30 Amendments of Renate WEBER related to 2018/2155(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
– having regard to the international legal protection of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief guaranteed by Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 18 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief, Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Articles 10, 21 and 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion orand belief (FoRB) is a, and the rights to apostasy and to espouse atheistics views are human rights 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 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief implies the right of the individual to choose what to believe or to not believe, the right to change and quit one’s religion and convictions without any constraints, and the right to practise and manifest the religion of one’s choice, whether individually or in community and whether in private or in public; whereas the manifestation of religion or belief can be expressed in worship, teaching, practice and observance; whereas FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief entails the right of believers’ and non- believers' communities to preserve or quit 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 FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, such as discrimination or legal restrictions based on thought, conscience, religion or belief, are primordial conditions to ensure that individuals may enjoy FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief on an equal basis;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief is indivisible, is interdependent on and interrelated to fundamental freedoms and other human rights, and is a cornerstone human right that protects the core of human dignity;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas FoRB directlfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief may contributes to democracy, development, the rule of law, peace and stability; whereas violations of FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief 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 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the promotion of FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, including through civil society support for the protection of the rights of individuals belonging to religious and belief minorities and non-believers, support for human rights defenders (HRDs) and the fight against discrimination on grounds of religion and belief , as well as the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, is a funding priority under the 2014-2020 European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR); whereas the European Development Fund (EDF) and EU financial instruments such as the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) have also supported projects that are conducive to improving the environment for FoRB;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that freedom of thought, conscience, religion orand belief is an important undeniable pillar of human identity, greatlor to not believe is a pillar of personal identity impacting individuals and societies, and is therefore a reality that must not be neglected or denied in policies but requires proper recognition and addressing;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Affirms that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and, religion, commonly referred as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), as a fundamental and belief or to not believe, and the rights to apostasy and to espouse atheistic views are an important human right and a founding value of the EU, and has to be duly protected, promoted and safeguarded by all actors; underscores the duty of states to guarantee FoRB as well as enhanced through interreligious and intercultural dialogue; underscores the duty of states to guarantee freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief in order to preserve peaceful, democratic and pluralistic societies that are respectful of diversity and beliefs;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses its deep concern at the fact that recent years have seen a dramatic rise in violations of FoRB worldwide, including persecution basefreedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and persecution of believers and non r-beligion or beliefevers worldwide; 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 FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief undermine democracy, impede development, 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 their actions in promoting FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and the rights to apostasy and to espouse atheistic views;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that, in accordance with Article 17 TEU, 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 can create a starting-point for progress in other areas;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Condemns the persecution of and attacks under religious basis against ethnic, religious groups, non-believers, atheists, women or other minorities such as LGBTI and calls for immediate accountability of such violations; condemns forced conversions and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, forced marriages and certain other practices associated with or perceived as manifestations of a religion or belief; opposes such practices that often affect women and girls, members of religious minorities and persons on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity and stresses that they may constitute violations of international human rights standards;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the enhancement of the promotion of FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief in EU foreign policy and external actions over recent years, in particular through the EU Global Strategy for foreign policy and security and the 2015-2019 EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy; welcomes the fact that this enhancement is being met with an increased commitment on the part of many partner countries to comply with the respective Articles 18 of the UDHR and ICCPR;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. CommendNotes 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; considers the appointment of the Special Envoy as an important step forward and a clear recognition of FoRB as one of the core parts offreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief within the human rights agenda of EU foreign policy and external actions, both bilateral and multilateral, and within development cooperation; praisesaffirms that the Special Envoy for his continuous engagement and cooperation and complementarity of actions 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 Envoyshould clearly advocate for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief that also includes the rights to not belief, apostasy and to espouse atheistic views; in this sense also stresses the need to pay a particular attention to the situation of non-believers at risks; supports the Special Envoy continuous engagement and cooperation of actions with the EU Special Representative for Human Rights on this issue, including the promotion of the EU Guidelines;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of linking up efforts to promote FoRB and inter- and intra-religiousfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and inter- and intra-religious, inter-convictional and cultural 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; underlines that non-confessional, humanist and "laique" organisations are also key actors in preventing violent extremism;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Deplores the fact that some countries in order to limit freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression, 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 take further actions and increase its political engagement to prioritise in its foreign policy efforts towards all the countries concerned with a view to the repeal of such discriminatory laws and protect the ones at risk;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. 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 social media, and more broadly to restrict civil society space; condemns 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 107 #
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 that the Special Envoy’s mandate was not established and consolidated with sufficient human and financial resources;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Council and the Commission to strengthenmake an assessment of 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 positionin order to establish if necessary adequate funding and human resources to carry out Envoy’s duties that should focus on promoting freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, and the rights to apostasy and to espouse atheistic views; calls ofn the EU Special Representative for FoRBEnvoy to annually report on his achievements and priorities;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 152 #
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-based organisations, providing advice on FoRB issues to assist the Special Envoy as well as non-confessional organisations, providing advice on freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recommends that the EU Special Representative for Human rights in collaboration with the Special Envoy further develop cooperation with counterparts outside the EU, in particular by working in close cooperation with the different UN Special Rapporteurs and in particular the one on FoRB, as well as exploring the possibility of EU-UN joint annualinitiatives reporting on discrimination against religious minorities and non- believers, also formulating common proposals on how to put an end to such acts;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urgently calls for the implementation of the EU Guidelines on FoRB to be increased in intensity and effectiveness; nNotes that further dedicated efforts need to be made by the EU and its Member States to implement more effectively theall thematic EU Guidelines and make the EU more influential in advancing FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief worldwide; stresses that understanding how societies may be shaped and influenced by thoughts, religions and other beliefs, including non-belief, is instrumental to better comprehending the promotion of FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief 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 174 #
19. Commends, inUnderlines thise respect, the efforts made to date by the EEAS and the Commission to provide training on religonsibilities fulfilled by human rights focal points within all EU Delegatiouns literacy to EU officials and national diplomats; stresses, however, the need for broader and more systematic training programmes which would raisand CSDP Missions and calls for the strengthening of knowledge on freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief to increase the awareness of and increase the use of the EU 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 associat; notes, in this respect, the efforts made to date by the EEAS and the Commissions to be involved in this training process; calls on the Commission and the Council to earmark resources for establishing such training programmeprovide training on the situation of religious minorities as well as non-believers to EU officials and national diplomats;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to produce EU Annual Reports on FoRBcontinue including a chapter on freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief within the EU Annual Reports on human 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 FoRBHuman rights and democracy in the world;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the EU commitment to promoting FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief in multilateral fora, in particular within the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE and with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); supports, in this respect, EU cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; recommends continuing the EU practice of taking the lead on resolutions at the UNGA and UNHRC on FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience and religion and seeking to build alliances and defend common positions with third countries and international organisations; calls on the EEASU and the OIC to consider preparing a joint resolution on FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief within the UN framework;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Expresses its satisfaction that FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief is identified as a priority of the European Instrument of Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR); welcomnotes the significant 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 FoRBhuman rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and EIDHR-funded projects is mutually reinforcing; stresses that FoRBfreedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief 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 FoRB-human rights related projects, including equal treatment of all convictions, under the EU external financial instruments, within the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027;
Amendment 216 #
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 with the participation among others of churches, religious leaders, academics, religious communities and associations or faith- based organisations that are a critical part of civil societyas well as non- confessional organisations; acknowledges the importance of being mindful of the diversity of churches, religious communities and associations and faith- based and secular 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;