Activities of Barbara LOCHBIHLER related to 2015/2096(INI)
Reports (1)
REPORT containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, of the other part PDF (170 KB) DOC (108 KB)
Amendments (33)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6
Citation 6
- having regard to the EU-Vietnam negotiations forannouncement by the EU Commission of 4 August 2015 that the EU and Vietnam have reached an agreement on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which were launched in Brussels onunder negotiation since 26 June 2012,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13
Citation 13
- having regard to the 10th ASEM Summit held in Milan on 16-17 October 2014 and the next Summit to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 2016,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas Vietnam is a valued partner for the EU in the climate change negotiations and has pledged to reduce emissions by 8- 10 per cent compared to 2010 and to reduce energy consumption per GDP by 1-1.5 per cent per year in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas a number of European citizens are of Vietnamese decent dating back from historical ties and whereas the Czech Republic has recognized its citizens of Vietnamese decent as ethnic minority;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas tensions have risen between China and neighbouring countries, including Vietnam, regarding contested areas in the South China Sea; whereas Vietnam officially supports the legal submission by the Philippines to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague of 16 March 2015 on the basis of UNCLOS;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas Vietnam at the same time has recently systematically started to develop strategic, security and energy cooperation with its Southeast Asian neighbours, the United States, and Russia;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas Vietnam remains heavily contaminated by the explosive remnants of the Vietnam War and still suffers from ecocidepeople and nature still suffer from some 20 million gallons of Agent Orange/Dioxine;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its demand toNotes positively that the forthcoming new Free trade Agreement shall establish a legal link between the FTA and the PCA to include the possibility of suspension of the FTA in case of severe human rights abuses and, reiterates however its request to the Commission to proceed with the human rights impact assessment on the planned FTA as called for by the EU Ombudsmaperson;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Comments the inclusion in the future FTA of a chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development, commitments to the core labour standards and Conventions of the ILO, respect of fundamental workers' rights by both parties, commitments which will support the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources with particular attention to Corporate Social Responsibility and fair and ethical trading schemes;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the EU to live up to the expectations raised by the new agreement and to ensure that the policies the EU and its Member States pursue in the context of the implementation of the PCA and the future FTA with Vietnam help advance the respect for human rights, rule of law and good governance; suggests the setting up of a complaint mechanism that can be used by affected individuals and communities;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Vietnamese Government to make concrete progress on the implementation of the UPR recommendations, starting with the creation of an independent National Human Rights Institution; welcomes the EU funding via the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and urges to continue these initiatives in order to support the government's efforts:
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the 12th Vietnamese Communist Party Congress in view of the 2016 elections, to allow for the enhanced participation of citizens in the democratic functioning of the state, notably by allowing the creation of opposition parties, civil society movements and NGOs;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. deplores that more than 500 prisoners are estimated to be on death row; Calls for the Vietnamese Government to establish an immediate moratorium on executions and to take appropriate legislative action to abolish capital punishment; welcomes in this respect the government's readiness to reduce the number of crimes punishable by death and calls on the government to be transparent about whether and if so, on the basis of which charges, executions presumably still take place;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes note that the garment and textile industry, which employs more than 2 million workers, is Vietnam's largest export sector, and is concerned about the lack of mechanisms available for workers to defend their rights; Urges also the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Rights to Organise and Convention No 98 on Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. UNotes the amnesty granted recently to more than 18.000 prisoners and regrets that political prisoners were not included; urges the revision of the Criminal Code, particularly Articles 79, 87, 88 and 258, which are often used to suppress the peaceful expression of opinion; calls for the release of more than 200 prisoners of consciencremains concerned about some 200 prisoners of conscience, including Human Rights defenders, journalists, bloggers, as well as land rights, workers and environmental activists and calls for their release;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for the respect of freedom of religion and an end to discrimination and repression of ethnic and religious minorities and to guarantee freedom of religionincluding harassments, surveillance, intimidation, detention, house arrest, physical assaults and travel bans against Roman Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Hoa Hao and Cao Dai, in particular the persecution of unregistered religious communities such as the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, ethnic Christian minorities and Khmer Krom Buddhists;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Expresses concern about Vietnam constituting one of the major source countries outside the EU for victims of human trafficking, and calls on the Commission to support Vietnam in strengthening its capacities in the field of migration policies and the fight against human trafficking and organised crime, including in the context of its labour and migration policies;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a.Sstresses the socio-economic challenges that Vietnam is facing with its young population and increasing internal migration to cities;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Expresses concern about reports regarding the exploitation of Vietnamese victims of human trafficking, including minors, in EU member states, and urges the Commission to ensure that key protection provisions set out in the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings, including the establishment of national and transnational referral mechanisms, are fully implemented;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Encourages the government of Vietnam and the Commission to consider the establishment of a subcommittee or specialised working group on the issue of human trafficking under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in order to strengthen cooperation in this field;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the adoption of the 2013 amended Land Law but remains seriously concerned by abuses of land rights, forced evictions and state confiscation of land for development projects, which lead to the dispossession of hundreds of thousands of farmers; appeals to the government to stop land grabbing and to set up adequate complaints mechanisms;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the extensive legal commitments by the Vietnamese authorities to promoting gender equity and combating discrimination, but expresses concern that domestic violence, trafficking of women and girls, the growing problem of HIV/AIDS among women, violations of sexual and reproductive rights remain serious problems; urges notably the Vietnamese Government to abolish the discriminatory system of the ‘Hộ khẩu' (family register), which blocks many families, and particularly children, from being registered and this having access to education and social services;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the extensive legal commitments by the Vietnamese authorities to promoting gender equity and combating discrimination, but expresses concern that domestic violence, trafficking of women and girlschildren, the growing problem of HIV/AIDS among women, violations of sexual and reproductive rights remain serious problems; urges notably the Vietnamese Government to abolish the discriminatory system of the ‘Hộ khẩu' (family register);
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Shares the Vietnamese Government's concerns that increasing corruption represents one of Vietnam's main challenges and notes with particular concern that citizens, including journalists and bloggers who denounce corruption are targeted by the authorities; notes that only very few cases have been prosecuted successfully despite the Anti-Corruption Law and appeals to the government to enhance its implementation;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Expresses serious concern at environmental damage in Vietnam, pollution, unsustainable mining activities that destroy whole regions, waterways, the life of local communities and deforestation as well as activities of Vietnamese companies abroad which contribute to environmental degradation and land grabbing;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Urges the Vietnamese Government to introduce measures to guarantee the effective enforcement of legislation to protect the environment and biodiversity particularly from the negative effects of deforestation and the extraction of raw materials with clear, time-bound and result-based targets in each of the above areas;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses the need for the Mekong River Commission to carry out thorough prior consultations and to make comprehensive environmental, fisheries, livelihoods and cross border impact assessments of hydropower development plans in the mainstream of the Mekong River;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Takes note that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has adopted a climate change adaptation strategy; Welcomes that the country is engaged in developing biomass and solar energy and welcomes the strong focus of the EU aid package (2014-2020) on sustainable energy development;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the government to reconsider its decision to build and operate Vietnam's first nuclear power plant located in Ninh;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Welcomes that Vietnam has taken specific measures to develop knowledge and research on science and technology, to address the weaknesses in higher education, to attract overseas-Vietnamese and to cooperate with European and US Academic Institutions in order to help in this process;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on China and the neighbouring countries concerned including Vietnam to intensify efforts to defuse tension in the contested area in the South China Sea through confidence building, bilateral and regional discussions and mediation by impartial international bodies such as UNCLOS: Welcomes the joint statement of the Chinese and Vietnamese leaders in April 2015 pledging to look for a peaceful resolution to the island disputes;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls for an enhancement of parliamentary cooperation and the role of Parliament and the inter-parliamentary meetings as means to monitor the implementation of the Agreement;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for establishing a regular exchange mechanism between the EEAS and Parliament, so as to allow Parliament to follow up on the implementation of the Agreement and the achievement of its objectives; this mechanism should contain the following elements: - provision to the EP of information on the objectives pursued by EU actions and positions, and on all issues relating to Vietnam; - provision to the EP of information benchmarking the results of actions undertaken by the EU and Vietnam, highlighting the evolution in the situation of human rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law in the country, in particular through: * allowing access under the appropriate confidentiality procedures to the relevant EEAS internal documents; * granting Parliament observer status in the briefing meetings ahead of meetings of the Joint Cooperation Committee, and address to documents provided to the Council and Commission; * involvement of civil society in the preparation of this information and the assessment of the situation;