20 Amendments of Jordi SOLÉ related to 2018/2160(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the set of EU thematic guidelines on human rights, including on Human Rights Dialogues with third countries and on Human Rights Defenders,
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes with concern that, eight years after the first upheavals, most of the expectatthe legitimate aspirations of dignity, human rights and social and political reform of the people of the regions have in most countries still not been met; condemns the persistent and continuing violations of human rights, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in several cases, the widespread discrimination against minorities and the repressive response to demands of self-determination; is worried about the socio-economic situation in the region, which continues to be dire and, in particular, about the high levels of youth unemployment and social exclusion, which cause disillusionment and disenfranchisement on a large scale; deplores the persistent levels of corruption, nepotism and unaccountability of many ruling elites of the region;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes with particular concern that civil society and human rights defenders across the MENA region face increasing threats, reprisals, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, torture and ill- treatment and other forms of persecution; emphasises the need for the EU and Member States to prioritise and step up their support to civil society and human rights defenders whose work is indispensable for the long-term stability and security of these countries; stresses in this context, the critical importance for EU and Member States officials to act on individual cases, including through public statements, demarches and trial observation, as well as to enhance assistance to human rights defenders at risk, including through direct meetings and emergency support;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Notes with concern the particular role and responsibility of the military and the security services in the deterioration of the political trajectory of several countries in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and their persistent and dominating control over State and economic resources; calls on the EU and Member States to adequately incorporate this fundamental dimension within their engagement with the MENA region; urges the EU to prioritise the support of parliamentary and civil society efforts towards greater accountability and transparency of the security and military services;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Notes with serious concern the increasing recourse by the governments in the MENA region to repressive counter- terrorism and cybersecurity legislation as a means to stifle dissent and to criminalise and persecute human rights defenders; calls on the EU and Member States to engage with national authorities to end such practices and to repeal repressive legislation, and to ensure that exports of European surveillance technology and technical assistance strictly comply with EU legislation and are not complicit in human rights violations;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the EU’s efforts to promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms in post-Arab Spring countries, and acknowledges the complexity of such a task; takes the view, however, that, despite a fifteen-year policy focus on Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, renewed policy efforts and increased budgetary resources in the wake of the Arab Spring, the EU’s goals and policies have not yet been achieved; considers that the lack of EU leadership and initiative towards the resolution of protracted conflicts, such as Western Sahara or Palestine, have undermined its diplomatic clout and its holistic ambitions towards the region;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that for far too long the policy stance towards the Maghreb and Mashreq countries was marred by an approach which was State-centred, based to too great an extent on the EU’s expectations and objectives, with little incentive for and ownership by beneficiary countrieinsufficient attention for addressing the root causes of the Arab Spring and the aspirations of the local populations; regrets that the initial efforts after the Arab Spring to introduce stricter conditionality and delivery incentives in relation to beneficiary countries through the ‘more for more’ principle did not lead to greater leverage on the part of the EU in its ability to promote real change in the areas of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms in most countries;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Acknowledges the initial efforts by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Commission, in cooperation and dialogue with the European Parliament, to substantially reform the EU policy framework for post- Arab Spring countries in the hope of attaining real democratic and political leverage in the Maghreb and Mashreq regions; points to the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy and its added value as regards the potential for achieving synergies in actions at EU level, building on political and economic dialogue and securing adequate support and implementation through the Financial Instruments for the external action of the EU; takes note of the 2015 revision of the European Neighbourhood Policy aimed at taking into account the changing scenarios in the region; insists on the importance of in-depth, annual country by country reporting on the implementation of the ENP;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Is concerned by the social and political impact of the austerity measures carried out across the region, which by reducing public spending and the provision of public services, contribute to increasing social and economic hardship among a large share of the population, which in turn fuels social unrest; notes with concern the direct role of international donors, notably the European Union through its macro- financial assistance programmes, in this process;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is concerned, however, that the complexity of managingresponding adequately to the migration and refugee flows from and through the Maghreb and Mashreq regions, the nexus between security andan excessively security-focused perspective on migration, the challenge of terrorism and the legitimate concerns about the fragility of certain countries in the region, reduced consideration to climate change imperatives as well as the lack of a cohesive approach by the Member States, is encouraging the EU’s action towards the region to rely excessively on an narrow and short-sighted ideology of stability; takes the view that when stability and security become the predominant objectives, they lead to a counterproductive, shorter-term policy vision and deprivundermine EU action directed at reaffirmingand credibility in its support of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the required intensity; is convinced that sustainable stability and security can only be achieved through longer-term objectivesan approach centered on the preservation of the environment and on human rights, rule of law and democracy;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomesarns that the concept of co- ownership put forward by the revised European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP); is concerned, however, that it runs the risk of allowing authoritarian regimes in certain partner countries to cherry-pick priorities according to their national agenda, instead of advancing along the path towards democratisation; notes with concern that some programmes agreed under this revised policy notably in the field of counter-terrorism, security, judiciary and migration, might actually be conducive to strengthening negative human rights trends; stresses, therefore, the importance of a long-term policy framework and synergies in programming for post-Arab Spring countries based on the primacy of democracy, the inclusion of all democratic political forces and the primacy of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental values; reiterates that strengthening these aspects is in the interests of the partner countries and their populations, as well as of the EU, and calls for stronger conditionality in this sense; insists that in cases of systematic violations of human rights by the authorities, EU assistance should exclude budget support, as a direct endorsement of public policy, and should be restricted to supporting local civil society;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that, as the EU strugglefails to come up with a renewed vision for the management of migration and assistance to refugeesforward-looking, rights-based and people-centred vision for its migration and asylum policy, there is an increasing risk that some countries in the region might use migration containment and their role therein to seek greater leverage in their political and policy dialogue with the EU and to side-line human rights and democracy priorities therein; stresses, instead, the importance of a policy framework promoting democratic, political and socio- economic inclusion as mutually reinforcing factors; is convinced that, where the prerequisites for the negotiation of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements, conditional on democratic progress, are not yet in place, the EU should provide increased access to trade and investment, and assistance for reconstruction and infrastructure modernisation in strict correlation with progressive political and economic reforms;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out the risk that the EU’s action for the region and theis undermined by uncoordinated and unilateral approaches pursued by Member States through bilateral relations may not be in harmony, and that the EU’s capacity to make a political impact might be lost as a result; welcomes, in this context, the proposal made by the President of the Commission to move beyond unanimity in Council decision-making in foreign affairs, as it could help the EU to speak with one voice in its foreign relations and have greater leverage;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Expresses concern at the continued export of arms and security equipment by Member States to authorities in the region which fail to respect human rights and international humanitarian law; urges Member States to strictly comply with the EU Common Position on Arms Exports, which among others states that export licences should be denied where there is a clear risk that the military technology or equipment to be exported might be used for internal repression or for the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law; calls on the VP/HR to provide to Parliament a detailed overview of the Member States' arms exports to the MENA region;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for closer and genuine involvement of local civil society in the identification of needs in the partner countries; welcomes the efforts by the EEAS and the Commission to broaden civil society outreach and include the private sector, and encourages them to do more in this regard; takes the view that the EU shouland human rights defenders in the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of Partnership Priorities and Single Support Frameworks with the partner countries and the bilateral dialogue with national and local authorities; welcomes the efforts by the EEAS and the Commission to broaden civil society outreach and include the private sector, and encourages them to do more in this regard; emphasises the need to ensure the participation of genuinely independent civil society, including unregistered groups, as well as that of interlocutors located in remote and rural areas; takes the view that the EU should refrain from engaging through government-controlled agencies and make access to available funds for smaller civil society organisations (CSOs) easier, streamline the application processes and focus on local CSOs while avoiding government-organized NGOs (GONGOs); points out the perception among local civil society interlocutors of a primary focus by the EU on large, international CSOs; calls on the EU to invest more resources in promoting the capacity building of local CSOs and facilitating enhanced partnerships between them and large, international CSOs, with a view to increasing local ownership; calls for direct financial support for independent civil society organizations to be clearly earmarked and secured in EU assistance programming;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls the importance of securing adequate visibility for EU efforts and EU assistance and investment in the region; calls in particular for the reinstatement of the mandate of an EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean, which would spearhead EU engagement with the region and provide hightened EU visibility;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that with a view to increasing the EU’s capacity to make a political and policy impact and to promote ownership and widespread support by beneficiary countries, each EU Delegation should set up high-level advisory councils comprising economic, media, cultural, academic and civil society leaders from the country concerned, including those living in exile or abroad, and providing input as regards policy priorities and the policy architecture devised by the EU;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls the added value of parliamentary diplomacy and of the regular bilateral interparliamentary meetings which Parliament holds with its counterparts from the Southern Neighbourhood as a tool for exchanging experiences and fostering mutual understanding; encourages the EU’s national parliaments to hold bilateral interparliamentary meetings within the framework of the ENP; underlines once more that political parties in the national parliaments and the European Parliament can play a role in this regard; takes the view that dialogue between the European Parliament, EU national parliaments and the parliaments of the Southern Neighbourhood could provide a very valuable opportunity to foster regional dialogue and cooperation in the Southern Neighbourhood; points, moreover, in this context, tonotes with regret, however, that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean as(PA UfM) has yet to meet the expectations of being a venue where regional integration and an ambitious political and economic agenda for this organisation could be re- dynamised; expresses concern at the institutional duplication of the PA UfM and the Parliamentary Assembly for the Mediterranean and believes that interparliamentary dialogue around the Mediterranean would gain in efficiency, visibility and purpose by merging both institutions; regrets also the side-lining of the PA UfM within the regional framework of the Union for the Mediterranean and calls for greater transparency and parliamentary oversight of UfM activities, notably the UfM labelled projects;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recalls that women’s rights, gender equality and the right to non-discrimination of vulnerable groups are fundamental rights and key principles of the EU’s external action; observes that while some encouraging progress may be noted in these areas in some countries, notably Tunisia, the overall situation remains characterised by deep-rooted patriarchy, gender inequality and violence against women; notes also that women's rights defenders face arbitrary detention, judicial harassment, smear campaigns and intimidation;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Denounces the widespread and systematic persecution against LGBTI persons and LGBTI rights defenders across the MENA region, including judicial harassment, physical attacks and smear campaigns; calls on the EU and Member States to enhance their support to LGBTI defenders and to engage effectively with the national authorities on the matter;