Activities of Eugenia RODRÍGUEZ PALOP related to 2022/2138(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Sexual harassment in the EU and MeToo evaluation (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on sexual harassment in the EU and MeToo evaluation
Amendments (31)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the International Labour Organization Convention on Violence and Harassment (No. 190) and the Violence and Harassment Recommendation (206) and to the main provisions thereof,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
— having regard to Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (whistleblowers),
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas sexual harassment is any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment; whereas sexual harassment is a form of gender-based violence and an extreme form of gender-based discrimination which affects women and girls disproportionally; whereas harassment, is often linked to other forms of discrimination in addition to gender- based discrimination and has to be addressed with an intersectional approach and from all its angles;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas violence and harassment at work is a widespread phenomenon around the world, with more than one in five (nearly 23 per cent) persons in employment having experienced violence and harassment at work during their working life, whether physical, psychological or sexual; whereas women are particularly exposed to sexual violence and harassment at work; whereas young women are twice as likely as young men to have experienced sexual violence and harassment, and migrant women are almost twice as likely as non- migrant women to report sexual violence and harassment;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas in order to ensure easy access to appropriate and effective protection, remedies and safe, fair and effective reporting and procedures in cases of violence and harassment in the world of work it is key to protect against victimization of or retaliation against complainants, victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas whistle-blowers play a pivotal role in exposing sexual and psychological harassment, mismanagement and discrimination in the workplace;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas thseveral Member States have made progress made in addressing the issue of sexual harassment after the MeToo movement is not sufficient and there is stispread globally a lot to be done withnd in Europe by adapting the European instituir legislations and beyond; whereas the European institutions have started to adapt their internal rules and procedures in order to better identify, counter and sanction harassment; whereas the implementation of prevention mechanisms has given rise to a certain degree of reluctance resulting not only from ignorance of the phenomenon of harassment but also from the lack of clarity of the existing legal rulespolicies; however emphasizes that sufficient changes have not been made and there is still a lot to be done to eliminate harassment in the EU;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas the European institutions have started to adapt their internal rules and procedures in order to better prevent, identify, counter and sanction harassment; whereas the implementation of prevention mechanisms and reforms of anti-harassment procedures in the European Parliament, as called for in the European Parliament resolution of 16 December 2021 on MeToo, has been met with a certain degree of reluctance to implement these calls, resulting not only from ignorance of the phenomenon of harassment but also from the lack of clarity of Parliament’s existing legal rules;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Strongly condemns all forms of harassment, especially sexual harassment; stresses that harassment experienced in a workplace constitutes a violation of human rights and can have serious consequences for survivors’ physical and psychological health, making them feel uncomfortable and insecure at work, and in somemany cases preventing them from doing their work; highlights the importance of addressing cyber violence in the workplace, as it has an enormous impact on the mental health of victims;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is convinced that the European institutions should behave as exemplary employers and, establishing zero-tolerance standards for harassment, working actively on prevention of harassment, adequate victim protection and holistic support, countering all forms of discrimination, applying strict implementation of its rules and enforcing effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets the fact that, in spite of the progress initiated by the MeToo campaign, which helped to break the silence and raise awareness of the need to implement better working conditions for all staff, cases of sexual harassment still occur in the European institutions, including Parliamentanti-harassment policies to protect workers in the European Parliament, cases of sexual harassment still occur in the European Parliament and victims are not sufficiently supported and protected; recalls that these cases cast a shadow over the functioning of our institutions and undermine the confidence of EU citizens in them;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls the importance of prevention, with information and awareness-raising efforts, and the promotion of zero-tolerance towards harassment campaigns and policies; considers that the existing campaigns should be regularly updated and reinforced;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that sexual harassment cases in the European Parliament are still under-reported because victims do not use the existing channels, demonstrating the need for further efforts with regard to the prevention of sexual harassmentfor reasons such as shame, fear of retaliation or a general distrust in the handling of harassment cases by the competent committees dealing with harassment complaints demonstrating the need for further efforts with regard to the prevention of sexual harassment; expresses its concern that reporting harassment in the EU institutions may have consequences on the career of the complainants; highlights also the lack of transparent and privacy proof data on the number of harassment cases in the institution;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Notes the importance of whistleblowers in such sensitive matters; reiterates its recommendation to revise the Staff Regulations, especially Article 22c thereof, in order to align it with the standards of the Whistleblower Directive; calls on the Bureau, in the interim, to immediately revise Parliament’s Internal Rules Implementing Article 22c of the Staff Regulations to bring them in line with the protections provided for in the Whistleblower Directive;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls the dutyobligation of all of the European institutions to put in place all necessary policies to prevent and address all forms of harassment and violence, and urges them to ensure that all of the rules in place guarantee a zero-tolerance approach to any forms of misconduct and full support and protection for all victims; calls on the European institutions to strengthen their internal rules and policies to ensure that in cases of harassment and violence, they should not only suspend the perpetrator, but also entirely remove their salary;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Harassment in the European Parliamentinstitutions
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Welcomes the progress made on reforming anti-harassment policies in the different EU institutions after the MeToo movement was formed; notes, however, that in all institutions, improvements can be made as to better protect and support victims and sanction perpetrators; particularly in the case of the European Parliament recalls that any deterrent legal framework must comply with the EU law principle of proportionality of penalties and, therefore, calls for a revision of article 176 of Rules of Procedure to comply with that principle and to take into consideration the damage of sexual harassment and psychological harassment to victims; calls also for a more protective framework and new support measures for victims of harassment, notably psychological support while the procedure is ongoing;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Calls on all EU institutions and agencies to regularly exchange their best practices in tackling harassment, including anti-harassment policies, guidelines or any new provisions on how to deal with it;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Calls for all EU institutions to introduce a network of confidential counsellors or external mediators to provide guidance and support to victims of sexual harassment and encourages cooperation between confidential counsellors in different EU bodies, which is essential for smaller bodies with fewer staff members available to provide adequate support;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Insists that the measures to address sexual harassment are not strong enough and do not include all of the actions requested in previous resolutions; welcomes the fact that this parliamentary term is the first in which Members have been required to sign a declaration confirming their commitment to complying with the Code of Appropriate BehaviourWelcomes the fact that this parliamentary term is the first in which Members of the European Parliament have been required to sign a declaration confirming their commitment to complying with the Code of Appropriate Behaviour which has explicit paragraphs on harassment ; recalls nevertheless that the current measures to address sexual harassment are not strong enough and do not include all of the actions requested in previous resolutions; in that sense, calls on Parliament’s administration and the Bureau to implement them and to request the Secretary General to present the progress made on the implementation to the FEMM Committee;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the harassment prevention training offered to Members, managers in Parliament’s Secretariat and staff; is convinced, however, that voluntary harassment prevention training has proven insufficient as only 260 out of 705 Members have completed the training in this term; calls again for the introduction of mandatory training for all Members; and staff and for the assessment of potential consequences in the event of non- compliance with the training, such as limiting the recruitment of staff, denying access to the position of rapporteur or office-holder in the EP, or even financial sanctions, and adapt its rules accordingly; calls for a public list on the Parliament’s website with Members that have completed the training, and those who have not; emphasises as well the need for trainings to be frequently available in all EU languages;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses the importance of early intervention and enforcement by DG PERS and DG HR of the working conditions set in the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, where harassment is already condemn; highlights also the need to engage in a dialogue with political groups on implementing group's internal policies regarding harassment and calls on Parliamentary Groups and National Delegations to train human resources managers and to establish protocols of interventions for situations where harassment is detected within their members and personnel;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the measures implemented under the ‘Updated Roadmap for the adaptation of preventive and early support measures to deal with conflict and harassment between Members of the EP and APAs, trainees and other staff’ adopted by the Bureau on 12 March 2018, and the Gender Action Plan; calls for the improvement, on a regular basis, of awareness raising for all persons working on Parliament’s premises about the zero- harassment policy, in order to provide them with the tools to recognise all forms of harassment and to report it; requests a monitoring mechanism for the implementation of this policy with the participation of the FEMM Committee
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes the work of the Advisory Committee on Harassment and its prevention at the workplace and the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members of the European Parliament; callsCalls again for full transparency about how Parliament is addressing issues of harassment, while protecting the identity of those affected, and invites both committees to draft and publish their monitoring reports and risk assessments annually on the European Parliament website; calls for an independent evaluation of the measures in place by external and auditors selected in a transparent procedure; recommends, in line with its previous resolutions, that a task force of independent experts be set up with a mandate to examine the situation of sexual harassment and abuse in Parliament, in order to carry out an evaluation of its existing Advisory Committee dealing with complaints between Accredited Parliamentary Assistants and Members of the European Parliament concerning Harassment and its Prevention at the Workplace and the Staff Advisory Committee for Parliament Staff on Harassment Prevention, and propose adequate changes; highlights the need to pay particular attention to the situation of workers with the most precarious contracts and to online harassment considering the rise in telework;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Asks for the composition of thetwo advisory committees to be updatto be merged into ensure an equalone committee dealing with cases of harassment, with the composition of one Quaestor, two representationves of external experts with proventhe APA and/or staff committee and three professional expertises in tackling harassment in the workplace, includinghe field such as a doctors, therappsychologists and legal experts in the domain of harassment and to change their status to full members with voting rights; calls for the creation of a confidential register of cases over time, as already requested in the resolutions dating from 2017 and 2021advisor to allow for a fair balanced composition; calls for a clear mandate and transparent selection process for these members; recommends the creation of a voluntary survivors support network to provide support and guidance among new victims and survivors of harassment;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Regrets that harassment procedures are extended over years causing unnecessary harm to Members, APAs and staff; reminds that it is a legal responsibility of Parliament´s Administration to investigate cases brought before it with due diligence, that alleged victims must be heard by the Committee within a reasonable period of time after the request is submitted and that the President shall endeavour to notify the decision within six weeks of receiving the report; therefore, calls on the Bureau to include an article on prescribed time-limits to ensure that the Bureau Decision of 2 July 2018 complies with the EU law principles of legal certainty and good administration;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for the European Ombudsman to provide coherent information on an annual basis to Parliament’s High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity regarding complaints about maladministration relating to gender equality inby the Parliament and other EU institutions;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the European Parliamentary Research Service to commission a study on the added value of whistle-blower platforms in workplaces and how it could be applicable within the EU institutions, the outcomes and recommendations of which should be presented in a workshop or hearing with exchanges of views in relevant Parliament committees;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Calls on the European institutions to strengthen their internal rules and policies to ensure that in cases of harassment and violence, the sanction consists of the temporary suspension and the deduction of the salary and related benefits for the length of the suspension and, in cases of gross misconduct, of the termination of the contract when legally feasible;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Calls on the European institutions to implement an external audit on the situation of harassment in their institutions, including the review of existing procedures and systems in place that deal with cases of harassment, to make the outcome of the results public and to make reforms on the basis of the recommendations from the audit;