Activities of Barbara LOCHBIHLER related to 2014/2216(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2013 and the EU policy on the matter (debate) DE
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2013 and the European Union’s policy on the matter PDF (459 KB) DOC (407 KB)
Amendments (45)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
- having regard to the EU Joint Staff Working Document on Advancing the Principle of Complementarity: Toolkit for bridging the gap between International and National Justice,
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas respect for, and the promotion and safeguarding of, the universality and indivisibility of human rights are cornerstones of the EU’s action on the international scene; whereas the universality of human rights is being seriously challenged by a number of authoritarian regimes, notably in multilateral fora;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that in addition to human suffering, the EU should also note the material and budgetary cost of non- observance of human rights where failure to respect human rights and lack of legitimate democratic participation lead to instability, corruption, failed states, humanitarian crises or armed conflicts, phenomena which undermine the EU’s efforts in its development policy, and to which the EU or its Member States are obliged to react in the foreign and security policy domain; welcomes, in this regard, the EU’s recent efforts to include violations of human rights in its early warning matrix linked to crisis prevention; calls, however, for a stronger preventative action, and urges the VP/HR, the Commission and the Member States to develop a human rights- based crisis prevention element which should be added to the EU Comprehensive Approach to external conflicts and crises and should be included in the forthcoming, revised European Security Strategy;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Commends the External Action Service and the Commission for their comprehensive and clear reporting on EU action taken during the reporting period; reiterates, however, its view that the country reports in particular should have a more rigorous framework based on a set of indicators that would allow for the setting of benchmarks to assess bothallow for an overview of key positive and negative trends, and evaluate the efficiency of the EU’s actions, and provide grounds for adapting the levels of EU support in line with progress achieved with regard to human rights, democracy, the rule of law and good governance; notes that the use of such public; notes that more thorough public reporting, notably based on the priorities and indicators would beidentified in linthe whith several objectives mentioned in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, and would permiterto confidential EU Human Rights Country Strategies, would encourage greater consistency in implementing human rights conditionality or assessing the human rights impact of EU policies;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Maintains the view that the EU institutions should strive together to improve the format of the report with a view to enabling it to fulfil its potential as a communication tool while not losing its comprehensiveness as an implementation report on the EU Strategic Framework and the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy; reiterates its readiness to be part of an active and constructive cooperation among the EU institutions in the preparation of future reports; recalls its request for the inclusion of a section in the Annual Report on the implementation of the Action Plan by Member States;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to prepare a proper implementation report on the first EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy (2012-2014), and calls on the VP/HR and the EEAS to engage the Member States, the Commission, Parliament and civil society in the review and consultations leading to the adoption of a new Action Plan, to take effect in early 2015; welcomes the discussions aimed at achieving better prioritisation of objectives in the new Action Plan, but warns against lowering the scope of the Action Plan as well as the level of ambition in terms of mainstreaming human rights across EU policy areas;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Regrets the lack of tangible progress in meeting the commitments made in the Action Plan in relation to developing priorities and indicators for human rights dialogues and consultations, as well as developing criteria for the application of human rights clauses; insists that these commitments be maintained in the forthcoming Action Plan and implemented as a matter of priority; calls for greater clarity with regards the implementation of the commitment in the Action Plan to further develop working methods to ensure the best articulation between dialogue, targeted support, incentives and restrictive measures;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls for greater attention and more specific commitments to be made in relation to economic, social and cultural rights in the successor Action Plan;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Insists on the importance to include commitments in the new Action Plan in relation to particularly vulnerable groups, such as migrants, refugees and stateless persons; calls for specific commitments to be made in relation to these groups, which were inadequately addressed in the current Action Plan;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recognises the importance of the mandate given to the first ever EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Human Rights and of the work done so far; encourages the EUSR to continue to enhance the EU’s visibility and engagement with multilateral and regional human rights mechanisms (the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, ASEAN, the African Union, the OIC), to promote key EU thematic priorities, including those reflected in the recently adopted EU human rights guidelines, to work for the empowerment of civil society throughout the world, and to contribute to the mainstreaming, coherence, consistency and effectiveness of EU human rights policy and in striking the right balance between silent and public diplomacy;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Requests that the Council institutionalise the position of the EUSR for Human Rights so that it can becomebe continued with a view to turning it into a permanent function;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the EU to effectively address internal human rights challenges, such as the situation of Roma, the treatment of refugees and migrants, discrimination of LGBTI persons, detention conditions or media freedom in Member States, in order to maintain credibility and consistency in its external human rights policy;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Commends the EEAS for the successful completion of the first cycle of human rights country strategies developed with a strong emphasis on ownership at the EU Delegation level; regrets, however, the continued lack of transparency regarding the contents of the country strategies and calls, once again, for the public disclosure of, at least, the key priorities of each country strategy, and for Parliament to have access to the strategies so as to allow a proper degree of scrutiny; encourages the EEAS to adopt indicators to evaluate their efficacy, and to treat the country sections of the Annual Report more explicitly as constituting implementation reports on the country strategies;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reiterates its support for dedicated human rights dialogues as a tool of EU human rights policy, provided that they do not constitute an end in itself, but a means to secure specific commitments and achievements from the counterpart; recognises the value of engagement in human rights-specific dialogue also with countries with serious human rights problems; underlines, however, the need for the EU to draw clear political conclusions when the human rights dialogue does not lead to positive outcomes, and in such cases to place mor due to the counterpart's lack of willingness to engage in good faith or lack of genuine commitment to reform, and to place emphasis on public diplomacy with a view to ensuring that the public credibility of the EU’s human rights policy is not endangered; warns, furthermore, against diverting human rights discussions away from high-level political dialogues; insists that individual cases of human rights defenders at risk or in jail and political prisoners be effectively raised by the EU and in an accountable and transparent manner;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the importance of following up on the reports and recommendations of Election Observation Missions by using these as part of a ‘road map for democracy’ inthe EU's engagement with the country concerned and by mandating the Chief Observer to exercise a special role in the follow-up monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations, as a coherent part of Parliament’s comprehensive democracy support approach and with the support of Parliament’s standing bodies (including the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group);
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. WelcomesTakes note of the pilot country work conducted so far by nine EU Delegations to achieve increased coherence for democracy support in the EU’s external relations, as initiated in the Council conclusions of 2009 and 2010 and as embedded in the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy in 2012;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Requests that the Commission and the EEAS enhance coordination of EU action with regard to the second generation of pilot countries so as to ensure that all EU institutions participate and combine their expertise in the effective pursuit of democracy support in third countries, in line with Parliament’s comprehensive democracy support approach;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Reiterates its call on the EEAS to continue protecting NGOs, human rights defenders and civil society activists by raising the effectiveness of EU human rights dialogues and by promoting EU thematic priorities and human rights guidelines; in this context, encourages the organisation of campaigns aimed at reaching human rights defenders also in the more remote areas of third countries, in order to help implement EU policy objectivesas well as in support of defenders promoting economic and social rights, such as trade unionists or those fighting against land grabbing;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Requests that the EEAS and the EU Delegations engage with human rights defenders in a genuine and pragmatic political dialogue aimed at finding the best ways to support an enabling environment for their work; requests that the EU enhance its active diplomacy in third countries and strengthen the position of the human rights focal points in order to mainstream human rights in the daily political work of the EU Delegation, by systematically raising the names of political prisoners and engaging in trial monitoring and visits to prisons; stresses the need for the EU to use public diplomacy to support human rights defenders and to call for the release of imprisoned human rights activists; insists that senior EU representatives, notably the HR/VP, the Council President, Commissioners, EU Special Representatives and government officials from the Member States systematically meet human rights defenders when travelling to countries where civil society is under pressure;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Recalls the commitment of Parliament and its Subcommittee on Human Rights to supporting a strong multilateral human rights system under the aegis of the United Nations, including the Third Committee of the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the work of related UN specialised agencies such as the ILO, as well as that of UN Special Procedures;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Reiterates its full support for the work of the ICC in its role to end the impunity of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern before the international community; remains vigilant regarding any attempts to undermine its legitimacy and to provide justice for the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide; remains vigilant regarding any attempts to undermine its legitimacy or independence; urges the EU and its Member states to cooperate with the Court and provide it with strong diplomatic and political support, including in the UN; calls on the EU and member states and EU Special Representatives to actively promote the ICC, the enforcement of its decisions, and the fight against impunity for Rome Statute crimes; considers the increasing number of states parties to be an important development in strengthening the universality of the Court; welcomes the ratification of the Rome Statute by Côte d’Ivoire in February 2013;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls on the EU member states to provide the ICC with the resources needed; emphasises the importance of outreach and public information, including by facilitating victims' rights and ensure that these activities have appropriate diplomatic and financial support; encourages the EU to continue providing assistance to international criminal justice and the ICC, including by supporting civil society actors through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)
Paragraph 34 b (new)
34b. Calls for the creation of an EU Special Representative on International Justice and International Humanitarian Law in order to help develop and promote the EU agenda in these fields;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Recalls its firm belief that the death penalty, as a violation of the right to personal integrity and human dignity, is incompatible with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment under international law and calls on the EEAS and the Member States formally to acknowledge this incompatibility and to adapt EU policy on capital punishment accordingly; emphasises the need to interpret the respective EU guidelines on the death penalty and torture as cross- cutting;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Urges the VP/HR and the EEAS, in the light of the increasing number of recentcontinued reports of the widespread practice of torture and abuse around the world, to step up the EU’s efforts in the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; reiterates its concern that the action of the EU in this field remains largely insufficient and falls short of its commitments under the EU Guidelines on Torture; calls in particular, for greater EU support to the establishment and strengthening of national and regional torture preventive mechanisms;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Encourages the EEAS to pay detailed attention to the country conclusions of the United Nations Committee against Torture and the Subcommittee established under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and to raise these concerns systematically in political dialogues with the countries concerned as well as in public statements; calls on the EEAS and the Member States also to develop a more effective implementation plan for the EU Guidelines on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Reiterates its call for the systematic inclusion of binding, enforceable and non-negotiable human rights clauses in all of the EU’s international agreements, including trade agreements, concluded with third countries, and calls for effective monitoring of their application as well as for reporting back to the relevant committee of; insists that such clauses should be interpreted in conformity with human rights law and stresses the importance of including appropriate safeguards, monitoring, complaints and redress mechanisms allowing for affected individuals and groups to seek remedy for violations; calls for improved consultation of the European Parliament in the early negotiation process of trade and investment agreements, for the effective monitoring of the application of human rights clauses as well as for reporting back to Parliament on the agreements’ human rights aspects;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Stresses the importance of a genuine, transparent and inclusive assessment by the European Commission of the human rights situation in third countries benefiting from preferential trade arrangements, notably under the revised GSP+ scheme; calls on the Commission to provide technical and financial support to national authorities and civil society actors to assist in respectively meeting and monitoring the commitments made under these schemes;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41b. Underlines the Treaty-based obligation of the EU to ensure that all its external policies and activities are designed and implemented in a manner which consolidates and supports human rights and the rule of law; in this regard, calls on the EU to substantially improve the methodology, scope and quality of the ex ante and ex post human rights impact assessment of its trade and investment agreements, notably through genuine consultation of civil society; calls on the EU to explore means to allow for adequate enforcement and redress mechanisms, accessible to affected populations and their representatives in cases where EU policies or activities lead to, contribute to, or benefit from human rights violations;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Reaffirms that European businesses should undertake adequate due diligence to ensure that their operations respect human rights, wherever they are performed; stresses the importance for meaningful reporting on the human rights, social and environmental impact of projects supported by European Financial Institutions; insists on the need for these institutions to ensure compliance of their activities with Article 21 of the Treaty of the European Union, which inter alia contains an obligation to respect human rights;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Reiterates its endorsement of the majority of the funding for the EIDHR being allocated to support for human rights defenders and civil society actions around the worlWelcomes the substantial support provided under the EIDHR to human rights defenders and civil society actions around the world and, in an increasingly hostile environment for civil society worldwide, insists that the current level of support be maintained or expanded;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53a. Underlines the importance of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) at the national level for human rights monitoring and awareness raising as well as to ensure redress for victims of violations; calls on the EU to develop a policy in support of NHRIs, in line with the Paris principles, and to make it a priority in external assistance, notably under the European Neighbourhood Instrument;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 21 a (new)
Subheading 21 a (new)
Trafficking in Human Beings
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65 a (new)
Paragraph 65 a (new)
65a. Calls on the EU to prioritise the fight against trafficking in human beings in both its internal and external policies with a particular focus on the protection of victims; reiterates the need for all EU Member States to implement the EU Directive (2011/36/EU) and the Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings 2012-2016;
Amendment 403 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71
Paragraph 71
71. Welcomes the EU’s cooperation with UNICEF and other organizations and NGOs committed to children rights, which has resulted in a toolkit for the mainstreaming of children’s rights in development cooperation; welcomes the use of the Nobel Prize money awarded to the EU to assist children in conflict situations; welcomes the EU’s participation in the October 2013 Third Global Conference on Child Labour held in Brasilia, and its participation in the negotiation of the tripartite declaration on child labour;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
72. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to continue to take action regarding the rights of the child, with a specific focus on violence against children, including torture, as cases of torture and detention of children have been reported by organisations such as UNICEF and Amnesty International; calls for particular focus on the issues of forced child labour; calls for particular focus on the issues of forced child labour and in this connection, the goal of universal primary education, reducing child mortality, child marriage, enlistment of children in armed groups and their disarmament, rehabilitation and subsequent reintegration, as well as placing the issue of child witchcraft on the agenda of human rights dialogues with the countries concerned; stresses the importance of prioritising children’s rights within EU external policy;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. SDenounces the dramatic number of deaths at sea in the Mediterranean, estimated at several thousands for the year 2013, thereby making this sea the deadliest region in the world for irregular migration; stresses the urgent need to develop stronger policies at Union level to address the pressing issues related to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in a manner consistent with international human rights law and fundamental human dignity, and calls on the EU to guarantee effective common standards for reception procedures throughout the Union in order to protect the most vulnerable; invites the VP/HR, the Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs and the EEAS to promote a true spirit ofincrease cooperation and equitable burden- sharing among Member States in order to tackle the multiple challenges that persist in this regardcluding in hosting and resettling refugees and contributing to search and rescue services to assist migrants in distress at sea while attempting to reach EU shores; recalls in that regard the need to respect the principle of non-refoulement in European and international waters, as was upheld by the ECtHR; recalls the commitment of the Commission to developing adequate legal migration channels, and, to this end, calls for a revision of the Dublin Regulation, which places disproportionate responsibility on Member States for the Union’s external borders and hinders migrants’ ability to seek and obtain asylum;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74 a (new)
Paragraph 74 a (new)
74a. Calls on the EU to ensure that the negotiation and implementation of all migration cooperation and readmission agreements with non-EU states comply with international human rights, refugee law and international maritime law and asks to be consulted prior to their conclusion; demands to ensure greater transparency in the negotiation of such agreements and to integrate monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the human rights impact of cooperation on migration with non-EU states and of border control measures, including Frontex and Eurosur; insists that human rights need to be mainstreamed and monitored in all activities carried out by Frontex;
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74 b (new)
Paragraph 74 b (new)
74b. Calls on the European Commission to carry out an independent evaluation of its migration and border control programmes in EU and non-EU states with a view to propose improved measures to prevent human rights violations;
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76
Paragraph 76
76. Calls for concerted EU action to address the problem of land-grabbing; notes that the denial of access to land and natural resources to the rural and urban poor is one of the key causes of hunger and poverty in the world, thereby having an impact on the local communities’ enjoyment of their human rights, and particularly on their right to adequate food; welcomes the EU’s involvement in the development of the voluntary global guidelines on tenure of land, fisheries and forests, adopted under the aegis of the UN; emphasises, nevertheless, the urgent need to mainstream human rights and poverty reduction considerations in decision- making regarding the acquisition or long- term lease of large areas of land by investordevelop a specific strategy to address land conflict issues and their impact on human rights; considers the EU’s response to this issue to be an important test of its commitment to move toward a rights-based approach in its development cooperation policy as well as to ensure coherence between its human rights policy and its trade and investment policies, which have a growing impact on land issues;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 26 a (new)
Subheading 26 a (new)
International culture and sports events and human rights
Amendment 476 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 a (new)
Paragraph 76 a (new)
76a. Denounces the increasing practice by authoritarian states of hosting mega sports or cultural events in order to boost their international legitimacy whilst further restricting domestic dissent; calls on the EU and Member States to engage with national sports federations, corporate actors and civil society organizations on the modalities of their participation in such events, including with regards to the first European Games in Baku in 2015 and the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018; calls for the development of an EU policy framework on sports and human rights, and relevant commitments to be included in the forthcoming Action Plan on Human Rights;
Amendment 477 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 26 b (new)
Subheading 26 b (new)
Drones
Amendment 478 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 b (new)
Paragraph 76 b (new)
76b. Reiterates its call for the development of an EU common position on the use of armed drones, giving utmost importance to the respect for human rights and international humanitarian law and addressing issues such as the legal framework, proportionality, accountability, the protection of civilians and transparency; urges once again the EU to ban the development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons which enable strikes to be carried out without human intervention; calls on the EU to oppose and ban the practice of extrajudicial and targeted killings and to take legal measures wherever an individual or entity may be connected to an unlawful targeted killing abroad; insists that human rights are part of all dialogues with third countries on counter- terrorism;
Amendment 482 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78
Paragraph 78
78. Calls for a review of the Guidelines for the European Parliament’s Interparliamentary Delegations on promoting human rights and democracy, to be conducted by the Conference of Delegation Chairs, in cooperation with the Subcommittee on Human Rights; recommends, in this context, a more systematic practice of raising human rights issues, especially the individual cases referred to in Parliament’s resolutions and Sakharov Prize laureates and nominees at risk, during delegation visits to third countries, and of reporting on actions taken to the Subcommittee on Human Rights in writing, and, where politically warranted, through a specific debriefing session;