Activities of Hannah NEUMANN related to 2021/2204(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (debate)
The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders
Amendments (43)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the adoption of the 2012 Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy and the three successive Action Plans have provided a vision, principles and actionable measures for the EU’s support to the promotion of human rights globally and the implementation of the Guidelines;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU has developed a wide range of instruments to support HRDs, from coordination tools to financial aid; whereas the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) was previously the main EU financial instrument used to support HRDs, including through both emergency grants and the EU’s HRD protection mechanism, ProtectDefenders.eu; whereas the EIDHR has been replaced by a thematic programme on human rights and democracy as part of the Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI); whereas the respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law is a cross-cutting objective throughout the whole NDICI – Global Europe Instrument;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas the European Consensus on Development commits the EU and its Member States to implementing a human rights-based approach to development cooperation, encompassing all human rights, and hence also those who defend them;
Amendment 16 #
F. whereas the EU, as a powerful economic actor, has the capacity to influence the situation of human rights and HRDs worldwide by integrating a human rights-based approach into its trade and investment policies in a coherent manner; whereas the 2021 trade policy review commits the EU to take a more assertive stance in defending its interests and values, ‘notably the promotion and protection of human rights’;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the new EU global human rights sanctions regime allows the EU to target serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide; whereas the fate of HRDs should be an integral dimension of the EU’s global monitoring of human rights abuse worldwide, including in relation to the designation of sanctions;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas there has been a substantial increase in the number, range and severity of attacks on HRDs and their families and lawyers in recent years; whereas the global analysis published by the NGO Front Line Defenders reported that 358 HRDs had been killed across 35 countries in 2021 alone, and since under-reporting is common, the actual figure is likely to be much higher; whereas 227 environmental defenders were killed in 2020, with more than half of those killings occurring in only three countries, Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines, according to the NGO Global Witness; whereas a large number of HRDs are under threat and attack because they raise concerns about the adverse human rights impacts of business operations, often in the context of large development projects that affect access to land and livelihoods; whereas in recent years, the majority of the murdered HRDs were working on land, environmental and indigenous peoples’ rights;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas repressive governments but also a worrying number of long- established democratic countries across the world, including within the EU, increasingly adopt new kinds of tactics and restrictive measures against HRDs; whereas such attacks increasingly also target the families and communities of these defenders; whereas most under- reported cases are those who face gender- specific or sexual orientation-specific barriers;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers, however, that the overall application of the Guidelines by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Commission and the Member States has been uneven, largely focusing on reactive measures, lacking a consistent overall implementation of the strategy and being characterised by insufficient visibility of EU action and channels of support for HRDs; regrets that the HRD dimension is yet to be integrated in a systematic and coherent manner in all EU external action, including in EU country, regional or thematic policy documents and at all relevant levels of EU diplomatic engagement and decision-making, up to the highest levels;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the EU to put its ambitious rhetoric and HRD policy framework into practice through concrete and effective action, in particular in its relations with authoritarian regimes in places where the EU and the Member States have substantial commercial, energy, security, migratory and other interests; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure their financial support to HRDs is also matched by sustained political engagement with the authorities of the countries concerned;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets, however, the fact that, due to the voluntarist nature of the Guidelines, the intensity and quality of EU delegations’ engagement with and on HRDs vary considerably from country to country and are in practice largely dependent on the local political context or the individual dedication and political will of the specific EU ambassador or staff in question, or of the officials at the EEAS and Commission headquarters; calls for greater consistency and a strategic overall approach in this regard and for a firm personal commitment by the VP/HR to ensuring the consistent implementation of the Guidelines across all delegations, particularly in the countries where HRDs are most at risk; expects all EU and Member States Ambassadors to ensure that their mission effectively integrates the support to HRDs across their daily work and evaluates staff’s work performance accordingly;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Calls on the EU to step up its institutional capacity, both in Brussels and in delegations, in order to be able to adequately respond to the worsening environment faced by HRDs; in particular, calls for more staff dedicated to dealing with the provision of small grants, notably in the area of emergency assistance, and with diplomatic support on the ground; further insists on the need to strengthen the human and financial capacity of EU Delegations to protect HRDs and build coordination with Member States, as a core task of each mission, particularly in countries where the civil society space is shrinking; highlights the importance of EU Delegation premises serving as a safe place for HRDs to meet, particularly in hostile environments;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is encouraged by reports of improved coordination between EU delegations and Member States in the area of HRD protection, particularly through the practice of burden sharing and joint public diplomacy; remains concerned, however, that less than half of the Member States are in practice actively engaged in this area and selective engagement remains the norm; regrets the fact that only a few Member States, such as Ireland and Finland, have adopted their own national HRD guidelines; calls on Member States to step up their efforts to achieve broader and more consistent engagement on the protection of HRDs;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the regular training on human rights, including on HRD policy, for staff members working as focal points in both the political and cooperation sections of EU delegations; is, however, concerned by reports that awareness and knowledge of the Guidelines remain inadequate; calls for this training to be expanded; suggests to consider building EU and Member States' commitments on HRDs into job profiles of relevant staff members of the EEAS and the EU delegations, and Member States' missions, with a view to ensuring a systematic approach on HRDs and that knowledge and practice on HRD protection is institutionalised, and thus avoiding a person-dependent approach and minimising the effects of staff rotation;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for more public engagement by the VP/HR and the EU Special Representative for Human Rights with regard to individual HRDs; encourages the VP/HR and the Commissioners to commit to systematically meeting with HRDs during their visits abroad and to raise at the highest level the plight of HRDs under attack, including through public statements when appropriate; calls on EU Special Representatives on country and regional situations to engage with national authorities specifically on HRDs;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the EU’s substantial and steadily increasing financial contribution to supporting HRDs worldwide, which makes it the lead donor in this regard, as well as its efforts to heighten flexibility and the development of various programmes to support human rights and HRDs, including when HRDs work in exile; emphasises the unique role of the civil society-run ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism in providing invaluable practical support for HRDs at risk; calls for a qualitative jump to a more holistic approach aiming at the integral security of whole communities mobilised to defend rights; calls on the Commission to fund local and regional networks and gatherings of HRDs where these can share experiences, learn from each other’s strategies, successes and best practices, and build alliances; calls on the Commission to strictly refrain from supporting, including financially, GONGOs;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Reiterates its call on the Commission to refrain strictly from providing budget support to governments from third countries responsible for widespread violations of human rights and the repression of HRDs; conversely, calls on the Commission to step up its assistance to authorities genuinely committed to establishing an enabling environment for HRDs;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that funding via the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other development and investment banks and vehicles is only given to entities implementing a sound and strictly monitored human rights policy, and which only funds businesses and operations committed to safeguarding HRDs and taking a zero- tolerance stance on threats or violence against them, identifying and assessing adverse impacts in operations, value chains and business relationships, preventing, mitigating or ceasing adverse impacts, and providing remediation;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18 c. Calls on the EU Delegations and Member States’ missions to build a genuine and comprehensive dialogue with HRDs in third countries, covering their funding, modalities for dialogue and needs for diplomatic action, and moving, where possible, to core funding of their activities;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses the importance of joining forces with UN agencies and Special Procedures, particularly the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of HRDs; calls for the EU to provide financial and political support for existing regional protection mechanisms for HRDs, including the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders, the Escazú Agreement and the Inter-American, African and Council of Europe regional mechanisms on HRDs; calls on the EU delegations and Member States’ missions in Geneva and New York to take effective action in response to reprisals by third countries against HRDs for their cooperation with UN bodies and to facilitate HRDs’ accreditation and interaction with multilateral forums; further calls on the EU missions in Geneva and New York to play a leading role in promoting and defending human rights gains at multilateral fora, including by pushing back against attacks on the definition of an HRD and by mainstreaming and safeguarding key language on the role of HRDs both across thematic and country specific resolutions at the UN; to this end, calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure these efforts are consistently prioritized in the annual Council Conclusions on EU priorities in the UN human rights fora; welcomes the practical collaboration on HRD cases between EU delegations, Member States’ missions and like-minded third countries, such as Switzerland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the recent efforts by EU delegations and Member States’ missions in some third countries to reach out to activists who do not match the traditional notion of HRDs; encourages the EU to pursue a broad approach to HRDs, particularly by engaging with and providing support for local and grassroots HRDs and especially marginalised and vulnerable HRDs, such as those operating in remote areas and women, all of whom are at greater risk of experiencing violence and restrictions; calls on the EU to take advantage of online technologies, where possible and bearing in mind digital security, as well as to enhance coordination of efforts and resources of EU missions, to connect with more marginalised HRDs;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Calls on the EEAS and the Member States to support women HRDs politically and to adopt as an annex to the Guidelines, a toolkit that would provide practical steps for the EU to better meet the needs of women HRDs worldwide;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that the EU should address climate activism as an integral human rights issue under its HRD policy and step up its action in support of those defending the environment, especially those environmental and indigenous peoples’ rights defenders who are most at risk; highlights the need to integrate HRD issues into EU climate diplomacy and assistance, including by promoting the genuine involvement of HRDs in the implementation and monitoring of climate cooperation programmes, projects and schemes and by vocally addressing restrictions to their effective participation and monitoring activities;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to address the threats against and attacks on HRDs by non-governmental actors, including criminal groups and local communities, as well as threats in conflict and transition settings; urges the EU to integrate violence against HRDs into its crisis management policy and provide an effective protection response to HRDs in need of relocation in crisis situations; in this regard, calls on the EU to draw lessons from the lacklustre European response to the evacuation needs of Afghan HRDs and their families following the takeover by the Taliban; calls in particular for a more rapid reaction of the Commission to funding HRDs in sudden crises where needs are both urgent and massive, in both supplementing funding for initiatives such as ProtectDefenders.eu and on reorienting country funding and diplomatic efforts to help HRD relocation; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to consider HRDs as key actors and partners of any effective and sustainable post- conflict response;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to prioritise the fight against the misuse of surveillance technology to undermine the work of HRDs, particularly through the development of robust national and international legislation and, in the immediate future, the adoption of a global moratorium on the sale and transfer of such technology; reiterates its call on the Commission to support initiatives relating to the development and dissemination of digital security technologies to empower HRDs by providing secure collection, encryption and storage mechanisms in order to avoid monitoring by repressive governments;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Believes that, in the light of the large and growing number of threats and attacks faced by HRDs who raise concerns about the adverse human rights impacts of business operations, the EU should coherently integrate the promotion and protection of the rights of HRDs, particularly trade union representatives and defenders of land, indigenous peoples’ rights and the environment, into its trade agreements and instruments, such as the Generalised Scheme of Preferences; considers that systematic and widespread attacks against HRDs should lead to the triggering of the human rights and democracy clause of a trade and investment agreement or of the overarching framework agreement with the given country, and in case of a manifest failure of the national authorities to improve the situation, the Commission should take appropriate measures, including leading to the suspension of the said agreement;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to ensure HRDs, notably those working on labour and women’s rights, to be consistently involved in the civil society monitoring mechanisms attached to EU trade agreements; requests the Commission to ensure that they are compensated for such work and protected from the risks they face in exposing human rights violations;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor the mainstreaming of protection and prevention mechanisms for HRDs within sectoral projects, programmes and investment schemes, at least in the areas most at risk for HRDs such as land and environmental projects, extractive industries, manufacturing, as well as in the other risk areas to be identified in the future Corporate Sustainability and Due Diligence Directive, and across all security-related policies; insists on the importance for Parliament to carry out its oversight role over this matter;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Stresses that visas are a key protection tool and that, in order to effectively assist HRDs at risk, the Commission should take a proactive role towards the establishment of an EU-wide scheme for issuing short-term visas for such HRDs; believes that, in particular, Member States should facilitate the issuance of visas 1) procedurally, by ensuring that their embassies’ and consulates’ processes are swift, comprehensible, accessible and achievable, and 2) structurally, by creating a specific category in the EU Visa Code9 for HRDs at risk, amending the Temporary Protection Directive10 to allow HRDs at risk to be granted temporary protection status in the EU, and including dedicated instructions in the EU Visa Code Handbook11 on granting facilitation procedures to HRDs and their family members; underlines the need to make visa requirements and conditions less stringent for HRDs in need of emergency evacuation; calls for efforts to raise Member States’ officials’ awareness of the particular needs and challenges of applications by HRDs; suggests making full use of MEPs and their networks to help secure visas; _________________ 9 Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code), OJ L 243, 15.9.2009, p. 1. 10 Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof, OJ L 212, 7.8.2001, p.12. 11 Handbook for the processing of visa applications and the modification of issued visas (Visa Code Handbook I) of 28 January 2020 (C(2020)0395).
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on EU delegations’ human rights focal points to identify and raise particular emergency relocation needs with Member States’ missions and make recommendations on the issuance of visas to individual HRDs; believes that providing space for a cooling period can help HRDs avoid risks; calls on the EEAS to report back annually on the number of emergency visas delivered by EU Member States to HRDs;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up their provision of temporary protection and shelter for HRDs at risk and their families; highlights initiatives in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain and encourages further efforts on relocation, particularly through the involvement of regional and local authorities; welcomes the growing number of shelter initiatives at local level across the EU; calls for DG HOME to establish a special fund for practical support to facilitate the temporary stay, work and mobility of HRDs and their families in the EU;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Resolves to ensure that its key resolutions on human rights, in particular urgency resolutions, are translated into the local languages of the countries concerned and published and distributed accordingly; expects EU delegations in the country concerned to make such resolutions available on their website and to follow- up systematically with the national authorities and to report back to Parliament; calls for the revision of the 2011 Guidelines for EP interparliamentary delegations on promoting human rights and democracy in their visits to non-EU countries;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Calls for more strategic coordination between EU institutions in relation to urgent HRD cases; is convinced that parliamentary diplomacy may prove an effective and complementary mechanism for engaging with third countries on urgent HRD cases; calls for an interinstitutional task force on HRDs to coordinate efforts, particularly in relation to priority HRD cases and that would include the DROI Chair, DROI Coordinators, EUSR on HR and the Heads of the human rights units of the EEAS and DG INTPA and the Chair of the Council Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM);
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41 a. Regrets the failure of the Commission to respond in writing on the actions it has taken in response to specific requests addressed to it in Parliamentary resolutions, notably in the field of human rights; calls on the Commission to abide by the inter-institutional agreement and systematically provide a written response to all resolutions by the AFET committee/DROI subcommittee, including this one;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 c (new)
Paragraph 41 c (new)
41 c. Commits to revise the Statute of the Sakharov Prize towards its prioritisation of HRDs as laureates; regrets the under-utilisation by the EEAS and Member States of the Sakharov Prize as a tool for improving the livelihood of human rights defenders and more globally of human rights worldwide; calls on the EU missions in the countries of origin of Sakharov laureates to engage more effectively with them, particularly when the latter are in danger or imprisoned;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Regrets the lack of an in-depth, specific analysis by the EEAS and the Commission of the implementation of the Guidelines since 2008; calls for a comprehensive assessment of EU action on HRDs in the framework of the mid-term review of the implementation of the action plan on human rights and democracy 2020- 2024, scheduled for June 2023; calls for this review to include the identification and dissemination of best practices by EU delegations and Member States missions, and for continuous monitoring of the implementation of the Guidelines;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Stresses that the revision of the Guidelines should also expand the scope of EU engagement with HRDs beyond the traditional interlocutors in capitals to include individuals and groups in remote or rural areas, and those working to defend the rights of refugees and migrants; considers it timely to allow for a broader and innovative approach to the notion of HRDs that encompasses more fluid and temporary groups, including whistle- blowers;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Calls for the inclusion of a specific section in the Guidelines on the internal dimension of the EU’s action on HRDs, in particular on visas for HRDs (and their families) at immediate risk, on relocation and shelter, as well as on handling transnational threats from third countries against HRDs; calls for the inclusion of a specific section in the Council and EEAS’ Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy dedicated to EU action on this dimension in the chapter on HRD policy;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Recognises that silent diplomacy may be an effective tool to improve the situation of some HRDs in third countries; stresses, however, that EU actors need to be vocal about urgent and serious cases and strike an appropriate balance between private and public diplomacy, particularly when silent diplomacy has proven ineffective; regrets in this regard the limited recourse by the EU executive to public statements, which remain largely weak in tone, primarily focused on high- profile cases and are often inconsistent in tone and messaging depending on the level and forum at which they are delivered; further regrets the insufficient consideration of alternative communication strategies or options in cases where an EU statement is impeded, including possible recourse to media, social media or other interventions;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49 a (new)
Paragraph 49 a (new)
49 a. Calls for the merger of the human rights and HRD focal points in EU delegations and for facilitated access to these interlocutors by HRDs and other civil society actors; insists that their tasks be clarified and dedicated exclusively to this responsibility;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to systematically consult civil society representatives and HRDs prior to any human rights dialogue, for the consultation to be genuine, and for these interlocutors to be debriefed thereafter; furthermore, calls on the EEAS and Commission to engage in a more results- oriented approach in relation to individual cases and effective follow-up in-between sessions; calls for the systematic holding of a civil society segment to any bilateral and regional human rights dialogue, as well as the establishment of a civil society advisory body with all countries benefiting from the GSP arrangement and other preferential trade arrangements with the EU; reiterates the need for a systematic and firm EU response to any act of reprisal against HRDs that occurs after they have attended EU events or that is connected to contact with EU interlocutors;