Activities of Marc ANGEL related to 2021/2025(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the Commission’s 2020 Rule of law report - COM(2020)0580
Amendments (7)
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, despite repeated requests by Parliament, the Commission’s 2020 Rule of Law Report fails to encompass the areas of democracy and fundamental rights, which should be scrutinised with equal importance; calls on the Commission to ensure equal treatment of all the Union’s founding values in its next report; believes that the Commission must also involve independent experts in this annual exercise in order to guarantee full credibility, and also provide clear indications on follow-up actions for any shortcomings detected;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Notes the high number of petitions received from citizens relating to discrimination faced by minorities, especially LGBTI persons; Condemns in the strongest way possible the fact that many of these petitions also highlight systemic discrimination and encouragement of hate speech by public authorities and elected officials in some Member States against LGBTI persons; Welcomes in that sense the commitment by the Commission to present an initiative to extend the list of ‘EU crimes 'under Article 83 (1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to cover hate crime and hate speech, including when targeted at LGBTIQ people, by the end of 2021;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Highlights that in order to be able to scrutinize decision-makers’ actions and to hold them accountable, in respect of the principle of rule of law, citizen’s must have the right tools at their disposal and be aware of their rights and obligations in the first place; Recalls in that sense the importance of petitions as a direct and simple tool for citizens to claim their rights and to hold decision-makers accountable;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that the Court of Justice of the European Union recently ruled2 that civil society organisations must be able to operate without unjustified interference by the state, acknowledging that the right to freedom of association constitutes one of the essential bases of a democratic and pluralist society; is seriously concerned that some NGOs active in the area of migration, women's right and LGBTI+ rights are subject to smear campaigns, and/or SLAPPs(Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation)and face severe restriction of the civic space where they can operate; Calls on the Commission to accelerate the setting up and the beginning of the actual work of the expert group on SLAPPs as foreseen in the European Democracy Action Plan, and to ensure any upcoming legislative proposal also addresses the above-mentioned. _________________ 2Judgment of 18 June 2020, Commission v Hungary, C-78/18, EU:C:2020:476, paragraphs 112 and 113.
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Is alarmed by the legislative measures adopted in some Members States under the pretext of COVID-19 measures; reaffirms its position that such measures need to respect EU fundamental rights and the rule of law and considers that equal treatment of persons is crucial1a; _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0307.
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Expresses concern at the use of legal measures by governments and powerful individuals to silence critics, such as the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), or the use of laws curtailing the right to freedom of expression in a manner incompatible with international human rights law, for example against LGBTI and women’s activists;calls on the Commission to accelerate the setting up of the expert group on SLAPPs as foreseen in the European Democracy Action Plan, to begin its work as soon as feasible and to ensure any upcoming legislative proposal addresses these issues;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Stresses in particular the deterioration of the independence of some Member States’ equality bodies since the publication of the reports, which constitutes an immediate threat to the fundamental rights of citizens;