Activities of Jordi SOLÉ related to 2021/2181(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Human rights and democracy in the world – annual report 2021 (continuation of debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2021
Amendments (29)
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the importance of both the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe and the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020–2024 for this goal; recalls that the use of the rule of qualified majority voting within the Council on human rights issues would result in a more effective and proactive EU foreign and security policy, and would strengthen cooperation on matters of key strategic interest for the EU, while reflecting its fundamental values; stresses the importance of Member States taking ownership of the EU Action Plan and publicly reporting on their action under this strategic document; encourages national and regional parliaments, national human rights institutions and local civil society organizations to engage with their authorities at Member State level on their contribution to the conduct of the EU's external human rights policy;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. calls for greater transparency regarding human rights-related provisions in financing agreements under the NDICI and a clarification of the mechanism and criteria for the suspension of such agreements in the event of a breach of human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law as well as in cases of serious cases of corruption; calls on the Commission to strictly refrain from using budget support to third countries’ governments as an operational modality for aid delivery in countries witnessing widespread violations of human rights and repression of HRDs;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls for the EU to take particular care to assess and prevent any violation linked to the Union’s own policies, projects and funding in third countries, including by creating a complaints mechanism for individuals or groups whose rights may have been violated by EU activities in these countries;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls that the right to self- determination is a human right, enshrined inter alia in the UN Charter and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as an erga omnes obligation, as recalled by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion on the Chagos Archipelago of 2019 and the recent rulings of the EU Court of Justice on Western Sahara; calls on the EU and Member States to uphold this human right in their dealings with the relevant territories;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law is a cross-cutting objective in the whole NDICI – Global Europe Instrument as stipulated in Article 3 (objectives) of the Regulation; underlines the importance of the Human Rights and Democracy thematic programme adopted under the NDICI – Global Europe Instrument for the promotion of human rights around the world; calls for the level and creativity of the funding to civil society and human rights defenders provided under the NDICI's thematic programme on human rights and democracy, including to ProtectDefenders.eu and the European Endowment for Democracy, to reflect the seriousness of the current illiberal backlash and the shrinking of the civil society space worldwide;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the visibility of the EUSR’s role should be enhanced in order to have a meaningful impact on human rights; underlines that the EUSR has a flexible mandate which could be adapted to evolving circumstances; is of the opinion that the EUSR’s position could be made more effective by enhancing communication activities and developing a more public profile through, inter alia, the publication of public statements in support of human rights activists at risk, including Sakharov Prize laureates and finalists, and of human rights defenders imprisoned for long periods, thereby helping to protect their physical integrity and their essential work; stresses the importance for the EUSR on HR to cooperate closely with the EUSRs on countries and regions with a view to streamline human rights into EU regional policies;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Reiterates the commitment undertaken in the EU Guidelines on human rights defenders to raise individual cases of human rights defenders at risk during EU human rights dialogues with partner/third countries, and deplores the lack of consistency in ensuring such cases are raised on these occasions; expects the European External Action Service to pay particular attention to the individual cases raised by the Parliament, notably in its urgency resolutions, as well as to the Sakharov Prize laureates at risk, and to report back on action taken on such cases;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Condemns the increase in attempts to undermine the functioning of the UN’s bodies, in particular the Human Rights Council, and to obstruct the rules-based international order; strongly condemns all attacks against UN Special Procedure mandate holders and against the independence of their mandates; calls on the EU Member States and the EU’s democratic partners to decisively counter these attempts and to strengthen their response to serious violations of international human rights; reiterates its call on the EU and Member States to step up their financial support to these Special procedures and treaty bodies; stresses that state sovereignty cannot be used as a pretext to avoid human rights monitoring by the international community since, according to the Founding Charter of the United Nations and UN General Assembly resolution 60/251, all states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, have the duty and the responsibility to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and the UN Human Rights Council should address situations of violations of human rights;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on all members of the UN General Assembly Committee on Non- Governmental Organizations that reviews applications by NGOs for ECOSOC consultative status to be guided by the sole consideration of the general interest rather than politicised objectives of restricting access by reputable organizations; supports the EU call for the approval of the long-delayed applications from certain NGOs;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Denounces the reprisals and intimidation against some 240 individual members of civil society, activists and journalists in 45 countries for cooperating with the UN over the past year, as reported by the United Nations Secretary General; calls on the EU and Member States to take robust action against such reprisals, including by a global demarche towards the countries concerned, and to take all possible measures to help provide safe and open spaces for interaction by individuals and civil society organizations with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Reiterates its strong support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the only international institution able to prosecute some of the world’s most heinous crimes and to bring justice to their victims; calls on the EU and the Member States to provide adequate financial support to enable the ICC to carry out its tasks; supports the universality of the Rome Statute and calls for the EU to include a specific clause on its ratification and access in agreements to be concluded with third countries, and to include it under the future GSP scheme; strongly condemns any attack on the staff or on the independence of the ICC; is of the opinion that attempts to undermine the credibility and essential role of the ICC constitute attacks on multilateralism and should be contested as such by the EU and its Member States, including when originating from close partner countries; stresses that the ICC needs full access to the countries it investigates to be able to perform its tasks; underlines the potential of other innovative tools to bring perpetrators of international crimes to account, including universal jurisdiction at national-level judiciaries; underlines, in this context, the current discussions in the UN International Law Commission on the immunity of state officials and calls for follow-up to them; calls for the EU to continue to strengthen capacity building at national level in third countries, while supporting international criminal tribunals and mechanisms, as well as platforms and organisations dedicated to the fight against impunity such as the Coalition for the International Criminal Court;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Call for an EU-wide scheme for issuing short-term visas for the temporary relocation of human rights defenders, in particular through the inclusion of instructions in the EU Visa Handbook and amending the legal instruments on visas, particularly the Visa Code; deplores the little progress on this issue over the past year and alerts that the current situation in Afghanistan must be a wake- up call on the need to urgently revisit, in a meaningful way, a more coordinated EU policy regarding the issuing by Member States of emergency visas for human rights defenders;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Expresses its serious concern about the restriction of academic freedom and the increase in the censorship and imprisonment of scholars worldwide, which has important consequences for the right to education; urges the EU and the Member States to step up their diplomatic efforts through bilateral and multilateral engagement in relation to threats or attacks on academic freedom by state and non-state actors; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to revisit existing support and protection mechanisms for HRDs, in order to develop the capacity to identify and provide assistance, including emergency protection and support, in cases involving attacks on academic freedom; calls on the Commission to ensure continued high-level support to the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation and the Global Campus of Human Rights and Democracy, as a flagship of the EU’s support to human rights education worldwide;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Denounces the increasing practice by authoritarian states of hosting mega sports or cultural events in order to boost their international legitimacy whilst further restricting domestic dissent; calls on the EU and Member States to engage with national sports federations, corporate actors and civil society organizations on the modalities of their participation in such events, including with regards to the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022; calls for the development of an EU policy framework on sports and human rights;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Urges the EU to seek to counter the effects of the global climate crisis inter alia by introducing effective and sustainable policy actions and to comply with the goals of the Paris Agreement; stresses that biodiversity and human rights are interlinked and interdependent and recalls the human rights obligations of States to protect the biodiversity on which those rights depend, including by providing for the participation of citizens in biodiversity-related decisions and providing access to effective remedies in cases of biodiversity loss and degradation;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to eliminate all forms of abuse against children; welcomes the new EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child adopted by the Commission, but stresses that children continue to be victims of violence, early and forced marriage, sexual abuse, including genital mutilation, trafficking, child labour and recruitment as child soldiers, and that they suffer from a lack of access to education and healthcare, and from malnutrition and poverty, in particular in humanitarian crises and armed conflicts; stresses that 2021 is the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour; calls for the streamlining of the rights of the child and the children and armed conflicts (CAAC) agenda in all the EU’s external policies; urges the EU to ensure that its trade and development policies work in full coherence in order to eradicate child labour; in this regard, highlights the pilot multi-stakeholder dialogue on sustainable cocoa; calls on the Member States to uphold their responsibilities with regard to the protection of foreign fighters’ children who are EU citizens;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Notes with great concern the scale and consequences of caste hierarchies, caste-based discrimination and the perpetuation of caste-based human rights violations, including the denial of access to the legal system or employment, continued segregation, poverty and stigmatisation, and caste-related barriers to the exercise of basic human rights and facilitation of human development; reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to intensify efforts and support initiatives at the UN and in the relevant third countries to eliminate caste discrimination;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Recalls the obligations of States to protect the rights of their national, ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic minorities within their respective territories; calls on the Commission to support the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities worldwide, including as a priority under its human rights and democracy thematic programme;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Considers that corruption also constifacilitates, perpetuates a majornd institutionalises violations of human rights and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and marginalised individuals and groups in society; insists that the EU and its Member States must address it as such in their external action by applying the highest transparency standards to their funding to third countries, as well as by supporting anti-corruption civil society organisations, journalists and whistle- blowers, promoting the establishment of effective anti-corruption institutions and the adoption of robust regulatory frameworks and addressing secrecy jurisdictions and tax havens; deplores that EU-based individuals and entities are regularly reported to be directly involved in grave acts of corruption in third countries, including as initiators, enablers or end-receivers; calls on the EU to acknowledge and address the complicity of EU-based actors in the global phenomenon of corruption;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the adoption of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act) as an essential addition to the EU’s human rights and foreign policy toolbox, which strengthens the EU’s role as a global human rights actor by allowing it to take restrictive measures against legal and natural persons involved in grave human rights violations in the world; condemns any arbitrary and unjustified retaliatory restrictive measures imposed on the EU or other entities as a response to the EU’s decisions under the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act; regrets the fact that the Council has decided to apply unanimity instead of qualified majority voting when adopting sanctions on human rights issues;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls for the extensadoption of the scope of the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act to includea new thematic sanctions regime to address serious acts of corruption in order to ensure inter alia the effective targeting of the economic and financial enablers of human rights abusers, thus complementing the EU GHRSR; stresses the need for an effective strategy to implement the EU GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act, consistent both with the EU’s other external policies, in particular with its human rights policies, and with the existing international frameworks on sanctions, international criminal law and international humanitarian law; welcomes the Commission’s announcement that in 2021, it will conduct a review of practices undermining sanctions and of the existing reporting obligations for Member States on their implementation and enforcement;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Reaffirms the inalienable human rights of migrants and refugees, and calls for the EU and its Member States to fully uphold them in their cooperation with third countries, both in terms of the establishment of high legal standards and, equally importantly, their operationalisation in order to ensure the effective protection of these rights in practice; reiterates its call on the Commission to carry out a review of the human rights impact of migration policy frameworks and of the EU’s cooperation on migration with third countries; underlines the risks related to informal arrangements on return and readmission, which are not subject to judicial scrutiny and therefore do not allow for effective redress for human rights violations suffered by migrants and asylum seekersintegrate pre-assessment as well as monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the human rights impact of cooperation on migration with third countries, and to increase transparency and ensure parliamentary scrutiny and democratic oversight over its activity in this area; underlines the risks related to informal arrangements on return and readmission, which are not subject to judicial scrutiny and therefore do not allow for effective redress for human rights violations suffered by migrants and asylum seekers; reiterates, therefore, its call on the EU to ensure that all migration cooperation and readmission agreements with non-EU states strictly comply with international human rights, refugee and maritime law, particularly with the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; emphasises as well the need to delink development cooperation from cooperation on readmission or migration management; insists that human rights need to be mainstreamed and monitored in all the activities carried out by Frontex and EASO;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Insists on the importance of ensuring the coherence of EU policy in relation to situations of occupation or annexation of territory; recalls that international humanitarian law should guide EU policy in relation to all such situations, including in cases of protracted occupation; highlights the responsibility of EU-based corporations to apply the most stringent due diligence policy towards any economic or financial activity in or with these territories, and to ensure strict compliance to international law as well as to EU sanctions policy when applicable towards these situations;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Welcomes the new concept of EU peace mediation, extending the EU’s toolbox of crisis management tools to the broader goal of conflict transformation, and encourages the development of further dialogue tools and capacities in this field; reiterates its call on the Member States to help contain armed conflicts and serious violations of human rights or international humanitarian law by strictly abiding by the provisions of Article 7 of the UN Arms Trade Treaty on Export and Export Assessment and of the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, including by refusing any transfer of arms and surveillance equipment which would result in the risk that the importing state or non-state actors may commit or facilitate violations of human rights or international humanitarian law; reiterates its calls for stricter EU-wide controls on EU arms exports, better end-use control of exported arms, more coordination of national decisions on arms exports, a publicly accessible database on national arms exports and, for arms subsidised through the European Defence Fund, a sanctions mechanism for breaches of the eight EU export criteria;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Emphasises that the EU has a unique opportunity to exert leverage on businesses to uphold human rights at global level with the upcoming EU binding legislation on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability, obliging companies to prevent, identifyidentify, prevent, communicate, account for and remedy potential and/or actual adverse impacts on human rights, the environment and good governance in their value chain; calls for the strategy to apply to all large undertakings governed by the law of a Member State, established in the territory of the Union or operating in the internal market, as well as publicly listed small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and SMEs in high risk sectors; stresses the need to establish and enforce sanctions to make the legislation effective; calls and ensure a level playing field for undertakings; considers it a necessary element for companies’ due diligence strategies to be made public; welcomes the full entry into force in 2020 of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation and the EU Taxonomy Regulation as constructive steps in this field;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45a. Stresses the specific threat that the new digital technologies pose for human rights defenders, opposition figures, journalists and others in controlling, restricting and undermining their activities, as illustrated recently by the Pegasus revelations; calls on the EU to take an initiative to promote an immediate, global moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of spyware technology and the adoption of a robust regulatory framework in this field; calls on the EU and 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 Member States to engage with third country governments to end repressive cybersecurity and counter- terrorism legislation practices and legislation;