2021/2103(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that whilst the COVID-19 pandemic underlined the value of and need for civil society organisations, they often had to overcome significant challenges to continue their work, with the overall space for civil society more constrained during the crisis;

Amendment 100 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Condemns ~~the increasing~~cases of criminalisation and ~~judicial~~ harassment of civil society actors; is concerned about the growing use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) by powerful public and private actors, and strongly recommends the adoption of an anti- SLAPPs directive ~~protecting all parties legitimately engaging in public participation~~;

Amendment 101 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Condemns the increasing criminalisation and judicial harassment of civil society actors; i~~Is concerned about the growing use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) by powerful public and private actors, ~~and strongly recommends the adoption of an anti-SLAPPs directive~~but underlines that any legislative initiative curbing the use of SLAPPs should not exempt civil society actors from protsecuti~~ng all parties legitimately engaging in public participation~~on, or lead to de facto legal immunity;

Amendment 102 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

Amendment 103 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Condemns the increasing ~~criminalisation and~~ judicial harassment of certain civil society actors; is concerned about the growing use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) by powerful public and private actors, and ~~strongly~~ recommends the adoption of an anti- SLAPPs directive protecting all parties legitimately engaging in public participation;

Amendment 104 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Condemns in particular the continued criminalisation and legal harassment of civil society actors engaged in search and rescue at sea and humanitarian assistance for those in need while on the move;

Amendment 105 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls for the immediate removal by the Member States of laws and regulations that heighten the use of violence against demonstrators and restrict the freedom to demonstrate;

Amendment 106 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Welcomes civil society engagement in public interest advocacy, political activism, and active social life;

Amendment 107 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Supports the Commission in continuing its annual rule of law assessment and reporting work. Calls on the Commission to monitor the challenges and attacks faced by civil society as part of this assessment and to include conclusions and targeted recommendations in its report. Urges the Commission to examine also in this context how the framing, interpretation or implementation of EU regulations and directives may lead to undue restrictions of civic space at national level and provide guidance to ensure that Member States comply with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights when implementing EU law;

Amendment 108 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Calls on the Member States to stop criminalising or hampering the operation of civil society organisations, in particular in the context of search and rescue at sea and humanitarian assistance;

Amendment 109 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Calls on Member States to ensure that crimes committed against CSOs and human rights defenders are properly recorded, investigated and prosecuted;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses the importance of open, transparent and regular dialogue between the European Union institutions and civil society and its contribution to fulfilling the values, objectives and politics of the Union;

Amendment 110 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

~~9. Supports the Commission in launching infringement procedures against Member States that unduly restrict the freedoms of assembly and association;~~deleted

Amendment 111 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission in closely monitoring the situation across Member states and in launching infringement procedures against Member States that ~~undu~~arbitrarily restrict ~~the freedoms of assembly and association~~s civil society space, obstructs their work or otherwise unduly restrict freedoms of assembly and association; encourages the Commission to request interim measures to the CJEU when there is a risk of irreparable harm;

Amendment 112 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission in launching infringement procedures against Member States that unduly restrict the f~~reedoms of assembly and association~~undamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association and believes an extensive annual rule of law assessment will enhance the Commission’s timeliness and effectiveness;

Amendment 113 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission in launching infringement procedures against Member States that unduly restrict the freedoms of assembly and association, and urges the Commission to make full use of Regulation 2020/2092 as a matter of urgency;

Amendment 114 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. General measures to monitoring and protect the civic space Supports the Commission in launching infringement procedures against Member States that unduly restrict the freedoms of assembly and association;

Amendment 115 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission in launching infringement procedures against Member States that unduly and disproportionately restrict the freedoms of assembly and association;

Amendment 116 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Supports the Commission in launching infringement procedures against Member States that unduly~~Underlines that disproportionate restrictions of the freedoms of assembly and association by Member States can lead to launching infringement procedures;

Amendment 117 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the European Commission to propose a comprehensive European strategy for a strong civil society and a vibrant civic space, that sets out a concrete definition of civic and democratic space, brings together existing instruments and develops clear policy, protection and accountability tools to protect the civic space;

Amendment 118 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Stresses the adoption of the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values Programme with a budget of 1.55 bn EUR as a meaningful response to the challenges faced by the civil society in the EU;

Amendment 119 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Recognises that a vibrant and plural civic space requires a culture of active participation. Calls on the European Commission to expand the European Democracy Action Plan with a new strand dedicated to strengthening the efforts for education on democratic citizenship and human rights across Europe;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Recalls that the survey conducted by Civil Society Europe reporting the alleged shrinking civic space in Europe, relies solely on self-assessments and perceptions of the civil society sector itself, which may make the report prone to self-report bias;

Amendment 120 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Recognises that a vibrant and plural civic space requires a culture of active participation. Calls on the European Commission to expand the European Democracy Action Plan with a new strand dedicated to strengthening the efforts for education on democratic citizenship and human rights across Europe;

Amendment 121 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 d (new)

9d. Calls for the development of a monitoring mechanism with civil society actors and human rights defenders to regularly assess threats against the civic space and propose adequate responses to European Union institutions;

Amendment 122 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 e (new)

9e. Acknowledges that attacks on civic space cannot be seen as separate from the wider trend of autocratisation occurring at a global and national level; Recognises that it is also the product of social tensions linked with growing inequalities and a long process of degradation of social cohesion that has produced deep socio-economic, cultural and geographical divides inside our societies;

Amendment 123 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 f (new)

9f. Urges the Commission to make a strategic use of the annual report on the application of the EU Charter of fundamental rights and the annual rule of law review cycle to monitor and report about attacks and challenges facing civil society across the EU; Urges the Commission to use that as a basis to address targeted country recommendations and timely launch infringement procedures against Member States that unduly restrict the freedoms of opinion and expression, assembly and association in violation of EU law;

Amendment 124 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 g (new)

9g. Calls on the Member States to provide sufficient resources to their national human rights institutions to allow them to engage with civil society actors, monitor and react to restrictions of their civic space;

Amendment 125 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 h (new)

9h. Urges the European Commission, if it comes to withhold funding – including under the Recovery and Resilience Fund – to Member States which do not respect the rule of law or misuse EU funds, to ensure that civil society organisations are not affected but that funding is channelled directly to them to sustain their work;

Amendment 126 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

~~10. Supports the creation of an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;~~deleted

Amendment 127 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

~~10. Supports the creation of an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;~~deleted

Amendment 128 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports the creation of an EU alert and response mechanism for attacks on civil society, which should also provide input to the Commission’s annual rule of law assessment. Calls in this context on the Commission and Member States to ensure regular and meaningful contact with civil society actors, both at national and EU-level;

Amendment 129 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports the creation of a comprehensive European strategy on civil society, acknowledging its vital role in promotion and application of European values that could include an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Underlines that unduly restricting the space of civil society is a threat to democracy and condemns deliberate attempts by far-right and other governments to control, limit and silence critical voices;

Amendment 130 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports the creation of an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society to report attacks, register alerts, map trends and provide timely and targeted support to victims;

Amendment 131 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports the creation of an EU alert mechanism ~~for~~that allows attacks on civil society to be reported and protection against such attacks to be sought;

Amendment 132 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Supports the creation and balanced and proportional functioning of an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;

Amendment 133 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Believes a statute for European transnational associations and not-for- profit organisations could provide an extra layer of protection to civil society organisations, faced with undue hurdles to their establishment and operations.

Amendment 134 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Denounces the ~~extreme inequality in~~lack of access to information ~~and decision- makers between industry representatives on the one hand,~~to the financing of civil society actors; calls therefore on the Commission to terminate the exemptions of civil society organisations and civil society actors onfrom the ~~other, including within the EU institutions~~Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) and the Directive on Exchange of Information on tax information (DAC);

Amendment 135 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Limitations to an open and transparent dialogue between public institution and civil society Denounces the extreme inequality in access to information and decision- makers between industry representatives on the one hand, and civil society actors on the other, including within the EU institutions;

Amendment 136 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Denounces the extreme inequality in access to information ~~and~~, decision- makers and official Commission expert groups and fora, between industry representatives on the one hand, and civil society actors on the other, including within the EU institutions;

Amendment 137 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Denounces the extreme inequality in~~Calls for equal access to information and decision- makers ~~between industry representatives on the one hand, and civil society actors on the other, including within the EU institutions~~to be ensured, both at Member State and EU level;

Amendment 138 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Denounces the extreme inequality in access to information and decision- makers between industry representatives on the one hand, and~~Underlines that access to information of public interest should be ensured for all civil society actors ~~on the other~~, including ~~within~~by the EU institutions;

Amendment 139 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Denounces the extreme inequality in access to information ~~and decision- makers between industry representatives on the one hand, and civil society actor~~between lobbies defending powerful private interests on the one hand, and citizens and their representatives on the other, including within the EU institutions;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Underlines that in 2020, 57 % of the national and local organisations of the European Union that responded to the Fundamental Rights Agency’s consultation said that the situation “deteriorated or “greatly deteriorated” compared to previous years;

Amendment 140 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Urges the EU to lead by example by developing at European level both a proactive strategy to promote freedom of expression, association and assembly as well as a comprehensive policy framework for enabling meaningful civil dialogue and protecting civil society actors both through its words and concrete actions;

Amendment 141 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls for the adoption of an EU framework allowing for an open, balanced, transparent and regular dialogue between the European institutions and civil society in order for citizens and associations to be able to exchange their views in all areas of Union action;

Amendment 142 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Calls for the adoption of an interinstitutional agreement based on Article 11 TEU for a fair and balanced representation of civil society organisations in legislative and decision- making processes of the European Union;

Amendment 143 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11c. Calls on the Member States, the European institutions in general and the European Commission in particular to ensure close consultation with civil society during the preparation or review of legislation potentially affecting civic space and freedoms;

Amendment 144 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 d (new)

11d. Calls in particular for the European Commission in its consultation processes to restore the balance between representatives of corporate interests and representatives of other interests, such as workers’ rights, social rights and environmental protection;

Amendment 145 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 e (new)

11e. Calls on the European Union to ensure that the modalities for Conference on the Future of Europe guarantee the inclusion of civil society;

Amendment 146 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 f (new)

11f. Calls on the European Union to adopt stronger safeguards against lobbying practices that go against a fair and transparent dialogue with civil society;

Amendment 147 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 g (new)

11g. Calls on the Member States and the European institutions to draw inspiration from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in order to provide safeguards against the damaging influence of fossil fuel industries over law making and public decision making processes;

Amendment 148 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 h (new)

11h. Expresses concern about the unbalanced consultations of the French permanent representation in the preparation of its presidency of the European Union;

Amendment 149 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 i (new)

11i. Notes that as of 11 October 2021, out of 19 meetings published by the permanent representation of France on its transparency register during the preparation of the rotation presidency of the Council, 15 meetings have been held with CEO and lobbyists of corporate groups while no meetings have been held with trade unions or environmental associations;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

~~2. Underlines that the main responsibility for this regression lies with Member States;~~deleted

Amendment 150 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 j (new)

11j. Calls on France and all Member States that will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union afterwards to refuse corporate sponsorship of their presidency as it provides preferential access to decision makers for corporate sponsors to the detriment of other civil society organisation;

Amendment 151 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 k (new)

11k. Calls for the setting up of an independent ethics body that can issue sanctions against unfair lobbying practices and other threats to the independence of the EU institutions;

Amendment 152 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Deplores the growing concentration of media ownership at the expense of plurality,~~Calls on the Member States to ensure and maintain the independence of media from political and economic pressure, and to guarantee media pluralism and ensure transparency of media ownership; recalls that independencet and ~~fair public representation of the ideas~~responsible journalism as well as access to pluralistic information are key pillars of democracy and the actions ofand inputs by civil society are vital forg an~~isations.~~y democracy to thrive;

Amendment 153 #

Gunnar BECK, Alessandra BASSO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Media concentration and threats to the fair representation of civil society Deplores the growing concentration of media ownership at the expense of plurality, independence and fair public representation of the ideas and actions of civil society organisations.

Amendment 154 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Deplores the growing concentration of media ownership at the expense of plurality, independence and fair public representation of ~~the ideas and actions of civil society organisations.~~politically undesirable ideas, such as anthropogenic climate change scepticism, mass immigration scepticism, and mass surveillance scepticism;

Amendment 155 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Deplores the growing concentration of media ownership at the expense of plurality, independence and fair public representation of the ideas and ~~actions~~interests of citizens and of civil society organisations.

Amendment 156 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Deplores the growing concentration of media ownership at the expense of plurality, independence and ~~fair public re~~space for the presentation of the ideas and actions of civil society organisations.

Amendment 157 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Recalls that independent and high quality journalism and civil society organisations play a crucial role as guardians of democracy and the rule of law by holding power to account and fighting disinformation and misinformation, as well as foreign political interference and manipulation;

Amendment 158 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Expresses deep concerns over the fact that some media outlets engage in smear campaign against civil society actors, including when those smear campaigns are initiated by government;

Amendment 159 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Encourages Member States to adopt laws to guarantee the independence and plurality of media, including by putting in place democratic safeguards in the governance of media outlets to protect journalists from hostile shareholders, guaranteeing more transparency and regulation of media ownership, and, if necessary, reforming the public funding of media outlets to foster democracy and citizen participation in media funding processes;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that ~~the main responsibility for this regression lies with Member States~~Member States bear the primary responsibility to ensure the freedom of civil society, and in many cases fail to do so or deliberately restrict this space;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Responsibility of Member States and obligations under European and international law Underlines that the main responsibility for this regression lies with Member States;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the main responsibility for this regression lies with Member States and that it is driven by political agendas that disregard or purposefully hamper democracy;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the ~~main~~ responsibility ~~for this regress~~to establish and maintain a favourable environment for civil society and public participation lies with Member States;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes ~~with deep concern the~~that while in many Member States, civil society organisations are considered to be valuable interlocutors for policy-makers as well as respected service providers, there is a deeply concerning overall shrinking of space for civil society in the EU, which represents a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights ~~and has worsened during the COVID-19 crisis;~~ ;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the main responsibility for this regression lies with Member States and the European Union;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the main responsibility for this regression lies with Member States as they must enable civil society to thrive;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the ~~main~~ responsibility for th~~is regression lies with Member State~~e positive development of civil society in the EU lies with Member States and the EU institutions;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Urges the Commission to create a "European civic space index" for monitoring of the situation of civic space in the Member States and to dedicate to civic space a specific section with country recommendations in its annual rule of law report;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that various instruments of international law impose on Member States obligations to ensure an enabling environment for civil society to thrive, and to protect civil society organisations, human rights defenders and their civic space;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Recalls that those instruments of international law imposing obligations on Member States with regards to civil society include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and more specifically the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Underlines in particular the obligation of Member States to protect and promote the rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression as underlined in the recent United Nations guidance note on the protection and promotion of civic space;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Draws the attention of Member States to the Council of Europe’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)11 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the need to strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe reaffirms that protecting and promoting civil society space requires Member States to ensure “a conducive political and public environment” for civil society organisations and human rights defenders;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)

2e. Recalls that these obligations entail not only a duty for Member States to respect the space of civil society, but also a duty to ensure a conducive political and public environment for civil society;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)

2f. Recalls that those obligations are also mirrored in the European Union legal order, in particular through the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Notes wi~~Stresses the importance of creating favourable conditions for the de~~ep concern the overall~~velopment of civil society in the EU, as the shrinking of space for civil society in the EU, w~~hich~~ould represents a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights ~~and has worsened~~; points out that during the COVID-19 crisis the position of many civil society actors has deteriorated;

Amendment 30 #

2g. Recalls that as regards European institutions, Article 11 of the Treaty on the European Union states that “the institutions shall, by appropriate means, give citizens and representative associations the opportunity to make known and publicly exchange their views in all areas of Union action”, that “the institutions shall maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society” and that “the European Commission shall carry out broad consultations with parties concerned in order to ensure that the Union's actions are coherent and transparent”;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 h (new)

2h. Notes that the European Union has adopted guidelines on human rights defenders that provide practical suggestions for enhancing European Union action in supporting human rights defenders;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 i (new)

2i. Notes that with the "CSO Meter" designed under the European Neighbourhood Instrument and the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations’ Guidelines for EU support to civil society in enlargement countries, the European Union has paradoxically developed more specific standards regarding the respect of civil society abroad than within the European Union;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 j (new)

2j. Calls on the Commission to develop guidance on freedom of association and assembly, and how EU law can be used to protect civic space;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns all a~~ttempt~~ctions by Member States to control, intimidate or deter civil society actors and discriminate between them on a political basis~~, including by~~; calls on the Member States to pinpoint tools with which to promote and foster civil society action, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; urges the Member States to avoid over-regulating the sector; in national legislation;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns all attempts by Member States to control civil society actors and discriminate between them on a political basis, including by over-regulating the sector, creating hurdles for their establishment or operation, restricting funding, imposing spurious and unnecessary audit requirements, and attempting to delegitimise the sector or actors within it;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns all attempts by Member States to control civil society actors and discriminate between them on a political basis, including by over-regulating the sector; and introducing disproportionate rules on the establishment and functioning of civil society organisations under pretexts such as the protection of national security, republican or democratic values;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns all attempts by Member States to control civil society actors and discriminate between them on a political basis or due to foreign funding, including by over-regulating the sector, supporting government-organised non-governmental organisations (GONGOs) and adopting of other measures instilling a chilling effect on civic space;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Member States’ legislation and public policies aiming at controlling and censoring civil society Condemns all attempts by Member States to control civil society actors and discriminate between them on a political basis, including by over-regulating the sector;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns all attempts by Member States ~~to control~~discriminate between civil society actors ~~and discriminate between them on a political basis, including by over-regulating the sector~~on a political basis;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with deep concern the overall shrinking of space for civil society in the EU, which represents a serious threat to the rule of law, democracy ~~and~~, fundamental rights and ~~has worsened~~other EU values; notes with concern that the situation has worsened considerably during the COVID-19 crisis;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. C~~ondemns all attempts by Member States to~~alls on Member States to refrain from excessive control of civil society actors ~~and discriminate between them on a political basis, including by over-regulating~~, over-regulation and discriminatory practices in the sector;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns ~~all attempt~~the decisions by Member States to ~~control civil society actors and discriminate between them on a political basis, including by over-regulating the sector~~restrict citizens’ freedoms disproportionately in connection with the health crisis;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Condemns all attempts by Member States to control civil society actors and discriminate between them ~~on a political basis~~, including by over-regulating the sector;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Condemns the instrumentalisation of the COVID-19 crisis and the use of fast-track procedures by some governments to bypass consultation with civil society and introduce discriminatory laws, laws restricting freedom of assembly and emergency measures affecting the civic space without any health related justification;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Condemns the centralisation of civil society supervision in several Member States, aimed at increasing government control over civil society organisations.

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Believes that Union legislation supporting civil society associations and non-profit organisations is needed;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Condemns in particular the adoption by Member States including France and Greece of legislative measures to give governments unjustified discretion to deregister or dissolve civil society organisations without adequate judicial control;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Notes for example that the French government has dissolved several associations for their failure to moderate hateful comments made by third parties on their social media publications;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Expresses concern regarding the adoption of disproportionate provision criminalising live and online speech, including those framed as measures to counter terrorism;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Strongly condemns, in particular, the adoption by Hungarian and Polish authorities of acts that restrict the access of non-governmental organisations to funding and that target LGBTIQ+ persons and activists; Regrets the political decision of the allegedly impartial Court of Justice of the European Union, which has recently ruled that Hungary´s attempt to bring non-profit organisations under the scope of its national Anti-Money Laundering rules violated the free movement of capital1a; recalls that Recommendation 8 of the FATF, Europol, Eurojust, Moneyval and various reports of the European Court of Auditors2a and national competent authorities3a warn about the use of NGOs as fronts for terrorist financing or money-laundering vehicles. _________________ 1a Judgment of the Court of Justice of 18 June 2020, European Commission v Hungary, C-78/18. 2a European Court of Auditors’ Special Report No 35/2018 of 18 December 2018 entitled ‘Transparency of EU funds implemented by NGOs: more effort needed’. 3a 2017 Annual Report of the Maltese Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. General remarks Notes with deep concern the overall shrinking of space for civil society in the EU, which represents a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights and has worsened during the COVID-19 crisis;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Strongly condemns, in particular, the adoption by Hungarian and Polish authorities of acts that restrict the access of non-governmental organisations to funding and that target LGBTIQ+ persons and activists, as well as the discussion of recent legislative proposals designed to prevent such organisations from campaigning publicly;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Strongly condemns~~, in particular, the adoption by Hungar~~ the adoption by several Member States, in particular, by Hungarian, Slovenian and Polish authorities of acts that restrict the access of non-governmental organisations to funding and that target ~~LGBTIQ+ persons and activist~~especially activists working to protect the rights of women, LGBTIQ+, minorities, migrants and refugees;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Strongly c~~Condemns, in particular, the ~~adoption by Hungarian an~~widespread Prol~~ish authorities of acts that restrict the access of non-governmental organisations to funding and that target LGBTIQ+ persons and activist~~l-out of the health pass;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Strongly condemns, in particular, the adoption by Hungarian and Polish authorities of acts that restrict the access of non-governmental organisations to funding and that target in particular LGBTIQ+ persons ~~and activis~~, migrants, refugees, ethnic minorities and women as well as the activists defending their rights;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Strongly condemns, in particular, the adoption by ~~Hungarian and Polish authoriti~~certain Members States of acts that restrict the access of non- governmental organisations to funding and that target ~~LGBTIQ+ persons and~~a wide range of civil society activisties;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Strongly condemns~~, in particular,~~ the adoption by ~~Hungarian and Polish~~the Member State authorities of acts and measures that restrict the access of non- governmental organisations to funding and that target LGBTIQ+ persons and activists;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Supports Civil Society Organisations campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights, particularly in Poland in campaigning for the right to a safe and legal abortion, and strongly condemns government attempts to shrink the space for women’s rights activists;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Condemns the adoption by some Member States of rules restricting access to funding for civil society actors engaging in “political” campaigning;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

~~5. Deplores the insufficient efforts of Member States to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors;~~deleted

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with deep concern the overall shrinking of space for civil society in ~~the EU~~some Members States, which represents a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights ~~and has worsened during the COVID-19 crisis~~;

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Deplores the insufficient efforts of Member States to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors~~Believes that the lavish funding at EU level for civil society actors might dissuade Member States from providing funding of their own; underlines that most civil society actors are exempt from anti-money laundering and transparency requirements, both at EU and national level; whereas this lack of transparency might discourage Member States from providing long-term funding;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the insufficient efforts of Member States to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors, and attempts to selectively delegitimise civil society organisations when they are in receipt of non-state funding, or funding from abroad;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Difficulties faced by civil society actors in relation to funding Deplores the insufficient efforts of Member States to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors;

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the insufficient efforts of some Member States to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors;

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Deplores the insufficient efforts of Member State~~Calls on the Member States to step up their efforts to facilitate and guarantee access to stable long-term funding for civil society actors;

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Maintains that European civil society needs to be able to make use of adequate and easily accessible funding both at national and at European level; Notes that often funds available for non- profit organisations require co-financing and that requiring too high a share of own resources leads to difficulties for some organisations, therefore the share of co-financing should be limited and different means need to be taken into account which could be monetarised;

Amendment 66 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses the severe consequences of structural public budget constraints and austerity policies implemented in several Member States over civil society space, which translate into an impoverishment of the public debate and the discontinuation of solidarity programs;

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Condemns the adoption by some Member States of rules restricting access to funding for civil society actors engaging in “political” campaigning;

Amendment 68 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. Notes that challenges faced by civil society organisations in relation to funding include lack of sufficient sources of funding, burdensome administrative procedures to access funding, lack of transparency and fairness in funding allocation and restrictive eligibility criteria;

Amendment 69 #

Gunnar BECK, Alessandra BASSO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5d. Deplores the outsourcing by public authorities of public services missions to civil society organizations in domains such as housing, health, education and asylum, which captures civil society’s resources for the fulfilment of States’ responsibilities and diverts those resources from public participation of civil society organisations through advocacy, strategic litigation and public education;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that Article 15 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises civil society's role in the EU's good governance, and Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union stresses the need for the EU to have an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society organisations, e.g. when preparing proposals for EU laws; concludes that the EU has the most fertile legislative environment for non-profit actors to thrive;

Amendment 70 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)

5e. Condemns the adoption by some Member States of laws restricting access to specific sources of funding, including foreign funding, in a deliberate attempts to silence critical civil society organisations and media;

Amendment 71 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)

5f. Underlines the structural lack of funding for research and development in the European Union, in particular the lack of public funding for academic research; regrets the growing pressure of private interests over academic research through public-private partnerships and the privatisation of universities;

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 g (new)

5g. Calls on Member States and on the European Union to improve the legal environment of civil society organizations and ease the conditions for them to access diverse sources of funding, including private and foreign funding;

Amendment 73 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 h (new)

5h. Calls on Member States and on the European Union to go beyond project funding and provide infrastructure core funding and multiannual funding cycles to ensure the sustainability of civil society;

Amendment 74 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by Member States on the right to protest, whether through the prohibition of demonstrations, including by misusing state of emergency measures, through the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters for activities that should not constitute criminal offences;

Amendment 75 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Condemns the ~~sever~~excessive restrictions imposed by Member States on the right to protest~~, the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters~~;

Amendment 76 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Non-legislative threats restricting the civic space Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by Member States on the right to protest, the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters;

Amendment 77 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by Member States on the right of free speech, freedom of assembly and the right to protest, the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters;

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by some Member States on ~~the right to protest,~~freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and association the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters;

Amendment 79 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by certain Member States on the right to organise, plan and carry out protests, the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary arrests of protesters;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recalls that civic space is the environment that enables civil society to play a role in the political, economic and social life of our societies, including by accessing information, engaging in dialogue, expressing dissent or disagreement and joining together to express views1a; _________________ 1a United Nations, "Guidance note on the Protection and Promotion of Civic Space", September 2020

Amendment 80 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Condemns the severe restrictions imposed by Member States on the right to protest, the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, and the arbitrary on- and offline surveillance and arrests of protesters;

Amendment 81 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Con~~demns the severe restrictions imposed by Member States~~siders that democracy and a healthy civil society require the guaranteed exercise onf the right ~~to protest,~~of assembly and avoidance of the disproportionate use of violence by public authorities, a~~nd the arbitrary arrests of~~gainst protesters;

Amendment 82 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

~~7. Underlines that civil society actors are increasingly subjected to targeted violence, whether by police forces or private parties;~~deleted

Amendment 83 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines that journalists and civil society actors are increasingly subjected to targeted violence, hate speech and other forms of harassment whether by police forces or private parties, both on- and offline; highlights also the chilling effects that surveillance targeting journalists and civil society actors can have in that regard;

Amendment 84 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines that civil society actors are increasingly subjected to targeted violence~~, whether by police forces or private parties~~ and to attempts made to delegitimise or discredit them in public;

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines that civil society actors are increasingly subjected to ~~targeted violence,~~undue interference, stigmatisation and harassment whether by poublic~~e forc~~ authorities or private parties;

Amendment 86 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines that civil society actors in some Member States are increasingly subjected to thar~~geted violence, whether by police forces or private parties~~assment, threats, smear campaigns, acts of intimidation and violence;

Amendment 87 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines that civil society actors are increasingly subjected to ~~targete~~hate speech, harassment and violence, whether by police forces or private parties;

Amendment 88 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Underlines that~~Expresses concern at cases in which civil society actors are ~~increas~~beingly subjected to ~~targeted~~ violence, whether by police forces or private parties;

Amendment 89 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes with concern the increasing harassment of human rights defenders online as well as offline, in particular threats and attacks against LGBQTI+ rights and women’s rights defenders and their organisations’ physical locations;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Deplores the fact that during the COVID-19 crisis some governments used and continue to use emergency measures as an opportunity to limit freedoms of speech, assembly and association, as well as introduce laws unrelated to the pandemic that diminish the role of civil society;

Amendment 90 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Deplores the use of hate speech and ‘haters’ in public to restrict the activities of civil society actors at institutional, political and journalistic levels;

Amendment 91 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Urges the Commission to pinpoint, in coordination with the Member States, effective tools for monitoring, supporting and protecting civic space in the Member States;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Condemns the hostile rhetoric and smear campaigns by political figures and allied media outlets designed to undermine public trust in and support for CSOs and human rights defenders, and often designed to target minority groups such as migrants, refugees and LGBTI people;

Amendment 93 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Emphasises that States have an obligation to investigate and protect when smear campaigns, threats and attacks happen at hands of individual representatives of the state or non-state actors;

Amendment 94 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)

7d. Notes with deep concerns the growing hostility of some governments and political forces against academics that undertake scientific research and develop analysis that run against their ideology or political agenda; stresses that this is a serious threat to academic freedom and the right of citizens to access information and knowledge;

Amendment 95 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)

7e. Expresses deep concern regarding the growing use of new surveillance technologies in the public space and underlines the threat it represents for the civic space;

Amendment 96 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)

7f. Condemns the increased trends of closing digital civic space and the continued deterioration of digital rights;

Amendment 97 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Condemns the increasing criminalisation and judicial harassment of civil society actors, in particular those working with minority groups, refugees and other migrants, those working against racism, and those working for women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health rights, and LGBTI rights; is concerned about the growing use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) by powerful public and private actors, and strongly recommends the adoption of an anti- SLAPPs directive protecting all ~~partie~~actors legitimately engaging in public participation;

Amendment 98 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Condemns the increasing criminalisation and judicial harassment of civil society actors; is concerned about the growing use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) ~~by powerful public and private actors, and strongly recommends the adoption of an anti- SLAPPs directive protecting all parties legitimately engag~~as a way to silence and intimidate independent media and journalists and civil society; urgently calls the Commission to present proposals for binding Union legislation on common and effective safeguards for victims of SLAPPs across the Union, including through a directive establishing min ~~public participation~~imum standards for protection against SLAPPs;

Amendment 99 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

source: 700.382

2021/11/16 LIBE 284 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

~~— having regard to the Commission communication of 20 July 2021 entitled ‘2021 Rule of Law Report – The rule of law situation in the European Union’ (COM(2021)0700),~~deleted

Amendment 10 #

Terry REINTKE, Malin BJÖRK, Maria WALSH, Marc ANGEL, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Łukasz KOHUT, Hilde VAUTMANS, Diana RIBA I GINER, Cyrus ENGERER, Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Sylwia SPUREK, Marina KALJURAND, Evin INCIR, Erik MARQUARDT, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)

— having regard to the Statement of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe of 16 May 2019 titled ‘Let’s defend LGBTI defenders’,1a _________________ 1a https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/ -/let-s-defend-lgbti-defenders

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment f~~ree from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effect~~or all kinds of organisations, including organisations that represent traditional values;

Amendment 101 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from ~~undue~~ interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Underlines that children and young people are particularly vulnerable, as they often lack financial means, social network and safety net to protect themselves from hate and harassment;

Amendment 103 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Expresses deep concern about the increased violence and hatred targeting organisations and activists working with anti-racism, religious minorities, feminism and LGBTQI rights;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Warns about the degradation of civic space throughout the EU with policies hampering CSOs’ operations, their access to sustainable funding and their ability to participate in decision-making; condemns any form of harassment, smearing, stigmatisation, criminalisation and scapegoating of CSOs; stresses how these jeopardize active citizenship, the expression of critical voices, thereby undermining public debate and hence the very foundations of democracy;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Warns about the degradation of civic space throughout the EU with policies hampering CSOs’ operations, their access to sustainable funding and their ability to participate in decision- making; condemns any form of harassment, smearing, stigmatisation, criminalisation and scapegoating of CSOincreasing activity of biased radical left-wing CSOs which act as political activist organisations; underlines that these CSOs often have little connection to society and people, but serve as political pressure groups receiving funding from abroad and acting in the political interests of their funders;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 107 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Condemns far-left organisations using social media to decry advertisers whose adverts appear in the media in order to intimidate them into withdrawing financial support; takes the view that by doing so, these organisations seek to censor and as such undermine freedom of expression and media pluralism;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has further accentuated many of the existing challenges faced by CSOs; notes with concern that certain governments took advantage of the pandemic to roll back civic space and pass controversial laws while society’s ability to mobilize was limited;

Amendment 109 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Strongly condemns the criminalisation of human rights defenders and organisations providing humanitarian assistance and defending the rights of migrants and asylum seekers; urges Member States to immediately put an end to the criminalisation of search and rescue activities;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)

— having regard to the 7th Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention of 21 October 2021 and Decision VII/9 on a rapid response mechanism to deal with cases related to Article 3(8) of the Aarhus Convention,

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Notes with concern that these biased radical left-wing CSOs are in reality working to create an intolerant environment where only their own views are presented as acceptable, and label everyone else with different views as "extremists";

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Condemns that CSOs representing traditional values are often squeezed out of the public discourse;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that when civil society’s space to operate shrinks, it is a sign that the rule of law is at risk; urges the Commission, therefore, to step up and structure its monitoring of the situation of civic space in the Member States by creating a ‘European civic space index’ based on existing frameworks for measuring civic space, and by dedicating to civic space a fully-fledged chapter including country recommendations in its annual rule of law report;deleted

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 114 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Agrees with the Commission that when civil society’s space to operate shrinks, it is a sign that the rule of law is at risk; ~~urg~~welcomes the ~~Commission, therefore~~fact that the Commission has put environment for civil society under scrutiny as part of the annual rule of law report, which rightly indicates that the rule of law cannot function without a vibrant civil society operating in a secure and enabling environment; urges the Commission, to step up and structure its monitoring of the situation of civic space in the Member States by creating a ‘European civic space index’ based on existing frameworks for measuring civic space, and by dedicating to civic space a fully-fledged chapter including country recommendations in its annual rule of law report, which should also cover fully fundamental rights;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Recognises that the strategic goals of the Union, such as combating the climate change, digital transformation and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be impossible to achieve without a healthy civic space and the contribution of CSOs, which work towards these goals among European societies while ensuring that interests and rights of stakeholders and affected communities are respected;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies; stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;deleted

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies including through the 1.55 billion EUR that has been allocated under the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies; ~~stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;~~

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 23

— having regard to its resolution of 14 November 2018 on the need for a comprehensive EU mechanism for the protection of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights4, _________________ 4 OJ C 363, 28.10.2020, p. 45.deleted

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies; ~~stresse~~regrets, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Welcom~~Notes the Commission’s acknowledgement of the importance of civil society in a number of EU policies and strategies; stresses, however, that the fragmented nature of this approach results in little effective improvement of the situation of CSOs on the ground;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 124 #

6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy for protection and development of civic space within the Union that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies, while clearly linking monitoring and reporting tools to enforcement mechanisms to ensure timely and effective follow-up action;

Amendment 125 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies; considers that the strategy should outline a set of concrete measures that will ensure consistent access of CSOs to policy debates and legislative process on Union level, as well as to monitoring of implementation of Union policies and the Union budget;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies, while clearly linking monitoring and reporting tools to enforcement mechanisms to ensure timely and effective follow-up action; and asserting the European Union’s unwavering commitment to protect and nurture the space in which they operate;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the Commission~~, therefore,~~ to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and policies; calls, for the Commission to explore initiatives to strengthen the support networks available to CSOs, particularly in contexts where it is under threat;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the Commission, therefore, to adopt a comprehensive civil society strategy that integrates all existing tools, fills monitoring, support and protection gaps, and gives genuine political recognition to the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EUdemocratic values and policies, while clearly linking monitoring and reporting tools to enforcement mechanisms to ensure timely and effective follow-up action;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Considers that the strategy should outline a set of concrete measures that will protect and strengthen the civic space including by: a) introduction of minimum standards for legal and administrative environment for civil society; b) introduction of a statute of European cross-border associations and non-profit organisations; c) setting up focal points between European institutions and the civil society; d) ensuring consistent access to policy debates and agenda setting on Union level in line with EU Treaties and rules of procedures of EU institutions; e) strengthening access to monitoring of Union policies and implementation of the Union budget; f) expanding flexible access to Union funding;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 23

— having regard to its resolution of 14 November 2018 on the need for a comprehensive EU mechanism for the protection of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights4 , _________________ 4 OJ C 363, 28.10.2020, p. 45.deleted

Amendment 130 #

Terry REINTKE, Malin BJÖRK, Maria WALSH, Marc ANGEL, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Diana RIBA I GINER, Cyrus ENGERER, Birgit SIPPEL, Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Sylwia SPUREK, Marina KALJURAND, Evin INCIR, Erik MARQUARDT, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Recalls that the scapegoating of minorities and vulnerable groups such as women and LGBTI persons is not an isolated event, but functions as a premeditated and gradual dismantling of fundamental rights, which are protected in Article 2 TEU, constituting part of a larger political agenda which has been called ‘anti-gender’ campaigns; calls on Member States to be particularly cautious of initiatives that attempt to roll-back on acquired rights which were designed to prevent and protect persons from discrimination and to promote equality;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Calls on the Union to ensure consistency of its internal and external policies as regards protecting and enabling civic space, including by adopting internal guidelines on human rights defenders that would mirror the ones applying to EU external action;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Calls on the Commission to consider the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when designing suggestions for legislation or policy measures to combat shrinking civil space;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Calls on other institutions to ensure consistency of its internal and external policies as regards protecting and enabling civic space, including by adopting internal guidelines on human rights defenders that would mirror the ones applying to EU external action;

Amendment 134 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1

An enabling ~~regulatory and political environment free from chilling effects, threats and attack~~environment for all kinds of civil society organisations

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that the ability of CSOs to act depends on the existence of an enabling legal and political environment, in particular on the exercise of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression and the right to public participation; urges Member States to guarantee the exercise of these rights in conformity with international standards and to avail themselves of the possibility to request opinions on planned legislation from the Venice Commission;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that the ability of CSOs to act depends on the existence of an enabling legal and political environment, in particular on the exercise of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression; urges Member States to guarantee the exercise of these rights in conformity with international standards; highlights the need to ensure that civil society organisations operate in a transparent manner, with special regard to funding;

Amendment 137 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Birgit SIPPEL, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 24

~~— having regard to its resolution of 7 October 2020 on the establishment of an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights5 , _________________ 5~~deleted OJ C 395, 29.9.2021, p. 2.

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 142 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that the contribution of CSOs to the single market and the social economy, as well as their role in the realisation of EU values and policies, is a strong argument for removing the barriers to their operations at EU level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to propose legislation to approximate Member State laws in this regard; stresses that such legislation would not only provide minimum protection to CSOs but also create a level-playing field allowing them to harness the full potential of the single market;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 145 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that the contribution of CSOs to the single market and the social economy, as well as their role in the realisation of EU values and policies, is a strong argument for removing the barriers to their operations at EU level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to propose ~~legislation~~measures, including legislative measures to approximate Member State laws in this regard;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that the contribution of CSOs to the sin~~gle~~ternal market and the ~~social~~ economy, as well as their role in the realisation of EU values and policies, is a strong argument for removing the barriers to their operations at EU level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to ~~propose legislation to approximate Member State laws in this regard~~adequately respond with legislative measures in order to reach this objective;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space;~~deleted

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space;~~deleted

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space;~~deleted

Amendment 15 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA

Motion for a resolution
Citation 24

~~— having regard to its resolution of 7 October 2020 on the establishment of an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights5, _________________ 5~~deleted OJ C 395, 29.9.2021, p. 2.

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space and when risks are identified, to introduce necessary safeguards and draft guidelines for Member States’ implementation in cooperation with civil society; calls on the Commission to equally review existing EU law; calls on Member States to adopt similar measures at national level;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of EU law to ensure it does not negatively affect civic space and provide remedies when it is the case;

Amendment 152 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments in order to ~~prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space~~foster the participation of CSOs in implementation of EU legislation and non-legislative measures;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission to include a systematic civic space check in its impact assessments providing clearer criteria for what constitutes an enabling space for civil society in order to prevent planned legislation from having negative effects on civic space;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of EU law to ensure it does not negatively affect civic space and provide remedies when it is the case, including by providing guidance and foster exchange of best practices to avoid unintended negative impacts of EU rules such as rules on facilitation of irregular migration, counter-terrorism legislation and the anti-money laundering framework, and by launching infringement proceedings when these are implemented and applied in violation of fundamental rights, including freedom of association, expression and assembly;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Calls on the Commission to propose EU legislation to fill gaps and address challenges affecting civil society actors across the Union, and to provide guidance on how to use EU law to better protect civil society;

Amendment 156 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9 b. Calls on the Commission to use its powers under the Treaties to propose EU legislation to fill gaps and address challenges facing civil society actors across the Union, including minimum standards on the registration, operations and financing of CSOs and procedural safeguards against SLAPPs, and to provide guidance on how to use EU law to better protect civil society;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way; warns against the broadening in some Member States of law enforcement authorities’ powers in policing assemblies; condemns any unnecessary use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation, prosecution and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly both in times of health emergency and in normal times;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Ccalls on the Member States ~~to limi~~not to restrict peaceful assemblies ~~only if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way~~; condemns any unnecessary use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation and surveillance; ~~calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;~~

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to ~~limit peaceful assemblies only~~respect and facilitate the exercise of the right to peaceful assemblies which can only be limited in exceptional circumstances if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation, prosecution and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 28

~~— having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the Commission’s 2020 Rule of Law Report9 , _________________ 9 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0313.~~deleted

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to ~~limit peaceful assemblies only~~respect and facilitate the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly, which can only be limited in exceptional circumstances if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way; condemns any ~~unnecessary~~ use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation, prosecution and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation and surveillance; ~~calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;~~

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary in accordance with applicable law and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;

Amendment 163 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to limit peaceful assemblies only if strictly necessary and in a proportionate way; condemns any unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters, as well as their criminalisation and surveillance; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines for the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Points out that during the pandemic, a significant proportion of civil society activities have moved online; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure full freedom of expression, including on online social networks in particular;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Warns against the detrimental impact of policies and rhetoric instilling a chilling effect on civic space; urges the Commission to make the analysis of chilling effects a key aspect of its annual rule of law report, to build on case C- 78/1810 to challenge measures having a chilling effect on the exercise of Charter rights when similar approaches are possible and to apply for interim measures to avoid irreparable damage while judicial review is ongoing; _________________ 10 Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 18 June 2020, European Commission v Hungary, C-78/18, EU:C:2020:476.deleted

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Warns against the detrimental impact of policies and rhetoric instilling a chilling effect on civic space; urges the Commission to make the analysis of chilling effects a key aspect of its annual rule of law report, to build on case C- 78/1810to challenge measures having a chilling effect on the exercise of Charter rights when similar approaches are possible and to apply for interim measures to avoid irreparable damage while judicial review is ongoing; _________________ 10 Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 18 June 2020, European Commission v Hungary, C-78/18, EU:C:2020:476.

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Warns against the detrimental impact of policies and rhetoric instilling a chilling effect on civic space; urges the Commission to make the analysis of chilling effects a key aspect of its annual rule of law report, to build on case C- 78/1810to challenge measures having a chilling effect on the exercise of Charter rights when similar approaches are possible and to apply for interim measures to avoid irreparable damage while judicial review is ongoing; _________________ 10 Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 18 June 2020, European Commission v Hungary, C-78/18, EU:C:2020:476.that some foreign NGOs are introducing into civic space;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Condemns any threats, smear campaigns, abusive litigation and attacks perpetrated on CSOs by state actors; equally condemns all instances of attacks and threats perpetrated by non-state actors, including, but not limited to SLAPPs; recalls the importance of adequate and objective information on the activities of CSOs in media, especially public media;

Amendment 169 #

Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Condemns any threats and attacks perpetrated on CSOs by state actors; equally condemns all instances of attacks and threats perpetrated by non-state actors, including, but not limited to SLAPPs; calls on the Commission to put forward legislative measures to protect civil society actors from SLAPPs;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission Guidance of 23 September 2020 on the implementation of EU rules on definition and prevention of the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence9a, _________________ 9a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /commission-guidance-implementation- facilitation-unauthorised-entry_en.pdf

Amendment 170 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Condemns any threats and attacks perpetrated on CSOs by state actors; equally condemns all instances of attacks and threats perpetrated by non-state actors, including, but not limited to SLAPPs, and condemns the failure of state actors to protect CSOs and human rights defenders against such attacks and threats;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Condemns any threats and attacks perpetrated on CSOs by state actors including negative and stigmatizing rhetoric, scapegoating as well as legal, administrative and fiscal harassment; equally condemns all instances of attacks and threats perpetrated by non-state actors, including, but not limited to SLAPPs;

Amendment 172 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Birgit SIPPEL, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Condemns any threats and attacks perpetrated on CSOs by state owned and state linked actors; equally condemns all instances of attacks and threats perpetrated by non-state actors, including, but not limited to SLAPPs;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Expresses deep concern about the targeting of youth engaged in civil society as it hampers civil engagement and democratic societies also in the long term; emphasises the increased vulnerability as young people may not report acts of hate and harassment due to lack knowledge of how and to whom to address the issue, a lack of belief in the justice system, or out of fear to have to re-live trauma caused by the offense; in this context, underlines that the threats and aggression young people active in civil society face often come from adults;

Amendment 174 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Condemns that CSO representatives in some Member States face physical and verbal attacks, harassment and intimidation both in online and offline forms as a direct result of their work; further regrets that the mental health effects faced by these representatives can include burnout, depression, 'helping induced trauma' and ‘compassion fatigue’ and that the psychological impacts that their work can have on CSO representatives are under- researched12a; _________________ 12a https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/fra-2018-challenges-facing- civil-society_en.pdf

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. UIs concerned by the low levels of reporting of attacks and threats on CSOs at national level; urges Member States to unequivocally condemn such acts, adopt preventive measures and systematically, thoroughly and impartially investigate any related allegations, invest in training programmes for authorities to better handle such cases; calls on the Commission to accompany such processes by providing recommendations and facilitating the exchange of best practices;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Urges Member States to unequivocally condemn such acts, adopt preventive measures and systematically, promptly, thoroughly, independently and impartially investigate any related allegations;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Urges Member States to unequivocally condemn such acts, adopt preventive measures and systematically, promptly and independently investigate any related allegations;

Amendment 178 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Birgit SIPPEL, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Urges Member States to unequivocally condemn such acts, adopt preventive and effective measures and systematically investigate any related allegations;

Amendment 179 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Maintains that Member States should not introduce or apply criminal law provisions restricting or otherwise adversely affecting the registration, operations, financing and cross-border movements of CSOs; is concerned in that respect by the interpretation in some Member States of EU provisions in the field of migration, such as the Facilitation Directive or Carriers Liability Directive, which lead to criminalisation of CSOs’ activities in the field of search and rescue and assisting migrants and asylum seekers, often in contradiction with the Commission’s guidance; urges the Commission to actively monitor and take action against Member States that criminalise and wrongfully prosecute search and rescue activities by individuals and CSOs, in violation of EU law and Commission guidance;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas civil society organisations (CSOs) are non-profit making organisations independent of public institutions and commercial interests, whose activities contribute to the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights; whereas CSOs can take various forms such as associations and foundations; whereas human rights defenders, activists and informal groups are also key actors in civil society;

Amendment 180 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Calls on the Commission to include references to attacks against human rights defenders in its reporting under the Framework Decision on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia, when monitoring and assessing EU rules and tools to protect the rights of victims of crime, and when revising EU provisions on combating hate speech and hate crime;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek support;~~deleted

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek support;~~deleted

Amendment 183 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek support~~Notes that the Union currently lacks efficient procedures to provide an adequate response when CSOs report that democratic standards and civic space in Member States are under threat; supports the creation of a comprehensive European strategy on civil society, acknowledging its vital role in promotion and application of European values that could include an EU alert mechanism for attacks on civil society;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls for the setting up of an EU alert mechanism allowing CSOs and human rights defenders to register attacks and seek support; considers that such a mechanism will also help reporting at Union level and contribute to better information of the European public in general;

Amendment 185 #

Terry REINTKE, Malin BJÖRK, Maria WALSH, Marc ANGEL, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Łukasz KOHUT, Hilde VAUTMANS, Diana RIBA I GINER, Cyrus ENGERER, Birgit SIPPEL, Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Sylwia SPUREK, Marina KALJURAND, Evin INCIR, Erik MARQUARDT, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Restates that no proper response has yet been given to Parliament’s initiative on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights to be governed by an interinstitutional agreement between Parliament, the Commission and the Council; calls on the Commission and the Council to immediately enter into negotiations with Parliament on an interinstitutional agreement pursuant to Article 295 TFEU; recalls that the monitoring of civic space is deeply linked with democracy and fundamental rights, and that a mechanism to monitor Article 2 TEU values is the best tool for a holistic approach in such respect;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Urges the Commission to use its enforcement powers against Member States which unduly restrict civic space in violation of EU laws, including through infringement proceedings, the Rule of Law Framework, the new Conditionality Regulation and the procedure laid down in Article 7 TEU; calls on the Commission to ensure civil society's active participation and meaningful contribution to these processes;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Urges the Commission to use its enforcement powers against Member States which unduly restrict civic space in violation of EU laws, including through infringement proceedings and the Rule of Law Framework; calls on the Commission to ensure civil society's active participation and meaningful contribution to these processes;

Amendment 188 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2

~~Sustainable and non-discriminatory access to resource~~Transparency requirements

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Is concerned by the difficulties expressed by CSOs in accessing resources and the additional strain caused by the pandemic on the availability of funding and fundraising activities;

Amendment 19 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas civil society organisations (CSOs) are non-profit making organisations independent of public institutions and commercial interests, which represent a wide range of worldviews and whose activities contribute to the realisation of EUa diverse set of values and fundamental rights; ~~whereas human rights defenders, activists and informal groups are also key actors in civil society;~~

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Urges the Commission to use its enforcement powers against Member States which unduly restrict civic space in violation of EU laws, including through infringement proceedings, the Rule of Law Framework, the new regulation on EU funding conditionality and the procedure laid down in Article 7 TEU; calls on the Commission to ensure civil society active participation and meaningful contribution to these processes;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities;deleted

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 193 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs including the funding of their operational activities related to advocacy and monitoring; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities; underlines that issue campaigns of CSOs should not be subject to funding limitations under the pretext of overlapping with elections and other political campaigns; notes that often funds available for CSOs require co- financing, which in turn mans that the beneficiary needs to raise a share of the required funds from other sources which can be detrimental to the organisation; therefore believes that the share of required co-financing should be limited and that different means need to betaken into account which could be monetarised such as volunteer time or contributions in kind;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission to identify existing obstacles and propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs~~; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding~~ including the funding of their operational activities related to advocacy and monitoring; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding including public institutions at all levels, private, philanthropic and individual donors, membership fees and income generated through economic activities; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities including advocacy, litigation and watchdog activities, education and awareness- raising, service provision as well as capacity and coalition building;

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure adequate and enabling long-term financing for CSOs; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding, from both local and national sources, as this will enable these organisations to be resilient against any potential government restrictions on external funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities which promote and protect the values of our Union;

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Urg~~Notes the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activitieat the concept of CSOs is founded on the principles of free association, public debate, non-profit activity and voluntarism; Citizens’ associations, NGOs or other non-profit organisations that serve as a tool for governmental or opposition policies cannot receive public funding from the EU, Member States or foreign supporters; Calls on the Commission to take effective measures to prevent the funding of such organisations;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term ~~financing for CSOs~~and predictable core financing for CSOs, including the funding of their operational activities related to advocacy and monitoring; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities;

Amendment 198 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Urges the Commission to propose a comprehensive set of measures and recommendations to ensure long-term financing for CSOs; stresses that EU funding for CSOs should avoid red-tape measures; stresses the importance of securing complementary sources of funding; emphasises that public funding should cover all types of civil society activities;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Highlights that in case C-78/18 the CJEU confirmed that certain civil society organisations may have a significant influence on public life and public debate having regard to the aims which they pursue and the means at their disposal; expresses concern that this significant influence could be used by foreign powers to pursue interference and destabilization goals;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

~~— having regard to the Commission communication of 20 July 2021 entitled ‘2021 Rule of Law Report – The rule of law situation in the European Union’ (COM(2021)0700),~~deleted

Amendment 20 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas civil society organisations (CSOs) are non-profit making organisations independent of public institutions and commercial interests, whose activities should contribute to the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights; whereas human rights defenders, activists and informal groups are also key actors in civil society;

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Condemns any form of politically or otherwise motivated discrimination in the allocation of public funds and ensuing chilling effects; calls on Member States to ensure clear, transparent and non- discriminatory procedures in this respect;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Reminds of the conclusions in UN resolution 2535, namely that an accelerated youth participation is key to create and preserve peaceful societies;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Highlights the important and positive contribution youth can and do make to the efforts for democratic and peaceful societies; consequently calls Member States to increase investment in youth and youth organisations; further calls for the adequate funding for the Erasmus+, underlining its role in creating a democratic Europe;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Underlines that the CJEU judgement in case C-78/18 also confirmed that the objective of transparency and, furthermore, traceability of movements of capital intended for organisations which participate in public life might be regarded as an overriding reason in the public interest;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Underlines that it is a legitimate expectation on the part of society that CSOs should operate in a transparent manner, including the source of their funding, especially those receiving foreign funding;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)

15 d. Welcomes, therefore, the adoption of legislation by Member States requiring higher level of transparency from civil society organisations with regard to their funding in line with the principle of proportionality; encourages other Member States to consider adopting similar transparency requirements;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is gravely concerned by the emergence of GONGOs and related undemocratic, discriminatory and often opaque public funding practices; warns against their detrimental effect on pluralism and diversity within civil society, the perceived legitimacy of CSOs and hence on citizens’ willingness to engage in active citizenship; calls on Member States to investigate and take action against groups instigating hate; urges the Commission to address allegations of unequal distribution of EU funding to civil society organisations in the context of the implementation of the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation;

Amendment 208 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is gravely concerned by the emergence of GONGOs and related discriminatory and often opaque public funding practices; warns against their detrimental effect on pluralism and diversity within civil society, the perceived legitimacy of CSOs and hence on citizens’ willingness to engage in active citizenship; calls on Member States to investigate and take action against groups instigating hate; urges the Commission to address allegations of unequal distribution of EU funding to civil society organisations in the context of the implementation of the new Conditionality Regulation;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is gravely concerned by the emergence of GONGOs and related discriminatory and often opaque public funding practices; warns against their detrimental effect on the perceived legitimacy of CSOs and hence on citizens’ willingness to engage in active citizenship; calls on Member States to investigate and take action against groups instigating hate; emphasizes that they can distort public debate which can undermine the very fabric of democracy;

Amendment 21 #

Peter POLLÁK

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas many NGOs struggle to survive and have problems with funding, which can seriously hinder their effectiveness and their ability to fulfil their mission.

Amendment 210 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Calls on the Commission to take appropriate measures in order to ensure that EU funding is not granted to GONGOs;

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 212 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the adoption with an increased budget of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; calls on the Commission to actively consult CSOs in the definition of work programmes and funding mechanisms so as to ensure transparency, flexibility and user- friendliness; welcomes re-granting mechanisms in the Union Values strand; emphasizes the importance of securing sufficient funding for watchdog, advocacy and litigation activities, as well as capacity building, as these boost CSOs’ contribution to safeguarding EU values and fundamental rights; calls on the Commission to ensure that funding is earmarked to support CSOs in implementing the tasks and roles assigned to them in its various sectoral policies; calls for a specific emergency funding and practical support for civic actors and human rights defenders at risk;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the adoption ~~with an increased budget~~ of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme with an increased budget of 1,55 billion EUR for the 2021 - 2027 period, as a meaningful response to the challenges faced by the civil society in the EU and a first step towards creating a more systemic framework of assistance for Union’s CSOs; calls on the Commission to actively consult CSOs in the definition of work programmes and funding mechanisms so as to ensure transparency, flexibility and user- friendliness; welcomes re-granting mechanisms in the Union Values strand;

Amendment 215 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Welcomes~~Strongly disapproves of the adoption with an increased budget of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; calls on the Commission to actively consult CSOs in the definition of work programmes and funding mechanisms so as to ensure transparency, flexibility and user- friendliness; welcomes re-granting mechanisms in the Union Values strandstop funding campaigns, as it did with the ‘Rights, Equality and Citizenship’ programme, that promote the hijab or other cultural practices that run counter to gender equality and the European identity;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the adoption with an increased budget of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme; calls on the Commission to actively consult CSOs in the definition of work programmes and funding mechanisms so as to ensure transparency, flexibility and user- friendliness; welcomes re-granting mechanisms in the Union Values strand;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Considers that budgetary support for civil society organisations should not only be foreseen, but also promoted and supported in all EU programmes; regrets that the European Recovery Package did not target specifically civil society organisations in addition to business and small and medium companies; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that CSOs are involved throughout the implementation and the monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans and of other funds under shared management; calls on the Commission to ensure that independent civil society organisations are not negatively impacted by the withdrawal of funding under the regulation in cases where there is a suspicion that EU funds could have been misused by a member state, by providing for specific modalities to channel funding to CSOs adapted to the environment in which they operate;

Amendment 22 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas civic activism is the fabric of a truly functioning democracy where rights of minorities are safeguarded and respected;

Amendment 220 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Considers that budgetary support for civil society organisations should not only be foreseen, but also promoted and supported in all EU programmes; regrets that the European Recovery Package did not target specifically civil society organisations in addition to business and small and medium companies; calls upon the Commission and Member States to ensure that CSOs are involved throughout the implementation and the monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans and of other funds under shared management; calls on the Commission to ensure that independent civil society organisations are not negatively impacted by the withdrawal of funding, by providing for specific modalities to channel funding to CSOs adapted to the environment in which they operate;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Calls on the Commission to redouble its efforts to boost CSO participation in the CERV programme and other centrally managed funds, including via further simplification, more flexible eligibility criteria, and targeted information and training; calls on the Commission to step up its monitoring of practices in Member States and provide recommendations ways to boost CSO participation in programmes under shared management; calls on the Commission to better involve and train CSOs in monitoring the spending of EU funds at Member State level;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Considers that openness and transparency are key to establish CSOs’ accountability and public trust as long as they serve the purpose to ensure legitimate public scrutiny and that reporting requirements remain necessary and proportionate; condemns any abuse of transparency measures to stigmatize particular civil society organisations;

Amendment 223 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Draws attention to the connection between deteriorating mental health, lack of meaningful leisure and the experienced lack of democratic space for youth, as found in the Swedish UNICEF report “Lyssna, vi har något att säga!”. Therefore calls for increased efforts to support youth organisations both financially and institutionally;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17 b. Considers that budgetary support for civil society organisations should not only be foreseen, but also promoted and supported in all EU programmes; regrets that the European Recovery Package did not target specifically civil society organisations in addition to business and small and medium companies; calls the European Commission and Member States to ensure that CSOs are involved throughout the implementation and the monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans and of other funds under shared management; calls on the Commission to ensure that independent civil society organisations are not negatively impacted by the withdrawal of funding under the regulation in cases where there is a suspicion that EU funds could have been misused by a member state, by providing for specific modalities to channel funding to CSOs adapted to the environment in which they operate;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

~~18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;~~deleted

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

~~18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;~~deleted

Amendment 227 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

~~18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;~~deleted

Amendment 228 #

Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values; calls on the Commission to check whether the national recovery plans meet the funding needs of CSOs; calls for the rule of law conditionality mechanism (Regulation (EU) 2020/2092) to be applied with immediate effect;

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Urges the Commission to ~~ensure that EU funds~~set out conditions and procedures to ensure that EU funds, whether in direct or shared management, are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas civic space refers to the legal and political framework in which people and groups can meaningfully participate in the political, economic, social and cultural life of their societies, exercising the right to express views, the right to information, assemble, associate and engage in dialogue with one another and with authorities;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds earmarked to support civil society are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to ~~EU value~~democratic values and fundamental rights;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds earmarked to support civil society are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;

Amendment 232 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any ~~government~~authorities and commercial entities and fully adhere to EU values;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds allocated to CSOs are only awarded to organisations that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values;

Amendment 234 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are ~~only~~not awarded to organisations ~~that are strictly independent from any government and fully adhere to EU values~~staging the invasion of Europe; calls instead for it to support organisations working to prevent this from happening;

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 236 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Condemns attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on foreign funding and the related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising CSOs; recalls that international standards on freedom of association require authorities to apply a presumption in favour of CSOs' liberty to seek and receive funding from any source and of the legality of their activities, with restrictions being possible only in cases of a serious threat to national security or public order, subject to the principles of necessity and proportionality; calls on the Commission to conduct a mapping of foreign funding restrictions across the Union with a view to ensure that the principles reaffirmed by the CJEU in case C-78/18 Commission v Hungary are effectively respected in all Member States;

Amendment 238 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Condemns attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on foreign funding and the related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising CSOs; recognises the importance of compliance with national rules in the field of taxation and fight against money laundering but reminds that such rules and transparency of funding in general cannot be abused to obstruct activities of CSOs and create a chilling effect affecting their members and donors;

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Condemns attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on foreign funding and the related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising CSOs; recalls that the CJEU found that these violate free movement of capital and freedom of association; calls on the Commission to keep initiating infringement procedures in this regard and systematically apply for interim measures;

Amendment 24 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas freedom of thought and freedom of expression are the cornerstone of every free and democratic society; whereas CSOs shall have the right to participate in matters of political and public debate, regardless of whether the position taken is in accord with government policy or advocates a change in the law;

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 241 #

19. ~~Condemn~~Welcomes attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on foreign funding ~~and~~with the ~~related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising CSOs~~aim of protecting CSOs from any outside interference;

Amendment 242 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 243 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Condemns attempts by certain Member States to impose limitations on ~~foreign~~non-native funding and the related political narratives they have promulgated and measures they have taken with the aim of stigmatising CSOs;

Amendment 244 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Reminds of the positive impact youth organisations have had during the ongoing pandemic in countering misinformation and strengthening trust in public institutions. Stresses that long term adequate funding and institutional support for civil society have an added value in times of crisis;

Amendment 245 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Emphasizes the importance of tax incentives to boost private donations; encourages Member States to further develop such schemes; calls on the Commission to map best practices and produce recommendations;

Amendment 246 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19 b. Calls on the Commission to produce guidance on the principle of non- discrimination and free movement of capital applied to cross-border donations; emphasizes that an approximation of the definition of the concept of public benefit would enable mutual recognition and equal treatment in terms of cross-border donations and benefits related to such public benefit status;

Amendment 247 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 248 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 25 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas freedom of thought and freedom of expression are the cornerstone of every free and democratic society and must always be respected, even when it comes to opponents from the liberal or conservative ends of the spectrum;

Amendment 250 #

Peter POLLÁK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 251 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on the Commission to produce guidance on the principle of non- discrimination and free movement of capital applied to cross-border donations; calls for an EU-level definition of the concept of public benefit, as that would boost cross-border donations insofar as it would enable mutual recognition of public benefit status and equal treatment in terms of the related advantages; invites the Commission to set up measures to remove obstacles to cross border philanthropy and ensure equal treatment of donations across borders inline with CJEU rulings;

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls for an EU-level definition of the concept of public benefit, as that would boost cross-border donations insofar as it would enable mutual recognition of public benefit status and equal treatment in terms of the related advantages; invites the Commission to set up measures to remove obstacles to cross border philanthropy and ensure equal treatment of donations across borders in line with CJEU rulings;

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3

Civil dialogue and transparent participation in policy- making

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Stresses the importance of civil dialogue in informed policy-making and emphasises that ~~the privileged position of CSOs in contact with citizens, and their~~CSOs play a key role as intermediaries between citizens and authorities at all levels, by ensuring a structured dialogue, and empowering those furthest away to participate and voice their concerns, while expertcis~~e, confers on them a key role in civil dialogue~~ing democratic control over and ensuring accountability for public action;

Amendment 255 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Stresses the importance of civil dialogue in informed policy-making and emphasises that ~~the privileged position of CSOs in contact with citizens, and their~~CSOs play a key role as intermediaries between citizens and authorities at all levels, by ensuring a structured dialogue, and empowering those furthest away to participate and voice their concerns, while expertcis~~e, confers on them a key role in civil dialogue;~~ ing democratic control over and ensuring accountability for public action;

Amendment 256 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Stresses the importance of civil dialogue in informed policy-making and emphasises that the privileged position of CSOs in contact with citizens, including marginalized or vulnerable groups, and their expertise, confers on them a key role in civil dialogue;

Amendment 257 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Stresses the importance of civil dialogue in informed policy-making ~~and~~; emphasises th~~at the privileged position of CSOs in contact with citizens, and their expertise, confers on them a key role in civil dialogue~~e need to ensure transparency when it comes to the involvement of CSOs in policy-making;

Amendment 258 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Stresses the importance of civil dialogue in informed policy-making and emphasises that the ~~privileged~~ position of CSOs in contact with citizens, and their expertise, confers on them a ~~key~~ role in civil dialogue;

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Welcomes positive steps taken in some Member States with new civil dialogue strategies and civil society advisory committees; condemns however, practices deliberately hampering CSO participation such as their exclusion from public processes, the recourse to opaque catch-all laws and accelerated parliamentary processes bypassing consultation and deliberation obligations;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas freedom of thought and freedom of expression, including online, are the cornerstone of every free and democratic society;

Amendment 260 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Emphasises that a good cooperation between civil society, police and relevant institutions are tools to address the vulnerabilities and find best practices in the protection of activists, civil society and democracy itself; therefore calls the Member States to engage with civil society actors to find and implement best practices;

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Recalls that the urgency of COVID-19-related measures further limited CSOs’ access to decision-making; notes however efforts made to counter this in a number of Member States;

Amendment 262 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclusive participation and systematic review; calls on the Commission to provide recommendations based on the analysis of existing practices;deleted

Amendment 263 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclus~~Is gravely concerned that the European Commission outsources the work on the annual rule of law report to non-elected and ideologically motivated CSOs; highlights that this practice is antidemocratic as it gives p~~articipation and systematic review; calls on the Commission to provide recommendations~~ower to CSOs without any democratic legitimacy; underlines that this leads to unbalanced and biased ~~on the analysis of existing practice~~reporting and the application of double standards, especially in relation to conservative right-wing governments;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclusive participation and systematic review systematic review, and to allocate appropriate means including for training relevant officials; calls on the Commission to provide recommendations based on the analysis of existing practices;

Amendment 265 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclusive participation and systematic review; calls on the Commission to provide recommendations prepared in close cooperation with civil society, based on the analysis of existing practices;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclusive participation and systematic review; calls on the Commission to provide recommendations prepared in close cooperation with civil society based on the analysis of existing practices;

Amendment 267 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets that civil dialogue often remains an ad hoc process; calls on the Member States to develop coherent policy frameworks that ensure structured, predictable and long-term processes, inclusive participation and systematic review; ~~calls on the Commission to provide recommendations based on the analysis of existing practices;~~

Amendment 268 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Considers that all EU institutions must review their terms of engagement with CSOs in line with Article 11 TEU to ensure an open, transparent, meaningful and regular dialogue with civil society, on an equal footing with other stakeholders; calls for an interinstitutional agreement on civil dialogue between all main institutions covering all areas of Union policy as well as transversal processes such as, for example, the State of the Union or the Conference on the Future of Europe;

Amendment 269 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

22 a. Considers that all EU institutions must review their terms of engagement with CSOs in line with Article 11 to ensure an open, transparent, meaningful and regular dialogue with civil society, on an equal footing with other stakeholders; calls for an interinstitutional agreement on civil dialogue between all main institutions covering all areas of Union policy;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas freedom of association is one of the essential bases of a democratic and pluralist society, as it allows citizens to act collectively in fields of mutual interest and to contribute to the proper functioning of public life; whereas freedom of association does not only include the ability to create or dissolve an association but also for that association to operate without unjustified interference by the State; whereas the ability to seek, secure and use resources is essential to the operation of any association; whereas prohibition or dissolution shall always be a measure of last resort;

Amendment 270 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Underlines that a good relationship between State and citizens implies that everyone believes that they can make a difference, affect their own lives and be heard; emphasises that democracies will only prosper if everyone, including children and youth, believes in the democratic system and institutions;

Amendment 271 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Considers in this respect that the European Parliament should also appoint one of its Vice-Presidents to carry out an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society; encourages political groups to devise their own civil dialogue structures;

Amendment 272 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Regrets that the European Commission in its annual rule of law report copies the unfounded allegations of politically motivated civil society organisations without any control or fact- checking;

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22 b. Considers that all EU institutions should review their terms of engagement with CSOs inline with Article 11 to ensure an open, transparent, meaningful and regular dialogue with civil society, on an equal footing with other stakeholders; calls for an interinstitutional agreement on civil dialogue between all main institutions covering all areas of Union policy as well as transversal processes such as, for example, the State of the Union or the Conference for the Future of Europe;

Amendment 274 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the attribution to a Commission Vice-President of the responsibility to maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society; stresses that civil dialogue should be further operationalised; invites in particular the European Commission to set up within each Directorate General specific focal points for civil society to be in close contact with the Vice-President and the coordination of the Secretariat General; invites the European Commission to set up a participatory status with civil society; considers it key that a wide variety of CSOs is given a prominent role via a transparent selection process in expert groups and advisory forums assisting the Commission and that emphasis is put on CSOs speaking for vulnerable and underrepresented groups;

Amendment 275 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

Amendment 277 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Welcom~~Notes the attribution to a Commission Vice-President of the responsibility to maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society; ~~stresses that civil dialogue should be further operationalised~~underlines that this shall involve dialogue with all kinds of CSOs representing a wide range of views and not only those representing radical left- wing and liberal views; stresses that civil dialogue should always be conducted in a transparent manner;

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

Amendment 279 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission to leverage the definition of national programmes implementing EU funds and the implementation by Member States of EU strategies and action plans to require Member States to put in place effective civil dialogue mechanisms; calls for reinforcing civil society participation within the European Semester process and in the monitoring of the European Recovery Package;

Amendment 28 #

F. whereas the right to peaceful assembly is a cornerstone of democracy, crucial to creating a tolerant and pluralist society in which groups with different beliefs, practices, or policies can coexist peacefully; whereas restrictions to and policing of peaceful assemblies must respect legality, necessity, proportionality and non- discrimination;

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission to ~~leverage the definition of national programmes implementing EU funds and the implementation by Member States of EU strategies and action plans to require~~support Member States to put in place effective and transparent civil dialogue mechanisms;

Amendment 281 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission to leverage the definition of national programmes implementing EU funds and the implementation by Member States of EU strategies and action plans to require Member States to put in place effective civil dialogue mechanismsstop using EU funds to blackmail Member States that it simply disagrees with ideologically and be open to dialogue;

Amendment 282 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Welcomes the European Year of Youth as an opportunity to further promote civic participation and dialogue in a democratic society;

Amendment 284 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Commits itself to ensure a genuine follow-up of this report and calls on the Commission and the Council to make the same commitment;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas freedom of expression ~~has~~and access to information have been restricted in some Member States; whereas strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) have also been used to target civil society organisations (CSOs) ~~and human rights defenders~~, human rights defenders and activists working in the fields of environment, the rule of law, LGBTIQ rights and women's rights, in several Member States, particularly in Poland, France, Romania, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Slovakia; whereas these exert a severe chilling effect on freedom of expression;

Amendment 3 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission Guidance of 23 September 2020 on the implementation of EU rules on definition and prevention of the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas freedom of expression and access to information has been restricted in some Member States on the pretext of fighting disinformation in relation to COVID-19; whereas measures preventing terrorism or hate speech must not result in undue restrictions on freedom of expression; whereas strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) have also been used to target civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders; whereas these exert a severe chilling effect on freedom of expression;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas freedom of expression has been restricted in some Member States; whereas strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) have also been used to target civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders; whereas these exert a severe chilling effect oncertain CSOs representing a radical left-wing and liberal ideology have gained significant influence in decision-making at the EU level; whereas these CSOs carry out their work claiming to be independent, but in reality, they serve the political interests of their funders; whereas this significant influence could be used by fore~~edom of expression~~ign powers to pursue interference goals;

Amendment 32 #

G. whereas freedom of expression and access to information has been restricted in some Member States; whereas strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) have also been used to target civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders; whereas these exert a severe chilling effect on freedom of expression;

Amendment 33 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas these CSOs have a significant role in drafting the European Commission’s annual rule of law report;

Amendment 35 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

~~H. whereas freedom of association is being eroded in some Member States;~~deleted

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas freedom of association is being eroded in some Member States by reforms that put CSOs at risk of de- registration or introduce unduly burdensome administrative processes, including but not limited to the careless application of anti-money-laundering measures or policies restricting the right to engage in advocacy;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas freedom of association is being eroded in some Member States, in particular as a result of the introduction of restrictive measures in response to COVID-19;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. Whereas the right to information is a precondition for an informed public debate and for holding authorities and public institutions accountable; whereas in some Member States access to public information is being restricted;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas an intersectional approach is key both to understand and to successfully address the vulnerabilities citizens are facing when they engage in civil society;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)

— having regard to the Council of Europe report of 11 February 2019 (CMJ2019/7) on the consultative meeting on Shrinking space for civil society: the impact on young people and their organisations,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas in some Member States, restrictions have been imposed with the deliberate aim of limiting civic space and are accompanied by legal, administrative and fiscal harassment, criminalisation and negative rhetoric aimed at stigmatising and delegitimising CSOs and draining their capacity to carry out their legitimate work; whereas hate speech, harassment and attacks also emanate from non-state actors; whereas CSOs working on women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental issues and the protection of minorities and LGBTI rights, as well as those providing assistance to asylum seekers and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;deleted

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

Amendment 43 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas in some Member States, restrictions have been imposed with the deliberate aim of limiting civic space and are accompanied by legal, administrative and fiscal harassment, criminalisation and negative rhetoric aimed at stigmatising and delegitimising CSOs and draining their capacity to carry out their legitimate work; whereas hate speech, also in the online space, verbal and physical harassment and attacks also emanate from non-state actors; whereas CSOs and human rights defenders working on women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental issues and the protection of minorities and LGBTI rights, as well as those providing assistance to migrants and asylum seekers and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas in some Member States, restrictions have been imposed with the deliberate aim of limiting civic space and are accompanied by legal, administrative and fiscal harassment, criminalisation and negative rhetoric aimed at stigmatising and delegitimising CSOs and draining their capacity to carry out their legitimate work; whereas hate speech, online and offline harassment and attacks also emanate from non-state actors; whereas CSOs and human rights defenders working on women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental issues and the protection of minorities and LGBTI rights, as well as those providing assistance to migrants and asylum seekers and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas in some Member States, restrictions have been imposed with the deliberate aim of limiting civic space and are accompanied by legal, administrative and fiscal harassment, criminalisation and negative rhetoric aimed at stigmatising and delegitimising CSOs and draining their capacity to carry out their legitimate work; whereas hate speech, harassment and attacks also emanate from non-state actors; whereas CSOs and human rights defenders working on women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental issues and the protection of minorities and LGBTI rights, as well as those providing assistance to migrants and asylum seekers and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;

Amendment 47 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas in some Member States, restrictions have been imposed with the deliberate aim of limiting civic space and are accompanied by legal, administrative and fiscal harassment, criminalisation and negative rhetoric aimed at stigmatising and delegitimising CSOs and draining their capacity to carry out their legitimate work; whereas hate speech, harassment and attacks also emanate from non-state actors; whereas CSOs working on women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental issues ~~and~~, the protection of minorities and LGBTI rights and freedom of media and expression, as well as those providing assistance to asylum seekers, and those involved in search and rescue operations, are particularly exposed;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas many Member States have been deliberately targeting solidarity towards migrants by criminalising civil society actors and individuals that have saved the lives of people in the Central Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, and who have provided basic services and assistance at land, notably in Greece, France, Italy, Hungary and Croatia but also in other Member States; whereas since 2016 Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain have initiated 58 proceedings against crew members or vessels rescuing people in distress at sea without any convictions1a; _________________ 1a https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2021/ june-2021-update-ngo-ships-sar-activities

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas the situation of LGBTI rights defenders in Europe was described as worrying by the Commissioner for Human Rights, who reported several instances of online and offline harassment, violent assaults, hate campaigns and death threats in Member States and neighbourhood countries; whereas this trend is interlinked with the scapegoating of other minority groups and it contravenes the principle that every person is born equal in dignity and rights;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

— having regard to the UNECE Convention of 25 June 1998 on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) and Decision VII/9 of 21 October 2021 on a rapid response mechanism to deal with cases related to Article 3(8) of the Aarhus Convention,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas during the crisis of the pandemic in particular, some Member States implemented and continue to use emergency measures as an opportunity to limit freedoms of speech, assembly and association and, introduce laws unrelated to the pandemic that diminish the role of civil society;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas certain Member States have placed restrictions on CSOs’ ability to engage in political activities; whereas in others, accusations that CSOs are political have become tools to stigmatise and delegitimise them; whereas CSOs report discriminatory and restrictive funding practices in certain Member States;deleted

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas national CSOs acting as watchdogs, in particular by engaging in monitoring and reporting about violations of rights and liberties, advocacy and litigation are particularly targeted by restrictions, retaliatory measures and surveillance; whereas certain Member States have placed restrictions on CSOs’ ability to engage in political activities; whereas in others, accusations that CSOs are political have become tools to stigmatise and delegitimise them; whereas CSOs report discriminatory and restrictive funding practices in certain Member States;

Amendment 53 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas certain Member States have placed restrictions on CSOs’ ability to engage in political activities; whereas in others, accusations that CSOs are political have become tools to stigmatise and delegitimise them; whereas delegitimization in certain Member States can appear as state or media-run smear campaigns; whereas CSOs report discriminatory and restrictive funding practices in certain Member States;

Amendment 55 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas policies and practices instilling a chilling effect on civic space have been adopted in certain Member States with the aim of achieving self- censorship and deterring civic actors from exercising their rights; whereas such policies often combine vague provisions leaving large discretion to public authorities and disproportionately high sanctions; whereas the mere prospect of their application can be enough to instill self-censorship without an actual need to apply them;

Amendment 57 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas ~~policies and practices instilling a chilling effect on civic space have been adopted in certain Member St~~some CSOs may have a significant influence on public life and public debates w~~ith the aim of achieving self- censorship and deterring civic actors from exercising their rights~~hich justify their funding being subject to strict transparency measures, especially if the funding comes from outside the Union;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)

K a. whereas in some Member States emergency legislation in response to the health crisis has been used as a pretext to arbitrarily restrict fundamental rights and freedoms and crackdown on civil society and other dissenting voices; whereas these measures have been found in some cases not to have met the necessity, proportionality, time limitations and non- discrimination requirements, absent which any restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms stemming from them cannot be considered legitimate and lawful;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)

K a. whereas transparency is a legitimate requirement which is of outmost importance for all European Union institutions, including the European Commission and the European Parliament;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

— having regard to the UN resolutions 2250 (2015) and 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020) on youth, peace and security,

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)

K a. whereas civic space restrictions in neighbouring countries have also implications and impact on the state of civil society in the European Union;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)

K a. whereas civic space restrictions in neighbouring countries have also implications and impact on the state of civil society in the European Union;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)

K b. whereas in some Member States emergency legislation in response to the health crisis has been used as a pretext to arbitrarily restrict fundamental rights and freedoms and crackdown on civil society and other dissenting voices; whereas these measures have been found in some cases not to have met the necessity, proportionality, time limitations and non- discrimination requirements, absent which any restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms stemming from them cannot be considered legitimate and lawful;

Amendment 63 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD

Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)

K b. whereas while the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented engagement of civil society organisations in providing solutions to the crisis and providing support to people in vulnerable situations, it has considerably impacted the right of association, assembly and expression; whereas despite their role on the ground, civil society organisations have not been consulted in the development of emergency measures;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)

K b. whereas the European Union also maintains a transparency register of organizations wishing to influence decision-makers;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K c (new)

K c. whereas while the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented engagement of civil society organisations in providing solutions to the crisis and providing support to people in vulnerable situations, it has considerably impacted the right of association, assembly and expression; whereas despite their role on the ground, civil society organisations have not been consulted in the development of emergency measures;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the right to peaceful assembly has been restricted due to necessary social distancing rules in a majority of Member States; whereas some Member States have passed laws restricting the right to peaceful assembly in the past years, also concerning permission and notification requirements; whereas in some Member States, the powers of law enforcement authorities are increasing, generating concerns over their necessity and proportionality;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

L a. whereas while the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented engagement of civil society organisations in providing solutions to the crisis and providing support to people in vulnerable situations, it has considerably impacted the right of association, assembly and expression; whereas despite their role on the ground, civil society organisations have not been consulted in the development of emergency measures;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

— having regard to the 1998 UN Declaration on Human rights Defenders,

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the emergence of government-organised non-governmental organisations (GONGOs) designed to support the political legitimacy of those in power constitutes one of the gravest forms of attack against CSOs, jeopardising their existence by undermining active citizenship;deleted

Amendment 71 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the emergence of government-organised non-governmental organisations (GONGOs) designed to always support the political legitimacy of those in power and support it in public debates and its political goals while presenting themselves as independent voices, constitutes one of the gravest forms of attack against CSOs, jeopardising their existence by undermining active citizenship;

Amendment 73 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

Amendment 74 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

~~N. whereas while CSOs increasingly perform economic activities and contribute to the social economy, no legislative steps have been taken to unlock their operations at EU level;~~deleted

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas while CSOs increasingly perform economic activities and contribute to the social economy, no legislative steps have been taken to unlock their operations at EU level; whereas despite concrete CJEU case law, the principle of non- discrimination and the free movement of capital applied to cross-border donations is still not universally applied in Member States;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

~~O. whereas foreign funding has been the target of legal and political attacks in some Member States;~~deleted

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas foreign funding has been the target of legal and political attacks in some Member States; whereas any restrictions imposed on civil society organisations receiving foreign funding is contrary to Union law, including the rights to freedom of association and public participation, as recently found by the CJEU1a in relation to the Hungarian law LXXVI of 2017 on the transparency of organisation supported from abroad; _________________ 1a C-78/18 European Commission v. Hungary

Amendment 78 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas foreign funding has been the target of legal and political attacks in some Member States; whereas any restrictions imposed on civil society organisations receiving foreign funding is contrary to Union law, namely on free movement of capitals (Article 63 TFEU) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including the rights to freedom of association and public participation, as recently found by the CJEU in C-78/18;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas foreign funding has been the target of legal and political attacks in some Member States; whereas in case C- 78/18, the CJEU ruled that the law referred to it violated free movement of capital and freedom of association;

Amendment 8 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

— having regard to the 1998 UN Declaration on Human rights Defenders,

Amendment 80 #

Łukasz KOHUT, Bettina VOLLATH, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas ~~foreign~~non-native funding has been the target of legal and political attacks in some Member States;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas foreign funding has ~~been the target of legal and political attacks~~rightly been subject to public control in some Member States;

Amendment 82 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)

O a. Whereas the Union has embarked on a process of a thorough societal and economic reform which will deeply affect lives of Union citizens, in particular in the context of the European Green Deal and digital transformation; whereas this process will require a healthy civic space to allow citizens and affected communities to articulate their interests, debate policy solutions, and reach new social contracts;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)

O a. whereas CSOs participation in the development of law and policy should be facilitated by policy frameworks enabling them to engage in dialogue with public authorities; whereas while progress has been made both at national and EU level, civil dialogue still often remains an ad hoc process;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Acknowledges that the civic space is an integral element of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, and thus the Union should commit to the preservation and cultivation of civic space at regional and local, national and European levels; recognizes that the civil society has effectively played a crucial role in the system of governance of the Union, including by significantly contributing to formulation and implementation of Union policies as well as by implementation of common European values and protection of citizens’ rights;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)

-1 a. Recognizes that the strategic goals of the Union such as combating the climate change, digital transformation and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be impossible to achieve without the contribution of civil society, which promotes these goals among European societies, as well as implements them on all levels, while ensuring that interests and rights of stakeholders and affected communities are respected;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, giving access to crucial services, providing expertise in policy-making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy and being indispensable watchdogs exercising democratic control over state institutions and ensuring accountability for public action;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresse~~Notes the role played by CSOs; confirms their ~~key~~ contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society~~, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy- making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy~~;

Amendment 88 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of ~~EU values~~democratic values, equality, the rule of law and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU law, policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, giving access to crucial services, providing expertise in policy-making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy and indispensable watchdogs exercising democratic control over State institutions and ensuring accountability for public action;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU law, policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, giving access to crucial services, providing expertise in policy-making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy and indispensable watchdogs exercising democratic control over State institutions and ensuring accountability for public action;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 b (new)

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy-making, holding authorities and public institutions accountable, monitoring use of public funds, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in ~~the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies~~Europe; stresses their key contribution to ~~informed~~ public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, to populations worried about the preservation of their identities, providing expertise in policy- making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy and whistleblowers;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the crucial role played by CSOs in the realisation of EUa wide range of values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their key contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy- making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Asserts the ~~crucial~~important role played by CSOs in the realisation of EU values and fundamental rights, and the implementation of EU policies and strategies; stresses their ~~key~~important contribution to informed public debate, articulating aspirations present in society, giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised people, providing expertise in policy-making, promoting active citizenship and acting as schools of democracy;

Amendment 94 #

Peter POLLÁK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to ~~thrive, civic space must be~~have an independent and critical voice of society, transparent funding mechanisms as well as civil dialogue mechanisms must be established at all levels in order to ensure that citizens and their representative associations can participate effectively. Civil societies should operate in an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects;;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects; reminds Member States of their positive obligation to ensure an enabling environment for civil society organisations, where they can exercise their fundamental watchdog role freely and without hindrance from both State and non-State actors;

Amendment 96 #

Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Hilde VAUTMANS, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects, such as SLAPPs, incitement to hatred and/or violence against rights defenders and organisations, and the creation of legal or administrative hurdles affecting their daily operations;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that for civil society organisations to thrive, civic space must be an enabling and safe environment free from undue interference, intimidation, harassment and chilling effects; stresses the importance of media pluralism which is crucial for CSOs to be able to reach public opinion and therefore contribute to public debate;

Amendment 99 #