Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2013/2082(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT with a proposal for a European Parliament recommendation to the Council on the draft EU Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief PDF (190 KB) DOC (96 KB)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) Violence against religious communities as well as against non-believers, with political, socio- economic or ideological roots, persists in many parts of the world; clear condemnation by the European Union of all forms of violence and discrimination should be a basic element of EU policy in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
Paragraph 1 – point d
(d) As their successful implementation will depend on this, the Guidelines should offer clarity in the definitions used and the appropriate and full protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief, in accordance with international law and the Charter of Fundemental Rights of the EU (Article 10), in its private and public expressions, as well as in its individual, collective and institutional dimensions, including but not limited tothe right to believe or not to believe, the right to change one's beliefs, the freedom of expression, assembly and association, the right to marry equality or the right to not marry, as well as the right of parents to educate their children according to their moral and religious convictions, freedom of assembly and freedom of association, freedom of expression, the right to conscientious objection, the right to asylum, and the fundamental right to protection of one's property.
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) While freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression are mutually reinforcing rights, in cases where these two rights are invoked against each other, the EU should also recall that modern media tools can afford a close interconnectedness between cultures and faiths. Therefore steps need to be taken to avoid inter- cultural violence as a reaction to acts of freedom of expression related to criticism and especially ridicule; the EU should help in reducing such tensions, for example by promoting mutual understanding and dialogue.
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) It should be stressed in the Guidelines that an indispensable part of freedom of religion or belief is the right of each individual to manifest the freedom of religion or belief alone or in community with others; this includes the freedom to establish and maintain places of worship and religious sites, to establish and maintain appropriate religious, social and charitable institutions with legal personality and organisational autonomy, including the freedom to appoint personnel and leaders of these institutions without external interference, direct or indirect, from the state, the freedom to provide religious teaching and training, the freedom to exercise one's ministry, the freedom to observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one's religion or belief and the freedom to carry out charitable activities but also the freedom not to participate in any given religious activity or manifestation. Equally, it should be noted in the Guidelines that the right to exercise religion in community with others which must always respect one's individual freedoms should not unnecessarily be limited to officially recognised places of worship, and that all undue limitations to the freedom of assembly should be condemned by the EU.
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
(h a) considers that secularism, defined as the strict separation between the religious and the political authorities, implies the rejection of any religious interference in the functioning of government and of any public interference in religious affairs unless in order to maintainthe rules of safety and public order (including, of course, the respect to the freedom of others), as well as guarantees to all, believers, agnostics or atheists, equal liberty of conscience and public expression of one's convictions;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) The EU should take action when registration requirements for religious or belief-related organisations unduly limit the freedom of religion or belief. Registration should not be understood as a prerequisite for the enjoyment of one's human right to freedom of religion or belief, as that right cannot be conditional upon administrative or legal requirements. The EU should call for the abolishment of any legislation, such as the mandatory registration of one's religion in civil status documents, if this legislation leads to discrimination against persons holding non-religious beliefs or persons who have changed their religion or belief;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) The EU should pay particular attention to discrimination based on religion or belief in the family and social laws of third countries, especially but not exclusively within the context of the right to marriage and the right to child custody, in particular when the parents separate.
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) Support for and engagement with a broad range of civil society organisations, including human rights organizations and religious and belief-based groups, while implementing the Guidelines, will be of crucial importance for the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, and therefore the human rights focal points in the EU Delegations should maintain regular contacts with these organisations in order to be able to identify as soon as possible problems arising in the area of freedom of religion or belief in their respective countries.
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) The EU's external financial instruments should be used both as incentives and deterrents (for example, freezing funds) with regard to freedom of religion or belief in a particular country, as this forms an integral part of the assessment of the whole human rights situation in the country. Use of human rights clauses in EU external agreements should be encouragedrespected and systematically integrated in all agreements of the EU with third countries, as the Parliament already stated several times.
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
(q) The EU should continue its initiatives in various multilateral fora in order to promote and protect the freedom of religion or belief. Whenever relevant, the EU will assist third countries in drawing up legislation promoting and protecting freedom of religion or belief.
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r
Paragraph 1 – point r
(r) In accordance with Article 36 of the Treaty on the European Union, the European Parliament should be involved in the evaluation of the implementation of the Guidelines which should take place no later than three years after the Guidelines have come into force. The evaluation should be based on an analysis of the EU response to concrete situations related to the violation of freedom of religion or belief in third countries. The European Parliament should be regularly informed of areas or developments of concern, as reported by the EU delegations. Its relevant committees will receive detailed information.