BETA


2017/2028(INI) Corruption and human rights in third countries

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead AFET AUŠTREVIČIUS Petras (icon: ALDE ALDE) ADAKTUSSON Lars (icon: PPE PPE), GOMES Ana (icon: S&D S&D), BASHIR Amjad (icon: ECR ECR), URBÁN CRESPO Miguel (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), SOLÉ Jordi (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), CORRAO Ignazio (icon: EFDD EFDD)
Committee Opinion DEVE KOULOGLOU Stelios (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL) Louis MICHEL (icon: ALDE ALDE), Eleni THEOCHAROUS (icon: ECR ECR)
Committee Opinion INTA GRASWANDER-HAINZ Karoline (icon: S&D S&D) David CAMPBELL BANNERMAN (icon: ECR ECR), Tokia SAÏFI (icon: PPE PPE)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2017/09/13
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2017/09/13
   EP - Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 578 votes to 19 with 68 abstentions a resolution on corruption and human rights in third countries.

The need for action : Parliament called for collective action at national and international level to prevent and combat corruption, given that corruption spreads across borders. It invited Member States to participate in international fora to reach joint decisions on best practices and policies tailored to the particular situation of each region.

Members called for the development of a EU anti-corruption strategy . They also called for the establishment of effective policy and legal frameworks for the management of natural resource management with special attention devoted to those capital flows which result from the extraction of ores and minerals from mines in conflict areas.

Corruption and human rights in EU bilateral relations : Parliament proposed the permanent monitoring of EU-funded projects and that recipient country authorities should be held accountable if EU funds are not used appropriately. The EU is invited in particular to:

conduct audits of grants, loans and assistance packages, and carry out rigorous audits by governments and beneficiary organisations; incorporate an anti-corruption clause into agreements with third countries; develop principles to improve transparency, combat impunity and strengthen anti-corruption agencies; provide funds to support the implementation of programmes for civil society actors, including anti-corruption and human rights organisations, journalists, bloggers and whistle-blowers; consider legislation to establish clear criteria for blacklisting third-country nationals and members of their families who are guilty of serious human rights violations; bring the Magnitsky sanctions list against the 32 Russian state officials responsible for the death of Russian whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky to the Council as soon as possible for its adoption.

The resolution also recommended:

paving the way for the formation of task forces between Member States’ embassies and EU Delegations in third countries, to collect information from the European Union on corruption networks and intermediaries; tackling the problems of organised crime, corruption and money laundering within its own borders by conducting self-assessments and regular reporting in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and its review mechanism; launching discussions at the UN level on strengthening standards on the independence and mandates of anti-corruption agencies. Members supported the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on financial crime, corruption and human rights with a comprehensive mandate; adopting measures and improve coordination of strategies to combat trafficking in human beings ; fully implementing the United Nations Guidelines on Business and Human Rights. Members recommended introducing standards and codes for monitoring compliance and combating corruption in companies; requiring companies to publish information on the acquisition of land in third countries and to upgrade their support to developing countries as a means to address corruption in land deals; ending serious abuses, including electoral fraud and corruption linked to electoral processes that threaten democracy, and to promote an independent, impartial and effective judiciary; ensuring that the sporting governing bodies and international anti-corruption agencies and NGOs cooperate in order to establish transparent and verifiable human rights commitments to be made by the organisers of major sporting events; applying a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to tax havens and money laundering, in particular through the implementation of country-by-country reporting standards in Europe and third countries; multinationals would be required to submit reports in order to prevent corruption and tax evasion.

Lastly, following the recent ‘ Azerbaijani Laundromat’ revelations, Parliament strongly condemned attempts by Azerbaijan and other autocratic regimes in third countries to influence European decision-makers through illicit means. It called for a comprehensive Parliament investigation into the abovementioned allegations and, more broadly, into the influence exerted by such regimes.

Documents
2017/09/13
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2017/09/12
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2017/06/29
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Details

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted an own-initiative report drawn up by Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS (ALDE, LT) on corruption and human rights in third countries.

The Committee on Development, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report.

The need for action : the report called for collective action at national and international level to prevent and combat corruption, given that corruption spreads across borders. It invited Member States to participate in international fora to reach joint decisions on best practices and policies tailored to the particular situation of each region.

Members believe that the fight against corruption should be part of a partnership-based approach between the public and private sectors, while calling for further efforts to implement and enforce existing national and international anti-corruption instruments. They also pointed out that the development of an EU anti-corruption strategy is essential to combat corruption and financial crime.

The report called for the establishment of effective policy and legal frameworks for the management of natural resource management . In the context of the prevention of illicit financial flows, it recommended that particular attention be paid to the flow of capital resulting from the extraction of ores and minerals from mines in conflict zones.

Corruption and human rights in EU bilateral relations : Members proposed the permanent monitoring of EU-funded projects and that recipient country authorities should be held accountable if EU funds are not used appropriately. The EU is invited in particular to:

conduct audits of grants, loans and assistance packages, and carry out rigorous audits by governments and beneficiary organisations; incorporate an anti-corruption clause , in addition to human rights clauses into agreements with third countries; develop principles covering both human rights and the fight against corruption, in particular principles to improve transparency, combat impunity and strengthen anti-corruption agencies; provide funds to support the implementation of programmes for civil society actors, including anti-corruption and human rights organisations, journalists, bloggers and whistle-blowers; consider legislation to establish clear criteria for blacklisting third-country nationals and members of their families who are guilty of serious human rights violations.

The Commission is invited to: (i) support developing countries fighting tax evasion and avoidance; (ii) introduce anti-corruption and anti-money laundering provisions that are enforceable in all future trade agreements; and (iii) consider suspending the benefits of an agreement when the partner in question fails to comply with its anticorruption commitments.

The report also recommended:

paving the way for the formation of task forces between Member States’ embassies and EU Delegations in third countries, to collect information from the European Union on corruption networks and intermediaries which should be conveyed to EU institutions through diplomatic and safe channels; tackling the problems of organised crime, corruption and money laundering within its own borders by conducting self-assessments and regular reporting in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and its review mechanism; launching discussions at the UN level on strengthening standards on the independence and mandates of anti-corruption agencies. Members supported the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on financial crime, corruption and human rights with a comprehensive mandate; adopting measures and improve coordination of strategies to combat trafficking in human beings ; fully implementing the United Nations Guidelines on Business and Human Rights. Members recommended that the Union should support measures to introduce standards and codes for monitoring compliance and combating corruption in companies and that candidates for public procurement should be subject to a strict anti-corruption code and to principles of good tax governance; requiring companies to publish information on the acquisition of land in third countries and to upgrade their support to developing countries to ensure effective implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) as a means to address corruption in land deals; ending serious abuses, including electoral fraud and corruption linked to electoral processes that threaten democracy, and to promote an independent, impartial and effective judiciary; ensuring that the sporting governing bodies and international anti-corruption agencies and NGOs cooperate in order to establish transparent and verifiable human rights commitments to be made by the organisers of major sporting events; applying a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to tax havens and money laundering, in particular through the implementation of country-by-country reporting standards in Europe and third countries; multinationals would be required to submit reports in order to prevent corruption and tax evasion.

Lastly, Members believe that Parliament stated that it resolved to prepare a regular updating report on corruption and human rights during every legislative term.

Documents
2017/06/20
   EP - Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
2017/06/02
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2017/05/31
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2017/05/08
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2017/03/27
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2017/03/20
   EP - GRASWANDER-HAINZ Karoline (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in INTA
2017/03/16
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
2017/03/16
   EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
2017/03/07
   EP - KOULOGLOU Stelios (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in DEVE
2016/05/25
   EP - AUŠTREVIČIUS Petras (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in AFET

Documents

Votes

A8-0246/2017 - Petras Auštrevičius - Am 1 13/09/2017 12:52:52.000 #

2017/09/13 Outcome: +: 349, -: 290, 0: 42
IT FR BE GB ES NL SE AT MT LU EL DE FI DK CY IE HU PT EE LT LV SK SI CZ HR RO BG PL
Total
64
66
21
65
50
24
20
18
6
6
18
87
12
12
5
8
12
20
4
11
8
13
8
17
11
30
14
49
icon: S&D S&D
176

Netherlands S&D

3

Malta S&D

3

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Croatia S&D

2

Bulgaria S&D

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
50

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
43

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

3

Portugal GUE/NGL

For (1)

4
icon: ENF ENF
36

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1

United Kingdom ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

4
2
icon: EFDD EFDD
35

France EFDD

1

Sweden EFDD

2

Germany EFDD

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1
icon: NI NI
15

France NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

3

Germany NI

2

Hungary NI

2

Poland NI

Against (1)

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
61

Austria ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Finland ALDE

3

Denmark ALDE

2

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Estonia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Latvia ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

2

Romania ALDE

3
icon: ECR ECR
65

Italy ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Finland ECR

2

Cyprus ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

3

Czechia ECR

2

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Romania ECR

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

2
icon: PPE PPE
198

Belgium PPE

For (1)

4

Luxembourg PPE

3

Finland PPE

Against (1)

3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

1

Ireland PPE

3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

A8-0246/2017 - Petras Auštrevičius - Résolution 13/09/2017 12:53:08.000 #

2017/09/13 Outcome: +: 578, 0: 68, -: 19
DE IT PL GB FR ES RO BE SE CZ NL BG AT SK DK PT HR HU LT FI SI IE LU MT EE EL LV CY
Total
86
64
50
62
64
48
29
21
19
18
24
14
18
13
12
19
11
11
10
10
8
8
6
6
4
16
8
4
icon: PPE PPE
194

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Finland PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

1
icon: S&D S&D
172

Netherlands S&D

3

Croatia S&D

2

Hungary S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
65

Italy ECR

2

Romania ECR

For (1)

1

Czechia ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

1

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1
2

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Cyprus ECR

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
59

Romania ALDE

Against (1)

3

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

2

Portugal ALDE

1

Croatia ALDE

2
2

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

2

Latvia ALDE

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
47

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
35

Germany EFDD

Against (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1

France EFDD

1

Sweden EFDD

2

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
42

Germany GUE/NGL

For (1)

4

Italy GUE/NGL

3

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

4

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

3

Cyprus GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
icon: ENF ENF
34
2

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

4
icon: NI NI
15

Germany NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Abstain (2)

3

France NI

Abstain (1)

2

Hungary NI

2
AmendmentsDossier
366 2017/2028(INI)
2017/05/04 DEVE 29 amendments...
source: 604.550
2017/05/09 AFET 289 amendments...
source: 603.091
2017/05/10 INTA 48 amendments...
source: 604.642

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

events/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0246&language=EN
New
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events/6/docs/0/url
Old
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New
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  • date: 2017-06-20T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: ADAKTUSSON Lars group: S&D name: GOMES Ana group: ECR name: BASHIR Amjad group: GUE/NGL name: URBÁN CRESPO Miguel group: Verts/ALE name: SOLÉ Jordi group: EFD name: CORRAO Ignazio responsible: True committee: AFET date: 2016-05-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: ALDE name: AUŠTREVIČIUS Petras body: EP responsible: False committee: DEVE date: 2017-03-07T00:00:00 committee_full: Development (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: KOULOGLOU Stelios body: EP responsible: False committee: INTA date: 2017-03-20T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: GRASWANDER-HAINZ Karoline
  • date: 2017-06-29T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0246&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A8-0246/2017 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2017-09-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20170912&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2017-09-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0346 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0346/2017 body: EP type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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docs
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  • date: 2017-05-08T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE603.091 title: PE603.091 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2017-05-31T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE602.958&secondRef=02 title: PE602.958 committee: INTA type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2017-06-02T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE602.794&secondRef=02 title: PE602.794 committee: DEVE type: Committee opinion body: EP
events
  • date: 2017-03-16T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2017-03-16T00:00:00 type: Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2017-06-20T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2017-06-29T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0246&language=EN title: A8-0246/2017 summary: The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted an own-initiative report drawn up by Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS (ALDE, LT) on corruption and human rights in third countries. The Committee on Development, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report. The need for action : the report called for collective action at national and international level to prevent and combat corruption, given that corruption spreads across borders. It invited Member States to participate in international fora to reach joint decisions on best practices and policies tailored to the particular situation of each region. Members believe that the fight against corruption should be part of a partnership-based approach between the public and private sectors, while calling for further efforts to implement and enforce existing national and international anti-corruption instruments. They also pointed out that the development of an EU anti-corruption strategy is essential to combat corruption and financial crime. The report called for the establishment of effective policy and legal frameworks for the management of natural resource management . In the context of the prevention of illicit financial flows, it recommended that particular attention be paid to the flow of capital resulting from the extraction of ores and minerals from mines in conflict zones. Corruption and human rights in EU bilateral relations : Members proposed the permanent monitoring of EU-funded projects and that recipient country authorities should be held accountable if EU funds are not used appropriately. The EU is invited in particular to: conduct audits of grants, loans and assistance packages, and carry out rigorous audits by governments and beneficiary organisations; incorporate an anti-corruption clause , in addition to human rights clauses into agreements with third countries; develop principles covering both human rights and the fight against corruption, in particular principles to improve transparency, combat impunity and strengthen anti-corruption agencies; provide funds to support the implementation of programmes for civil society actors, including anti-corruption and human rights organisations, journalists, bloggers and whistle-blowers; consider legislation to establish clear criteria for blacklisting third-country nationals and members of their families who are guilty of serious human rights violations. The Commission is invited to: (i) support developing countries fighting tax evasion and avoidance; (ii) introduce anti-corruption and anti-money laundering provisions that are enforceable in all future trade agreements; and (iii) consider suspending the benefits of an agreement when the partner in question fails to comply with its anticorruption commitments. The report also recommended: paving the way for the formation of task forces between Member States’ embassies and EU Delegations in third countries, to collect information from the European Union on corruption networks and intermediaries which should be conveyed to EU institutions through diplomatic and safe channels; tackling the problems of organised crime, corruption and money laundering within its own borders by conducting self-assessments and regular reporting in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and its review mechanism; launching discussions at the UN level on strengthening standards on the independence and mandates of anti-corruption agencies. Members supported the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on financial crime, corruption and human rights with a comprehensive mandate; adopting measures and improve coordination of strategies to combat trafficking in human beings ; fully implementing the United Nations Guidelines on Business and Human Rights. Members recommended that the Union should support measures to introduce standards and codes for monitoring compliance and combating corruption in companies and that candidates for public procurement should be subject to a strict anti-corruption code and to principles of good tax governance; requiring companies to publish information on the acquisition of land in third countries and to upgrade their support to developing countries to ensure effective implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) as a means to address corruption in land deals; ending serious abuses, including electoral fraud and corruption linked to electoral processes that threaten democracy, and to promote an independent, impartial and effective judiciary; ensuring that the sporting governing bodies and international anti-corruption agencies and NGOs cooperate in order to establish transparent and verifiable human rights commitments to be made by the organisers of major sporting events; applying a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to tax havens and money laundering, in particular through the implementation of country-by-country reporting standards in Europe and third countries; multinationals would be required to submit reports in order to prevent corruption and tax evasion. Lastly, Members believe that Parliament stated that it resolved to prepare a regular updating report on corruption and human rights during every legislative term.
  • date: 2017-09-12T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20170912&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2017-09-13T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=30036&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2017-09-13T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0346 title: T8-0346/2017 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 578 votes to 19 with 68 abstentions a resolution on corruption and human rights in third countries. The need for action : Parliament called for collective action at national and international level to prevent and combat corruption, given that corruption spreads across borders. It invited Member States to participate in international fora to reach joint decisions on best practices and policies tailored to the particular situation of each region. Members called for the development of a EU anti-corruption strategy . They also called for the establishment of effective policy and legal frameworks for the management of natural resource management with special attention devoted to those capital flows which result from the extraction of ores and minerals from mines in conflict areas. Corruption and human rights in EU bilateral relations : Parliament proposed the permanent monitoring of EU-funded projects and that recipient country authorities should be held accountable if EU funds are not used appropriately. The EU is invited in particular to: conduct audits of grants, loans and assistance packages, and carry out rigorous audits by governments and beneficiary organisations; incorporate an anti-corruption clause into agreements with third countries; develop principles to improve transparency, combat impunity and strengthen anti-corruption agencies; provide funds to support the implementation of programmes for civil society actors, including anti-corruption and human rights organisations, journalists, bloggers and whistle-blowers; consider legislation to establish clear criteria for blacklisting third-country nationals and members of their families who are guilty of serious human rights violations; bring the Magnitsky sanctions list against the 32 Russian state officials responsible for the death of Russian whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky to the Council as soon as possible for its adoption. The resolution also recommended: paving the way for the formation of task forces between Member States’ embassies and EU Delegations in third countries, to collect information from the European Union on corruption networks and intermediaries; tackling the problems of organised crime, corruption and money laundering within its own borders by conducting self-assessments and regular reporting in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and its review mechanism; launching discussions at the UN level on strengthening standards on the independence and mandates of anti-corruption agencies. Members supported the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on financial crime, corruption and human rights with a comprehensive mandate; adopting measures and improve coordination of strategies to combat trafficking in human beings ; fully implementing the United Nations Guidelines on Business and Human Rights. Members recommended introducing standards and codes for monitoring compliance and combating corruption in companies; requiring companies to publish information on the acquisition of land in third countries and to upgrade their support to developing countries as a means to address corruption in land deals; ending serious abuses, including electoral fraud and corruption linked to electoral processes that threaten democracy, and to promote an independent, impartial and effective judiciary; ensuring that the sporting governing bodies and international anti-corruption agencies and NGOs cooperate in order to establish transparent and verifiable human rights commitments to be made by the organisers of major sporting events; applying a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to tax havens and money laundering, in particular through the implementation of country-by-country reporting standards in Europe and third countries; multinationals would be required to submit reports in order to prevent corruption and tax evasion. Lastly, following the recent ‘ Azerbaijani Laundromat’ revelations, Parliament strongly condemned attempts by Azerbaijan and other autocratic regimes in third countries to influence European decision-makers through illicit means. It called for a comprehensive Parliament investigation into the abovementioned allegations and, more broadly, into the influence exerted by such regimes.
  • date: 2017-09-13T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
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    • The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted an own-initiative report drawn up by Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS (ALDE, LT) on corruption and human rights in third countries.

      The Committee on Development, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report.

      The need for action: the report called for collective action at national and international level to prevent and combat corruption, given that corruption spreads across borders. It invited Member States to participate in international fora to reach joint decisions on best practices and policies tailored to the particular situation of each region.

      Members believe that the fight against corruption should be part of a partnership-based approach between the public and private sectors, while calling for further efforts to implement and enforce existing national and international anti-corruption instruments. They also pointed out that the development of an EU anti-corruption strategy is essential to combat corruption and financial crime.

      The report called for the establishment of effective policy and legal frameworks for the management of natural resource management. In the context of the prevention of illicit financial flows, it recommended that particular attention be paid to the flow of capital resulting from the extraction of ores and minerals from mines in conflict zones.

      Corruption and human rights in EU bilateral relations: Members proposed the permanent monitoring of EU-funded projects and that recipient country authorities should be held accountable if EU funds are not used appropriately. The EU is invited in particular to:

      • conduct audits of grants, loans and assistance packages, and carry out rigorous audits by governments and beneficiary organisations;
      • incorporate an anti-corruption clause, in addition to human rights clauses into agreements with third countries;
      • develop principles covering both human rights and the fight against corruption, in particular principles to improve transparency, combat impunity and strengthen anti-corruption agencies;
      • provide funds to support the implementation of programmes for civil society actors, including anti-corruption and human rights organisations, journalists, bloggers and whistle-blowers;
      • consider legislation to establish clear criteria for blacklisting third-country nationals and members of their families who are guilty of serious human rights violations.

      The Commission is invited to: (i) support developing countries fighting tax evasion and avoidance; (ii) introduce anti-corruption and anti-money laundering provisions that are enforceable in all future trade agreements; and (iii) consider suspending the benefits of an agreement when the partner in question fails to comply with its anticorruption commitments.

      The report also recommended:

      • paving the way for the formation of task forces between Member States’ embassies and EU Delegations in third countries, to collect information from the European Union on corruption networks and intermediaries which should be conveyed to EU institutions through diplomatic and safe channels;
      • tackling the problems of organised crime, corruption and money laundering within its own borders by conducting self-assessments and regular reporting in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and its review mechanism;
      • launching discussions at the UN level on strengthening standards on the independence and mandates of anti-corruption agencies. Members supported the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on financial crime, corruption and human rights with a comprehensive mandate;
      • adopting measures and improve coordination of strategies to combat trafficking in human beings;
      • fully implementing the United Nations Guidelines on Business and Human Rights. Members recommended that the Union should support measures to introduce standards and codes for monitoring compliance and combating corruption in companies and that candidates for public procurement should be subject to a strict anti-corruption code and to principles of good tax governance;
      • requiring companies to publish information on the acquisition of land in third countries and to upgrade their support to developing countries to ensure effective implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) as a means to address corruption in land deals;
      • ending serious abuses, including electoral fraud and corruption linked to electoral processes that threaten democracy, and to promote an independent, impartial and effective judiciary;
      • ensuring that the sporting governing bodies and international anti-corruption agencies and NGOs cooperate in order to establish transparent and verifiable human rights commitments to be made by the organisers of major sporting events;
      • applying a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to tax havens and money laundering, in particular through the implementation of country-by-country reporting standards in Europe and third countries; multinationals would be required to submit reports in order to prevent corruption and tax evasion.

      Lastly, Members believe that Parliament stated that it resolved to prepare a regular updating report on corruption and human rights during every legislative term.

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