28 Amendments of Jordi SOLÉ related to 2018/2155(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to the granting of the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought and Expression to Saudi blogger and activist Raif Badawi in 2015 for his remarkable efforts to foster open discussion of religion and politics in his country; having regard to his continued detention following his sentencing to 10 years in jail, 1000 lashes and a large fine for supposedly "insulting Islam",
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, commonly referred to as the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a human right inherent to all human beings and a fundamental right of individuals which should be subjected to no kind of discrimination, as enshrined by international and European founding texts, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas FoRB implies the right of the individual to choose what to believe and not to believe, the right to change or abandon one’s religion and convictions without any constraints, and the right to practise and manifest the religion or theistic, non-theistic or atheistic belief of one’s choice, whether individually or in community and whether in private or in public, the right to not to profess any religion or belief, and the right to express critical or satirical opinions on religions and religious authorities as a legitimate expression of freedom of thought or artistic creation; whereas the manifestation of religion or belief can be expressed in worship, teaching, practice and observance; whereas FoRB entails the right of believers’ and non-believers’ communities to preserve their ethos and to act in accordance with it, and the entitlement for their religious and non- confessional organisations to have recognised legal personality; whereas protecting individuals adhering to any religion or none and effectively addressing violations of FoRB, such as discrimination or legal restrictions based on religion or belief, are primordial conditions to ensure that individuals may enjoy FoRB on an equal basis;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas FoRB directly contributes to democracy, development, the rule of law, peace and stability; whereas violations of FoRB are increasingly widespread, affect people in all parts of the world and may exacerbate intolerance, often constituting early indicators of potential violence and conflicts;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas 22 countries still criminalise apostasy, including 12 where it is punishable by death; whereas blasphemy is criminalized in 43 countries and is punishable by death in 6 countries; whereas at least 14 EU Member States maintain criminal blasphemy or religious insult laws; whereas the UN-sponsored Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence of 2013, recommends that "States that have blasphemy laws should repeal them, as such laws have a stifling impact on the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief, and healthy dialogue and debate about religion;"
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas the non-religious, and secular and humanist organizations are facing growing persecution, including unprecedented waves of incitement and hatred and killings, in a number of countries; whereas countless individuals and civil society organisations are under assault for peacefully questioning, criticizing or satirizing religious beliefs; whereas this ongoing violation of their freedom of thought and of expression occurs across geographic and cultural borders, including within EU Member States;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that religion or belief is an importor non-belief continues to represent ant undeniable pillaraspect of human identity, greatly impacting individuals and societies, and is therefore a reality that must not be neglected or denied in policies but requires proper recognition and addressing; observes that atheism and the non- religious population are growing rapidly worldwide and should not be neglected in the EU policy framework on freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses its deep concern at the fact that recent years have seen a dramatic rise inwidespread violations of FoRB worldwide, including persecution based on thought, conscience, religion or belief; stresses that these violations are frequently at the root of or increasingly exacerbate wars or other forms of armed conflict, resulting in violations of humanitarian law, including mass murders or genocide; stresses that violations of FoRB undermine democracy, impede developdeplores in particular the ongoing rollback and regression on sexual and reproductive rights of woment, and negatively affect the enjoyment of other fundamental freedoms and rights; emphasises that this obligates the international community, the EU and its Member States to reaffirm their determination and strengthen girl and rights of LGBTI persons, notably under the guise of religious principles or doctrine; stresses that violations of individual rights, including FoRB, negatively affect the enjoyment of otheir actions in promoting FoRBfundamental freedoms and rights;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Denounces the recourse to blasphemy, apostasy or other accusations based on religious grounds , in order to crack-down on human rights defenders in relation to their legitimate activities, including on the Internet and social media, and more broadly to restrict civil society space; in this context, denounces the continued detention of Sakharov Prize laureate Raif Badawi after an unlawful trial and presses the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that, in accordance with Article 21 TEU, the EU and its Member States have pledged to enhance respect for human rights, as a principle guiding EU foreign policy; strongly welcomes the fact that the 2013 EU Guidelines mainstream this fundamental freedom into EU foreign policy and external actions, and in this regard calls for its further strengthening;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that, in accordance with Article 17 TFEU, the EU is committed to maintaining open, transparent and regular dialogues with churches and religious, philosophical and non-confessional organisations; highlights the supporting effect of these dialogues for respect for other human rights, equal rights for women, children’s rights, as well as for democracy, development, the rule of law, good governance, peace and stability, and environmental and labour standards; stresses that such interreligious and intercultural dialogues are often met by greater openness by some EU international partners and create a starting-point for progress in other areas;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. CommendsTakes note of the creation of the post of Special Envoy for the promotion of FoRB outside the EU in 2016 by the President of the Commission, in response to the resolution of Parliament of 4 February 2016; considersyet regrets that the appointment of theMr Figel as Special Envoy was an important step forward andnounced by European Commission President Juncker from Vatican City; considers the appointment of the Special Envoy as a clear recognition of FoRB as one of the core parts ofwithin the human rights agenda of EU foreign policy and external actions, both bilateral and multilateral, and within development cooperation; praistresses the Special Envoy for his continuous engagement and cooperation and complementarity of actionsimportance of the Special Envoy's engagement and cooperation with the EU Special Representative for Human Rights on this issue, including the promotion of the EU Guidelines; commends the Commissioner on International Cooperation and Development, together with the Commission’s DG DEVCO, for actively supporting the Special Envoy;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of linking up efforts to promote FoRB and inter- and intra-religious as well as inter-convictional dialogues with the prevention of violent extremism on a complementary and mutually reinforcing basis, in particular within neighbouring and other countries with which the EU has special relations;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Deplores the fact that some countries have, enforce or seek to introduce penal laws providing punishment for blasphemy, conversion or apostasy, including the death penalty; also draws attention to the situation of some other countries facing or being at risk of conflicts of a religious dimension; calls for the EU to prioritise in its foreign policy efforts towards all the countries concerned with a view to the repeal of such discriminatory laws and to put an end to the repression of human rights defenders and the shrinking of civil society space on religious grounds;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the fact that the Special Envoy has developed effective working networks within the Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament, as well as with other stakeholders; deplores, however, the fact thatcalls on the Special Envoy to coordinate closely also with the European External Action Service and the EU Special Envoy’s mandate was not established and consolidated wiRepresentative for Human Rights and to report annually on the countries visited and his thematic priorities; encourages the Special Envoy not to neglect the sufficient human and financial resourcesituation of non- believers and to enhance his outreach and advocacy in relation to the non- confessional dimension of his mandate;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Council and the Commission to strengthen the Special Envoy’s institutional mandate and capacity, by earmarking funding and human resources adequate to the Envoy’s duties, developing a systemic institutionalisation of working networks established by the Special Envoy within all relevant EU institutions or establishing the posicarry out a transparent and comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and added value of the creation of the position of the Special Envoy, including in terms of possible duplication ofwith the EU Special Representative for FoRBHuman Rights, before considering to renew the mandate;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – introductory part
Paragraph 12 – introductory part
12. Calls on the Council and the Commission to reflect on creating the EU Special Representative for FoRB; considers that the competavoid duplication of and to clarify the distribution of tasks and responsibilities between the Special Envoy for FoRB and the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, noting that the mandate of the latter includes the promotion of freedom of thought, consciences and mandate of this Special Representativebelief and the EU policy in that field; considers that EU external action in this area should include:
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – point b
Paragraph 12 – point b
(b) providing the European Parliament, the Council, the Vice- President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commission with an annual progress report and a comprehensive implementation report on the mandate at the end thereofinclude a FoRB-dedicated chapter in the Commission and Council's annual report on human rights;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recommends the setting up of a regularn informal advisory working group of Member States’ FoRB institutions and European Parliament representatives together with experts, scholars, and representatives of civil society, including churches and other faith-basedonfessional and non-confessional organisations, providing advice on FoRB issues to assist the Special Envoy;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recommends that the EU Special EnvoyRepresentative for Human Rights further develop cooperation with counterparts outside the EU, in particular by working in close cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteurs, including on FoRB, as well as exploring the possibility of EU-UN joint annual reporting on discriminationinitiatives on discrimination against non- believers (including atheists, apostats, agnostics, humanists etc.) as well as against religious minorities, also formulating common proposals on how to put an end to such acts;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urgently calls for the implementation of all EU thematic Guidelines on Human Rights, including the EU Guidelines on FoRB to be increased in intensity and effectiveness; notes that further dedicated efforts need to be made by the EU and its Member States to implement more effectively the EU Guidelines and make the EU more influential in advancing FoRBthem worldwide; stresses that understanding how societies may be shaped and influenced by religions and other beliefs, including non-belief, is instrumental to better comprehending the promotion of FoRB in EU foreign policy and international cooperation; calls for a particular attention to be paid to the situation of non-believers facing discrimination and violence;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Commends, in this respect, the efforts made to date by the EEAS and the Commission to provide training on religious literacy to EU officials and national diplomats; stresses, however,Stresses the need for broader and more systematic training programmes which would raise awareness of and increase the use of the EU Gthematic human rights guidelines among the EU’s and Member States’ officials and diplomats and strengthen cooperation with the Special Envoy; asks for churches and religious communities and associations to be involved in this training process; calls on the Commission and the Council to earmark resources for establishing such training programmes;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to producensure a FoRB-dedicated chapter in the EU Annual Reports on FoRBHuman Rights and Democracy in the world, to be communicated to the European Parliament and the Council; notes that the EU Guidelines on FoRB provide for an evaluation of their implementation by COHOM after a period of three years, and that no such evaluation has been communicated or made public; calls for the evaluation to be made public without delay; considers that the evaluation should highlight best practices, identify areas for improvement, and provide concrete recommendations on implementation in accordance with a specified timeline and milestones subject to regular annual evaluation; calls for the evaluation to be included in the EU Annual Reports on FoRB on Human Rights and Democracy in the wWorld;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines the responsibilities fulfilled by human rights focal points within all EU Delegations and CSDP Missions; calls for the designating of FoRB-specific focal points in every, including in relation to FoRB, within all EU Delegations and CSDP Missions; calls for more resources to be allocated to EU Delegations and CSDP Missions so as to allow them to carry out their work of promoting FoRB;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Expresses its satisfaction that FoRB is identified as a priority of the European Instrument of Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR); welcomes the significantnotes the increase of EIDHR funding allocated to FoRB-related projects since the adoption of the EU Guidelines; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to ensure that EU diplomatic work for the promotion of human rights, including FoRB, and EIDHR-funded projects is mutually reinforcing; insists that funds allocated to FoRB-related projects be fairly distributed among confessional and non-confessional groups; stresses that FoRB can also be supported by other instruments than human rights- oriented funds, among others those dedicated to the conflict prevention dimension or to education and culture; calls on the Commission and the Council to maintain sufficient funding for FoRBhuman rights-related projects under the EU external financial instruments, within the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses that the EU’s policies in the fields of peace, security and conflict prevention and development and cooperation face challenges, for which solutions can be devised among others with the participation of secular and non- confessional groups and activists, churches, religious leaders, academics, religious communities and associations or faith-based organisations that are a critical part of civil society; acknowledges the importance of being mindful of the diversity of non-confessional organizations, churches, religious communities and associations and faith- based organisations which perform actual development and humanitarian work for and with communities; calls on the Council and the Commission to incorporate, where relevant, objectives and activities relating to the promotion and protection of FoRB into the programming of funding instruments linked to those policies, namely the EDF, the DCI, the ENI, the IcSP and the IPA;