28 Amendments of Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER related to 2018/2098(INI)
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas respect for and the, promotion, indivisibility and safeguarding of the universality of natural law and human rdightsnity are the cornerstones of the EU’s ethical and legal acquis and its common security and defence policy (CFSP); whereas the EUof European nations; whereas European nations, as a civilised area, should continue to strive to be a leading player in the universal promotion and protection of human rights, includingnatural law, including the right to life, at a multilateral level, in particular through an active and constructive role in diverse UN bodies;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses profound concern about the pushback against democracy,Notes a worldwide pushback against liberal democracy, seen as an ideological project, in which national sovereignty is confined by a dogmatic and deterritorialized vision of positive human rights and the rule of law worldwide in 2017 and reiter, and states that the EU and its Member States must mortake actively pursue the principle of mainstreaming human rights and democracy, and ensure increased coherence between the EU’s internal and external human rights policies and greater coordination betweencount of this new global state of affairs to support multi-polarity with the return of national will and new progressive geopolitical factors; calls, in this connection, on the European Union to take account of this new reality, given that the Union, since its support for the war of aggression against the extFedernal policies of the Member States, as the EU’s influence as a credible and legitimate international actor is greatly shaped by its ability to advance respect for human rights and democracyRepublic of Yugoslavia in 1999, and its support of many coups d’état in the neighbouring region, the most recent one being the ‘Maidan’ coup d'état in Ukraine in February 2014, can no longer present itself to the world as a credible international actor both internally and externally;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the vital and central role played by human rights defenders and NGOs in promoting and supporting the application of the fundamental rights enshrined in the core international human rights treaties; underlines, in this respect, the importance of the EU’s capacity to maintain support, through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), for human rights defenders and NGOs in situations where they are most at risk, while devoting special attention to the ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism that a lasting process of establishing democracy and guaranteeing the rights of the person and human dignity can only be achieved by the endogenous dynamics of society; believes, therefore, that financing from outside political civil society, by external powers, harms this cause, rather than helping it, since it constitutes foreign interference that is often instrumentalised in the political process;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the EU’s active participation in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which has seen it sponsor and co-sponsor resolutions, issue statements, intervene in interactive dialogues and debates, and call for special sessions on the situation regarding human rights; recognises the EU’s commitments to addressing country situations in the UNHRC; stresses the importance of the EU’s engagement in dialogue and cooperation on human rights at a multilateral level; fully supports the UNHRC’s activities and engagement when defending human rights worldwideCalls for the withdrawal of the European Union from the UN Human Rights Council (CHR); stresses that this participation has no justification since the Treaty of Lisbon, which gave the European Union international legal personality, is a betrayal of democracy born of the annulment of the results of the spring 2005 referendums in France and the Netherlands;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Praises the work done byConsiders superfluous the appointment and maintenance of the EU’s Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR), Stavros Lambrinidis, in increasing the effectiveness, cohesion and visibility of human rights in EU foreign policy and recalls its request for his mandate to be made permanent; welcomes the recent approach on the EU’s Good Human Rights Stories initiative, which focuses on the best practices employed by various countriesas only the Member States are subjects of international law;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WelcomesTakes note of the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2017 and notes that it was adopted much earlier this year, in line with Parliament’s expectations; asks that the Council continue its efforts to finalise these annual reports earlier in the year; encourages the Council to ensure that the adoption of the next annual report is based on an adequate consultation process; considers the annual report to be an indispensable tool for scrutiny, communication and debate on the EU’s policy on human rights and democracy in the world;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Aacknowledges that the EU Human Rights Dialogues (HRDs) constitute a valuable mixed diplomacy tool for the promotion of human rights and democracy in bilateral relations with third countries; notes, however, the enduring obstacles to the achievement of concrete results via HRDs, such as the prevalence of double standards, a lack of a unified stance and divergent interests among the Member State; calls on the Commission to seek ways to make human rights dialogues more effective and meaningful and to react swiftly when they are not constructive, by utilising political dialogue or public diplomacy, in order to keep human rights concerns high on the political agenda; encourages the Commission to use clear benchmarks for the pUnion applies double standards in the area of human rights, in particular as regards Ukraine where the Union is silent on the arbitrary arrests, the torture of persons suspected of separatism, as well as on political assassinations and on the lack of progress in the investigation of the Odessa massacre of 2 May 2014; underlines that the first task of a State is to protect its vital interests and that the human rights ideology masks a cynical geostrategic positioning often serving the American deep state and multinational enterprises, whose millions of eurposes of evaluating the success of each dialogue; advises the EU institutions, moreover, to provide adequate training on human rights for EU delegation officials and staff spent on lobbying serve to convince the Union’s elites to support the criminal authorities in Kiev, Pristina, Chisinau or, in the past, Tbilisi;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Expresses its grave concern at the gradual shrinking of civil society space in 2017, including when, under the pretext of combating 'false information', certain Member States or neighbouring countries prohibit the broadcasting of alternative radio or television stations such as Russia Today or Radio Sputnik, and deplores the fact that human rights defenders and NGOs are too often the target of violence, harassment and intimidation; is concerned about the continued imposition of travel bans on human rights activists who wish to attend sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and other international institutions and calls for the governments involved to lift these bans; emphasises that it is unacceptable that representatives of civil society and the media are prevented from participating in the work of international bodies, and insists that the fundamental human and political rights of civil society representatives be respected;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Denounces the fact that media freedom had never been so threatened as it was in 2017, especially when, in the name of the fight against hate speech, the defence of human rights is instrumentalised to prohibit the debate on certain subjects, such as immigration and, in the name of the fight against 'fake news', to prohibit non-conformist but factual information; reiterates the importance of freedom of expression, both online and offline, as it fosters a culture of pluralism; strongly condemns the threats, intimidation and attacks against journalists, independent media, bloggers and whistle- blowers, as well as hate speech, defamation laws and incitements to violence, as they constitute a threat to the rule of law and the values embodied by human rights; believes that the free expression of legitimate and peaceful grievances must be allowed;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Strongly condemns the fact that so many human rights defenders faced digital threats in 2017, including compromised data through the confiscation of equipment, remote surveillance and data leakages; condemns the practice of online surveillance and hacking, – particularly by the American intelligence services which enjoy privileged access – for the purposes of gathering information, which can be used in legal cases or defamation campaigns; expresses its concern at the ever-increasing use of certain cyber surveillance dual-use technologies against politicians, activists and journalists; welcomes, in this regard, the EU institutions’ ongoing efforts to update the dual-use export control regulation;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Acknowledges that the open internet and technological advances have enabled human rights abuses to be reported more swiftly; criticises the attempts by some governments to control mass communication tools; is concerned at the prevalence of fake news and disinformation generated by state and non- state actors in 2017, which may have contributed to the spreading of anti- human rights narratives, limited access to free, accurate and impartial information, incited violence, hatred or discrimination against certain groups or individuals, and affected the outcomes of elections; underlines that the false mass-graves in Timisoara, devised by opponents of Ceausescu in December 1989, the false murders of newborns in incubators by Iraqi troops in Kuwait City in 1990, the false massacre at Racak, in Kosovo in January 1999, the fake weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003, are all striking examples of war propaganda conducted by CNN, the BBC and almost all of the media in the Western world; asserts, therefore, that the controversy over 'fake information' is a new weapon of the elites in power to justify the closure of domestic or foreign alternative media;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reaffirms that freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, and the rights to apostasy and to espouse atheistic views, must be enhanced unconditionally through interreligious and intercultural dialogue; condemns the persecution of and attacks against ethnic and religious groups in 2017; deplores the attempts by state actors to limit freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression by adopting and implementing blasphemy laws, among other means; condemns the interference of political power in religious affairs, particularly in Ukraine, Montenegro and Macedonia, where the State puts pressure on the Orthodox Church to renounce its spiritual patriarchate; requests that further action be taken to protect religious minorities, non-believers and atheists, including the victims of blasphemy laws, and calls for the EU and its Member States to increase their engagement in political discussions to repeal such laws; supports the EU’s efforts to implement the Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Considers it deeply regrettable that torture, inhuman or degrading treatment and the death penalty continue to be applied in many countries all over the world, and calls for the EUMember States to intensify itstheir efforts to eradicate these practices; welcomes the formal launch of the Alliance for Torture-Free Trade on 18 September 2017 and the establishment of the EU Anti-Torture Coordination Group, which is tasked with following its implementation; welcomes, in this regard, updates to EU legislation on trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other treatment or punishment; notes that in 2017, the number of executions carried out worldwide fell by 4 % compared with the previous year; calls on countries that have not already done so to establish an immediate moratorium on the death penalty as a step towards its abolition;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly condemns all heinous crimes and human rights violations committed by state and non-state actors; urges the EU and its Member States to fight crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and to ensure that their perpetrators are brought to justice, including the perpetrators of the illegal bombing of civilian installations in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999; calls for the EU to provide support for organisations that collect, keep and protect evidence – digital or otherwise – of the crimes committed by any parties to these conflicts, in order to facilitate their prosecution at an international level; suppor, including when this concerns the representatives and decision-makers of Western states; doubts the key role played by the International Criminal Court (ICC) including in cases where the states concerned are unable or unwilling to exercise their jurisdiction; c, with recent trialls on all the signatories of the Rome Statute to coordinate and cooperate with the ICC; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR on International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impundemonstrating the neo-colonial character of this institution, which will only be credible when the war crimes of Western troops, or those acting on their behalf at local level, will be referred to it and tried in ity;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that corruption undermines the rule of law, democracy and the competitiveness of economies, and puts human rights at risk; calls for improvements to anti-corruption mechanisms and practices, such as the imposition of sanctions on those individuals and countries that commit serious corruption offences; calls on the EEAS and the CommissionCouncil to devise joint programming on human rights and the fight against corruption, in particular initiatives for improving transparency, fighting impunity and strengthening anti- corruption agencies;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Notes with appreciation the adoption of the revised EU Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child; underlines the fact that children are often exposed to specific abuses, such as child marriage, genital mutilation and child labour, especially in humanitarian crises and armed conflicts, and therefore require enhanced protection; stresses the need to step up the EU’sMember States' engagement when it comes to addressing the protection of children, including unaccompanied minors, and to devote particular attention to education and psycho-social support; expresses concern at the dangers of a dogmatic application of the rights of the child which would lead to the creation of a new immigration channel; reaffirms the centrality of the family and the role of the parents as the first educators and their children’s protectors; stresses that the rights of the child must not be the pretext for State interference in the functioning and beliefs of families;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Denounces and explicitly rejects trafficking in human beings; underlines the fact that trafficking in human beings is a modern kind of slavery, and a serious crime which constitutes one of the worst forms of human rights violations; emphasises, in this respect, the importance of a consistent approach to the internal and external dimensions of the EU’s policies for combating trafficking in human beings; calls for the EU and the Member States to increase cooperation with third countries in order to investigate all stages of trafficking in human beings; calls for an in-depth investigation into the crimes reported in Report 12462 of 7 January 2011 of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on 'Inhuman treatment of persons and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo' drawn up by Swiss Senator Dick Marty;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers GSP+ trade schemes to be one of the main EU trade policy instruments for promoting human rights and environmental standards with third countries; calls on the Commission to review and better monitor GSP+ schemes in order to ensure that human rights standards are upheld by beneficiary countries;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on all the Member States to strictly observe the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and in particular to halt all transfers of weapons, surveillance and intelligence equipment and material that could be used by governments to crack down on human rights;Reaffirms that the export of arms is a sovereign Member State responsibility
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Takes notes of the manifold benefits the internet provides; is concerned, however, at large commercial operators’ mass collection, for marketing purposes, of users’ personal data without their full awareness and/or consent, which could then be used in potentially harmful ways, including in affecting electoral outcomes and political decision-making; calls on data companies to undertake human rights assessments; deplores business models that are based on human rights violations and calls for personal data to be collected in accordance with data protection rules and human rights; stresses that policy making in this area is only possible if countries manage their digital sovereignty properly, for example through the promotion and organisation of hardware and software sectors guaranteeing their technological independence on digital value chain nodes;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Recognises that terrorism and radicalisation pose acute threats to democracy and human rights and regrets the fact that the attacks perpetrated in 2017 often targeted the very individuals or groups who embody these values; supports the EU’s efforts to combat terrorism and radicalisation, including EU-wide initiatives and networks such as the Radicalisation Awareness Network, but reiterates that all efforts must comply with international human rights laws; calls on the Commissionuncil to develop a better exchange and coordination of information via its channels and agencies in order to swiftly prevent, identify and bring to justice terrorist threats;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33