Activities of Ulrike LUNACEK related to 2013/2078(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2012) PDF (395 KB) DOC (229 KB)
Amendments (56)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
– having regard in particular to Article 2, Article 3(3), second indent, and Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union, as well as to Articles related to the respect, promotion and protection of fundamental rights in the EU, both in the TEU and in the TFEU,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23
Citation 23
– having regard to the activities, annual reports and, studies and opinions of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, in particular the Annual Report on the Situation of Fundamental Rights in the EU in 2012,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 a (new)
Citation 38 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 11 September 2012 on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA: follow-up of the European Parliament TDIP Committee report (P7_TA(2012)0309) and its follow-up resolution of 10 October 2013 (P7_TA(2013)0418,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas European integration is a political project born out of the ashes of the Second World War and the persecution and repression of individuals by Nazi, Fascist and Communist regimes, and whereas its aim has been to anchor European states to democracy and the rule of law in order to respect, protect and promote human rights, fundamental rights, equality and the protection of minorities;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A b (new)
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas the individual, citizen or resident, must be at the centre of the European project, and whereas fundamental rights protect the individual against possible interference, abuse and violence by authorities – at all levels – with respect to their private life and their rights and freedoms;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the European Union operates on the basis of the presumption and mutual trust that EU Member States conform with democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as enshrined in the ECHR and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, notably in relation to the development of an Area of Freedom, Security and Justice and the operation of the mutual recognition principle;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the FRA underlined in the focus section of its Annual Report on 2012 dedicated to "The European Union as a Community of values: safeguarding fundamental rights in times of crisis" that a common understanding of the Article 2 values and the legal obligations there from is an aspiration that calls for the establishment of a regular dialogue within the EU;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the Commission has indicated its desire to strengthen the rule of law in the European Union and whereas it could propose the use of letters of formal notice under Article 7(1) of the existing EU Treaty; whereas it has also spoken of the need to amend the treaties and has announced that it might propose amendments before the end of 2013, or in early 2014, with a view to holding a debate during elections (including on Article 7) and seeking a consensus on these proposals, the aim of which should be that of ensuring that the EU policy on fundamental rights in the EU is based on clear rules and mechanisms; objective indicators, data and evidence, which are transparent, fair and predictable and provide strong protection for individual rights, democracy and the rule of law;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas numerous fundamental rights violations are still occurring in the European Union and in the Member States, as detailed in (annual and special) reports by the Commission, NGOs and the Council of Europe, in UN documentsthe FRA, the Council of Europe (annual reports and judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, documents and reports of the European Commissioner responsible for human rights, CoE Parliamentary Assembly documents), UN documents, documents produced by NGOs (such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Open Society Institute, ILGA-Europe, the ECRE, Reporters without Borders, Freedom House, etc.), etc.;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas these organisations have expressed and recorded their concerns, particularly with regard to the situation of Roma, migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, minorities, members of LGBT communities, the media and journalists, the actions of the security forces, police and secret services, the investigations necessary to prosecute and punish those responsible for human rights violations, state involvement in acts of torture and ill- treatment committed third countries, the use of evidence thus obtained, conditions of detention and the ill-treatment of detainees;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point a
Paragraph 3 – point a
(a) complete the process of acceding to the European Convention on Human Rights and immediately put in place the necessary instruments to fully accomplish this obligation, which is enshrined the treaties, inter alia with a view to ensuring the application by the EU Member States of the judgments given by the European Court of Human Rights, particularly ‘pilot judgments’, and accede to the revised Social Charter as called for by the Council of Europe;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point c
Paragraph 3 – point c
(c) plan ambitious policies and action programs for fundamental rights and common European values, particularly in order to carry out proactively and systematically the obligations of the European Union with regard to combating discrimination and promoting equality as referred to in Articles 8 and 10 TFEU and Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 3 – point d a (new)
(da) ensure that EU legislation and policies are fundamental rights compliant by strengthening impact assessment of proposals and draft texts examined by the EU institutions, including in the process of drafting of compromises and within trilogues,
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 3 – point d a (new)
(da) prepare comparative and synthetic country-by-country tables, based on which the Commission should issue Country Specific recommendations on fundamental rights policy, as it does for EU27 economic policy; the Council could endorse or amend these recommendations as well as the Commission's proposals regarding blatant fundamental rights violations, by the next European Council summit.
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point e
Paragraph 3 – point e
(e) establish a "new Copenhagen mechanism" to ensure that the fundamental rights and the values of the Union referred to in Article 2 of the EU Treaty and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights are respected, protected and promoted;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 3 – point e a (new)
(ea) develop a peer review mechanism with the participation of national human rights bodies, similar to the DAC of OECD: each EU member country would be peer reviewed every three or four years, with main objectives being to help the country understand where it could improve its fundamental rights strategy and structures; and to identify and share good practice in policy and strategy regarding human rights within the EU.
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
4. Stresses that this "new Copenhagen mechanism" could be activated immediately, on the basis of a Commission decision, and that it should:
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point a
Paragraph 4 – point a
(a) set indicators, on the basis of existing or already developed and recognised fundamental rights standards indicators developed for instance at UN and Council of Europe level (FRA and Commission);
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 4 – point a a (new)
(aa) be based on objective and reliable data and information structured around such indicators, which would be further developed through a transparent and credible process (FRA, Commission);
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point b
Paragraph 4 – point b
(b) monitor the situation in the EU, as well as in the Member States through a regular and objective process (FRA, Commission, Council, Parliament);
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point c
Paragraph 4 – point c
(c) carry out objective and, comparative and regular assessments, for each of the fundamental right s and/or subject-areas and for each Member State individually, of all instruments relating to human rights, such as the ECHR, Council of Europe and UN documents, NGOs, etc. – while striving for a maximum of comparability -, also on the basis of the findings and recommendations issued by existing monitoring mechanisms of the Council of Europe, United Nations, and EU institutions and bodies, in addition to information submitted by civil society organisations (FRA reports, Commission annual reports, Parliament annual reports, Council annual reports) and on this basis issue recommendations;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point d
Paragraph 4 – point d
(d) establish a European strategy and a policy cycle on the application of Article 2 of the EU Treaty (democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights, equality) to provide an annual and multiannual framework, and an open annual interinstitutional forum on these European values, in particular the protection of fundamental rights;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point d b (new)
Paragraph 4 – point d b (new)
(db) ensure that DG Justice and the FREMP working party in the Council work with the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties to establish a regular structured dialogue between these institutions and civil society organisations on fundamental rights issues inside the EU
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 4 – point e a (new)
(ea) apply a horizontal approach to be dealt with by the Commission with exclusive priority and urgency, coordinated at the highest political level, involving all the Commission services concerned, and taken fully into account in the various EU sectorial policies until full compliance with article 2 TEU is restored and any risks of violation thereof are defused;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point f
Paragraph 4 – point f
(f) incorporate an early-warning system, political and technical dialogue, letters of formal notice and a ‘freezing procedure’ - as already called for by Parliament, to ensure that Member States, at the request of EU institutions, suspend the adoption of laws that might disregard or breach fundamental rights or the EU legal order;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point f
Paragraph 4 – point f
(f) incorporate an early-warning system, political and technical dialogue, letters of formal notice and a ‘'freezing procedure’; ' in which the Commission would hold meetings at technical level with the services of the Member State concerned but not conclude any negotiations in policy field other that article 2 TEU related ones until full compliance with article 2 TEU has been ensured;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission, in collaboration with the FRA, to adopt a decision establishing this "new Copenhagen mechanism", as it did for the monitoring of corruption in the EU and in the Member States, and to revise the rules of the Fundamental Rights Agency to give it enhanced powers and competences;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for the creation, preferably under an inter-institutional agreement, of a "Copenhagen commission" composed of independent high-level experts on fundamental rights, to be appointed also by the EP, whose aim shall be to ensure compliance by all Member States with the common values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, the continuity of the 'Copenhagen criteria' and advising and reporting in relation to fundamental rights matters, awaiting for the modification of the Regulation of the Fundamental Rights Agency to allow it to have a wider scope and stronger powers, as requested by the EP repeatedly;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Invites the Commission and the Council to set up together with the European Parliament a contact group to follow-up on the effective implementation of the values of the Union, and to specifically carry out joint assessments of the situation of fundamental rights in specific cases that have been noted with preoccupation by any of these three institutions of the Union; also calls on these institutions to take into account the resolutions of the Council of Europe and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to propose the announced amendments to the treaties with a view to strengthening fundamental rights and revising Article 7 ofWelcomes the statements made by the President of the Commission and by Vice- President Reding announcing a communication with possible changes to the EU Treaty, drawing on Article 121 of the Treaty on thies, in addition to the options available Functioning ofder the Ecuropean Union, the extension of the possibilities for redress and the powers of the Commission and the Court of Justice, a revision of the unanimity rule for amending the rules of the FRA and the deletion of Article 51 of the Charter; calls, also, for Article 7 of the EU Treaty to be substantially revised, with the addition ofrent Treaties, and calls on its competent Committees to examine the following proposals in detail, with a view to strengthening fundamental rights protection in the EU Treaties: - a revision of Article 7 of the EU Treaty, adding an ‘'application of Article 2 of the EU Treaty’' stage, separating the ‘'risk’' stage from the ‘'violation’' stage, with different thresholds for the majorities provided for, a strengthening of the technical and objective (not only political) analysis, enhanced dialogue with the Member States' institutions and a wider range of detailed and predictable penalties which are applicable throughout the procedure; calls for Parliament to be able to launch these procedures- drawing on Article 121 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to devise a stronger and detailed fundamental rights coordination and supervision mechanism; - the extension of the possibilities for redress and of the powers of the Commission and the Court of Justice; - a reference to the Fundamental Rights Agency in the treaties, including a legal base allowing to amend the Agency's founding regulation not by unanimity as is currently the case but via the ordinary legislative procedure; - the deletion of Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; - provide for Parliament the possibility to launch procedures on the violation of Article 2 TEU on an equal footing with the Commission and the Council; asksnd for the FRA to be able to contribute its necessary specialised support to the procedure; - review the requirement for unanimity in areas related to the respect, protection and promotion of fundamental rights, for instance in relation to equality and non- discrimination (for instance, Article 19 TFUE); Calls also its competent Committee to clarify the application of, and eventually review, the procedure related to the activation by the EP of Article 7 TEU;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses its concern about the numerous instances of ill-treatment by police forces, particularly in relation to the disproportionate use of force against peaceful participants and journalists in connection with demonstrations, and the excessive use of non-lethal weapons, such as batons, rubber bullets and tasers, etc.; calls on Member States to ensure that the uniforms of law enforcement personnel bear a means of identifying the wearer and that such personnel are always held to account for their actions; calls for an end to police checks that are based on ethnic and racial profiling; expresses concern at the increasing number of restrictions on freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Reiterates its support for a European initiative to ensure that the fundamental rights of persons deprived of their freedom are upheld and that persons who are imprisoned can be reintegrated into society upon their release; expresses concern at the disastrous level of prison overcrowding in many Member States, and at bad prison conditions and treatment of inmates, and calls for a European initiative to be launched to ensure that the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are implemented, including by the police and in immigration centres and psychiatric hospitals; recommends that measures be taken to reduce prison overcrowding, such as avoiding excessive use of pre-trial detention, providing alternatives to custodial sentences, considering the decriminalisation of certain offences and/or shortening the periods for which people can be held without charge;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Expresses its concern about the revelations concerning the flagrant breach of the right to private life and protection of personal data committed in the secret programmes of mass surveillance of European citizens, without case-by-case judicial authorisation and without appropriate parliamentary control, established by European and non-European States; calls for full details of those programmes and possible international involvement in them to be disclosed, and for the programmes to be reviewed immediately; believes that the EU and its Member States should take firm action against States which violate the fundamental right to privacy by spying on the communications of EU citizens and institutional, political and economic representatives and actors in Europe; condemns private undertakings’ secret involvement in mass surveillance activities; believes that the EU should call for measures to be taken at international level to ensure that European privacy and data protection rules are upheld, and should promote technologies that guarantee the confidentiality of communications in Europe;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the fact that a growing number of Member States are respecting the right to found a family through marriage, civil partnership or registered cohabitation and adoption, without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, and calls on the remaining Member States to do the same; welcomes the recent judgment by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Vallianatos and others v. Greece affirming that same-sex couples must be able to enter into civil unions; calls on the Commission and all Member States to propose and adopt legislation and policies to combat homophobia, transphobia and hate crimes, and welcomes the publication of Opinion No 2/2013 of the FRA on the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia - with special attention to the rights of victims of crime; calls on the Commission and all Member States to enforce the directive on freedom of movement without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation; reiterates its calls for the Commission to draw up a European roadmap against homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to propose an ambitious regulation on the mutual recognition of the legal effects of civil status documents;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Reiterates that freedom of thought, conscience and religion must be defended against any form of discrimination, intolerance, fundamentalism or fanaticism, and believes that only a secular, non-confessional and religiously neutral State can guarantee true equality and non-discrimination between different religions and between believers, atheists, agnostics, etc.;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Is extremely concerned about the number of suicides among young people falling victims of homophobia; recalls the findings of the FRA's EU LGBT survey which showed that 26% of all respondents had been attacked or threatened with violence at home or elsewhere, a figure which rises to 35% among all transgender respondents, while 19% of respondents felt discriminated against at work or when looking for a job, despite legal protection under EU law; consequently calls on the Commission to use these findings as a basis for a comprehensive European response to the fundamental rights problems of LGBT persons, in the shape of an EU Roadmap for equality on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, as repeatedly called for by Parliament and NGOs;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Regrets that legal gender recognition procedures for transgender people still include compulsory sterilisation in 14 Member States; calls on Member States to review these procedures so they fully respect transgender people's right to dignity and bodily integrity; congratulates the Commission for its commitment to work within the World Health Organisation to withdraw gender identity disorders from the list of mental and behavioural disorders and to ensure a non-pathologising reclassification in the negotiations on the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11);
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses its concern about the numerous breaches of the right of asylum and of the obligation to extend protection in the event of removal, expulsion and extradition of any migrant; stresses the obligation to comply with international human rights conventions, particularly the Geneva Convention and the principle of non-refoulement, and the obligation to come to the assistance of people at sea who are risking their lives to reach the European Union, and to arrange for reception conditions and procedures which respect their dignity and fundamental rights; welcomes the adoption of the ‘'asylum’' package; deplores, however, the fact that minorschildren can still be placed in detention and calls for them to be systematically excluded from expedited procedures; calls for the establishment of common minimum standards for the reception and protection of unaccompanied minorschildren; welcomes the recent ECJ judgment stating that LGBT applicants for asylum can constitute a particular social group who may be persecuted on account of their sexual orientation and that the existence of a term of imprisonment in the country of origin sanctioning homosexual acts may constitute an act of persecution per se, provided that it is actually applied, while asylum seekers seeking protection from sexual orientation based persecution cannot be expected to "conceal [their] homosexuality in [their] country of origin or exercise restraint in expressing it";
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Regrets that young people in some Member States are still being prosecuted and sentenced to imprisonment because the right to conscientious objection to military service is still not adequately recognised, and calls upon the Member States to stop the persecution of and the discrimination against conscientious objectors
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Calls EU Member States and the Council to accelerate the works of the task force for the Mediterranean to ensure a significant expansion of rescue capacity at sea and to launch a comprehensive plan on migration and asylum, based on solidarity and responsibility sharing, focusing on all relevant aspects such as the revision of EU and Member States laws allowing the criminalization of humanitarian assistance to persons in distress at sea, the development of safe and legal routes for refugees and migrants to Europe as well as development, cooperation with third countries to strengthen democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law to ensure that tragedies such as those of Lampedusa don't take place anymore;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that the Union and Member States should step up their measures to promote equality, combat discrimination and protect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, and their measures relating to gender equality, the rights of the child, the rights of older persons, the integration of people with disabilities and the rights of LGBT persons; reiterates for the umpteenth time its call for the Council to adopt the Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation; welcomes the FRA Opinion 1/2013 on the situation of equality in the European Union 10 years on from initial implementation of the equality directives in this regard;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Expresses its concern on the fact that persons with disabilities continue to face discrimination and exclusion, which hinders their ability to enjoy their fundamental rights on an equal basis with others; calls on EU institutions and EU Member States to continue implementation of the CRPD in their respective fields of competence; notes that the further development of EU law and policy in the area of non-discrimination could play a role in the process of harmonising legislation with the CRPD across the EU, for example in the area of legal capacity.
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Expresses its concern about the situation of the Roma in the European Union and the numerous instances of persecution, violence, stigmatisation, discrimination and expulsion, contrary to fundamental rights and European Union law; calls for more vigorousstrengthened and pertinent action to promote integration, particularly in the field of protection of fundamental rights, and calls for an end to illegal expulsions and to segregation of Roma children in schools; and the fight against violences and discriminations, for education, employment, housing, health services, and calls for an end to illegal expulsions and to segregation of Roma children in schools; calls political leaders to refrain from racist and xenophobic speeches and reminds police authorities that registers based on ethnicity are contrary to fundamental rights; believes that the Commission should follow up words with action by bringing to the ECJ cases of discrimination of Roma in violation of EU directives; calls for the FRA to continue its data collection on the situation of Roma and develop and propose a "dashboard" of Roma inclusion indicators that would make possible tracking progress in that area; calls for the development of the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies into a fully-fledged European Strategy;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Condemns racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic/transphobic and xenophobic violence and violence against migrants, which have reached alarming levels in certain Member States, in the absence of strong action by the authorities to combat these types of violence; calls for the revision of the Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on Racism and Xenophobia to cover also hate speech and acts of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and religious intolerance, anti‑ Gypsyism, homophobia and transphobia, and strengthen its application; fully supports the initiative launched under Irish Presidency to strengthen the fight against intolerance and calls the Council to continue such constructive work; calls the Commission and EU Member States to launch a coordinated and comprehensive action to combat and prevent hate crime systematically in the EU and to make hate crime visible through data, which should be made comparable to allow for an EU overview of the situation, by working together with FRA to improve hate crime data collection and harmonisation of data;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Points to FRA Opinion 2/2013, on the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia and stresses the need to ensure the rights of victims of crime, and in particular in cases of hate crime;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on Member States to ensure equality between women and men and to combat all forms of violence against women as a fundamental rights violation; calls on the EU and Member States to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), and to set up system of data collection to support the parties to the Convention by providing accurate and comparable data on the extent, forms and consequences of violence against women;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. regrets the lack of proper implementation of the existing equality directives by some Member States and calls upon the Commission to examine it as a matter of priority, starting infringement proceedings immediately, if necessary;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for stronger action to help homeless persons and provide them with shelter and support, condemns laws and policies at national or local level criminalizing those persons, who are more in need, as this amounts to a striking and inhumane violation of fundamental rights,
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty makes it necessary to increase, of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as the citizens' rising expectations - as demonstrated by the failure of ACTA and the surveillance scandals -, make it necessary to strengthen and increase democratic and institutional transparency and openness in the Union and in its Member States; deplores the interinstitutional blockage of the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 on the right of access to documents and information; calls on the Council and Commission to resume their work on the revision of this Regulation, on the basis of the proposals by Parliament;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Believes that stateless persons and third country nationals permanently resident in the Member States should have the right to vote in local and European elections
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Acknowledges the importance of – in addition to courts – non-judicial and quasi-judicial institutions for access to justice, such as national human rights institutions, equality bodies, ombudsperson institutions, and data protection authorities as well as other such institutions with a human rights remit; underscores in this context, national human rights institutions should be appointed or established in all EU Member States with a view to their full accreditation under the so called Paris Principles (Principles relating to the status and functioning of national institutions for protection and promotion of human rights, UN Res. A/RES/48/134, 20 December 1993); stresses that full independence requirement would benefit also other institutions with a human rights remit;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the FRA to conduct a study in collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur concerned on special laws and procedures justified on the grounds of combating terrorism and their compliance with fundamental rights; expresses its concern regarding any special procedure which manifestly creates an imbalance in the positions of the prosecution and the defence in judicial proceedings, such as secret hearings or sentencing in secret, or which gives governments special powers to censor the media;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls on the Commission to continue its work on criminal justice and the implementation of the road map on procedural safeguards and calls on the Member States to take up a more ambitious stance on the matter;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Welcomes the FRA report on access to justice in cases of discrimination in the EU and stresses that accessing justice often is complicated and cumbersome; believes that improvements could include facilitated procedures, and enhanced support to those seeking justice;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes the roadmapJustice scoreboard issued by the Commission with regard to civil justice, andthat unfortunately covers only civil justice issues, notwithstanding the fact that the EP had requested it to cover also criminal justice, fundamental rights and the Rule of Law; consequently calls for it to be developed so as also to cover at least also criminal justice; stresses that ithe scoreboard should be incorporated into the new procedure which also extends to democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights and equality,Copenhagen mechanism and in the European policy cycle on the application of Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Urges the Commission to examine the effective implementation in the EU of the right of access to justice in the context of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being