ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
11.

Believes that stability bonds could be an additional means of incentivising compliance with the stability and growth pact, provided that they address the moral hazard and joint liability issues; notes that further work needs to be undertaken as regards the options presented in the Green Paper on issues such as: — effective market incentives to reduce debt levels, — entry and exit criteria, conditionality agreements, maturity agreements, redistribution of funding benefits for the present AAA countries, — a system of differentiation of interest rates among Member States with divergent ratings, — budgetary discipline and an increase in competitiveness, — pro-cyclical and debt-deflationary effects, — sufficient attractiveness for market investors, while containing or avoiding over-collateralisation and redistribution of risks across countries, — the seniority of stability bonds over national bonds in the event of a MemberStatedefaulting on its debt, — the criteria for allocation of the loans to Member States and the capacity to service the debt, — measurable and enforceable programmes of debt, — the modalities of a binding roadmap, similar to the Maastrichtcriteria for introducing the single currency, — the interaction with the EFSF/ESM for Member States experiencing liquidity problems, — appropriate legal requirements, including treaty and constitutional changes;
25.

Reiterates that, as regards collective redress in competition policy, safeguards need to be introduced in order to prevent the development of a class-action system involving frivolous claims and excessive litigation and to guarantee equality of arms in court proceedings; stresses that such safeguards must cover, inter alia, the following points: — the group of claimants must be clearly identified before the claim is brought (opt-in procedure); — public authorities, such as ombudsmen or prosecutors, as well as representative bodies, may bring an action on behalf of a clearly identified group of claimants; — the criteria used to define the representative bodies qualified to bring representative actions need to be established at EU level; — a class-action system must be rejected on the grounds that it would promote excessive litigation, may be contrary to some Member States’ constitutions and may affect the rights of any victim who might participate in the procedure unknowingly whilst being bound by the court’s decision; (a) individual actions allowed: — claimants must in all circumstances be free to make use of the alternative of individual compensatory redress before a competent court; — collective claimants must not be in a better position than individual claimants; (b) compensation for minor and diffuse damages: — claimants seeking minor and diffuse damages should have appropriate means of access to justice through collective redress and should secure fair compensation; (c) compensation for actual damage only: — compensation may be awarded only for the actual damage sustained; punitive damages and unfair enrichment must be prohibited; — each claimant must provide evidence for his or her claim; — the damages awarded must be distributed to individual claimants in proportion to the harm they sustained individually; — by and large, contingency fees are unknown in Europe and must be rejected; (d) loser-pays principle: — no action may be brought if the claimant is defenceless as a result of a lack of financial means; moreover, the procedural costs, and hence the risk, involved in legal action are to be borne by the party which loses the case; it is a matter for the Member States to lay down rules on the allocation of costs in this context; (e) no third-party funding: — proceedings should not be pre-financed by third parties, in return, for example, for claimants agreeing to surrender to third parties possible subsequent entitlements to compensation;
28.

Calls on the Commission to present, as soon as possible, comprehensive current data on female representation within all types of companies in the EU and on the compulsory and non-compulsory measures taken by the business sector as well as those recently adopted by the Member States with a view to increasing such representation; notes that, according to the Commission’s report on women in economic decision making, steps taken by companies and the Member States are found to be inadequate; welcomes the announced consultation on measures to enhance gender balance in economic decision making; is disappointed, however, that the Commission is refraining from taking immediate legislative measures, as it had committed to do should the targets not be met; believes the meagre progress made in 2011 merits more concrete measures than a mere consultation; reiterates, therefore, its call from 2011 for legislation, including quotas, to be proposed by 2012 to increase female representation in corporate management bodies to 30% by 2015 and to 40% by 2020, while taking account of the Member States’ responsibilities and of their economic, structural (i.e. company-size related), legal and regional specificities;
F.

whereas the biological information on the western stock of horse mackerel is not sufficient for a full stock assessment; whereas, however, the STECF advice indicates that a harvest control rule based on the trend in egg abundance would provide for sustainable stock management; whereas the harvest control rule should be equally based on the precautionary advice given for average recruitment conditions and on recent total allowable catches adjusted by a factor that reflects trends in the stock abundance as measured through egg production;
40.

Recognises that there are a number of obstacles preventing EU citizens’ full enjoyment of their electoral rights when residing in a country other than their own, whereas this is the most tangible political right of Union citizens and its exercise must be free of all discriminatory and obstructive formalities; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make citizens more aware of this right by means of targeted information campaigns prior to the relevant election; welcomes the Commission’s willingness to simplify the procedure that allows EU citizens to stand for European elections in their country of residence and encourages it to carry out the technical groundwork to improve mechanisms for preventing double voting and loss of voting rights; proposes, accordingly, that a European electoral roll be established for European elections; supports the action taken by the Commission with a view to publishing the results of European Parliament elections at the same time in each Member State; calls on the Member States to find better solutions for improving the rules governing elections and to promote best practices; stresses that, inter alia, more direct participation by citizens through European political parties is a decisive step towards achieving ‘more’ Europe and a more authentic democracy;
3.

Strongly calls on Prime Minister Mark Rutte, on behalf of the Dutch Government to condemn and distance himself from this deplorable initiative; stresses, furthermore, the obligation of all European Union governments to guarantee the rights of free movement and non-discrimination, and thus calls on the European Council formally to condemn the PVV hotline since it undermines those rights and is an affront to European values and principles;
—

having regard to the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man of 1948, which formalised the inception of the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights (IAHRS), and having regard to the creation by the Organisation of American States (OAS) in 1959 of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), to which Venezuela has been a party since 1977, and to the statutory establishment of the IACHR in 1979,
11.

In this regard calls for immediate and effective measures to prosecute and punish those suspected of acts of piracy and urges third counties and the EU Member States that have not yet done so to transpose into their national law all the provisions laid down by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the UN Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, in order to tackle the impunity of pirates, and calls on the Council and the Commission to continue examining opportunities for trial in the countries of the region and to work on the creation of specialised anti-piracy courts in Somalia and in other states in the region as a sustainable judicial solution for prosecuting pirates in Somalia;
32.

Takes the view that the 7th EAP should provide for full implementation of waste legislation, including compliance with the waste treatment hierarchy while ensuring coherence with other EU policies; considers that it should set more ambitious prevention, re-use and recycling targets, including a net decrease in waste generation, no incineration of waste that is suitable for recycling or composting with respect to the hierarchy of the Waste Framework Directive, and a strict ban on the dumping of selectively collected waste in landfill,s as well as sectoral objectives for resource efficiency and process efficiency benchmarks; recalls that waste is also a resource and can often also be reutilised, in which case we can ensure the efficient use of resources; invites the Commission to investigate how to make collecting waste from consumer products more efficient both by extending the principle of extended producer responsibility and through guidelines on managing recovery, collection and recycling systems; emphasises the need to invest in the recycling of raw materials and rare earths, since mining, refining and recycling rare earths can have serious consequences for the environment unless managed appropriately;
15.

Is convinced that the long-term stability in the region requires a new, unified, comprehensive international strategy, in which the EU would play a role alongside other global and regional actors, which would focus not only on North-South issues and the situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, but also on the long-overdue reform process in Sudan and the deepening of democratic reforms in South Sudan; calls on the HR/VP and the Commission to be ready to offer the necessary assistance if the ruling Sudan National Congress Party (NCP) accepts a free and unhindered national dialogue aimed at establishing inclusive constitutional arrangements accepted by all and takes genuine steps to end impunity in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile;
9.

Recalls that a special focus should be given to young people, bearing in mind that the EU unemployment rate has increased to over 20 %, with peaks in excess of 50 % in some Member States or some regions, and that young people, particularly the least qualified young people, are particularly hard hit in the current crisis; highlights, in particular, the detrimental effects of austerity programmes on youth unemployment in certain EU States, especially those in southern Europe, leading, for example, to a significant brain drain to other countries, including countries outside the EU; recalls also that one out of seven of today’s pupils (14,4 %) leaves the education system with no more than a lower secondary education and does not participate in any further education or training;
8.

Insists that the Rohingya minority cannot be left out of the newly developing openness for a multicultural Burma/Myanmar, and calls on the government to amend the 1982 citizenship law so as to bring it into line with international human rights standards and its obligations under Article 7 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, with a view to granting citizens’ rights to the Rohingya and other stateless minorities, as well as ensuring equal treatment for all Burmese citizens, thus ending discriminatory practices;
—

having regard to the Commission proposals, in particular the proposal for a Council regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (COM(2011)0398), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the annual budget of the Union (COM(2010)0815), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 1639/2006/EC establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007-2013) and Regulation (EC) No 680/2007 laying down general rules for the granting of Community financial aid in the field of the trans-European transport and energy networks (COM(2011)0659), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) (COM(2011)0809), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (2014-2020) (COM(2011)0834), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the Creative Europe Programme (COM(2011)0785), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing ‘Erasmus For All’, the Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport (COM(2011)0788), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Connecting Europe Facility (COM(2011)0665), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a European Union Programme for Social Change and Innovation (COM(2011)0609), the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund covered by the Common Strategic Framework and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (COM(2011)0615/2),
15.

Calls on the Belarusian authorities to put an immediate end to all forms of pressure on journalists and media workers and to withdraw all charges against journalists prosecuted for their professional activities, and to take measures to rehabilitate them; calls on them also to ensure freedom of expression and create a legal environment and practices that are conducive to the effective freedom of the media, and to eliminate the practice of censorship and self-censorship, as well as ensuring that internet control measures are minimal and that regulations do not lead to censorship of electronic media and free speech;
14.

Considers that more detailed consideration should be given to the problems which could arise in connection with the exercise of the right of withdrawal in cases where linked agreements have been concluded; stresses the importance of making consumers aware that, should they exercise of the right of withdrawal from a contract where the supplier or service provider directly receives the sum corresponding to payment from the credit provider through an ancillary contract, no fees, commissions or costs shall be borne by the consumers in relation to the financial service provided;
16.

Stresses the need for the new government to maintain Georgia’s constructive engagement in the Geneva International Discussions; regrets, in this respect, the slow pace of negotiations and the absence of any substantial progress between the two parties at the Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus, and calls for a stronger engagement with a view to complying in full with all six points of the ceasefire agreement of September 2008; notes the invitation to the Georgian Dream coalition to send representatives to participate in the 21st round of internationally mediated peace talks on the Georgian conflicts, to be held in Geneva;
33.

Calls on the Member States to consider the benefits of including principles of social business/social entrepreneurship and social responsibility in the content of teaching programmes of schools, universities and other educational institutions, and in life-long learning programmes, in order to help develop social and civic competences and to support job placements in social enterprises; calls as well on the Commission and on the Member States to support conventional and web-based education of social entrepreneurs and to promote a closer cooperation between social enterprises, commercial enterprises and the academic world in order to raise awareness, and a better understanding, of social enterprises, as well as to fight any stereotypes that might exist;
4.

Stresses the need to pay more attention to the outcomes of the work of the ACP-EU JPA, and to ensure coherence between its resolutions and those of the EP; is concerned over the fall in the participation of MEPs, in particular at JPA Committee meetings, and asks for greater involvement of MEPs in its meetings and activities; calls for greater flexibility in the admission of parliamentary assistants attending meetings of the JPA in order to enhance the quality of work of their members;
V.

whereas all states in CA benefit from the Generalised System of Preferences Plus scheme (GSP+), which will cease to apply on 31 December 2013; whereas the new GSP scheme will exclude, without exception, all the countries defined as upper-middle income countries by the World Bank, meaning that Costa Rica and Panama would lose their right to benefit from this system; whereas the GSP is unilateral, temporary and revisable, covers a smaller range of products and excludes most agricultural products; whereas the AA will improve the trading position of all CA states by establishing a new, more comprehensive, secure and mutually beneficial legal framework; whereas the fact that this new scheme will enable progressive liberalisation in the exchange of goods and services, public procurement and the promotion of investment is welcomed,
21.

Recognises the potential role of the intellectual property and patent system in promoting innovation, transfer and dissemination of technology to the mutual advantage of stakeholders, providers, holders and users of genetic resources, their derivatives, and of associated traditional knowledge in a manner conducive to welfare and development, while emphasising the necessity of preventing the adverse effects of the IPR and patent system on indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ application of traditional knowledge, their laws, practices and knowledge system and their ability to use, develop, create and protect their knowledge in relation to genetic resources; points out that, under certain circumstances, contracts between the parties may be identified by indigenous peoples or local communities as a more feasible solution to share benefits and to protect their interests while preserving the environment and preventing social and economic harm, e.g. by means of safeguard clauses;
5.

Calls on Zimbabwe to abide by the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1998, and in particular Article 1 thereof, which states that ‘everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels’;
5.

Expects those responsible for criminal negligence and other criminal activity in relation to the fires to be brought to justice, and local authorities and factory management to cooperate in order to guarantee full access to the justice system for all victims, so as to enable them to claim compensation; welcomes the steps which have already been taken by the Bangladeshi and Pakistani Governments to support the victims and their families;
29.

Stresses that a more European approach to renewable energy policy is key in the medium to long term; encourages the Member States and their regions to improve cooperation, including by making greater use of the cooperation arrangements provided for in the Renewable Energy Directive in order to optimise the efficiency of renewables expansion, bring the costs of renewable energy down and ensure that more investments within the EU are made where they will be most productive and efficient, taking into account the specific characteristics of each Member State; emphasises the importance of putting targets in to place; highlights, in this context, the Commission’s important role as a facilitator in coordinating, financially supporting and preparing appropriate analyses of renewable energy resources and potential for the Member States, and welcomes its declared intention to draw up guidelines on trade in renewables; points out that renewables will, in the long term, move to the centre of the energy mix in Europe, as they progress from technology development to mass production and deployment, from small-scale to larger-scale — integrating local and more remote sources — and from subsidised to competitive; emphasises that the increasing uptake of renewables requires changes in policy and energy market structure to be made with a view to adapting markets to this reality and achieving greater market integration, in particular in rewarding flexibility and services to the grid system stability; stresses the importance of stable regulatory frameworks, both on an EU as on a Member State level to stimulate investments; highlights the need for simplified administrative procedures and stable and efficient support schemes that can be adapted over time and phased out when technologies and supply chains mature and become competitive, and market failures are resolved; stresses, however, that retroactive changes in support schemes have a detrimental effect on investor confidence and thereby increase the risks associated with investments and their costs;
26.

Stresses, in this context, the need for adequate funding at local, regional, national and EU level to support SMEs and social enterprises; questions the sufficiency of the available resources of the partnership EIP-AHA originating in stakeholders and encourages the Commission to make the necessary funding available; welcomes the foreseen alignment of EU funding instruments to optimise the impact of funding, and encourages the take-up and continuation of projects such as CASA, ‘More Years, Better Life’ and others promoting the interoperability and exchange of knowledge, data and best practice; believes that the decision to identify ‘Innovation for healthy living and active ageing’ as a priority theme for the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) wave in 2014-2015 of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a step in the right direction which needs to be complemented with concrete financial instruments, for example funding under the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, including the ESF, the ERDF, the EPSCI programme, the programme for research and innovation and Horizon 2020;
11.

Welcomes the fact that the Government of Vietnam has issued a call for public input into its first constitutional reform since 1992 and that the deadline has now been extended until September 2013, but regrets that the public consultation has led to sanctions and pressure against those who legitimately express their opinions; hopes that the new Constitution addresses the issues of civil and political rights and religious freedoms as a priority; welcomes in this respect the opening of a dialogue with human rights organisations; expresses its hope that this can lead to important reforms on labour, education and human rights over a longer term; recommends that an invitation be addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion to visit the country and that the authorities fully implement any recommendations;