Vangelis MEIMARAKIS

What Vangelis MEIMARAKIS has said (4)

• 2025-03-10 “E-001025/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU has been gravely alarmed by the recent violence in Syria’s coastal region, which claimed a high number of victims, including civilians. On 11 March 2025, the High Representative/Vice-President issued a statement 1 on behalf of the EU, strongly condemning the attacks by pro-Assad militias as well as the horrific crimes committed against civilians, many of which were allegedly perpetrated by armed groups supporting the security forces of the transitional authorities. The EU called for a swift, transparent and impartial investigation to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. It welcomed the transitional authorities’ commitments, in particular the establishment of an investigative committee. It further called on the transitional authorities to allow the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic to investigate all violations. The EU also supports accountability mechanisms in Syria, including the Impartial and Independent Mechanism and the Independent Institution on Missing Persons. Everything must be done to prevent such crimes from happening again. The EU urges all parties to protect Syrians from all religious and ethnic backgrounds without discrimination. The EU is also in contact with interim authorities and local actors, including civil society, to advocate for an inclusive, peaceful, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political transition grounded on the respect of international law, human rights, fundamental freedoms, pluralism and tolerance as well as on the values of rule of law and accountability. The suspension in February 2025 of a number of restrictive measures is part of a gradual, reversible approach. The EU will continue to monitor closely developments on the ground. 1 Syria: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the recent wave of violence, 11/03/2025. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/03/11/syria-statement-by-the-highrepresentative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-on-the-recent-wave-of-violence/”
  EU-Syria relations · Support for International Criminal Court · EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU
• 2024-12-02 “P-002710/2024 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The whole EU territory is susceptible to climate change impacts 1 . As the first European Climate Risk Assessment underlined, risk ownership is shared across the EU, Member States, sub-national and private sector actors, along with the means and responsibility of acting on them. The Commission will continue to contribute to making Europe more climate resilient 2 , 3 , among others with a new EU Adaptation Plan. Adaptation measures that meet the relevant criteria are eligible for the 30% budget of the EU funds set aside for climate, including the Cohesion fund 4 , Next Generation EU 5 , the European Regional Development Fund 6 , the Common Agriculture Policy 7 and LIFE 8 . Greece is already receiving substantial funding to prevent and manage climate-related flood risks 9 . The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) 10 may cover part of the costs for emergency and recovery operations incurred by public authorities. Private damage is not eligible. It can only be activated at the request of a Member State which has a deadline of 12 weeks as from when the first damage occurred, demonstrating that the total direct damage exceeds the thresholds specified in Article 2 Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002. Greece requested EUSF assistance for the storm ‘Daniel’ disaster in November 2023. The Commission determined Greece’s application eligible for support and paid out EUR 101 million in 2024. Greece has not submitted an EUSF application due to the flooding of Rhodes and Lemnos at the end of November 2024. The Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation subprogramme of the LIFE Programme 11 follows a bottom-up approach tailored to local needs and can also offer room for special attention to islands’ needs related to climate change. 1 European Environment Agency, European Climate Risk Assessment, 2024. 2 EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, COM(2021) 82 final. 3 COM(2024) 91 final. 4 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/cohesion-fund/ 5 https://next-generation-eu.europa.eu/index_en 6 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf/ 7 https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/key-policies/common-agricultural-policy/ruraldevelopment_en 8 LIFE, https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/life_en 9 Under Greece's 2021-2027 Partnership Agreement for Regional Development (ESPA), over EUR 726 million in public funding is allocated to prevent and manage climate-related flood risks. 10 Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund (OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3) as amended by Regulation (EU) No 661/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 May 2014 (OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 143) and by Regulation (EU) 2020/461 of the European Parliament and the Council of 30 March 2020 (OJ L 99, 31.3.2020, p. 9): https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32002R2012 11 Budget of EUR 947 million for the period 2021-2027.”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-10-01 “E-001895/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell i Fontelles on behalf of the European Commission Regarding BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates), the EU monitors the overall evolution. As a sovereign state, Türkiye has the right to apply to join any multilateral forum and build its partnerships across the globe. At the same time, Türkiye is an EU candidate country and a key partner for the EU, member of the Council of Europe and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ally. Türkiye has signed a Customs Union with the EU, from which it benefits greatly. Since its signature, the trade between the EU and Türkiye has increased four times. The EU expects all candidate countries to support EU values firmly, to respect obligations deriving from trade agreements, and align with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. These are significant signals of shared values and interests, and of countries’ strategic orientation. The EU has a strategic interest in a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Türkiye and in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean. The EU is reengaging constructively with Türkiye in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner, subject to established conditionalities 1 . The Commission, in its 2024 enlargement report on Türkiye, noted that the recent inclusion of the doctrine of ‘Blue Homeland’ in Turkish school textbooks is a cause for concern 2 . The EU has repeatedly expressed its expectation from Türkiye to unequivocally commit itself to good neighbourly relations, international agreements and the peaceful settlement of disputes, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations 3 , having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice. Türkiye must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all Member States over their territorial sea and airspace, as well as all their sovereign rights 4 . 1 https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/turkiye-report-2024_en 2 https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/turkiye-report-2024_en 3 https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter 4 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16707-2023-INIT/en/pdf”
  EU-Turkey relations · EU stance on BRICS cooperation
• 2024-10-01 “E-001897/2024 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission is continuously monitoring the situation in the Middle East, including within the framework of the EU Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint 1 , sharing common situational awareness and information with and for the Member States, to ensure preparedness and support as needed. The Commission stands ready to further support Member States, including Greece and Cyprus, by continuing its financial and operational support, with the help of the EU Agencies 2 . The Commission is committed to the implementation of the measures included in the Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean Route 3 . In the context of the implementation process for the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the Commission is supporting Member States to ensure the establishment of a well-prepared migration management system by 2026, including with measures on preparedness, contingency planning and crisis response 4 . 2. The EU-Turkey Statement 5 remains the main framework for cooperation with Türkiye on migration. The EU continues to be committed to the implementation of the Statement and has been clear that Türkiye needs to fulfil all the commitments set out therein. 3. To support Member States in addressing needs with regards to migration management border management and internal, the Commission provides support through the Home Affairs Funds 6 . The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) 7 allows Member States and UCPM participating states to request assistance, including from the Commission’s emergency stockpiles (rescEU) 8 , to provide relief materials to countries in need of extra resources. The Mechanism already delivered shelter materials to Cyprus in October 2023, in preparation for a potential influx of a large number of people from the Middle East. 1 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2020/1366 of 23 September 2020 on an EU mechanism for preparedness and management of crises related to migration. 2 EU Asylum Agency (EUAA), Frontex, EUROPOL. 3 https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/eu-action-plan-eastern-mediterranean-migration-2023-10-18_en 4 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a New Pact on Migration and Asylum - COM/2020/609 final 5 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18/eu-turkey-statement/ 6 The 2021-2027 Home Affairs Funds programmes of Greece amount to more than EUR 1.5 billion while under the programmes of Cyprus more than EUR 188 million have been made available. 7 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en 8 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en”
  Asylum & border control