Activities of Angelika MLINAR related to 2018/2036(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on minimum standards for minorities in the EU PDF (448 KB) DOC (77 KB)
Amendments (30)
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. Whereas the EU is a mosaic of cultures, languages, religions, traditions and history, forming a community of diverse citizens united by their common core values; whereas it is this diversity that constitutes Europe’s greatest wealth;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the European Parliament acknowledged in its resolution of 25 October 2016 with recommendations to the Commission on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (2015/2254(INL)), that “approximately 8 % of Union citizens belong to a national minority and approximately 10 % speak a regional or minority language; whereas there is no Union legal framework to guarantee their rights as a minority; whereas the establishment of an effective mechanism to monitor their rights in the Union is of outmost importance; whereas there is a difference between the protection of minorities and anti- discrimination policies; whereas equal treatment is a basic right, not a privilege, of all citizens;”
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas languages are an integral part of European identity and the most direct expression of culture; whereas respect for linguistic diversity is a fundamental value of the EU, as laid down in, for instance, Article 22 of the Charter and the preamble to the TEU, which refers to ‘drawing inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, from which have developed the universal values of the inviolable and inalienable rights of the human person, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law’; whereas 40 to 50 million people in the EU speak one of its 60 regional and minority languages, some of which are at serious risk;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas while international agreements and EU law provide a solid framework for minority rights, there is still considerable room for improvement of the way in which the protection of minority rights is effectively put into place in the EU; whereas all EU citizens have the right to express their opinions and political views by peaceful, legal and democratic means, regardless if the language they prefer to do so in, is the official language of the Member State; whereas the legitimacy of the democratic institutions is based on participation and representation of all groups of society, including minorities; whereas the prohibition of using any language, other than the official language during electoral campaigns in some Member states hinders the promotion and protection of cultural and linguistic diversity and violates the right to free expression and information as provided by the EU Charter of fundamental rights;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses that there is a need for a legislative proposal on minimum standards of protection of minorities in the EU, for improving the situation of minorities and for protecting the already existing rights in all the Member States and to avoid double standards, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity and proportionality, and after carrying out a proper impact assessment; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that their legal systems guarantee that persons belonging to a minority are not discriminated against, and to take and implement targeted protection measures based on relevant international standards;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to consider the implementation of minority rights to be incorporated into all possible subparts of the EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights as a comprehensive tool 1a introducing the minority perspective into its DRF Pact proposal. Recalls in that regard the request made in its resolution of 25 October 2016 on an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, and reiterates its request to the Commission to submit a proposal for the conclusion of a Union Pact for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights (DRF Pact) ; _________________ 1aAs suggested in a recent study requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and commissioned, overseen and published by the Policy Department for Citizen’s Rights and Constitutional Affairs, “Towards a comprehensive EU protection system for minorities”
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States, while safeguarding the national citizenship, and calls on the Commission, while promoting the European identity and common values, to safeguard the right of national minorities to preserve, protect and develop their own identity, and to take the necessary steps to ensure the effective participation of national minorities in social, economic, political and cultural life and in public affairs;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States, while safeguarding the national citizenship, and calls on the Commission, while promoting the European identity and common values, to safeguard the right of national minorities to preserve, protect and develop their own identity, and to take the necessary steps to ensure the effective participation of national minorities in social, economic and, cultural and political life and in public affairs;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that common and minimum standards to protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities should be developed, taking account of best practices already used within the Member States, such as in Italy (Alto Adige/South Tyro)l, in Germany (Schleswig-Holstein) or in Finland, following the procedural principles of good neighbourliness, friendly relations and co-operation between the Member States, and on the basis of the implementation of international standards and norms; and that the adoption of the common and minimum standards should not diminish the already existing rights and standards protecting the persons belonging to minorities; recalls the implementation of the commitments adopted and principles developed in the framework of the OSCE, particularly in its thematic recommendations and guidelines; recalls that the Commission has already taken these standards into account in the context of the Copenhagen criteria during the accession negotiations with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and the current candidate countries;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that common and minimum standards to protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities should be developed, taking account of best practices already used within the Member States, such as in Italy (Alto Adige/South Tyro)l, in Germany (Schleswig-Holstein) or in Finland, following the procedural principles of good neighbourliness, friendly relations and co-operation between the Member States, and on the basis of the implementation of international standards and norms; recalls the implementation of the commitments adopted and principles developed in the framework of the OSCE, particularly in its thematic recommendations and guidelines; recalls that the Commission has already taken these standards into account in the context of the Copenhagen criteria during the accession negotiations with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and the current candidate countries; Calls on the Commission in that regard to apply the same standards to all EU Member states;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Member States to make coherent analysis of the current minority policies in order to clarify strengths and challenges and make proposals to secure the compliance with the rights of national minorities.
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Highlight that the media plays an important role in covering violations of minority rights and if unreported, the daily realities confronting the minorities remain invisible.
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Notes that stateless minorities, i.e. the Roma, continue to face the constant threat of discrimination, evictions, detention and exclusion from employment opportunities and from the most essential services such as education and health care; notes that without these fundamentals the conditions for potential statelessness will remain in place.
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure that persons belonging to national minorities have rights and adequate opportunities to receive education and training in a minority language and for instruction in their mother tongue in both public and private educational institutions; calls on the Member States to formulate appropriate education policies, bearing in mind the right for education in a minority language and the needs of national minorities; calls on the Members States and the Commission to incorporate the best practices in teaching foreign languages into the methodology of teaching official languages when it comes to curricula for schools which provide education in a minority language; notes that the Member States should ensure that both the regional or minority language and the official language are taught using appropriate methods;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Member States to define preferential thresholds in the learning of regional or minority languages; calls on the Member States to ensure equity in education irrespective of where the person lives, the persons background or living conditions; calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure that people belonging to national minorities living in rural area, or living in widely scattered settlements, have the right to receive education in a minority language, e.g. in their mother tongue and ; calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure that education reforms and policies do not restrict the right to receive education in a minority language;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Notes that the training of teachers and access to textbooks and learning material of good quality are essential preconditions for ensuring good quality education for students; notes that the curricula, education materials and history textbooks should provide a fair, accurate and informative portrayal of the societies and cultures of the minority group; notes that a widely recognised problem regarding minority language education that needs to be addressed is the insufficient availability of high-quality teaching material and skilled minority language teachers; notes that multi-dimensional teaching of history should be a requirement in all schools, whether in minority or majority communities; notes the importance of the development of teacher training in order to fit the needs of teaching at different levels and in different school forms (pre- school, subject teaching in the languages, bilingual education, immersion education);
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Member States to consider the introduction of topics on fundamental human rights and minority rights in particular to the school curricula as means of promoting cultural diversity and tolerance through education;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes that language is an essential aspect of cultural identity and the human rights of minorities and that education remains the main tool to revitalize and to maintain endangered minority languages; calls on the Member States to take into consideration this rights perspective, to ensure the right to use a minority language in private as in public places without any discrimination, and to protect linguistic diversity within the Union; calls on the Commission to strengthen its plan to promote the teaching and use of regional languages as a potential means of tackling language discrimination in the EU, and to promote linguistic diversity;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Stresses that in its resolution of 11 September 2013, the European Parliament reminded that the Commission should pay attention to the fact that, with their policies, some Member States and regions are endangering the survival of languages inside their borders, even if those languages are not in danger in the European context, and calls on the Commission to consider the administrative and legislative obstacles posed to practicing these languages;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls the Member States and the Commission to allow and promote, with regard to the administrative authorities and public service organisations, the use of regional or minority languages in practice, according to the principle of proportionality, such as in relations between private individuals and organisations on the one hand, and public authorities on the other; calls on the Member States to make information and public services available in these languages, including on the internet, in areas where people belonging to national minorities are traditionally present; encourages municipal authorities to ensure the use of regional and minority languages; encourages the Member States to use the good practices already existing within the Member States as guidelines; calls on the Member States to encourage public officials and authorities to undertake an official certificate of language proficiency in order to ensure services in the regional and minority languages.
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Member States to take action to prevent administrative and financial obstacles that could delay linguistic diversity at European and national level and impede the usage and application of linguistic rights of persons belonging to national minorities; Calls on the Member States which still impose language restrictions to electoral campaigning to review their legislation and bring it in line with the international and EU standards on linguistic diversity;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4 a (new)
Subheading 4 a (new)
Right to health and health care
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Notes that minority individuals have the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services, sanitation and a clean environment; calls on the Member States to ensure affordable, accessible, preventive and curative health care of good quality for all.
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Notes that minority groups have lower access to health services and health information; calls on the Member States to ensure minorities the access to health care, both physical and mental health care, as well as access to sexual and reproductive health care without discrimination.
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 c (new)
Paragraph 29 c (new)
29c. Calls on the Member States to ensure that health facilities, goods and services are within safe physical reach for all sections of the population, this is particularly relevant for minority populations that are geographically isolated or are predominantly living in rural locations; calls on the Member States to ensure that health facilities are provided in a culturally appropriate manner that is respectful of the culture of minorities.
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4 b (new)
Subheading 4 b (new)
Right to decision-making
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 d (new)
Paragraph 29 d (new)
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 e (new)
Paragraph 29 e (new)
29e. Notes that all election information that is available in the official languages of the Member State should also be available in the minority language so that all citizens will have an effective and equal opportunity to register, learn the details of the elections, and cast a free vote.
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 f (new)
Paragraph 29 f (new)
29f. Notes that the fundamental precondition for the integration of minorities into a Member State is the full implementation of the right to freedom of association including the possibility to form organisations and political parties which are able to transmit the specific interests of the minority into the political sphere.
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 g (new)
Paragraph 29 g (new)
29g. Notes that national parliamentary committees for minority issues is of crucial importance for the quality of minority representation; notes that in some Member States the discussion of minority issues is addressed within committees dealing with broader mandates such as human rights, constitutional questions and local administration; calls on the Member States to organise mandatory committee hearings in the legislative process affecting directly or indirectly minority rights in order to reinforce the position of such committees.