Activities of Liadh NÍ RIADA related to 2018/2036(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on minimum standards for minorities in the EU
Amendments (48)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Regrets that the EU has no explicit competence regarding minority issues, but recalls complementing thate minority rights are guaranteedprotection under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that the EU has a duty to protect minorities and to guarantee their rights; notes that Article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty frames ‘minority protection’ as one of the fundamental values of the EU; further notes that Articles 21 - on non- discrimination - and 22 - on cultural, religious and linguistic diversity - of the Charter of Fundamental Rights acquired legally binding form in the Lisbon Treaty; regrets that there is not at present a comprehensive EU approach on how to address issues in minority protection policy;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, in line with Welcomes the 20the additional protocolnniversary onf the rights of minorities to the European Convention on Human Rights, nentry into force of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National mMinorities are to be considered as groups of persons who reside on the territory of a state, maintain longstanding ties wind the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the that state, display distinctive ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics, are sufficiently representative, and are motivated by a concern to preserve their common identitywo key treaties of the Council of Europe on minorities rights;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the development of international standards for resolving national and regional minority issues through a number of legal instruments, such as the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; calls on the Member States to incorporate these standards into their legal systems and to guarantee that persons belonging to a national or regional minority are not discriminated against; and to accelerate all the procedures aiming at the validation of the signatures of the Minority Safe Pack Initiative;1a _________________ 1a 1a • EU Recommendation for the protection and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity • Funding programmes for small linguistic communities, •The creation of a Language Diversity Centre • The objectives of EU’s regional development funds to include the protection of national minorities and the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity • Research about the added value of minorities to our societies and Europe • Approximating equality for stateless minorities e.g. Roma • A single European copyright law, so that services and broadcast can be enjoyed in the mother tongue • Freedom of service and reception of audio-visual content in the minority regions • Block exemption of regional (state) support for minority culture, media and cultural heritage conservation.
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Expresses concern over the fact that multiple forms of discrimination and the segregation of Roma children in education remain a structural and deep- rooted phenomenon in several Member States, contributing to the social exclusion of Roma and reducing their chances of integration in the education system, the labour market and in society as a whole; recalls that the issue of Roma segregation has been subject of a number of recommendations from the Commission and therefore calls on the governments to follow those recommendations and implement effective measures;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the European Commission to establish a common EU framework for regional or minority languages, similar to the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, to encourage the Member States to develop strategies to improve the participation and representation of minorities in the political, cultural, social and economic life of the societies in which they live;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. J. whereas the rise of xenophobic violence and hate speech in the European Union, often promoted by far-right forces, affects and specifically targets people belonging to minorities;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls that the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (Council of Europe) Recommendation 7 stipulates that language discrimination is a form of both direct and indirect racism;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Advises that the Donostia Protocol, launched in December 2016, with input from language NGOs from across Europe is a useful standard-setting tool for the protection and promotion of regional or minority languages aimed at ensuring that speakers of European lesser used languages are empowered to live their lives in their language;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Calls on the EU to develop an EU Directive or Regulation that works to substantively promote and protect Europe’s regional or minority languages;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. In addition to legislation, calls on the EU to establish a European Languages Commissioner or Ombudsperson who acts to ensure the language rights of regional or minority language speakers;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8e. Calls on those Member States that are yet to ratify the ECRML and FCNM, an obligation under the Copenhagen criteria, to ratify these Treaties immediately;
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 f (new)
Paragraph 8 f (new)
8f. Calls on the EU to formally link ECRML and FCNM violation and lack of implementation as grounds to trigger the EU infringement proceedings mechanism;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 g (new)
Paragraph 8 g (new)
8g. Calls on the EU to ensure that violation of Article 21, discrimination on the grounds of language, of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, acts to trigger infringement proceedings;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 h (new)
Paragraph 8 h (new)
8h. Calls on the EU to include ‘language’ as a ground for discrimination under Article 10 of the TFEU;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 i (new)
Paragraph 8 i (new)
8i. Insists that the EU recognises language discrimination as a violation of human rights which undermines European values; calls on the Fundamental Rights Agency to start dealing in its work programme with anti- regional or minority language discrimination;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 j (new)
Paragraph 8 j (new)
8j. Calls of the EU Establish a European Framework Strategy for regional or minority languages similar to the Roma Framework Strategy.
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 k (new)
Paragraph 8 k (new)
8k. Expresses deep concern on the rise of extremism and xenophobia in Europe, in this context, the protection of European minorities’ rights must be considered a priority;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 l (new)
Paragraph 8 l (new)
8l. Highlights that the protection of minorities as part of the world’s cultural and linguistic diversity, is essential to stability, democracy and peace in Europe;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 m (new)
Paragraph 8 m (new)
8m. Recalls that mother-tongue education is essential for upholding language rights; encourages the Member States, therefore, to ensure that persons belonging to regional ethnic minorities have adequate opportunities to learn their languages and even to receive education in these languages at all levels of education in the territories in which they live;
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 n (new)
Paragraph 8 n (new)
8n. Calls on the Member States to provide funding for the development of special curricula, methodologies and textbooks to ensure effective teaching in minority languages and of special teaching methodologies for official languages for children with minority language backgrounds;
Amendment 111 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 o (new)
Paragraph 8 o (new)
8o. Recalls that the media should reflect the plurality of the population and respect the principle of non- discrimination and that state regulation of broadcast media should in no way restrict minority rights;
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 p (new)
Paragraph 8 p (new)
8p. Welcomes the success of the Minority Safe Pack Initiative, as referred in art 11(4) TUE, supported by 1,215,789 European citizens asking the EU a legislative framework for protecting minority rights through 9 legislatives acts;
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 q (new)
Paragraph 8 q (new)
8q. Urges the Commission to present the legislative proposals in accordance with the Minority Safepack initiative, without undue delay, when the certificate of validity of the signatures sent by Member States has been received;
Amendment 114 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 r (new)
Paragraph 8 r (new)
8r. Recalls that human rights are universal and that no minority should suffer discrimination; emphasises that minority rights are an inalienable part of the principle of the rule of law; notes that there is a higher risk of violation of rights of minorities when the rule of law is not respected;
Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 s (new)
Paragraph 8 s (new)
8s. Believes that the EU infringement procedure under article 7 (TEU) should be used in case of a clear risk of a serious and persistent breach of the values set out in article2 (TEU) by a Member States;
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 t (new)
Paragraph 8 t (new)
8t. Stresses that the protection and strengthening of cultural heritage related to national minorities in the Member States – a key component of the cultural identity of communities, groups and individuals – plays a crucial role in social cohesion;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 u (new)
Paragraph 8 u (new)
8u. Considers that Member States should consistently uphold the rights of minorities and periodically assess whether those rights are being respected;
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 v (new)
Paragraph 8 v (new)
8v. Deplores the fact that persons belonging to minorities still encounter obstacles in ensuring respect for their fundamental rights and remain victims of hate speech and hate crimes;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 w (new)
Paragraph 8 w (new)
8w. Emphasises the role of the EU institutions in raising awareness of the issues related to the protection of minorities and encouraging and supporting the Member States in promoting cultural diversity and tolerance, especially through education;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 x (new)
Paragraph 8 x (new)
8x. Stresses that the development of any cultural heritage policy should be inclusive, community based and participatory, involving consultation and dialogue with the minority communities concerned;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 y (new)
Paragraph 8 y (new)
8y. Notes that the EU lacks effective tools to monitor respect for minority rights; calls for effective EU-wide monitoring of the situation of autochthonous and linguistic minorities; considers that the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights should carryout enhanced monitoring of discrimination against national minorities in Member States;
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 z (new)
Paragraph 8 z (new)
8z. Encourages the Member States to ensure that the right to use a minority language is upheld and to protect linguistic diversity within the Union in accordance with the EU Treaties;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a a (new)
Paragraph 8 a a (new)
8aa. Believes that linguistic rights must be respected in communities where there is more than one official language, without limiting the rights of one compared with another, in line with the constitutional order of each Member State;
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Calls on the Commission to strengthen the promotion of the teaching and use of regional and minority languages, as a potential way of tackling language discrimination in the EU;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Encourages the Commission to take more resolute steps to combat LGBTI discrimination and homophobia, including concrete legislative measures, while respecting the competences of Member States; recommends monitoring LGBTI rights and providing clear and accessible information on the recognition of cross-border rights for LGBTI persons and their families in the EU; considers that Member States should duly invest in providing targeted education at different stages in order to prevent bullying and combat homophobia in a structured manner;
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Condemns the instances of discrimination, segregation, hate speech, hate crime and social exclusion experienced by Roma people; condemns the continuous discrimination against Roma people in access to housing, health care, education and the labour market; recalls that all European citizens should receive equal assistance and protection regardless of their ethnic origin;
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to collect reliable and comparable data on equality in consultation with minority representatives in order to measure inequalities and discrimination;
Amendment 128 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Calls on the Member States to exchange good practice and to apply tried and tested solutions in addressing the problems faced by minorities throughout the European Union;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Insists on the importance of pursuing equality policies that enable all ethnic, cultural and religious minorities to enjoy their fundamental rights uncontested;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Urges the Member States to give proper consideration to minority rights, to ensure the right to use a minority language and to protect linguistic diversity within the Union; calls on the Commission to strengthen its plan to promote the teaching and use of regional languages, as a potential way of tackling language discrimination in the EU;
Amendment 131 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a i (new)
Paragraph 8 a i (new)
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a j (new)
Paragraph 8 a j (new)
8aj. Calls on the Commission and Member States to invest in the development of qualitative teaching material in minority languages for all educational levels; recognizes that it is vital for providers of regional and minority language education to have access to up-to-date and high-quality;
Amendment 133 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a k (new)
Paragraph 8 a k (new)
8ak. Calls on Member States promote stable relationships between countries, especially in border regions where more than one language is spoken;
Amendment 134 #
Asks the Commission and Member States to develop an international reward system which stimulates teachers to become proficient in teaching in a multilingual classroom; The European Union should create a framework in which teachers are stimulated to undertake activities that expand their expertise in teaching (in)a regional or minority language;
Amendment 135 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Asks the EU and Member States to raise awareness for multilingualism throughout Europe;
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph null (new)
Paragraph null (new)
Encourages Member States to ratify the ECRML and to adopt the corresponding measures that come with it. This is in line with the recommendation made in NPLD’s Roadmap to Linguistic Diversity (2015).
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a o (new)
Paragraph 8 a o (new)
8ao. Encourages Member States to provide a continuous learning line for minority languages from pre-primary education to third-level education; calls on the EU to collaborate with Member States to facilitate the continuation of minority language learning throughout all educational levels.