Activities of Barbara LOCHBIHLER related to 2017/2122(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2016 and the EU policy on the matter (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2016 and the European Union’s policy on the matter PDF (1 MB) DOC (145 KB)
Amendments (28)
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas trade and human rights reinforce each other, and whereashas a direct impact on the enjoyment of human rights in third countries, and whereas under a system of corporate liability, as presently ventured in the UN, the business community has an important role to play in offering positive incentives in terms of promoting human rights, democracy and corporate responsibility;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses profound concern that human rights, the rule of law and democratic values continue to be under threat worldwideabout the global authoritarian pushback against democracy, the rule of law and human rights;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is deeply concerned that the numerous, ever-increasing attempts made to shrink the space of civil society, is increasingly under attack worldwidencluding for human rights, environmental rights and women's rights defenders, and at the growing number of repressive laws adopted throughout the world, including under the pretext of combating terrorism; recalls that independent civil society plays an essential role in the defence and advancement of human rights and in the functioning of democratic societies; calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on civil society organisations (CSOs) and their activities; calls, in addition, for the EU and its Member States to use all available means, such as human rights dialogues, political dialogues and to step up its public diplomacy, to systematically in open and clear support of human rights defenders; calls on the EU and its Members States to systematically and unequivocally denounce the repression, harassment and killings of human rights defenders, and raise individual cases of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society activists at risk, particularly those in prison;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Underlines that the phenomenon of shrinking civil society space is a global phenomenon, which, in an increasing manner, is also occurring in established democracies and middle and high-income countries, including in EU Member States and some of its closest allies;calls on the EU and its Member States to lead by example and strictly uphold universal human rights, ensure an enabling environment for their civil society and to address any negative trends in this field;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Encourages the EU delegations and the Member States’ diplomatic staff to continue to actively support HRDs, by systematically monitoring trials, visiting detained activists and issuing statements on individual cases, where appropriate; highlights the importance of silent diplomacy tools in this regard; welcomes the fact that the EU raised HRD cases in dialogues and consultations at EU level with over 50 countries in 2016; highlights the fact that the EIDHR Emergency Fund supported more than 250 HRDs at EU level in 2016, representing an increase of 30 % compared with 2015; welcomes the establishment of the EU Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by civil society, ProtectDefenders.eu, and its successful operation which has provided critical support to a large number of HRDs; urges the Commission to ensure the continuation of the programme after October 2018 and to increase its capabilities in order to provide more support to HRDs worldwide;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Calls for the establishment of a system to effectively monitor civil society space with clear benchmarks and indicators, to fill in the gaps in the current overall framework under which the EU deals with the issue of civil society space;commits to establish, on an annual basis, a list of countries where civil society space is most under threat and to use it as a benchmark against which to assess the engagement of the EU and its Member States with these countries;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Welcomes the Council decision of 11 May 2017 on the signing of the Council of Europe Convention (Istanbul Convention) on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence;calls on the EU and its Member States to speed up the process towards accession and promote its implementation through external action in order to ensure coherence between EU internal and external action on violence against women and girls;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Reaffirms the urgent need for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocols; in this respect, calls on the USA, as the only remaining country not to have ratified the CRC, to do so as a matter of urgency; requests that the EU systematically consult relevant local and international child rights organisations, and raise, in its political and human rights dialogues with third countries, States Parties’ obligations to implement the Convention; welcomes the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021); requests that the EU continue to promote the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit for integrating child rights in development cooperation through its external delegations, and to train the EU delegation staff adequately in this field; reiterates its request for the Commission to propose a comprehensive children’s rights strategy and action plan for the next five years, in order to prioritise children’s rights within EU external policies; welcomes the fact that under the 2016 Development Cooperation Instrument, resources were allocated to support UN agencies in carrying out measures targeted to children’s rights;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Reiterates the need for all Member States to implement the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) and the Directive 2011/36/EU on this matter;urges the EU and Member States to make the fight against THB a priority in its external policies, addressing both the demand and supply side of the phenomenon;calls on the EU to make these efforts more effective, coordinated and coherent including when it comes to investigating the crime, identifying potential victims and to prosecuting perpetrators;stresses the need for a human rights-based and victim-centred approach;expresses profound concerns that despite efforts made in the EU to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation, it has not decreased;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Expresses its profound concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrants and refugees to exploitation, smuggling and THB;stresses the need to uphold the distinction between the concepts of THB and migrant smuggling;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Condemns the continuing human rights violations committed against people suffering from caste hierarchies and caste-based discrimination;reiterates its call for the development of an EU policy on caste discrimination, and calls on the EU to use every opportunity, including high-level dialogues and summits, to publicly and privately express its grave concern over caste discrimination;urges the EU and its Member States to intensify its efforts and to support initiatives at the UN and EU delegation levels to eliminate caste discrimination;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reiterates its support for the systematic introduction of human rights clauses in all international agreements between the EU and third countries, including trade and investment agreements, and stresses the need to make use of these clauses and to include a complaint mechanism therein; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of such clauses effectively and systematically and to provide Parliament with regular reports on partner countries’ respect for human rights; takes a positive view of the GSP+ preference system as a means to stimulate the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human rights and labour standards; stresses, however, that repeated infringements of core labour standards have been reported in several countries with GSP+ status, but that this has not led to an investigation or a suspension of preferences; calls for a genuine enforcement of GSP+ to be implemented, alongside a transparent reporting mechanism and funding for civil society monitoring; expects the Commission to report back to Parliament and to the Council on the status of its ratificationprogress of GSP+ beneficiaries on their commitments under this scheme; reiterates the importance of the proper implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Reaffirms the factCalls, once again, on the EU and its Member States to participate constructively in the work of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises; stresses the critical importance for all countries, including EU Member States, to fully implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, particularly with respect to the third pillar on access to remedy; calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure that the activities of all companies, including European ones, operating in third countries should bare in full compliance with international human rights standards, including not contributing directly or indirectly to violations; calls on the Commission to establish an inter- institutional task force on business and human rights and to explore an EU-level duty of care initiative; reaffirms, moreover, the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and of European enterprises playing a leading role in promoting international standards on business and human rights; acknowledges that, which is all the more important in order to make global value chains contribute to enhancing international core labour, environmental and social standards, and represent an opportunity for sustainable progress, especially in developing countries;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Amendment 229 #
19. Calls for the EU and its Member States to use all their political weight to prevent any act that could be considered genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity from taking place, to respond in an efficient and coordinated manner in cases where such crimes occur, to mobilise all necessary resources to bring to justice all those responsible, including through the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, and to assist the victims and support stabilisation and reconciliation processes; calls on the international community to set up instruments to minimise the warning- response gap in order to prevent the emergence, re-emergence and escalation of violent conflict, such as the EU’s early warning system;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fightend impunity for atrocity crimes; urges the EU and its Member States to consistently support ICC examinations, investigations and decisions and to take steps to prevent and respond effectively to instances of non-cooperation with the ICC; reiterates its calls on the EU and its Member States to provide the ICC with adequate funding; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the EU and its Member States to adopt a common position on the crime of aggression and the Kampala Amendments and calls on the EU to be at the forefront of global efforts in support of the ratification of the Rome Statute and the Kampala Amendments and of the activation of the Court's jurisdiction over the crime of aggression;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Expresses profound concern at and solidarity with the large number of refugeeasylum seekers and migrants who suffer grave and growing human rights violations ason the victims of conflicts, persecution, governance failures and illegal migration, trafficking and smuggling networksir route to Europe; stresses the urgent need to tackle the root causes of migration flows and therefore to address the external dimension of the refugee crisis, including by finding sustainable solutions to conflicts in our neighbourhood by develop, that are ing cooperation and partnerships with the third countries concernednformity with international law; underlines the need for a comprehensive human-rights- based approach to migration and calls for the EU to collaborate further with the UN, regional organisations, governments and NGOs;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Reiterates 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; insists on the need to integrate pre-assessment as well as monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the human rights impact of cooperation on migration with third countries; in this context, calls on the EU to increase transparency and ensure parliamentary scrutiny and democratic oversight over these agreements; emphasises 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;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Recalls that criterion two of Common Position 944/2008/CFSP obliges Member States to examine each arms- export licence against the country of destination's respect for human rights; deplores the numerous cases of non- respect by Member States of this criterion; calls for a reform of the assessment process of arms exports projects, notably by the introduction of a risk assessment based on the overall situation in the country, therefore introducing the precautionary principle; also recommends to initiate discussions on the extension of criterion two to include democratic governance indicators that could help establish further safeguards against unintended negative consequences of arms exports;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Recalls the commitment in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy of the Commission, the EEAS and the Council to develop and implement, by 2017, a due diligence policy to ensure that EU support to security forces, such as its programme Capacity building in support of security and development (CBSD), is in compliance with and contributes to the implementation of the EU human rights policy and is consistent with the promotion, protection and enforcement of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as may be applicable;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Recalls its resolution of 27 February 2014 on the use of armed drones; expresses its grave concern over the use of armed drones outside the international legal framework; calls on the EU to urgently develop a legally binding framework for the use of armed drones to ensure that the Member States, in conformity with their legal obligations, do not perpetrate unlawful targeted killings or facilitate such killings by other states; calls further on the Commission to keep Parliament properly informed about the use of EU funds for all research and development projects associated with the construction of drones; calls for human rights impact assessments in respect of further drone development projects; urges the HR/VP to ban the development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons, which enable strikes to be carried out without human intervention;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; recommends that the Guidelines be implemented, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; regretsstrongly denounces the fact that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, 13 of which have the death penalty, and believes that practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation should not go unpunished;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses that the EU should continue to actively support democratic and effective human rights institutions and civil society in their efforts to promote democratisation; welcomes, in this context, the invaluable assistance provided to civil society organizations worldwide under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, which continues to constitute the flagship instrument of the EU in implementing its external human rights policy; welcomes also the European Endowment for Democracy’s consistent efforts to promote democracy and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of the EU;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the eight Election Observation Missions (EOMs) and the eight Electoral Expert Missions (EEMs) deployed around the globe by the EU in 2016; highlights the fact that since 2015, the EU has deployed 17 EOMs and 23 EEMs; reiterates its positive view of the EU’s continued support for electoral processes and its provision of electoral assistance and support for domestic observers; welcomes and fully supports the work of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) in this regard;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Notes that the work and the impact of the EU Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR) can only be partially accessed through a review of the Annual Report on Human Rights, his social media account, and available speeches; suggests that efforts be made towards greater transparency about his activities;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Recalls the EU’s commitment to placing human rights and democracy at the centre of its relations with third countries; stresses, therefore, that the advancement of human rights and democratic principles needs to be supported through all EU policies with an external dimension, such as enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the CSDP, and development, trade, justice and home affairs policiessecurity, counter-terrorism, trade, migration, justice and home affairs policies, in particular through the implementation of human rights conditionality;