Activities of Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL related to 2020/2081(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the VPC/HR on relations with Belarus (debate)
Amendments (53)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
— having regard to the Council conclusions on Belarus of 15 February 2016 and the main outcomes of the video conference of Foreign Affairs Ministers of 14 August 2020,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
— having regard to the Conclusions by the President of the European Council following the video conference of the members of the European Council on 19 August 2020,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the 6th round of the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue between the EU and Belarus on 18 June 2019 in Brussels,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
— having regard to the Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice- President Josep Borrell and Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi of 10 August 2020, as well as the Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the presidential elections in Belarus of 11 August 2020,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 c (new)
Citation 7 c (new)
— having regard to the Statement by the EEAS Spokesperson on recent developments in Belarus of 19 June 2020 and the statements by the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell related to the elections in Belarus of 14 July 2020, 7 August 2020, and 17 August,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 d (new)
Citation 7 d (new)
— having regard to statements by the EEAS Spokesperson on the application of the death penalty in Belarus, notably of 30 July 2019, 28 October 2019, 20 December 2019, 11 January 2020, and 7 March 2020,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
— having regard to the Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus of 10 July 2020,
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the Belarusian Central Electoral Commission denied registration as candidates in the 2020 Presidential elections to regime-critical politicians, who had reportedly collected more than 100,000 signatures, as prescribed by the national legislation, underlining the disproportionate and unreasonable barriers to candidacy, contrary to OSCE commitments and other international standards;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the government of Belarus failed to issue a timely invitation to OSCE/ODIHR for the observation of the 9 August presidential elections, leading to the absence of independent international observers during these elections;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" report of further measures that disadvantaged opposition candidates, such as restricting locations where election activities can lawfully take place, detaining members of candidates’ campaign teams, and blocking nearly all opposition nominees to Precinct Election Commissions (PECs), leading to 1.1% of the total number of elected nominees from opposition parties and 96.7% from pro-government parties;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the human rights situation in Belarus continued to deteriorate during the election campaign, with growing numbers of arbitrary detentions and fines, including for participating in peaceful assemblies; whereas NGOs and observers report of reprisals against regime opponents, election observers, journalists, bloggers, civil society activists, and human rights defenders, including through physical violence, abductions, administrative fines, threats of losing custody of a child, criminal proceedings, as well as physical and psychological torture;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas Belarus has seen unprecedented protests calling for free and fair new elections, following the presidential elections of 9 August and the announcement of a falsified result, claiming victory for the incumbent president; whereas the protests led to a violent crackdown and thousands of arrests, coupled with reports of inhumane conditions and treatment in places of detention;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Belarusian authorities denied that COVID-19 had spread in the country, thereby wasting precious time that could have been used to prepare and protect the country’s population and in particular its medical staff, did not cancel mass events, and instead engaged in the intimidation of journalists and ordinary people who dared to contradict the official government narrative; whereas the government and the President of Belarus failed to provide facts about and react timely to the pandemic, and were instead actively spreading false information that jeopardized the health of its citizens;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas there are no independent news agencies registered in Belarus, and press freedom in Belarus has significantly deteriorated since 2015,; whereas the few independent journalists or media outlets that are able to operate in the country are subject to systematic harassment and punitive measures, such as arrests or initiation of criminal investigations, and the number of prosecutions for statements on the internet has increased;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
(-a) stand firmly with the people of Belarus and emphasise the need for a peaceful and democratic solution to the current crisis, underpinned by independent and free media and a strong civil society;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a a (new)
(-aa) demand new elections under the supervision of independent observers, an end to violence and unlawful detentions, and a full investigation of these crimes; work speedily towards targeted sanctions on those responsible for violence, repression and falsification of election results, as well as a review of the EU’s policy towards Belarus with a particular focus on the EU’s support to civil society and the people of Belarus;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a b (new)
(-ab) urge the Belarusian government to engage in a constructive, mediated dialogue with the opposition and civil society organisations, in particular the National Coordination Council, as well as to cooperate fully with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, the UN Committee against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee, in order to carry out long-overdue reforms to protect human rights and strengthen democracy;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a c (new)
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a d (new)
(-ad) insist on the immediate and unconditional release of and dropping of all charges against human rights defenders, activists, journalists and anyone else arbitrarily detained or convicted in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights, as well as on a thorough and impartial investigation into all incidents of arbitrary detention, ill treatment and torture;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a e (new)
(-ae) demand Belarusian authorities to cease all ill treatment and torture; call on Belarus to introduce into its Criminal Code a specific definition of torture in line with international human rights standards and ensure it is punished with sanctions, as well as legislative changes to criminalize enforced disappearance;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a f (new)
(-af) insist on the need for the Belarusian government to ensure citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly, association, expression and opinion, as well as media freedom, and thus lift all restrictions in law and practice that impede these freedoms;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a g (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a g (new)
(-ag) call on authorities to improve the access, availability and quality of healthcare in places of detention, in particular given the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the working conditions of medical staff, given reports of police preventing help for injured protesters and arresting medical workers;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a h (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a h (new)
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a i (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a i (new)
(-ai) launch a targeted EU assistance programme to help victims of political repression and police violence, in particular with access to legal counsel, material and medical help, and rehabilitation;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a j (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a j (new)
(-aj) avoid providing any funding to the government and state-controlled projects, including channelling assistance or funding earmarked for civil society through these entities;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a k (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a k (new)
(-ak) take all necessary measures to receive refugees from Belarus, if the situation continues to deteriorate;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a l (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a l (new)
(-al) condemn the suppression of internet and media, road blockades, and intimidation of journalists in order to stop the flow of information about the situation in the country, as well as the disinformation campaigns aimed at deliberately misleading the Belarusian public and blaming third actors for current events;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) acknowledge that while the critical engagement policy has brought about some developments in bilateral relations before the 2020 Presidential elections, progress achieved in the key areas of democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and civil society remains very limited or almost non- existentwas reversed with the situation in the country having deteriorated drastically, and, as the EU is engaging in a more tailored approach to the Eastern Partnership, consider applying the ‘less for less’ principle in the case of further deteriorationrestrict any EU cooperation and assistance to solely supporting civil society, human rights defenders, independent media and the people of Belarus;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) insist that any future EU macro- financial support for mitigating the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is conditional on strict political criteria, notably those linked to democracy and human rights, nuclear safety concerns voiced by some of the EU Member States and threats posed by Belarus-Russia military cooperation, and that adequate measures are taken to combat the virus and protect the population, all of which should be closely monitored in order to prevent any misuse of EU funds;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) urge the Belarusian government to strengthen the healthcare system and provide its citizens with all relevant and life-saving information about the pandemic in a transparent and inclusive manner;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
Paragraph 1 – point d
(d) maintain the issue of nuclear safety as a priority concern for the EU owing to the potentially disastrous consequences of an accident for the whole region; treat the issue of the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with urgency as it is approaching the start of its operations, the first delivery of nuclear fuel having been received from Russia in May 2020 and nuclear fuel loaded to the NPP in August 2020; insist on full respect for international nuclear safety standards and transparent and inclusive cooperation with international authorities; support efforts to ensure Member State solidarity on the issue of banning imports of energy from the Astravets NPP into the EU market;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) demand the deferral of the planned commissioning of the Astravets NPP until international nuclear safety standards have been met, obligatory public hearings were held, and the political situation in Belarus has stabilised, given a number of unresolved nuclear safety problems identified during stress tests, the absence of a final conclusion on its safety, insufficient storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel and for energy reserves, and the currently unstable situation in Belarus complicating response measures in the event of an accident, of which there is an increased risk during the start-up of the reactor;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) pay close attention to the presidential election campaign and insist that a lack of progress in conductingsupport and insist on the Belarusian people’s call for free, fair, transparent and inclusive new elections according to international standards and furtherdenounce any crackdowns against the opposition will have direct adverse effects on relations with the EU;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) insist that the upcoming constitutional reform is a crucial opportunity to introduce genuine changes which would address the weaknesses of the current political system and enable the Belarusian people to participate more actively in political life, and which should not be linked to the call for new elections;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) call on the authorities to remove the arbitrary barriers under which no new political party has been registered in Belarus since 2000 and enable the registration of political parties and public organisations, and to stop the restrictions applied to established organisations and the persecution of the regime’s political opponents;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) emphasise the urgent need to implement OSCE/ODIHR recommendations in order to include substantial procedural and legal safeguards that enhance inclusiveness, integrity and transparency during all stages of the electoral process, in particular to introduce clear and reasonable criteria and mechanisms for candidate registration and signature verification;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
(gb) insist on Belarusian authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the financial flows of President Alexander Lukashenko and his associates, including offshore activities of state enterprises, as well as into corruption in Belarusian enterprises;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) condemn the ongoing application of the death penalty in Belarus and continue to work with the Belarusian authorities towards a moratorium as a first step towards its permanent abolition and, pending the abolition of the death penalty, work towards an effective right to appeal against death penalty sentences;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) condemn the ongoing intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders, opposition figures, including presidential hopefuls, civil society activists and independent journalist, election observers, environmental rights defenders, religious leaders, and independent journalists and bloggers, and call on Belarus to cease these repressions and to guarantee their ability to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
(ia) acknowledge the chilling effect of repression on civil society and the important role of human rights defenders in ensuring independent monitoring, particularly during elections;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
(la) consider the reintroduction of further restrictive measures against individuals involved in the violation of international human rights law, as well as in the crackdown on civil society and democratic opposition, given the current repression of human rights defenders, opposition figures, civil society activists, election observers, and independent media workers;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l b (new)
(lb) demand that Belarus establish an independent national human rights institution, create a new Human Rights Action Plan, and adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that counters the continued discrimination and stigmatisation of people living with disabilities, people with HIV, minorities, LGBTQI people, and families of detainees;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l c (new)
(lc) mainstream gender equality in the EU’s relations with Belarus and urge the government and authorities to effectively counter the continued stereotyping and discrimination against women, in particular in the employment sphere, by improving the gender pay gap, promoting women political engagement and granting women access to all sectors of employment, among others;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l d (new)
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) welcome and encourage the energy diversification of Belarus, reducing its dependence on Russia through imports of oil and gas from new suppliers, including via the territory of the EU, as well as encourage improving the connectivity of Belarus’ energy sector while ensuring environmental sustainability;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) emphasise the importance that the EU attaches to the fight against climate change, notably through the implementation of the European Green Deal and the 2015 Paris Agreement, and encourage Belarus to enhance its cooperation with the EU on environmental matters, increase efforts to fight climate change, and implement climate change mainstreaming in all areas of policy- making;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) maintain that the EU is interested in the broadest possible people-to-people contacts as the best way of bringing the EU and Belarus closer together, as well as promoting mutual understanding and exchange of best practice; promote exchange programmes with a proven track record such as MOST;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
(q) intensify efforts to ensure that young people in Belarus can benefit from better-quality education through progress in the implementation of the Bologna Process and increased academic mobility and opportunities to study in the EU via the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
(qa) acknowledge and make use of the fact that growing mobility between the EU and Belarus increases citizens’ exposure to European values and support for democratic transformation;