Progress: Procedure completed
Legal Basis:
RoP 132-p2Events
The European Parliament adopted by 447 votes to 70 with 46 abstentions, a resolution on a European human rights violations sanctions regime.
The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA, and ECR groups.
Parliament called on the Council to swiftly establish an autonomous, flexible and reactive EU-wide sanctions regime that would allow for the targeting of any individual, state and non-state actors, and other entities responsible for or involved in grave human rights violations. Such a regime should symbolically carry Sergei Magnitsky’s name. Parliament welcomed the fact that similar legislation targeting human rights abusers worldwide has been enacted in a number of countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. The regime should allow for the imposition of restrictive measures, notably asset freezes and EU entry bans, against any individual or entity involved in grave human rights violations.
Parliament was convinced of the positive effect this new regime will have on the behaviour of the individuals and entities concerned, as well as of its deterrent effect. It stressed the need for:
- clearly defining the scope of violations as well as to set up appropriate legal avenues through which a listing can be challenged;
- all EU Member States to interpret, explain and enforce the application of sanctions in the same consistent manner;
- increased cooperation between Member States and the Commission in order to come up with a European oversight and enforcement mechanism;
- coordinated multilateral cooperation so as to prevent sanctions evasion;
- Parliament’s scrutiny role over this future regime, notably regarding the scope and definition of the listing criteria, as well as the possibilities for judicial redress;
- consistency of the new regime with the existing international framework on sanctions, notably in relation to the United Nations Security Council.
Members insisted that decisions to list and delist individuals or entities should be based on clear, transparent and distinct criteria and directly linked with the crime committed in order to guarantee a thorough judicial review and redress rights. They called for the systematic inclusion of clear and specific benchmarks and a methodology for the lifting of sanctions and for de-listing.
Members welcomed the proposal made by the President of the Commission to move beyond unanimity in Council decision-making in CFSP areas, and urged the Council to adopt this new sanctions instrument in such a way that the imposition of human rights sanctions might be adopted by qualified majority in the Council.
They called on all Member States to ensure that their authorities, companies and other actors registered in their territories are in full compliance with the Council decisions on restrictive measures against individuals and entities, and, in particular, the freezing of assets of individuals listed and the restrictions on admission to their respective territories as a result of violations of human rights. Parliament expressed concern at recent reports of violations of these decisions and reminded Member States of their obligation under international law to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those suspected of having committed crimes involving atrocities present on their territory.
Parliament went on to insist that the future EU human rights sanctions regime be complementary to existing EU policies and existing country-specific and horizontal restrictive measures. In this regard, the new regime should not replace the human rights scope of current country-specific measures.
Lastly, it stressed that the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators of gross human rights violations and atrocity crimes through domestic or international jurisdictions should remain the primary objective of all efforts undertaken by the EU and its Member States to combat impunity.
Documents
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0177/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0178/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0179/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0180/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0181/2019
- Joint motion for resolution: RC-B8-0177/2019
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T8-0215/2019
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0177/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0178/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0179/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0180/2019
- Motion for a resolution: B8-0181/2019
- Joint motion for resolution: RC-B8-0177/2019
Activities
- Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ
- Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA
- Victor BOŞTINARU
- Elmar BROK
- Lorenzo CESA
- Gérard DEPREZ
- Knut FLECKENSTEIN
- Ana GOMES
- Marian HARKIN
- Ivan JAKOVČIĆ
- Tunne KELAM
- Eduard KUKAN
- Barbara LOCHBIHLER
- Matthijs van MILTENBURG
- Louis MICHEL
- Pier Antonio PANZERI
- Soraya POST
- Cristian Dan PREDA
- Carolina PUNSET
- Jozo RADOŠ
- Fernando RUAS
- José Ignacio SALAFRANCA SÁNCHEZ-NEYRA
- Judith SARGENTINI
- Marietje SCHAAKE
- Jasenko SELIMOVIC
- Jaromír ŠTĚTINA
- Timothy Charles Ayrton TANNOCK
- Pavel TELIČKA
- Elena VALENCIANO
- Bodil VALERO
- Gunnar HÖKMARK
Institutional Motions (1)
- Florent MARCELLESI
Institutional Motions (1)
- Valentinas MAZURONIS
Institutional Motions (1)
- Mirosław PIOTROWSKI
Votes
RC-B8-0177/2019 - Résolution 14/03/2019 12:44:29.000 #
RC-B8-0177/2019 - Résolution #
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