BETA

19 Amendments of Beata KEMPA related to 2021/2103(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas civil society organisations (CSOs) are non-profit making organisations independent of public institutions and commercial interests, whose activities should contribute to the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights; whereas human rights defenders, activists and informal groups are also key actors in civil society;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas freedom of thought and freedom of expression, including online, are the cornerstone of every free and democratic society;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
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, as well as those providing assistance to asylum seekers and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the ~~crucial~~important role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their ~~key~~important contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy-making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that when civil society’s space to operate shrinks, it is a sign that the rule of law is at risk; urges the Commission, therefore, to step up and structure its monitoring of the situation of civic space in the Member States by creating a ‘European civic space index’ based on existing frameworks for measuring civic space, and by dedicating to civic space a fully-fledged chapter including country recommendations in its annual rule of law report;deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Welcom~~Notes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies; stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
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 legislation to approximate Member State laws in this regard;deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~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 space;~~deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary 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;~~

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Points out that during the pandemic, a significant proportion of civil society activities have moved online; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure full freedom of expression, including on online social networks in particular;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Warns against the detrimental impact of policies and rhetoric instilling a chilling effect on civic space; urges the Commission to make the analysis of chilling effects a key aspect of its annual rule of law report, to build on case C- 78/1810to challenge measures having a chilling effect on the exercise of Charter rights when similar approaches are possible and to apply for interim measures to avoid irreparable damage while judicial review is ongoing; _________________ 10 Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 18 June 2020, European Commission v Hungary, C-78/18, EU:C:2020:476.

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek support;~~deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities;deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the adoption with an increased budget of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; 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;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

~~18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;~~deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
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 CSOs; calls on the Member States to be fully transparent in disclosing the sources of funding for CSOs;

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls for an EU-level definition of the concept of public benefit, as that would boost cross-border donations insofar as it would enable mutual recognition of public benefit status and equal treatment in terms of the related advantages;deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclusive participation and systematic review; ~~calls on the Commission to provide recommendations based on the analysis of existing practices;~~

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission to leverage the definition of national programmes implementing EU funds and the implementation by Member States of EU strategies and action plans to require Member States to put in place effective civil dialogue mechanisms;deleted

2021/11/16
Committee: LIBE