15 Amendments of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2009/2219(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Stresses that, pursuant to Chapter 1 of Title V TEU, the Union's action on the international scene must be guided by the principles of democracy, the rule of law and the universality, inalienability and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms; emphasises that they constitute a common essential basis for its relations with third countries;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1a (new)
Paragraph -1a (new)
-1a. Points out that the European Court of Human Rights recognises the extraterritorial applicability of the ECHR, and the Union must, upon accession to the ECHR, endeavour to fully comply with this obligation in its external relations and activities, including in trade agreements;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1b (new)
Paragraph -1b (new)
-1b. Points out that economic and social rights have formed an integral part of human rights since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948; considers that it is up to the EU to help implement them in the least-developed and developing countries with which it signs international agreements, including trade agreements;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1c (new)
Paragraph -1c (new)
-1c. Calls on the Commission to only conclude trade agreements on condition that these agreements contain clauses relating to democracy and human rights and on social, health and environmental standards; reiterates once more its call to the Commission and the Council to effectively implement clauses already incorporated into international agreements in force and, consequently, to put in place a suitable mechanism in the spirit of Articles 8, 9 and 96 of the Cotonou Agreement;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for all EUuropean Union trade negotiations and arranggreements with third countries to include a human rightsprior impact assessment measuring the consequences of specific trade advantages granted by or to the EUof the agreements envisaged, taking account of the human rights situation for all parties to these agreements; considers that this analysis must be based on meetings with defenders of human rights working in the countries in question;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1a (new)
Paragraph 1a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission as the representative of the Union and the Member States to impress upon the WTO and its members the need to take account of human rights and social, health and environmental standards in the context of trade negotiations, and in particular the negotiation of the Doha agreement, and to see to it in practice that they are applied and promoted in the context of the implementation of trade agreements; calls on the Commission to urge the WTO and its members to admit, as a first step, the delegations of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the secretariat of the International Labour Office and the secretariats of multilateral and international environmental agreements as observers;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1b (new)
Paragraph 1b (new)
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to implement Parliament's resolution of 10 March 2010 on the GSP+ system; asks it, consequently, to develop a more consistent and fairer benchmarking system for all countries that are assisted under the GSP+aforementioned system in order to monitor in a clear and transparent fashion, taking account of the different parties' views, achievements as well as setbacks in the development of human rights, including social, economic, cultural and environmental rights;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers, in this that, with a view to fulfilling its international commitments in the area of human rights, the EU should include, taking accountext, that in future legislation Parliament should insist on an arrangement whereb of the nature of the agreements and the situation specific to each partner country, systematic clauses relating to democracy, the rule of law and human rights as well as social and environmental standards, and that these clauses should allow the Commission to suspend at least temporarily trade advantages, including those stemming from free trade agreements, can be suspended temporarily by the Commission alone if sufficient evidence of human rights or labour rights violations is found, either on its own initiative or at the request of a Member State or the European Parliament;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that ways should be found to monitor more closely allegations oftake into account and analyse more systematically statements referring to serious andor systematic violations of human and labour rights; in this context, suggests that consideration might be given to involvinga special place should be given to involving civil society (in particular NGOs working in the area of the defence of human rights, the fight against exclusion and discrimination and environmental protection and trade unions, especially those from third countries concerned by the agreement signed) and EU representatives (as things stand fromrepresentatives of the Commission, orand in future fromthose of the EEAS) in investigation missions carried out under UN special procedures where there are implications for EUrelating to human rights violations in countries with which the Union has concluded a trade agreements;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls onUrges the Commission to swiftly table a proposal for a regulation banning the import into the EU of goods produced using slave or forced labour in violation of basic humin violation of basic human rights standards, basing itself in particular on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1998 declaration by the International Labour Organization on fundamental principles and rights standardsat work, and in particular those relating to freedom of association, forced labour and child labour; emphasises that such a regulation would have to enable the EU to investigate specific claims; when there seems to be sufficient evidence of a violation of these international standards;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to review EU export regulations in the light of the scope for the transfer of technology, including sophisticated software for Internet scanning and censorship softwaand data mining, including data of a personal nature, to oprepressive regimes; asks the Commission to table a proposal for a regulation on a new licensing system if this review suggests that legislative action is needed.
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6a (new)
Paragraph 6a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to see to it that companies which come under national or European law do not disregard human rights and the health and environmental standards applicable to them when they establish themselves or conduct their activities in a third country, in particular in the least-developed or developing countries;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6b (new)
Paragraph 6b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission to revise its communication 'Global Europe: competing in the world', published in 2006, taking account of the reorientation proposed with regard to respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6c (new)
Paragraph 6c (new)
6c. Stresses that the credibility of the European Union as regards the protection and promotion of human rights and compliance with social and environmental standards in the world is closely linked to observance of these by the EU, both within the EU and in all of the international agreements which it signs, including trade agreements;