External actions: financing instrument for stability

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the report by Franziska Katharina BRANTNER (Greens/ALE, DE) amending, under the first reading of the codecision procedure, the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1717/2006 establishing an Instrument for Stability.

The main amendments are as follows:

Pre- and post-crisis capacity building: the committee considers that civil society should be granted support not only in crisis situations, as stated in the original Instrument for Stability, but also in the long-term in context of stable conditions for cooperation in the area of pre- and post-crisis building. Accordingly, it added assistance will be granted for developing and organising civil society and its participation in the political process, including measures to enhance the role of women in such processes and measures to promote independent, pluralist and professional media.

EU Peace-building: Members add that the Instrument for Stability should make a reference to the EU Peace-building Partnership, already established by the Commission in the field of pre- and post-crisis capacity building.

Financial envelope: the committee provides that no more than 10 percentage points (rather than 5 percentage points as proposed by the Commission) of the financial envelope shall be allocated to measures falling under Article 4(3) (pre- and post-crisis capacity building) provided the increase is in line with the current review of the EU Peace-building Partnership and internal resources.