Activities of Maria WALSH related to 2021/2103(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Shrinking space for civil society in Europe (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the shrinking space for civil society in Europe
Amendments (25)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
— having regard to the Statement of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe of 16 May 2019 titled ‘Let’s defend LGBTI defenders’,1a _________________ 1a https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/ -/let-s-defend-lgbti-defenders
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 a (new)
Citation 33 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission Guidance of 23 September 2020 on the implementation of EU rules on definition and prevention of the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence9a, _________________ 9a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /commission-guidance-implementation- facilitation-unauthorised-entry_en.pdf
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas civic space refers to the legal and political framework in which people and groups can meaningfully participate in the political, economic, social and cultural life of their societies, exercising the right to express views, the right to information, assemble, associate and engage in dialogue with one another and with authorities;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. Whereas the right to information is a precondition for an informed public debate and for holding authorities and public institutions accountable; whereas in some Member States access to public information is being restricted;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas the situation of LGBTI rights defenders in Europe was described as worrying by the Commissioner for Human Rights, who reported several instances of online and offline harassment, violent assaults, hate campaigns and death threats in Member States and neighbourhood countries; whereas this trend is interlinked with the scapegoating of other minority groups and it contravenes the principle that every person is born equal in dignity and rights;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas during the crisis of the pandemic in particular, some Member States implemented and continue to use emergency measures as an opportunity to limit freedoms of speech, assembly and association and, introduce laws unrelated to the pandemic that diminish the role of civil society;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
O a. Whereas the Union has embarked on a process of a thorough societal and economic reform which will deeply affect lives of Union citizens, in particular in the context of the European Green Deal and digital transformation; whereas this process will require a healthy civic space to allow citizens and affected communities to articulate their interests, debate policy solutions, and reach new social contracts;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy-making, holding authorities and public institutions accountable, monitoring use of public funds, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects, such as SLAPPs, incitement to hatred and/or violence against rights defenders and organisations, and the creation of legal or administrative hurdles affecting their daily operations;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects and that the responsibility to maintain a favourable environment for civil society lies with Member States;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recognises that the strategic goals of the Union, such as combating the climate change, digital transformation and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be impossible to achieve without a healthy civic space and the contribution of CSOs, which work towards these goals among European societies while ensuring that interests and rights of stakeholders and affected communities are respected;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies including through the 1.55 billion EUR that has been allocated under the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies; considers that the strategy should outline a set of concrete measures that will ensure consistent access of CSOs to policy debates and legislative process on Union level, as well as to monitoring of implementation of Union policies and the Union budget;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies; calls, for the Commission to explore initiatives to strengthen the support networks available to CSOs, particularly in contexts where it is under threat;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Recalls that the scapegoating of minorities and vulnerable groups such as women and LGBTI persons is not an isolated event, but functions as a premeditated and gradual dismantling of fundamental rights, which are protected in Article 2 TEU, constituting part of a larger political agenda which has been called ‘anti-gender’ campaigns; calls on Member States to be particularly cautious of initiatives that attempt to roll-back on acquired rights which were designed to prevent and protect persons from discrimination and to promote equality;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that the contribution of CSOs to the singleternal market and the social economy, as well as their role in the realisation of EU values and policies, is a strong argument for removing the barriers to their operations at EU level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to propose legislation to approximate Member State laws in this regardadequately respond with legislative measures in order to reach this objective;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments providing clearer criteria for what constitutes an enabling space for civil society in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary in accordance with applicable law and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Condemns that CSO representatives in some Member States face physical and verbal attacks, harassment and intimidation both in online and offline forms as a direct result of their work; further regrets that the mental health effects faced by these representatives can include burnout, depression, 'helping induced trauma' and ‘compassion fatigue’ and that the psychological impacts that their work can have on CSO representatives are under- researched12a; _________________ 12a https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/fra-2018-challenges-facing- civil-society_en.pdf
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek supportNotes that the Union currently lacks efficient procedures to provide an adequate response when CSOs report that democratic standards and civic space in Member States are under threat; supports the creation of a comprehensive European strategy on civil society, acknowledging its vital role in promotion and application of European values that could include an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Restates that no proper response has yet been given to Parliament’s initiative on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights to be governed by an interinstitutional agreement between Parliament, the Commission and the Council; calls on the Commission and the Council to immediately enter into negotiations with Parliament on an interinstitutional agreement pursuant to Article 295 TFEU; recalls that the monitoring of civic space is deeply linked with democracy and fundamental rights, and that a mechanism to monitor Article 2 TEU values is the best tool for a holistic approach in such respect;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure adequate and enabling long-term financing for CSOs; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding, from both local and national sources, as this will enable these organisations to be resilient against any potential government restrictions on external funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities which promote and protect the values of our Union;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption with an increased budget of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme with an increased budget of 1,55 billion EUR for the 2021 - 2027 period, as a meaningful response to the challenges faced by the civil society in the EU and a first step towards creating a more systemic framework of assistance for Union’s CSOs; calls on the Commission to actively consult CSOs in the definition of work programmes and funding mechanisms so as to ensure transparency, flexibility and user- friendliness; welcomes re-granting mechanisms in the Union Values strand;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Considers that openness and transparency are key to establish CSOs’ accountability and public trust as long as they serve the purpose to ensure legitimate public scrutiny and that reporting requirements remain necessary and proportionate; condemns any abuse of transparency measures to stigmatize particular civil society organisations;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds allocated to CSOs are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;