Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2009/2199(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on human rights (2008) - EU policies in favour of human rights defenders - Trade in goods used for torture - (debate)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Title
Title
No change to English version.
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. Whereas support for human rights defenders is a long-established element of the European Union's human rights external relations policy; whereas, however, that EU support varies depending on the countries concerned and the partnerships which the EU and its Member States have concluded,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. Whereas the European Parliament plays an important role as regards the promotion and protection of human rights defenders, through hearings, resolutions, letters and not the least the Sakharov Prize, as well as in its reports on human rights worldwide,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. Whereas women human rights defenders are particularly at risk and other groups and categories of defenders who are particularly exposed to attacks and human rights violations as a result of the work they carry out, include defenders working to promote economic, social and cultural rights and those working with minorities' rights, indigenous peoples and, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and journalists,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Pays tribute to the invaluable contribution human rights defenders make to the protectiondefence and promotion of human rights, the rule of law, democracy and the prevention of conflicts at the risk of their own personal security and that of their families and parents;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets that despite existing tools and mechanisms, within the European Union no coherent and systematic protection for human rights defenders has been achieved; recommends the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to actively look into developingdevelop measures and a more result-oriented methodology in this regard;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers thatalls for the EU needs to express its political support to the action of human rights defenders and thus, to use all existing tools and develop new mechanisms to support and promote the work of human rights defenders through a participative strategy, which should contribute to an enabling environment for defenders; underlines that this must be combined with a policy aimed at prevention and protection from hostilitiemeasures and action taken against human rights defenders, through both urgent and long term measures;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the Treaty of Lisbon, as outlined in its article 3 and 21, puts the promotion and protectiondefence of human rights at the centre of the Union's external action; underlines that priority must be given to ensure that the promotion ofrespect for human rights as both a basic value and, together with their promotion, an objective of the Union's foreign policy is duly mirrored in the creation and structure of the European External Action Service, including through the designation of sufficient human resources; calls therefore for the appointment of a central focal point with a specific responsibility on human rights defenders within the EEAS;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4a (new)
Paragraph 4a (new)
4a. Is concerned by the lack of implementation of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders; insists on these guidelines being duly and fully implemented by all EU delegations and on instructions being given to the delegations to ensure that they have local implementation strategies drawn up before the end of 2010, or where such strategies already exist that they are revised by the same deadline; calls for a list of these local strategies to be made available to the European Parliament and published in the EU Annual Report on Human Rights;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4b (new)
Paragraph 4b (new)
4b. Strongly recommends that the elaboration of local strategies, including their evaluation, be institutionalised by the HR/VP, so as to ensure a real implementation of the protection measures enshrined in the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reminds that implementation by the EU missions of the guidelines on human rights defenders has so far been unsatisfactory, but through the Lisbon Treaty,Points out that Commission delegations in third countries will now have a rare opportunity tothe task of addressing this issue as they become Union delegations, with an increasingly important role in terms of representation of the EU and the implementation of the human rights policy; reiterates therefore its call to systematically appoint a highly qualified political official with a specific responsibility on human rights and democracy, and to integrate guidelines on human rights and their implementation in EU mission staff training programmes, job descriptions and appraisal processes;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that the annual meetings between human rights defenders and diplomats requested in the EU guidelines can clearly contribute to the setting-up of such process; calls, therefore, on the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, simultaneously a Commission Vice-President, to hold such meetings on a systematic basis and to consider the possibility of organising an international meeting of human rights defenders, with the participation of the relevant United Nations bodies, the secretariats of the regional human rights conventions and international and regional NGOs, with a view to improving the protection of human rights defenders and promoting human rights throughout the world;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Emphasises the need for a gender perspective in the implementation of perspective in the implementation of the guidelines, with targeted actions in the guidelines, with targeted actions in favour of women human rights favour of women human rights defenders and other particularly defenders and other particularly vulnerable groups, such as defenders vulnerable groups, such as defenders working to promote economic, social working to promote economic, social and cultural rights and those working and cultural rights and those working with minorities' rights, indigenous with minorities' rights, indigenous peoples and lesbian, gay, bisexual and peoples, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; transgender people and journalists;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Condemns the climate of impunity for violations committed against defenders prevailing in numerous countries of the world; calls upon the Council and the Commission to raise this issue in their bilateral contacts, urging all states to ensure that perpetrators, regardless of their position or function, are brought to justice through independent and effective disciplinary and criminal procedures; calls on the Commission and the Council to introduce sanctions – possibly going as far as partially or totally suspending association or partnership agreements – against third countries which do not quickly put a stop to such violations or do not bring the perpetrators of such violations to justice;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Points out that parliamentarians also play a crucial role when ensuring that national legislation potentially affecting human rights defenders and their activities is broughtrepealed in order bring the national legislation of the country concerned into conformity with internationally recognised human rights standards; underlines therefore the importance if these issues being systematically addressed by Members of the European Parliament in bi- and multilateral meetings with other parliamentarians, in line with its specific guidelines for human rights and democracy actions of MEPs in their visits to third countries;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Council and the Commission to increase awareness among human rights defenders, the EEAS, EU embassies and EU Foreign Ministries about the existence of the guidelines through targeted actions in order to ensure their full ownership and application; considers that the annual meetings foreseen in the guidelines would be one way of better reaching ouprovide substantial support to human rights defenders and also increase the viscredibility of EU action in the area of human rights;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that public recognition and visibility given to human rights defenders and their work can also contribute to their protection in difficult circumstances, as perpetrators might refrain from action when abuses will not occur unnoticed; calls on EU Member States and EU delegation to, whenever possible, publish démarches and other activitieto publish actions undertaken regarding a specific case, always in consultation with the human rights defender and his or her family; calls on EU Missions to provide human rights defenders and/or their families with systematic feedback about any action, whatever format, taken on their behalf, as spelled out in the guidelines;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Emphasises the need to accompany these emergency visas with possibilities of temporary protection and shelter in Europe for human rights defenders; welcomes the Shelter Cities initiative promoted by the Czech Presidency, and requestscalls for it to be further advancedinalised by the end of 2010 and implemented by the end of 2011; calls for further support to other existing initiatives in this regard;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Further emphasises that in case of situations where life or physical and mental health of a human rights defender might be at risk, Member States and EU delegations should support and develop also other protection tools and urgent response mechanisms; considers that this should be done in close cooperation with local human rights defenders and civil society;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Considers thatalls, in the context of the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon, for the EU institutions should make special efforts to establish an inter- institutional cooperation mechanism on human rights defenders; understands that the creation of such a mechanism could be eased by the setting up of focal points for human rights defenders in all the EU institutions and organs, with such focal points working in close cooperation with those responsible for human rights and democracy in EU missions and delegations;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Believes that information sharing would also be facilitated by the creation of specific data bases, or "log books", in order to keep track of activitiebetween the various human rights actors around the world should be improved in order to better understand the activities and actions undertaken, especially in regard to individuals;