BETA

Activities of Auke ZIJLSTRA related to 2018/2103(INI)

Plenary speeches (1)

Situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2017 (debate) NL
2016/11/22
Dossiers: 2018/2103(INI)

Amendments (52)

Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
— having regard to the reports by national, European and international NGOs,deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5
— having regard to the work carried out by the Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission,deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
— having regard to the Fundamental Rights Report 2017 of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)2 , __________________ 2 European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Fundamental Rights Report 2017, http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2017/f undamental-rights-report-2017deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
A. whereas the FRA report entitled ‘Violence against women: an EU-wide survey’, published in March 2014, shows thatdidn’t research one of the root causes of violence against women nerelateds to be tackled in all EU Member States, including those which have not yet ratified the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention)religion or ideology such as Islam and need to be tackled in all EU Member States, given the extent of the problem, the severe consequences of violence and the impact it has on women’sEU-citizens’ lives as well as on society as a whole;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
B. whereas women and girls in the EU experience structural gender inequality in a variety of forms and in a range of settings – including gender discrimination, gender-based violence and misogynistic hate speech – which severely limits their ability to enjoy their rights and to participate on an equal footing in society; whereas in 2017, the #MeToo movement raised awareness of the scale and intensity of the sexual harassment and sexual and gender-based violence women face;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas freedom of speech and freedom of expression are the cornerstones of our societies and should remain protected at all cost;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas in democratic societies, freedom of assembly is one of the instruments by which people can participate in the public debate and bring about social change; whereas media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression and are vital to the democratic functioning of the EU and its Member States; whereas journalists and other media actors in the EU face multiple attacks, threats and pressures from state and non-state actors causing possible self- censorship;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas Article 21 (1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states that any discrimination based on grounds such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, languages or membership of a national minority shall be prohibited; whereas migrants, descendants of migrants and members of minority ethnic groups continue to face widespread discrimination across the EU and in all areas of life; whereas, in spite of numerous calls on the Commission, only limited steps have been taken to ensure the effective protection of minorities; whereas persistent racist and xenophobic attitudes are embraced by opinion leaders and politicians across the EU, fostering a social climate that provides fertile ground for racism, discrimination and hate crimes;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides the right to freedom of expression and information, which includes the right of freedom to hold opinions, and to receive and impart information and ideas;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas discrimination on grounds of gender is in violation with article 19 TFEU;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
E. whereas respect for the rule of law is a prerequisite for the protection of fundamental rights, and whereas Member States have the ultimate responsibility to safeguard the human rights of all people by enacting and implementing international human rights treaties and conventions; whereas the rule of law and fundamental rights should be continually consolidated; whereas any attempt to undermine these principles is to the detriment not only of the Member State concerned but also of the Union as a whole;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
F. whereas the arrival in Europe of illegal migrants and asylum seekers continued in 2017; whereas this reality requires real EU solidarity to put in place adequate reception structures for those most in need and most vulnerable; whereas many migrants place their lives in the hands of smugglers and criminals and are vulnerable to violations of their rights, including violence, abuse and exploitation; whereas women and children are at higher risk of being trafficked and sexually abused at the hands of traffickers and there is therefore a need to build and strengthen child protection systems to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect and the exploitation of children, in line with the commitments set out in the Valletta Action Plan are due to the open border policy and Schengen, while many Member States want to be sovereign and in control of their borders as has been proven by reinforced border controls in many Member States and election results in Italy, Hungary, Austria and Bavaria;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
G. whereas the FRA has become a centre of excellence in providing fundamental rights evidence to the EU institutions and Member States;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Notes with concern that the 2017 FRA paper entitled ‘Challenges to women’s human rights in the EU’ confirms that women and girls experience persistent gender discrimination, sexist hate speech, and genderreligious-based violence and intimidation in the EU, which severely limits their ability to enjoy their rights and to participate on an equal footing in society;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Calls in this regard on EU Member States to consider six main areas of intervention to step up their commitment to safeguarding the dignity and rights of women and girls, as suggested in the FRA report: empowering equality bodies to deal with the entire range of issues that impacts on women’s rights, from gender equality to violence against women; improving safety online; promoting gender equality in education and life-long learning more effectively; introducing gender quotas as a bold step towards positive action; mainstreaming gender equality in the coordination of economic policies across the EU through the European Semester; improving data collection and dissemination of knowledge on all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reminds that discrimination on grounds of gender is in violation with article 19 TFEU;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the signing of the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention on 13 June 2017, despite the limitation to only two mandates; regrets that, to date, only 19 Member States have ratified the Convention and calls on the remaining Member States to do so without delay; recognises that when it comes to determining European standards for the protection of women against violence, the Istanbul Convention is the most important point of reference; calls on the Council to swiftly agree on the Code of Conduct, which will govern the implementation of the Convention by the EU;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the signing of the EU’s accession toRegrets that the Istanbul Convention signed on 13 June 2017, despite the limitation to only two mandates; regrets that, to date, only 19 Member States have ratified the Convention and calls on the remaining Member States to do so without delay; recognises that when it comes to determining European standards for the protection of women against violence, the Istanbul Convention is the most important point of reference; calls on the Council to swiftly agree on the Code of Conduct, which will govern the implementation of the Convention by the EUoes not include religious-based induced violence;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses concern about the risk of misogyny in European societies and its impact on women’s fundamental rights in all spheres of life; calls onwelcomes Member States to address the key obstacles to gender equality in economic empowerment and political participation, including sexual harassment which hampers women’s full participation in the labour market; highlights the fact that gender stereotypes must be tackled from an early age to effectively address the under- representation of women in work, decision making and politics; calls on Member States to appropriately address this issue in school curricula;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages EU Member States to take effective steps to respect and protect women’s sexual and reproductive rights, including a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the rights to life, to health, to be free from torture and ill-treatment, to privacy, equality and non-discrimination; recalls that Member States have the obligation, under international human rights law, to provide all women with accessible, affordable, good quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and services; notes that this should include the elimination of laws, policies and practices that infringe upon these rights as well as the prevention of the erosion of existing protections;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes Member States to take adequate measures to safeguard and promote a pluralist, independent and free media landscape in the service of democratic society, including the independence and sustainability of the media, which are crucial elements of a favourable environment for freedom of expression;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that public deliberation and debate are the lifeblood of a healthy and functioning democracy and encourages, in this context, the EU and the Member States to take further steps to safeguards and protect freedom of speech and assembly as basic principles of democratic processes; strongly condemns in this regard the increasing restrictions on freedom of assembly, which the authorities have enforced in some cases with violence against protesters; reaffirms the crucial role of these fundamental freedoms in the functiassembly and freedom of speech including the right to publish all opinions in (onling of democratic societies and calls on the Commission to take an active role in promoting these rights in line with international human rights standarde)media as basic principles of democratic processes;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Reminds the EU institutions that all citizens have a guaranteed right to freedom of speech; calls on the EU institutions to respect this right of EU citizens to freedom of speech in all their decisions, actions and policies, as a means to thoroughly uphold media pluralism and media freedom;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Expresses its concern that few specific legal provisions to ensure the protection of media actors from violence, threats and pressures can be identified at national level in EU Member States; expresses its concern over the precarious working conditions for journalists including non-paid reporters, bloggers or columnists and the amount of psychological violence they witness, which compromises their ability to work appropriately and thus hampers media freedoerefore could threaten media freedom and media pluralism;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the factNotes that whistle- blowing is an essential element in investigative journalism and press freedom, and in this context recalls its resolution of 24 October 2017 on legitimate measurtherefore welcomes Member States to have protection for whistle-blowers acting in the public interest when disclosing the confidential information of companies and public bodies3; __________________ 3in national law accordingly; __________________ 3 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0402. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0402.
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. WelcomDeplores the Commission’s decision to establish a High Level Expert Group on fake news and online disinformation as this leads to censorship; expresses its concern about the potential threat the notion of fake news could pose to freedom of speech and expression and to the independence of the media, while underlining the negative effects that the spreading of falske news might have on the quality of political debate and on the well-informed participation of citizens in democratic societycoming from the European Institutes;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Expresses deep concerns about the obstacles to the workmisbehaviour of human rights defenders, including civil society organisations active in the field of fundamental rights and democracy; recognises the key role of these organisations in making fundamental rights and values a reality for everyone and stresses that such as Oxfam and Save the children, as they should be able to carry out their work in a safe and well- supported environment; is concerned by the closing down of civil society space; calls on the EU and the Member States to address proactively the root caexual abuse is said to be “endemic” in the international aid sector according to the Houses of shrinking civil society space and to uphold their fundamental rightsCommons International Development Committee;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Welcomes initiatives of Member States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and secure environment for journalists and other media actors, enabling them to perform their work in full independence and without undue interference – such as the threat of violence, harassment, financial, economic and political pressure, pressure to disclose confidential sources and materials, targeted surveillance, and the opinion of the ‘EU versus disinformation’;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Points out that all EU Member States should address adequately discriminatory or violent reactions against the schooling of migrant and refugee children, both through law enforcement and by promoting mutual understanding and social cohesion; calls on Member States to structurally address respect for diversity, intercultural understanding and human rights, including children’s rights, in regular school curricuhave laws against aggression in national law;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Member States to make efforts to systematically record, collect and publish annually comparable data on ethnic discrimination and hate crime in order to enable them and other key stakeholders to develop effective, evidence-based legal and policy responses to these phenomena; recalls that any data should be collected in accordance with national legal frameworks and EU data protection legislation;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to continue their efforts to ensure the effective practical enforcement of the Race Equality Directive (2000/43/EC)4 and to ensure effective enforcement of the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia to tackle persisting discrimination against Roma, anti- Semitism, Islamophobia, Afrophobia and anti-Gypsyism; points out that the Member States should review their national integration strategies to ensure that all people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion gender or any other status are empowered to engage actively in the process of inclusion by promoting their social, economic, political and cultural participation in society; __________________ 4deleted OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22.
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls that the rule of law is part of and a prerequisite for the protection of all values listed in Article 2 of the TEU; calls on all relevant actors at national level, including governments, parliaments and the judiciary to step up efforts to uphold and reinforce the rule of law; recalls that these actors have the responsibility to address rule of law concerns and that they play an important role in preventing any erosion of the rule of law, which is not a blind application of law but our democratic acceptance of being ruled by law;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls that the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, has the legitimacy and authority to ensure that all Member States are upholding the principles of the rule of law and the other values referred to in Article 2 of the TEU; insists that Article 7 of the TEU should be employed if all other remedies have failed;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Recalls Parliament’s resolution with recommendations to the Commission on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights5 , adopted on 10 October 2016; reiterates its call on the Commission to submit, on the basis of Article 295 of the TFEU, a proposal for the conclusion of a Union Pact for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (EU Pact for DRF) in the form of an interinstitutional agreement laying down arrangements facilitating the cooperation between the Union institutions and the Member States in the framework of Article 7 of the TEU; __________________ 5deleted OJ C 215, 19.6.2018, p. 162.
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Shares the view that any rule of law assessment should be based on solid, objective and comparable data and analysis; Welcomes in this regard the FRA’s new European Union Fundamental Rights Information System (EFRIS), which will bring together all existing information relevant to fundamental rights delivered under the different mechanisms at UN, Council of Europe and EU level;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Points out that improving the quality, independence and efficiency of national justice systems, in particular judges, prosecutors and lawyers, remains a key priority of the European Union; stresses that there is an urgent need to introduce a gender-sensitive perspective into the Member States’ legal and judicial systems, including the development and institutionalisation of the gender component into training programmes for all judiciary staffremains part of the sovereignty of Member States;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Expresses concern about persistent fundamental rights challenges in the area of migration, with regard to access to territory, reception conditions, asylum procedures, immigration detention and protection of unaccompanied children;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on Member States to introduce specific safeguards to guarantee that the interoperability of large-scale IT systems does not lead to adverse effects on the rights of children or vulnerable persons, such as applicants for and beneficiaries of international protection, or to discriminatory profiling; calls on Member States to ensure that the implementation of interoperability aims at fulfilling a child protection objective, such as identifying missing children and assisting family reunification;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Emphasises that the EU and the Member States should develop credible and effective systems that would make it unnecessary to detain children for asylum or return purposes; stresses the importance of taking the principle of the best interests of the child into consideration in all aspects concerning children as well as of the practical implementation of the right to be heard; recalls that Article 14 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 28 of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child guarantee the right to education to every child, including migrant and refugee children, both unaccompanied and accompanied and avoiding separated schooling and segregation; stresses that Member States should ensure that migrant and refugee children are effectively supported through linguistic, social and psychological support based on individual assessment of their nepoints out that therefore repeat asylum procedures should be prohibiteds;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses that Member States should consider putting into place a combination of protection-related schemes, such as resettlement and humanitarian admission, and regular mobility schemes to promote legal pathways to the EU for persons in need of protection; recalls that any action undertaken by a Member State, when acting within the scope of EU law, must respect the rights and principles of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; calls on EU Member States to effectively ensure the right to asylum and to accept relocation of refugees from Member States most affected by high numbers of arrivals; also calls on Member States to respect the principle of non-refoulement and introduce adequate procedural safeguards to their asylum and border procedures, including safeguards against collective expulsion;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
26. Recognises the work carried out by different NGOs operating in the Mediterranean in their effort to save lives and provide humanitarian assistance to those in need; calls on Member States to transpose the humanitarian assistance exemption provided for in the Facilitation Directive with the objective of reducing the unintended consequences the Facilitators’ Package has for citizens providing humanitarian assistance to migrants and on the social cohesion of the receiving society;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Whereas the collusion between some NGOs and smuggler networks have been documented, encouraging illegal migration toward Member States;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Stresses the urgent need to restore internal border controls;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26c. Is of the opinion that also NGO's should completely obey the law;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Acknowledges that before envisaging any kind of integration process, it is important to address the vulnerabilities and specific needs of all migrants; recalls that the assessment of the needs of migrants should happen regularly and as long as it is needed, as their situation and needs might evolve; underlines the fact that reunification with family members is a powerful tool to empower migrants and give them the feeling that they can start settling and integrating in their new host society;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Points out that renaming 'illegal migrants' as 'irregular migrants' does not make the act of crossing borders legal;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Is of the opinion that family reunification is a threat to order, security, culture preservation and national identity, without complete acceptance of the norms and values of the host country;
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6
Role and mandate of the FRAdeleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Welcomes the positive findings of the FRA’s second independent external evaluation for the period 2013 to 2017 (October 2017) and the pursuant recommendations from the FRA’s Management Board;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Reiterates the European Parliament’s calls for alignment of the FRA’s mandate with the Lisbon Treaty, including by making ‘explicit’ that the Founding Regulation covers police and judicial cooperation;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 413 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the opinions of the FRA on draft EU legislation and agrees with the recommendation of its Management Board that ‘[w]here the EU legislator deals with legislative files that raise fundamental rights questions, the Agency should be able to provide its assistance and expertise where and when it is needed and not only when it is formally requested. Therefore, in order to make full use of the Agency’s expertise in the legislative process, the Founding Regulation should allow the Agency to deliver non-binding opinions on draft EU legislation on its own initiative’;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
31. Recommends that EU legislators requests independent and external human rights advice from the FRA whenever a legislative file raises serious fundamental rights concerns;deleted
2018/10/05
Committee: LIBE