Activities of Barbara LOCHBIHLER related to 2011/2109(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU support for the International Criminal Court (short presentation)
Amendments (22)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
– having regard to the Stockholm Programme 2010-2014 entitled ‘An Open and Secure Europe Serving and Protecting Citizens’ (December 2009)10 , and the Action Plan Implementing the Stockholm Programme (April 2010),
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
- having regard to the Council Decision 2002/494/JHA of 13 June 2002 setting up a European network of contact points in respect of persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and Council Decision 2003/335/JHA of 8 May 2003 on the investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard Review Conference of the Rome Statute concluded in Kampala (June 2010), Uganda whereas one of the main developments during the conference was an agreement on a mechanism by which the crime of aggression could be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the fight against impunity, justice and the rule of law are the pillars of sustainable peace, in that they guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the universal nature of justice implies its even application, free of exceptions and double standards; whereas no place should be a safe haven for those who have committed genocide, crimes against humanity, extrajudicial executions, war crimes, torture, mass rape or forced disappearances,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas justice should be seen as an indispensable element underpinning peacekeeping and conflict mitigation efforts; whereas Member States of the EU should never be safe havens for perpetrators of crimes under international law and international law permits and, in some instances, requires states to exercise universal jurisdiction over such crimes,
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes; whereas the ICC is a court of last resort that will only act when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so; whereas the ICC only acts in instances where national courts are unable or unwilling to hold credible trials at home, these instances making international courts essential for holding perpetrators of the worst international crimes to account,
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the ICC is currently conducting investigations in sevenix countries (Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Darfur region of Sudan, Central African Republic, Kenya and Libya), and the ICC prosecutor has recently requested the opening of an eigh seventh investigation in Côte d'Ivoire; whereas three cases were referred to the Court by the states parties themselves (Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic), two were referred by the United Nations Security Council (Darfur and Libya) and one was begun proprio motu by the Prosecutor (Kenya),
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the ICC prosecutor's office is examining at least nine situations on four continents, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Republic of Korea, Nigeria, and Palestine,
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a large number of ICC arrest warrants are still pending, including those against Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord’s resistance army in respect of the situation in Northern Uganda, Bosco Ntaganda in the DRC, the Sudanese President al-Bashir and the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi,
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the updatingreview of the EU Common Position on the ICC through the adoption of a decision on 21 March 2011;, notes that the new decision takes into consideration the challenges faced by the Court and stresses that the decision provides a good basis for the EU and its Member States to assist the Court in tackling them;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Encourages the Polish Presidency to prioritise the revision of the EU Action Plan relating to the ICC, in the hope that the plan willFurther welcomes the revised EU Action Plan agreed on 12 July 2011 to follow-up the Decision on the ICC which outlines effective and concrete measures to be taken by the EU with a view to deepening its future support for the Court;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. RWelcomes the contribution of some EU member states to the fight against impunity for the worst crimes known to humanity through the application of universal jurisdiction; encourages all EU member states to do the same; recommends that the role of the EU Network of Contact Points for War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide in facilitating cooperation between EU law enforcement authorities in the prosecution of serious crimes should continue to be strengthened;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Strongly encourages the EU and its Member States, with the help of the EEAS, to put in place a set of internal guidelines, modelled on existing UN guidelines, outlining a code of conduct for contact between EU and Member State officials and persons wanted by the ICC, in particular when the latter still occupy official posts; regardless of their status and whether they are nationals of non- states parties to the Rome Statute;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recognises the role of the EU in promoting the universality of the Rome Statute and of the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court (APIC) and welcomes the recent accessions to/ratifications of the Rome Statute by Tunisia, the Philippines, Graenada, Moldova, St Lucia and the Seychelles, which brought the total number of States Parties to 1167;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the Philippines' ratification of the Rome Statute as an important signal that Asian membership in the ICC is growing; welcomes Tunisia's recent accession to the Rome Statute and hopes that this sends a positive signal to other North African and Middle Eastern countries, that they might follow suit; welcomes the recent bill by the National Assembly of Cape Verde authorising ratification of the Rome Statute and encourages its government to proceed accordingly without delay; Expresses its hope that all Latin American countries will join the ICC;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Advises the EEAS to ensure that the ICC is mainstreamed across EU foreign policy priorities, to encourage transition states in the Southern Mediterranean to sign and ratify the Rome Statute;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. SuggestAffirms that the EU should ensure that the EEAS has the necessary expertise and high-level capacity to make the ICC a real priority; recommends that the EEAS ensure adequate staffing levels both in Brussels and within delegations of officials tasked with handling international justice issues and that the EEAS and the Commission develop further their staff training on ICC issues, establishing a staff exchange programme with the ICC in order to promote mutual institutional knowledge and facilitate further cooperation;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Urges all the States Parties to the ICC, the EU and the ICC itself, including the Office of the Prosecutor, to make every effort to prosecute and punish the perpetrators of sex crimes against humanity, which are a specific category of the crimes against humanity falling within the jurisdiction of the ICC (Article 7 of the Rome Statute) and include rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilisation and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity, along with persecution on gender grounds; notes that such sex crimes are particularly despicable insofar as they are often perpetrated on a large scale and constitute war crimes as well as crimes against humanity (Article 8 of the Rome Statute), targeting the most vulnerable groups – women, children and civilians – in countries already weakened by conflicts and/or food shortages or famine;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the EU's individual Member States’ financial and logistical support for the ICC thus far and recommends that current forms of support (including the visiting professionals and internship programmes)11 are continued and expanded further, especially in the following fields: outreach activities aimed at helping victims and affected communities; legal representation; witness relocation; the participation and protection of victims/witnesses, with special consideration for the needs of women and juvenile/child victims; the provision of support enabling the Court to cover urgent operational needs stemming from new investigations; and to support the Court’s efforts to enhance its field presence and to provide the necessary resources to this end, recognising that a strong ICC field presence is crucial to promote understanding and support for its mandate, to manage expectations and to enable victims and affected communities to follow and understand the international criminal justice process and is essential for the Court to carry out its various functions;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Recommends that the EU and its Member States increase their contributions to the ICC Trust Fund for the Victims and, to the Witness Relocation Fund, to the legal aid programme as well as to provide necessary resources to strengthen its field presence; stresses that States Parties should provide the Court with sufficient resources to effectively fulfil its judicial mandate and to deliver justice in a fair, effective and meaningful manner;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Encourages the EU to secure adequate and stable funding for civil society actors working on ICC-related issues within the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), and encourages the EU Member States and existing European foundations to increase their funding for such actors; recommends that the EU Member States ensure adequate funding to the ICC Trust Fund for Victims (in order to complement potential upcoming reparation awards while continuing to carry out current assistance activities) and contribute to the newly established ICC Special Fund for relocations and to the Fund for family visits of detainees at the seat of the Court in The Hague;