Activities of Jean-Jacob BICEP related to 2013/2082(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT with a proposal for a European Parliament recommendation to the Council on the draft EU Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief PDF (190 KB) DOC (96 KB)
Amendments (7)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
Citation 3
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and General Comment 22 by the Office of the UN High Commissioner forUnited Nations Human Rights Committee,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) Violence against religious communitiepersons belonging to religious communities and minorities or against persons who hold non-religious beliefs, with political, socio- economic or ideological roots, persists in many parts of the world; clear condemnation by the European Union of all forms of violence and discrimination should be a basic element of EU policy in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) The purpose and scope of the EU Guidelines should be to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief in third countries, to mainstream freedom of religion or belief in all the EU's external actions and human rights policies and to develop clear benchmarks, criteria, standards and a practical orientation in order to enhance the promotion of freedom of religion or belief in the work of civil servants and EU officialofficials from the EU institutions and Member States.
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) While freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression are mutually reinforcing rights, in cases where these two rights are invoked against each other, the EU should also recall that modern media tools can afford a close interconnectedness between cultures and faiths. Therefore steps need to be taken to avoid inter- cultural violence as a reaction to acts of freedom of expression related to criticism and especially ridicule.In this context, the EU should condemn unequivocally any act of violence committed in reaction to such speech and it should firmly oppose any attempt to criminalise freedom of speech in relation to religious issues, such as blasphemy laws.
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) It should be stressed in the Guidelines that an indispensable part of freedom of religion or belief is the right to manifest the freedom of religion or belief in community with others; this includes the freedom to establish and maintain places of worship and religious sites, to establish and maintain appropriate religious, social and charitable institutions with legal personality and organisational autonomy, including the freedom to appoint personnel and leaders of these institutions without external interference from the state, the freedom to provide religious teaching and training, the freedom to exercise one's ministry, the freedom to observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one's religion or belief and the freedom to carry out charitable activities. Equally, it should be noted in the Guidelines that the right to exercise religion in community with others should not unnecessarily be limited to officially recognised places of worship, and that all undue limitations to the freedom of assembly should be condemned by the EU.The Guidelines should underline that States have a duty to remain neutral and impartial towards religious groups, including as regards symbolic or financial support.
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) Proper and ongoing monitoring and assessment of the situation in the area of freedom of religion or belief in the world has to be ensured by the European External Action Service, under the responsibility of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and a special section should continue to be devoted to this issue in the EU's Annual report on Human Rights in the World, including recommendations for improvement. The EU Special Rapporteurepresentative for Human Rights should pay particular attention to questions relating to the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief in the course of all his or her activities, and regularly inform the European Parliament and its relevant committees of areas of concern and progress achieved.
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) The EU's external financial instruments should be used both as incentives and deterrents (for example, freezing funds) with regard to freedom of religion or belief in a particular country, as this forms an integral part of the assessment of the whole human rights situation in the country. UIn case of serious deterioration of the human rights situation including with regards to fredeom of religion or belief, the EU should apply the existing human rights clauses in EU external agreements should be encouragwith the country concerned.