24 Amendments of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2012/2145(INI)
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the treaties commit the European Union to baseing its external action on the principled foundation of democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and on respect for fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, and the principles of equality and solidarity, and respect for the principles of notably as defined and protected by the United Nations Charter and international law and in particular by the New York international covenants on civil and political rights, and on economic, social and cultural rights, and by the European Convention on Human Rights;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas economic, social and cultural rights are an integral part of human rights and their observance leads to full implementation of the eight Millennium Development Goals from the year 2000, namely: eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development; whereas an ambitious timetable was set for these goals to be achieved by 2015, but this is currently far from being achieved;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the EU is bound to help countries with which it has signed international agreements, including trade agreements, to implement all these fundamental principles, and in particular by ensuring strict compliance with the human rights and democracy clauses in said agreements;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Deplores the fact that the European Union’s human rights policy is restricted, and even contradicted, by diplomatic, political or economic considerations, creating double standards which damage all EU policies in this field and are in total contradiction to a universal vision of human rights; stresses the importance for the EU’s credibility of not exploiting any of these issues, not imposing restrictions on the people’s right to self- determination, and not interfering in the political life of third countries;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to check that companies which come under national or EU law do not disregard the human rights and social, health and environmental standards they are subject to when moving to or carrying out their activities in a third country;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Emphasises the need for particular attention to be paid by the European Union and its Member States to the human rights situation in the Western Sahara; recalls that any form of occupation should be strongly condemned by the international community, notably in Palestine and the Western Sahara;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. WelcomesTakes note of the mandate of the thematic EU Special Representative (EUSR) on Human Rights and, warns against any attempt to segregate the EU’s human rights policy through the establishment of this post, and takes note of the planned creation of a Brussels-based Council Working Party on Human Rights (COHOM); looks forward to their close co- operation with Parliament;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Believes that the EU’s response to global threats and challenges can in no case be of a military nature; underlines the importance of tackling the root causes of instability by means of development policies that are in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other socio-economic, political and cultural measures which can create an environment conducive to preventing the resurgence of conflict, and which aim to eliminate poverty, foster economic, social and cultural development, create institutional and administrative capacities, improve the quality of life of the population and consolidate the rule of law;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Emphasises the significance of the 2011 uprisings in the Arab world both as an expression of the desire for freedom, justice, including social justice, and dignity and as a major challenge to EU policy in the region and beyond; recognistresses that the EU hlessons of past stepped up its political engagement in both the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood, but stresses the need to learn from past policy mistakes and chart arategy errors have not always been learned and that there is an urgent need to frame a genuinely new policy aligned with respect ofor human rights and support of democratic valufor young democracies;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Recognises that the current economic and financial crisis is having a severe social impact on communities within and outside the EU, notes that the various austerity plans adopted by the EU and other international institutions such as the IMF have led to an erosion of social and democratic rights and a significant deterioration in living conditions, particularly for the most vulnerable and susceptible groups;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Stresses the importance of providing electoral assistance and observation together with the United Nations; considers that this assistance should never become a form of EU interference in the political affairs of third countries;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 d (new)
Paragraph 42 d (new)
42d. Stresses that while clauses concerning democracy and human rights have been included in political framework agreements with third countries since 1995, and in agreements concluded with more than 120 countries, these clauses have mostly remained a dead letter; is convinced that these clauses, which should constitute a legally binding commitment on the part of the EU and partner countries, must be complemented by an operational enforcement mechanism to give them concrete form; considers there is a need for ex-ante monitoring mechanisms prior to the conclusion of a framework agreement, and on which such conclusion is made conditional as a fundamental part of the agreement, and for ex-post monitoring mechanisms which enable tangible action to be taken in response to infringements of these clauses, including the possible suspension of an agreement;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 e (new)
Paragraph 42 e (new)
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Emphasises the importance of continuing the work on global practices relating to secret detention in the context of countering terrorism; stresses that combating terrorism can under no circumstances be used as a justification for violations of human rights, either in third countries or in the EU; welcomes in this respect the adoption of the European Parliament resolution of 11 September 2012 on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA: follow-up to the European Parliament TDIP Committee report at the request of the Member States and implementation of its recommendations;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Calls once again on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission and the Member States to endeavour to establish a common position for the European Union concerning the action to be taken on the report by the UN fact-finding mission headed by Judge Goldstone on the Gaza conflict in the south of Israel, and to endeavour to ensure the effective implementation of its recommendations, including those concerning the assignment of responsibilities for all violations of international law, including alleged war crimes; calls in this connection for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Notes with concern the worrying trend of increased attacks and intimidation against journalists and media workers in the OSCE area; calls for a stepping up of EU efforts to promote their safety in dialogues with the Union’s partners and other countries; expresses particular concern at the growing number of journalists being arrested in Turkey, which has the worst record in this area of all the member states of the Council of Europe;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57 a (new)
Paragraph 57 a (new)
57a. Is particularly concerned by the deterioration of the situation in Turkey and the increasing repression faced by human rights defenders and government opponents, including elected representatives, trade unionists, journalists, artists and, in particular, against the Kurdish community; specifically condemns the arbitrary arrests carried out in the context of the KCK trial and the fact that those arrested spend long months in prison without any judicial acts being performed;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. WStresses that evidence shows that the death penalty first and foremost affects underprivileged people; welcomes the assessment by human rights organisations that the use of the death penalty in 2011 broadly confirms the global trend towards abolition; regrets, however, that there was a significant increase in executions in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia; expresses serious disappointment at the refusal of China to disclose credible information about its use of death penalty and executions that, according to Amnesty International, number in the thousands; welcomes the abolition of the death penalty in the US state of Illinois but regrets that the United States continues to execute people despite being the only G8 country to do so in 2011; condemns the decision by the Supreme Court of South Korea to declare the death penalty legal again when this country was considered de facto as one in which it was abolished; recalls European Parliament resolution P7_TA(2010) 0068 on South Korea; recalls with concern that Belarus is the only European country to continue use the death penalty; urges the EU and its Member States consistently to bring this issue up in their dialogues with these countries;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 a (new)
Paragraph 66 a (new)
66a. Highlights that the definition of slavery provided by the UN is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised; deplores the fact that modern forms of slavery survive including within the EU; calls therefore for the Commission to have a much stronger policy on this subject, particularly with regard to domestic staff, the socio-professional group most affected by these forms of slavery;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67 a (new)
Paragraph 67 a (new)
67a. Reiterates its condemnation of the practices of extraordinary rendition, secret prisons and torture, in which the USA and some EU Member States were involved, which are prohibited under domestic and international human rights law and which breach, inter alia, the rights to liberty, security, humane treatment, freedom from torture, presumption of innocence, fair trial, legal counsel and equal protection under the law; regrets that thus far no responsibility has been apportioned, either in the USA, or at EU level; sincerely hopes that, in accordance with the promises made, the detention and torture centre at Guantánamo be closed as soon as possible;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 a (new)
Paragraph 72 a (new)
72a. Considers that natural resources are essential to life and offer collective benefits which allow them to be considered as global public goods; observes however that many local populations do not always have access to these resources or have difficulties in receiving remuneration for the services they help create; emphasises, consequently, the importance of defining the tools designed to measure the unequal access to natural resources; welcomes the adoption by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 28 July 2010 of the resolution recognising the basic right to water and sanitation; hopes that the European Union and the Member States implement the recommendations of this resolution by providing financial resources, building capacity and transferring technology, particularly for developing countries;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 c (new)
Paragraph 72 c (new)
72c. Notes that a significant number of individuals and cultural minorities do not or no longer have access to certain resources because those resources are monopolised by companies or private entities benefiting from the support of the political authorities in the countries concerned; highlights the consequences of this situation in terms of food shortage owing to the expulsion of farmers, increases in food prices and restricted access to basic goods, such as water; calls, therefore, on the European Union and the Member States to take the necessary measures to put an end to the monopolisation of resources, particularly land, by European undertakings and to put forward proposals in international and regional fora and conferences (World Bank, WTO, UNCTAD, IMF, OECD, etc.) for recognising global public goods and including them in a specific UN convention;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75 a (new)
Paragraph 75 a (new)