Activities of Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Welcomes the adoption of changes to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, responding to the calls for improved transparency of public policy making and enabling the citizens to get information of public interest without unnecessary obstacles;

2022/04/29
Committee: AFET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Points to the need to strengthen the EU’s tools to defend itself, increase its capacity to protect its interests overseas, acquire greater influence in its direct neighbourhood and ensure that the Member States are united in their geopolitical approach towards China;

2021/05/27
Committee: AFET

17. Notes that a risk stems from third countries that have CBI schemes and that benefit from visa-free travel to the Union19 because third-country nationals can purchase citizenship of that third country with the sole purpose of being able to enter the Union without any additional screening; stresses that risks are exacerbated for Union candidate countries that have CBI/RBI schemes20 because the expected benefits of future Union membership may be a factor; in this regard, welcomes the decision of the Montenegrin government to discontinue its investor citizenship scheme and underlines the importance of phasing out the investor citizenship scheme in Montenegro fully and effectively as soon as possible; _________________ 19Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia. 20Serbia, Albania, Turkey, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that, as CBI/RBI schemes ~~constitute free riding and~~ produce se~~vere~~rious consequences for the Union and the Member States, a financial contribution to the Union budget iscould be warranted, also as a concrete expression of solidarity following from, inter alia, Article 80 TFEU; ~~requests, therefore, that the Commission, in 2022, on the basis of Article 311 TFEU, submit~~asks the Commission to consider a proposal for the establishment of a new category of the Union’s own resources, consisting of a ~~‘CBI & RBI Adjustment M~~mechanism’ that would place a levy ~~of 50 %~~ on the investments made in Member States as part of CBI/RBI schemes;

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Considers that the ~~contribution of the CBI/RBI schemes to the Member States’ real economy is limited and does not sufficiently add to job c~~CBI/RBI schemes should seek to bring great~~ion~~er and ~~growth because considerable amounts of investment are made directly into the real estate market or into funds~~measurable added value to the Member States’ economy in terms of job creation, innovation and growth; considers that the large investments associated with CBI/RBI schemes could impact financial stability, particularly in small Member States where inflows could represent a large share of GDP or foreign investment21 ; requests that the Commission submit, in 2022, on the basis of Article 79(2) and Articles 80, 82, 87 and 114 TFEU, a proposal for an act that would include Union-level rules on investments under RBI schemes in order to strengthen their added value to the real economy and provide links to the priorities for the economic recovery of the Union; _________________ 21 EPRS EAVA Study, p. 36-39.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – introductory part

21. ~~Request~~Asks that the Commission submit, in 2022, on the basis of Article 79(2) and Articles 80, 82, 87 and 114 TFEU a proposal for an act that would comprehensively regulate various aspects of RBI schemes with the aim of harmonising standards and procedures and strengthening the fight against organised crime, money laundering, corruption and tax evasion, covering, inter alia, the following elements:

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point a

(a) increased due diligence and rigorous background checks, including of the family members of applicants;

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point b

(b) the regulation and limitation of the activities of intermediaries and, in the case of CBI schemes, the cessation of their services;

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Requests that the Commission include in its proposal targeted revisions of existing Union legal acts that could~~Asks the Commission to help to dissuade Member States from establishing harmful RBI schemes~~, such as further~~ by strengthening legal acts in the field of anti-money laundering, and ~~targeted changes to~~in the Long-Term Residence Directive;

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Requests that~~Urges the Commission ~~exert as much pressure as possible~~ to ensure that third countries that have CBI/RBI schemes in place and that benefit from visa free travel under Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 abolish their CBI schemes and reform their RBI schemes to bring them in line with Union law and standards and that the Commission submit, in 2022, on the basis of Article 77(2), point (a), TFEU, a proposal for an act that would amend Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 in that regard; ~~requests that specific attention in that regard be paid to candidate countries and proposes that it be included in the accession criteria~~notes that under the revised Union enlargement methodology issues linked to CBI/RBI schemes are considered to be complex and dealt with across various negotiating clusters and chapters; underlines the importance of gradual and diligent alignment to Union law applicable to such schemes by candidate and potential candidate countries; stresses that continuous monitoring under the visa liberalisation process is key;

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Reminds the Commission ~~President~~ of ther repeated commitment to ~~Parliament’s right of initiative and of her pledge to~~ follow up on Parliament’s own-initiative legislative reports, contained in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024; ~~expects, therefore, the Commission to follow up on this resolution with concrete legislative proposals;~~

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

~~25. Considers that any financial implications of the requested proposals will be positive;~~deleted

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 1

— A Union-wide ~~notification and quota~~monitoring system for the ~~maximum~~ number of citizenships to be acquired under CBI schemes across the Member States should be established with the numbers to be gradually lowered each year, reaching zero in 2025, thereby leading to the complete phasing out of CBI schemes. Such a gradual phasing out will allow those Member States maintaining CBI schemes to find alternative means to attract investment and sustain their public finances. Such a phasing out is in line with the previous position of Parliament expressed in several resolutions and is necessary in light of the profound challenge that CBI schemes pose to the principle of sincere cooperation under the Treaties (Article 4(3) TEU).

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – subheading 2

Proposal 2: a comprehensive rleg~~ulation~~al framework covering all RBI schemes in the Union

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 3

— To address the specificities and widespread occurrence of RBI schemes across the Member States, a dedicated Union legal framework i~~n the form of a regulation is necessary~~s needed. Such a rleg~~ulation~~al framework will ensure ~~Union harmonisation~~proper data and information collection on RBI schemes, limit the risks posed by RBI schemes and make RBI schemes subject to Union monitoring, thereby enhancing transparency and governance. Th~~e regulation~~at legal framework is also meant to discourage Member States from establishing harmful RBI schemes.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 4

— The rleg~~ulation~~al framework should contain Union-level standards and procedures for increased due diligence and rigorous background checks for applicants. A proposal for a regulation is more than warranted, especially in light of the fact that the Group of Experts on Investor Citizenship and Residence Schemes never made any progress as regards those elements. In particular, all applicants must be structurally crosschecked against all relevant national~~, Union (SIS, VIS, ECRIS-TCN, ETIAS)~~ and international ~~(Interpol)~~ databases by the Member State authorities. There should also be an independent verification of documents submitted, a full background check of all police records and involvement in previous and current civil and criminal litigation~~, in- person interviews with the applicants~~ and a thorough verification of how the applicant’s wealth was accumulated and its relation to the reported income.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – introductory part

— An important element of the rleg~~ulation~~al framework should be the re~~gulation of~~quirements for intermediaries. The following should be included:

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – point a

(a) a Union-level licensing procedure for intermediaries containing a thorough procedure with due diligence and auditing of the intermediary company, its owners and its related companies should be considered. The license should be subject to renewal ~~every second year~~ and be featured in a public Union register for intermediaries. Where intermediaries are involved in applications, Member States should only be allowed to process such applications when prepared by Union-licensed intermediaries. Applications for licensing should be made to the Commission, to be supported by the relevant Union agencies, in particular the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), in carrying out the checks and procedure.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – point b

(b) specific rules for the activities of intermediaries. That should include detailed rules concerning the background checks, due diligence and security checks that the intermediaries are to carry out on applicants~~, including the obligation for them to contract independent third parties to verify those checks~~.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – point c

(c) a Union-wide ban on marketing practices for RBI schemes. That should include prohibiting intermediaries processing applications under RBI schemes from using the Union flag on any materials, website or documents.deleted

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – point e

(e) anti-corruption measures ~~to be adopted within the intermediary, including on appropriate staff remuneration, the two-person rule (that every step is checked by at least~~and best due diligence practices two persons) and provisions for a second opinion when preparing applications and carrying out checks on applications, and a rotation of staff members across the countries of origin of applicants under RBI schemes.be followed by the intermediaries;

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – point f

(f) ~~a ban~~clear and transparent rules on combining the consultation of governments on the establishment and maintenance of RBI schemes with their involvement in the preparation of applications. Such a combination may creates a conflict of interest and provides the wrong incentives. Consequently, a baregulation on public affairs lobbying or consulting is required for intermediaries and for affiliated industry representation organisations. Furthermore, intermediaries should not be allowed themselves to implement RBI schemes for Member State authorities. Intermediaries should only be allowed to act as intermediaries in individual applications and only when being approached by individual applicants.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 6 – point g

(g) a monitoring, investigations and sanctions framework to ensure that intermediaries comply with the regulation. The Commission, Union agencies and Member State authorities should be able to conduct undercover investigations, posing as potential applicants. Sanctions should include fines of up to 25 % of revenue and should, where infringements are established twice, lead to the revocation of the Union licence to operatequirements.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 7

— A duty for Member States to report to the Commission regarding their RBI schemes should be introduced. The Member States should submit a detailed annual report to the Commission on the overall institutional and governance elements of their schemes. They should also report on ~~individual applications and on~~ rejections and approvals of applications. The Commission should carry out, in cooperation with Europol (including through its liaison officers in third countries) and Frontex, Union-level final checks of applications against the relevant Union and international databases and should also carry out further security and background checks. On that basis, the Commission should issue an opinion to the Member State. The competence to grant residence or not under RBI schemes should remain with the Member States. The Union-level final check will also help to highlight several unsuccessful applications by the same individualcompetence to grant residence or not under RBI schemes should remain with the Member States.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 8

— A system for prior notification to and consultation with all other Member States prior to granting residence under an RBI scheme should be set up. If a Member State does not object within 14 days, that will mean they have no objection to the granting of residence1 . That will allow Member States to detect double or subsequent applications and will allow Member States to conduct checks in national databases that might not be available at Union level. _________________ 1Similar to the system set out in Article 22 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243, 15.9.2009, p. 1)to detect double or subsequent applications should be set up among Member States.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 9

— Member States should be required to effectively check physical residence on their territory and to keep a record of it, which the Commission and Union agencies can consult. ~~That should include at least biannual in-person reporting appointments and on-site visits to the domicile of the individuals concerned.~~

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 11

— Rules on the types of investments required under RBI schemes should be introduced. 75 % of the required investment should consist of productive investments in the real economy, in line with the priority areas of green and digital growth under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Investment in real estate, investment or trust funds or in government bonds or payments directly into the Member State budget should not represent more than 25 % of the invested amount. Furthermore, any payments directly into the Member State budget should not be eligible as revenue for the purposes of the Stability and Growth Pact.deleted

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 13

— As all Member States and the Union institutions are confronted with the risks and costs of the CBI and RBI schemes operated by some Member States, a common mechanism to offset the negative consequences of CBI and RBI schemes, based on appropriate data and information, is justified. Moreover, the value of selling Member State citizenship or visas is inherently linked to the Union rights and freedoms that come with it. By establishing a CBI and RBI adjustment mechanism, the negative consequences borne by all Member States are compensated through ~~that~~a fair contribution to the Union budget. It is a matter of solidarity between the Member States ~~hav~~operating CBI and RBI schemes, and the other Member States and ~~the~~ Union institutions. ~~In order for that mechanism to be effective, the levy payable to the Union should be set at a minimum of 50 % of the investment made.~~

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 14

— The mechanism could be established under Article 311 TFEU, which stipulates that “the Union shall provide itself with the means necessary to attain its objectives and carry through its policies”, including the possibility to “establish new categories of own resources or abolish an existing category”. Further implementing measures could be adopted in the form of a regulation. Something similar was done for the Plastics Own Resource that has been in place since 1 January 2021. That option does involve a rather lengthy process of formal adoption of an own resources decision, linked to the respective national constitutional requirements for approving it. This could be combined with the legal basis of Article 80 TFEU which stipulates “the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility, including its financial implications, between the Member States”, including in the area of immigration.deleted

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2026(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex I – indent 20

— For candidate and potential candidate countries, their complete phase- out of CBI schemes and their strict regulation of RBI schemes should be a ~~prominent~~n integral part of the accession ~~criteria~~negotiations.

2021/12/15
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s first ever Rule of Law Report as a positive addition to the EU’s toolbox to prevent and address rule of law issues in Member States; underlines that it is necessary to strengthen and streamline existing mechanisms and develop an effective mechanism to ensure that the principles and values enshrined in the Treaties are upheld throughout the Union;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s first ever Rule of Law Report as a positive addition to the EU’s toolbox to prevent and address rule of law issues in Member States, while considering that further improvements are needed;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Citation 26

— having regard to the report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights ~~of 17 January 2018~~ entitled ‘Challenges facing civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU’, ~~and to its other reports and data,~~ published on 17 January 2018, the bulletins on the fundamental rights implications of the Coronavirus pandemic in the EU, published in 2020, and to the Agency’s other reports, data and tools, in particular the European Union Fundamental Rights Information System (EFRIS),

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls that the Commission’s report iwas a response to the Council’s failure to trigger the procedure under Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), as requested by the Commission in 2017 and Parliament in 2018; regrets that the Council has failed to resume hearings under Article 7 of the TEU since December 2019; notes that the failure to apply Article 7 of the TEU, also due to the requirement of unanimity for the sanctions mechanism, enables continued divergence from the values enshrined in Article 2 of the TEUcommitment made by President Von Der Leyen in her political guidelines for the 2019-2024 Commission, ahead of her election;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Regrets the Council’s failure to move further the procedure under Article 7(1) TEU, as requested by the Commission in 2017 and the Parliament in 2018; underlines, in the strongest terms, that only qualified majority is required to determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach by a Member State of the values referred to in Article 2; regrets that the Council has failed to resume hearings under Article 7 TEU since December 2019; notes with concern that the failure to progress in Article 7 TEU procedure enables continued divergence from the values enshrined in Article 2TEU; urges the Portuguese presidency of the Council to take the appropriate steps in order to move further the procedure under Article7(1) TEU;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Regrets that the report fails to fully address all Union values set out in Article 2 of the TEU, such as democracy and fundamental rights~~Considers the scope of the report can be broadened and fine-tuned as requested by the EP; reiterates the need to have a single monitoring system for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as proposed by Parliament1 ; calls again on the Council and the Commission to engage in discussions to set up such a mechanism via an interinstitutional agreement; _________________ 1European Parliament resolution of 7 October 2020 on the establishment of an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights (texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0251).

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Citation 50 a (new)

— having regard to the report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights of 10 September 2020 on Antisemitism: Overview of antisemitic incidents recorded in the European Union;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the methodology of the report, which focuses on four pillars: independence of the judiciary, the anti- corruption framework, media pluralism, and checks and balances; invites the Commission to in the next editions broaden the scope of the report, or at least of its first pillar and to include in the next editions an assessment of how the right to a fair trial is guaranteed in Member States, with particular attention paid to the right of defence, ~~and~~the equality between prosecution and defence parties and the length of trials; believes that the report should go beyond monitoring and include preventive and corrective elements with a clear outline of enforcement measures;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to use all tools at its disposal to counter violations of EU values, such as infringement procedures, including expedited procedures~~, actions to ensure compliance with the judgments of the Court of Justice~~ and applications for interim measures before the Court; welcomes the new rule of law conditionality mechanism and ~~asks that it be fully enforced with regard to all EU funds, including Next Generation EU;~~ reiterates it has entered into force and is binding in its entirety for all commitment appropriations and payment appropriations in all Member States and for the EU institutions; underlines the importance of the direct applicability of the Regulation since 1 January 2021, particularly in the context of the disbursement of the Next Generation EU funds which will occur early in the budget cycle;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Paulo RANGEL, Lukas MANDL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

F a. whereas according to the 2021 World Press Freedom Index the worrisome developments aimed at stifling free speech and press freedom set a bad example within the EU and EU accession candidates;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Paulo RANGEL, Lukas MANDL

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

F b. whereas several Member States’ positions in international press freedom rankings have declined; whereas according to the 2021 World Press Freedom Index Europe continues to be the most favourable continent for press freedom but violence against journalists has increased, and the mechanisms the European Union established to protect fundamental freedoms do not have sufficient effect in some cases;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Paulo RANGEL, Lukas MANDL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)

F c. whereas the threats to media freedom include harassment and attacks aimed at journalists, disregard of journalists' legal protection as well as media capture or politically motivated actions in the media sector;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Paulo RANGEL, Lukas MANDL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)

F d. whereas it is necessary to strengthen and streamline existing mechanisms and develop an effective mechanism to ensure that the principles and values enshrined in the Treaties are upheld throughout the Union;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Sven SIMON, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Rainer WIELAND

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a deleterious impact on fundamental rights as well as on constitutional checks and balances; insists that any measures restricting the rights and freedoms of EU citizens should be transparent, proportional and temporary; calls on the Commission to ~~further~~continue analyseing measures taken in response to the COVID- 19 pandemic in its 2021 report.

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Lukas MANDL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Highlights the irreplaceable role of public service media and stresses that it is essential to ensure and maintain their independence from political interference; strongly condemns threats to media freedom, including harassment and attacks aimed at journalists, the disregard of their legal protection as well as media capture or politically motivated actions in the media sector; notes that several Member States’ position in international press freedom rankings have declined;

2021/04/22
Committee: AFCO

2021/2025(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Stresses that roles and prerogatives of respective institutions within the available procedures must be respected;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls for a more integrated analysis on the interlinkages between the four pillars included in the report and of how combined deficiencies may amount to systemic breaches of the rule of law; calls on the Commission to propose EU Anti- SLAPP legislation to protect journalists from vexatious lawsuits;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that the annual reports should identify cross-cutting trends at Union level; believes that a Union-wide perspective is absent from the 2020 report; asks the Commission to identify instances where certain practices undermining the rule of law are becoming blueprints for others or when the gravity and scope of such practices have the potential to affect the Union as a whole; calls on the Commission to clearly illustrate systematic disinformation and foreign interference campaigns with the aim of undermining public trust in state institutions and independent media, while pushing Member States towards authoritarian-style governance structures;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Decries the ~~fact that the initiation of preliminary ruling proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU has been declared unlawful in Member States subject to Article 7~~political pressure in Member States subject to Article 7 of the TEU to prevent the initiation of preliminary ruling proceedings by national courts before the Court of Justice of the TEU; is appalled by the growing resistance of some Member States to comply with CJEU rulings on the grounds of sovereignty or unconstitutionality; believes that these developments pose a systemic threat to the ~~Union~~unity of EU law and to the functioning of the Union as such; considers, therefore, that forthcoming annual reports should consider challenges to the Union’s legal architecture and principles as serious violations in the assessment; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the rulings of national courts regarding the primacy of EU law over national constitutional norms; urges the Commission to ensure immediate and adequate responses to refusals to implement and respect CJEU judgements, such as court actions following Article 260 TFEU;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Paulo RANGEL, Lukas MANDL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Is concerned by the rise of illiberal tendencies as well as corruption; underlines the dangers of this trend for the cohesion of the Union’s legal order, the functioning of its single market, the effectiveness of its common policies and its international credibility;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Welcomes the inclusion in the report of a specific chapter on monitoring media freedom and pluralism; urges the Commission to provide an assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the national frameworks for the protection of media freedom and media pluralism; calls on the Commission to put a specific focus on murder cases of journalists with a particular focus on the effective subsequent criminal investigations and proceedings;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Deplores the lack of assessment as regards the public and private media sector at national level and its degree of independence from government or any other interference and an assessment of transparency of media ownership; believes that proper implementation of Article 30 of the 2018 Audiovisual Media Services Directive19 should be closely monitored; calls in this regard on the Commission to examine attempts of intimidation and defamation of journalists, in particular by public service broadcasters; in this context, highlights the trend that increasingly also foreign journalists are directly attacked as public enemies for their investigative reports; _________________ 19 OJ L 303, 28.11.2018, p. 69.

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Is alarmed by the growing deterioration of media freedom and media pluralism in some Member States since the publication of the 2020 report; observes with concern that challenges to media freedom are interlinked with the undermining of the freedom of expression, artistic freedom and academic freedom; recalls in this regard physical, psychological and economic threats directed towards journalists that have so far resulted in the murder of investigative journalists; calls, therefore, for this pillar to be expanded to all aspects of freedom of expression and for the title of the pillar to be adapted accordingly;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Paulo RANGEL, Lukas MANDL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Highlights the irreplaceable role of public service media and stresses that it is essential to ensure and maintain their independence and freedom from political interference; highlights the need to ensure financial independence and conditions for sustainable activity by private media operators to avoid political capture of the media;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Recalls the importance of independent national human rights institutions and national ombudsman bodies, in full compliance with the Paris Principles, as well as equality bodies, in preserving citizens' rights and being able to defend the rule of law at national, regional and local level;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Calls on the Commission to include country chapters of all candidate and potential candidate countries to EU enlargement with an in-depth analysis on their justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, on media freedom and pluralism, as well as on institutional checks and balances;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on the Member States to present annual reports on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, including equality and rights of persons belonging to minorities, as part of the Union’s annual reporting mechanism;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Welcomes the Commission’s announcement of its strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights; believes that such an annual review should provide input for a comprehensive mPoints out that the mechanism should consolidate and supersede existing instruments to avoid duplication, in particular the Commission’s annual rule of law report, the Commission’s Rule of Law Framework, the Commission’s annual reporting on the application of the Charter, the Council’s Rule of Law Dialogue and the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), while increasing complementarity and coherence with other available tools, including procedures under Article 7 TEU, infringement proceedings and budgetary condit~~oring mechanism and that its methodology, cycle and scope should therefore be aligned wi~~ionality once in force; considers that the three institutions should use the findings from the Annual Monitoring Cycle in their assessment for the purposes of triggering Article 7 TEU and of budgetary conditionality once in force; stresses that the roles and prerogatives of each of the th~~e annual reports~~ree institutions must be respected;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the regular, inclusive and structured dialogue with governments and national parliaments, NGOs, professional associations and other stakeholders; notes that ~~three~~24 Member States ~~refused to~~transparently makde public their submissions for the 2020 report; calls for full transparency in the process and for all submissions to be made public;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Calls on the Commission to invite the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights to provide methodological advice and conduct targeted comparative research to fill gaps and add detail in key areas of the rule of law report in addition to the contributions the Agency already makes in terms of, for instance, using EFRIS and data on civic space;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Reiterates that the annual report should serve as a basis for deciding whether to activate the procedure provided for in Article 7 of the TEU, whether to activate the Rule of Law Framework or whether to launch infringement procedures, including expedited procedures, applications for interim measures before the Court of Justice and actions regarding non-implementation of CJEU judgments concerning the protection of Union values; considers that the Conference on the future of Europe could further clarify in Treaty provisions the well-established legal principle on the primacy of EU law;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. ~~Calls for the Commission to use the findings of the annual report in its assessment that~~Reiterates its positions as laid down in its resolution of 17 December 2020; stresses that the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation has entered into force and is binding in its entirety for all commitment appropriations and payment appropriations in all Member States and forms the ~~basis of the mechanism to protect the budget against breaches of the principle of the rule of law; reiterates its call on the Commission to dedicate a specific section of the annual report to~~EU institutions; underlines the importance of the direct applicability of the Regulation since 1 January 2021, particularly in the context of the disbursement of the NextGenerationEU funds which will occur early in the budget cycle; recalls that the Commission ‘shall be completely independent’, and its members ‘shall neither seek nor take instructions from any Government’ in accordance with Article 17(3) of the TEU and Article 245 of the TFEU; recalls further that in accordance with Article 17(8) of the TEU, the Commission ‘shall be responsible to the European Parliament’; asks the Commission to include in its annual Rule of Law Report a dedicated section with an analysis of cases where breaches of the principles of the rule of law in a particular Member State could affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial management of the Union budget in a sufficiently direct way;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Calls on the Commission to launch a dedicated programme that supports innovative initiatives with the aim of promoting formal and informal education with regard to the rule of law and democratic institutions among EU citizens of all ages, in particular at local and regional level;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 10 a (new)

Calls on the Council and the Commission to provide adequate funding for an independent and European-wide, national, regional and local quality journalism that investigates in particular where violations and shortcomings have been identified;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Lukas MANDL, Paulo RANGEL, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Calls on the Commission to assess in successive reports how the issues identified in the areas analysed in previous reports have evolved, clearly outlining positive and negative trends;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2025(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Calls on the Commission to make clear in its annual Rule of Law Reports that not all rule of law shortcomings and violations are of the same nature and/or intensity and that when the values listed in Article 2 of the TEU are violated gravely, permanently and systematically, the authoritarian-style governance structures and elements of a given Member States should be clea~~se being democracies~~rly denoted as such;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas effectively fighting organised crime is part of the EU accession process, notably in the fundamentals cluster and in the negotiating Chapter 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that ~~depriving countries of the Western Balkans of a European perspective is worsening rather than improving~~by fostering the EU integration process, the situation aswith regards to fighting organised crime~~, and underlines that only by fostering the EU integration process can it be~~ in the Western Balkans region can improved;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Underlines the importance of cooperation and intelligence sharing with international partners like the Unites States, Canada, the United Kingdom and international organisations such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption, NATO and the UNODC;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that the Western Balkan countries serve as a transit corridor for migrants and refugees and that the large population movements in recent years have posed an enormous challenge to the region in fighting the smuggling of migrants; calls for greater exchange of information and enhanced coordination between countries of the Western Balkans, and encourages the EU and its Member States to provide more assistance in addressing these issues through, inter alia, the Joint Operational Office and the Operational Platform – Eastern Mediterranean Route while taking into account the specificity and the needs of the Western Balkan Route;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Notes the increase in organised cyber-criminal activities; welcomes the efforts of the Western Balkan countries to expand their capacity to fight cybercrime and the increase in prosecutions for cybercrime; calls for the EU to promote greater cooperation with the Western Balkan countries on tackling online threats; in this respect, underlines the importance of fighting manipulative disinformation in close cooperation with European partners;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Takes note of the specialised country reports issued by Council of Europe's Group of European States against Corruption (GRECO); underlines the importance of the EU accession countries to enhance cooperation with GRECO and to thoroughly implement their specific recommendations;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Notes the conclusion of the agreement on border management cooperation between Serbia and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) which allows Frontex to assist Serbia in border management and carry out joint operations; notes that Serbia has played an active, cooperative and constructive role in EU external border management;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20c. Notes the entry into force of the agreement on border management cooperation between Montenegro and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), which allows Frontex to assist Montenegro in border management, carrying out joint operations and tackling cross-border crime at the country’s sea borders; welcomes Montenegro's constructive and cooperative role in this process;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Underlines the importance of democratic capacity-building in the Western Balkan region, including, inter alia, through specialised programs and pilot projects aimed at strengthening participative democracy and discussing issues linked to fighting organised crime and corruption;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/2002(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, David LEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)

22c. Believes that Western Balkan partners should actively engage in the Conference on the Future of Europe and should be included in a broader European debate on tackling organised crime;

2021/09/08
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5

(5) The modern interconnected world economy creates an increased risk of, and opportunity for, economic coercion, as it provides countries, especially non- democratic regimes, with enhanced, including hybrid, direct or indirect, means to deploy such coercion. It is desirable that the Union contribute to the creation, development and clarification of international frameworks for the prevention and elimination of situations of economic coercion.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)

(5 a) Non-democratic regimes, such as the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China or the Islamic Republic of Iran, continue to undermine the international rules-based order, threaten the Union's and the Member States' democratic governance and security, and degrade our economic competitiveness.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Andrius KUBILIUS, Gabriel MATO, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6

(6) Whilst always acting within the framework of international law, it is essential that the Union possess an appropriate instrument to deter and counteract economic coercion by third countries in order to safeguard its rights and interests and those of its Member States. This is particularly the case where third countries take measures affecting trade or investment that interfere in the legitimate sovereign choices of the Union or a Member State ~~by seeking~~, including its governmental and judicial actions and decisions, by seeking, directly or indirectly, to prevent or obtain the cessation, modification or adoption of a particular act by the Union or a Member State. Such measures affecting trade or investment may include not only actions taken on, and having effects within, the territory of the third country, but also actions taken by the third country, including through entities controlled or directed by the third country and present in the Union, that cause harm to economic activities in the Union.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)

(6 a) The economic coercion by the People's Republic of China against Lithuania, a Member State of the Union, undermines the basic principles of the Union's Single Market and requires joint response.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 b (new)

(6 b) The People's Republic of China's economic coercion against Union candidate and potential candidate countries undermines the Union's enlargement policies and the success of democratic and economic reforms in countries aspiring to become Member States of the Union. China's investments and loans in the Western Balkan countries, especially the 1 billion euro loan taken by the Montenegrin government for the construction of the Bar-Boljare highway, increase the countries' vulnerability to foreign interference and place a burden on their public finances.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Andrius KUBILIUS, Gabriel MATO, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8

(8) The objectives of this Regulation, in particular counteracting third countries’ economic coercion of the Union or a Member State, cannot be sufficiently achieved by Member States acting on their own. This is because Member States as distinct actors under international law may not be entitled under international law to respond to economic coercion directed against the Union. Additionally, because of the exclusive competence conferred on the Union by Article 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Member States are prevented from taking common commercial policy measures as a response to economic coercion. Therefore, those objectives ~~can b~~are achieved with greater effectiveness at Union level, and in the spirit of unity and solidarity.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13

(13) The Commission should examine whether third-country measures are coercive, on its own initiative or following information received from any source, including legal and natural persons or a Member State. Following this examination, the Commission should determine in a decision whether the third-country measure is coercive. The Commission should communicate any affirmative determination to the third country concerned, together with a request that the economic coercion cease within a period of no more than 90 days and a request, where appropriate, that any injury be repaired.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14

(14) The Union should support and cooperate with third countries affected by the same or similar measures of economic coercion or other interested third countries, in particular, like minded democratic partners. The Union should participate in international coordination in bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral fora that are geared towards the prevention or elimination of the economic coercion.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15

(15) The Union should only impose countermeasures when other means such as negotiations, mediation or adjudication do not lead to the prompt and effective cessation of the economic coercion and to reparation of the injury it has caused to the Union or its Member States, and where action is necessary to protect the interests and rights of the Union and its Member States and it is in the Union’s interest. It is appropriate that the Regulation sets out the applicable rules and procedures for the imposition and application of Union response measures and permits expeditious action ~~where necessary~~ to preserve the effectiveness of any Union response measures.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Gabriel MATO, David LEGA

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16

(16) Union response measures adopted in accordance with this Regulation should be selected and designed on the basis of objective criteria, including: the effectiveness of the measures in inducing the cessation of coercion by the third country; their potential to provide relief to economic operators within the Union affected by the third-country measures of economic coercion; the aim of avoiding or minimising negative economic and other effects on the Union; ~~and~~ the avoidance of disproportionate administrative complexity and costs; and strategic communication of Union's actions to ensure that they are not misrepresented or manipulated by third country through misinformation, disinformation or propaganda. It is also essential that the selection and design of Union response measures take account of the Union’s interest. Union response measures should be selected from a wide array of options in order to allow the adoption of the most suitable measures in any given case.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

2021/0406(COD)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Gabriel MATO

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21

(21) It is important to ensure an effective and regular communication and exchange of views and information between the Commission on the one hand and the European Parliament and the Council on the other, in particular on efforts to engage with the third country concerned to explore options with a view to obtaining the cessation of the economic coercion and on matters that may lead to the adoption of Union response measures under this Regulation.

2022/06/21
Committee: AFET

1 a. Underlines the importance of using fully the existing instruments for strengthening the role of national parliaments in the Union structures, such as the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments, the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) and other joint parliamentary and joint committee meetings; recalls that the Treaties foresee a role for inter-parliamentary cooperation and gives national parliaments responsibility in scrutinizing legislative and non-legislative initiatives;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the Commission’s commitment to providing, in future, for aggregated answers where at least four parliaments have issued reasoned opinions and to allowing for flexibility on the eight- week deadline by which national parliaments must submit their opinions; notes that the implementation of the right for national parliaments to scrutinise compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, on the basis of the so-called early warning system (EWS), has partially improved relations between the EU institutions and national parliaments;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Suggests that the introduction of a ‘red card’ instrument, enabling a legislative proposal from the Commission to be withdrawn if 55 % of national parliaments raise an objection, should be discussed at the Conference on the Future of EuropeConference on the Future of Europe should discuss legislative proposals pertaining to strengthening the cooperation between national parliaments and the Commission on legislative proposals; notes that any possible new instruments must be reflective of the principle of subsidiarity while recognising exclusive Union competences;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Encourages the involvement of ~~regional~~ parliaments with legislative powers~~, which under Article 6 of Protocol No 2 to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union can be consulted by national parliaments,~~ and supports their systematic consultation on major initiatives;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its support to national parliaments in providing joint own- initiative opinions~~, such as those provided by the Visegrád Group countries~~ on the future of the subsidiarity principle and parliamentary cooperation;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

15. Reiterates that, until a withdrawal agreement enters into force or, failing that, the two-year period mentioned in Article 50(3) of the TEU has elapsed, the withdrawing State remains a Member State, and enjoys all the rights and is under all the obligations deriving from the Treaties without exception, including the principle of sincere cooperation laid down in Article 4(3) of the TEU, as well as the obligation to hold elections to the European Parliament and to appoint its representatives in the institutions and bodies of the Union;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Parliament’s scrutiny Or. en (This is not a paragraph, but a title before paragraph 16)

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Emphasises in this regard that while the Article 50 process is concluded once the withdrawal from the EU becomes effective, the actual unwinding of EU membership and implementation of the withdrawal agreement is a long term process; Reaffirms in this context that Parliament will play its full role in the monitoring of the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Issues for reflection Or. en (This is not a paragraph, but a title before paragraph 18)

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Considers that Article 50 of the TEU addresses and allows to solves the procedural aspect of a Member State’s withdrawal, but does not solve the significant political and economic consequences and disruptive effects of the withdrawal of a Member State from the EU;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Considers that given the unpredictability of the withdrawal process, citizens should be given stronger guarantees of legal security as regards their status;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Reiterates its call for an in-depth reflection on the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union, and on its impact on the future of the EU; believes that such a reflection should ensure an open and broadened dialogue on the reforms that the Union needs in order to reinforce democracy and the capacity to deliver on citizens needs and expectations; recalls in this context that the Union has embarked on an unprecedented process of reflection on its future in the framework on the Conference of the Future of Europe;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Believes that it is the responsibility and role of the Union and its Member States to pre~~vent the repetition of a withdrawal from the EU~~serve the nature of the European integration through their commitment to the European values and principles, including loyal cooperation principle and to prevent the repetition of a withdrawal from the EU; regrets in this context the restraint and limited engagement of the European Parliament and its committees in the run-up to the UK referendum which did not allow to improve access of the European citizens of UK to the information on the functioning of the EU and implications of withdrawal process; calls on Member States to consistently provide wide- reaching information to EU citizens on the functioning of the European Union, its areas of action and its decision-making processes; considers that for this purpose the Conference on the Future of Europe offers an opportunity for enhanced dialogue with citizens and civil society on the European Union and how it should evolve;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

— having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in particular Articles 9 and 10, 1~~5(3)~~3, 14, 15,16 and 17~~(3)~~ thereof,

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

- having regard to the special report 13/2019 of the European Court of Auditors on the ethical frameworks of the audited EU institutions

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13

— having regard to the recommendations of ~~Transparency Int~~the Organisation for Economic Co-Opernational and Development (OECD), the Council of Europe’´s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), and ~~the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)~~various NGO´s,

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the TEU stipulates that ‘the Union shall observe the principle of the equality of its citizens, who shall receive equal attention from its institutions, bodies and agencies’; whereas this implies that public decisions are taken in the interest of the common good and ~~not~~that conflicts of interests - which occur, according to the defin~~ancial power of individual actors;~~ ition of the OECD "when an individual or a corporation (either private or governmental) is in a position to exploit his or their own profession or official capacity in some way for personal or corporate benefit" - should be avoided in the legislative process and whereas any definition of conflict of interest has a contextual and evolving nature and full transparency does not necessarily guarantee the absence of any conflict of interest, nor does it guarantee that public trust will be won or decreased;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas the Treaties have established a system of division of powers between the institutions of the Union that assigns to each institution its own role within the institutional structure of the Union and in the performance of the tasks entrusted to it;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the European Court of Auditors has stated in its special report 13/2019 1a on the ethical framework of the EU that Parliament, Council and Commission "have to a large extent adequate ethical frameworks in place for both staff and Members". _________________ 1a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR19_13/SR_ethical_frameworks _EN.pdf

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas nevertheless the enforcement of the ethical framework could be improved;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the shortcomings of the current EU ethics framework derive largely from the fact that it relies on a self-regulatory approach and lacks adequate human and financial resources and competences to verify informany further evolution of the EU ethics framework must have a clear legal basis while respecting the separation of powers as laid down in the Treationes;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

~~D. whereas, as a consequence, multiple cases of unethical conduct and their inadequate handling by the EU institutions have harmed the trust which European citizens place in the EU institutions;~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas~~, as a consequence, multiple cases of unethical conduct and their inadequate handling by the EU institutions have harmed~~ every incidence of unethical behaviour can endanger the trust which European citizens place in ~~the~~ EU institutions;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the current ethics standards frameworks ~~appe~~arse t~~o be highly fragmented, with different rules in different institutions, creating a complex system which is difficult for both EU citizens and for those who have to respect the rules to understand~~ailored according to the specificities of each European institutions;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas the balance of powers assigned to the institutions is a fundamental guarantee afforded by the Treaty to European citizens;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas the Meroni doctrine developed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) allows for the delegation of EU institutions’ competences to external bodies; under strict conditions; whereas according to the court any delegation of competences must be limited and can only relate to clearly defined executive powers, the use of which must be entirely subject to the supervision of the high authority and cannot concern discretionary powers involving any political judgement in order not to jeopardise the balance of powers between the institutions;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

F a. whereas, following the preceding considerations, the legal margin for overarching rules applied to individual institutions with a common application is very narrow;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas all lead candidates in the 2019 European elections committed to the creation of an independent ethics body common to all EU institutions; whereas the President of the Commission committed to it in her political guidelines and whereas Parliament has already supported this view;deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. Underlines that all EU institutions have to meet the highest standards of independence and impartiality while stressing each institution´s right of organisational sovereignty;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

G b. Recalls that Members of Parliament´s freedom of the mandate is in the interest of the citizens they represent;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)

G c. Further highlights that the existing strict ethics framework for commissioners needs to be further developed in order to fill in existing legislative gaps such as the non-existence of a commissioner´s statue, underlines that this process is closely linked with parliamentary scrutiny and oversight and is of the opinion that a commissioner's statute needs to be elaborated in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)

G d. Points out that all staff in the institutions is covered by the EU staff regulations of officials of the European Union (EUSR) and conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union (CEOS);

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)

G e. Recalls that the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union set out a European governance framework based on the separation of powers, laying down distinct rights and obligations for each institution;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)

G f. Points out that based on the principle of conferral, institutions cannot delegate by means of an interinstitutional agreement, powers which they themselves do not have, for instance where such powers are conferred by the Treaties on the Court of Auditors or have remained with the Member States;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)

G g. Recalls furthermore that one of Parliament´s primary functions as laid down in the Treaty on European Union is to exercise political control;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that a single independent EU ethics body is necessary to ensure the consistent and full implementation of ethics standards across the EU institutions; proposes the conclusion of an interinstitutional agreement (IIA) to set up an EU Ethics Body for Parliament and the Commission open to the participation of all EU institutions, agencies and bodies; recommends that the IIA contain the following provisions:deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Principles Considers that any option under discussion for improving transparency and integrity in the EU institutions must be respectful of the following principles: - the principle of sound financial management, ensuring the efficient and effective management of Union ressources - the principles of conferral and separation of powers - the freedom to choose an occupation and the right to engage in work as stipulated by article 15 of the Charter of Fundamental rights of the European Union - rule of law and fundamental European principles such as the presumption of innocence, the right to be heard, the principles of legality and proportionality - Freedom of the mandate of Members of European Parliament

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Further stresses that any option under discussion requires a solid legal base for the constitution and for any competences to be assigned;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. Insists that any option under discussion requires a clear definition of the mandate, composition and competences none of which must duplicate or interfere with the work of OLAF, the European Ombudsman, the European Court of Auditors or the European Court of Justice;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1

~~Scope and mandat~~Reflections on mandate and scope

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)

Underlines that the principle of separation of powers is the foundation pillar of modern democracy; considers it imperative for the legislative to control the executive, as any reversal of the roles and powers of the legislative and executive would otherwise endanger the independence of the free mandate of elected Members of Parliament;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 b (new)

Stresses that any option under discussion for improving transparency and integrity in the EU institutions can neither, based on primary law, issue any decision on whether a criminal offense has been committed, nor impose any sanctions, nor impose any administrative measures intended to avoid or clean up accidental or negligent non-compliance with the rules;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 c (new)

Highlights that any option under discussion for improving transparency and integrity in the EU institutions which is to regulate the grey area in between can only have an advisory function for the institutions concerned;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 d (new)

Insists that any decisions on measures to be taken or sanctions to be imposed can only be taken by the competent bodies of the institutions themselves;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 e (new)

Recalls that distinction must be made between a conflict of interest arising during or after the exercise of a function and the importance to distinguish between the two and recalls furthermore to distinguish between acts that authorised if declared and acts that are not authorised at all.

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 f (new)

Suggests that each institution concludes agreements on exchange of information with the Member States respecting the framework of the separation of powers;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – introductory part

2. Considers that the new EU Ethics Body should be delegated a list of competences to implement ethics rules for Members and staff; takes the view that this list should include by way of a minimum the competences provided for in:any options under discussion for improving transparency and integrity in the EU institutions should only have advisory competences for the members of the institutions;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – indent 1

~~- the Statute for Members of the European Parliament: Articles 2 and 3,~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – indent 2

~~- Parliament’s Rules of Procedure: Rules 2, 10 and 11, 176(1), Annex I, Articles 1 to 3, 4(6), 5 and 6 and Annex II,~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – indent 3

- the Commission’s Rules of Procedure: Article 9, its Code of Conduct, Article 2 and Articles 5-11, and Annex II, and its Decision of 25 November 2014 on the publication of information on meetings held between Members of the Commission and organisations or self- employed individuals, and the same decision for Directors-General,deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – indent 4

~~- the Staff Regulation’s Articles 11, 11(a), 12, 12(a), 12(b), 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21(a), 22(a), 22(c), 24, 27 and 40,~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – indent 5

~~- The IIA on a mandatory Transparency Register;~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that the Members and staff of the participating institutions should be covered by the agreement before, during and after the term of office or service in line with the applicable rules; considers that this should apply to Members of Parliament, Commissioners and all EU staff falling under the scope of the Staff Regulation;deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Insists that ~~the IIA~~any cooperation agreement between the institutions should be open to ~~the~~ participation of ~~all~~other EU institutions and bodies~~; believes that the IIA should allow the Ethics Body to conclude agreements with national authorities with a view to ensuring the exchange of information necessary for the performance of its task~~ in order to agree on common measures which can be implemented in respect of the division of powers;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

~~5. Considers that the participating institutions should entrust the EU Ethics Body with monitoring powers over ethics standards, as well as advisory, investigative and enforcement powers;~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that ~~the participating institutions should entrust the EU Ethics Body with monitoring powers over ethics standards, as well as advisory, investigative and enforcement powers~~any options under discussion for improving transparency and integrity in the EU institutions has to be respectful of the balance between the institutions as established by the treaties, underlines that it must not replace, substitute or interfere with the responsibilities and prerogatives of each institution and points out that given these considerations, the decision-making powers must remain within the respective institutions, hence only a body with advisory function able to issue non- binding recommendations is conceivable;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Considers that this monitoring capacity should include the verification of the veracity of the declaration of financial interests, the handling of conflicts of interest, checks on transparency obligations and the verification of compliance with revolving doors rules;deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

~~7. Takes the view that the EU Ethics Body could also be given authority over the obligations imposed by the Transparency Register;~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

~~8. Considers that the EU Ethics Body should have the power to initiate procedures and to conduct investigations based on the information it has collected or that it has received from third parties;~~deleted

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Stresses that requesting tax documents and bank records are interventions in private law, for which there must be serious allegations that enter in competence of OLAF;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Believes that in relation to ~~its enforcement powers, the body could take over from the Appointing Authority in dealing with staff ethics obligations, and that in relation to~~ Members of Parliament or Commissioners, the body c~~ould~~annot be granted enforcement powers ~~within the limits of the provisions~~since this transferral of powers would count~~ained in the Treaties, and without prejudice to any additional mechanisms provided for in Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, in particular concern~~er the separation of powers laid down ing t~~ermination of office~~he Treaties;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers that ~~the~~such an EU Ethics Body should be entrusted with advisory tasks ~~in order to provide~~to improve the enforcement of existing provisions in the EU institutions in order to provide reliable and trustworthy advice to any individual possibly covered by its scope who wishes to request interpretation of an ethical standard in relation to appropriate conduct in a specific case;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Believ~~Underlines that the decision on ~~the absence of~~ conflicts of interest of designated Commissioners~~-designate should remain a competence of Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affair~~ remains a political and institutional competence of the European Parliament and its bodies, while ~~the~~such an EU Ethics Body shcould support the process with ~~the publication of its~~its non-binding analysis of each individual case ~~and make its investigative capacities available~~;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3

CReflections on composition

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3 a (new)

Recalls that the competent bodies in the institutions are regulated by law and that the composition of the competent body in the European Parliament could be made up of MEPs and former MEPs, such an EU Ethics Body may be composed of Members or former Members of the institutions;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3 b (new)

Underlines that with the creation of a new advisory ethics body duplication of work and overlapping competences must be avoided, its decisions should take the form of non-binding recommendations to the President, who must remain in charge of the final decision-making power; calls for clear provisions giving the person concerned a right of appeal against any such decision taken by the President in full respect of the basic principles of rule of law;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Believes that the Ethics Body should be composed of nine Members, three selected by the Commission, three ~~elec~~appointed by Parliament, and three asdesignated ~~de jure~~ from among the former Presidents of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the Court of Auditors and former EU Ombudsmen;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Considers that its members must be independent, chosen on the basis of their competence, experience and professional qualities, as well as their personal integrity, have an impeccable record of ethical behaviour and provide a declaration of the absence of conflicts of interest; is of the opinion that the composition of the body should be gender-balanced; underlines that all member shall be independent in the performance of their duties;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Insists~~Recommend that the college be supported by a secretariat with the human, material and financial resources commensurate with its mandate and tasks in accordance with the principles of sound financial budget management;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4

Reflections on Procedures

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Proposes a ~~two-step~~n approach whereby, in the event that ~~the~~such an EU Ethics Body ~~becomes aware of a breach~~deals with a breach of conduct or possible breach of ethics rules, it first recommends actions to put an end to the breach; considers that it~~his~~ first ~~preventive step~~ should ensure confidentiality and the right of the person to be heard; suggests that in the event that the individual concerned refuses to take the appropriate actions, the EU Ethics Body should make relevant information about the case publicly available and decide, if appropriate, on sanctions; considers that this two-step approach should apply provided that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the individual acted in bad faith and recommends that intentional breach, gross negligence, the concealment of evidence and non- compliance with the obligation to cooperate should be, as such, subject to sanctions, even when the breach itself has ceaseto be heard;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5

GReflections on general and final provisions

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 a (new)

Underlines that any interinstitutional body should have an advisory function only in ethical matters and that in cases of corruption, OLAF is the competent authority;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 b (new)

Insists that the procedures laid down in the Treaties must be applied, such as the transfer of investigations by the European Court of Auditors to OLAF and to the European Court of Justice;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Is of the opinion that the EU Ethics Body should publish an annual report containing ~~both~~ information about the fulfilment of its tasks ~~and, where appropriate, recommendations for improving ethics standards~~to be presented to the European Parliament;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2133(INI)

Rainer WIELAND, Vladimír BILČÍK, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Paulo RANGEL, Sven SIMON, Ernő SCHALLER-BAROSS, Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Insists that ~~the decisions of the~~an EU Ethics Body ~~should b~~cannot issue legally binding~~, reviewable before the CJEU and subject to possible complaints to the EU Ombudsma~~ decisions, since no institution can delegate decision- making authority to another institution;

2021/02/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2132(INI)

Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Believe~~Recalls that the Commission~~’s use of its right~~ has a near monopoly ofn legislative initiative ~~has been neither constructive nor productive in recent years; believes~~s, and that the ~~sam~~se should~~s true of the frequent use of recast procedures and the lack of~~ respect the principles of proportionality, subsidiarity and better law-making and be accompanied by a proper impact assessment;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Regrets that the European Parliament, as a democratically elected body, does not have the formal right of legislative initiative like national parliaments; Strongly recommends therefore ~~making~~to strengthen and to make further use of Parliament’s powers under the Treaties and for a Treaty revision to be considered to give Parliament an enhanced direct right of legislative initiative, as it directly represents the European ~~people~~citizens and not just national interests, which need to be counter- balanced; ~~deplor~~stresses the fact that this possibility has been regularly deferred to a future Treaty revision;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Notes that Treaty revision is a lengthy process; strongly recommends therefore that in the meantime the European Parliament explores all other options to enhance its right to initiate legislation;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Considers that it is worth exploring the possibility to amend the 2010 Framework Agreement on the relations between the European Parliament and the Commission1a and the 2016 Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on better law-making1b in order to strengthen the European Parliament’s powers to influence the European agenda-setting; _________________ 1ahttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010 Q1120%2801%29 1bhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016 Q0512%2801%29

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2 c. Recalls the Commission President’s commitment to support a right of initiative for the European Parliament in its political guidelines1a presented to Parliament on 16 July 2019 and that this commitment has been passed on to all Commissioners via their Mission letter; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/po litical-guidelines-next- commission_en_0.pdf

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the European Council has a de facto right of initiative when defining the strategic guidelines for legislative planning within the area of freedom, security and justice in accordance with Article 68 TFEU, which does not constitute a level playing field between Parliament and the Council; underlines moreover the early influence by the Member States via their participation in numerous Commission advisory bodies;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Considers it d~~Deeply regret~~table~~s that only one-third of Parliament’s legislative and non- legislative initiative procedures can be considered successful, and that most legislative initiative (INL) reports adopted since 2011 did not result in a ~~positive reply from the Commission1 ; considers it regrettable also that the~~concrete legislative proposal as follow-up by the Commission1 ; regrets that the three months deadlines for the Commission to react to parliamentary resolutions and to come forward with legislative proposals have consistently not been respected; expects the Commission’s response to and implementation of an INL report to be ~~automatic, as pledged by the current Commission~~fully in line with Article 225 TFEU, with the 2010 Framework Agreement and the 2016 Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making; _________________ 1 ‘The European Parliament’s right of initiative’, Andreas Maurer, University of Innsbruck, Jean Monnet Chair for European Integration Studies and Michael C. Wolf, University of Innsbruck, July 2020, p. 55 and 57.

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Recalls that Article 225 TFEU and the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-making requires the Commission to give detailed reasons for not following-up on the European Parliament’s request to legislate; considers that the validity of the Commission’s reasons for not following- up with a concrete legislative proposal to a Parliament INL report are subject to interpretation and Parliament should reserve its right to take action under Article 265 TFEU when it considers it necessary;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Believes that INL reports should be accompanied by impact assessments whenever possible and drafted as clearly as possible;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Condemns the consistent lack of proper~~Recalls the 2016 legislative initiative on the EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights1a; regrets the insufficient response to Parliament’s initiative on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights; recalls the 2020 resolution on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights1b; reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to enter without delay into negotiations with Parliament on the interinstitutional agreement; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/TA-8-2016-0409_EN.pdf 1b https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/TA-9-2020-0251_EN.pdf

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2132(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes that the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe should serve as a major democratic initiative to discuss possible developments for the future institutional set-up, including through strengthening the Parliament's role in decision-making;

2021/03/16
Committee: LIBE

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas multilateralism is in need of swift revitalisation to tackle this multidimensional crisis; whereas peace and security, climate change, global public health, spread of manipulative disinformation and the deepening of poverty and inequalities at the global level are some of the pressing challenges that the world is facing right now; whereas only through a reinforced multilateral order will the international community be able to find lasting and sustainable answers to these challenges;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas multilateral cooperation among likeminded partners in dealing with foreign malicious interference is needed;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the UN Secretary- General’s report entitled ‘Our Common Agenda’, which was presented to the UN General Assembly in September 2021 and drafted through a wide-ranging consultation process including UN member states, thought leaders, young people, civil society, relevant stakeholders and citizens, as well as the UN system and its many partners, attests to the need for a more effective, inclusive and networked multilateralism for the future; whereas this will be essential for the UN system and other multilateral fora in order to continue being an effective venue for global consultation and decision-making; whereas, in this context, the EU is uniquely positioned to support the UN and other relevant international organisations in pursuing a process of reform and in revitalising their delivery capacity and their ability to connect to relevant stakeholders, such as young people or the communities most impacted by climate change; whereas in doing so the EU should seize the opportunity to engage constructively and effectively with rival powers, while maintaining a firm stance on fundamental rights and freedoms and pursuing closer cooperation with like-minded countries to reinforce the primacy of universal values and fundamental rights and to advance effective solutions to global challenges; whereas parliamentary diplomacy will be a key component of reinforcing rules-based, inclusive, networked and effective multilateralism;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas the European Parliament's role and tools in the area of parliamentary mediation and dialogue can contribute actively to supporting democratic parliamentary culture and, inter alia, strengthen multilateralism;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the importance of continuing to reach out to allies and like- minded partners in international organisations and multilateral fora to consolidate a coalition of like-minded countries committed to common values and objectives and to policy dialogue and effective cooperation globally; points, in this regard, to the particular relevance, not only of traditional transatlantic partners such as the US and Canada, as well as the UK, but also toin the Western Balkans and in the Eastern and Southern neighbourhood, countries in Latin America; recalls that the EU, the UK, the US, Canada and the countries of Latin America can create, in partnership together, a broader transatlantic area of common values and standards and a commitment to advancing global responses to global challenges; underlines, in this regard, that this broad transatlantic coalition could expand dialogue and cooperation to African countries and support the latter in their quest for political and economic stability; notes that cooperation between the EU and its northern and southern Atlantic partners would empower the political voices that want to build a future for Africa premised on democracy, inclusion and prosperity, while being mindful of the need to protect the African continent from the ravages and security threats stemming from climate change; supports, in this regard, efforts by the VP/HR, the Council and the Commission to further strengthen the EU’s partnership with the African Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; points to the importance of furthering a convergence of positions at the UN and other multilateral fora between the EU and both accession and partner countries; calls on the EU to expand its ability to assist partner and like-minded countries, including through capacity building, knowledge-sharing, training and twinning, so that they can engage more effectively in the multilateral system; reiterates the importance of reinforcing the existing multilateral fora with like-minded partners, especially the EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summits;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Supports the EU’s tireless advocacy for and defence of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, its staunch support for the universalisation of international human rights law, its active support to and use of UN human rights fora to address pressing human rights issues, its steadfast support for strengthening accountability and international justice mechanisms and its fight against impunity and respect for territorial integrity of states; in this regard, underlines EU's support to the established and recognised international borders and rejects any attempts to forcefully change them; supports the VP/HR and the Commission in their quest to ensure that the UN Human Rights Council acts more efficiently, addresses all human rights issues and country situations effectively, credibly and without bias and ensures synergies with other multilateral human rights fora; pays tribute to the work of the current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and takes the view that her tenure provides a unique opportunity to engage on effective dialogue and cooperation on how to streamline and reinforce the delivery capacity of the UN human rights system, including through increased public scrutiny of Human Rights Council membership, responsibilities and mandatory pledging events at the UN General Assembly with candidates to the Human Rights Council, as proposed by the VP/HR and the Commission in their joint communication; welcomes the launch on 12 October 2021 of an annual strategic dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; welcomes the EU’s initiatives and activities pertaining to human rights in the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee and the UN Security Council, as well as the cooperation between the EU and the UN on multiple thematic and country-based human rights issues;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Highlights the importance of a multilateral cooperation between like- minded partners to fight malign and manipulative disinformation carried out by state and non-state actors; underlines the importance of the EU to take global lead in establishing international definitions, norms and principles in tackling these issues, including for foreign interference in elections;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Supports the Parliament's role in both strengthening parliamentary, capacity-building activities, global democracy support and its particular role in parliamentary mediation and dialogue through, among other, the Jean Monnet Dialogue; underlines the added value of the particular role the Parliament plays in fostering dialogue and sharing best practices and democratic standards;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights the crucial contribution of the multilateral system in addressing the climate emergency; calls for the further enhancement, reinforcement and institutionalisation of the existing multilateral frameworks that seek to combat climate change, such as the UN Climate Change Conferences and the Paris Agreement, which have almost universal membership, through the establishment of accountability mechanisms and concrete principles to ensure the effectiveness of their mandates; stresses the need to reinforce global action against climate change, as only through collective, immediate and ambitious global action may the world be able to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels; recalls the importance of focusing on the implementation at the national level by adopting and implementing nationally determined contributions (NDCs), while at the same time ensuring that the international community is collectively on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement at the multilateral level; recalls the importance of working closely with major emitters, climate-vulnerable countries and transatlantic partners to deliver progress on the 2030 target at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference; welcomes COP26 efforts to establish definitions for disinformation linked to climate change;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2114(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls for extending multilateralism to new challenges and realities such as biodiversity, cybersecurity, fight against manipulative disinformation; biotechnology and artificial intelligence, which need to be developed alongside experts and scientists who should be party to multilateral, multi- stakeholder arrangements;

2022/02/14
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the EU has to lead, in a predictable manner and by respecting its commitment to fundamental freedoms and rule of law, in multilateral and international efforts linked to managing the exit strategy from the ongoing pandemic;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Affirms that the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is a possible game changer in the international environment and a catalyst of change in the global order;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) to review the 2016 Global Strategy, reflecting these geopolitical shifts ~~and~~, to ensur~~ing~~e that the EU plays its part in defending the rules-based multilateral world order that was created after the Second World War, and to include democracy support and protection of human rights as a Team Europe priority, involving the European Parliament in this task through its existing democracy support tools and mechanisms;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the geopolitical competition and tensions following the COVID-19 outbreak, and recognises that the European Union ~~still has to position itself in the new world order in which, alongside the EU, the US, China and Russia play a leading role~~needs to play an active and leading role in the possible new world order;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is concerned about the lack of constructive political leadership the United States has shown in fighting COVID-19;, b~~elieves that the false information in President Trump’s tweets and during his press conferences have been very unhelpful in the joint fight against the virus~~oth domestically and internationally;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is worried about the decision of the US to withdraw funding from the World Health Organization (WHO) ~~and the general tendency of its President to withdraw the US from the multilateral organisations that were created to establish a rules-based world order~~;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Tanja FAJON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. AUnderlines the importance of the transatlantic relationship in the global world order; reiterates that the European Union and the United States share common values linked to the existing international structures; acknowledges the need to find a new method of cooperation between the EU and US, based on mutual respect and a joint agenda to defend multilateralism, the rule of law and human rights;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Recalls that third countries’ response to the COVID-19 crisis must not violate human rights or international law, be limited to strictly necessary, proportionate measures, and that they be subject to regular scrutiny and time bound;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls for the expansion and modernisation of EU communication strategies so that EU action is sufficiently visible both within and beyond the EU; urges the European External Action Service (EEAS) to further strengthen its capacities to counter disinformation, including the creation of a dedicated far- East StratCom Task Force focused on the disinformation emanating from China, and imposing costs on countries and non-states actors that deliberately spread disinformation to divide and harm the EU and its Member States;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Is concerned about the proliferation of disinformation associated with the global pandemic and the COVID- 19 situation; underlines the importance of EU principled stance on fighting disinformation linked to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and cyber-attacks against crucial infrastructure; calls on social media platforms to act actively and adopt measures that prevent the spread of disinformation and hate speech regarding the COVID-19 virus;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Underlines the strategic importance of EU engagement and support in its neighbourhood, both in the East and in the South; ~~stresses that the EU must give Western Balkan countries that are not yet part of the EU a fair chance to join the EU, and that the EU must continue its efforts to invest in the region;~~

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2111(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Stresses that the EU enlargement process and EU's focus on supporting the reform processes in the Western Balkans is continuing despite the ongoing pandemic; underlines the importance of the unprecedented aid to the Western Balkans during the COVID-19 pandemic; welcomes EU's readiness for continued economic and humanitarian support to candidate and potential candidate countries; reiterates that aid to our partners must be accompanied by a robust communication campaign;

2020/10/01
Committee: AFET

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the higher turnout ~~was ultimately linked to~~should not divert our attention from the gains ~~by E~~of eurosceptics, ~~which should be considered as a warning for European integration, especially in several founding Member States where far-right extremists and anti-European forces won the elections~~populist and nationalist movements; whereas many of these radical forces from left to right are against the EU integration project;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the higher turnout is also a sign that EU citizens want the EU to act swiftly and effectively ~~on important matters such as climate change, migration, protection of fundamental rights and democratisation~~;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. Whereas we need to be more efficient and proactive in taking advantage of all means of communication, including digital technology, to foster a strong link between European political decisions and constituents’ sense of connection to EU institutions;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the ~~amended~~Parliament should pursue its proposals for amendments to the Electoral Act, still pending ratification by some Member States, ~~already requires further improvements (i.e. regarding parental leave for MEPs)~~with renewed vigour and to push for unified European electoral rules;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the 2019 elections failed to culminate in the choice of a Commission President from among the various Spitzenkandidaten~~, resulting in a backward step from the process which was established in 2014~~;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the Spitzenkandidaten process has yet to be fully developed; whereas it lacks, among other things, the possibility for Spitzenkandidaten to stand as official candidates in all Member States on transnational lists, allowing all European voters to choose and vote for their preferred Spitzenkandidatimproved, allowing all European voters to know who are the candidates to the presidency of the European Commission and how they were chosen by European political parties; whereas Parliament raised this issue in its decision of 7 February 2018 on the revision of the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission15 ; ; _________________ 15 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0030.

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the Spitzenkandidaten system needs to be ~~improved and formalised in the EU’s primary law after an in-depth institutional reflection~~addressed and reflected upon in the Conference for the Future of Europe; whereas this reflection should also include the de facto political role of the Commission and its President and any related changes to the decision-making process of the Union;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas institutional improvements such as transnational lists, as acknowledged by Parliament in its resolution of 7 February 2018 on the composition of the European Parliament, or the transformation of the Council into a second legislative chamber of the Union, as proposed in its resolution of 16 February 2017 on possible evolutions of and adjustments to the current institutional set-up of the European Union, would radically transform the European elections into one true European election,are needed in order to achieve a true European political sphere as opposed to the collection of 27 separate national ~~election~~debates that it is today;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

M a. Whereas proposal such as the "transnational lists" or the transformation of the Council into a second legislative chamber are still under discussion; whereas none of them count currently with a majority support; Whereas the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe provides a true opportunity to discuss these issues and other institutional reforms; Whereas the success of the Conference will crucially depend on the agenda, the involvement of the citizens and the European Council's willingness to implement results;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas European political parties and foundations are the primary facilitators of a successful European political debate, both during and beyond European elections and should be rendered more visible;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes note of the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections; considers that this shows that an increasing proportion of citizens consider the EU to be the appropriate level at which to address the challenges of our time ~~such as climate change and environmental concerns, social and gender inequalities, sustainable growth, and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy~~as economy and sustainable growth, public health, climate change and environmental protection, digital revolution, the promotion of freedom, human rights and democracy, social and gender inequalities, migration and demography, security and the role of the EU in the world; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; ~~regrets both the lack of decisiveness by the Council and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;~~

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Deplor~~Welcomes the fact that the ~~outcome of the elections did not lead to~~gender balance in Parliament has improved over the last elections; Stresses however that there is still room for further improvements in order to achieve a genuine gender -balance ind Parliament; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Parliament and other bodies such as the Venice Commission, to formulate recommendations to Member States with a view to increasing the representation of women in the European Parliament;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Is of the opinion that the reason why~~Acknowledges that the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections ~~is because no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014~~; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Welcomes the up-coming~~Calls for the swift adoption of the joint declaration of the three European institutions on the Conference on the Future of Europe~~, recalls the commitment by the Commission President to address the issue of transnational lists and the Spitzenkandidaten process as the priority institutional issues during the Conference~~;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Underlines the important role of the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe in the debate related to institutional matters, in light of the outcome of the 2019 European elections;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that the election of the Commission President depends on a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a coalition; recommends that the election procedure be reversed so that Parliament proposes and elects the President of the Commission, after obtaining the consent of the European CouncilRecalls the commitment by the Commission President to address the issue of the Spitzenkandidaten process and transnational lists in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe; Stresses that the election of the Commission President depends on a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a coalition, as shown in the election of July 2019 of the von der Leyen Commission;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that the outcome of the European elections has reinforced the political dimension of the election of the European Commission, and therefore the need for more accurate and objective scrutiny of the declarations of interests of the Commissioners-designate; calls for the ~~creation of an independent body, endowed with the appropriate means, to have this scrutiny included in its responsibilities~~strengthening of this scrutiny before, during and after the mandate of the Commissioners-designate by reinforcing the role of the already existing Independent Ethical Committee;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~9. Regrets that the attribution of portfolios in the Commission follows solely a logic where national interests take priority over the European common interest;~~deleted

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Considers that portfolios of Commissioners should reflect the institutional and committee set-up of the European Parliament;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Insists that all European voters should be allowed ~~to vote for their preferred~~be allowed to know who the candidate ~~for~~s to the Ppresidentcy of the European Commission are, giving them the choice to vote for his or her political party; reiterates~~, therefore~~, that the Spitzenkandidaten should ~~be able to~~ stand as official candidates atin the ~~next elections in a joint European constituency across all Member State~~European Elections;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Believes that granting European voters a second vote for transnational lists in a joint European constituency, drawn up by European political parties and movements, would elevate the European elections above purely national campaigns based on national interests, particularly if such lists were headed by the respective Spitzenkandidaten;deleted

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Points out that the proposed changes to the EU’s primary law within this report, which reflect the increased political role of the Commission within the EU framework, should also include the individual and collective responsibility of the Commission towards Parliament and the Council, as well as the transformation of the Council into a second legislative chamber of the Union;deleted

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Acknowledges that despite the fact that the agreed reform of the Electoral Law has not yet been ratified by some Member States, further improvements ~~are required, such as provisions for remote voting operations in defined or exceptional circumstances, as well as on the elections in the joint European constituency~~should be addressed at the Conference on the Future of Europe;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Takes note of~~Commends the efforts by the ~~14.~~ Commission and other institutions to tackle foreign interference during the electoral campaign; points out, nevertheless, that the financial and human resources needed to counter these attacks on European democracy, including at national level, are many times superior to the combined designated European resources; urges the Commission and the Member States to raise significantly the financing they make available for the fight against foreign interference;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission and the Council to ~~consider, in accordanc~~fully engage with the ~~work of~~ Parliament’s new Special Committee on Foreign interference and Disinformation~~, the urge~~ and take into c~~reation of a European organisation dedicated to the fight against foreign interference~~onsideration the outcome of its work; encourages the Commission and the Council to work much more closely with Parliament on these matters, as the protection of our democratic institutions is a core competence of the European Parliament;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Considers European political parties' manifestos should be known before the elections, which requires clear and transparent rules on campaigning; underlines the European election rules shall promote European party democracy, including by making obligatory for parties running in European elections and the European party logo appear (next to the national one) on the ballot sheet;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Is of the opinion that the introduction of an annual European Week taking place simultaneously in all national parliaments, with debates between MPs, European Commissioners, MEPs and representatives of civil society on the Commission Work Programme would support the emergence of connected inter-parliamentary public spheres as well as improving the communication of European actions at national level;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2088(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Considers that the outcome of the European elections ~~is a clear signal for an in-depth institutional reflection that will allow citizens, civil society and their representatives to shape~~presents an opportunity for an in-depth reflection about the future of the Union; calls, therefore, on all institutional partners to assume their responsibility and deliver an ambitious, interactive and inclusive Conference on the Future of Europe; open to citizens, civil society and their representatives, and which can strengthen representative democracy as well as EU's resilience by delivering tangible results for its citizens, including on health protection and security

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to the statement of the President of the European Parliament of 13 August and the leaders of the five political groups of 17 August on the situation in Belarus following the presidential election of 9 August,

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas despite the fundamental restrictions on basic freedoms and human rights that remain in Belarus, the EU policy of critical engagement with Belarus has produced some results in the form of signed agreements and increased cooperation in areas such as environment and connectivity, cross-border cooperation and border management; whereas future relations between the EU and Belarus will be defined in the Partnership Priorities to be agreed by both sides;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the OSCE ODIHR International Election Observation Mission noted an overall disregard for the fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression during the 2019 parliamentary elections, which took place after a limited ~~amount of~~space for election campaigning, and ~~within~~ a restrictive environment and repressions that did not provide for a meaningful or competitive political contest overall;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER, Paulo RANGEL

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas, despite the 2016 EU Council's decision to lift restrictive measures against 170 individuals and three companies in light of steps taken by Belarus to improve EU-Belarus relations, no progress has been achieved in areas of democratic governance and human rights, with increasing administrative, financial and physical repressions against the democratic opposition, civil society organisations, journalists and bloggers, and even ordinary people;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

~~C. whereas the 2020 presidential elections have thus far followed the same pattern as the parliamentary elections;~~deleted

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the 2020 presidential elections have ~~thus far~~not only followed the same pattern as the parliamentary elections, but demonstrated even more regime- orchestrated repressions than in previous years;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
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 bloggers, the democratic opposition, civil society organisations and ordinary people who dared to contradict the official government narrative;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER, Paulo RANGEL

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the EU stood in solidarity with the people of Belarus from the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing financial and material support through bilateral and regional programmes;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas press freedom in Belarus has significantly deteriorated since 2015, the few independent journalists or, media outlets and bloggers 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;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas there has been notable increase in engagement with the Belarusian civil society, including through EU-supported activities and intensifying people-to-people contact;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

Eb. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has displayed the resilience, strong resolve and unprecedented self- organisation of the Belarusian society, particularly in light of the authorities' lethargic response, and even denials of the pandemic and its impact;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas from a security point of view, Belarus is closely linked to and dependent on Russia and is engaging in actions posing a threat to the EU Member States such as the non-transparent Zapad 2017 joint military exercises;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Paulo RANGEL, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas the presidential election campaign was marred by widespread bureaucratic interference favouring the incumbent, intimidation and repression towards other candidates, their families and supporters, denial of registration of candidates who collected sufficient number of signatures, multiple arrests, attempts to silence independent journalists, bloggers and take down dissident websites on the internet;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, Andrzej HALICKI, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Michael GAHLER, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

Gb. whereas independent platforms established by civil society organisations of Belarus (such as Golos - Belarus2020.org) conducted independent exit polls and analysed protocols of more than 200 precinct electoral commissions, which released genuine results, that clearly point to the fact that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received an absolute majority of votes (in the range of 71.1% to 97.6%);

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)

Gc. whereas the Central Election Committee announced Alexander Lukashenko as the winner of the election allegedly receiving 80.10% and his main opponent Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya 10.12%, irregularities during the polling days were reported constantly, people were often denied their right to vote, protocols from polling precincts were falsified;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)

Gd. whereas the Belarusian authorities did not comply with minimum international standards for a credible, transparent, free and fair presidential election process;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)

Ge. whereas peaceful protests expressing a desire for democratic change and freedom started already on the night of Sunday 9 August in Minsk and many other cities around the country, the scale of protests is unprecedented in the history of Belarus going into the hundreds of thousands;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)

Gf. whereas the authorities responded to peaceful protests with disproportionate brute force, heavy use of tear gas, batons, flash grenades and water cannons, several thousand protestors were detained, there have been reports of torture, rape, missing persons, several people have been found dead so far;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, Andrzej HALICKI, David McALLISTER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Michael GAHLER, Paulo RANGEL, Janina OCHOJSKA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)

Gg. whereas Lukashenko and his regime have approved these criminal actions and pogroms by OMON of innocent people and whereas more than 7000 Belarusians were detained, more than 400 hospitalised, 5 confirmed dead and dozens still missing, while further arrests and harassment of activists, including journalists, are still taking place all over Belarus;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

Motion for a resolution
Recital G h (new)

Gh. whereas the European Union and its Member States did not recognise the results of the presidential election due to substantial doubt about the fairness of the election, condemned the disproportionate, unacceptable use of force against peaceful protestors and supported the right of the people of Belarus to determine their future;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G i (new)

Gi. whereas the European Council decided to impose sanctions against a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression and the falsification of the election results in Belarus prohibiting them from entering into the EU and freezing their financial assets in the EU;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a

(a) support the sovereignty of Belarus, including against pressure from the Russian Federation for deeper integration, and remind Belarus that the European Union is open to further development of relations with the country both bilaterally and within the Eastern Partnership framework if Belarus meets conditions linked to democracy, the rule of law, international law, human rights and fundamental freedoms;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b

(b) acknowledge that while the critical engagement policy has brought about some developments in bilateral relations, progress 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- existent, 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 deterioration~~with regards to the Belarusian authorities in the case of continued deterioration of the human rights situation, while pursuing a 'more for more' principle with regards to the civil society;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Radosław SIKORSKI, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Andrzej HALICKI, David McALLISTER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Miriam LEXMANN, Michael GAHLER, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Željana ZOVKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c

(c) insist that any 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;deleted

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e

(e) ~~pay close attention to the presidential election campaign and insist that a lack of progress in conducting elections according to international standards and further~~condemn the lack of free and fair presidential election, including the repressions and crackdowns, a~~gainst the opposition~~nd insist that these developments will have ~~direct~~ adverse ~~effe~~impacts on ~~relations with the EU~~the EU-Belarus relations;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Paulo RANGEL, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e

(e) pay close attention to the fallout of the presidential election ~~campaign~~ and insist that ~~a lack of progress in~~not conducting new elections in accord~~ing to~~ance with international standards and further crackdowns against the opposition will have direct adverse effects on relations with the EU;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER, Paulo RANGEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f

(f) insist ~~that~~on the transparency and inclusiveness of the upcoming constitutional reform i, through a national dialogue, as a crucial opportunity to introduce genuine changes, including basic civil rights and freedoms, which would address the weaknesses of the current political system, ensure transparent and pluralistic electoral process, and enable the Belarusian people to participate ~~more~~ actively in the political life and processes;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, Andrzej HALICKI, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Michael GAHLER, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f

(f) ~~insist that the upcoming constitutional reform is a cru~~supports the initiative of the Belarusian People's Coordination Councial ~~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~~to immediately reintroduce the Constitution of 1994, which can be done through a national referendum;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER, Paulo RANGEL

Motion for a resolution
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, religious and civic and public organisations, and to stop the restrictions applied to established organisations;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subheading 1 a (new)

Post-election situation in Belarus

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, David McALLISTER, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)

(ga) strongly support the decision to not recognise the election results as announced by the Belarusian Central Electoral Committee, not to recognise Alexander Lukashenko as president of the country once his current term of office expires; note that the current presidential term in Belarus ends at the latest on 5 November 2020 and after that date a position of the President of Belarus will be vacant. According to the article 81 of the Constitution of Belarus in this case new election of President has to be held not earlier than 30 days and not later than 70 days;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)

(gb) recommend to recognise Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as president elect by the people, until new elections have taken place;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g c (new)

(gc) demand that new elections take place as soon as possible under international supervision led by OSCE/ODIHR in the presence of international observers, guaranteeing that the election is conducted in accordance with internationally recognised standards;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g d (new)

(gd) recommend to recognise the Belarusian People's Coordination Council as the legitimate representative of the people demanding democratic change and freedom in Belarus;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g e (new)

(ge) welcome the efforts of the Belarusian People's Coordination Council for a peaceful and democratic transition of power as a result of an inclusive national dialogue;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g f (new)

(gf) urge to prepare a comprehensive review of its policy towards Belarus, taking into account different scenarios of developments in the country, that also include a substantially increased financial and technical commitment from the EU;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER, Janina OCHOJSKA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g g (new)

(gg) urge the EU to organise a donors conference for democratic Belarus, which would bring together international financial institutions, G-7 countries, EU member states and institutions, and others willing to pledge a multi-billion euro financial package to support the future reform efforts and restructuring of the economy;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g h (new)

(gh) call on the Russian Federation to refrain from any interference, covert or overt, in the peaceful democratic revolution in Belarus;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g i (new)

(gi) as long as the political situation in Belarus does not change reconsider any ongoing disbursements of the EU financial assistance and adjust it accordingly, so that it reaches the end- recipients and circumvents the authorities;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g j (new)

(gj) encourage Member States to facilitate and accelerate the procedure for obtaining visas for those who flee Belarus for political reasons;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g k (new)

(gk) call for a full EU/international investigation of crimes against the people of Belarus committed by law enforcement authorities of Lukashenko regime against peaceful protesters demanding transparent, free and fair Presidential elections, stopping current repressions and immediate release of all political prisoners in Belarus;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Andrzej HALICKI, Vladimír BILČÍK, Michael GAHLER, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g l (new)

(gl) call to establish in the European Parliament an inquiry committee (or another proper body of the European Parliament) on the investigation of crimes committed in Belarus, which would periodically report on its findings to the plenary sessions of the European Parliament;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Paulo RANGEL, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, Ivan DAVID

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g m (new)

(gm) 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 - the people have the right to access information; condemn the crackdown on international journalists and media limiting their ability to report on the democratic revolution in a free, fair and balanced way;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Andrius KUBILIUS, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, Michael GAHLER, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g n (new)

(gn) propose to appoint an EU special representative for Belarus in order to support the process of a peaceful transition of power in accordance with the will of Belarusian people under the leadership of the president elect by the people and the Belarusian People's Coordination Council;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i

(i) condemn the ongoing intimidation and persecution of opposition figures, including presidential ~~hopeful~~candidates, peaceful protesters, civil society activists and independent journalists and bloggers;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k

(k) insist on the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including members of the democratic opposition, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, bloggers and others convicted in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)

(ka) demand for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained after participating in the democratic revolution protests following the falsified presidential election of 9 August; demand the authorities to provide all information on people who went missing in relation to their participation in the protests after 9 August;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)

(kb) demand that all legal actions undertaken by the authorities against members of the Belarusian People's Coordination Council are dropped and all of them who are detained and arrested are freed;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l

(l) support independent media outlets ~~and~~, journalists and bloggers, including those who work on a freelance basis with unregistered foreign media;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)

(la) ensure that the new targeted sanctions apply to groups, individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses in Belarus, as well as against those individuals, entities and enterprises, through which such actions are financed and enabled; at the same time, impose visa bans against regime representatives, sanctioned individuals and their family members;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Sandra KALNIETE, Michael GAHLER, Željana ZOVKO, Andrius KUBILIUS, Andrzej HALICKI, Miriam LEXMANN, Paulo RANGEL, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Tomasz FRANKOWSKI, Janina OCHOJSKA, Radosław SIKORSKI, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)

(la) demand that any spread of disinformation in Belarus concerning the EU and its Member States is vigilantly countered as well as any hybrid threats undertaken by third actors;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
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; and through the development of alternative energy sources;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)

(na) strengthen cooperation with international authorities in the field of nuclear safety, and insist on access and monitoring of the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP);

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)

(oa) set up clear conditions to guarantee that EU financial support to Belarus will not end up in the hands of the regime representatives or serve to legitimise its actions, unless the regime ceases all repressions, opens up to dialogue with citizens and allows for new free and fair elections; at the same time, there is a need to use all available mechanisms to support the Belarusian civil society;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)

(ra) explore possibilities for visa-free travel to Belarusian citizens so that people-to-people contact is not held hostage to undemocratic principles of the Belarusian authorities;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2081(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Lukas MANDL, Michael GAHLER, Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE, Vladimír BILČÍK, David McALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r b (new)

(rb) strengthen democracy support programmes and strategic communication, and support greater outreach to local communities beyond the traditional 'pro-European' cohorts;

2020/09/02
Committee: AFET

2020/2072(INL)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that the situation with regard of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights has substantially deteriorated in a number of Member States, which is deeply regrettable; underlines that the Union is founded on a set of common principles of democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights, as enshrined in Article 2 TEU; recalls in particular the importance of upholding the rule of law and the obligation of Member States to ensure effective judicial protection, which is a core value of the Union as a community based on law;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2072(INL)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Notes the contradiction that whereas future Member States are vetted for their compliance with these values before they accede to the Union, no similar method exists to supervise adherence to these foundational principles after accession in the European Union;

2020/07/20
Committee: AFCO

2020/2072(INL)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the fact that many algorithmically driven identification technologies that are currently in use disproportionately misidentify ~~non-white people, child~~according to ethnicity, age and gender; considers, thereforen, th~~e elderly, as well as women~~at strong scientific and ethical standards are needed and that strong efforts should be made to avoid automated discrimination and bias;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Calls for strong additional safeguards in case AI systems in law enforcement or the judiciary are used on or in relation to minors, who are particularly vulnerable;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

~~7. Highlights the power asymmetry between those who develop and employ AI technologies and those who interact and are subject to them;~~deleted

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. UTakes note of the risks related to data leaks, data security breaches and unauthorised access to personal data and other information related to criminal investigations or court cases that are processed by AI systems; underlines that security and safety aspects of AI systems used in law enforcement need to be carefully considered, and be sufficiently robust and resilient to prevent the potentially catastrophic consequences of malicious attacks on AI systems;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Roberta METSOLA

9. Considers it necessary to create a clear and fair regime for assigning legal responsibility and liability for the potential adverse consequences produced by these advanced digital technologies;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Calls for the adoption of appropriate procurement processes for AI systems by Member States and EU agencies when used in law enforcement or judicial context, so as to ensure their compliance with fundamental rights;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. ~~Underlines that in judicial and law enforcement contexts, the final decision always needs to be taken by a human, who can be held accountable for the decisions made, and include~~Takes the view that law enforcement and judicial authorities that make use of AI systems need to uphold high legal standards, in particular when analysing data; underlines the need to ensure human intervention and accountability throughout the different stages of decision-making, to assess both the quality of the data and the appropriateness of each decision taken on the basis of that information; considers that persons subject to these systems should be given the possibility of a recourse for a remedy;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Romana TOMC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls for algorithmic explainability and transparency as a necessary part of oversight in order to ensure that the development, deployment and use of AI systems for judiciary and law enforcement ~~comply with fundamental rights, and~~ are trusted by citizens, as well as in order to ensure that results generated by AI algorithms can be rendered intelligible to users and to those subject to these systems, and that there is transparency on the source data and how the system arrived at a certain conclusion;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls for traceability of ~~AI systems that defines the capabilitie~~the decision making process of AI systems within law enforcement and the judiciary which outlines the functions and limitations of the systems, and keeps track of where the defining attributes for a decision originate, for instance through compulsory documentation obligations;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls for a compulsory fundamental rights impact assessment to be conducted prior to the implementation or deployment of any AI systems for law enforcement or judiciary purposes, in order to assess any potential risks to fundamental rights and, where necessary, define appropriate safeguards to address these risks;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Deplores that many law enforcement and judicial authorities in the EU lack the funding, capacities and capabilities to reap the benefits AI tools can offer for their work; encourages law enforcement and judicial authorities to identify, structure and categorise their needs to enable the development of tailor- made AI solutions and to exchange best practices on AI deployment; stresses the need to provide the authorities with the necessary funding, as well as to equip them with the necessary expertise to guarantee full compliance with the ethical, legal and technical requirements attached to AI deployment;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Supports the establishment of awareness-raising and educational initiatives to ensure that individuals working in law enforcement or the judiciary are aware of and understand the limitations, capabilities and risks that the use of AI systems entail, including the risk of automation bias;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls for ~~periodic mandatory auditing of all AI systems used by law enforcement and the judiciary to test and evaluate~~an adequate institutional framework, including proper regulatory and supervisory oversight, to ensure proper implementation; calls for periodic mandatory auditing of all AI systems used by law enforcement and the judiciary by an independent authority to test and evaluate the context, purpose, accuracy, performance, and scale of algorithmic systems once they are in operation, in order to detect, investigate, diagnose and rectify any unwanted and adverse effects and thereby ensure continuous compliance with the applicable regulatory framework;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Supports the recommendations of the Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI for a ban on AI-enabled mass scale scoring of individuals; considers that any form of normative citizen scoring on a large scale by public authorities, in particular within the field of law enforcement and the judiciary, leads to the loss of autonomy, endangers the principle of non-discrimination and cannot be considered in line with European values;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Welcomes the recommendations of the Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI for a proportionate use of biometric recognition technology; shares the view that the use of remote biometric identification should always be considered “high risk” and therefore be subject to additional requirements;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Calls for a moratorium~~Strongly believes that the deployment of facial recognition systems by law enforcement should be limited to clearly warranted purposes in full respect onf the ~~deployment of facial recognition systems for law enforcement, until the technical standard~~applicable law; reaffirms that as a minimum, the use of facial recognition technology must comply with the requirements of data minimisation, data accuracy, storage limitation, data security and accountability, as well as being lawful, fair, transparent and following a specific, explicit and legitimate purpose that is clearly defined in Member State or Union law; reminds that these systems are already successfully used, inter alia to search suspect databases and identify victims of human trafficking or child sexual exploitation and abuse; emphasises the need to ensure that the technical standards and underlying algorithms can be considered ~~fully~~ fundamental rights compliant, and that results derived are non-discriminatory~~, and there is public trust~~ ; believes that this will be decisive to ensure public trust and support regarding the necessity and proportionality ofor the deployment of such technologies;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Notes that predictive policing is among the AI applications used in the area of law enforcement; acknowledges that this can allow law enforcement to work more effectively and proactively, but warns that while predictive policing can analyse the necessary data sets for the identification of patterns and correlations, it cannot answer the question of causality and therefore cannot constitute the sole basis for an intervention;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls for greater overall transparency ~~from Member States, and for a comprehensive understan~~regarding of the use of AI applications in the Union~~, broken down by Member State law enforcement and judicial authority, the type of tool in use, the types of crime they are applied to, and the companies whose tools are being used~~; requests Member States to provide an overview of the tools used by their law enforcement and judicial authorities, the purposes for which they are used, and the names of the companies or organizations which have developed those tools;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2016(INI)

Kris PEETERS, Isabel WISELER-LIMA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Jeroen LENAERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Paulo RANGEL, Romana TOMC, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Maria WALSH, Roberta METSOLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Reminds that AI applications, including applications used in the context of law enforcement and the judiciary, are being developed globally at a rapid pace; urges all European stakeholders, including the Commission and EU agencies, to ensure international cooperation and to engage third country partners in order to find a common and complementary ethical framework for the use of AI, in particular for law enforcement and the judiciary;

2020/07/20
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Loránt VINCZE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas 43 % of Roma are in some form of paid employment1 ; whereas 50% of Roma between the age of 6 and 24 do not attend school and 63 % of young Roma (aged 16-24) are not in education, employment or training (NEET)2 ; whereas the increasing share of Roma NEETs was an area where the situation had deteriorated in 2016 compared to 20113 ; _________________ 1European Commission, 2019 Report on National Roma Integration Strategies: Key Conclusions, p. 3. 2Report on the implementation of national Roma integration strategies – 2019, COM(2019)0406, p. 4. 3 Roma inclusion measures reported under the EU framework for NRIS, SWD(2019) 320 final, PART 1/2, p. 18.

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Loránt VINCZE, Michal WIEZIK

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas Roma are struggling to find stable employment as they do not fit job requirements because of their often limited chances of developing their skills and competences;

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Michal WIEZIK, Loránt VINCZE

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas Roma are born into an extreme generational poverty, one third of Roma households do not have tap water, just over half have an indoor flush toilet or shower, and 78 % of Roma live in overcrowded housing4 ; _________________ 4European Commission, 2019 Report on National Roma Integration Strategies: Key Conclusions, p. 6.

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11

— having regard to the relevant reports and recommendations of civil society organisations representing ~~people with Romani background~~Roma, non- governmental organisations (NGOs) and research institutions,

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Loránt VINCZE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas a significant proportion of people with Romani background in Europe live in marginal conditions in both rural and urban areas, and in very poor socio- economic circumstances25 ; __________________ 25 FRA, Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey, Roma – Selected findings, 2016.

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Calls on the more attention paid to those Member States that have a sizable Roma population and history of rather ineffective measures. The Commission should monitor and better support these Member States and their policies and measures;

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Michal WIEZIK, Loránt VINCZE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights that the most critical points to address in the area of Roma employment are effective transition from education to the open labour market, tackling negative stereotypes that are often the biggest obstacles to find employment, tackling discrimination by employers, matching labour demand with labour supply, and the growing rates of Roma youth not in education;

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~a Directive for the Equality and Inclusion of People with Romani Background~~the EU initiative on Roma Equality and Inclusion, developed on the basis of more realistic quantitative and qualitative data, a ~~legislative act with a binding character on the European Union and its Member State~~nd country-specific indicators, is needed and must be proposed by the Commission;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Andrea BOCSKOR, Ádám KÓSA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Michal WIEZIK, Loránt VINCZE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Underlines the need for an urgent and thorough commitment by the relevant state authorities to the desegregation of Roma pupils in schools and to securing the same quality and inclusive mainstream learning as the non-Roma pupils, as Roma children are often educated in segregated environments, while the misdiagnosis of Roma children as having special educational needs is still a common discriminatory practice;

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas adequate funding must be allocated for the implementation of post- 2020 National Inclusion Strategies for ~~People with Romani Background~~Roma from the local, regional and national budgets of the Member States; whereas the EU and the Member States must ensure that the funds allocated are properly spent and not misused;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the correct designation referring to all Romani groups, including those stigmatised as gypsies but who do not have the corresponding ethnic background, such as Egyptians, Ashkali, or Travellers, should be ‘people with Romani background’;deleted

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas the equal participation of local and regional stakeholders (NGOs, activists, experts, community members, etc.) must be significantly involved in the development, implementation and monitoring of public policies towards ~~people with Romani background~~Roma, in the post-2020 context;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Andrea BOCSKOR, Ádám KÓSA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Michal WIEZIK, Loránt VINCZE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Calls on the Commission to facilitate an exchange of best practices between Member States and to monitor the progress;

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Miriam LEXMANN, Andrea BOCSKOR, Ádám KÓSA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Peter POLLÁK, Michal WIEZIK, Loránt VINCZE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Calls on the Member States to make the greatest effort in order to sensitise public opinion concerning Roma inclusion;

2020/06/04
Committee: EMPL

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas under COVID-19 lockdowns, the situation of marginalised communities of ~~people of Romani background~~Roma in overcrowded compounds and settlements is very difficult; whereas ~~people of Romani background~~Roma do not have access to adequate healthcare, drinking water, sanitation and food, and are particularly at risk; whereas the Member States must deliver emergency support and medical care in order to limit the spread of the virus; whereas racism, exclusion and discrimination against ~~people of Romani background~~Roma should be urgently addressed by the Union and its Member States;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that the Commission must develop a proposal for a post-2020 ~~directive for e~~EU initiative on Roma Equality and iInclusion ~~of people with Romani background~~ in Europe putting the fight against poverty and anti-gypsyism at the forefront; stresses that the new proposal must include clear ~~and binding objectives, measures and target~~objectives, country- specific indicators and concrete measures for the Member States, a clear timeline and ~~clear and binding~~ progress requirements, as well as ~~success indicators and~~ adequate funding for its implementation; emphasises the need for a robust monitoring and oversight mechanism to ensure effective implementation and appropriate use of funds; notes that equal participation in all domains of public life, political participation, and the language, arts, culture, history and environment of ~~people with Romani background~~Roma should be explicitly mentioned in the proposal for post-2020 EU public policy for ~~people with Romani background~~Roma, as additional measures to the four main priority areas of education, employment, housing and healthcare;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that to make the future EU Roma inclusion process successful and credible a fundamental change in approach is needed; emphasises that national efforts towards Roma inclusion should be accelerated in all EU Member States; stresses however that the emphasis should be placed on those with a sizable Roma population where an ineffective process of Roma inclusion poses macroeconomic challenges, deepens regional disparities and thus hampers EU social cohesion; underlines that the EU support to those countries should be measured up to the challenges, that greater attention should be devoted to the effectiveness of policies and measures in these countries, and that adequate funding should be closely linked with policies;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Commission to develop a proposal for a post-2020 EU ~~directive for the e~~initiative on Roma Equality and iInclusion ~~of people with Romani background~~, giving priority to (i) achieving a positive impact; (ii) a rights-based approach, including a plan to eliminate social and economic inequalities; (iii) developing a vision for the future proposal, including specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time- bound objectives to protect and improve the inclusion of ~~people with Romani background~~Roma; and (iv) eliminating inequalities, especially for children from their earliest years;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission to ensure the equal participation of Romani and pro- Romani civil society organisations, experts and community members, including those active at local and regional level, taking into account a gender perspective in both the policy debate and in decision-making;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to take into account the internal heterogeneity of the community in the priority domains of the post-2020 EU ~~directive proposal, ensuring that nobody is left behind, and to use the designation ‘people with Romani background’ when referring to Romani groups in post-2020 EU policies and discussions~~Initiative on Roma Equality and Inclusion, ensuring that nobody is left behind;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the link between EU mainstream financial and policy instruments, particularly the European Structural and Investment Funds, and inclusion priorities for ~~people with Romani background~~Roma, as part of the next multiannual financial framework;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Commission to consider a new funding tool or sub- programme that should be linked to an existing EU educational and social funding programme, such as Erasmus Plus or the European Social Fund, for targeted and tailored support in quality education for pupils with Romani background between the ages of 3 and 18 who are contending with extreme poverty and do not have access to existing EU educational and social inclusion funding instruments;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Member States to develop post-2020 National Strategies for the Inclusion of ~~People with Romani Background~~Roma based on realistic quantitative and qualitative data with an adequate pre- defined budget, incorporated into the national, regional and local budgets and which reflects the scale of the social inclusion needs of ~~people with Romani background~~Roma;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to officially recognise anti-gypsyism as a specific form of racism against ~~people with Romani background~~Roma, and to develop and implement specific and effective preventive and corrective measures against it on all levels where it occurs;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to strengthen the participation of ~~people with Romani background~~Roma in policy-making, moving from a paternalistic to a non- paternalistic approach;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2011(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Member States to indicate what level of funding would be needed to carry out the proposed measures for inclusion of ~~people with Romani background~~Roma and to state the amount of money available for such measures from the national and from the EU budgets;

2020/06/12
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

— having regard to the work carried out by the Council of Europe to promote the protection and safety of journalists, including Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)1[1] of the Committee of Ministers to member states on media pluralism and transparency of media ownership and the declaration by the Committee of Ministers on the financial sustainability of quality journalism in the digital age, and the Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4[1] of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to the Joint Communication of 10 June 2020 entitled ‘Tackling COVID-19 disinformation - Getting the facts right’ (JOIN(2020) 8 final),

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission’s Code of Practice to fight online disinformation, agreed on 26 September 2018,

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)

— having regard to the Council conclusions of 26 May 2020 on media literacy in an ever-changing world,

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Citation 34 a (new)

— having regard to the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services' Report on disinformation: Assessment of the implementation of the Code of Practice (2020)

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas all Member States must adhere to the values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas several Member States’ position in international press freedom rankings has declined;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas journalists and other media actors continue to be at risk of violence, threats, harassment, pressure, (self-) censorship, public shaming and even assassination in the EU as a result of their investigative activities to protect the public interest; whereas women journalists face gender-specific forms of violence, such as sexual and online harassment, whereas more than 70% of women working in the media have experienced more than one type of harassment, threat, or attack online; whereas 52% of women have experienced these types of offence in the past year alone;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the threats to media freedom includes harassment and attacks aimed at journalists, disregard of their legal protection as well as media capture or politically motivated actions in the media sector;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas in addition to violence, intimidation and harassment of journalists there is lack of prosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes and impunity leads to a chilling effect; whereas OSCE reports that impunity prevails as e.g. less than 15% of murders of journalists in the OSCE region are solved;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas the global COVID-19 crisis is having a devastating social and economic impact on the media sector; whereas media outlets have been reporting considerable losses in their revenue from advertising, whereas thousands of media workers have already lost, or are at risk of losing their jobs, either temporarily or permanently, whereas this has particularly strong impact on freelance journalists whose number is increasing throughout the EU and who constitute already a significant part of all journalists in Europe; whereas financial sustainability of the job and financial independence are a crucial part of press freedom;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the impact of disinformation online, sometimes with serious consequences for public health

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

Fb. whereas digital advertising revenue often benefits non-EU actors and European media revenues are in sharp decline

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the internet and social media play a role in spreading hate speech and fostering radicalisation leading to violent extremism, through the circulation of illegal content; whereas combating all forms of intolerance is an integral part of human-rights protection as developed by the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the AVMSD obliges the authorities in every Member State to ensure that audiovisual media services do not contain any incitement to hatred based on race, sex, religion or nationality; whereas the AVMSD obliges Member States to ensure the independence of media regulators;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the spread of false news and disinformation available via social media or search websites poses a threat to freedom of speech and expression and the independence of the media, and has strongly impaired the credibility of the traditional media; whereas data analysis and algorithms have an increasing impact on the information made accessible to citizens;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas disinformation related to COVID-19 may cause panic and social unrest and needs to be addressed; whereas measures to combat disinformation cannot be used as a pretext for introducing disproportionate restrictions on press freedom; whereas reports indicate that coordinated campaigns have been running across EU Member States and neighbouring regions, promoting false health information and disinformation about the EU and its partners; whereas the Commission addresses these phenomena in its recent joint communication on tackling COVID-19 disinformation;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

Ja. whereas genuinely independent, adequately funded public-service media operating across various platforms are key to functioning democracy in the EU

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its continued deep concern about the state of media freedom within the EU in the context of the abuses and attacks still being perpetrated against journalists and media workers in the Member States because of their activities, as well as the growing public denigration and general weakening of the profession, weighing particularly heavily on local, investigative and cross-border journalism; stresses that, in accordance with the Council of Europe Recommendation on media pluralism (2018), Member States have a positive obligation to foster a favourable environment for freedom of expression, offline and online, in which everyone can exercise their right to freedom of expression;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Highlights the irreplaceable role of public service media and stresses that it is essential to ensure and maintain their independence from political interference; highlights as well the need to ensure the financial independence and the conditions for the sustainability of the activities of private market operators to avoid media capture; reiterates in this context Parliament’s call for an ambitious EU media action plan; condemns attempts by Member State governments to silence critical media and undermine media freedom and pluralism, in particular attempts to control public service media; deplores the fact that in some Member States public broadcasting has become an example of single political party propaganda, which often excludes opposition and minority groups from society and even incites violence; draws attention to the recommendations included in the Resolution 2255 (2019) of PACE that calls on the Member States to guarantee editorial independence, as well as sufficient and stable funding, for public service media; stresses that safeguarding independent authorities and ensuring strong independent oversight of ~~audiovisual~~ media against undue state and commercial intervention is crucial; calls on the Commission to present a legal framework to supervise the operation of public service media providers, including whether they fulfil the criteria of prudent management and task-based financing, and if their services fulfil the expectations of fact-based, fair and ethical journalism;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Reiterates its concern that few specific legal or policy frameworks protecting journalists and media workers from violence, threats and intimidation can be identified at national level within the EU; calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure the effective protection and safety of journalists and other media actors as well as of their sources, including in a cross-border context; reiterates its call to Member States to take a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists; strongly reiterates its call on the Commission to present proposals to prevent so-called ‘Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation’ (SLAPP);

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Stresses that excessive concentration of the content-producing and content-distributing sectors may threaten citizens’ access to a range of content; underlines that media pluralism, which depends on the existence of a diversity of media ownership and of content as well as independent journalism, is key to challenging the spread of disinformation and ensuring that EU citizens are well- informed; reminds that according to the Media Pluralism Monitor conclusions the media ownership concentration remains one of the most significant risks to media pluralism and is seen as creating barriers to the diversity of information; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation at Member States level of existing EU instruments against ownership concentration and illegal state aid to increase diversity in the media landscape;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently introduce EU and national emergency recovery packages to protect the jobs and livelihoods of media workers, support companies and fund public service media through the COVID- 19 ~~crisis~~economic recovery plan; stresses that in the face of the pandemic European citizens need professional, economically secure and independent journalists; reiterates in this context its call for the creation of a permanent European fund for journalists in the framework of the next MFF (2021- 2027), as redrafted following the COVID- 19 crisis, offering direct financial support for independent journalists and media outlets, freelancers and self-employed media workers; reiterates also in this context its call for an ambitious EU media action plan to support the development of a vibrant and pluralistic media landscape;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Strongly welcomes the allocation of EU funds to start projects, such as the Europe-wide rapid response mechanism for violations of press and media freedom and a cross-border investigative journalism fund in order to strengthen media freedom and pluralism;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls for an ambitious MFF with increased budget allocations to support media and independent journalism; stresses the importance of innovation in journalism and news media which could be fostered through EU funding

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Stresses that public-service media role as trusted providers of public good and serving general public interest would be improved by appropriate and sustainable funding, free of political interference in the Member States

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Highlights that online hate speech has grown increasingly widespread in recent years as individuals and disruptive actors use the power of online platforms to spread hateful information; stresses that this harms the collective public interest as harmful content undermines respectful and honest public discourse, and poses threats to public safety given that online hate speech can incite real- world violence;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Notes that the new digital environment has exacerbated the problem of the spread of disinformation and has resulted in online platforms playing an influential role in publishing, disseminating and promoting news and other media content; reiterates its concern about the potential threat disinformation poses to freedom of expression ~~and the~~, democratic discourse, independence of the media and public health;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on all online platforms to ensure their algorithms underpinning search functions favour reliable sources and trustworthy sites over a commercial logic based on advertising; calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to control and monitor online platforms and to ensure that they comply with this approach;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the EU institutions for strengthened and pro-active communication in all official languages when major public emergencies, such as the pandemic occur in order to ensure that European citizens have access to accurate, user-friendly and verified information;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Points out that different forms of misinformation and disinformation, as well as other forms of information manipulation relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to proliferate around the world and have potentially harmful consequences for public security, health and effective crisis management; recalls that all measures to combat disinformation, including those taken in the context of the COVID-19 emergency, need to be necessary, proportionate, transparent and subject to regular oversight, and may under no circumstances prevent journalists and media actors from carrying out their work or lead to content being unduly blocked on the internet; deplores that certain online platforms remove professional journalistic content based on non-transparent terms and conditions which unnecessarily limit the freedom of expression;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative to present a European Democracy Action Plan that aims to counter disinformation and to adapt to evolving threats and manipulations, as well as to support free ~~and~~, independent and financially viable media; emphasises in this respect that protecting free and independent media while combating hate speech and disinformation is a fundamental factor in terms of the defence of the rule of law and democracy in the EU; welcomes the creation of the European Digital Media Observatory, a digital platform to help fighting disinformation;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reminds the Commission and the Member States as well as the private sector, in particular online platforms, and civil society as a whole of the need for joint action when it comes to the fight against disinformation, and acknowledges the p~~ositive~~romising impact of the voluntary actions taken by service providers and platforms to counter disinformation; calls on all online platforms and other key players to join the list of signatories;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Maria WALSH, Javier ZARZALEJOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Reminds the Commission and the Member States as well as the private sector, in particular online platforms, and civil society as a whole of the need for joint action when it comes to the fight against disinformation, and acknowledges the positive and necessary, yet still insufficient, impact of the voluntary actions taken by service providers and platforms to counter disinformation;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Vladimír BILČÍK, Kris PEETERS, Ramona STRUGARIU, Javier ZARZALEJOS, Maria WALSH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to improve media literacy through support for educational initiatives aimed at both students and professional educators, as well as through targeted awareness-raising campaigns within civil society, highlights that media literacy is an increasingly essential and critical skill for the modern citizen and consumer and recalls its fundamental role as one of the primary solutions to growing disinformation- and hate speech-related issues;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Considers that the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation could be strengthened through improved monitoring of the existing commitments, transparent and disaggregated provision of information and data by the online platforms and expansion of the existing commitments; considers that co- regulatory approach continuously reflecting current developments in the digital sphere could be a way forward;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2009(INI)

Vladimír BILČÍK, Magdalena ADAMOWICZ, Roberta METSOLA, Isabel WISELER-LIMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18b. Considers continuous media literacy curriculum and efforts across all age groups to be of significant importance when increasing societal resilience to various threats in the digital space;

2020/07/07
Committee: LIBE

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the east, Africa is struggling to contend with challenges, such as historical underdevelopment compounded by the destruction of the traditional agro- pastoral economy as a result of climate change, population growth and deforestation; whereas another major challenge is the emergence of new forms of mafia economy, including human and drug trafficking and the uncontrolled export of gold deposits, which, combined with the abandonment, inefficiency and corruption of the administration, is producing a hybridisation between terrorist groups, traffickers and traditional community and regional conflicts, with the phenomenon of jihadist religious extremism appearing as a false response for the societies concernedAfrica is struggling to contend with multiple challenges stemming from the historical development of the continent;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~poverty and insecurity feed off each other and push young people to migrate to Europe in search of a better life, impoverishing states by depriving them of their best human resources~~new challenges, such as poverty and insecurity, cause migration;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

L a. whereas the African Union remains a key partner for EU's peace and stability efforts;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Welcomes the proposal by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy which will be a basis for the new strategy with Africa based on five key areas of green transition, digital transformation, sustainable growth and jobs, peace and governance and migration and mobility; underlines the importance of the upcoming EU-AU Summit in order to strengthen bilateral relations and define common strategic priorities with partners;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. SUnderlines the importance of the future EU-Africa partnership and states that there can be no security strategy without joint development action;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point a

a) consolidating ~~democracy by ensuring a real parliamentary system, guaranteeing all civil society~~parliamentary democracy and respect for fundamental freedoms and civil liberties;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/2002(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point a a (new)

a a) conducting free, fair and competitive elections;

2020/05/07
Committee: AFET

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2

(2) For years, politics has relied on voluntary cooperation with a view to address these risks and challenges. Since this has proved insufficient and there has been a lack of harmonised rules at Union level, Member States ~~are~~have been increasingly introducing, or are considering introducing, national laws ~~on the matters covered by this Regulation~~, imposing, in particular, diligence requirements for providers of intermediary services. Those diverging national laws negatively affect the internal market, which, pursuant to Article 26 of the Treaty, comprises an area without internal frontiers in which the free movement of goods and services and freedom of establishment are ensured, taking into account the inherently cross- border nature of the internet, which is generally used to provide those services. The conditions for the provision of intermediary services across the internal market should be harmonised, so as to provide businesses with access to new markets and opportunities to exploit the benefits of the internal market, while allowing consumers and other recipients of the services to have increased choice. Moreover, a fragmentation of rules can have negative consequences for the freedom of expression.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3

(3) Responsible and diligent behaviour by providers of intermediary services is essential for a safe, predictable and trusted online environment and for allowing Union citizens and ~~other pers~~users and consumers within the Unions to exercise their fundamental rights guaranteed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘Charter’), in particular the freedom of expression and information and the freedom to conduct a business, the rights to privacy and data protection, and the right to non-discrimination.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8

(8) Such a substantial connection to the Union should be considered to exist where the service provider has an establishment in the Union or, in its absence, on the basis of the existence of a significant number of users in one or more Member States, or the targeting of activities towards one or more Member States. The targeting of activities towards one or more Member States ~~can~~should be determined on the basis of all relevant circumstances, including factors such as the use of a language or a currency generally used in that Member State, or the possibility of ordering products or services, or using a national top level domain. The targeting of activities towards a Member State could also be derived from the availability of an application in the relevant national application store, from the provision of local advertising or advertising in the language used in that Member State, or from the handling of customer relations such as by providing customer service in the language generally used in that Member State. A substantial connection should also be assumed where a service provider directs its activities to one or more Member State as set out in Article 17(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council27 . On the other hand, the mere technical accessibility of a website, of an email address or of other contact details from the Union, cannot, on that ground alone, be considered as establishing a substantial connection to the Union. _________________ 27 Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (OJ L351, 20.12.2012, p.1)sufficient to constitute a substantial connection to the Union.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9

(9) This Regulation should complement, yet not affect the application of rules resulting from other acts of Union law regulating certain aspects of the provision of intermediary services, in particular Directive 2000/31/EC, with the exception of those changes introduced by this Regulation, Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as amended,28 and Regulation (EU) ~~…/..~~2021/784 of the European Parliament and of the Council29 ~~– proposed Terrorist Content Online Regulation~~. Therefore, this Regulation leaves those other acts, which are to be considered lex specialis in relation to the generally applicable framework set out in this Regulation, unaffected. However, the rules of this Regulation apply in respect of issues that are not or not fully addressed by those other acts as well as issues on which those other acts leave Member States the possibility of adopting certain measures at national level. _________________ 28 Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2010 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive) (Text with EEA relevance), OJ L 95, 15.4.2010, p. 1 . 29Regulation (EU) …/.. of the European Parliament and of the Council – proposed Terrorist Content Online Regulation

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12

(12) In order to achieve the objective of ensuring a safe, predictable and trusted online environment, for the purpose of this Regulation the concept of “illegal content” should be defined broadly and also covers information relating to illegal content, products, services and activities. In particular, that concept should be understood to refer to information, irrespective of its form, that under the applicable law is either itself illegal, such as ~~illegal~~ hate speech, child sexual abuse material or terrorist content and unlawful discriminatory content, or that relates to activities that are illegal, such as the ~~sharing of images depicting child sexual abuse,~~ unlawful non- consensual sharing of private images, online stalking, the sale of non- compliant or counterfeit products, the non- authorised use of copyright protected material or activities involving infringements of consumer protection law. In this regard, it is immaterial whether the illegality of the information or activity results from Union law or from national law that is consistent with Union law and what the precise nature or subject matter is of the law in question.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14

(14) The concept of ‘dissemination to the public’, as used in this Regulation, should entail the making available of information to a potentially unlimited number of persons, that is, making the information easily accessible to users in general without further action by the recipient of the service providing the information being required, irrespective of whether those persons actually access the information in question. The mere possibility to create groups of users of a given service should not, in itself, be understood to mean that the information disseminated in that manner is not disseminated to the public. However, the concept should exclude dissemination of information within closed groups consisting of a finite number of pre- determined personAccordingly, that information should be considered to be disseminated to the public only where users seeking to access the information are automatically registered or admitted without a human decision or selection of whom to grant access. Interpersonal communication services, as defined in Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council,39 such as emails or private messaging services, should fall outside the scope of this Regulation. Information should be considered disseminated to the public within the meaning of this Regulation only where that occurs upon the direct request by the recipient of the service that provided the information. _________________ 39Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (Recast), OJ L 321, 17.12.2018, p. 36

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25

(25) In order to create legal certainty and not to discourage activities aimed at detecting, identifying ~~and acting against~~, removing and reporting illegal content that providers of intermediary services may undertake on a voluntary basis, including the deployment of automated tools to detect manifestly illegal content, it should be clarified that the mere fact that providers undertake such activities does not lead to the unavailability of the exemptions from liability set out in this Regulation, provided those activities are carried out in good faith and in a diligent manner. In addition, it is appropriate to clarify that the mere fact that those providers take measures, in good faith, to comply with the requirements of Union or national law, including those set out in this Regulation as regards the implementation of their terms and conditions, should not lead to the unavailability of those exemptions from liability. Therefore, any such activities and measures that a given provider may have taken should not be taken into account when determining whether the provider can rely on an exemption from liability, in particular as regards whether the provider provides its service neutrally and can therefore fall within the scope of the relevant provision, without this rule however implying that the provider can necessarily rely thereon.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27

(27) Since 2000, new technologies have emerged that improve the availability, efficiency, speed, reliability, capacity and security of systems for the transmission and storage of data online, leading to an increasingly complex online ecosystem. In this regard, it should be recalled that providers of services establishing and facilitating the underlying logical architecture and proper functioning of the internet, including technical auxiliary functions, can also benefit from the exemptions from liability set out in this Regulation, to the extent that their services qualify as ‘mere conduits’, ‘caching’ or hosting services. Such services include, as the case may be, wireless local area networks, domain name system (DNS) services, top–level domain name registries, certificate authorities that issue digital certificates, or content delivery networks, that enable or improve the functions of other providers of intermediary services. Likewise, services used for communications purposes, and the technical means of their delivery, have also evolved considerably, giving rise to online services such as Voice over IP, messaging services, cloud infrastructure providers and web-based e-mail services, where the communication is delivered via an internet access service. Those services, too, can benefit from the exemptions from liability, to the extent that they qualify as ‘mere conduit’, ‘caching’ or hosting service.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28

(28) Providers of intermediary services should not be subject to a monitoring obligation with respect to obligations of a general nature. This does not concern monitoring obligations in a specific case and, in particular, does not affect orders by national authorities in accordance with national legislation, in accordance with the conditions established in this Regulation. Nothing in this Regulation should be construed as an imposition of a general monitoring obligation or active fact-finding obligation~~, or as a general obligation~~ in relation to illegal content. However, notice-and-action mechanisms should be complemented by requirements for providers to take ~~proactive~~specific measures t~~o relation to illegal content~~hat are proportionate to their scale of reach as well as their technical and operational capacities in order to effectively address the appearance of illegal content on their services.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 29

(29) Depending on the legal system of each Member State and the field of law at issue, national judicial, law enforcement or administrative authorities may order providers of intermediary services to act against certain specific items of illegal content or to provide certain specific items of information. The national laws on the basis of which such orders are issued differ considerably and the orders are increasingly addressed in cross-border situations. In order to ensure that those orders can be complied with in an effective and efficient manner, so that the public authorities concerned can carry out their tasks and the providers are not subject to any disproportionate burdens, without unduly affecting the rights and legitimate interests of any third parties, it is necessary to set certain conditions that those orders should meet and certain complementary requirements relating to the processing of those orders.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 30

(30) Orders to act against illegal content or to provide information should be issued by designated national competent authorities in compliance with Union law, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the prohibition of general obligations to monitor information or to actively seek facts or circumstances indicating illegal activity laid down in this Regulation. Member States should ensure that the competent authorities fulfil their tasks in an objective, independent and non- discriminatory manner and do not seek or take instructions from any other body in relation to the exercise of the tasks under this Regulation. The conditions and requirements laid down in this Regulation which apply to orders to act against illegal content are without prejudice to other Union acts providing for similar systems for acting against specific types of illegal content, such as Regulation (EU) ~~…/…. [proposed Regulati~~2021/784 on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online], or Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 that confers specific powers to order the provision of information on Member State consumer law enforcement authorities, whilst the conditions and requirements that apply to orders to provide information are without prejudice to other Union acts providing for similar relevant rules for specific sectors. Those conditions and requirements should be without prejudice to retention and preservation rules under applicable national law, in conformity with Union law and confidentiality requests by law enforcement authorities related to the non- disclosure of information.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 30 a (new)

(30 a) In line with the judgment of the Court of Justice of 3 October 2019 in case C-18/18 and where technologically feasible, providers of intermediary services may be required, on the basis of sufficiently substantiated orders by designated competent authorities and taking full account of the specific context of the content, to execute periodic searches for distinct pieces of content that a court has already declared unlawful, provided that the monitoring of and search for the information concerned by such an injunction are limited to information conveying a message whose content remains essentially unchanged compared with the content which gave rise to the finding of illegality and containing the elements specified in the injunction, which, are identical or equivalent to the extent that would not require the host provider to carry out an independent assessment of that content.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 31

(31) The territorial scope of such orders to act against illegal content should be clearly set out on the basis of the applicable Union or national law enabling the issuance of the order and should not exceed what is strictly necessary to achieve its objectives. In that regard, the national judicial, law enforcement or administrative authority issuing the order should balance the objective that the order seeks to achieve, in accordance with the legal basis enabling its issuance, with the rights and legitimate interests of all third parties that may be affected by the order, in particular their fundamental rights under the Charter. In addition, where the order referring to the specific information may have effects beyond the territory of the Member State of the authority concerned, the authority should assess whether the information at issue is likely to constitute illegal content in other Member States concerned and, where relevant, take account of the relevant rules of Union law or international law and the interests of international comity. Providers of intermediary services should not be legally required to remove content which is legal in their country of establishment. However, in accordance with Union law, it should be possible for a competent authority to request a provider established or legally represented in another Member State to block access to specific content from the Union territory. This is without prejudice to the right for providers to check specific content subject to an order against their terms and conditions and subsequently remove it despite it being legal in their country of establishment.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 37

(37) Providers of intermediary services that are established in a third country that offer services in the Union should designate a ~~sufficiently mandated~~ legal representative in the Union ~~and provide information relating to their legal representatives,~~empowered to act on their behalf so as to allow for the compliance, effective oversight and, where necessary, enforcement of this Regulation ~~in relation to~~. It should be possible for intermediary services to designate, for those p~~roviders. It should be possible~~urposes of this Regulation, a legal representative already designated for other purposes, provided that that legal representative ~~to also~~is able to fulfil the function as p~~oint of contact, provided the relevan~~rovided for in this Regulation. Providers of intermediary services that are~~quirements of this Regulation are complied with.~~ part of a group should be allowed to collectively designate one legal representative.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39

(39) To ensure an adequate level of transparency and accountability, providers of intermediary services should annually report, in accordance with the harmonised requirements contained in this Regulation, on the content moderation they engage in, including the measures taken as a result of the application and enforcement of their terms and conditions. Providers offering their services in more than one Member State should provide a breakdown of the information by Member State. However, so as to avoid disproportionate burdens, those transparency reporting obligations should not apply to providers that are micro- or small enterprises as defined in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC.40 _________________ 40 Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium- sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36).

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE

2020/0361(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 40

(40) Providers of hosting services play a particularly important role in tackling illegal content online, as they store information provided by and at the request of the recipients of the service and typically give other recipients access thereto, sometimes on a large scale. It is important that all providers of hosting services, regardless of their size, put in place user-friendly notice and action mechanisms that facilitate the notification of specific items of information that the notifying party ~~consider~~assesses to be illegal content to the provider of hosting services concerned ('notice'), pursuant to which that provider, based on its own assessment, can decide whether or not it agrees with that assessment and wishes to remove or disable access to that content ('action'). Provided the requirements on notices are met, it should be possible for individuals or entities to notify multiple specific items of allegedly illegal content through a single notice. The obligation to put in place notice and action mechanisms should apply, for instance, to file storage and sharing services, web hosting services, advertising servers and paste bins, in as far as they qualify as providers of hosting services covered by this Regulation.

2021/06/10
Committee: LIBE