Activities of Sira REGO related to 2020/2202(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation report on the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU
Amendments (14)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls that the Withdrawal Agreement (Article 2, Irish Protocol) provides that there shall be “no diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity” for people in Northern Ireland;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Recalls that the Good Friday Agreement presumes the continued application of EU law;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Notes that the Good Friday Agreement is based on human rights, and in particular the European Convention on Human Rights;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the UK opted for a ‘constitutive system’ (the EU Settlement Scheme – EUSS), which grants eligible EU citizens resident in the UK either settled status or pre-settled status at the end of the transition period, allowing them to reside legally in the UK and enjoy all the rights provided for under the Withdrawal Agreement (WA); recalls that the WA makes clear that the administrative procedures under a constitutive system must be ‘smooth, transparent and simple’, and reiterates that these schemes should be non-discriminatory, treating EU citizens holding pre-settled status equally with UK citizens;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Considers that any attempt by the British government to remove Northern Ireland from the European Convention on Human Rights, or to disapply any provision of that Convention in Northern Ireland, would be a breach of the Withdrawal Agreement;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1 e. Regrets that the Bill of Rights provided for in the Good Friday Agreement has never been enacted;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1 f. Invites the European Commission to examine British legislation in order to ensure its compliance with Article 2 of the Protocol, including (but not limited to) a) The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, , which provides an amnesty for state forces and others for criminal acts committed during the conflict; b) The Nationality and Borders Act, which criminalises EU citizens who do not obtain an electronic travel authorisation before crossing the border in Ireland; c) The Covert Human Intelligence Sources(Criminal) Conduct Act, which authorises criminal activity undertaken by law enforcement agents; d) The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which criminalises peaceful protest;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the misalignment of the EUSS with the WA creates a risk of legal uncertainty for EU citizens in the UK as to whether their rights are guaranteed under UK immigration law or by the WA, and whether they can use their EUSS status to prove their rights under the WA; reiterates its long-standing call for the full respect and implementation of the citizens’ rights guaranteed under the Withdrawal Agreement for both EU and UK citizens and their families;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers it inconsistent withunacceptable and contrary to the WA that pre-settled status holders who do not reapply successfully for settled status within five years risk losing their rights to live, work and access services in the UKaccess services, such as social security support and housing, and may face detention and deportation in the UK; stresses that once acquired, EU citizens’ rights can only be lost or withdrawn for the reasons laid out in article 15 (3) of the WA, which does not provide for such a circumstance; denounces that around two and a half million EU citizens are at risk of losings these rights and urges the UK authorities to respect the letter of the WA and implement it fully;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Reiterates its call on the UK authorities to fully respect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts as stated in the WA and to ensure that there is no diminution of rights for citizens in Northern Ireland;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Stresses that the social and employment rights acquired by the EU citizens should not be undermined and calls on the UK authorities to guarantee them; insists that further codification of citizens’ rights through legally binding provisions, including free movement for UK nationals in the EU based on a reciprocal approach, should be drawn up;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Remains concerned about the situation of cross-border workers and calls on the UK authorities to guarantee their freedom of movement, based on non- discrimination and reciprocity; reiterates in this regard that the situation of Gibraltar and Northern Ireland where the rights of residents and especially those of workers who move from both sides must be secured without delay;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Condemns incidents where EU citizens trying to enter the UK without a visa have been detained and held in immigration removal centres, often for disproportionately long periods; regrets the UK’s decision to charge different fees to visa applicants from a number of different EU countries depending on their country of origin.; stresses that any mobility arrangements, including visa-free travel for short term stays, should be based on non-discrimination between the Member States and full reciprocity;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Urges the UK to deal with the on- going asylum requests under the Dublin procedure effectively and without delay; strongly stresses the obligation of both the EU27 and the UK to protect all children on their territory, regardless of their status, relationship or family connections, including unaccompanied minors, and to safeguard all children’s access to their right to protection, family life and well- being in light of their best interests, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (UNCRC);