Activities of Andrzej HALICKI related to 2021/2103(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Shrinking space for civil society in Europe (debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the shrinking space of civil society in Europe
Amendments (33)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes with deep concern the overall shrinking of space for civil society in the EUsome Members States, which represents a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights and has worsened during the COVID-19 crisis;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Deplores the fact that during the COVID-19 crisis some governments used and continue to use emergency measures as an opportunity to limit freedoms of speech, assembly and association, as well as introduce laws unrelated to the pandemic that diminish the role of civil society;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 a (new)
Citation 33 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission Guidance of 23 September 2020 on the implementation of EU rules on definition and prevention of the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence9a, _________________ 9a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /commission-guidance-implementation- facilitation-unauthorised-entry_en.pdf
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the main responsibility for this regressto establish and maintain a favourable environment for civil society and public participation lies with Member States;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas civic space refers to the legal and political framework in which people and groups can meaningfully participate in the political, economic, social and cultural life of their societies, exercising the right to express views, the right to information, assemble, associate and engage in dialogue with one another and with authorities;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. Whereas the right to information is a precondition for an informed public debate and for holding authorities and public institutions accountable; whereas in some Member States access to public information is being restricted;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas during the crisis of the pandemic in particular, some Member States implemented and continue to use emergency measures as an opportunity to limit freedoms of speech, assembly and association and, introduce laws unrelated to the pandemic that diminish the role of civil society;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Strongly condemns, in particular, the adoption by Hungarian and Polish authoriticertain Members States of acts that restrict the access of non- governmental organisations to funding and that target LGBTIQ+ persons anda wide range of civil society activisties;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the insufficient efforts of some Member States to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by some Member States on the right to protest,freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and association the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
O a. Whereas the Union has embarked on a process of a thorough societal and economic reform which will deeply affect lives of Union citizens, in particular in the context of the European Green Deal and digital transformation; whereas this process will require a healthy civic space to allow citizens and affected communities to articulate their interests, debate policy solutions, and reach new social contracts;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that civil society actors in some Member States are increasingly subjected to thargeted violence, whether by police forces or private partiesassment, threats, smear campaigns, acts of intimidation and violence;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy-making, holding authorities and public institutions accountable, monitoring use of public funds, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns the increasing criminalisation and judicial harassment of civil society actors; is concerned about the growing use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) by powerful public and private actors, and strongly recommends the adoption of an anti- SLAPPs directive protecting all parties legitimately engagas a way to silence and intimidate independent media and journalists and civil society; urgently calls the Commission to present proposals for binding Union legislation on common and effective safeguards for victims of SLAPPs across the Union, including through a directive establishing min public participationimum standards for protection against SLAPPs;
Amendment 99 #
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 and that the responsibility to maintain a favourable environment for civil society lies with Member States;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recognises that the strategic goals of the Union, such as combating the climate change, digital transformation and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be impossible to achieve without a healthy civic space and the contribution of CSOs, which work towards these goals among European societies while ensuring that interests and rights of stakeholders and affected communities are respected;
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the adoption of the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values Programme with a budget of 1.55 bn EUR as a meaningful response to the challenges faced by the civil society in the EU;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies including through the 1.55 billion EUR that has been allocated under the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies; considers that the strategy should outline a set of concrete measures that will ensure consistent access of CSOs to policy debates and legislative process on Union level, as well as to monitoring of implementation of Union policies and the Union budget;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies; calls, for the Commission to explore initiatives to strengthen the support networks available to CSOs, particularly in contexts where it is under threat;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Supports the creation of a comprehensive European strategy on civil society, acknowledging its vital role in promotion and application of European values that could include an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;
Amendment 138 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Denounces the extreme inequality in access to information and decision- makers between industry representatives on the one hand, andUnderlines that access to information of public interest should be ensured for all civil society actors on the other, including withinby the EU institutions;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that the contribution of CSOs to the singleternal 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 legislation to approximate Member State laws in this regardadequately respond with legislative measures in order to reach this objective;
Amendment 152 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Deplores the growing concentration of media ownership at the expense of plurality,Calls on the Member States to ensure and maintain the independence of media from political and economic pressure, and to guarantee media pluralism and ensure transparency of media ownership; recalls that independencet and fair public representation of the ideasresponsible journalism as well as access to pluralistic information are key pillars of democracy and the actions ofand inputs by civil society are vital forg anisations.y democracy to thrive;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments providing clearer criteria for what constitutes an enabling space for civil society in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space;
Amendment 157 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recalls that independent and high quality journalism and civil society organisations play a crucial role as guardians of democracy and the rule of law by holding power to account and fighting disinformation and misinformation, as well as foreign political interference and manipulation;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary in accordance with applicable law and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary 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 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Condemns that CSO representatives in some Member States face physical and verbal attacks, harassment and intimidation both in online and offline forms as a direct result of their work; further regrets that the mental health effects faced by these representatives can include burnout, depression, 'helping induced trauma' and ‘compassion fatigue’ and that the psychological impacts that their work can have on CSO representatives are under- researched12a; _________________ 12a https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/fra-2018-challenges-facing- civil-society_en.pdf
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek supportNotes that the Union currently lacks efficient procedures to provide an adequate response when CSOs report that democratic standards and civic space in Member States are under threat; supports the creation of a comprehensive European strategy on civil society, acknowledging its vital role in promotion and application of European values that could include an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure adequate and enabling long-term financing for CSOs; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding, from both local and national sources, as this will enable these organisations to be resilient against any potential government restrictions on external funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities which promote and protect the values of our Union;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption with an increased budget of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme with an increased budget of 1,55 billion EUR for the 2021 - 2027 period, as a meaningful response to the challenges faced by the civil society in the EU and a first step towards creating a more systemic framework of assistance for Union’s CSOs; calls on the Commission to actively consult CSOs in the definition of work programmes and funding mechanisms so as to ensure transparency, flexibility and user- friendliness; welcomes re-granting mechanisms in the Union Values strand;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Considers that openness and transparency are key to establish CSOs’ accountability and public trust as long as they serve the purpose to ensure legitimate public scrutiny and that reporting requirements remain necessary and proportionate; condemns any abuse of transparency measures to stigmatize particular civil society organisations;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds allocated to CSOs are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;