Activities of Cecilia WIKSTRÖM related to 2014/2254(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Situation of fundamental rights in the EU (2013-2014) (debate) SV
Amendments (13)
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
4. Urges the Commission to ensure that any such internal strategy is accompanied by an action plan, series of legislative proposals, in the context of the Treaties currently in forder to supplement and strengthen thece, with a view to adopting a European Democratic Governance Pact in an effort to: (a) establish a scoreboard for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights so that each Member Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy already applied in EU external relations; notes that the strategy should: is assessed periodically. – With that aim in view, the Commission should set up a group of experts with a remit to establish the indicators by which democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights will be measured. These indicators should reflect the Copenhagen political criteria governing accession and the values and rights laid down in Article 2 of the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. – The indicators should be drawn up on the basis of existing standards, such as those developed by the UN and the Council of Europe, and the contributions of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, existing international bodies and civil society organisations operating in the area of human rights and fundamental freedoms should be taken into account.
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. b) expand the remit and structure of the Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The founding regulation of the FRA should be amended to expand the Agency’s remit and power so that it can monitor the common indicators concerning the rule of law and fundamental rights and the additional human and financial resources it needs to carry out its new tasks, and do all this without detracting from its independence and impartiality, which are two of the Agency’s fundamental principles. – A rule of law and fundamental rights evaluation committee should be set up within the Agency (FRA Evaluation Committee) to analyse and evaluate the results of the regular monitoring of the indicators. – The FRA Evaluation Committee should publish an annual monitoring report containing a detailed evaluation of each Member State’s performance on the basis of the various indicators. – The Evaluation Committee could then recommend, on the basis of this annual report, that the Commission issue a formal warning if one or more indicators show that a Member State, or even several Member States, are violating the rule of law or fundamental rights.
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Calls on EU Institutions to consider EU Treaty change in order to allow for the Democratic Governance Pact (DGP) to be fully functioning, in particular by; (a) Expanding the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union by creating a new specific procedure to enforce the rule of law principle of Article 2 TEU in a Member State by means of an infringement procedure brought by the Commission or another Member State before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU); (b) Revising Article 7 of the EU Treaty, adding an 'application of Article 2 of the EU Treaty' stage, separating the 'risk' stage from the 'violation' stage, with different thresholds for the majorities provided for, a strengthening of technical and objective (not only political) analysis, enhanced dialogue with the Member States' institutions and a wider range of detailed and predictable penalties which are applicable throughout the procedure (Michel, 2013); (c) Including a reference to the FRA in the Treaties, including a legal base making it possible to amend the Agency's founding regulation not by unanimity, as is currently the case, but via the ordinary legislative procedure; (d) Creating a possibility for national Parliament to refer a draft national law to the CJEU for an opinion on its compliance with the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Calls for the setting-up – if possible by means of an interinstitutional agreement – of a ‘Copenhagen Committee’ made up of independent experts in the field of fundamental rights, some of whom should be appointed by Parliament, whose task would be to ensure that all the Member States uphold the common values laid down in Article 2 TEU and observe the ‘Copenhagen criteria’ at all times, and to issue recommendations and draw up reports on issues relating to fundamental rights until such time as the FRA regulation is modified, when the Agency should have greater powers to monitor each Member State’s performance in the area of fundamental rights, as Parliament has repeatedly urged.
Amendment 619 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 i (new)
Paragraph 13 i (new)
13i. Reminds the Member States of their obligations towards refugees, particularly under the Geneva Convention and the non-refoulement principle;
Amendment 627 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)
Paragraph 13 f (new)
13f. Urges the EU to extend the mandate of Frontex so as to authorise it to carry out sea rescue operations;
Amendment 629 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Welcomes the establishment by the Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, of the Task-Force for the Mediterranean following the Lampedusa tragedy of 3 October 2013, but thinks that more ought to be done particularly in terms of legal access routes to the European Union for people in need of protection; to that end, encourages the Commission and the Member States to make progress on the matter of humanitarian visas;
Amendment 630 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 h (new)
Paragraph 13 h (new)
13h. Stresses that building walls or barriers at borders cannot be an answer to migratory pressure, and is concerned that people in need of protection may be unable to find refuge as a result of these walls and barriers;
Amendment 631 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 j (new)
Paragraph 13 j (new)
13j. Notes that collective expulsions are prohibited under Article 19 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 676 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – indent 3 a (new)
Paragraph 14 – indent 3 a (new)
- establish a new centralised EU asylum system that would allocate refugees between member states, based on a quota system taking both quantitative (GDP and population of the member state) and qualitative (language, cultural ties, family ties of the refugee) data into account;
Amendment 680 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – indent 3 b (new)
Paragraph 14 – indent 3 b (new)
- mandatory participation by all Member States in resettlement programmes;
Amendment 686 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Member States to take into account the specific needs of certain categories of particularly vulnerable migrants, such as women, children, LGBTI people, disabled people and elderly people;