What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

92. Reiterates its support for the peaceful opposition movement across Iran, which protests against the systemic and increasing oppression of women and the severe violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms; condemns the Iranian regime for its campaign of harassment, surveillance, kidnappings and death threats against Iranian activists and for its systematic discrimination against women through laws and regulations that severely restrict their freedoms; calls for the establishment of an international investigative and accountability mechanism for human rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian Government;

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Changed:86.93. Condemns the Iranian regime for its provision of military equipment to Russia in the latter’s brutal and illegal aggression against Ukraine; stresses that the Islamic Republic is contributing to war crimes in Ukraine, as the equipment is being used to target civilians and civilian infrastructure, and calls for a robust EU response to Iran’s involvement in Russia’s war; condemns Iran’s sponsoring of designated terror groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas andHamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad;Jihad and the Houthis; condemns the illegal, unacceptable and profoundly destabilising Houthi attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, using missiles, small boats, and attempted hijackings; stresses that these have caused significant disruption to global trade, as shipping companies are forced to reroute much of the Red Sea’s traffic around the southern tip of Africa; calls for collective action and encourages enhanced EU engagement and international cooperation; welcomes, in this context, the decision by the Member States to launch a maritime CSDP operation, under the name ASPIDES, to protect merchant vessels, by strengthening maritime situational awareness and accompanying vessels to deter attacks and ensure the freedom of navigation on one of the world’s most critical waterways; calls for an immediate end to these illegal attacks and the release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews; expresses concern about the destabilising effect of suchIran’s activities on the Middle East and the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace; stresses the need to address and counter Iran’s wider malign and destabilising activities across the Middle East and beyond; strongly opposes Iran’s hostage diplomacy and demands that all European nationals being detained in Iran be freed and allowed to leave the country; calls on the regime in Teheran to cease its intimidation and repression campaign against Iranian diaspora groups in the EU and worldwide; calls on the Member States’ governments to be aware of the specific transnational repression tactics employed by Iran;

94. Expresses grave concern over the Islamic Republic’s continued enrichment of uranium up to 60 % purity and its repeated violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA); encourages the resumption of negotiations on the JCPOA Treaty;

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Changed:88.95. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against IsraelIsrael; calls for the immediate and expressesunconditional itsrelease supportof toall hostages taken by the Stateterrorist ofgroup IsraelHamas and itsfor people;the bodies of deceased hostages to be returned; recognises Israel’s right to self-defence, as enshrined in and constrained by international law, and that as such the actions of Israel must strictly comply with international humanitarian law;law, which outlines that all parties to a conflict must distinguish between combatants and civilians at all times, that attacks must only be directed at military targets and that civilians and civilian infrastructure must not be targeted in attacks; condemns the Israeli military’s disproportionate response, which has caused a civilian death toll of unprecedented scale; is very concerned about the extremely deteriorated humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and calls for humanitariana pausespermanent ceasefire so that aid can be provided to civilians in the Gaza Strip; urges the international community to continue and increase its humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the area and reiterates that EU humanitarian aid must continue being delivered to them; urges Egyptthe andIsraeli Israelauthorities to cooperate withensure the international communitycontinuous toaccess establishof humanitarian corridorsaid to the Gaza Strip;Strip, with a focus on the uninterrupted delivery of essentials such as fuel, food, water, medical supplies and shelter, in line with international law; regrets the fact that the Palestinian Authority has not held elections since 2005, which hampers its credibility, and expects elections to be held soon;

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Removed:89. Reiterates its unwavering support for a negotiated two-state solution for Israel and Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with two sovereign, democratic states as peaceful neighbours and with Jerusalem as their shared capital; encourages the EEAS and the Member States to take a European initiative to put the two-state solution back on track; recalls that settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law; call for an immediate end to the settlement policy, which is a major impediment to the viability of the two-state solution; emphasises that continued support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East remains a key element of the EU strategy for contributing to stability and peace in the Middle East;

Added:96. Calls on Member States to support the ICJ and to demand that Israel immediately comply with the legally binding orders issued by the court;

Added:97. Deplores the fact that Hamas and its allies are increasingly looking to take the conflict to a far broader arena in order to exert pressure on Israel as the Gaza ground offensive intensifies; is accordingly concerned that Iran and its allies are pushing for a regional war; is extremely worried about the escalatory potential of the war, as well as its impact on the wider region, especially the situation at the Israeli-Lebanese border, as fighters loyal to Hezbollah are firing rockets into Israel; stresses the importance of defusing tensions in the region;

Added:98. Reiterates its unwavering support for a negotiated two-state solution for Israel and Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with two sovereign, democratic states as peaceful neighbours and with Jerusalem as their shared capital; encourages the EEAS and the Member States to take a European initiative to put the two-state solution back on track; calls, in this context, on the VP/HR and the Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process to garner international support for the ‘Peace Day Effort’ for Middle East Peace, launched in New York at the UN General Assembly in September 2023; is aware of the fact that, for negotiations to resume, international stakeholders, including the US, the United Nations, the EU and Arab states, need to complement each other’s efforts for them to be constructive; recalls that settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law; strongly condemns the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians; calls for an immediate end to the settlement policy, as well as an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories, which are major impediments to the viability of the two-state solution; calls for restrictive measures to be imposed on extremist settlers who violate human rights and international law; supports a just, viable and agreed-upon solution to the question of Palestinian refugees; emphasises that continued support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East remains a key element of the EU strategy for contributing to stability and peace in the Middle East; takes note with concern of the recent allegations made by Israel against 12 staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); welcomes the UN’s immediate and determined response to the allegations, including the immediate dismissal of the employees in question and the launching of two separate investigations into the matter by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the independent review group led by former French Minister Catherine Colonna and three European organisations; calls on Israel, in this regard, to cooperate closely and provide all necessary evidence to the OIOS and the independent review group; welcomes the Commission’s decision not to suspend funding to UNRWA before the UN has announced the outcome of the investigations and the actions it will take; urges all donor countries which have suspended their funding to UNRWA owing to the allegations to reconsider their decision in the light of UNRWA’s immediate response to the allegations and its crucial role of delivering life-saving assistance to the two million people in the Gaza Strip who depend on it for their survival amid one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world;

Added:99. Reiterates the EU’s strong support for the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice; calls for those responsible for terrorist acts and for violations of international law to be held to account and calls, to that end, for all possible war crimes to be investigated; reiterates that deliberate attacks on civilians are serious violations of international law, as is the forcible transfer of populations; demands justice for the victims of Hamas’s terrorist attacks, which included mass murder and sexual torture, both on 7 October 2023 and since then; takes note of the case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice;

100. Recognises that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine presents both challenges and opportunities for the states in Central Asia , which have traditionally maintained close relations with Russia; is concerned about Russian and Chinese pressure exerted in the region and stresses the need to scale up the EU’s presence in Central Asia in response; underlines the EU’s interest in increasing economic relations and intensifying political ties with the countries of Central Asia, in part to address the circumvention of sanctions against Russia and Belarus; calls on the national authorities of these countries, particularly those of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, to cooperate closely with the EU, in particular its Sanctions Envoy, and also recalls, in this regard, the relevance of closer working relations with the OSCE;

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Changed:91.101. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to continue promoting political and economic reforms that strengthen the rule of law, democracy, good governance and respect for human rightsrights, including in the context of the generalised scheme of preferences (GSP) and GSP+ where relevant, and to encourage good neighbourly relations; reiterates that all countries of the Central Asia region must commit to upholding the UN Charter, particularly the principles of respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries;

Change 33

Changed:92.102. Welcomes the outcomes of the second EU-Central Asia Economic Forum in Almaty in May 2023 and the second meeting between the President of the European Council and the Heads of State of all five Central Asian countries in June 2023; calls for these high-level meetings and declarations to be followed up on with concrete actions; welcomes, in this context, the fact that the first EU-Central Asia summit is planned for this year; welcomes the endorsement of the Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia, which serves as a strategic blueprint to advance dialogue and cooperation in specific areas, including building cultural, social and economic resilience; urges the Commission and the Member States to sign the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with Kyrgyzstan, finalise preparatory work towards signing the EPCA with Uzbekistan and rapidly progress in the ongoing negotiations for an EPCA with Tajikistan;

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103. Recalls that the countries of Central Asia are major suppliers of raw materials and energy; takes the view that the EU has a strong interest in reinvigorating the Middle Corridor not only as a regional economic zone, but also as an alternative to the New Eurasian Land Bridge, which passes though sanctioned Russian and Belarusian territory; stresses the significance of promoting regional integration along the Middle Corridor, also in order to attract financing for infrastructure projects under the Global Gateway;

104. Reiterates its non-recognition of the de facto Afghan Government; is concerned by the dire economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, as well as by the violation of the rights of women and girls in the country; denounces the drastic reduction in the capacity of the World Food Programme to provide food aid to the Afghan population and calls on the Commission and the Member States to make sure that critical humanitarian aid is provided to the Afghan population and ensure supplementary funding for emergency aid; calls on the VP/HR to raise the idea of prosecuting Taliban leaders at the ICC for their crimes against women and girls;

105. Supports the five key benchmarks that were adopted by the Council on 21 September 2021 and serve as guiding principles for future engagement with the Taliban, but believes that a major effort in defining a long-term strategy is needed to address the human rights emergency and gender apartheid occurring in Afghanistan today; stresses that the EU evacuation programme for people in Afghanistan who worked for European missions, were counting on European protection and are still in imminent danger cannot be ended as long as people fulfilling the criteria remain in the country;

106. Deplores the Russian Federation’s veto, in the UN Security Council meeting of 11 July 2023, with regard to the renewal of UN Security Council Resolution 2672(2023) regarding the cross-border delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in north-western Syria via Bab al-Hawa, putting at risk more than four million people who depend on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs for food, medicine and other vital supplies; takes note of Syria’s reintegration into the Arab League; considers that a normalisation with the current Syrian regime cannot take place and stresses that the Syrian political process is deadlocked;

Change 34

Changed:97.107. Reiterates that a peaceful, free, connected, open, stable and rules-based Indo-Pacific is a vital European interest; is concerned that great power competition is imposing parameters on the EU’s ability to promote multilateralism in the region; points out, in this context, that the Asia-Europe Meeting is still hamstrung because of the geopolitical tensions with Russia; acknowledges the VP/HR’s efforts to engage with the region, as evidenced by the co-organisation and co-chairing with the Swedish Presidencyorganisation of the third EU-Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum on 132 MayFebruary 20232024 and the VP/HR’s participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum on 14 July 2023; calls for the EU to actively support the Ministerial Forum on Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific as an annual event;

108. Encourages closer political ties with like-minded partners, in line with the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and the ASEAN member states, including on maritime security, non-proliferation and resilience to hybrid threats; welcomes EEAS efforts in capacity building in the Indo-Pacific region that aim to create resilience against foreign information manipulation and interference; highlights the need to enhance people-to-people relations with our partners, in particular youth exchanges and civic and think tank cooperation; underlines that preserving peace, stability and the freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region remains of critical importance to the interests of the EU and its Member States;

Change 35

Changed:99.109. Calls on the Democratic People’s Republic of KoreaDPRK to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner; deplores, in the strongest possible terms, the ongoing crimes against humanity and urges the country’s authorities to undertake a process of reform whereby all human rights are respected and protected; stresses the urgent need for the EU and the international community to prevent military cooperation and arms exchanges between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea;DPRK;

Change 36

Changed:100.110. Notes that geopolitical challenges have strengthened the shared interest of the EUIndia and Indiathe EU in ensuring security, prosperity and sustainable development; emphasises the full implementation of the 2018 EU strategy on India and the EU-India Roadmap to 2025, in close coordination with the Member States’ own actions to actively engage with India; welcomes the creation of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council; callsencourages the deepening of relations between India and the EU as strategic partners; calls, in this context, for anthe India-EUcommitment summitto regular multilevel dialogues and summits to be upheld to keep bilateral relations high on the agenda; encourages, in addition, a more structured interparliamentary dialogue between the European Parliament and its Indian counterpart; believes that such a dialogue would assist in the coordination of positions and initiatives in multilateral forums, particularly the UN, the World Trade Organisation and the G20; highlights the importance of a successful conclusion of the negotiations on an EU-India free trade agreement, taking into account sensitivities on both sides; expresses the hope that India will align its position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with that of the transatlantic community and calls on the Council and the VP/HR to make diplomatic efforts in this regard; recalls, in this context, that any deepening of the partnership should be based on the values of freedom, democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, equality, respect for human rights, sustainable development and a commitment to promoting an inclusive rules-based global order;

Change 37

Changed:101.111. Expresses deep concern about the latest shifts in China’s domestic and military posture since the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party; considers that the growing assertiveness of China, in part through a policy of economic coercion, remains one of the primary geopolitical challenges of the 21st century; holds the view that China demonstrates that it has both the intent and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to tilt the international rules-based order; insists that this requires a multi-dimensional response through which the EU maintains its selective engagement with China on a number of key issues while de-risking its relationship by increasingly reducing economic dependence in critical sectors, in line with the EU’s economic security strategy; notes that substantive engagement with China is increasingly difficult due to the more prominent competition and systemic rivalry dimensions; stresses that China remains important in many policy areas, including climate change; warns that the continued growth of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership, including in the areas of technology and military capability transfers,transfers and cooperation in the Arctic region, may increase China’s ability to coerce the EU’s partners in Asia and around the world; reiterates its call for a more assertive EU-China strategy that shapes relations with China in the interest of the EU and takes full account of the challenges stemming from China’s rise as a global actor;

Change 38

Changed:102.112. Condemns acts of hybrid warfare, such as cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and the surveillance or espionage of Chinese citizens within the EU; urges China to put an immediate end to these malign acts and to its information manipulation and electoral interference and calls on the Commission and the Member States to implement, as a matter of urgency, initiatives related to foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU, including disinformation, as suggested by Parliament; condemns the sanctions against Members of the European Parliament (and other EU entities)entities),national andparliaments, nationalEuropean parliamentsthink tanks and researchers and calls for their immediate and unconditional lifting;

Change 39

Changed:103.113. Condemns the Chinese government-led system of forced labour and its violations of human rights, which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said may constitute crimes against humanity including high risk of genocide in Xinjiang and crimes against humanity in Tibet and Inner Mongolia, as well as the oppressive policies against other ethnic minorities; recalls that the EU’s ‘One China policy’ remains a cornerstone of EU-China relations; reaffirmsreiterates theits EU’scondemnation commitmentof toChina’s theviolation ‘oneof country,its twointernational systems’commitments, principleits breaches of the Sino-British and condemnsSino-Portuguese anyJoint possibleDeclarations, violationsthe ofInternational it;Covenant reiterateson itsCivil condemnationand ofPolitical theRights, Chinesethe Communist‘one Party’scountry, underminingtwo ofsystems’ democracyprinciple inand the Hong Kong Special AdministrativeBasic Region,Law includingas masswell surveillance,as the continuedcrackdown deteriorationon ofthe fundamentalspecial humanadministrative rightsregion’s autonomy and theopposition impositionfigures, ofincluding themembers Nationalof Securitycivil Lawsociety inand Hongtheir Kong;family members; calls on the Commission to assess the autonomous status of Hong Kong and Macao in light of China’s breaches of the Sino-British and Sino-Portuguese Joint Declarations and the crackdown on Hong Kong’s autonomy;

114. Stresses the need to ensure a unified European approach when China uses its economic leverage to silence opposition to its human rights abuses; urges China to investigate and prevent any violations of human rights and international law; recalls that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a special responsibility with respect to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; is concerned about the situation of Christians and other religious minorities, including their freedom of worship in China, as they face ongoing persecution;

Change 40

Changed:105.115. Condemns the growing trend of transnational repression by China and calls on those EU Member States that have not yet done so to suspend their extradition treaties with China and Hong Kong and to close all remaining illegal Chinese ‘police stations’ on their territories; expresses concern about the agreement on ‘strengthening law enforcement cooperation and joint patrols’ signed by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Hungarian Ministry of Interior on 16 February 2024; calls on the Hungarian Government to immediately and fully disclose all details of the agreement and its potential adverse effects on the common security and sovereignty of the European Union; calls on the EEAS to closely monitor the trials of political prisoners in Hong Kong and to call for the release of such political prisoners, including the founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai;

Change 41

Changed:106.116. Takes note of the latest BRICS summit that took place in Johannesburg in August 2023 and2023, of China’s geopolitical objectives with regard to BRICS;BRICS and of China’s narratives in the context of its Global Development, Global Security and Global Civilization Initiatives; highlights the need for the EU and its Member States to increase dialogue and cooperation with some members of BRICS+ to counter Russia’s malign actions and China’s rising global influence;

117. Urges the EU and China to intensify dialogue and close cooperation in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and, more generally, with regard to the sustainable use of marine biological resources and ocean governance; calls for the EU to strengthen cooperation with the UK, the US, Japan and other key actors in ocean and fisheries policy, using its diplomatic tools to encourage China to make progress on the necessary reforms of its fisheries governance framework;

Change 42

Changed:108.118. Strongly condemns China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan and reiterates its firm rejection of any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait;Strait, which endangers regional stability; calls for the EU and its Member States to ensure, through clear and consistent signalling, that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, particularly by means of force or coercion, cannot be accepted and will have high costs; highlights that China’s territorial claims have no basis in international law; denounces, furthermore, China’s blocking of Taiwan’s participation in multilateral organisations; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in relevant international organisations such as the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; reiterates that Taiwan is a key EU partner and a democratic ally in the Indo-Pacific region; recognises the importance of Taiwan in securing global supply chains, especially in the high-tech sector, and urges the EU and its Member States to engage in closer cooperation with Taiwan; welcomes the visits to Taiwan, since 2021, by consecutive official delegations from Parliament committees and encourages further exchanges between the EU and Taiwan; calls on the Commission to launch, without delay, preparatory measures for negotiations on a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan;

Change 43

Changed:109.119. Denounces statements by the Chinese President that China will never renounce the right to use force with respect to Taiwan;Taiwan and encourages China’s leadership to exercise caution and restraint in the wake of the Taiwanese presidential and parliamentary elections; notes that neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other; expresses grave concern over China’s use of hostile disinformation to undermine trust in Taiwan’s democracy and governance; calls for the EU and its Member States to cooperate with international partners in helping to sustain democracy in Taiwan, keeping it free from foreign interference and threats, and underlines that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people on the international stage; notes the need to also focus on preventive diplomacy to avoid any escalation in the Taiwan Strait;

Change 44

Changed:110.120. Notes that China has focused on strengthening its influence in the Indo-Pacific through increased aid, development, diplomacy and security cooperation over the last decade; highlights that resources need to be pooled to effectively enhance the EU’s political footprint and assert the EU as a reliable and strategic partner in the Pacific; expresses concern about China’s attempts to dominate its near-seas region, including the South China Sea and the East China Sea, which could seriously tilt the regional balance of power and negatively affect the EU’s economic and political interests; urges China, in this regard, to stop any military actions and pressure directed against the Philippine Navy and its occupied islands in the South China Sea; encourages the Member States to join forces and engage at ministerial level with Pacific island countries and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States; stresses that a serious follow-up to COP27COP28 is a key concern for the countries in the region and therefore urges the EEAS to promote global support for a sustainable green transition and to step up its climate diplomacy to consolidate cooperation on climate change adaptation and mitigation measures;

121. Underlines that ASEAN is a crucial ally in reinforcing rules-based multilateralism; calls for close cooperation in line with the EU-ASEAN joint leaders’ statement of 14 December 2022 in order to shape regional dynamics beyond the binary constraints of Chinese-American competition; further stresses, in this context, the importance of preserving freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas; recalls the need to fully implement the EU-ASEAN Plan of Action 2023-2027;

Change 45

Changed:112.122. Welcomes the signature of the Post-CotonouSamoa AgreementAgreement, and its regional protocols, which will allow for an unprecedented regional focus on African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, and calls for swift ratification by both the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the EU; urges the Commission and the VP/HR to ensure that the EU-African Union summit of February 2022 is followed up on in order to deepen cooperation on initiatives of shared interest and to meet the needs of partner countries in Africa; calls for the postponed third EU-African Union ministerial meeting to take place as soon as possible; emphasises that the EU should pursue geographical priorities on a bilateral level, focusing on key African partners, but also on a regional level, focusing on the implementation of regional strategies for the Sahel and coastal countries, the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa; welcomes, in this context, Operation Atalanta, which, as the first EU naval operation with the dedicated objective of protecting UN World Food Programme vessels, has become a successful counter-piracy operation; encourages the Council and the Member States to consider extending the geographical scope of Operation Atalanta;

Change 46

Changed:113.123. Attaches particular importance to strengthening security collaboration with countries of the Gulf of Guinea, supporting their integration and intra-regional solidarity; welcomes, in this respect, the launch of the EU security and defence initiative in support of West African countries of the Gulf of Guinea, for an initial duration of two years, in close coordination with Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin; expresses grave concern about the deterioration of stability in the Sahel, exacerbated by the military coup in Niger and the dissolution of democratic institutions; does not and will not recognise the authorities resulting from the coup in Niger; reiterates its very clear call for the full restoration, without delay, of the constitutional order and fully associates itself with the declarations of the Economic Community of West African States and its African and international partners in this regard;

124. Denounces Russia’s interference in Africa, in particular via the increased footprint of the Wagner Group on the continent, and strongly condemns the abuse and crimes committed; recalls that stability in the Sahel has direct repercussions for the security and stability of European external borders in the Mediterranean; calls for the EU to increase resources and enhance cooperation with our partners to combat human trafficking through the Mediterranean and Belarus and dismantle the criminal networks used for human trafficking; takes the view that EU policy with regard to the Sahel has not produced the expected results and takes note of the VP/HR’s announcement about revising the EU’s strategy with regard to the Sahel;

125. Stresses the need to adapt the current approach in order to retain influence and calls for EU engagement and support to the region to be strengthened; welcomes the Commission’s preparation of a ‘new strategic approach’ to the partnership with Africa, taking into account the new geopolitical situation, and urges the Commission and the Council to develop a mutually beneficial partnership that focuses on common issues for Europe and Africa; welcomes the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package of EUR 150 billion, aimed at supporting African partners in the development of a strong, inclusive, green and digital recovery and transformation; considers that efforts to fight disinformation and better demonstrate the EU’s support to Africa have to be urgently increased and improved;

126. Stresses that access to safe drinking water is one of the major challenges of the 21st century, especially since nearly 60 % of aquifer resources cross political territorial borders; highlights that water scarcity can lead to the most serious conflicts if the use of flows in an integrated and shared manner is not envisaged; highlights the need for the EU to adopt a strategy to facilitate technological and geopolitical solutions in areas affected by water scarcity, which has highly destabilising potential; encourages countries situated in the main areas of water-related conflict to sign the 1992 Helsinki Water Convention on the protection and use of cross-border waterways and international lakes;

Change 47

Removed:117. Notes that the EU should take a particular interest in reinvigorating its partnership with countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; notes that the EU’s engagement in the region has dwindled in recent decades, which has created a vacuum for foreign malign actors; urges countries across Latin America to adopt a firmer attitude of condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; is concerned about the increase in organised crime and drug trafficking in Latin America, which also has an impact on the EU; calls for a substantial increase in bi-regional cooperation to combat this phenomenon;

Added:127. Condemns the actions undertaken by Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, which present a direct threat to the sovereignty of Guyana; calls on the international community to engage in discussions to determine a diplomatic solution respecting the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on this longstanding dispute;

Removed:118. Takes note of the summit on 17 and 18 July 2023 between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and hopes that it will improve bi-regional relations, particularly given the growing influence of China and Russia in Latin America and the Caribbean; calls on the Member States and the EEAS to pursue proactive diplomacy in the region, with a strong emphasis on defending the multilateral global order, international law and respect for democracy and human rights; welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement and calls for progress to be made towards the signing and ratification of the EU-Mexico Association Agreement; calls on the Commission and the Spanish and Belgian Council Presidencies to advance decisively and conclude the agreement with Mercosur before the end of the current parliamentary term, while keeping the highest level of ambition in relation to the enforcement of its sustainability provisions; also recalls the need to finalise the ratification of the EU-Central America Association Agreement;

Added:128. Condemns the authoritarian regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo who are systematically undermining Nicaragua’s democratic structures, including the separation of powers, the electoral system and respect for human rights; recalls that the regime in Nicaragua maintains strong ties to other autocracies, such as those in Iran, Venezuela and Cuba, while consistently demonstrating its support for the Kremlin by, inter alia, authorising a Russian military presence in Nicaragua; calls for the liberation of all political prisoners, among whom are several Catholic bishops and priests, who have been detained in an attempt to silence dissidents, for the return to the rule of law and for a dialogue between the regime and the opposition to be facilitated by the EU; condemns the continued psychological and physical abuse that all detainees suffer at the hands of police and prison authorities, and the situation of incommunicado detention in which some of them are being held, without access to their lawyers, families or medical care; reminds the Nicaraguan regime of its responsibility to ensure that detention conditions comply with its international human rights obligations and with standards such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules);

Removed:119. Stresses the importance of fostering even stronger relations with Norway, the EU’s most closely associated partner through the Agreement on the European Economic Area, making progress in negotiations for a new agreement with Switzerland and advancing negotiations on association agreements with Andorra and San Marino; takes note of the suspension of negotiations on an association agreement with Monaco;

Added:129. Considers the EU’s political approach towards Cuba to be constructive but critical, as enshrined by the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement in 2016; regrets that the Cuban regime has continually ignored and breached these principles and rights for decades; condemns, in the strongest terms, the systematic human rights violations and abuses, which have increased in recent times, against the thousands of political prisoners, protesters, political dissidents, religious leaders, human rights activists and independent artists, among others, perpetrated by the Cuban regime; urges the Cuban authorities to immediately put an end to the policy of repression; notes that the fourth Human Rights Dialogue took place in Cuba in November 2023, but condemns the fact that no independent civil society organisations took part; concludes, therefore, that this exercise did not yield tangible results; believes that the EU considers the dialogue to be an end in itself and not an instrument to improve the living conditions of Cuban citizens who have witnessed serious food shortages and health crises prompting a large-scale exodus; rejects the fact that the Cuban regime currently forbids ‘in loco’ visits as part of an oversight mechanism available to impartial international actors such as the European Union; strongly condemns, in this light, that the Cuban regime denied a delegation from the European Parliament to visit the country;

Added:130. Notes that the EU should take a particular interest in reinvigorating its partnership with countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; notes that the EU’s engagement in the region has dwindled in recent decades, which has created a vacuum for foreign malign actors; urges countries across Latin America to adopt a firmer attitude of condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; is concerned about the increase in organised crime and drug trafficking in Latin America, which also has an impact on the EU; strongly condemns the violence and criminal attacks carried out by armed groups involved in drug trafficking in and around Ecuador; calls for a substantial increase in bi-regional cooperation to combat this phenomenon;

Added:131. Takes note of the summit on 17 and 18 July 2023 between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and hopes that it will improve bi-regional relations, particularly given the growing influence of China and Russia in Latin America and the Caribbean; calls on the Member States and the EEAS to pursue proactive diplomacy in the region, with a strong emphasis on defending the multilateral global order, international law and respect for democracy and human rights; welcomes the signing of the new EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement, which consists of a political and cooperation part as well as a trade and investment part, and calls for progress to be made towards the signing and ratification of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement; calls on the Commission and the Belgian Council Presidency to advance decisively and conclude the agreement with Mercosur before the end of the current parliamentary term, while keeping the highest level of ambition in relation to the enforcement of its sustainability provisions; also welcomes the finalisation of the ratification process of the EU-Central America Association Agreement;

Added:132. Stresses the importance of fostering even stronger relations with Norway, the EU’s most closely associated partner through the Agreement on the European Economic Area; welcomes the conclusion of explanatory talks with Switzerland and calls for making progress in negotiations for a new agreement; welcomes the outcome of the negotiations for an Association Agreement between the EU and Andorra and San Marino; takes note of the suspension of negotiations on an association agreement with Monaco;

6 unchanged paragraphs

133. Calls for stronger EU engagement in the Arctic, as it is of key geostrategic importance for the EU in view of the consequences of climate change, industrial and economic competition, security threats, inter alia caused by Russian military expansion in the High North, and the freedom and safety of navigation; notes that NATO has underlined the significance of the High North, in particular due to the expansion of possible maritime routes, access to natural resources, climate conservation and territorial claims, which all may lead to increased geopolitical tensions; highlights that the EU’s engagement in the region must involve cooperation with local partners, including indigenous people;

134. Calls for stronger support for the EU maritime security strategy, as freedom of navigation presents a growing challenge; insists that freedom of navigation must be respected at all times, with priority given to de-escalation and the prevention of armed conflicts and military incidents;

135. Highlights that the southern polar region should be considered an emerging area of interest given shifting geopolitical dynamics; underlines the importance of multilateral cooperation in the management of marine protected areas; encourages the EU to develop a purposeful European polar agenda that seeks to integrate its regional ambitions into its CFSP and which brings together the Member States’ considerable interests in science, ocean conservation, fisheries, regional peace and rules-based multilateralism; calls for an enhanced EU-China-Antarctic dialogue;

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