53 Amendments of Javier COUSO PERMUY related to 2014/2216(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other United Nations human rights treaties and instruments, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted in New York on 16 December 1966,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
– having regard to the UN Human Rights Council Resolution of 26 June 2014 calling for the establishment of an open- ended intergovernmental working group with the aim of drawing up ‘an international legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights’,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 a (new)
Citation 26 a (new)
– having regard to the ILO Convention on Migrant Workers (1949),
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
- having regard to Convention No 169 of the International Labour Organisation on indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 30
Citation 30
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas respect for, and the promotion and safeguarding of, the universality and indivisibility of human rights arshould as a minimum be cornerstones of the EU’s action on the international scene;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU’s credibility in its external relations will be bolstered by increasing consistency between its internal and external policies in relation to human rights; deplores the fact that the European Union’s human rights policy is restricted, and even contradicted, by diplomatic, political or economic considerations, creating double standards which damage all EU policies in this field and are completely contrary to a universal vision of human rights;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the new Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) has stated that human rights will be one of her overarching priorities and that she intends to use them as a compass with regard to all her relations with third countries; whereas she has also reiterated the EU’s commitment to promoting human rights in all areas of foreign relations ‘without exception’, and particularly where trade is concerned; whereas the adoption of the new EU Action Plan for human rights and democracy and the renewal of the mandate of the EU Special Representative for human rights will be on the EU agenda at the beginning of 2015;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU’s Annual Report, and events after its reporting period, serve as a stark reminder of the grave human cost of the non-observance of human rights; whereas there is also a major material and budgetary cost to the EU as a result of the non-observance of human rights, non-observance of human rights in third countries has an adverse impact on the EU when failure to respect human rights and lack of legitimate democratic participation lead to instability, failed states, humanitarian crises and armed conflicts, phenomena to which the EU is obliged to respond;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU’s Annual Report, and events after its reporting period, serve as a stark reminder of the grave human cost of the non-observance of human rights; whereas there is also a major material and budgetary cost to the EU as a result of the non-observance of human rights, when failure to respect human rights and lack of legitimate democratic participation lead to instability, failed states, humanitarian crises and armed conflicts, phenomena to which the EU is obliged to respond;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the number of people who are unemployed has risen by 28 million since 2007, and whereas it is estimated that 67 million people are out of work as a result of the systemic crisis; whereas 60.9% of workers in developing countries are still living on less than 4 dollars a day; whereas 1.2 billion people all over the world are living in extreme poverty, and 805 million are suffering from hunger; whereas although the priority MDG of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger had very nearly been attained in part, austerity measures in developed and developing countries have had an adverse impact on the labour market and on living conditions, and have widened the gap between the richest and poorest in society;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas free primary education for all children is a fundamental right established by the 1989 international Convention on the Rights of the Child; whereas educating children and adults helps reduce poverty and infant mortality and promote good environmental practices; whereas access to education for all is intrinsically linked to the gender equality MDG, notably in terms of completing primary education; whereas this goal is far from being achieved;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas Article 164 of the UDHR recognises the right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries; whereas the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees clearly states that all refugees are entitled to special protection and that no state shall expel or return a refugee to a territory where he or she faces persecution or threats to life or freedom, whereas the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union recognises the right to human dignity, the right to asylum, protection in the event of removal or expulsion, and the principle of non- refoulement; whereas the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees states in Article 33(1) thereof that no Contracting State shall expel or return (ʽréfoulerʼ) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion and that no state shall expel or return a refugee to a territory where he or she faces persecution or threats to life or freedom and whereas disembarkation in a third-party country shall be an exceptional circumstance; bearing in mind the obligation to comply with international human rights conventions in accordance with international law and with the obligations on Member States to arrange for reception conditions and procedures which respect people's dignity and fundamental rights;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas this report, while drafted in response to the EU Annual Report adopted by the Council, is a forward-looking analysis of the EU’s activities in this policy area; whereas Parliament, in its resolutions on the previous Annual Reports and on the review of the EU human rights strategy, has stressed the need for a continued reflection on its own practices related to the mainstreaming of human rights in its activities and, to the follow-up of its urgency resolutions on breaches of democracy, human rights and the rule of law and to the monitoring of compliance with clauses on democracy and human rights in all agreements concluded by the EU with third countries;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination without any outside interference in the political, economic and social life of third countries; warns the EU and its Member States once more against any exploitation of the human rights issue, which would undermine its very credibility;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that in addition to human suffering, the EU should also note the material and budgetary cost of non- observance of human rights where failure to respect human rights and lack of legitimate democratic participation lead to instability, corruption, failed states, humanitarian crises or armed conflicts, phenomena which undermine the EU’s efforts in its development policy, and to which the EU or its Member States are obliged to react in the security policy domain; welcomes, in this regard, the EU’s recent efforts to include violations of human rights in its early warning matrix linked to crisis prevention; calls, however, for a stronger preventative action, and urges the VP/HR, the Commission and the Member States to develop a human rights- based crisis prevention element which should be added to the EU Comprehensive Approach to external conflicts and crises;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Expresses its concern at the deterioration of human rights in Western Sahara; calls for the fundamental rights of the people of Western Sahara, including freedom of association, freedom of expression and the right to assembly, to be respected; demands the release of all Sahrawi political prisoners; demands access to the territories of Western Sahara to members of parliament, independent observers, NGOs, and the press; urges the United Nations to establish an international mechanism to monitor human rights in Western Sahara; supports a fair and lasting settlement of the conflict, on the basis of the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Condemns the continuing occupation of Palestine by the State of Israel and the latter’s violation of international law and international humanitarian law; reiterates its call for an end to Israeli colonisation in the Palestinian territories and to criminal attacks and the isolation of the Gaza Strip; stresses the urgent need to bring about a fair and lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East with a view to achieving a two-State solution – an independent and viable Palestinian State and the State of Israel, living side by side in peace and security on the basis of the internationally recognised 1967 borders;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Condemns the use of systematic torture by the United States at its military base in Guantánamo; stresses once again the illegal nature of this base and calls for it to be closed immediately and for all the land on which it is situated to be returned to Cuba;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Highlights the importance of compliance with the provisions of ILO Convention 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples in ensuring that their fundamental rights are respected; is deeply concerned by the situation of the Mapuche people and of indigenous peoples in countries such as Guatemala, condemns the repression directed against indigenous leaders and the assassination of trade union leaders and asks that the United Nations International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala should not be wound up;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Is extremely concerned at continuing impunity in many parts of the world and condemns in particular the case of Mexico, where more than 22 000 people have disappeared, more than half of them in the past few years, but where 98% of crimes remain unpunished, including a large number of femicides; condemns the criminalisation and repression of students, journalists, social activists, peasant leaders and trade unionists in the country, including disappearances and assassinations;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. CommendsNotes the presentation by the External Action Service and the Commission ofor their comprehensive and clear reporting on EU action taken during the reporting period; reiterates, however, its view that the country reports in particular should have a more rigorous framework based on a set of indicators that would allow for the setting of benchmarks to assess both positive and negative trends, evaluate the efficiency of the EU’s actions, and provide grounds for adapting the levels of EU support in line with progress achieved with regard to human rights, democracy, the rule of law and good governance; notes that the use of such public indicators would be in line with several objectives mentioned in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, and would permit greater consistency in implementing human rights conditionality or assessing the human rights impact of EU policies;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recognises that the current systemic crisis is having a severe social impact on communities within and outside the European Union, notes that the various austerity plans adopted by the EU and other international institutions, such as the IMF, have led to an erosion in civil liberties and social and democratic rights, and a significant deterioration in living conditions, particularly among the weakest and most vulnerable groups;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the importance of following up on the reports and recommendations of Election Observation Missions by using these as part of a ‘road map for democracy’ in the country concerned and by mandating the Chief Observer to exercise a special role in the follow-up monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations, as a coherent part of Parliament’s comprehensive democracy support approach and with the support of Parliament’s standing bodies (including the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group)with the support of Parliament’s standing bodies;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the EU to continue to work for the definition of best practices in this area in order to support and consolidate democratisation processes; encourages the development of both policy and operational tools to be applied in priority countr; encourages the development of strategies in order to integrate human rights and democracy support measures, including conflict prevention measures and mediation, measures into the EU approach in a coherent, flexible and credible manner;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. WelcomNotes the pilot country work conducted so far by nine EU Delegations to achieve increased coherence for democracy support in the EU’s external relations, as initiated in the Council conclusions of 2009 and 2010 and as embedded in the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy in 2012;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. WelcomNotes the dedicated Council conclusions on human rights defenders on the tenth anniversary of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs); commends, furthermore, the Commission for its increased use of EIDHR funding to provide emergency grants to human rights defenders under imminent threat, and encourages the Commission to further explore new ways of supporting HRDs;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Requests that the EEAS and the EU Delegations engage with human rights defenders in a pragmatic political dialogue aimed at finding the best ways to support an enabling environment for their work; requests that the EU enhance its active diplomacy in third countries and strengthen the position of the human rights focal points in order to mainstream human rights in the daily political work of the EU Delegation, by systematically raising the names of political prisoners and engaging in trial monitoring and visits to prisons; stresses the need for the EU to use public diplomacy to support human rights defenders and to call for the release of imprisoned human rights activists;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Recalls the commitment ofstated by Parliament and its Subcommittee on Human Rights to supporting a strong multilateral human rights system under the aegis of the United Nations, including the Third Committee of the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the work of related UN specialised agencies such as the ILO; regrets, however, that EU human rights policy is governed by the tendency for foreign policy to follow the United States and NATO model;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Expresses its concern at the reported rise in the number of executions globally from 2012 to 2013, despite the fact that executions are confined to an increasingly small minority of countries; calls on the EU to take due action regarding the continuously high rate of executions in the United States, China and Iran, the resumption of executions in 2013 in Indonesia, Kuwait, Nigeria and Vietnam, as well as the marked increase in reported executions in Iraq and in Saudi Arabia;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Encourages the Commission to use the new flexibility now offered by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in order to explore new ways to campaign for the abolition of the death penalty and to support actions aimed at avoiding death sentences or executions;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Condemns the exportation by European companies of products and arms that can be used for the purposes of torture and other punishments or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including as part of crack-downs on protests; gives its support, in this context, to the process of revision of Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Reiterates its call for the systematic inclusion of human rights clauses in the EU’s international agreements, including trade agreements, concluded with third countries, and calls for effective monitoring of their application as well as for reporting back to the relevant commStresses that introducing these democracy/human rights clauses in free- trade agreements signed by the EU with third countries has been a failure, not only since they have barely been taken into account, but also because those free- trade agreements have even resulted in violations of fundamental economic and social rights, in the impoverishment of the communities concerned and in the monopolisation of resources by multinational companies; believes that besides these clauses there is a need to implement new forms of cooperation to facilitatee of Parlia the economic and social development onf the agreements’ human rights aspectird countries based on the needs of their peoples;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Reiterates its call for the systematic inclusion of human rights clauses in the EU’s international agreements, including trade agreements, concluded with third countries, and calls for; regrets, however, that the claim that agreements are subject to compliance with human rights is a matter of propaganda, since there is no effective monitoring of their application as well a; calls for reporting backs to be submitted to the relevant committee of Parliament on the agreements’ human rights aspects; rejects, meanwhile, the imposition of sanctions by the EU on third countries with the aim of protecting its geopolitical and economic interests independently of the humanitarian situation;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Sees a need, moreover, for ex ante monitoring mechanisms prior to a framework agreement being concluded and on which such conclusion is made conditional as a fundamental part of the agreement, and for ex post monitoring mechanisms which enable tangible action to be taken in response to infringements of these clauses, including the possible suspension of the agreement;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Requests that the Commission and the EEAS encourage EU Delegations around the world to engage with EU businesses in order to promote respect for human rights, and to ensure that ‘business and human rights’ is included among the focus themes in the local calls for proposals of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR);
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Points out in particular the urgent need to respect freedom of association and the fight against all forms of repression, including the assassination of trade unionists;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Notes that the poorly regulated, uncontrolled and opaque arms trade leads to irresponsible trading in weapons, has caused human suffering, fuelled armed conflict, instability and corruption, undermined peace-building processes, good governance and socio-economic development and led to the overthrow of democratically elected governments and the violation of the rule of law, human rights and international humanitarian law; calls on the EU to ensure that European companies do not contribute to this phenomenon;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. ECondemns the mass spying on millions of people carried out by the United States National Security Agency; expresses its concern at the spread of monitoring and filtering technologies, which represent a growing threat to human rights and democracy activists in autocratic countriectivists and also pose troubling questions regarding privacy rights in democratic countries, even when used with the pretext of legitimate aims such as counter-terrorism or law enforcement;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
Paragraph 58 a (new)
58a. Considers that violence towards women is also expressed psychologically by the presence of a relationship of domination in society and by the dissemination of degrading images of women; stresses that the role of the Commission and the Member States in this area, both within and outside the EU, cannot be limited to combating violence towards women in all forms, be it physical, psychological, social or economic, and priority should be given to educating boys and girls from the youngest possible age, in addition to combating stereotypes;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Paragraph 59 a (new)
59a. Expresses alarm concerning the situation of women subjected to forced marriages, the excision of their daughters, threatened honour killings, human trafficking or other forms of violence, and who have not managed to obtain the right to asylum on EU territory and are living with the threat of expulsion; calls on the EU and its Member States to grant protection to women who are victims of violence;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. Calls on the Commission to develop innovative financial mechanisms to implement fiscal reforms and strengthen the fight against corruption, illicit financial flows and tax evasion; encourages, in this context, consideration of public-private partnerships, the blending of grants and loans, and helping developing countries to better mobilise their domestic resources; emphasises the importance of making the conclusion by the EU of agreements with third countries contingent on the implementation of effective measures to combat corruption; calls for an international tax on financial transactions that could act as an additional source of funding for development, and reminds the Member States that they have already agreed to introduce a financial transaction tax domestically and undertaken to set aside a share of the funds raised to finance global public assets, including development;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. Calls on the Commission to develop innovative financial mechanisms to implement fiscal reforms and strengthen the fight against corruption, illicit financial flows and tax evasion; encourages, in this context, consideration of public-private partnerships, the blending of grants and loans, and helping developing countries to better mobilise their domestic resources; calls for an international tax on financial transactions that could act as an additional source of funding for development, and reminds the Member States that they have already agreed to introduce a financial transaction tax domestically and undertaken to set aside a share of the funds raised to finance global public assets, including development;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66
Paragraph 66
66. Points out that 78 countries still criminalise homosexuality, including sevten which provide for the death penalty (Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Mauritania, North Sudan, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iran, the Maldives and Brunei); firmly condemns the recent increase in discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, worldwide, and most notably in Nigeria and Uganda, Uganda and Malawi; encourages close monitoring of the situation in Nigeria, Uganda, India and Russia,countries where new laws or recent legal developments seriously threaten the freedom of sexual minorities; reaffirms its support for the continuing work of the High Commissioner on Human Rights to combat these discriminatory laws and practices and for the work of the UN more generally on this issue;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67
Paragraph 67
67. Welcomes the adoption in 2013 of the EU Guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to raise the issue of LGBTI rights in political and human rights dialogues with third countries and multilateral forums; emphasises the importance of the Commission and the EEAS continuing to raise the issue of LGBTI rights in political and human rights dialogues and of using the EIDHR to support organisations defending LGBTI rights by empowering them to challenge homophobic laws and discrimination against LGBTI people, raising awareness among the general public of the discrimination and violence experienced by persons of different sexual orientations, and ensuring the provision of emergency assistance (from psychosocial and medical help to mediation and reintegration assistance) to those in need of such support;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74 a (new)
Paragraph 74 a (new)
74a. Condemns the inability of the European Union, its Member States and their partner countries to guarantee the right of asylum and organise rescue operations at sea; criticises readmission agreements, in particular on the grounds that they determine the substance of other agreements, including in the area of development, with third countries; considers immigration policies of this kind to be indicative of prejudice towards the inhabitants of the countries of the South; calls for a visa liberalisation policy for nationals of the countries of the South, and in particular countries in transition to democracy, such as Tunisia, and for the implementation of resettlement policies in all the Member States;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75
Paragraph 75
75. Reiterates its view that climate change undermines the most basic human rights, gives rise to displacements of persons and thereby creates a new form of forced migration, which the EU must properly address; requests that the Commission and the EEAS participate actively in the debate on the term ‘climate refugee’, including its possible legal definition in international law or in any legally binding international agreement;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 a (new)
Paragraph 76 a (new)
76a. Calls on the EU and its Member States to make the Millennium Development Goals the top priority in their internal policies and their relations with third countries; emphasises that the achievement of these goals, and more specifically those concerning the eradication of poverty, universal access to education and gender equality, is contingent on the availability of better, universally accessible public services;
Amendment 485 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79
Paragraph 79
79. Emphasises the need for continued reflection regarding the most appropriate ways to maximise the credibility, visibility and effectiveness of Parliament’s resolutions on breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of lawRegrets that in many cases Parliament’s resolutions on breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law have been used as a mechanism for interfering in the internal affairs of third countries according to the Union’s strategic and geopolitical interests;