The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the situation in Afghanistan.
The text was adopted in plenary by the EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE and Greens/EFA groups.
Parliament noted that, despite substantial international efforts over a long period of time, Afghanistan is still facing a serious conflict which is hampering its economic and social development substantially. It has been torn apart by nearly 40 years of conflict and war.
Despite having achieved progress recently in the political, security, economic and development spheres, Parliament stressed that this progress is very fragile and reversible.
In this regard, it highlighted that an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process is the only way forward and that political infighting must cease. The EU is called on actively support an Afghan-led disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme for former insurgents.
Parliament expressed extreme concern that, despite the political agreement following the 2014 presidential elections, the security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated and the number of terrorist attacks has multiplied. It is alarmed by the Taliban’s ongoing territorial expansion and the recent strengthening of IS and Al-Qaeda terrorist groups.
The Government of Afghanistan is called on to:
- increase political inclusiveness, strengthen accountability and actively combat the culture of corruption and nepotism;
- fight against illicit drug trafficking and illicit mining and coordinate with one another to eliminate these illegal practices, which are detrimental to the stability of the region;
- increase transparency in the mining sector and to establish robust requirements for licences and monitoring in order to ensure a sustainable extractive industry;
- step up efforts to protect vital public resources such as land and minerals from exploitation by criminal and insurgent networks;
- revoke all laws that contain elements of discrimination against women, which are in breach of the international treaties signed by Afghanistan;
- commit unreservedly to pursuing transparent engagement in the fight against terrorism;
- commute all death sentences and to reintroduce a moratorium on executions with a view to achieving the permanent abolition of the death penalty;
- implement in full its National Plan on the Elimination of Torture;
Parliament reiterated the need for the international community to continue its engagement in Afghanistan and to contribute to rebuilding the country, developing the economy and resisting terrorism. It welcomed the provisional entry into force of the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Union and Afghanistan on 1 December 2017, representing the first legally binding framework for relations between the two sides. It further encouraged the swift ratification of the agreement by EU Member States in order for it to enter into force in full.