S&Ds win victory on security for stability and peace in our partner countries
Date
Sections
Brussels, 30 November 2017
The European Parliament voted today on the regulation to improve the EU’s Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP). Before, on 27 October, EU ambassadors endorsed a compromise between the Presidency and the European Parliament. This long - and initially controversial - agreement introduces the option for the EU to extend its assistance by financing measures in support of capacity building for security and development of military players in partner countries. The new measures will be financed primarily through the redeployment of existing resources under the EU's general budget. €100 million will be allocated for the period 2018-2020.
The compromise solution that made the adopted regulation possible was proposed, supported and imposed by the Group of Socialists and Democrats. The S&Ds achieved their two objectives in dealing with this report: the text remains as close as possible to the original one from the Commission and includes a declaration, which states that the IcSP will not be financed from Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) money; and the extended regulation guarantees the transparency in spending the money under this instrument while keeping the European Parliament duly informed.
Knut Fleckenstein MEP, S&D spokesperson for foreign affairs, stated:
“If we really want to achieve sustainable development co-operation efforts, we must protect the projects and follow-up projects in our partner countries. For this purpose, the local military on site will need occasional support in order to fulfil its tasks and to ensure the protection of development co-operation.
“The Socialists and Democrats have ensured that the money needed in order to protect projects that foster peaceful and inclusive development on site will not be deducted from the budget of development co-operation.”
MEPs INVOLVED
knut.fleckenstein@ep.europa.eu
+32 2 284 55 48
+33 3 88 17 55 48
http://www.knut-fleckenstein.eu/home.html
S&D PRESS CONTACT
dimitris.komodromos@ep.europa.eu
+33 3 88 17 46 98
+32 2 283 14 59