31 Amendments of Kinga GÁL related to 2012/2062(INI)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 c (new)
Citation 12 c (new)
- having regard to the recent establishment of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED),
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU has developed an extensive toolbox of instruments as a policy framework to support this obligation, including human rights guidelines, a global financial instrument on human rights and democracy (the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)), a requirement for all external financial instruments – such as the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the Instrument for Stability (IfS), the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), the Pre-Accession Instrument (IPA) and the Partnership Instrument (PI) – to promote human rights and democracy within their remit, establishment of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) and appointment of the new EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Council declarations and conclusions, statements by the High Representative, EU démarches, EU sanctions in the event of severe human rights violations and, more recently, human rights country strategies;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, in addition, the EU has established, in accordance with the variable nature of its contractual relations with third countries, a wide variety of tools for further engaging third countries in promoting human rights and democracy; whereas these range from the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), whereby human rights subcommittees are tasked with monitoring the implementation of agreed commitments, to the Cotonou Agreement (which includes a consultation procedure in the event of violations) and human rights dialogues and consultations, where discussions focus on improving the situation with regard to human rights and democracy as well as on issues of common interest and better cooperation within international bodies;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the cumulative effect of these policies has resulted in a piecemeal approach whereby the principle of coherence and consistency between the different areas of EU external action and between these and other policies has not been duly integrated; whereas these different instruments have consequently become stand-alone elements and do not serve either the legal obligation to monitor the implementation of human rights clauses or the associated policy goal, so there is a need for harmonisation and synergies should be created between them;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas several elements prevent the implementation of an effective EU policy on human rights and democracy and the joint communication of December 2011 entitled ‘Human Rights and Democracy at the Heart of EU External Action – Towards a more effective approach’ addressed ineither this weakness nor other fundamental flawffectively these elements, such as the lack of an integrated approach based on a linkage between all EU external instruments and the adequate incorporation of country priority objectives into all such instruments, the development of incomplete instruments which do not adequately contribute to improving human rights or which cannot be implemented fully, the absence of a standard benchmarking policy for all instruments (including geographical policies and strategies) which should be able to measure and monitor respect for human rights and democratic principles based on specific, transparent, measurable, achievable and time-bound indicators, and the isolationweakness of human rights dialogues, which should be enshrined in the wider political dialogue at the highest level and regarded as a form of leverage in the context of bilateral relations; whereas all these elements prevent the faithful implementation of the Treaty and consequently, the implementation of an effective EU policy on human rights and democracy;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the events of the ‘Arab Spring’ have demonstrated the need to reshape the Neighbourhood Policy in order to give higher priority to dialogue with civil societiesy, which is indispensable to democratisation and transition processes; whereas this renewed policy should aim at further engaging partner countries in deeper democratic reforms and respect for fundamental rights on the basis of the ‘'more for more’' approach and of mutual accountability between partner countries, the EU and its Member States;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Coherence and cooperation in policy areas and between the EU and its Member Statethe different policy areas
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need for coherence and consistency across all policy areas as an essential condition for an effective and credible human rights strategy and considers it regrettable that there is no specific reference to these principles in the EU Strategic Framework; reminds the Commission of its repeated commitments, as set out in its 2001 communication and its 2010 Communication on an Action Plan Implementing the Stockholm Programme (COM(2010)0171), to take practical steps to ensure greater coherence and consistency between its external and internal policies; recalls that the full involvement of Parliament and greater coordination in this area were agreed in 2001; reminds the Member States and the EU institutions that respect for fundamental rights begins at home and must not be taken for granted, but continually assessed and improved, so that the EU can be heard as a credible voice on human rights in the world;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to issue a communication on a human rights action plan for the EU in order to promote its values in the external dimension of justice and home affairs policy, as announced in the Action Plan Implementing the Stockholm Programme in 2010 and in line with the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Insists that all Commission Directorates- General and the EEAS carry out detailed assessments of the legal implications of the Charter of Fundamental Rights for the EU's external aspects of their policy and of their compliance with the provisions ofpolicies as the Charter as it applies to all action taken by the EU institutions; commits itself to the same exercise; welcomes the setting-up of an inter-service group composed of Commission and EEAS officials and tasked with identifying a clear and effective methodology for internal and external EU action on the basis of the internationally agreed principle that states should protect, respect and promote human rights; encourages its parliamentary committees to make use of the relevant provision under Rule 36 of its Rules of Procedure, allowing them to verify the conformity of a proposal for a legislative act with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, including proposals relating to external financial instruments;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on its relevant committees, such as the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, to intensify theithe EU institutions for better cooperation with the relevant Council of Europe bodies and instruments and to establish structured dialogues so as to develop an effective and pragmatic synergy between the two institutions andto make full use of existing expertise in this field;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Towards an inclusive and effective approachtailor-made country strategies in the field of human rights
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the pivotal role of the human rights country strategies, which were a long-standing request from Parliament, and the fact that they have been developed as an inclusive process encompassing EU delegations, heads of mission and the COHOM; deems it essential to organise broad consultation, especially with local civil society organisations, human rights defenders and other social and environmental stakeholders; considers that country- specific identification of priorities, realistic objectives and forms of political leverage is essential to more effective EU action and measurable achievements;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recommends that, as part of the human rights country strategies, the EU agree on a list of ‘minimum items’ that Member States and EU institutions shouldo be raised with theirits relevant counterparts in third countries during meetings and visits, including at the highest political level and during summits;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes dueHighlights the Council's 2009 decision to extend the human rights and democracy clause to all agreements and to provide for a linkage between these agreements and free trade agreements by including a 'passerelle clause' where necessary; note ofs the reference in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy to the development of criteria for the application of the human rights and democracy clause and remains convinced that this clause, ais element; notes that the extension of the coverage of the human rights clause necessarily requires a clegally binding commitment by the EU and partner countries,ar mechanism for its implementation at the institutional and political levels, therefore it needs to be complemented by an operational enforcement mechanism so that it can be given concrete shape;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recommends that the High Representative base this mechanism on recognition of the potential risk of a partner country breaching international human rights standards, by including specific features of a genuine ‘early warning’ system in the clause, and on the establishment of a graduated framework based on consultation, steps and consequences, similar to the one provided for in the Cotonou Agreement; notes that such a system, based on dialogue, would help to identify and address a deteriorating environment and repeated and/or systematic human rights violations in breach of international law, and make it possible to discuss corrective measures within a binding framework; calls, therefore, for the review also to assess the role, mandate and objectives of human rights dialogues and consultation, which should be differently thought out and designimproved;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Regrets once again the fact that Parliament is not involved in the decision- making process for initiating consultation or suspending an agreement; strongly insists, therefore, on being a joint decision-maker in this respect and on being involved in the implementation of the requested enforcement mechanism for the clause; is of the opinion that the EU institutions, including Parliament, should have specific procedures allowing for the questioning of agreements on the basis of a fact-based assessment of the human rights situation and its evolution in the countries concerned and the implementation of the requested enforcement mechanism for the clause;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Encourages the High Representative to reshape the annual report on the EU's action in the field of human rights and democracy in the world, makadding it into it a progress report on the implementation of the EU Action Plan for Democracy and Human Rights which also covers the application of the human rights and democracy clause in agreements in force, containing a case-by-case analysis of each consultation process and other appropriate measures initiated by the Council, the EEAS and the Commission, together with an analysis of the effectiveness and coherence of the action taken;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that the EU is addressing its obligations under the Lisbon Treaty and the Charter by preparing human rights impact assessments prior to the launch of negotiations on all bilateral or multilateral agreements with third countries; notes that this systematic practice is the only way to ensure consistency between primary law, EU external action and the third party's own obligations under international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); calls for these impact assessments to encompass the full range of human rights, understood as an indivisible whole; notes that they must be conducted in an independent, transparent and participatory manner, involving potentially affected communities; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to develop a robust methodology which enshrines the principles of equality and non- discrimination so as to avoid any negative impact on certain populations and which provides for mutually agreed preventive or remedial measures in the event of any negative impact, before negotiations are finalised;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Draws particular attention to the need to carry out impact assessments of those projects whose implementation carries a serious risk of violating the Charter's provisions, such as projects relating to the judiciary, border control agencies and police and security forces in countries governed by repressive regimes;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that human rights and democracy objectives necessarily require specific, measurable, achievable, time- bound criteria aimed at assessing the level of respect for fundamental freedoms, human rights and rule of law; considers, in this connection, that the EU should make full use of the relevant instruments and expertise of the UN and of the Council of Europe and should clearly differentiate its political conclusions from a legal and technical evaluation;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recalls the policy lessons learned from the Arab Spring, including the need to reverse previous policies focused mainly on relations with authorities and to establish an effective partnership between the EU and the governments and civil societies of partner countries; stresses the importance of creating programmes and supporting projects that allow for contact between civil societies in the EU and in third countries; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to use the model of an institutionalised civil society consultation mechanism set out in the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement as a starting-point for the development of even more inclusive mechanisms for all agreements; understands the core of the EU's new approach as strengthening societies by means of active domestic accountability so as to supp as to strengthen societies by means of active domestic accountability that should become a central pillar of the external financial instruments currently under review; suggests the creation of exchange programmes ort their capacity to take part in public decision-making and democratic governance processes; believ opening up of European programmes thato this domestic accountability should become a central pillar of the external financial instruments currently under reviewrd country youth;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Insists that the High Representative and the Commission implement with conviction the renewed European Neighbourhood Policy by applying with equal attention the ‘more for more’ and ‘less for less’ principles; believes that countries clearly assessed as not making progress on deep democracy should see the Union's support reduced in line with the aims of this policy; is concerned about the perpetuation of past attitudes whereby excessive political reward is given for steps taken by partner governments which do not contribute to the direct achievement of the objectives;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes the initiative of introducing a human rights-based approach to development policy, notes that such an approach must be based on the indivisibility of human rights, and firmly believes that human beings rather than governments should be at the heart of cooperation objectives; emphasises that policy coherence for development must be understood in this context as contributing to the full realisation of human rights objectives, so that different EU policies do not undermine one another in this respect;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Welcomes the new EU Aid Volunteers initiative that from 2014-2020 will create opportunity for some 10.000 Europeans to participate worldwide in humanitarian operations where aid is most urgently needed and to demonstrate European solidarity by helping practically communities struck by natural or man- made disasters;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Commits itself to ensuring more systematic follow-up of its resolutions relating to human rights and of individual human rights cases, with the support of the recently established Human Rights Action Unit, and recommends increased cooperation between the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Budgetary Control, and with the Court of Auditors, in order to ensure that the objectives of the strategic review will be matched by adequate financial support from the Uniondifferent committees of the Parliament;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Recommends that Parliament improve its own procedures in relation to human rights issues, including through the revision of its Guidelines for EP Interparliamentary Delegations on promoting human rights and democracy; is of the opinion that each standing delegation of Parliament should have a Member, selected among its Chair and Vice-Chaigoing on mission to a country where the situation of human rights is worrying should have Members, specifically tasked with monitorraising the human rights portfolio onissues regarding the region or country concerned, and that the persons designatedse members should report regularly to Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights; stresses the need for a revision of the model for theto allow for plenary debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in order to allow for more frequent debates with broader participation by Members, a greater degree of responsiveness to human rights violations and other unforeseen events on the ground, and greater potential for follow-up to past debates and resolutions;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Recommends that Parliament improve its own procedures in relation to human rights issues, including through the revision of its Guidelines for EP Interparliamentary Delegations on promoting human rights and democracy; is of the opinion that each standing delegation of Parliament should have a Member, selected among its Chair and Vice-Chairs, specifically tasked with monitoring the human rights portfolio on the region or country concerned, and that the persons designated should report regularly to Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights; stresses the need for a revision of the model for the plenary debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in order to allow for more frequent debates with broader participation by Members, a greater degree of responsiveness to human rights violations and other unforeseen events on the ground, and greater potential for follow-up to past debates and resolutions; stresses the need for better utilisation of the potential of the Sakharov Prize Network by the EP and other EU institutions;