Activities of Karol KARSKI related to 2021/2181(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2021
Amendments (14)
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the World, constituting 80% of persecuted religious believers in the World; whereas this persecution ranges from routine discrimination in education, employment and social life, through limitations on all forms of expression up to physical attacks against Christian communities, which come close to meeting the international definition of genocide,
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the importance of both the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe and the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020–2024 for this goal; recalls that the use of the rule of qualified majority voting within the Council on human rights issues would result in a more effective and proactive EU foreign and security policy, and would strengthe is needed, focused on cooperation on matters of key strategic interest for the EU, while reflecting its fundamental values;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Given the fact that human rights dialogues are intended to be a central part of the EU’s foreign policy toolbox, highlights that they cannot be an end in themselves; therefore calls on the EEAS and the Council to strike a better balance between diplomacy, interests and values, more in line with the human rights objectives guiding the EU’s external action with a greater focus on a long-term perspective; underlines that in order to avoid being accused of using double standards, the EU should only promote these values which lie within its competences in line with the Lisbon Treaty and avoid being vocal on subjects which remain within the sole remit of the Member States, including the matters of conscience;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Underlines that COVID-19 has significantly strengthened the recent trends of authoritarian regimes weakening democracy; deplores the abuse of the epidemiological crisis by these regimes to further constrain the freedom of expression and of assembly through restricting the functioning of democratic institutions, the repression of dissent, including limiting media freedom both online and offline and targeting critics with defamation campaigns, the mass use of surveillance tools, disinformation campaigns, limiting access to information through blanket internet shutdowns, bandwidth throttling and content blocking, emergency measures implemented without clear criteria for their revocation and the restrictions placed on the democratic exercise of elections, as well as using selective access to healthcare as means of discrimination against parts of populations based on ethnicity, caste or religion;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Highlights the highly negative impact of COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected women, LGBTIQ persons and vulnerable groups, including the poor, children, persons with disabilities, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, religious minorities, informal workers and persons in prison or detention, among others; stresses that vulnerable groups are also more affected by the negative economic and social consequences of the pandemic, as well as the restrictions in access to healthcare and education; notes with concern the increase in hate speech against certain vulnerable groups, in particular minority groups;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. points out that some countries have a particularly worrying track record when it comes to persecution, harassment, intimidation, kidnappings and extrajudicial killings of the human rights defenders, often linked to their work in the illegally occupied territories or their belonging to specific ethnic or religious minorities; underlines that state violence against own citizens fighting for their basic rights is a common phenomenon in many countries; calls on the EU to increase the support for non- governmental and civic organisations that support democratic changes and protection of human rights;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Highlights the interdependence between human rights, a healthy environment and combating climate change, and welcomes the UN’s call for global recognition of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment; underlines the vital role played by environmental human rights defenders and local and indigenous populations in preserving such an environment, despite the threats of violence that they often face from those responsible for, and profiting from, environmentally harmful practices; encourages the EU and the Member States to promote the recognition of ecocide as an international crime under the Rome Statute of the ICC, and requests that the Commission study the relevance of ecocide to EU law and EU diplomacy;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Stresses that States have the primary responsibility to promote and safeguard the human rights of persons belonging to belief or religious minorities, including their right to exercise their religion or belief and their right not to believe, and to protect them against the violations of those rights, in particular, crimes against humanity and genocide;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Points out that persecution and discrimination of some religious communities - notably Christians, Muslims and Jews - is taking place in large number of countries; calls on the Member States and the EEAS - while underlining inalienable right of all religious minorities to live free of harassment - to take special note of these cases and react to them accordingly;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act) as an essential addition to the EU’s human rights and foreign policy toolbox, which strengthens the EU’s role as a global human rights actor by allowing it to take restrictive measures against legal and natural persons involved in grave human rights violations in the world; condemns any arbitrary and unjustified retaliatory restrictive measures imposed on the EU or other entities as a response to the EU’s decisions under the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act; regretstakes note of the fact that the Council has decided to apply unanimity instead of qualified majority voting when adopting sanctions on human rights issues;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Reaffirms the inalienable human rights of migrants and refugees, and calls for the EU and its Member States to fully uphold them in their cooperation with third countries, both in terms of the establishment of high legal standards and, equally importantly, their operationalisation in order to ensure the effective protection of these rights in practice; reiterates its call on the Commission to carry out a review of the human rights impact of migration policy frameworks and of the EU’s cooperation on migration with third countries; underlines the risks related to informal arrangements on return and readmission, which are not subject to judicial scrutiny and therefore do not allow for effective redress for human rights violations suffered by migrants and asylum seekers; is of an opinion that supporting peace, stability and economic wellbeing in potential states of origin is the best way of reducing the irregular migratory flows, that allows people to stay in their homeland; in this regards, calls on the European Commission to study best ways of engagement with these countries wherever possible;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Equally, calls for independent, effective mechanisms to monitor formal readmission agreements, both at the EU’s borders and in partner countries in order to ensure full respect for human rights, including the principle of non-refoulement; recalls that the right to asylum is guaranteed by Article 18 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; expresses its hope that the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, including the new European Union Agency for Asylum, will help the EU Member States in creating efficient, properly functioning asylum systems, improving protection for asylum seekers and respecting the principles of the fair sharing of responsibility and solidarity among Member States; reiterates the need for a European agreement on a humanitarian visa or on the use of the European Temporary Protection Directive;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Calls on the HR/VP and the Council to pay special attention to the human rights situation in the illegally occupied territories in the Eastern Partnership countries, and take effective measures with the aim to prevent grave human rights abuses on the ground, including the violation of right to life, restriction of freedom of movement, and discrimination on the ground of ethnicity;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Stresses that freedom of speech and expression, as well as media pluralism, are at the heart of resilient democratic societies; urges that the best possible safeguards against ongoing disinformation campaigns and hostile propaganda originating from authoritarian states and non-state actors, such as terrorist groups be put in place by developing a legal framework both at EU and international level for tackling hybrid threats, including cyber and information warfare;