Activities of Cristian Dan PREDA 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) RO
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 (36)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the need to address human rights in a holistic and indivisible fashion by emphasising and strongly committing both to civil and political rights and to economic, social and cultural rights, since without these rights there can be no development; stresses the need to tackle the root causes of poverty; highlights the obligation to respect international labour standards, in line with the fulfilment of the ILO Decent Work Agenda, and calls for the setting-up of a universal social protection floor; takes the view that social issues should have a more central place in the EU’s external relations; urges the EU to incorporate a social clause reflecting ILO core labour standards in all its external trade agreements;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. HUnderlines that more efforts need to be done to mainstream human rights and democracy across development cooperation; highlights the need for the EU and its delegations to implement the human rights- based approach in development policy and aid, especially the new toolbox; also encourages the Member States to adopt a human rights-based approach in their development policies and aid, for example by emphasising the importance of human rights, good governance and democracy in budget and sector support dialogues; at the same time, calls on the EU itself to respect democratic ownership, participation of civil society and transparency of development aid (the last-named under the EU Transparency Guarantee);
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Highlights the importance of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) in achieving respect for human rights; calls on the EU to ensure that the necessary guidelines, impact assessments and monitoring and reporting mechanisms make PCD a reality in Union policies and in those of the Member States, especially in trade and agriculture; takes the view that the EU should maintain political leadership on this issue and convert PCD into a universal agenda;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. Whereas more than half of the world's population still lives in undemocratic regimes and during the last years global freedom has constantly declined;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. Whereas democratic regimes are not only defined by the organization of elections, but also by respect for the rule of law, freedom of speech, respect for human rights, an independent judiciary and impartial administration;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU’s credibility in its external relations will be bolstered by increasing consistency between its internal and external policies in relation to democracy and human rights;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the preamble to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union affirms that the EU ‘places the individual at the heart of its activities’; stresses that this was not intended as an abstract concept but, on the contrary, these words implied an emphasis on real life, on the concretis a guiding principle meant give baspects of existence, and on giving fundamental needic rights a constitutional basis, founded on the inviolable dignity of each and every person;
Amendment 73 #
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 budgetarytake into account the cost of non- observance of human rights where failure to respect human rights and lack of legitimate democratic participation leademocratic values, related 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 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;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that no written answer was given by the Commission to the Resolution of the Parliament on the Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2012 and considers that such written answers are extremely important for the inter-institutional cooperation on this subject and cannot be replaced by the debate in the plenary, which allows less time for reflection and for a systematic reply to all points raised by the Parliament;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls onAppreciates the efforts made by the EEAS and the Commission to prepare a properort back to the European Parliament on the implementation report onof 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 ion 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 level of ambition in terms of mainstreaming human rights across EU policy areas;
Amendment 111 #
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 ofcongratulates Stavros Lambrinidis for 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;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that EU human rights policy needs to be consistent in complying with the Treaty obligations, ensuring coherence between internal and external policies, and avoiding double standards; calls, therefore, for the adoption of EU Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on human rights regarding strategic partners; calls, in this context, for the establishment of common thresholds for Member States and for EU officials in terms of the human rights concerns that they have to raise, as a minimum, with their strategic partner counterparts, while keeping in mind the circumstances of each country situation;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that democratic regimes are not only defined by organization of elections, but also by respect for the rule of law, freedom of speech, respect for human rights, an independent judiciary and impartial administration; emphasizes in this regard 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’' in 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 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Requests that the Commission and the EEAS enhance their coordination of EU actionwith the European Parliament 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 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Congratulates the European Endowment for Democracy for its efficient work in promoting democracy in our neighbourhood and supports a careful expansion of its mandate to other societies struggling for democratisation; calls on the Member States, in a spirit of solidarity and commitment, to provide sufficient funding to the Endowment´s budget in order to ensure the most flexible and effective support to local actors of democratic change;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Reminds that enlargement has been the EU's most successful democratisation effort and emphasizes that negotiations with the Western Balkans remain the main instrument of helping these countries establish fully-fledged democratic societies,
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Call on the EU High Representative and EU Foreign Ministers to hold an annual Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting dedicated to discussing EU efforts to pursue release of human rights defenders, journalists, political activists and others who exercise their rights peacefully, paying particular attention to the cases raised in the European Parliament's resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law ;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Recalls its unequivocal position institutionalising its presence at UN General Assembly (UNGA) sessions, as expressed in its resolution of 7 February 2013 on the EU’s priorities at the Human Rights Council, and considers it indispensable to continue the practice of sending a European Parliament delegation to relevant UNHRC and UNGA sessions and regrets that in 2014 this practice was interrupted;
Amendment 206 #
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 and to provide justice for the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide; remains vigilant regarding any attempts to undermine its legitimacy; considers the increasing nu or independence; urges the EU and EU Member of states parties to be an impoto cooperate with the Court ant development ind provide it with streongthening the universality of the Court; welcomes the ratification of the Rome Statute by Côte d’Ivoire in February 2013 diplomatic and political support in bilateral relations and in all fora, including the UN; expresses its concerns that several arrest warrants have still not been executed, including those concerning President of Sudan, Omar Al Bashir;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Reiterates its call for the creation of an EU Special Representative on International Justice and International Humanitarian Law in order to give these subjects the prominence and visibility they deserve, to advance the EU agenda effectively and to mainstream the fight against impunity in all the external actions of the EU;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Calls on the EU to supportengage in the emerging initiatives aimed at concludingdebate about a legally binding international instrument on business and human rights within the UN system and to engage from early on in the debate on this issue;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Expresses its concern at the spread of monitoring and filtering technologies, which represent a growing threat to human rights and democracy activists in autocratic countries and also pose troubling questions regarding privacy rights in democratic countries, even when used with the pretext of legitimate aims such as counter- terrorism or law enforcement;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. Commends the Commission on its publication in June 2013 of the ICT (information and communication technologies) Sector Guide on Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; remains concerned, however, at the trade in products and services aimed at denial of internet access or enabling mass surveillance and monitoring of internet traffic and mobile communications, or at intruding on private conversations; calls, therefore, foron the adoption of general exporCommission to reflect control guidelines in this sector, based on the experience of similar actions taken by the EU in individual cases how to improve this situation;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Condemns all violence and discrimination on the basis of religion or belief; expresses its serious concern over the continued reports of violence and discrimination against religious minorities around the world; stresses that the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, is a fundamental human right, interrelated with other human rights and fundamental freedoms, encompassing the right to believe or not to believe, the freedom to practise theistic, non-theistic or atheistic belief alike, and the right to adopt, change and abandon or return to a belief of one’s choice;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66
Paragraph 66
66. Points outRegrets that 78 countries still criminalise homosexuality, including seven which provide for the death penalty; firmly condemns the recent increase in discriminatory laws and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, worldwide, and most notably in Nigeria and Uganda should not go unpunished; encourages close monitoring of the situation in Nigeria, Uganda, India and Russia, where new laws or recent legal developments seriously threaten the freedom of sexual minorities; reaffirms its support for the continuing work of the High Commissioner on Human Rights to combat these discriminatory laws and practices and for the work of the UN more generally on this issue;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 a (new)
Paragraph 66 a (new)
66a. Supports the idea that the EEAS should prioritize its actions in this area and put particular emphasis on situations where the death penalty is in force, and/or torture and ill-treatment take place against LGBTI persons, by condemning these practices in accordance with the EU Guidelines on the death penalty and the EU Guidelines on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
Paragraph 68
68. WelcomesTakes note of the legalisation of same- sex marriage or same-sex civil unions in an increasing number of countries, seventeen at the moment, around the world; encourages the EU institutions and the Member States to further contribute to the reflection on the recognition of same- sex marriage or same- sex civil union as a political, social and human and civil rights issue;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69
Paragraph 69
69. Welcomes the annulment in October 2013 of the Moldovan law prohibiting the ‘propagation of any other relations than those related to marriage or family’, and calls on Lithuania and Russia to follow the Moldovan example; regrets the outcome of the Croatian referendum of December 2013, which endorsed a constitutional ban on equal marriage; stresses that such referendums contribute to a climate of homophobia and discrimination; considers that LGBTI persons’ fundamental rights are more likely to be safeguarded if they have access to legal institutions such as cohabitation, registered partnership or marriagother countries in the region to follow the Moldovan example;
Amendment 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
Paragraph 70
70. Welcomes the ratifications of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); reiterates the importance of efficient implementation both by the Member States and the EU institutions and stresses, in particular, the need to credibly integratemainstream the rights of persons with disabilities into all EU policy instruments, especially with regard tothrough all the relevant EU policies, including development cooperation;
Amendment 408 #
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 Internationalrecently; calls for particular focus on the issues of forced child labour, 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 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 25
Subheading 25
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. 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 guareiterantee 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 of cooperation and equitable burden-sharing among Member States in order to tackle the multiple challenges that persist in this regard; 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 Ss its support for the Migration and Mobility Dialogues and the conclusion of Mobility Partnerships that promote the advantatges for the Union’s external borders and hinders migrants’ ability to seek and obtain asylumof circular migration;
Amendment 464 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 a (new)
Paragraph 76 a (new)
76a. Emphasizes the importance of linking development aid with credible efforts for democratization;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 b (new)
Paragraph 76 b (new)
76b. Calls on the Impact Assessment Board, under the supervision of the President of the Commission to ensure that the impact on the human rights situation is taken into consideration when speaking about EU development cooperation projects and vice-versa;
Amendment 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78
Paragraph 78
78. Calls for a reviewbetter implementation 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, 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;
Amendment 483 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79
Paragraph 79
79. Emphasises the need for continued reflection regarding the most appropriate ways to maximise the credibility, visibility and effectiveness of Parliament’s resolutions on breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law and the necessity of an appropriate synchronization between and follow-up by all the European Institutions, as well as by the European Endowment for Democracy;