Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2010/2202(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT Report on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2009 and the European Union's policy on the matter PDF (546 KB) DOC (520 KB)
Amendments (47)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
Does not apply to English version
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas efforts to combat terrorism in the world have raised the need to reconcile security with respect for human rightsled to infringements and the undermining of human rights and individual freedoms and raised the need to respect human rights in the formulation and implementation of security policies and measures, bearing in mind the principles of purpose-specification and proportionality,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas, according to World Bank estimates, 60 million people belonging to indigenous communities are totally dependent on forests and deforestation is a major obstacle to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals because of the loss of ecosystem services provided by forests (including rainfall, prevention of soil erosion, water purification); whereas 70% of the planet’s poorer inhabitants live in rural areas and are directly dependent on natural resources for their survival and wellbeing; whereas the poorer inhabitants of urban areas are also dependent on these resources for ecosystem services such as sustained air and water quality standards and waste decomposition,
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that, under Title V, Chapter 1 of the EU Treaty, action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles of democracy, the rule of law, the universality, inalienability and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms; stresses that they constitute a common fundamental basis for relations with third countries;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Points out that economic and social rights form an integral part of human rights since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948; considers that it is the task of the EU to help implement them in the least developed and developing countries with which it signs international agreements, including trade agreements;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Underlines and recalls the attachment of the European Union and its Member States to the promotion of, and respect for, human rights, the rule of law and democracy at international level within the various international organisations and conferences; notes and deplores the discrepancy between the principles and values repeatedly enunciated by the EU in its numerous declarations and the actual level of commitment shown by the EU in terms of human rights and its policies in this area; points out in this respect that this approach is in many cases resulting in a policy of double standards and that persistent adherence to it by the EU and its Member States can only undermine the credibility of the EU regarding its commitment to human rights, the rule of law and democracy and, in the long term, result in the universality of human rights being called into question;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the European Parliament, the Council and Commission to make greater efforts to disseminate the EU annual reports on human rights and democracy and to ensure that it reaches as wide a readership as possible; recognises that in the current edition an improvement has been made in terms of clearer presentation, although the longer reporting period makes it difficult to use;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EU Member States to sign up to, and ratify, all core UN and Council of Europe human rights conventions and the optional protocols thereto, in particular to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the protocols of relevance to the EU and its Member States as regards the Union’s objectives and principles, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of 13 September 2007, the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; insists that the Optional Protocol to the Convention should be regarded as an integral part thereof, and calls for simultaneous accession to the latter (Convention and Protocol);
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Union, in the light of the social rights embodied in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the Community Charter of Fundamental Social Rights for Workers to accede to the 1961 Social Charter and the revised Social Charter; calls on the Commission to attend as an observer the relevant proceedings, including those of the Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) and the Social Charter Governmental Committee;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for enhanced cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union in the field of promoting and ensuring respect for human rights, including economic and social rights, minority rights and protecting regional and minority languages, using the legal tools of non-discrimination and existing social rights organisations to advocate diversity and tolerance;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Welcomes the support of the European Union for initiatives within the United Nations and other international forums to decriminalise homosexuality; calls for the continued support of the European Union for initiatives condemning infringements of individual rights regarding sexual orientation and gender in all international bodies in coordination with States sharing similar views; points out that the policy of most countries, including the EU, with regard to transsexual and transgender individuals is discriminatory and an infringement of human rights; calls therefore on the Member States and the European Union to remedy matters and guarantee equal access to healthcare and treatment, including surgical treatment, for these individuals; calls on the EU and Member States to give particular attention, through their admissions policy for example, to third country nationals who are the victims of discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Highlights the important role of the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) and calls on the Council, Commission and, in particular, the new European External Action Service (EEAS) to closely follow and monitor the undertakings of the Universal Periodic Review; calls on the Council, the Commission and in particular the new European External Action Service (EEAS) to make the Universal Periodic Reviews more effective and increase the weight attached to independent expert opinion in the context of the Universal Periodic Reviews;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the EEAS to strengthen their engagement with democratic governments from other regional groups within the UNHRC, with a view to improving the chances of success of initiatives aimed at respect for the principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; asks the Commission to provide an annual report on voting patterns at the UN in matters concerning human rights, which would analyse how these have been affected by the policies of the EU and its Member States and thoseto this end, calls on the Commission and the Member States to coordinate their actions more effectively and asks the Commission to assess the influence of the European Union and its Member States in favour of respect for, and promotion of, other bloc principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the special sessions of the HRC on the human rights situation in the east of the DRC, on the impact of the global economic and financial crises on the universal realisation and effective enjoyment of human rights, on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, and on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem; regrets that in the context; calls once more on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission and the Member States to endeavour to establish a common position for the European Union concerning the action taken ofn the special session on the OPT the majority of members applied a one-sided interpretreport by the UN fact-finding mission headed by Judge Goldstone on the Gaza conflict in the south of Israel and to endeavour to ensure the effective implementation of its recommendations, including those concerning the assignment of responsibilities for all violations of the Goldstone reportinternational law, including alleged war crimes;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Observes that, according to available information, the death sentence is a punishment reserved above all for the less privileged;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (subheading)
Paragraph 38 a (subheading)
Violence against women and on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Considers that violence against women is also expressed psychologically by the presence of a relationship of domination in society and by the dissemination of an image of submission; observes that in the field of work women remain underpaid in comparison with men and more of them are employed in precarious or part-time jobs; stresses therefore that the role of the Commission and Member States in this field, both within and outside the European Union, cannot be confined to combating violence in the narrow sense, given the need to combat violence against women in all its forms – physical, psychological, social and economic – and that priority should be assigned to education free of gender bias for boys and girls from the earliest age and to combating gender stereotypes;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42a. Expresses its serious concern about the resurgence of violence, including murder, against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people in a number of countries on all continents;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. Calls urgently for additional EU measures against child labour and calls for the EU to apply more efficiently the instruments at its disposal by incorporating them in human rights dialogues and consultations; calls for the EU to implement effectively the EU Guidelines on the Rights of the Child and to study the possibility of adopting guidelines on combating child labour; recognises the supportive role of EU trade policyalls that even EU trade policy can play a useful role in the fight against child labour, notably through the use of GSP+ incentives; hopes that in future this tool will be assessed better and will be the subject of an annual evaluation submitted to the European Parliament on the occasion of the annual debate on human rights;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Urges the Council, the Commission and the Member States to implement the measures proposed by Parliament in its resolution on EU policies in favour of human rights defenders, adopted in June 2010, attaching the same importance to human rights defenders irrespective of whether they concern themselves with economic, social, cultural or environmental rights or civil and political rights;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
Paragraph 55
55. Acknowledges conclusions in many human rights reports that human rights defenders have been suffering from increasingly strong attacks in various forms, such as attacks on freedom of expression or association, arbitrary arrests, unfair trials and closure of the offices of civil society organisations; calls on delegations from the Union to do more to help prevent such attacks in cooperation with the civil society organisations of the countries concerned, while taking care not to expose these organisations’ staff and supporters to danger;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Notes that the detention, as well as the release and subsequent deportation, of local human rights defenders in Cuba without the right of return is also a grave human rights violation; similarly condemns the fact that the five Cuban prisoners Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, René González, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando González have been imprisoned in the United States for 12 years without having undergone a fair and impartial trial; observes that the embargo against Cuba persists despite its condemnation in UN General Assembly Resolution 64/6 on the 'necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba’, for the 18th time in succession; calls on the European Union and its Member States to pursue the implementation of UN recommendations on this subject;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Paragraph 59 a (new)
59a. Stresses that, with a view to fulfilling its international human rights commitments, the EU should include, taking account of the nature of the agreements and the situation specific to each partner country, systematic clauses relating to democracy, the rule of law and human rights as well as social and environmental standards; considers that these clauses should allow the Commission to suspend at least temporarily trade advantages, including those stemming from free trade agreements, if sufficient evidence of human rights – including labour rights – violations is found, either on its own initiative or at the request of a Member State or the European Parliament; considers that, at all events, the EU should clearly indicate the appropriate penalties which could be applied to third countries which commit serious human rights violations, and should apply them; reiterates yet again its call for the Commission, the Council and in particular the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission to render effective the human rights clauses in the international agreements in force and consequently to establish a procedure for effective implementation of these clauses in the spirit of Articles 8, 9 and 96 of the Cotonou Agreement;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
Paragraph 60
60. Notes with satisfaction thatthat in theory the functioning of the GSP+ (Generalised System of Preferences) regime is closely monitored and that trade preferences are granted to countries that have ratified and effectively implemented key international conventions on sustainable development, social rights and good governance– particularly child labour – and good governance; observes that the penalties provided for by the GSP+ scheme have only very rarely been applied and calls on the Commission, therefore, to apply the provisions of the GSP+ scheme in an identical fashion to all beneficiary States which fail to comply with the clauses of the scheme; calls on the Commission to implement the European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2010 on GSP+ and to develop a more consistent and fairer benchmarking system for all countries that are assisted under the aforementioned scheme in order to monitor in a clear and transparent fashion achievements as well as setbacks in the development of human rights, including social, economic, cultural and environmental rights;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 a (new)
Paragraph 61 a (new)
61a. Notes that Colombia remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world in which to pursue trade union activity and that those who commit human rights violations, including against students, farmers, women and children, enjoy almost total impunity, a situation which the European Union ought to take into serious account before signing a free trade agreement with that country; strongly condemns the fact that the intelligence service (DAS), which is directly answerable to the President of the Republic, has undertaken systematic bugging and illegal actions intended to discredit senior judges, opposition parliamentarians and human rights defenders; recalls that the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, people residing in Europe and NGOs have also fallen victim to these actions; calls for these serious offences not to go unpunished; calls for the prosecution of Senator Piedad Córdoba – to whom the Colombian Government has officially entrusted a peace mission – to be halted and for her to be able to perform the duties of the office to which she has been democratically elected; calls on the Union to apply the recommendations concerning Colombia made in the 2009 report of the Committee against Torture;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 a (new subheading)
Paragraph 66 a (new subheading)
European neighbourhood policy and EU migration and asylum policy
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 b (new)
Paragraph 66 b (new)
66b. Is surprised by the Commission’s summary of the implementation of the European neighbourhood policy, even though it identifies shortcomings with regard to social policy, democracy and human rights; deplores the fact that the Union assigns priority to economic, diplomatic and political interests over promotion of and respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy, despite the democracy and human rights clauses in the various agreements with third countries parties to the European neighbourhood policy; is particularly concerned about the consequences of the readmission agreements concluded between the EU and third countries and of the policies of the EU and the Member States on illegal immigration, which disregard the rights of people subjected to refoulement or who are prevented from entering the territory of the Union, including to the detriment of the right of asylum;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 c (new)
Paragraph 66 c (new)
66c. Deplores more particularly the policies of the European Union and the Member States making certain third countries which are parties to the European neighbourhood policy the policemen of the immigration and asylum policies of the European Union; deplores the attitude of the wealthy countries towards developing and least developed countries as revealed by their migration policies; stresses that these policies take no account of the fact that international migration mainly takes place between these States (developing and least developed countries) and that this migration will be accelerated and intensified by the impact of climate change;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 d (new)
Paragraph 66 d (new)
66d. Deplores furthermore the opening of negotiations with certain third countries, particularly regarding the intensification of partnerships between the European Union and the countries concerned, despite the inadequate or deteriorating situation with regard to democracy, the rule of law and human rights in these third countries (particularly Libya and Tunisia);
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 e (new)
Paragraph 66 e (new)
66e. Regrets that the European Union is not taking advantage of these privileged relationships in the context of its various partnerships to bring its full weight to bear towards improving and strengthening human rights, the rule of law and democracy, as required in accordance with the democracy and human rights clauses contained in the association agreements between the EU and the third countries concerned;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 a (subheading)
Paragraph 66 a (subheading)
Freedom of religionexpression, conscience and breliefgion
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (subheading)
Paragraph 68 a (subheading)
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (new)
Paragraph 68 a (new)
68a. Stresses that for the EU freedom of conscience is a fundamental value, incorporating the freedom to believe or not to believe and the freedom to practice the religion of one’s choosing;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70 a (new)
Paragraph 70 a (new)
70a. Calls on the Commission to examine EU export regulations in the light of the scope for the transfer of technologies built according to European standards, including mobile phones, communication networks and software for Internet and digital censorship, data collection and data mining, including data of a personal nature, to repressive regimes; asks the Commission to table a proposal for a regulation on a new licensing system if this review suggests that legislative action is needed;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73
Paragraph 73
73. Notes that measures to fight terrorism have resulted in violations of basic human rights in a number of countries around the world, in the form of the application of excessive surveillance measures, illegal detentions and the use of torture as a means of extracting information from suspected terrorists; stresses that the fight against terrorism must not be used as an argument by certain governments to restrict or ban the lawful and legitimate action of human rights defenders; condemns these violations of human rights and is convinced that civil liberties should not be compromised in the fight against terrorism, as the disruption ofng normal democratic life in Western societielife and weakening the foundations of democracy and the state in those countries targeted by terrorist actions is precisely what the terrorists are seeking;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 a (new)
Paragraph 73 a (new)
73a. Is deeply concerned about the numerous and repeated invasions of privacy and attacks on the protection of personal data occurring in the context of the fight against terrorism; condemns, in particular, the latest US attempts at intimidation in international negotiations and certain countries’ blackmailing of telephone service providers into changing their security measures (blocking access to the Internet and certain other services) and the protection of the data relating to their services;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. Recalls the decision of US President Barack Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in January 2009; expresses its regret that this decision has not been fully implemented; urges the US Government to live up fully to its commitments; welcomes the constructive engagement of a number of EU Member States in their efforts to assist with reception of certain former Guantanamo detainees and with finding accommodation for some of the people cleared for release from the detention camp; points out that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental element of international law and that, consequently, any transfer of prisoners to EU Member States and third countries must first be subject to free and impartial legal proceedings;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75
Paragraph 75
75. Notes that following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty the codecision procedure applies to directives and other forms of legislation on the fight against terrorism and organised crime, whereas international agreements related to this subject will have to be assented to by Parliament; notes that these changes will give Parliament additional leverage on the right balance between security and human rights; undertakes, therefore, to act in line with its new prerogatives by consistently calling for respect for, and promotion of, human rights, civil and political liberties and democracy in all the EU’s relations with third countries and regional organisations;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82 a (new)
Paragraph 82 a (new)
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83 a (new)
Paragraph 83 a (new)
83a. Recognises that the economic and financial crisis is having a considerable social impact on people within and beyond the European Union; notes that the various austerity plans adopted by the European Union and other international institutions, such as the IMF, have often led to a worsening of the situation regarding social rights, a huge increase in unemployment and job insecurity, and a decline in living standards, particularly among the weakest and most vulnerable people in the countries concerned;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 84
Paragraph 84
84. Stresses that human rights include the right to food, water, education, adequate housing, land, decent work, social security and the right to form a trade union; condemns the fact that these rights are being cut back in a number of countries, including in the EU; recognises that it is poverty that is behind most of the situations of non-compliance with such rights; calls for the EU to invest more efforts and money in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), given the evidence that the world is falling far short of the goals set for 2015;
Amendment 403 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 84 a (new)
Paragraph 84 a (new)
84a. Points out that the UN defines slavery as ‘the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised’; deplores the fact that modern forms of slavery continue to exist, including in the European Union; calls, therefore, on the Commission to adopt a much firmer policy on this issue, particularly as regards domestic workers, the socioprofessional category most affected by these forms of slavery;
Amendment 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 85 a (new)
Paragraph 85 a (new)
85a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that companies which come under national or European law do not disregard human rights and the health and environmental standards applicable to them when they establish themselves or conduct their activities in a third country, in particular in developing countries;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86
Paragraph 86
86. WelcomNotes the efforts ofdecisions taken by the Commission and the Member States to fight the global economic and financial crisis and in this way reduce, but regrets that they have not taken into account the negative consequences this crose decisions hasve had on the human rights situation in the world; welcomes the 10th Special Session of the Human Rights Council entitled ‘The Impact of the Global Economic and Financial Crises on the Universal Realisation and Effective Enjoyment of Human Rights’, which took place on 20 February 2009;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 a (new)
Paragraph 86 a (new)
86a. Notes that natural resources are essential to life, deliver collective benefits and must therefore be considered as common goods of mankind; notes with concern, however, that local communities do not always have access to these resources and often receive little or no payment for the services they help to generate, despite being those hit hardest by the loss of biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystem services; stresses the importance, therefore, of defining policy tools aimed at addressing this unequal distribution of benefits derived from nature;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 b (new)
Paragraph 86 b (new)
86b. Notes that a significant number of individuals and cultural minorities do not have or no longer have access to certain resources because those resources are monopolised by companies or private entities benefiting from the support of the political authorities in the countries concerned; highlights the consequences of this situation in terms of food shortage owing to the expulsion of farmers, increase in food prices and restricted access to basic goods, such as water; calls, therefore, on the European Union and the Member States to take the necessary measures to put an end to the monopolisation of resources, particularly land, by European undertakings and to put forward proposals in international and regional forums and conferences (WTO, UNCTAD, IMF, OECD, etc.) for recognising global public goods and including them in a specific UN convention;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 96
Paragraph 96
96. Reiterates its calls for the electoral process, including both the pre- and post- electoral stages, to be incorporated into the different levels of political dialogue with the third countries concerned, with a view to ensuring the coherence of EU policies and reaffirmStresses the importance of providing electoral assistance and observation together with the United Nations; considers that this assistance should never become a form of EU interference ing the crucial role of human rights and democracypolitical life of third countries;