Motion for a resolution - B9-0095/2023Motion for a resolution
B9-0095/2023

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the preparation of the EU-Ukraine Summit

25.1.2023 - (2023/2509(RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statements by the Council and the Commission
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Michael Gahler, Andrius Kubilius, Rasa Juknevičienė, Željana Zovko, David McAllister, Vangelis Meimarakis, Siegfried Mureşan, Jerzy Buzek, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Vladimír Bilčík, Ioan‑Rareş Bogdan, Tomasz Frankowski, Sunčana Glavak, Andrzej Halicki, Sandra Kalniete, Arba Kokalari, Andrey Kovatchev, David Lega, Miriam Lexmann, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Aušra Maldeikienė, Lukas Mandl, Liudas Mažylis, Dace Melbārde, Dan‑Ştefan Motreanu, Gheorghe‑Vlad Nistor, Janina Ochojska, Radosław Sikorski, Michaela Šojdrová, Eugen Tomac, Inese Vaidere, Tom Vandenkendelaere, Javier Zarzalejos, Milan Zver
on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0092/2023

Procedure : 2023/2509(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B9-0095/2023
Texts tabled :
B9-0095/2023
Debates :
Texts adopted :

B9‑0095/2023

European Parliament resolution on the preparation of the EU-Ukraine Summit

(2023/2509(RSP))

The European Parliament,

 having regard to its previous resolutions on Ukraine,

 having regard to the Association Agreement and the accompanying Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the European Union and Ukraine (AA/DCFTA), signed in 2014,

 having regard to the application for EU membership by Ukraine on 28 February 2022, the Commission opinion of 17 June 2022 and the consequent granting of candidate status by the European Council on 23 June 2022,

 having regard to the eighth meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council of 5 September 2022,

 having regard to the Council conclusions of 13 December 2022 on enlargement and stabilisation and association process,

 having regard to the European Council conclusions of 15 December 2022,

 having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Russian Federation has been carrying out an illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine since 24 February 2022; whereas this war of aggression constitutes a blatant and flagrant violation of the UN Charter and of the fundamental principles of international law;

B. whereas Russia’s forces have conducted indiscriminate attacks against residential areas and civilian infrastructure; whereas thousands of civilians, including children, have already been murdered and many more tortured, harassed, sexually assaulted, kidnapped or forcibly displaced; whereas this inhumane conduct by the Russian forces and their proxies is in total disregard of international humanitarian law; whereas on 30 September 2022, Russia unilaterally declared its annexation of the partly Russian-occupied Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia;

C. whereas the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit is due to take place on 3 February 2023; whereas this provides a prime opportunity for Ukraine to take the action needed to continue its reform effort, as stipulated in the AA/DCFTA, and to address the seven steps laid down in the Commission opinion of 17 June 2022 and those leading towards EU membership; whereas progress achieved in implementing the AA/DCFTA represents a substantial degree of preparedness for the accession process;

D. whereas the Council, in its conclusions of 13 December 2022 on enlargement and stabilisation and association process, invited the Commission to prepare a road map outlining the next steps to ease Ukraine’s access to the EU single market, using the full potential of the AA/DCFTA with Ukraine;

E. whereas Parliament, in its recommendation of 23 November 2022 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the new EU strategy for enlargement[1] recommended to establish clear deadlines for concluding negotiations with the accession countries by the end of the current decade at the latest;

F. whereas the Council, in its conclusions of 13 December 2022, recalled that the Commission had been invited to report on the fulfilment of the conditions specified in the Commission’s opinions on the respective membership applications as part of its regular enlargement package in 2023, and, without prejudice to this comprehensive regular reporting, took note of the Commission’s intention to provide an update in spring 2023;

G. whereas the Commission, in its opinion of 17 June 2022, committed to monitoring Ukraine’s progress in fulfilling the seven steps and reporting on them, as well as to providing a detailed assessment of the country by the end of 2022; whereas this assessment has not materialised;

H. whereas EU membership and accession remains a complex, merit-based and structured process dependent on the effective implementation of reforms and the transposition of the EU acquis; whereas each country’s progress on the path to accession is assessed on its own merit and that of its reform process; whereas the EU’s capacity to absorb new members will play an important role in future accessions;

I. whereas the swift opening of accession negotiations would galvanise the resolve of the Ukrainians to defend, secure and develop the future of their country as a European nation and a member of the European Union and NATO; whereas the swift establishment of all the required political, legislative and administrative reforms would provide the Ukrainian institutions with a clear guide for an accession work programme and prohibit the passing or transposition of any legislation that may harm the country’s chances of accession;

J. whereas strong local self-government has become a cornerstone of Ukraine’s democracy and is one important factor in Ukraine’s resilience during the war; whereas having municipalities in the driver’s seat when it comes to local reconstruction is critical to ensuring that national and international funds for reconstruction flow to where they are most needed;

1. Reiterates its condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the involvement of Belarus in this war, and demands that Russia immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine;

2. Expresses its undivided solidarity with the people of Ukraine, fully supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and underlines that this war constitutes a serious violation of international law; in this regard, reiterates its condemnation of Russia’s illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine;

3. Reaffirms its commitment Ukraine’s membership of the European Union; believes that Ukraine’s membership of the EU represents a geo-strategic investment in a united and strong Europe; reiterates that Ukraine’s application for EU membership equates to showing leadership, resolve and vision in today’s context of the brutal Russian war of aggression and sends a clear political message that Ukraine has irreversibly chosen a European path, which has been accepted by its European partners;

4. Calls on the forthcoming summit between the EU and Ukraine to set out a clear pathway for the start of the accession negotiations, based on a step-by-step approach, focusing on providing tangible benefits for Ukrainian society and citizens from the start of the process; calls on the Commission to present a bold and ambitious plan for these negotiations and for Ukraine’s swift integration into EU policies and programmes, accompanied by a road map for each step of the process;

5. Recalls that the accession process will be merit based, and that the renewed enlargement methodology puts an emphasis on the crucial areas of respect for the rule of law, fundamental values, human rights, democracy and the fight against corruption; strongly believes that a merit-based prospect of EU membership for Ukraine is in the Union’s own political, economic and security interest;

6. Considers that the upcoming EU-Ukraine Summit will be a good opportunity to take stock of progress made by Ukraine in fulfilling the seven recommendations set out in the Commission’s opinion on Ukraine’s candidacy; urges the Ukrainian authorities to demonstrate their political determination by stepping up their progress by means of substantial reforms that effectively fulfil the criteria for EU membership; calls on Ukraine to refrain from passing legislation that is not compatible with the EU acquis or endangers achievements in the reform process and the fight against corruption;

7. Considers that the upcoming EU-Ukraine Summit can contribute further to Ukraine’s membership prospects by endorsing the call on the Commission to produce the enlargement report update on Ukraine in spring 2023; believes that this report will provide a thorough assessment of the progress of reforms in Ukraine and potentially open the perspective of a Commission recommendation in spring 2023 on the opening of accession negotiations this year;

8. Calls on the Member States to increase and accelerate their military assistance to Ukraine, in particular the provision of weapons, in response to clearly identified needs; expresses its support for the latest decisions to provide Ukraine with modern infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, air defence system and the relevant ammunition; welcomes the decision of the Polish, German and other governments to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine and allow other willing partners to do so; insists that the training of Ukrainian soldiers in operating these tanks begin immediately;

9. Supports the establishment of the Military Assistance Mission to train the Ukrainian armed forces on EU soil; recognises the current work of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine and welcomes the recent adjustment of its mandate in order to support Ukrainian authorities in facilitating the investigation and prosecution of any international crimes committed by the Russian armed forces and mercenaries in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;

10. Expresses its continued full support for the unprecedented support package of EUR 18 billion for Ukraine in 2023 to ensure its macroeconomic stability, restore critical infrastructure and maintain essential public services;

11. Calls for the upcoming EU-Ukraine Summit to be used to prioritise the need for an EU comprehensive recovery package for Ukraine, which should be focused on the country’s immediate, medium- and long-term relief, reconstruction and recovery and further help to strengthen the growth of the economy once the war is over; recalls that the recovery package should be jointly led by the EU, international financial institutions and like-minded partners; recommends that Ukrainian local self-government representatives contribute to the design of recovery measures; recommends the establishment of a clear and transparent mechanism for the involvement of Ukrainian civil society in key decisions regarding Ukraine; underlines the importance of environmental and transparency conditions for the reconstruction effort; insists on the implementation of the most relevant environmental reforms, as well as the establishment of effective safeguards for the protection of the environment during the development and reconstruction of Ukraine; promotes the establishment of a special international monitoring mission to record the environmental consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine with a view to establishing a basis upon which to obtain specific compensation from Russia; reiterates its call to identify a proper legal base to allow the use of frozen Russian Central Bank assets, as well as assets of Russian oligarchs, to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine; calls for the recovery package to be supported by the necessary EU budget capacity;

12. Believes that the upcoming EU-Ukraine Summit will be a good opportunity to restate the urgent need for the creation of a special international tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine perpetrated by the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation and its allies;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine.

 

Last updated: 27 January 2023
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