Activities of Hélène FLAUTRE related to 2008/2336(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Human rights in the world 2008 and the EU's policy on the matter (debate)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for continued maximum vigilance as regards respect for the human rights clauses in the agreements signed by the EU and its third-country partners, and for such clauses to be included systematically in future agreements; points out that the human rights clause, by virtue of being an essential element, should apply to all the provisions of the agreement; reiterates its call for this clause to be systematically accompanied by a genuine enforcement mechanism;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers that the report shows that the EU, despite the inquiries undertaken in some Member States, has not carried out an evaluation of Member States' practices in relation to the anti-terrorism policies followed by the US Administration under the Bush presidency; considers it essential to clarify the role of Member States implicated in cases of extraordinary rendition and urges, once again, full and complete compliance with international standards in the fight against terrorism;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Considers that the EU considerably weakens its capacity to promote respect for human rights every time it puts security or trade priorities ahead of respect for human rights;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Reiterates its request to the Commission to encourage European Union Member States, and third countries with which there are ongoing negotiations for future accession or for strengthening relations, to sign up to, and ratify, all core United Nations and Council of Europe human rights conventions and the optional protocols thereto and to cooperate with international human rights procedures and mechanisms; draws the attention of European Union Member States to, in particular, the need to ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and As of November 2008. Members of their Families, which none of the Member States has ratified to date1; 1 calls specifically for a framework agreement to be concluded between the European Union and UNHCR with a view to promoting the ratification and implementation of United Nations conventions by all Member States;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Considers that necessary measures should be taken to ensure that human rights issues are followed in a more systematic way by the EU missions, for instance by appointing human rights focal points and including guidelines on human rights and their implementation in EU mission staff training programmes;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Welcomes the ongoing elaboration of new guidelines aimed at the establishment of a comprehensive strategy for strengthening EU action to enhance women's security, especially in conflict- affected countries; is looking forward to receiving those guidelines as soon as they are adopted, and underlines tunderlines the importance of involving Parliament in drafting new guidelines and calls, in this regard, for a mechanism to be established importance of involving Parliament in drafting new guidelinesn future for consultation with Parliament both when the new guidelines are being drawn up and when they are being assessed and revised;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Draws attention, nonetheless, to the existing gaps in the development of the Union's policies and actions for the human rights of women; finds these gaps reflected in the Council's report insofar as when assessing various specific areas it fails to go into detail; suggests that the Council should appoint an EU special envoy for women’s rights to strengthen its action in this area;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69 a (new)
Paragraph 69 a (new)
69a. Welcomes the establishment in 2006 by the ODIHR of a focal point for human rights defenders for the purpose of monitoring the human rights situation in all OSCE countries; urges the European Union institutions to strengthen their support for human rights defenders by creating a focal point in the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission with a view to improving the follow-up of individual cases and coordination with other international and European organisations;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69 b (new)
Paragraph 69 b (new)
69b. Welcomes the 2008 revised version of the EU Guidelines on human rights defenders; highlights the inclusion of provisions aimed at improving the support given to, and the protection of, human rights defenders by EU missions, such as local strategies for the implementation of the guidelines, local working groups on human rights and the organisation of meetings at least once a year between human rights defenders and diplomats; welcomes at the same time the inclusion of the possibility of issuing emergency visas and facilitating temporary shelter in the EU Member States as measures to provide swift assistance and protection to human rights defenders in danger in third countries;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
Paragraph 70
70. Once again calls on the Council and the Member States to consider in concrete terms the matter of emergency visas for human rights defenders by including a clear reference to the specific situation of human rights defenders in the new Common Code on Visas, thereby creating a specific and accelerated visa procedure which could draw on the experience of the Irish and Spanish governments in this matter; notes the discussion concerning the issuing of visas for the temporary relocation of human rights defenders who are at immediate risk or in need of respite, and calls on COHOM to take further steps; considers that the confidentiality of European Union demarches in favour of human rights defenders is sometimes useful but asks that, despite that confidentiality, European Union local staff should always confidentially inform NGOs on the ground about such demarchystematically and confidentially provide all information concerning those demarches to the NGOs on the ground, to the human rights defenders and/or their families;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. ONotes the revised version of the guidelines, adopted under the French Presidency, on human rights dialogues with third countries; once again calls on the Council and the Commission to initiate a comprehensive evaluation of those guidelines on human rights dialogues and, based on an in-depth evaluation of each dialogue and the results obtained and, to that end, to develop clear indicators for the impact of each dialogue and criteria for the initiation, cessation and resumption of dialogues; emphasises the need to continue the informal interinstitutional meetings before and after each dialogue with a view to increasing the exchange of information between institutions and, if necessary, improving coordination; points out, in this regard, that the adoption of human rights strategies on a country-by-country basis will help to improve the coherence of EU policy on human rights;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76
Paragraph 76
76. Regrets China's postponement of the ninth China-EU summit on the grounds of the Dalai Lama's visit to Europe; emphasises the need for a radical intensification of the European Union- China human rights dialogue; expresses its disquiet at the serious human rights violations in China and stresses that, despite promises made by the regime before the Olympic Games in August 2008, the situation on the ground regarding human rights has not improved; notes that, despite repeated assurances by the Chinese government of its intention to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratification is still pending; refers to its resolution of 17 January 2008 on the arrest of the Chinese dissident Hu Jia, who has been awarded the 2008 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought; calls on the Chinese government to release Hu Jia immediately and to lift the house arrest on his wife Zeng Jinyan and his daughter; condemns the wave of repression against signatories of the ‘Charter 08’, a document calling for democratic reforms in China and demanding the release of Liu Xiaobo, a dissident who has been detained since 9 December 2008; remains concerned about many aspects of Chinese legislation, including the State Secrets system, preventing the transparency necessary for the development of good governance and a system in which the rule of law prevails; in this context, deplores the systematic punishment of lawyers who try to make the Chinese legal system function in accordance with China's own laws and the rights of its citizens;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78
Paragraph 78
78. Regrets the lack of results from the European Union-Russia consultations on human rights; regrets that the Russian authorities declined to participate in any of the round-table meetings held to prepare for the consultations which involved domestic and international NGOs; notes that during the consultations the European Union raised human rights concerns with a particular focus on freedom of expression and assembly, the functioning of civil society, minority rights, combating racism and xenophobia and the rights of children and women, as well as the international human rights obligations of both the EU and Russia; however, regrets that the European Union has not succeeded in bringing about any change of policy in Russia, particularly with regard to impunity and the independence of the judiciary, the treatment of human rights defenders and political prisoners including Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the independence of the media and freedom of expression, the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, respect for the rule of law and human rights protection in the armed forces, discrimination based on sexual orientation as well as other issues; refers to its resolution of 19 June 2008 on the EU- Russia Summit of 26-27 June 2008 in Khanty-Mansiysk ; expresses once again its concerns at the deteriorating situation of human rights defenders and the difficulties faced by NGOs with regard to their registration and in carrying out their activities; reiterates its concerns about the Anti-Extremism Law, which could affect the free flow of information and could lead the Russian authorities to further restrict the right to free expression of independent journalists and political opponents; is strongly concerned about the recent murder of Stanislas Markelov and Anastasia Baburova and urges that killers of human rights defenders be brought to justice; expresses further concern, in line with the Amnesty International Report of 2008, as to the ongoing failure of the Office of the Prosecutor to respect the right of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associate Platon Lebedev to a fair trial in accordance with international standards, and joins the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in calling on the Russian authorities to "use all available legal means" to secure the release of Igor Sutiagin and Valentin Danilov; welcomes the release of Mikhail Trepashkin; deeply regrets that the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election monitoring mission covering the Russian presidential election of March 2008 had to be cancelled due to the restrictions and limitations imposed by the Russian authorities on the election monitoring mission;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79
Paragraph 79
79. UrgNotes the Council and the Commission to set up human rights subcommittees with all neighbourhood countries, and in particular with Israel, as part of the negotiations on an upgrading of the bilateral relations, and as expressed by both parties as a result of the Association Council on 16 June 2008; welcomes the first meeting of theexistence of human rights subcommittees involving countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean (Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority) in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy and calls on the Council and the Commission to set up human rights subcommittees with the Palestinian Authority on 2 December 2008; reiterates all neighbourhood countries; welcomes the consultation witsh call for parliamentarians to be associated with the preparations for meetings of such subcommittees and to be informed of their outcome; points out once again that, as in the case of Tunisia, the subcommittees' sessions might focus on establishing the durability of the subcommittee concerned and fostering trust and confidence amongst the partners; points outivil society, both before and after, by the Commission delegation in the country concerned and by the Commission’s relevant departments in Brussels; questions, however, the effectiveness and coherence of the methodology used, and, in particular, of the criteria for evaluating the discussions held in these subcommittees; believes that these subcommittee dealing with Morocco should eventually move towards a results- oriented phase, with the establishment of concrete benchmarks and indicators of progress, as well as the possibility of raising individual cases;s should allow the human rights issues included in the action plan to be specifically followed up but stresses that discussions on human rights should certainly not be confined to these subcommittees, and emphasises the importance of coordination with other subcommittees dealing with human rights- related issues, such as migration; highlights the need to include these issues in the political dialogue up to the highest level so as to increase the coherence of the EU's policy in this field and reduce discrepancies in statements on the human rights situation given by both sides to the press; is convinced that the European Neighbourhood Policy as designed and structured (action plan, follow-up report and subcommittees) could give real leverage for promoting human rights if the European Union showed a genuine political will to ensuring respect for the primacy of human rights in a coherent, systematic and wide-ranging manner; believes, therefore, that respect for human rights and democratic principles must be a pre- condition for strengthening relations between the Union and a third country; in the context of concluding a framework agreement with Libya, welcomes the opening of the negotiations and calls on the Council and the Commission to give due attention to dialogue and cooperation on human rights;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80
Paragraph 80
80. Recognises the second round of the EU-Uzbekistan human rights dialogue, which took place on 5 June 2008; notes the seminar on media freedom, held in Tashkent on 2 and 3 October 2008; however, considers that the seminar failed to achieve its aim of providing an open discussion on the human rights violations and freedom of the media in Uzbekistan, as was originally intended; notes the continuing absence of an independent international inquiry into the Andijan massacre and the lack of any improvement in the human rights situation in Uzbekistan; welcomes the release of two human rights defenders, Dilmurod Mukhiddinov and Mamarajab Nazarov; urges the Uzbek authorities to release all human rights defenders and other political prisoners; reiterates its deep concern at the imprisonment of Salijon Abdurakhmanov, an independent journalist, and Agzam Turgunov, a human rights activist; welcomeregrets the Council's Conclusions of 13 October 2008 on Uzbekistan; urges the Uzbek authorities to accept the accreditation of the new Country Director of Human Rights Watch and to allow that organisation to operate without hindrance; asks Uzbekistan to cooperate fully and effectively with the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and on freedom of expression and to revoke restrictions on the registration and operation of NGOs in Uzbekistan; notes that the Council has decided not to renew the travel restrictions applying to certain individuals referred to in Common Position 2007/734/CFSP1, which had been suspended in accordance with the Council's conclusions of 15-16 October 2007 and 29 April 2008; welcomes the fact that the Council has however decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, the arms embargo imposed in Common Position 2007/734/CFSP; invites the Council and the Commission to review the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan; reiterates its call for the immediate release of political prisoners2; 1 Council Common Position 2007/734/CFSP of 13 November 2007 concerning restrictive measures against Uzbekistan (OJ L 295, 14.11.2007, p. 34. 2 In particular: Nosim Isakov, Norboi Kholjigitov, Abdusattor Irzaev, Habibulla Okpulatov, Azam Formonov, Alisher Karamatov and Rasul Khudainasarov.notes the declaration by the EU Presidency of 17 December 2008 on individual cases; Or. fr
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81
Paragraph 81
81. Welcomes the fact that the European Union and Turkmenistan held the first round of the human rights dialogue in July 2008; welcomes the raising of concerns about the human rights situation in Turkmenistan, particularly regarding freedom of opinion and assembly, the independence of the judiciary and the functioning of civil society; refers to its resolution of 20 February 2008 on an EU Strategy for Central Asia1 and reiterates that Turkmenistan must make progress in key areas in order for the EU to conclude the Interim Agreement, inter alia by allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross free and unfettered access, by reforming the education system in accordance with international standards, by unconditionally releasing all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, by abolishing all government impediments to travel, and by allowing all NGOs and human rights bodies to operate freely in the country and authorising access to them for all United Nations bodies;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 108
Paragraph 108
108. Calls on the Commissionuncil and the Councilmmission to ensure the coherence of ESC rights in the EU's development, external trade and human rights policies, and, to that end, to set up an inter-service working group on ESC rights including the European Economic and Social Committee; points out, in that respect, that the human rights and democracy clause should be more explicitly worded in terms of its scope, on the basis of both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 115
Paragraph 115
115. Reminds Parliament's delegations visiting third countries that they should systematically include in the agenda of their visits to third countries an interparliamean interparliamentary debate on the human rights situation, as well as meetings with human rights defenders, in order to learn first-hand about the human rights situation in the countary debate on the human rights situaconcerned and to provide them, where appropriate, with international visibility and protection;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 115 a (new)
Paragraph 115 a (new)
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 115 b (new)
Paragraph 115 b (new)
115b. Believes that a single, strengthened ‘human rights’ body in Parliament would be able to promote a coherent, effective, systematic and cross-cutting human rights policy within Parliament and vis-à-vis the Council and the Commission, particularly with regard to the foreign policy aspects of the Lisbon Treaty;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas efforts must be made to focus greater attention on respect for basic human rights, in particular political rights, in the negotiation and implementation of bilateral or regional trade agreements, even those concluded with important trading partners,
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 a (new)
Citation 28 a (new)
– having regard to the second report of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights entitled “Human Rights Defenders in the OSCE Region: Challenges and Good Practices” of 15 December 2008,
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 30
Citation 30
– having regard to the European Union 1 Texts adopted, P6_TA(2009)0025. Guidelines on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL)1, on children and armed conflict and on human rights defenders, as well as on the death penalty, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, human rights dialogues with third countries and on promotion and protection of the rights of the child and on violence against women and the fight against all forms of discrimination against women,