Activities of Miguel URBÁN CRESPO related to 2019/2125(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report 2018 on the human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union's policy on the matter (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2018
Amendments (46)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
– having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, and the outcomes of their review conferences,
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas throughout the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the EU acknowledges the crucial role that Human Rights Defenders play in the strengthening of democratic societies and the rule of law all over the world; whereas the protection of the human rights of groups in the most vulnerable situations, such as ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, people with disabilities, the LGBTI community, women, children, asylum seekers and migrants, deserves special attention;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas private military and security companies have been implicated in a number of human rights violations and incidents resulting in loss of lives; whereas such incidents amount in some cases to serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes, as well as being implicated in killings, attacks on or threats against human rights defenders;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU, through continuous actions at bilateral and multilateral level, contributed to advancing human rights in 2018, in particular by strengthening the political dialogue with non-EU countries, and by establishing new international agreements, inter alia trade and economic partnerships;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas certain so-called 'structural' economic reforms, and in particular the accompanying budget cuts at the request of international institutions, have a negative impact on human rights, in particular on economic and social rights and on living conditions populations, and can lead to increased unemployment, poverty, inequality and precarious work, the decline in the quality of basic public services and the restriction of access to them; whereas without an adequate social protection system, there is a risk that these measures will involve a violation of the human rights obligations of governments, as well as the commitments adopted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development objectives;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the Human Rights Defenders World Summit 2018 held in Paris on the twentieth anniversary of the UN Declaration on HRDs produced an Action Plan with priorities for states, businesses, financial institutions, donors and intergovernmental organisations in bringing about a safe and enabling environment for the defence of human rights, as well as stronger and more effective protection of human rights defenders at risk, their communities, organisations and movements;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reminds that there can be no hierarchy of human rights; stresses the need to ensure full respect for, and adherence to, the principle that human rights are universal and inalienable, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated; stresses the severe unacceptability of attempts to use the rights of certain groups to justify the marginalisation of others;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the scourge of armed conflicts, which continues to claim civilian lives and causes mass displacement, with states and non-state actors seemingly abdicating their responsibility to abide by international humanitarian law and international human rights law; stresses that regions at war or in conflict situations face grave human rights violations, exceptional in nature and aimed at denying human dignity, which are both devastating for victims and degrading for perpetrators; highlights, as an example, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war to destroy, destabilise, and demoralise individuals, families, communities and societies; deeply deplores the lack of respect for international humanitarian law and strongly condemns the alarming progress of the deadly attacks on hospitals, schools and other civilian targets around the world in armed conflicts in 2018;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is seriously concerned at the increase in the number of cases of murder, attacks and intimidation against people standing up for human rights throughout the world, in particular journalists, scholars, lawyers and civil society activists, inter alia environmental and land defenders, mainly in countries with high levels of corruption and a poor record of upholding the rule of law and judicial oversight; it is estimated that since 1998 when the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders was signed, 3500 HRDs have been assassinated around the world; notes that women human rights defenders face specific risks and need adequate protection; denounces the fact that some governments have adopted legislation that restricts the activities of the social movement, including the closure of NGOs or the freezing of their assets;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Expresses deep concern that the EU and certain Member States continue to pursue business, military, antiterrorism and migration interests over human rights and democracy concern; is deeply concerned about the use of repressive cybersecurity and counter-terrorism legislation to crack down on human rights defenders;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of advancing gender equality and women’s rights worldwide; emphasises that, in spite of progress, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence; stresses that manyost societies still struggle to provide women and girls with equal rights under the law and equal access to education, healthcare, decent work and political and economic representation; expresses concerns over the ongoing attacks on women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), as well as over legislation in many parts of the world that restricts these rights, including in the EU;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Draws attention to instances of persecution and discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, class, caste, religion, belief, language, sex, sexual orientation gender identity and age, which remain rife in many countries and societies; is seriously concerned at the increasingly intolerant and hate-filled responses targeting people who are the victims of these human rights violations;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that the number of persons forcibly displaced in 2018 exceeded 70 million, of whom 26 million were refugees3 ; takes the view that wars, conflicts, political oppression, poverty and food insecurity,41million internally displaced and 3.5 million were asylum seekers; in addition 12 million people globally are stateless; takes the view that the drivers of displacement -, wars, conflicts, political oppression, persecution and violence – will intensify through uneven economic development conditions and the adverse effects of climate change on the world’s poorest countries in particular, fuel the risks of triggering new conflicts and the further displacement of populations; __________________ 3UNHCR – Global Trends 2018 report (19 June 2019).
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses the essential obligations and responsibilities of States and other decision-makers, including businesses, to mitigate the effects of climate change, prevent their negative impact on human rights and promote appropriate policies in compliance with human rights obligations; stresses that environmental changes undermine the most basic human rights, such as access to water, natural resources and food; considers that the fight against the exploitation and hoarding of resources must be a priority for the EU and its Member States; draws particular attention to the link between this exploitation of resources and the financing of conflicts, wars and violence, directly or indirectly included by multinational corporations; recognises that the environmental consequences of climate change may exacerbate forced migration and displacement, and therefore stresses the need to rapidly implement policies to reduce the effects of climate change in line with the Paris Agreement; therefore, considers important to work at the international level to define the concept of "environmentally displaced persons" within the UN with a view to establishing an international legal framework and adopting a common approach to the protection of those obliged to leave their place of residence;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that freedom of speech and expression, as well as media pluralism, are at the heart of resilient democratic societies; urges that the best possible safeguards against hate speech, disinformation campaigns and hostile propaganda be put in place by developing a legal framework both at EU and international level for tackling hybrid threats, including cyber and information warfare;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights that trade and human rights reinforce each other, and that the business community has an important role to play in offering positive incentives in terms of promoting human rights, democracy and corporate responsibility; reminds the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the need to make effective use of human rights clauses within international agreements, based on political dialogue, the regular assessment of progress and recourse to the consultation procedure upon request from a party; requests that robust implementation and monitoring mechanisms of human rights clauses be put in place, involving Parliament, local civil society and relevant international organisations, as well as establishing a complaints mechanism for groups of citizens and stakeholders who are affected by human rights violations;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Supports human rights dialogues with non-EU countries as an essential tool for bilateral engagement in the promotion and protection of human rights; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to join forces to address human rights and related obligations in dialogues or negotiations in any political and economic areas, with the governments of non-EU countries, in order to reinforce the impact of human rights dialogues; demands to open bilateral dialogues to observation by civil society, carry out evaluations every two years and monitor progress in the agreements and commitments achieved through a follow- up mechanism between the EU, the country in question, local civil society and relevant international organization;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Rejects the fact that in many countries people are denied the right to demonstrate peacefully, with legal, administrative and other measures such as the suppression of demonstrations through the use of force, harassment and arbitrary detention; stresses that in 2018 hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were arrested, many of whom were subjected to ill-treatment and arbitrary detentions and have had to pay heavy fines in trials where minimum procedural standards were not guaranteed; demands respect for the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression guaranteed by international standards and UN treaties and calls on governments not to use force against peaceful protesters;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses the link between the increase in human rights violations and widespread impunity and the lack of accountability in regions and countries devastated by conflicts or marked by politically motivated intimidation, discrimination, harassment and assault, abduction, violent policing, arbitrary arrests and cases of torture; stresses also that in conflicts, minorities and marginalised groups are often particularly severely impacted;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on all EU Member States to strictly comply with the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports and, in particular, to stop all arms transfers, and surveillance and intelligence equipment that can be used by governments to repress human rights, and even more in the context of an armed conflict; stresses that some EU Member States are among the largest arms exporters in the world and considers it essential to apply and strengthen international standards on arms sales to prevent any EU Member State or European companies from participating directly or indirectly in an escalation of violence and in the financing of armies or groups involved in human rights abuses; strongly opposes any reorientation of the CFSP in the direction of further militarization of NATO’s exclusive reinforcement and considers that European policies should focus solely on peace and conflict resolution;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the invaluable and essential role that HRDs play at the risk of their lives; recommends strengthening cooperation between the EU institutions and the Member States, enabling them to provide continuous support to HRDs; values the ‘ProtectDefenders.eu’ mechanism established to protect HRDs at grave risk; highlights the need for the EU Delegations and EU Member States’ embassies to fully use and increase their funding and capacity for emergency protection and support for human rights defenders at risk; calls on the Council and the Commission to establish a specific coordinated specific procedure for awarding visas to HRDs; calls on the Commission to make full use of the EIDHR’s financial capacity of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) to support HRDto support HRDs, ensuring that these funds are known and accessible by the beneficiary population duly taking into account grassroots organisations and communities;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes that women’s rights organisations and defenders are specifically targeted and suffer particularly from the shrinking civic space; stresses the need for the EU to politically support, increasingly protect and raise financial allocations for independent civil society organisations that promote the rights of women and girls in all areas; urges the EU and EU Member States to ensure the protection of women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and take into account the specific protection needs they have;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Calls on the EU to separate migration policies from national security policies and adopt a human rights framework focused on protecting individuals in the context of migration, such that migrant rights defenders are not stigmatised as a threat to states but rather that their work is recognised as fundamentally legal and legitimate;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Underlines that the work of HRDs is crucial for the long term stability and security of their countries, as well for the respect of the rule of law; as such, reiterates its call for promoting “guarantees for the defence of human rights” based on preventive protection measures such as public statements of recognition, risk maps and proposals regarding public policy on protection; in this regard, calls to strengthen the implementation of the EU Guidelines for Human Rights Defenders; stresses that the proper implementation of the Guidelines is a fundamental tool to increase the capacity and guarantees of those who promote human rights and democracy in the world; emphasises the need for the EU and EU Member States’ leaders and diplomats at all levels to raise cases of individual HRDs at risk with third country governments including through demarches and regular dialogue; meet with defenders, including those who are marginalised or in remote regions, or fight for land, environment, indigenous, or LGBTI rights, and give them visibility when requested; visit defenders in detention, and observe defenders’ trials; pay particular attention to the specific needs of women HRDs, and adopt clear guidelines on specific support for them;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Strongly supports the EU’s strategic engagement for gender equality and its ongoing efforts to improve the human rights situation of women and girls, in line with the 2030 SDGs; and calls for the EU to adopt a comprehensive and binding Gender Equality Strategy once the strategic engagement expires; calls on the European Commission to prepare and adopt a communication to renew the Gender Action Plan after 2020, as an important EU tool to contribute to women and girls’ rights worldwide; calls on Member States to endorse the Gender Action Plan III in Council conclusions; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to further contribute to gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment by working closely with international organisations and non-EU countries, in order to develop and implement new legal frameworks regarding gender equality, and to eradicate harmful practices targeted at women and girls, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Condemns all forms of gender- based, physical, sexual and psychological violence and exploitation, mass rape, trafficking and female genital mutilation; calls on the EU and all its Member States who have not yet done so to ratify and implement the Istanbul Convention as soon as possible; urges countries to step up their legislation in order to tackle these issues; recalls that violence against women is deeply rooted in gender inequality and therefore needs to be addressed comprehensively; calls on the EU to work with other countries to step up their actions in the fields of education, healthcare and social services, data collection, funding and programming, to better prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence worldwide;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Finds it unacceptable that women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights remains an ideological battleground, including in multilateral settings; calls for the EU and its Member States to recognise the inalienable rights of women and girls to bodily integrity and autonomous decision- making, and condemns the frequent violations of women’s sexual and reproductive rights, including the denial of access to relevant services; calls on the EU to guarantee access to family planning services, contraceptives and safe and legal abortion services through its human rights, humanitarian and development policies, particularly in conflict and post-conflict situations and for victims of sexual violence as a weapon of war;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Affirms that access to health is a human right, that sexual and reproductive health and rights are grounded on basic human rights, and are essential elements of human dignity; emphasises that proper and affordable healthcare and in particular access to sexual and reproductive health and rights should be guaranteed for all, including comprehensive sexuality and relationships education and information, family planning, modern contraceptive methods, safe and legal abortion, and maternal, antenatal and post-natal healthcare; notes that these services are important elements to save women’s lives and reduce infant and child mortality;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Strongly condemns the continued application of the Global Gag Rule and its impact on women’s and girls’ health and rights; reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to fill the financing gap left by the US in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, using both national and EU development funding;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8 a (new)
Subheading 8 a (new)
Rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Condemns the arbitrary detention, torture, persecution and killings of LGBTI persons; notes that in a number of countries around the world, LGBTI people continue to face persecution and violence based on their sexual orientation; notes that countries continue to criminalise homosexual relations, even with the death penalty; urges the States concerned to amend their legislation without further delay; calls on the EU and its Member States to continue the work on protecting and furthering the human rights of LGBTI people, by working closely with international organisations and non-EU countries, in order to combat discrimination and human rights violations, as well as support the development of legislation and policies protecting the human rights of LGBTI people worldwide;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges the Commission, the /EEAS and theEU Member States to step upincrease advocacy inon freedom of thought, conscience, relatigion to or belief (FoRB), andincluding the freedom to believe or not to believe, to practice or not, to launch the interreligious dialogue with states and representatives of civil society and faith groups in orderso as to prevent acts of violence and discrimination against persons on the grounds of thought, conscience, religion or belief; calls forbelieves, therefore, that the rights to apostasy and atheism must be strengthened, unconditionally, through interreligious and intercultural dialogues; denounces the instrumentalisation of the religious question in many countries; calls on the EU to continue to forge alliances and to enhance cooperation with a broad range of countries and regional organisations, in order to deliver positive change infreedom of thought, conscience, relatigion to FoRB; remindor belief; recalls the Council and Commission of the need to adequately support the institutional mandate, capacity and duties of the Special Envoy for the promotion of FoRB outside the EU;
Amendment 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Denounces that freedom of information continued to be threatened in 2018; that, according to the annual Reporters Without Borders report, 80 journalists were killed, 348 were jailed and 60 kidnapped; recalls the importance of freedom of expression, both online and offline, as it promotes a culture of pluralism; strongly condemns threats, intimidation and attacks against journalists, independent media, bloggers and whistleblowers, as well as hate speech, defamation laws and incitement to violence, as they constitute a threat to the rule of law and the values embodied in human rights; recalls that freedom of expression is one of the foundations of any democratic society and can only be restricted for exceptional reasons, with special attention to the principles of necessity and proportionality;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Recalls that in 2018, at least 690 executions were carried out in 20 countries, which meant a decrease of 31% compared to 2017; is concerned about the number of convictions and executions for reasons that do not fit the definition of serious crimes which is contrary to international law; calls on those countries that have not yet done so to immediately establish a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition and calls on the EU and its Member States to be particularly vigilant with regard to the States threatening to restore the death penalty in law or in fact;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Condemns the use of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment and the death penalty in many countries; considers prison conditions and the state of prisons in a number of countries extremely worrying; considers it essential to combat all forms of torture and ill- treatment, including psychological treatment, of persons in prison and to step up efforts to respect international law in this area; recalls that the refusal to allow prisoners to access care and medicines, particularly for diseases such as hepatitis or HIV, constitutes ill-treatment or even torture and may be assistance to person in danger;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls on the EU, in its dialogue with third countries, especially those concerned by megaprojects, and in particular where these are funded by EU investors, banks or aid programmes, to ensure that authorities have or establish a clear and binding regulatory framework in which private military and security companies must operate, and where implementation is regularly and transparently monitored including in collaboration with civil society;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Calls to guarantee that the rights to social protest and peaceful assembly are respected in the context of opposition to large-scale economic projects; condemns any form of restriction and ensure that, in countries with which trade relations are maintained, serious police abuses are not repeated or continued, and laws that restrict or eliminate these rights are not approved or implemented;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Calls on the European Investment Bank (EIB) to ensure that robust safeguards are put in place to ensure that promoters fully comply with their stakeholder engagement responsibilities so that meaningful public participation and consultation takes place in planning, appraisal and monitoring processes, and reinforce its monitoring over all the projects it finances; to integrate such costs in the planning of its operations from the beginning of the project cycle, and to include sanctions into client contracts in case of non-compliance or non-respect of such safeguards; calls on the EU to monitor more closely EIB funded activities for compliance with human rights and ensure full accountability for violations;
Amendment 430 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
Amendment 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Stresses the failure of the introduction of human rights clauses in free trade agreements with third countries, as these agreements have even led to the violation of fundamental economic and social rights, and in particular the impoverishment of the populations concerned and the hoarding of resources by transnational companies; considers, furthermore, that ex ante control mechanisms, which are necessary before the conclusion of a framework agreement and which condition the conclusion as a fundamental feature of the agreement, as well as ex postfacto control mechanisms which give concrete violations of the said clauses up to the suspension of the agreement; considers that, beyond these clauses, it is necessary to set up new cooperations to enable the economic and social development of third countries according to the needs of the population;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the EU and EU Member States to ensure full due human rights diligence and proper vetting of exports of European surveillance technology and technical assistance; calls on the EU and EU Member States to engage with third country governments to end repressive cybersecurity and counter-terrorism legislation practices and legislation; is worried, however, about the proliferation of judicial and police cooperation agreements with countries which do not respect human rights;
Amendment 460 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Denounces the deaths in the Mediterranean Sea and rejects human rights abuses and violations suffered by refugees and migrants; regrets that some have even been returned to the border or expelled to places where their lives were in danger in defiance of international law, including the right to asylum; denounces the closure of safe ports and attacks against NGOs that help these people such as discredit campaigns and increasingly frequent legal persecution;
Amendment 464 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Calls on the Member States to respect the principle of non-refoulement to countries where the life and liberty of people would be threatened; stresses the need to establish frameworks for the protection of migrants, in particular through the opening of safe and legal routes for migrants and the granting of humanitarian visas;
Amendment 466 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 c (new)
Paragraph 28 c (new)
28c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to be fully transparent about the allocation of funds from third countries for cooperation in migration matters, and to ensure that such cooperation does not directly or indirectly benefit the security, police or justice systems involved in human rights violations; calls on the EU and its Member States not to include funds for the reception of refugees or migrants or policies for the control or return of migrants in official development assistance and any conditionality of aid in this area; denounces, in particular, the conditionality of the aid provided to certain countries through readmission agreements and the multiplication of negotiations in this area; calls for the suspension of all agreements and negotiations of readmission agreements with countries that do not respect human rights;