Activities of Edward MCMILLAN-SCOTT related to 2011/2032(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU external policies in favour of democratisation (debate)
Amendments (27)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 13 December 2010 on "Democracy Support in the EU's External Relations – 2010 Progress Report and list of pilot countries",
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24
Citation 24
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25
Citation 25
– having regard to the establishment of thecreation of a post of Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and an operational European External Action Service (EEAS), as onf 1 January 2011,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas those elements are reflected in the 2009 and 2010 Council conclusions on ‘Democracy Support in the EU's External Relations’,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it is now clear that civil, culturpolitical, economic, politicsocial and socicultural rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and whereas democratic governance isconstitutional democracies and democratic governance, based on the rule of law, are the best means ofor guaranteeing and protecting thoese rights and working to combat povertyenabling economic development,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the Union has at its disposal a wide range of instruments for supporting democracy and human rights (including: political, economic and trade agreements and partnerships, which contain clauses on respect for human rights and democracy; the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+); political dialogues; CFSP actions; ESDP missions; specialized financing instruments; twinning projects and election observation missions), but whereas it is essential to develop a coherent and more effective set of instruments tailored to the situation in each country,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas, despite frequent breaches of the human rights and democracy clauses and the failure of some third countries to honour the commitments made in the relevant agreements, the countries in question are rarely penalised, only very rarelyr held sufficiently accountable,
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the Union has a genuine policy of incentives in this area to demand compliance with human rights and democracy clauses with a view to providing leverage for reform, but whereas the full potential of those incentives has not been exploited for political reasonsused; whereas in theory there is no structurlegal impediment to using external financing instruments to support democratisation,
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas political parties and freely and fairly elected parliaments are centrally important to each democracy and democratisation process, the support for, and application of, the EIDHR has not yet corresponded to the importance of these actors in the past,
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)
Recital J b (new)
Jb. whereas there is widespread consensus among the EU institutions about the multidimensional, complex and long term nature of democracy, but whereas the Commission and the Member States have not taken the full electoral cycle into account when programming and implementing measures in support of democracy,
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that only flourishing democracy in third countries can lay theconstitutional democracies, based on the rule of law, can function as a foundations for structural, balanced, legitimate partnerships withbetween third countries and the Union that are also in keeping with the needs and interests of both parties;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the events unfolding oin the southern shore of the MediterraneanNorth Africa and the Middle East have demonstrated the limitations of a focus on security and stability, which has failed to stamp out poverty and social injustice; believes that, although there has been economic growth, its benefits have not been distributed fairly; highlights the need for a paradigm shift aimed at the genuine consolidation of democracy on the basis of endogenous, sustainable and comprehensive development that benefits the population;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point a (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point a (new)
7 ba. Recalls that human rights and democracy are inextricably connected; only in a democracy can individuals fully enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms; only when human rights are respected, can democracy exist;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point b (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point b (new)
7 bb. Recalls that the rule of law must prevail, ensuring equality before the law and recognizing private property rights, the absence of arbitrary interference by public authorities, both legally and in practice; therefore requires public institutions to exercise their powers through transparent and accountable elected and public officials, and stresses that an independent and impartial judiciary is indispensable;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point c (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point c (new)
7 bc. Stresses that equality and non- discrimination are of vital importance and that everyone is entitled to enjoyment of all human rights without discrimination as to race, sex language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status; and that democracy should ensure the rights of all, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, of indigenous people and other vulnerable groups; equally that the ability of men and women to participate on equal terms in political life and in decision- making is a prerequisite of genuine democracy;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point d (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point d (new)
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point g (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point g (new)
7 bg. Believes that all citizens have the right to form independent associations and organisations, including independent political parties and interest groups;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point h (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point h (new)
7 bh. Stresses that political parties and the range of political views, interests, regional or communal affiliations that they represent are of vital importance; that political parties need to operate freely from interference by government and executive officials; that elected representatives, whether they support or oppose the government, need the authority and resources to debate and approve legislation and national budgets, to hold government to account for the conduct of public administration and the use of funds; that strong parliaments as the public forum for negotiating peacefully competitive concepts of political and social order and national legislative decision-making bodies are key to the experience of inclusive democracy;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point i (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point i (new)
7 bi. Stresses that civil society organisations and non-state actors are a vital building block of a well-functioning democracy and are key to establishing a democratic culture deeply rooted in society; that they steer public demands and hold public authorities accountable for their actions;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b – point j (new)
Paragraph 7 b – point j (new)
7 bj. Believes that independent and diverse media are essential for ensuring that a wide range of opinions and viewpoints are expressed and communicated to the public; and that free access to information, communication and uncensored access to the internet (internet freedom) are universal rights and indispensable for ensuring transparency and accountability in public life;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Is prepared to discuss the establishment of a European Endowment for Democracy (EED) should the action plan not be sufficiently promising; considers that the US National Endowment for Democracy, as a cross- party agency at arm's length from the Administration while largely funded by it and reporting to Congress and answerable to it, represents a model for democracy assistance and projection that could be considered as the basis for an EED;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9d. Acknowledges the efforts made by the European Parliament's Office for the Promotion of the Parliamentary Democracy (OPPD) to assist and support parliaments in new and emerging democracies as well as regional parliaments; acknowledges the OPPD’s contribution to building the institutional and administrative capacity of the parliaments of new and emerging democracies and its cooperation with UNDP and the IPU in this regard; encourages the OPPD to work on a global consensus on basic standards of good parliamentary practice;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 f (new)
Paragraph 9 f (new)
9f. Proposes to enlarge the mandate of the Election Coordination Group (ECG) to also include democracy support policies and encourages the OPPD to closely cooperate with the ECG;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 g (new)
Paragraph 9 g (new)
9g. Underlines the important role of third countries’ parliaments for democratic budget oversight and is convinced that any direct budget support provided by the Union has to be complemented by technical and political reinforcement of the oversight capacity of national parliaments; maintains that the Union should actively inform third countries’ parliaments of the scope of EU cooperation; and encourages the OPPD to take an active role in supporting parliaments with regard to democratic budgetary supervision;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 e (new)
Paragraph 9 e (new)
9e. Underlines the importance of mainstreaming of democratisation policies in all the work of the European Parliament as well as the European Parliament delegations; also recognizes the importance of global interparliamentary cooperation on democratization policies through fora such as Parliamentarians for Global Action;