ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
87.

Insists that bilateral and multilateral trade agreements negotiated by the EU should: — be accompanied by economic, social and environmental impact assessments with respect to the threat of over-exploitation of resources, for both non-EU and EU countries, taking into account the networks already created by pre-existing agreements, — respect rules of origin, — require traceability of the product to ensure it comes from legal and sustainable fisheries, — not undermine the IUU Regulation or other provisions of the CFP, — include provisions to ensure that only fisheries products coming from well-managed fisheries are traded, — not lead to increased trade, which would result in over-exploitation and depletion of resources, — ensure that unsustainably caught products do not enter the EU market, — include provisions for suspension and review of the payment of the financial contribution as well as provisions on the suspension of the implementation of the protocol in the event of a breach of essential and fundamental human rights provisions, as laid down for example in Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement, or non-compliance with the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work;
15.

Emphasises the urgent need for all the Parties, firstly, to implement their pledges and, secondly, to raise their ambition levels between now and 2020, in order to stay within the 2 oC objective; reiterates in particular the urgent need for progress in closing the ‘gigatonne gap’ between the scientific findings and the Parties’ current pledges and coming up with binding commitments and actions aimed at emissions reductions which are more ambitious than those contained in the Copenhagen Accord, based on the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’, meaning that poorer countries should — through financial and technological assistance, but also capacity-building measures — be enabled to make the direct transition to an advanced low-carbon energy and economic system; calls, in particular, on the Parties to take urgent measures, with effect by 2015 at the latest, to reduce emissions from international aviation and maritime transport, along with other relevant sectors, and to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), black carbon, methane and other short-lived climate forcers, in order to close the gap with the 2 oC objective;
—

having regard to its earlier resolutions, in particular the resolution of 13 October 2005 on prospects for trade relations between the EU and China (4), the resolution of 1 June 2006 on EU-US transatlantic economic relations (5), the resolution of 28 September 2006 on the EU’s economic and trade relations with India (6), the resolution of 12 October 2006 on economic and trade relations between the EU and Mercosur with a view to the conclusion of an Interregional Association Agreement (7), the resolution of 22 May 2007 on ‘Global Europe — external aspects of competitiveness’ (8), the resolution of 19 June 2007 on EU economic and trade relations with Russia (9), the resolution of 19 February 2008 on the EU’s Strategy to deliver market access for European companies (10), the resolution of 24 April 2008 on ‘Towards a reform of the World Trade Organisation’ (11), the resolution of 5 February 2009 on trade and economic relations with China (12), the resolution of 26 March 2009 on an EU-India Free Trade Agreement (13), the resolution of 21 October 2010 on the European Union’s trade relations with Latin America (14), the resolution of 17 February 2011 on the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Korea (15), the resolution of 6 April 2011 on European international investment policy (16), the legislative resolution of 10 May 2011 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing transitional arrangements for bilateral investment agreements between Member States and third countries (17), the resolution of 11 May 2011 on the state of play in the EU-India free trade agreement negotiations (18), the resolution of 11 May 2011 on EU-Japan trade relations (19), the resolution of 8 June 2011 on EU-Canada trade relations (20), and the resolution of 27 September 2011 on a New Trade Policy for Europe under the Europe 2020 Strategy (21),
8.

Welcomes the Union Cabinet's approval in September 2012 of the Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition) Act, banning employment of children below 14 years across all sectors and below 18 years for hazardous sectors; calls on the Government of India to take effective implementing measures in order to rapidly reduce what is still one of the highest number of working children in the world and to introduce legislation for a full ban on child labour in accordance with the International Labour Organisation guidelines;
38.

Acknowledges the Commission’s assessment that the levels of debt accumulated by public and private actors restrict the scope for new activities and investments in the Member States; calls, nevertheless, on the Member States neither to consider their national GNI contribution to the EU budget as an adjustment variable in their consolidation efforts, nor to seek to reduce artificially the volume of the EU budget’s growth enhancing expenditure, contrary to the political commitments they have made at the highest level; is, however, fully aware of the economic tension between the need to consolidate public finances in the short run and any potential increase for some Member States in their GNI-based contribution brought about by an increase in the level of payments in the EU budget; restates, therefore, its strong calls for reform of the financing arrangements for the EU budget — to be agreed in the framework of the 2014-2020 MFF negotiations — by reducing the share of Member States’ GNI-based contributions to the EU budget to 40 % by 2020, thereby contributing to their consolidation efforts (1);
15.

Recalls that the key element in the relationship between growth and consolidation is the composition of consolidation; stresses that the appropriate mix of expenditure- and revenue-side measures is context-dependent and should be thoroughly assessed; points out in this regard, however, that consolidations based on cutting unproductive expenditure rather than on increasing revenue tend to be more lasting and more growth-enhancing in the medium term, but more recessive in the short term; is of the opinion that consolidation strategies need to mitigate short-term recessive impact while aiming at being growth-enhancing in the medium term; believes that the possible negative impact of consolidations in the short run can be mitigated, in particular provided that the measures taken are credible, lasting and avoid a reduction in public investment in productive sectors of the economy;
5.

Calls on the Member States to firmly combat discrimination against third-country nationals and other EU citizens, particularly formal and informal discrimination in job-seeking and in the workplace; takes the view that firm action should be taken to counteract discrimination and racism in the wake of the economic and financial crisis and the accompanying rise in unemployment; stresses that employers are required by law to treat all employees equally and to avoid discrimination between them on grounds of religion, sex, ethnicity or nationality, thus promoting fundamental rights, whereas non-discrimination and equal opportunities are a crucial part of the integration process; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that remuneration levels and rights under collective agreements are complied with in host countries for migrants too; calls on the Member States to monitor effective compliance in order to prevent wage and social dumping, to adopt common guidelines on tackling work-related discrimination and measures to mitigate the negative impact the legislative system can have on the lives of migrants, and to support activating policies which can lead to faster growth and reduce inequalities and income gaps;
13.

Calls for the collection of broader, reliable data on hate crime, i.e. recording, as a minimum, the number of incidents reported by the public and recorded by the authorities, the number of convictions, the grounds on which offences were found to be discriminatory and the punishments imposed, as well as crime victimisation surveys on the nature and extent of unreported crimes, the experiences of crime victims with law enforcement, the reasons for non-reporting, and rights awareness among victims of hate crime;
9.

Views with regret the US President’s decision of 7 March 2011 to sign the executive order on detention and the revocation of the ban on military tribunals; is convinced that normal criminal trials under civilian jurisdiction are the best way to resolve the status of Guantánamo detainees; insists that detainees in US custody should be charged promptly and tried in accordance with international standards of the rule of law or else released; emphasises, in this context, that the same standards concerning fair trials should apply to all, without discrimination;
48.

Notes that social investment in youth may take a wide range of forms, including: developing partnerships between schools, training centres and local or regional businesses; providing targeted quality training and high-quality youth internship programmes; vocational schemes in cooperation with enterprises; senior employee sponsorship schemes aimed at the recruitment and training of young persons on the job or at securing a better transition from education to work; encouraging young people’s participation in society; and promoting regional, European and international mobility, by means of further progress towards the mutual recognition of qualifications and skills; also stresses that social investment can go hand in hand with efficient incentives, such as employment subsidies or insurance contributions for young people that will guarantee decent living and working conditions, in order to encourage public and private employers to hire young people, invest in both quality job creation for young people and continuous training and upgrading of their skills during employment, and support entrepreneurship among youth;
96.

Stresses that the following principles should be taken into consideration in defining a coherent EU position with a view to the negotiation of a new development framework: (a) the architecture of the post-2015 development agenda should reflect new global, regional, national and local realities and challenges; (b) the definition of the future agenda must be guided by the full participation and ownership of the developing and middle-income countries, while the new responsibilities and burdens generated need to be equally but justly shared between all countries; (c) the future agenda should be ambitious, universal, global in nature, multidimensional and flexible, with targets tailored to each country which are simple, concise, action-oriented, easy to communicate, and adapted to local, national and regional contexts with a limited number of concrete targets and measurable goals; (d) it is essential to respect the principles of mutual responsibility, accountability, transparency, democracy, human rights, ownership, good governance, the rule of law, peace and security, equity and justice, and gender equality and ensure that they are mainstreamed in the future agenda; (e) the success of future goals is determined by the ability of all developing countries to fulfil their responsibility for the well-being of their citizens, lift the most vulnerable people out of poverty, fight inequality and at the same time uphold human rights principles; (f) particular attention should be devoted to accelerating gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women at all levels of society; (g) points out that the new framework should bring together the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development; (h) it is indispensable to mobilise all possible financial resources and innovative financing mechanisms for development, paying particular attention to: (i) the fight against corruption, tax havens, tax evasion and avoidance and illicit capital flows; (ii) the responsibilities of emerging economies in the development agenda, also encouraging south-south and triangular cooperation; (iii) the improvement of monitoring mechanisms; (iv) ODA; and (v) PCD; (i) ensure that the new framework will also include partners beyond the national government level to deliver an enabling environment to support real democratic ownership and a civil society; (j) PCD will be absolutely crucial for the success of a future framework, taking into account the shifting nature of poverty and the impact of domestic policies in the global context; (k) clear accountability mechanisms are needed in order to make sure countries fulfil their commitments and tackle effectively the poverty and sustainability challenges that the post-2015 framework will address;
6.

Calls on the Government of Djibouti, with the aid of the institutions which validated the results of the election, in particular the African Union, to embark on a process of political dialogue with the opposition, in accordance with the announcement made by the Head of State on 27 June 2013 on the occasion of the anniversary of Djibouti’s independence; calls on the European Union to support the work of regional organisations and contribute to the efforts to find a political solution to the current crisis;
C.

whereas in its aforementioned resolution of 23 May 2013, Parliament takes the view that any proposed new Convergence and Competitiveness Instrument (CCI) should be adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, be based on the Community method and provide for proper scrutiny by Parliament; whereas Parliament points out that such a mechanism should be funded by means of a new facility triggered and governed under the Community method as an integral part of the EU budget, but over and above the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) ceilings, so as to ensure that Parliament is fully involved; whereas it agrees with the Commission that CCIs are the first building blocks of a genuine fiscal capacity that supports solidarity and the implementation of sustainable, growth-enhancing structural reforms;
C.

whereas progress in narrowing the gender pay gap is extremely slow, and in some Member States the gap has even widened; whereas, despite the significant body of legislation in force for almost 40 years, the actions taken and resources spent (the disparity at EU level was 17,7 % in 2006, 17,6 % in 2007, 17,4 % in 2008, 16,9 % in 2009 and 16,4 % in 2010), the gender pay gap is still a persistent problem and currently stands at 16,2 % across the EU; whereas the implementation of the principle of equal pay for the same work and for work of equal value is crucial to achieving gender equality; whereas the negative effects of the gender pay gap on women extend into their retirement age and women receive pensions which are, on average, 39 % lower than those of men;
16.

Instructs its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the matter in collaboration with national parliaments and the EU-US expert group set up by the Commission and to report back by the end of the year, by: (a) gathering all relevant information and evidence from both US and EU sources (fact-finding); (b) investigating the alleged surveillance activities of US authorities as well as any carried out by certain Member States (mapping of responsibilities); (c) assessing the impact of surveillance programmes as regards: the fundamental rights of EU citizens (in particular the right to respect for private life and communications, freedom of expression, the presumption of innocence and the right to an effective remedy); actual data protection both within the EU and for EU citizens outside the EU, focusing in particular on the effectiveness of EU law in respect of extraterritoriality mechanisms; the safety of the EU in the era of cloud computing; the added value and proportionality of such programmes with regard to the fight against terrorism; the external dimension of the area of freedom, security and justice (assessing the validity of adequacy decisions for EU transfers to third countries, such as those carried out under the Safe Harbour Agreement, international agreements and other legal instruments providing for legal assistance and cooperation) (damage and risk analysis); (d) exploring the most appropriate mechanisms for redress in the event of confirmed violations (administrative and judicial redress and compensation schemes); (e) putting forward recommendations aimed at preventing further violations, and ensuring credible, high-level protection of EU citizens’ personal data via adequate means, in particular the adoption of a fully-fledged data protection package (policy recommendations and law-making); (f) issuing recommendations aimed at strengthening IT security in the EU’s institutions, bodies and agencies by means of proper internal security rules for communication systems, in order to prevent and remedy unauthorised access and the disclosure or loss of information and personal data (remedying of security breaches);
I.

whereas this violence is again causing displacement of people, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that a third of the population have left their homes and are suffering from malnutrition, that 1.6 million people desperately need aid, 200 000 of whom need health care, while 484 000 are seriously short of food, that 206 000 people have been displaced, 60 000 of whom have found refuge in neighbouring countries; whereas, moreover, 650 000 children are no longer attending school because of the occupation of schools by armed groups and whereas 3 500 children have been recruited by the armed forces and armed groups;
35.

Identifies the education-to-work transition as an especially important moment for young people, given that the beginning of their careers has a significant impact on their future development; stresses, in this connection, the important role that early childhood development can play in breaking the vicious intergenerational cycle of low human development for disadvantaged children; calls on the Member States to strengthen the provision of advice and guidance services at an early stage in order to improve young people’s ability to make sufficiently informed decisions about their future careers, thereby making it easier for them to acquire the necessary skills and to find work relevant to the needs of the labour market; emphasises the potential for job creation in sectors such as the green economy, health, social services and ICT;
3.

Condemns the recent attacks of: 3 September 2013, in which at least 60 people were killed in mainly Shia districts of Baghdad; 15 September 2013, in which more than 40 people were killed in blasts across Iraq, mostly targeting Shia areas; 21 September 2013, in which at least 60 people were killed at a funeral in Sadr City, Baghdad; 30 September 2013, in which at least 54 people were killed in car bomb blasts in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad; 5 October 2013, in which at least 51 people were killed and more than 70 injured in an attack in Baghdad by a suicide bomber targeting Shia pilgrims in the al-Adhamiya district, while at least 12 people were killed and at least 25 others wounded when another suicide bomber struck a café in Balad, north of Baghdad, on the same day; 6 October 2013, in which at least 12 children aged between 6 and 12 were killed, and many more injured, by a suicide bomber who struck next to a primary school in the Shia Turkmen village of Qabak; 7 October 2013, in which at least 22 people were killed in a fresh wave of explosions in Baghdad; and 8 October 2013, in which at least 9 people were killed by a car bomb in Baghdad and attacks on security forces in the north of the country;
12.

Maintains that, irrespective of whether data are held by public or private bodies or have been obtained using public or private financing, the body responsible for collecting, processing, and communicating the information should invariably be mentioned; also affirms that when the release of information might have implications in terms of competitiveness and competition, or for the revenue of organisations holding information, all that should be publicly available is data products and not raw or processed data; takes the view regarding such cases that if reference had to be made to the data source, stakeholders would be able to approach those holding the original information and ask to be given access to more detailed data or even the raw data;
11.

Takes the view that, in a rapidly changing and volatile geostrategic environment marked by emerging security challenges, the US rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific region, and the impact of the financial crisis, the EU needs, without duplicating existing activities within the NATO framework, to assume its responsibility as a global political player and a credible security provider, particularly in its neighbourhood and with real strategic autonomy, in order to promote international peace and security, to protect its interests in the world and to ensure the security of its citizens; underlines, in this connection, the need for the EU to be consistent in its policies and faster and more efficient in taking up the aforementioned responsibilities;
14.

Welcomes, therefore, the opening of negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), which is in keeping with the Eighth Ministerial Conference’s objective of exploring new ways for the WTO membership to further liberalise trade in services; stresses the EU’s commitment to promoting work in this area and working towards ‘multilateralising’ the TiSA by ensuring that it takes over the definitions, rules and principles forming the core of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); underlines the importance of ensuring that any agreement is ambitious, expanding the coverage and deepening the rules regarding liberalisation of trade in services, while preserving WTO members’ national policy objectives and their right to regulate services of general interest and to take bilateral and plurilateral commitments, and that the outcome is firmly anchored to the WTO architecture;
57.

Remains deeply concerned about the critical situation in Syria; deplores in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons and the excessive use of force and violence against the civilian population and minorities in the country, which cannot be justified under any circumstances, and abhors the scale of state abuses that may constitute crimes against humanity; reiterates its strong endorsement of the call by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the situation in Syria to be referred to the ICC by the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a formal investigation; calls on all armed factions to put an immediate end to violence in the country; expresses grave concern at the ongoing humanitarian crisis, including the situation of refugees, and the implications for neighbouring countries and stability in the region; stresses again that humanitarian assistance to those in need of basic goods and services in Syria and its neighbours must be an immediate priority for the international community and the European Union; believes that the key to solving the conflict lies in political mechanisms and diplomatic processes; stresses the importance of the strict implementation of the Convention on the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction; welcomes the recent UNSC resolution and the UN Secretary General‘s proposal for a Geneva II conference to be held in December 2013; condemns the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East;