Activities of Alexander Graf LAMBSDORFF related to 2011/0412(COD)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide DOC (607 KB)
Amendments (13)
Amendment 53 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) The European Endowment for Democracy (EED) takes into account the strengthened approach to democracy and human rights support developed in the context of the EU Neighbourhood Policy and the EU Agenda for Change and will increase the capacity to react both rapidly and consistently to developments concerning democracy and the rule of law.
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 b (new)
Recital 8 b (new)
(8b) Human rights and democratization do not oppose one another, but whereas the EIDHR has a stronger focus on human rights protection and promotion, the future EED could, in synergy with the EIDHR, focus more on issues related to democratization.
Amendment 63 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Union assistance under this Regulation is designed to complement the various other tools for implementing of Union policies on democracy and human rights, which range from political dialogue and diplomatic demarches to various instruments for financial and technical cooperation, including both geographic and thematic programmes. It will also complement the more crisis-related actions under the Instrument for Stability. The Commission should therefore engage in a structured dialogue with the European Parliament.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) This requires specialised human resources on the ground, familiar with civil society development and grant- making, qualitatively and quantitatively.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Under this Regulation, the Union will provide assistance to address global, regional, national and local human rights and democratisation issues in partnership with civil society understood to span all types of social action b, namely individuals or groups that are independent from the state and active in the field ofall types of social actions that have an impact on human rights and democracy supporttization.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) Furthermore, whilst democracy and human rights objectives must be increasingly mainstreamed in all external assistance financing instruments, Union assistance under this Regulation will have a specific complementary and additional role by virtue of its global nature and its independence of action from the consent of third country governments and other public authorities. This will allow for cooperation and partnership with civil society on sensitive human rights and democracy issues possible, providing the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. It shouldf other instruments do not apply, it may also provide Union capacity to articulate and support specific objectives and measures at international level which are neither geographically linked nor crisis related and which may require a transnational approach or involve operations both within the Union and in a range of third countries. Moreover, it will provide the necessary framework for operations, such as support for independent European Union election observation missions requiring policy coherence, a unified management system and common operating standards.
Amendment 86 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) In such most difficult countries or situations and in order to address urgent protection needs of human rights defenders, the Union should be able to respond in a flexible and timely manner by means of ad hoc grants and specific imprest accounts for the EU Delegations. This will particularly be the case when the choice of procedural modalities could impact directly on the effectiveness of the measures or could subject beneficiaries to serious intimidation, retaliation or other types of risks.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) European Union Election Observation Missions contribute significantly and successfully to democratic processes in third countries. However, the promotion of democracy extends far beyond the electoral process alone and thus the full electoral cycle should be taken into account. Expenditure for election observation missions should therefore not take up a disproportionate amount of the total funding available under this Regulation.
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
(iii) the fight against racism and xenophobia and discrimination based on any ground, including sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation or gender identity;
Amendment 133 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point v a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b – point v a (new)
(va) the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) persons, including measures to decriminalise homosexuality, combat homophobic and transphobic violence and persecution, and promote freedom of assembly, association and expression for LGBTI people;
Amendment 154 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iv
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iv
(iv) by supporting measures aimed at the consistent integration of electoral processes into the democratic cycle and at implementing recommendations made by Union Election Observation Missions, in particular through the work of domestic civil society organisations;
Amendment 175 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 d (new)
Article 4 d (new)
Article 4d Types of financing In addition to the types of financing referred to in Article 4(1) of the Common Implementing Regulation, the Union's financial assistance under this instrument may be provided in accordance with the Financial Regulation also through the direct award of: (i) low-value grants to human rights defenders to finance urgent protection actions, without the need for co-funding; (ii) grants to finance, without the need for co-funding, actions in the most difficult conditions or situations referred to in Article 2(4) of the EIDHR where the publication of a call for proposals would be inappropriate. Such grants shall not exceed EUR 100.000 and shall have a duration of up to 18 months, which may be extended by a further six months in the case of objective and unforeseen obstacles to their implementation; (iia) grants through simplified calls for proposals and easily accessible to local organisations for a maximum of EUR 100 000; (iib) small multiannual operating grants awarded through the Delegations to support the structure and functioning of organisations, under specific circumstances; (iii) grants to: – the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; – the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, providing a European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation and an EU-UN Fellowship Programme, and its associated network of universities delivering human rights postgraduate diplomas, fully accessible to nationals of third countries; - the International Criminal Court; - the doCip, Indigenous Peoples' Centre for Documentation, Research and Information, technical secretariat of UN mechanisms for indigenous peoples: - the European Endowment for Democracy; iv) framework partnership agreements
Amendment 182 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
The Commission shall be assisted by a Democracy and Human Rights Committee, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’. That Committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. Representatives from the European Parliament shall take part in the Committee's proceedings.