dimension, which is merely a cover for blatant political pressure, and to take action in defence of the Union’s partners, sending a strong message of support for all Eastern Partnership countries in their European aspirations and choices;
5. Calls on Eastern Partnership countries to continue and step up their efforts to bring an end to their current difficulties in the run-up to the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit, and not to succumb to the pressure being exerted upon them;
6. Recalls that offering and negotiating Association Agreements with our Eastern European partners has exposed them to Russia’s open, alarming and escalating pressures intended to deter them from entering into association with the EU, which in turn gives the EU a responsibility to engage and to defend them;
7. Recalls that the Association Agreements and DCFTAs are aimed at boosting the competitiveness, economic output and performance of partner countries and of the EU, which will also have a beneficial impact on Russia, and that, as such, they do not undermine the long-standing trade relations which Eastern Partnership countries maintain in the region; believes that, on the contrary, they should not be seen as incompatible with those trade relations, and that any trade dispute should be resolved in accordance with the rules and obligations laid down in the World Trade Organisation; affirms that the EU is ready to assist European partners in not only safeguarding but also enhancing economic cooperation with Russia in a way that is beneficial to all parties;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the Eastern Partnership countries, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.