Activities of Kinga GÖNCZ related to 2013/2078(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Fundamental rights in the European Union (2012) (debate)
Fundamental rights in the European Union (2012) (debate)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission Communication on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 (COM(2011)0173) and the European Council Conclusions of 24 June 2011,
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for the creation, preferably under an inter-institutional agreement, of a "Copenhagen commission" composed of independent high-level experts on fundamental rights, to be appointed also by the EP, whose aim shall be to ensure compliance by all Member States with the common values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, the continuous compliance with the 'Copenhagen criteria' and advising and reporting in relation to fundamental rights matters, awaiting for the modification of the Regulation of the Fundamental Rights Agency to allow it to have a wider competence to monitor individual member states in the field of fundamental rights, as requested by the EP repeatedly;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to propose the announced amendments to the treaties with a view to strengthening fundamental rights and revising Article 7 ofWelcomes the statements made by the President of the Commission and by Vice- President Reding announcing a communication with possible changes to the EU Treaty, drawing on Article 121 of the Treaty on thies, in addition to the options available Functioning ofder the Ecuropean Union, the extension of the possibilities for redress and the powers of the Commission and the Court of Justice, a revision of the unanimity rule for amending the rules of the FRA and the deletion of Article 51 of the Charter; calls, also, for Article 7 of the EU Treaty to be substantially revised, with the addition ofrent Treaties, and calls on its competent Committees to examine the following proposals in detail, with a view to strengthening fundamental rights protection in the EU Treaties: - a revision of Article 7 of the EU Treaty, adding an ‘'application of Article 2 of the EU Treaty’' stage, separating the ‘'risk’' stage from the ‘'violation’' stage, with different thresholds for the majorities provided for, a strengthening of the technical and objective (not only political) analysis, enhanced dialogue with the Member States' institutions and a wider range of detailed and predictable penalties which are applicable throughout the procedure; calls for Parliament to be able to launch these procedures- drawing on Article 121 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to devise a stronger and detailed fundamental rights coordination and supervision mechanism; - the extension of the possibilities for redress and of the powers of the Commission and the Court of Justice; - a reference to the Fundamental Rights Agency in the treaties, including a legal base allowing to amend the Agency's founding regulation not by unanimity as is currently the case but via the ordinary legislative procedure; - the deletion of Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; - provide for Parliament the possibility to launch procedures on the violation of Article 2 TEU on an equal footing with the Commission and the Council; asksnd for the FRA to be able to contribute its necessary specialised support to the procedure; - review the requirement for unanimity in areas related to the respect, protection and promotion of fundamental rights, for instance in relation to equality and non- discrimination (for instance, Article 19 TFUE); Calls also its competent Committee to clarify the application of, and eventually review, the procedure related to the activation by the EP of Article 7 TEU;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Expresses its concern about the instances of violation of human dignity which are still occurring in the Union and in certain Member States, whose victims particularly include minorities, Roma in particular, asylum-seekers, migrants, people suspected of having links with terrorism and people who are deprived of their freedom; stresses that the public authorities must abide by the absolute prohibition on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, carry out swift, effective, independent in-depth investigations into any breach and prosecute those responsible;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to scale up existing efforts to work with Member States, local authorities, educational institutions, and civil society organizations on awareness raising campaigns to dispel anti-Roma prejudice, and on initiatives that foster inter-cultural dialogue
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the fact that a growing number of Member States are respecting the right to found a family through marriage, civil partnership or registered cohabitation and adoption, without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, and calls on the remaining Member States to do the same; welcomes the recent judgment by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Vallianatos and others v. Greece affirming that same-sex couples must be able to enter into civil unions; calls on the Commission and all Member States to propose and adopt legislation and policies to combat homophobia, transphobia and hate crimes, and welcomes the publication of Opinion No 2/2013 of the FRA on the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia - with special attention to the rights of victims of crime; calls on the Commission and all Member States to enforce the directive on freedom of movement without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation; reiterates its calls for the Commission to draw up a European roadmap against homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to propose an ambitious regulation on the mutual recognition of the legal effects of civil status documents;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Is extremely concerned about the number of suicides among young people falling victims of homophobia; recalls the findings of the FRA's EU LGBT survey which showed that 26% of all respondents had been attacked or threatened with violence at home or elsewhere, a figure which rises to 35% among all transgender respondents, while 19% of respondents felt discriminated against at work or when looking for a job, despite legal protection under EU law; consequently calls on the Commission to use these findings as a basis for a comprehensive European response to the fundamental rights problems of LGBT persons, in the shape of an EU Roadmap for equality on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, as repeatedly called for by Parliament and NGOs;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Regrets that legal gender recognition procedures for transgender people still include compulsory sterilisation in 14 Member States; calls on Member States to review these procedures so they fully respect transgender people's right to dignity and bodily integrity; congratulates the Commission for its commitment to work within the World Health Organisation to withdraw gender identity disorders from the list of mental and behavioural disorders and to ensure a non-pathologising reclassification in the negotiations on the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11);
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses its concern about the numerous breaches of the right of asylum and of the obligation to extend protection in the event of removal, expulsion and extradition of any migrant; stresses the obligation to comply with international human rights conventions, particularly the Geneva Convention and the principle of non-refoulement, and the obligation to come to the assistance of people at sea who are risking their lives to reach the European Union, and to arrange for reception conditions and procedures which respect their dignity and fundamental rights; welcomes the adoption of the ‘'asylum’' package; deplores, however, the fact that minorschildren can still be placed in detention and calls for them to be systematically excluded from expedited procedures; calls for the establishment of common minimum standards for the reception and protection of unaccompanied minorschildren; welcomes the recent ECJ judgment stating that LGBT applicants for asylum can constitute a particular social group who may be persecuted on account of their sexual orientation and that the existence of a term of imprisonment in the country of origin sanctioning homosexual acts may constitute an act of persecution per se, provided that it is actually applied, while asylum seekers seeking protection from sexual orientation based persecution cannot be expected to "conceal [their] homosexuality in [their] country of origin or exercise restraint in expressing it";
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Expresses its concern about the numerous forced deportations, evictions and relocations of Roma and denial of their right to a dignified life, their ethnic- profiling by law enforcement authorities and the lack of respect to their rights in cases of persecution, particularly the right to presumption of innocence, unequal treatment before the law, including when judgments are adopted but not effectively implemented, lack or ineffective protection from manifestations of threat or violence based on hate; calls for strengthening efforts in ensuring security and liberty of Roma, including by incorporating this aim in the EU Framework (COM(2011)0173);
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that the Union and Member States should step up their measures to promote equality, combat discrimination and protect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, and their measures relating to gender equality, the rights of the child, the rights of older persons, the integration of people with disabilities and the rights of LGBT persons; reiterates for the umpteenth time its call for the Council to adopt the Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation; welcomes the FRA Opinion 1/2013 on the situation of equality in the European Union 10 years on from initial implementation of the equality directives in this regard;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that the Union and Member States should step up their measures to promote equality, combat discrimination and protect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, and their measures relating to gender equality, the rights of the child, the rights of older persons, the integrationrights of peoplersons with disabilities and, the rights of LGBT persons and persons belonging to national minorities; reiterates for the umpteenth time its call for the Council to adopt the Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Expresses its concern on the fact that persons with disabilities continue to face discrimination and exclusion, which hinders their ability to enjoy their fundamental rights on an equal basis with others; calls on EU institutions and EU Member States to continue implementation of the CRPD in their respective fields of competence; notes that the further development of EU law and policy in the area of non-discrimination could play a role in the process of harmonising legislation with the CRPD across the EU, for example in the area of legal capacity.
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission to set up a monitoring mechanism on hate crime against Roma, and to take a strong action in cases of violations of the fundamental rights of Roma in Member States, especially by opening infringement proceedings on violations of the access and exercise of their economic and social rights, of the right to freedom of movement and of residence, of the right to equality and non-discrimination, of the right to the protection of personal data and calls for the prohibition of the creation of registers based on ethnicity and race; calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the lack of birth registration and certificates of Roma residing in the EU;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Calls for greater involvement of EU institutions and improved multi- stakeholder dialogue on the challenges older people face in the full application of their human rights;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for stronger action to help homeless persons and provide them with shelter and support, condemns laws and policies at national or local level criminalizing those persons, who are more in need, as this amounts to a striking and inhumane violation of fundamental rights,
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses that the independent, equitable, effective, egalitarian and just administration of justice, within reasonable time limits, is fundamental to democracy and the rule of law and to their credibility; expresses its concern about the numerous breaches which have occurred in this context, as demonstrated by the number of cases in which the European Court of Human Rights has found against States; calls on Member States to fully implement the Court's decisions; stresses that any impunity on grounds of a position of power, force or influence over persons or the judicial or political authorities cannot be tolerated in the European Union;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes the roadmapJustice scoreboard issued by the Commission with regard to civil justice, andthat unfortunately covers only civil justice issues, notwithstanding the fact that the EP had requested it to cover also criminal justice, fundamental rights and the Rule of Law; consequently calls for it to be developed so as also to cover criminal justicethe requested areas; stresses that ithe scoreboard should be incorporated into the new procedure which also extends to democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights and equality,Copenhagen mechanism and in the European policy cycle on the application of Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union;