Activities of Philippe BOULLAND related to 2012/2136(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the impact of the financial and economic crisis on human rights
Amendments (7)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that the economic and financial crisis is a threat to human rights as a whole, including civil and political rights, and has had detrimental effects on access to food, health care and education for the most vulnerable groups in society, in both urban and rural areas; recalls that governments have a duty toshould ensure respect for economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights and to provide protection against abuses by, for example, corporate and other private actorpoints to the EU’s responsibility to propose partnership arrangements and ways and means of creating growth and employment, including minimum social standards;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the crisis has shown that social protection spending increases poor people’s resilience to shocks; highlights as wellsocial investment has made it possible to protect poor people more effectively against the crisis; highlights as well the fact that, despite the crisis, some developing countries’ growth rate is close to 4% and that countries with effective systems of domestic taxation reduce their vulnerability to sudden losses of trade taxes or foreign capital inflows; urges, therefore, the EU to help developing countries set up progressive and effective taxation systems to mitigate the impact of the crisis; and urges the EU to continue to take a hard line on conditionality and effectiveness of its development aid, having regard to countries where corruption is exacerbating even further the impact of the crisis in terms of undermining human rights;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. DeplorRealises that, while the international community acknowledges the indivisibility and equal importance of all human rights, ESC rights remain difficult to enforce in practice; believes that full use should be made of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) that allows for individual complaints of alleged violations of ESC rights;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reaffirms that while the global economic crisis poses a severe threat to the fulfilment of ESC rights, there is no justification for states, whatever their level of income, to compromise on their obligation to respect fundamental human rightPoints out that, by means of trade agreements and partnership arrangements, emerging countries such as China, India and Brazil must be encouraged by the EU, despite the crisis, to make compliance with ILO social standards and human rights part of their growth policies; stresses that governments have, at all times, an obligation to ensure ‘minimum essential levels’ of the social and economic rights necessary for living in dignity;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the global crisis has clearly demonstrated that – in a context where deregulation, liberalisation and privatisation have entrenched global poverty and exacerbated inequalities between and within countries – a rethink is urgently needed of the role of the state in economic policy; believUnderscores that the fulfilment of social and economic rights depends on, inter alia, the capacity of the state to regulate the financial market and to allocate resources in an equitable manner through, for example, an effective, transparent, and progressive taxation system;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that governments must make not only an economic, but also a social response to the crisis; states that, in order to support developing countries’ efforts, subsequent partnership agreements must place greater emphasis on promotion of better governance;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes with concern that the global economic crisis is jeopardising Official Development Aid spending by EU Member States; recalls that the costs of the global economic crisis are being borne disproportionately by poor countries, despite having originated in the richer countries; urges, therefore, the EU and its Member States to maintain and deliver on their existing bilateral and multilateral ODA commitments and on the targets identified in, for example, the UN Millennium Declaration.; and points out that, through their potential contribution to official development assistance, the emerging countries also have an important role to play;