Activities of Maria ARENA related to 2021/2181(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Human rights and democracy in the world – annual report 2021 (continuation of debate)
Amendments (85)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the UN Declaration on human rights defenders, adopted by consensus on 10 December 1998,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
— having regard to the UN SR Report on the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the digital age (A/HRC/41/41, 2019),
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
— having regard to the info note of the UN Special Rapporteur Annalisa Ciampi on strategic litigation against public participations and rights to freedom of assembly and association,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 c (new)
Citation 13 c (new)
— having regard to the UN report on the adverse effect of the surveillance industry on freedom of expression (A/HRC/41/35,2019),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights ‘Human Rights Comment: Time to take action against SLAPPs’ issued on 27 October 2020,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication of 12 September 2012 ‘The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe's engagement with Civil Society in external relations’ (COM (2012) 0492),
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)
Citation 18 b (new)
— having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 8 April 2020 on the Global EU response to COVID-19,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 3 July 2018 on violation of the rights of indigenous peoples in the world, including land grabbing,
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 b (new)
Citation 23 b (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 11 February 2021 on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability (2020/2129(INL)),
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 c (new)
Citation 23 c (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 19 May 2021 on the effects of climate change on human rights and the role of environmental defenders on this matter (2020/2134(INI)),
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 d (new)
Citation 23 d (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2020 on Gender Equality in EU’s foreign and security policy (2019/2167(INI)),
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
— having regard to the Council conclusions of 16 November 2015 on the EU’s support to transitional justice,
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 b (new)
Citation 27 b (new)
— having regard to the EU’s Policy Framework on support to transitional justice,
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as set out in Article 2 of the TEU; whereas no one shall be persecuted or harassed in any way for their involvement in activities to protect human rights or democracy; whereas silencing dissenting voices and curbing public participation and access to information have a direct impact on human rights and democracy;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas EU’s policies and actions concerning Human Rights protection and promotion in the world should keep moving forward towards a more assertive, decisive and effective action, employing all our instruments; whereas the EU should undertake an assessment of its Human Rights Toolbox with the aim of strengthening it and constantly explore the best ways for the EU to effectively act with concrete actions and employing the most adequate instruments to address Human Rights’ violations and abuses worldwide;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is extremely concerned by the challenges to human rights and democracy, resulting in the weakening of the protection of democratic institutions and of universal human rights, as well as the shrinking space for civil society, observed around the world; calls for the EU and its Member States to make stronger efforts to address the challenges to human rights, both individually and in cooperation with like- minded international partners; calls on the EU and its Members States to act a truly global leader in the promotion and the protection of human rights, gender equality, and the rule of law, and to strongly stand up against any attack to the principles of universality, inalienability, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of the human rights.
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is deeply concerned by increasing number of illiberal democracies and autocratic regimes, which are in the majority for the first time in 20 years; calls for the EU and the Member States to make full use of the tools at their disposal to support good governance, rule of law, democratic institutions and enabling space for civil society worldwide;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the importance of the EU’s support to mediation and electoral processes through its assistance to domestic observers and through the election observations missions, in which Parliament plays an active role; stresses the importance of providing the highest level of protection for local electoral observers and calls for enquiring about possible EU action in this respect; highlights the need for effective follow-up to the missions’ reports and recommendations, in order to strengthen democratic standards and facilitate future peaceful democratic transitions in the countries concerned; recalls Parliament’s political mediation tools, which could be developed further to help in this overall approach; calls for the EU to closely collaborate with domestic and international organizations such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the endorsing organizations of the Declaration of Principles for international election observation;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the importance of the EU’s support to mediation and electoral processes through its assistance to domestic observers and through the election observations missions, in which Parliament plays an active role; stresses the importance of providing the highest level of protection for domestic electoral observers; highlights the need for effective follow-up to the missions’ reports and recommendations, in order to strengthen democratic standards and facilitate future peaceful democratic transitions in the countries concerned; recalls Parliament’s political mediation tools, which could be developed further to help in this overall approach; urges the EU to develop a closer and more ambitious international cooperation on election observation jointly with all relevant partners such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the endorsing organisations of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls to strengthen the European Parliament’s overseeing of EU Delegation’s actions towards human rights violations and abuses in third countries and to take concrete and vigorous measures in case these cannot fulfil with their responsibilities in this regard; points out the need of guaranteeing that EU Delegations count with all necessary and appropriate resources and capabilities to act effectively concerning human rights issues in third countries;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the contribution of the EU Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR) to defending and advancing human rights in the world; underlines the EUSR’s important role in enhancing the effectiveness of the EU’s human rights policies through engagement with third countries, cooperation with like-minded partners to advance the human rights agenda and increasing the internal and external coherence of the EU’s policies in the field;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the visibility and mandate of the EUSR’s role should be enhanced in order to have a meaningful impact on human rights; underlines that the EUSR has a flexible mandate which could be adapted to evolving circumstances; is of the opinion that the EUSR’s position could be made more effective by enhancing communication activities and developing a more public profile through, inter alia, the publication of public statements in support of human rights activists at risk, including Sakharov Prize laureates and finalists, and of human rights defenders imprisoned for long periods, thereby helping to protect their physical integrity and their essential work;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that all civil society actors, in particular independent civil society organisations, trade unions, community- led organisations and human rights defenders, have a vital role to play in the dialogues, in terms of providing input both to the dialogues and to evaluation of their outcomes; underlines that such organisations should therefore be consulted within the framework of official and informal dialogues, as well as exploratory talks; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to improve communication and transparency with regard to civil society organisations; to this end, calls on the EEAS and the Commission to appoint human rights focal points at the geographical divisions of their headquarters;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, an essential universal forum for international consensus-building on peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights and international law; calls for the EU and its Member States to maintain their vital support to the UN and to continue their efforts to speak with one voice in the UN and other multilateral forums; stresses that the challenges to the universal enjoyment of human rights call for even stronger, inclusive and effective multilateralism and international cooperation; highlights the vital role of UN bodies as the forum for advancing peace, conflict resolution and the protection of human rights, and welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Human Rights; calls to attribute more competences, resources and capacity of intervention to the UN bodies;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, an essential universal forum for international consensus-building on peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights and international law; calls for the EU and its Member States to maintain their vital support to the UN and to continue their efforts to speak with one voice in the UN and other multilateral forums; calls on Member States to make the EU’s foreign and security policy more effective by using the rule of qualified majority voting in the Council, especially in relation to human rights-related matters and for the adoption of sanctions; stresses that the challenges to the universal enjoyment of human rights call for even stronger multilateralism and international cooperation; highlights the vital role of UN bodies as the forum for advancing peace, conflict resolution and the protection of human rights, and welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Human Rights;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Condemns the increase in attempts to undermine the functioning of the UN’s bodies, in particular the Human Rights Council, and to obstruct the rules-based international order; strongly condemns all attacks against Special Procedure mandate holders and against the independence of their mandates; calls on the EU Member States and the EU’s democratic partners to decisively counter these attempts and to strengthen their response to serious violations of international human rights; highlights the need for an adequate funding of all UN human rights bodies including the treaty bodies and calls on the UN Secretary- General to provide appropriate resources from the regular budget and on EU member states to increase their voluntary contributions; stresses that state sovereignty cannot be used as a pretext to avoid human rights monitoring by the international community since, according to the Founding Charter of the United Nations and UN General Assembly resolution 60/251, all states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, have the duty and the responsibility to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and the UN Human Rights Council should address situations of violations of human rights;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Condemns the increase in attempts to undermine the functioning of the UN’s bodies, in particular the Human Rights Council, and to obstruct the rules-based international order; urges to reinvigorate UN bodies and make them more capable of making decisions, ensuring also the consistency and agility of its implementation; calls on the EU Member States and the EU’s democratic partners to decisively counter these attempts and to strengthen their response to serious violations of international human rights; stresses that state sovereignty cannot be used as a pretext to avoid human rights monitoring by the international community since, according to the Founding Charter of the United Nations and UN General Assembly resolution 60/251, all states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, have the duty and the responsibility to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and the UN Human Rights Council should address situations of violations of human rights;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Reiterates its call in favour of actions aimed at combating impunity and to promote accountability in countries where the dynamics of impunity reward those who bear the greatest responsibility and disempower victims, through the implementation of the Pilot Project on the European Observatory on Prevention, Accountability, and Combating Impunity, adopted by the EP and the Council, also by following the request in the previous Annual Reports on the human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Recognises the important role played by human rights defenders in responding to COVID-19 by taking on a multitude of new roles in addition to their everyday human rights work, but also the significant and disproportionate risks they faced, particularly more marginalised human rights defenders; notes with concern that around the world, governments used the pandemic as a mean to specifically target human rights defenders by refusing to release imprisoned human rights defenders, prolonging their incommunicado detention, restricting prison visits to jailed human rights defenders, sentencing human rights defenders on trumped-up charges in closed-door hearings;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Is seriously concerned at the precarious situation of human rights defenders and deplores the fact that they are the victims of increasing violence, including targeted killings; praises the important work undertaken by all human rights defenders around the world, sometimes at the highest of costs, and takes this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all human rights defenders to the human rights movement; underlines the particularly severe situation, further aggravated by COVID-19, of female, environmental, labour, environmental and indigenous human rights defenders; deplores the increased use of techniques such as harassment, criminalisation and defamation campaigns, arbitrary arrests and unlimited detention in inhumane conditions used to silence human rights defenders, often on the basis of ill- defined terrorism charges; reiterates its call to EU Delegations and Member States’ embassies in third countries to regularly visit activists in prison, monitor their trials and advocate their access to justice and protection;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Deems urgent that a EU-wide scheme for issuing short-term visas for the temporary relocation of human rights defenders be implemented, in particular through the inclusion of instructions in the EU Visa Handbook and amending the legal instruments on visas, particularly the Visa Code; deplores the little progress on this issue over the past year and alerts that the current situation in Afghanistan must be a wake-up call on the need to urgently revisit, in a meaningful way, a more coordinated EU policy regarding the issuing of emergency visas for human rights defenders;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8 a (new)
Subheading 8 a (new)
Freedoms of Expression, Peaceful Assembly and Association
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Stresses that recent findings, such as the NSO Pegasus scandal, confirm that spying of human rights defenders and journalists, among others, is extremely alarming, and seems to confirm the dangers in the misuse of surveillance technology to undermine human rights; calls for promoting a safe and open space and building the capacity of CSOs, NGOs, HRDs, journalists and other concerned individuals to protect themselves from government cyber surveillance and interference, and promote stronger national and international regulation in this area;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Expresses its serious concern about the particular restrictions of freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, including the widespread use of counter-terrorism laws and policies to silence civil society and human rights defenders; reiterates the specific challenges to freedom of opinion and expression and their link to freedom of information, including access to independent and reliable information; condemns the raise of legal harassment and restrictive legislations as forms to silence critical voices such as through strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and criminalisation of defamation on and offline;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Condemns the increased misuse of legislative, police power or security measures to restrict the right to protest; calls to ensure the right of peaceful assembly is protected online and offline, especially when those who assemble protests are voices of dissent;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Highlights the interdependence between human rights, a healthy environment biodiversity 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; recommends that the scope of the serious human rights violations covered by the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime be extended to include environmental crimes;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Stresses that indigenous peoples have often been the first victims of deforestation, which endangers their rights to land, among other rights, and access to vital resources; underlines, in this regard, the right to determine and establish priorities and strategies for their self-development and for the use of their lands, territories and other resources; recalls that impunity for violations of the rights of indigenous peoples is a driving force in deforestation and therefore deems accountability for these violations to be essential;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Reiterates its call on the Union and its Member States to strengthen the linkage between human rights and the environment throughout their external action, and to use all instruments at their disposal to effectively support and protect human and environmental rights defenders;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Reminds that child rights have no boundaries and calls for a systematic and coherent approach to promote and defend children’s rights inside and outside Europe, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the 2030 Agenda;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the EU to mainstream children’s rights and children protection in all EU external policy, including in the context of Human Rights Dialogues, international and trade agreements, the Instrument of Pre-accession (IPA III) and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI);
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Calls for the setting up of a mechanism to track all the EU interventions that are relevant for children, including those in non-social sectors such as trade, digital, environment, and security, to ensure that a do-no-harm approach to child rights is fully implemented;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates its strong condemnation of discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance, persecution and killings linked to race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation and gender identity that continue to be a major problem in many countries; Stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted even more the profoundly disproportionate impact of racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; welcomes the launch of the EU’s anti-racism action plan 2020– 2025, which recognises not only the individual and social dimensions, but also the structural nature of this phenomenon; stresses that in spite of 20 years of work since the signing of Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in 2001, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a scourge around the world and calls for a zero-tolerance approach to them; calls on governments, regional organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to redouble their efforts to effectively implement the Declaration and to develop and implement action plans to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates its strong condemnation of discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance, persecution and killings linked to race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation and gender identity that continue to be a major problem in many countries; welcomes the launch of the EU’s anti-racism action plan 2020–2025, which recognises not only the individual and social dimensions, but also the structural nature of this phenomenon; stresses that in spite of 20 years of work since the signing of Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in 2001, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a scourge around the world and calls for a zero-tolerance approach to them; calls the EU to organize a Global Anti-Racism Summit on combating global racism and discrimination in collaboration with like-minded partners and international organization such as the OSCE, UN, the African Union, the OAS and the CoE;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Regrets the fact that indigenous peoples continue to face widespread and systematic discrimination and persecution worldwide, including forced displacements, arbitrary arrests and the killing of human rights and land defenders; Reiterates the call for the EU, its Member States and their partners in the international community to adopt all necessary measures for the recognition, protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples, including to their language, lands, territories and resources; welcomes the work that civil society and NGOs are doing on these issues; recalls its decision to appoint a standing rapporteur on indigenous peoples within Parliament, with the objective of monitoring the human rights-related situation of indigenous peoples; calls on countries to ratify the provisions of ILO Convention 169 of 27 June 1989 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Underlines the difficult situation, discrimination and threats to life faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people around the world; calls on the EU to play a leading role in defending the rights of LGBTIQ people in international fora, including working towards the decriminalisation of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) and the elimination of intersex genital mutilation (IGM), so-called “conversion therapy” and the forced sterilisation of trans people; welcomes the fact that the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020–2025 includes the EU’s commitment to include LGBTIQ issues in all its external policies, including support under the NDICI – Global Europe Instrument and Instrument for Pre-Accession funds;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Acknowledges that LGBTIQ+ rights defenders and sex worker rights defenders faced increased physical, economic, legal and psychological risks during COVID-19 as they took on additional emergency roles to protect their communities and as state responses to the pandemic have exacerbated existing systems of classed, gendered, raced and sexualized injustice; deplores the use of COVID-19 as an excuse to crackdown on LGBTIQ+ defenders around the world through conducting raids on human rights defenders homes, mass arrests at the offices of LGBTIQ+ rights organisations, eviction from family homes, closure of human rights defender- run medical clinics, sexual harassment and detention of transgender human rights defenders at security check points established to limit social movement, homophobic and transphobic defamation portraying LGBTIQ+ rights defenders as spreaders of COVID-19;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Fully supports the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, to hold a belief, or not to believe, and the right to manifest and to change or leave one’s religion or belief without fear of violence, persecution, or discrimination; deplores the persecution suffered by minorities on the grounds of belief or religion in many places in the world; condemns the abuse of blasphemy laws to perpetuate discrimination and deplores the use of religion and religious institutions to the detriment of human rights through the persecution, including by legal means, of belief or religious minorities, women and LGBTIQ persons; reiterates its condemnation of any attempt by authorities or governments to deny or interfere in the choice of religious or belief leaders;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Council, the Commission, EEAS and EU Member States to work with third countries for the adoption of measures to prevent and fight hate crime, and for the adoption of legislation that is fully compliant with international standards on the freedom of expression and the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Underlines the importance of civil society initiatives in ensuring the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and in promoting a multi- layered holistic approach that encompass human rights, conflict resolution, development, and interfaith and interreligious initiatives;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 14 b (new)
Subheading 14 b (new)
Right to participate in free and fair elections
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Underlines that the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, particularly though elections, in addition to being a human right in itself, is intrinsically linked to a number of other human rights, the enjoyment of which are crucial to a meaningful electoral process, and are at the core of democratic governments;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Strongly condemns the loss of democratic values in several third countries and the cases of electoral integrity challenges throughout excessive violence performed by public authorities, the misuse of administrative resources by governing parties, clampdowns on political opponents, censorship and threats to independent media, increased disinformation, among other issues of equal concern; urges the EU to target and counter this extremely worrisome situation and come forward with concrete and effective proposals, reaffirming its willingness to take a leadership role on promoting human rights, democratic values and free and fair elections in third countries;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 c (new)
Paragraph 30 c (new)
30c. Deplores that authoritarian and illiberal regimes move away from the path of mature democracies, universal human rights and democratic standards, creating a false impression of legitimacy by means of fake electoral processes that are neither free nor fair or transparent; calls the EU and Member States to strengthen the Union’s promotion of “democratic resilience” in third countries with all the instruments at their disposal;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 d (new)
Paragraph 30 d (new)
30d. Calls to establish the protection of democratic and electoral processes as a main global human right concern, and for the development of an effective framework for responses to interferences of all nature in electoral processes, collaborating closely with international organizations such as the OSCE;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Considers that corruption also constitutes a major violation of human rights and that the EU and its Member States must address it as such in their external action by applying the highest transparency standards to their funding to third countries, as well as by supporting anti-corruption civil society organisations, journalists and whistle-blowers; reiterates its concern over the use of SLAPPs to silence journalists, activists, whistle- blowers and human rights defenders who investigate and expose corruption;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Calls for addressing the impunity for grand corruption as a priority because of its grave negative impact on human rights, including through the creation of a European Observatory on the fight against impunity;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31b. Underlines the need to develop principles and work for an internationally recognised legal definition of grand corruption, including its systemic nature, as a crime in national and international law;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 c (new)
Paragraph 31 c (new)
Amendment 305 #
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; indicates that the application of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime does not prevent or exclude the adoption of other EU’s instruments for Human Rights’ protection, thus these can be combined and complementary; 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; regrets the fact that the Council has decided to apply unanimity instead of qualified majority voting when adopting sanctions on human rights issues;
Amendment 306 #
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; regrets the fact that the Council has decided to apply unanimity insteadvoting and reiterates its call for the introduction of qualified majority voting when adopting sanctions on human rights issues;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls for the extension of the scope of the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act to include acts of corruption in order to ensure the effective targeting of the economic and financial enablers of human rights abusers; stresses the need for an effective strategy to implement the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act, consistent both with the EU’s other external policies, in particular with its human rights policies, and with the existing international frameworks on sanctions, international criminal law and international humanitarian law; welcomes the Commission’s announcement that in 2021, it will conduct a review of practices undermining sanctions and of the existing reporting obligations for Member States on their implementation and enforcement;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Reaffirms the inalienable human rights of migrants and refugee, refugees and forcibly displaced persons, 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; recalls that the EU and its Member States, in their external and extraterritorial actions, agreements and cooperation in the areas of migration, borders and asylum, shall respect and protect human rights, notably those enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the right to asylum, notably the individual assessment of asylum applications; 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; reiterates its call on the Commission to ensure a transparent ex ante risk assessments, performed by independent EU-bodies and experts on the impact of any formal, informal or financial EU cooperation with third countries on the rights of migrants, refugees, and forcibly displaced persons;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Calls on partner countries and international organisations for the implementation of legal frameworks and to increase the efforts of reinforced cooperation on what relates to migrant smuggling, ensuring the protection of migrants and the prevention of exploitation of migrants; recalls in this regard that state smuggling of migrants should also be sanctioned;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Reiterates its call for the establishment of a coordinated European approach in order to support and ensure a prompt and effective identification processes of those who died on their way to the EU;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Reiterates that the EU and its Member States should actively support the UN Secretary-General’s and UN Security Council’s appeal for a global ceasefire, including through effective measures against illicit arms trade and enhancing the transparency and accountability of Member States' arms exports; deplores the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects have increased political violence, intensified competition between armed groups and exacerbated long-simmering tensions, while leaving victims more unprotected; expresses grave concern about the increase in conflict- related sexual violence in this context, despite 2020 being the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses the multi-faceted threat to the enjoyment of human rights brought about by modern armed conflicts, which, in addition to states, often involve non-state agents and terrorist organisations; reiterates its call for the EU to strengthen its response to conflicts, for which the Union should fully develop and be able to autonomously implement its own instruments, also in collaboration with partner countries and regional organisations, including a strong focus on conflict prevention, mediation and good offices efforts, addressing the root causes of the conflicts, humanitarian aid, providing the necessary support to the international peacebuilding and peacekeeping missions, as well as EU missions in the framework of the common security and defence policy, and post- conflict reconstruction operations supporting and applying strong integration and scrutiny of human rights and a robust gender perspective;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 19 a (new)
Subheading 19 a (new)
Transitional justice
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Calls for the promotion transitional justice processes that empower civil society, victims, marginalised and vulnerable populations, women, children and youth, rural and urban residents; encourages the creation of links between permanent structures such as national justice systems and national institutions or networks for atrocity prevention and transitional justice's initiatives; stresses the need to provide the tools, space and access to information to victims and affected communities.
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 20
Subheading 20
Due diligence and corporate accountability
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Emphasises that the EU has a unique opportunity to exert leverage on businesses to uphold human rights at global level with the upcoming EU binding legislation on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability, obliging companies to prevent, identify, communicate, account for and effective remedy potential and/or actual adverse impacts on human rights, the environment and good governance inthroughout their value chain and provide for access to justice for victims and corporate liability regimes; calls for the strategylegislation to apply to all large undertakings governed by the law of a Member State, established in the territory of the Union or operating in the internal market, as well as publicly listed small and medium-sized companies; stresses the need to establish and enforce administrative controls and sanctions to make the legislation effective; calls for companies’ due diligence strategiesthe introduction of civil liability for harm caused or that a company has contributed to by failing to perform due diligence; calls for companies’ due diligence strategies to be defined and implemented through meaningful and regular consultation with stakeholders, including workers, workers representatives, trade unions, human rights defenders, local communities including vulnerable ones such as Dalits, indigenous groups, migrant workers, informal workers and home workers and to be made public; welcomes the full entry into force in 2020 of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation and the EU Taxonomy Regulation as constructive steps in this field;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Reiterates that 69% of human rights defenders killed around the world were engaged in the protection of their land and the environment and the defence of the rights of indigenous peoples, often in the context of business, and emphasises the evermore crucial need, expressed by human rights defenders, for the EU to implement mandatory human rights due diligence legislation for companies;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Notes that 2021 is the 10th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, a genuine framework whose guidelines, in particular those in the third pillar focused on access to remedy and respect for human rights defenders, provides an essential framework to cooperate with third countries on prevention, as well as on access to judicial and non-judicial complaint and redress mechanisms for victims; calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to play an active role in the ongoing negotiations for a UN Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights, as a means to help secure a level playing field for EU companiestresses the importance for all countries to fully implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and calls on those EU Member States that have not yet adopted national action plans on business rights to do so as soon as possible; Stresses the need to establish an international binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other companies; encourages the EU and its Member States to participate constructively in the work of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights; considers this to be a necessary step forward in the promotion and protection of human rights;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Reaffirms the need to create a grievance mechanism to lodge complaints regarding violations and abuses of indigenous peoples’ rights resulting from the activities of multinational businesses; recommends that the EU and its Member States include references to indigenous peoples and the rights contained in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the relevant and emerging frameworks for due diligence, and ensure that multinational companies be held to account in the event of a breach of their obligations;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Reiterates its call for the systematic inclusion of human rights clauses in all international agreements between the EU and non-EU countries, including free trade agreements and standalone investment protection agreements; calls for a better use of these clauses, including by the setting of dedicated monitoring and problem solving mechanisms; calls for these clauses to be enforced through clear benchmarks and to be monitored, with the involvement of Parliament, civil society and the relevant international organisations; underlines that the establishment of specific benchmarks could lead the EU to explore the introduction of proportionality into sanctions for non-compliance; underlines that breaches of agreements should trigger clear consequences, including, as a last resort, suspension or the withdrawal of the EU from the agreement; recommendscalls for the inclusion of monitoring mechanisms on human rights in all trade and foreign investment agreements, as well as complaints mechanisms, in order to ensure effective recourse to remedy for affected citizens and local stakeholders; calls that no trade or investment agreement be negotiated without enforceable human rights clauses;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Reiterates its call for the systematic inclusion of human rights clauses in all international agreements between the EU and non-EU countries; calls for these clauses to be enforced through clear benchmarks and to be monitored, with the involvement of Parliament, civil society and the relevant international organisations; underlines that the establishment of specific benchmarks could lead the EU to explore the introduction of proportionality into sanctions for non-compliance; underlines that breaches of agreements should trigger clear consequences, including, as a last resort, suspension or the withdrawal of the EU from the agreement for the most severe cases of human rights violations; recommends the inclusion of monitoring mechanisms on human rights in trade and foreign investment agreements, as well as complaints mechanisms, in order to ensure effective recourse to remedy for affected citizens and local stakeholders;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Underlines the strong link between trade and human rights and the incentivising role played by access to trade on upholding human rights conditionality for third countries; notes the ongoing review of the GSP+ Regulation, which is an opportunity to further strengthen this link; underlines that access to GSP+ is contingent on respect to international conventions and progress in the area of human rights and calls for the strict application of conditionality to partner countries including, if warranted, the swift revocation of GSP+ status;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Stresses the need for continued engagement and dialogue between the EU and all stakeholders - in particular civil society organizations and trade unions- in beneficiary countries, as well as further improvement of transparency and monitoring in order to ensure the GSP scheme fulfils its objective of sustainable development and good governance;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Underlines the important role played by digital technologies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic; stresses that these technologies will continue to be implemented around the world in the post- pandemic period and that that they should be appropriately regulated to leverage their strength while avoiding their negative effects on human rights; in particular, stresses the importance of effective safeguards to the right to privacy and data protection in the health-related systems of mass surveillance, and of their proportionate use which should also be limited in time; stresses the evident risks of surveillance techniques to be used against human rights defenders, journalists, civil society and others in particular as they represent a serious obstacle to the defence of human rights, a risk to privacy and freedom of expression, and a serious threat to democratic institutions;
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Strongly condemns the misuse of surveillance technology to monitor, intimidate and silence human rights defenders, journalists, among others, seriously undermining human rights; calls to urgently adopt robust regulations worldwide to guarantee the use of these technologies in compliance with international human rights standards and pending that, to adopt a moratorium on its sale, transfer and use, as well as to guarantee transparency on its use and that developing and trading companies comply with due diligence standards and upcoming EU legislation;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Notes the benefits brought about by the increased use of artificial intelligence, but stresses that the technologies must be developed, deployed and used in conformity with human rights, adopting a human rights based approach and under meaningful human supervision, in full transparency and ensuring accountability and non-discrimination, in particular to avoid both bias in automated decisions and data protection violations;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Stresses the vital role of social platforms in advancing freedom of expression and of organisation, but underlines the need for proper safeguards to prevent, on the one hand, the unjustified censorshiplimitation, curation or manipulation of users’ content, including automated censorship, and, on the other, the spread of hate speech, fake news and disinformation, disinformation and intentional harmful content; calls the EU to propose ways to facilitate the human rights defenders work online and the recognition that debate on human rights should be promoted and protected in any circumstances; welcomes the adoption of the new EU rules on the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use technologies;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty in view of its cruel and irreversible nature and calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to advocate universal abolition; underlines that a positive trend emerged in 2020 towards a moratorium on executions with a view to fully abolishing the death penalty, with 123 states voting in favour of the UN General Assembly’s resolution on this matter; is extremely concerned, however, about the dramatic increase in executions in certain countries; urges the EU and its Member States to defend abolition in all international forums and advocate for the widest possible support for this position;
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Deplores the fact that torture and inhuman or degrading treatment continue to be widespread in many countries and calls for the EU to strengthen its efforts aimed at eradicating these practices, while supporting victims and promoting mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable; urges all Member States and other countries which have not done so to ratify the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its optional Protocol (OPCAT); recognises the importance of civil society organisations and HRDs in the fight against torture and other forms of ill-treatment;