37 Amendments of Gabriel MATO related to 2021/2066(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
— having regard to the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the UN resolution of 25 September 2015 entitled ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, including SDG 16 which covers efforts to combat corruption,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to Directive 2014/42/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the freezing and confiscation of instrumentalities and proceeds of crime in the European Union,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 b (new)
Citation 20 b (new)
— having regard to Directive (EU) 2018/843 of the European Parliament and the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive (EU) 2015/849 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, and amending Directives 2009/138/EC and 2013/36/EU,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 c (new)
Citation 20 c (new)
— having regard to Directive (EU) 2019/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 laying down rules facilitating the use of financial and other information for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of certain criminal offences, and repealing Council Decision 2000/642/JHA,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
- A. whereas the European Union has no consolidated definition of corruption, despite the fact that Article 83(1) TFEU recognises corruption as a criminal offence against Europe and numbers it among the particularly serious cross- border crimes;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas corruption is aspawns serious human rights violation, directly undermining the enjoyment of human rights and disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable groups in society, barring them from equal access to political participation, basic services, justice, natural resources, jobs, education, health and housing, while exacerbating poverty and inequality;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas prevention is a priority focus of the fight against corruption and many EU Member States have therefore adopted rules and set up special bodies to prevent it effectively and hence to improve the quality of governance, institutions and the public sector;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas Member States play a key role in the prevention, detection, monitoring, implementation and enforcement of anti-corruption laws;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas fighting corruption is an integral part of the international commitments to fulfil human rights, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030tangibly, in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and particularly SDG 16 to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas corruption typically involves the misuse of power, the perpetuation of kleptocracies, the undue enrichment of high-ranking officials, a lack of accountability, the obstruction of justice, the use of improper influence, the institutionalisation of discrimination, clientelismkleptocracies and the distortion of market mechanisms among other things, and is facilitated by inadequate transparency and access to information; whereas rising authoritarianism provides fertile ground for corruption, the combating of which calls for international cooperation with like- minded democracies; whereas corrupt administrations are bound to act as a trigger for conflicts, especially in developing countries, and these lead to wholesale human rights violations;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas corruption undermines institutions, checks and balances and democratic principles, weakens the rule of law, corrodes public trust and impedes sustainable development, leading to the impunity of perpetrators, the illicit enrichment of those in power and power- grabbing to escape prosecution; whereas corruption destabilises peacebuilding efforts; whereas corruption is a key factor in boosting the illegal activities from which organised crime grows rich;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. wWhereas the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated corruption-related human rights abuses, as regions with higher levels of corruption face higher numbers of COVID-related deaths andit is being used by autocratic leaders to intensify their power; whereas the pandemic has become a fertile breeding ground for embezzlement and nepotism; whereas the most vulnerable communities are disproportionately hit; whereas corruption cripples states’ capacity to provide and fairly distribute public health services or vaccines; whereas many governments have misused COVID-19 related emergency powers to step up crackdowns on journalists, whistleblowers and civil society organisations (CSOs) working on exposing corruption;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas the private sector and, in particular, banks can play a key role in detecting money laundering, terrorist financing and illegal activities linked to corruption; whereas it is vital to establish productive cooperation relations between state institutions and the private sector in order to fight corruption;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the adoption of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EU Magnitsky Act) is an essential addition to the EU’s toolbox; whereas Parliament has requested the extension of its scope to include acts of corruption; whereas the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have also adopted similar anti- corruption sanctions regimes;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
(- a) establish, on a consensual basis, an operational European definition of the word ‘corruption’;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) recognise the intrinsic link betweencurrent trend of the retreat of democracies and the rise of kleptocracies around the world; take a leading role in multinational forums to forge a coalition of democracies to push back against this global threat;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) advance efforts in all EU Member States to freeze and confiscate stolen assets in their jurisdictions, in line with the UNCAC, and to return them in a transparent and accountable manner to the country of originir owners; establish effective cooperation between Member States in order to seek out and prosecute those responsible for these crimes;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) strengthen the credibility of EU external anti-corruption action by more effectively combating corruption and money laundering within the EU; recognise that systemic corruption in some EU Member States undermines anti-corruption efforts in third countries; recognise that a lack of determined action, delays and a gap in implementing the anti-corruption regulations within the EU emboldens corrupt actors outside of the EU;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(g a) promote cooperation between the European Union, its Member States and third countries, especially at a judicial, police and informational level, in order to exchange best practices and effective instruments in the fight against corruption;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
(h a) promote enhanced cooperation between OLAF, which is responsible for establishing anti-fraud measures, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which investigates, prosecutes and brings to justice the perpetrators of crimes against the financial interests of the European Union;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) in all EU-third country trade agreements, include a strong and mandatory human rights conditionality framework with anti-corruption clauses; as a last resort, impose sanctions or suspend agreements in the event of serious acts of corruptionhuman rights framework with anti-corruption clauses;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
(la) carry out rigorous monitoring of EU-funded projects in third countries and ensure that they are not used by their governments as instruments to finance illicit activities; establish audits to check that these funds are being used correctly; involve independent civil society organisations from those countries in monitoring the implementation of those funds; immediately suspend funding in cases where there is evidence of misuse;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m
Paragraph 1 – point m
(m) strengthen the focus on anti- corruption in human rights dialogues and public diplomacy; actively involve human rights defenders and independent civil society in stamping out these practices; ensure the technical training of members of EU delegations in how to address corruption issues and propose solutions and initiatives in the specific national contexts in which they operate;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
(q) strengthen protection of whistleblowers and anti-corruption HRDs, including through temporary visa schemes;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u
Paragraph 1 – point u
(u) assume a leadership role in forging a coalition of democracieslead the fight to counter the global rise of kleptocracy; insist on including anti- corruption on the agenda of upcoming international summits such as the G7 or the Summit for Democracy proposed by United States President Biden; continue to proactively contribute to the work of international and regional forums to fight corruption and promote human rights;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point x
Paragraph 1 – point x
(x) insist on the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on financial crime, corruption and human rights with a comprehensive mandate, including an objectives-oriented plan and a periodic evaluation of the anti-corruption measures taken by states; take the lead in mobilising support among Human Rights Council member states, and to become joint sponsors of a resolution that will bring about the proposed mandate; detail, in this, the requirements to be met by candidates for the post in order to ensure the proper performance of their mandate, and specifying the process of transparency and authorship to which the successful candidate will be subject before taking office;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y
Paragraph 1 – point y
(y) infacilitiate the procedurediscussion on the possibility for the EU to become full member of GRECO, in which the EU has held observer status since 2019;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ac
Paragraph 1 – point ac
(ac) set up an EU mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (HRDD) instrument that requires companies to engage actively in the identification, assessment, mitigation, prevention and notification of any adverse impacts of their businesses and supply chains on human rights, and which includes strong anti-corruption provisions and obligatory grievance mechanisms; ensure that this instrument does not generate additional administrative burdens for SMEs;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af a (new)
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af b (new)
(af b) bear in mind that the sanctions under this mechanism are particularly relevant when it comes to discouraging magnates, corrupt officials, terrorists, criminals and dictators from conducting their illegal activities, which are covered by this mechanism; ensure that the restrictive measures applied under this regime hinge around banning those punished from entering the European Union, freezing the assets of the perpetrators of such crimes in the EU and prohibiting any person in the EU from making funds and other economic resources available to the perpetrators;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af c (new)
(af c) call on the Member States to duly implement the sanctions, placing special emphasis on the identification and freezing of assets, in order to stop Europe becoming a money laundering centre;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af d (new)
(af d) diligently monitor the implementation of sanctions by the Member States; take action against those Member States which do not properly implement these;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af e (new)
(af e) step up cooperation with like- minded democracies to coordinate the joint adoption of concrete restrictive measures against illegal practices under this sanctions regime and thus maximise their effectiveness;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ak
Paragraph 1 – point ak
(ak) protect environmental HRDs and land defenders, particularly women and indigenous HRD- particularly women and indigenous - environmental HRDs and land defenders and their lawyers, who face the greatest risk of harassment, intimidation and violence;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subheading 11
Paragraph 1 – subheading 11
Gendered and other impacts of corruption
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point al
Paragraph 1 – point al
(al) note that corruption exacerbates gender inequality and affects the extent to which women’s rights are ensured and protected; promote gender mainstreaming in anti-corruption action, as recommended by the UNODC; take into consider that corruption impacts on other vulnerable groups such as children, people with disabilities, the elderly, economically vulnerable persons and persons belonging to minorities;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point al a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point al a (new)
(ala) take into account the potential connection between trafficking in human beings and corruption;