Activities of Alf SVENSSON related to 2013/2152(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Human rights in the world 2012 and EU policy on the matter (debate)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the uprisings in the Arab world prompted the European Union to acknowledge the failure of past policiesat the EU had been more concerned about stability than about democratisation and to commit to a ‘more for more’ approach in the Review of the Neighbourhood Policy, based on a commitment to ‘adapt levels of EU support to partners according to progress on political reforms and building deep democracy’, including free and fair elections, freedom of association, expression and assembly, a free press and media, and the rule of law administered by an independent judiciary;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the European Parliament, in its resolutions on the previous Annual Report and on the review of the EU human rights strategy (both of which were adopted in December 2012), stressed the need for a reform of its own practices to mainstream human rights in its activities and follow up its urgent resolutions condemning breaches of democracy, human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the European Parliament Eurobarometer survey of public opinion, carried out in the 27 EU Member States in November and December 2012, shows again that the protection of human rights remains the most important value in the eyes of Europeans; whereas credible implementation of stated EU and UN commitments to support human rights and democracy in its external policies is crucial to maintain the overall credibility of EU foreign policy;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the VP/HR, EU Special Representative for Human Rights and the EEAS to pursue these commitments and mainstream human rights and democracy in all the EU’s relations with its partners, including at the highest political level, by making use of all relevant EU external policy instruments;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Acknowledges the efforts made to list the various EU actions in the field of human rights and democracy support in the country reports, which provide a wealth of information about the work of the EU institutions around the world; regrets, nevertheless, that the country reports still seem to lack a systematic, clear and coherent frameworkarrangement that would allow for more rigorous analysis on the impact and efficiency of EU action;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the effort to include activities by the European Parliament in the Annual Report and strongly encourages the VP/HR and the EEAS to specifyreport which EU action has been taken to follow up on Parliament’s resolutions;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recognises the importance of the mandate given to the first EU Special Representative (SR) for Human Rights; encourages the EU SR to enhance the visibility, mainstreaming, coherence and effectiveness of EU human rights policy and to strike the right balance between silent and public diplomacy in carrying out his mandate; repeats its recommendation that the EU SR provide Parliament with a regular report on his activities;Does not affect the English version.
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the European Commission’s decision to place the rule of law at the heart of the enlargement process; urges the EU to remain vigilant during the enlargement processes and to demand rigorous implementation of provisions critical to human rights, such as protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, establishing the rule of law together with vigorous action to combat all forms of corruption, and effective access to justice, and guaranteeing fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that media freedom has generally advanced in enlargement countries; deplores, however, the lack of measures to ensure freedom of expression in certain enlargement countries, which often leads to self-censorship, political interference, economic pressures, and the harassment of, or even violence against, journalists; is seriously concerned in this respect about increasing violations of the freedom of expression and of the press in Turkey;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Remains deeply concerned about the crisis in Syria; strongly deplores the excessive use of force and violence against the civilian population in the country, and abhors the scale of state abuses that may constitute crimes against humanity; calls on all armed factions to put an immediate end to violence in the country; expresses grave concern at the on-going humanitarian crisis and the implications for neighbouring countries; believes that the key to solving the conflict lies in political mechanisms and diplomatic processes; condemns the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
72. Calls for the EU to pay particular attention to discrimination based on forms of social stratification, such as caste and analogous systems of inherited status, which have a seriously harmful and sometimes destructive impact on the prospects for equal enjoyment of human rights; considers that those countries where a caste system still exists should be urged to prohibit it and ensure that laws against the caste system are genuinely implemented;