Activities of Evin INCIR related to 2021/2103(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Shrinking space for civil society in Europe (debate)
Amendments (35)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
— having regard to the Council of Europe report of 11 February 2019 (CMJ2019/7) on the consultative meeting on Shrinking space for civil society: the impact on young people and their organisations,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
— having regard to the UN resolutions 2250 (2015) and 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020) on youth, peace and security,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
— having regard to the Statement of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe of 16 May 2019 titled ‘Let’s defend LGBTI defenders’,1a _________________ 1a https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/ -/let-s-defend-lgbti-defenders
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas civic activism is the fabric of a truly functioning democracy where rights of minorities are safeguarded and respected;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas freedom of expression has been restricted in some Member States; whereas strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) have also been used to target civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders; whereas these exert a severe chilling effect on freedom of expression and public activism;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas an intersectional approach is key both to understand and to successfully address the vulnerabilities citizens are facing when they engage in civil society;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas in some Member States, restrictions have been imposed with the deliberate aim of limiting civic space and are accompanied by legal, administrative and fiscal harassment, criminalisation and negative rhetoric aimed at stigmatising and delegitimising CSOs and draining their capacity to carry out their legitimate work; whereas hate speech, harassment and attacks also emanate from non-state actors; whereas CSOs working on women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental issues and, the protection of minorities and LGBTI rights and freedom of media and expression, as well as those providing assistance to asylum seekers, and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas the situation of LGBTI rights defenders in Europe was described as worrying by the Commissioner for Human Rights, who reported several instances of online and offline harassment, violent assaults, hate campaigns and death threats in Member States and neighbourhood countries; whereas this trend is interlinked with the scapegoating of other minority groups and it contravenes the principle that every person is born equal in dignity and rights;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the emergence of government-organised non-governmental organisations (GONGOs) designed to support the political legitimacy of those in power constitutes one of the gravest forms of attack against CSOs, jeopardising their existence by undermining active citizenship and depriving them of public funding;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas foreignnon-native funding has been the target of legal and political attacks in some Member States;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects, such as SLAPPs, incitement to hatred and/or violence against rights defenders and organisations, and the creation of legal or administrative hurdles affecting their daily operations;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Underlines that children and young people are particularly vulnerable, as they often lack financial means, social network and safety net to protect themselves from hate and harassment;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Expresses deep concern about the increased violence and hatred targeting organisations and activists working with anti-racism, religious minorities, feminism and LGBTQI rights;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Recalls that the scapegoating of minorities and vulnerable groups such as women and LGBTI persons is not an isolated event, but functions as a premeditated and gradual dismantling of fundamental rights, which are protected in Article 2 TEU, constituting part of a larger political agenda which has been called ‘anti-gender’ campaigns; calls on Member States to be particularly cautious of initiatives that attempt to roll-back on acquired rights which were designed to prevent and protect persons from discrimination and to promote equality;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the Commission to consider the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when designing suggestions for legislation or policy measures to combat shrinking civil space;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that the ability of CSOs to act depends on the existence of an enabling legal and political environment, in particular on the exercise of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression; urges Member States to guarantee the exercise of these rights in conformity with Union and international standards;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that the contribution of CSOs to the single market and the social economy, as well as their role in the realisation of EU values and policies, is a strong argument for removing the barriers to their operations at EU level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to propose legislationmeasures, including legislative measures to approximate Member State laws in this regard;
Amendment 152 #
9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic spacefoster the participation of CSOs in implementation of EU legislation and non-legislative measures;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Condemns any threats and attacks perpetrated on CSOs by state owned and state linked actors; equally condemns all instances of attacks and threats perpetrated by non-state actors, including, but not limited to SLAPPs;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges Member States to unequivocally condemn such acts, adopt preventive and effective measures and systematically investigate any related allegations;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Restates that no proper response has yet been given to Parliament’s initiative on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights to be governed by an interinstitutional agreement between Parliament, the Commission and the Council; calls on the Commission and the Council to immediately enter into negotiations with Parliament on an interinstitutional agreement pursuant to Article 295 TFEU; recalls that the monitoring of civic space is deeply linked with democracy and fundamental rights, and that a mechanism to monitor Article 2 TEU values is the best tool for a holistic approach in such respect;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs; stresses that EU funding for CSOs should avoid red-tape measures; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Reminds of the conclusions in UN resolution 2535, namely that an accelerated youth participation is key to create and preserve peaceful societies;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Highlights the important and positive contribution youth can and do make to the efforts for democratic and peaceful societies; consequently calls Member States to increase investment in youth and youth organisations; further calls for the adequate funding for the Erasmus+, underlining its role in creating a democratic Europe;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Calls on the Commission to take appropriate measures in order to ensure that EU funding is not granted to GONGOs;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Draws attention to the connection between deteriorating mental health, lack of meaningful leisure and the experienced lack of democratic space for youth, as found in the Swedish UNICEF report “Lyssna, vi har något att säga!”. Therefore calls for increased efforts to support youth organisations both financially and institutionally;
Amendment 232 #
18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any governmentauthorities and commercial entities and fully adhere to EU values;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Condemns attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on foreign funding and the related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising and harassing CSOs;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Condemns attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on foreignnon-native funding and the related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising CSOs;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Reminds of the positive impact youth organisations have had during the ongoing pandemic in countering misinformation and strengthening trust in public institutions. Stresses that long term adequate funding and institutional support for civil society have an added value in times of crisis;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Emphasises that a good cooperation between civil society, police and relevant institutions are tools to address the vulnerabilities and find best practices in the protection of activists, civil society and democracy itself; therefore calls the Member States to engage with civil society actors to find and implement best practices;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Underlines that a good relationship between State and citizens implies that everyone believes that they can make a difference, affect their own lives and be heard; emphasises that democracies will only prosper if everyone, including children and youth, believes in the democratic system and institutions;