ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
B4-1554/95

Resolution on the expulsion of 38 NGOs from Rwanda

The European Parliament,

- recalling its previous resolutions on the situation in Rwanda,

A. alarmed at the expulsion of 38 NGOs from Rwanda by the Kigali Government,

B. whereas under the present circumstances in the country it is NGOS which are best placed to meet the humanitarian needs of the population, the refugees and the displaced persons,

C. alarmed at the human rights situation in Rwanda,

1. Deeply regrets the expulsion of 38 NGOs by the Kigali Government and calls on it to review that decision;

2. Calls on the Commission and the Council to make representations to the Kigali Government with a view to allowing the NGOs concerned to return;

3. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the governments of Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Tanzania and Uganda.
B4-1572 and 1573/95

Resolution on state aid to Irish Steel under Article 95 ECSC

The European Parliament,

A. whereas there have been ongoing efforts to secure the future of the Irish Steel plant in Cobh, County Cork, and to safeguard future employment in the plant and in companies which supply services to this facility,

B. whereas at consecutive meetings from February 1993 onwards the Irish Government gave notice of intention to the Industry Council of their proposal to seek a strategic partnership for Irish Steel and to grant state aid consistent with the ECSC Treaty,

C. whereas the Irish Government formally notified the Commission on 7 September 1995 of a proposal to grant state aid to Irish Steel and to privatise that company through a strategic partnership with ISPAT International; whereas ISPAT has given a commitment as regards future capital investment and employment retention,

D. whereas independent consultants 'Eurostrategy' made a positive recommendation to the Commission in respect of this proposal,

E. whereas the Commission made a positive recommendation to the Council in respect of this proposal in October 1995,

F. whereas the Industry Council on 7 November 1995 failed to resolve the matter as a result of a UK veto but invited the Irish and British authorities to resolve the matter bilaterally if possible,

The European Parliament,

1. Notes that in a series of bilateral meetings considerable progress has been made in addressing British fears regarding Irish Steel's capacity, marketing strategy within the EU, and pricing policy, with specific guarantees as to the evolution of same on a yearly basis for the next five years;

2. Regrets that to date the issues outstanding have not yet resulted in common accord;

3. Urges the Commission in line with its own analysis and recommendation to use its good offices as a disinterested party to broker a settlement;

4. Demands, given the issues at stake, that if a bilateral agreement between Ireland and the UK is not found in the meantime, the special Industry Council scheduled for 20 December 1995 reach a decision;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, Commission and the Irish and UK Governments.
B4-1259/95

Resolution on the heavy storms in Apulia

The European Parliament,

A. whereas the region of Apulia was badly hit by the heavy storms which struck in August and September, causing many injuries as well as environmental damage,

B. whereas the violent storms caused serious damage to vital sectors of the region's economy, particularly agriculture and tourism,

C. whereas an earth tremor was also registered recently in a major tourist area, the Gargano peninsula,

The European Parliament,

1. Expresses its sympathy for the inhabitants of the areas in question;

2. Urges the Commission to implement all the specific aid initiatives required;

3. Calls on the Commission to implement an effective strategy for preventing and combating such disasters;

4. Urges the Commission to ensure that those who have suffered material damage receive compensation as swiftly as possible;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the regional and local authorities concerned.
B4-0978 and 1036/95

Resolution on the situation in Mexico

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the conflict in Chiapas (Mexico),

A. concerned at the Mexican Government's expulsion of three Catholic priests: Rodolfo Izal, Joren Riebe and Jorge Barón, parish priests of the diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas,

B. alarmed at the serious incidents in the state of Guerrero in which seventeen people were killed and an unspecified number were injured, which increased the violence in the region and also led to casualties among the police,

C. mindful of all the victims of violence and intolerance,

1. Reaffirms that it is necessary to continue with dialogue and the quest for solutions to the problems affecting a large proportion of the population in various states in Mexico and that only on the basis of dialogue and understanding will peaceful coexistence be achieved in the regions affected by these social conflicts;

2. Calls on the Mexican Government to ensure that the investigation started throws light on the events in Guerrero so as to bring the guilty parties to justice;

3. Calls on the Mexican Government, with the greatest respect for the decisions of a sovereign state, to reconsider the situation of the parish priests who were recently expelled;

4. Backs the efforts made to settle the Chiapas conflict on the basis of dialogue and a quest for solutions to the social problems, with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Mexican Government.
B4-1237, 1241, 1256, 1260 and 1274/95

Resolution on the situation in Equatorial Guinea following the recent municipal elections

The European Parliament,

- recalling its previous resolutions on the situation in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea,

A. whereas Equatorial Guinea is a signatory to the Lomé Convention and should therefore comply with the undertakings laid down in Article 5 thereof,

B. reiterating its firm commitment to contribute to the establishment of the rule of law and democracy in that country,

C. recalling that the Government of Equatorial Guinea has already been responsible for a number of human rights abuses,

D. stressing that it is of great importance for the transition to democracy that the municipal elections of 17 September 1995 should have been held in the necessary conditions of fairness and transparency,

E. having regard to the many irregularities reported during the electoral process, such as:

- the arbitrary exclusion of opposition activists from the electoral register,

- the failure to publish the electoral lists until the actual day of voting,

- the expulsion from polling stations of supervisors appointed by the opposition in many municipalities,

1. Condemns the irregularities committed by the Government and condemned by the opposition, particularly the irregular publication of electoral lists, the obstacles put in the way of the presence of international observers, the failure to comply with safeguards against electoral fraud and the suspension of voting operations in several localities;

2. Welcomes the massive turn-out by the citizens of Equatorial Guinea in these elections, despite the irregularities mentioned above;

3. Notes that the initial electoral results point to the Joint Opposition Alliance (POC), which is providing an excellent example of democratic responsibility, having secured a majority of the votes;

4. Calls on the authorities of Equatorial Guinea to proclaim the results corresponding to the counting records in each of the country's municipalities as the only valid outcome;

5. Stresses the need for the Government of Equatorial Guinea to ensure strict respect for human rights and democratic principles;

6. Calls on the Council and the Commission to urge the Government in Malabo to take action to this end and to exercise suitable vigilance in the framework of cooperation with Equatorial Guinea so as to ensure that all the funds coming under the Union's development cooperation activities are channelled solely into projects aimed directly at improving the living conditions of the most deprived sectors of society in that country, as long as the authorities there continue to pursue their authoritarian policy;

7. Urges the Council to contact President Teodoro Obiang immediately to call on him to respect the election results and comply with the commitments given to the international community;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Human Rights Commission, the Equatorial Guinea Joint Opposition Alliance, the Government of Equatorial Guinea and the Lomé Convention signatory states.
A4-0165/95

Resolution on the 1994 annual report of the Commission on the development, validation and legal acceptance of alternative methods to animal experiments

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the 1994 annual report of the Commission, dated 15 December 1994, on the development, validation and legal acceptance of alternative methods to animal experiments (COM(94)0606 - C4-0115/95),

- having regard to its decision at second reading of 21 April 1993 (( OJ C 150, 31.5.1993, p. 123.)) on the common position adopted by the Council with a view to adopting a Directive amending for the sixth time Directive 76/768/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products (C3-0010/93 - SYN 307),

- having regard to Council Directive 93/35/EEC of 14 June 1993 amending for the sixth time Directive 76/768/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products (( OJ L 151, 23.6.1993, p. 32.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (A4-0165/95),

1. Regrets that, two years after the adoption of Directive 93/35/EEC, the Commission is not able to provide a detailed analysis of the scale and purpose of animal testing for cosmetics in the European Union;

2. Condemns the fact that little progress has been made in replacing experiments on animals with alternative methods, which calls into question the deadline of 1 January 1998 set for the banning of experiments on animals under Directive 93/35/EEC;

3. Insists once again that 1 January 1998 should be the deadline for the banning of experiments on animals;

4. Calls on the Commission to:

(a) produce detailed statistical analysis of cosmetics tests on animals in all Member States for the period 1991-93;

(b) review immediately its current interpretation of Article 4 and confirm that finished product tests are within the scope of the Directive;

(c) discuss urgently with the national competent authorities means of greater scrutiny of cosmetics tests prior to authorization, including critical review of their necessity and severity and the number of animals used;

(d) establish means whereby all companies and institutions undertaking animal tests within the EU are required to participate actively in developmental and validation studies, conduct parallel in vitro work where animal tests are performed and supply relevant data for use in EU data facilities;

(e) initiate discussion within the OECD to facilitate early acceptance of alternative methods in those areas of testing described as 'hopeful';

(f) in conjunction with Member States and industry, initiate and fund appropriate studies to advance the development of alternative methods in those areas of greatest numerical significance for cosmetics, e.g. contact sensitization, acute/sub-chronic/chronic toxicity;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
B4-1118 and 1175/95

Resolution on the mining disaster in Asturias, Spain

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the firedamp explosion which cost the lives of 14 miners at the San Nicolás pit (Mieres) in Spain,

The European Parliament,

1. Conveys to the victims' families its shock and sorrow at the death of the Spanish, Portuguese and Czech workers;

2. Calls on the Commission to participate directly, together with the regional and national administrations, in the investigation into the causes of the disaster, to verify that the Community legislation on safety at work was strictly observed and to inform Parliament as soon as possible of the findings of the inquiry;

3. Asks the Commission to convey its condolences to the families affected and to take appropriate measures to assist them, making no distinction between European Union citizens and Czech nationals;

4. Stresses that the inherent risks in the mining industry in the European Union and non-member states, which guarantees consumers reliable energy supplies, justify special treatment in the form of certain social measures as well as the ostensibly high investment costs and the application of strict safety measures at work;

5. Calls on the European Union to apply equally high standards to working and safety conditions in soft coal mining in non-member states in general and in coal-exporting countries in particular;

6. Calls likewise on the European Union to step up its research and development activity on safety in soft coal mining;

7. Stress the importance of European coal production in guaranteeing European supplies and preserving economic activity and jobs in mining areas;

8. Asks the Commission to increase the budget allocation under heading B3-4312 for assistance to victims of accidents in the coal and steel sectors and orphans' allowances and to extend the latter to the Asturias miners' orphanage;

9. Calls on the Commission, through the ECSC social research programmes, to draw up a study on the present safety conditions in the mining industry in the Community, including Spain;

10. Calls on the Commission to inform Parliament concerning the extent to which the Member States have incorporated into national law all the directives concerning the health and safety of workers and concerning the action it has taken to ensure a satisfactory outcome;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the victims' families, the Spanish and Czech miners' unions, the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the Government of the Czech Republic.
B4-1151, 1161, 1180 and 1181/95

Resolution on the sentence to death in the United Arab Emirates of Sarah Balabagan

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women,

- having regard to the declaration issued by the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in 1993,

- having regard to the United Nations declaration of December 1993 on the elimination of violence against women,

A. appalled at the sentencing to death by firing squad, for the murder of her employer, of a Moslem Filipino girl, Sarah Balabagan, aged 16, in the United Arab Emirates on 16 September 1995, overturning an earlier sentence to seven years in prison and damages to be paid by the employer's family,

B. pointing out that the earlier verdict recognized that the murdered man raped her and that his family was ordered by the court to pay her damages,

C. noting that rape is a crime and a physical and mental assault on women and that Sarah Balabagan's murder of the rapist may be regarded as an act of self-defence, as her counsel argued,

D. whereas thousands of servants of foreign origin leave the Gulf States each year because of the way in which they are treated by their employers and the outcome of court cases in several such matters,

1. Believes that to execute anybody in these circumstances must revolt even those who are not, in principle, opposed to the death penalty;

2. Asks the relevant authorities in the UAE to re-examine the case of Sarah Balabagan and appeals to UAE President Sheikh Zaid Bin Sultan al-Nahayan to consider granting her a presidential pardon;

3. Calls on the Council to make clear to the Government of the UAE its great concern about this case and to stress that the carrying out of the death sentence will damage the European Union's relations with the United Arab Emirates;

4. Calls on the United Arab Emirates Government to respect international agreements;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Governments of the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.
B4-1387, 1394 and 1418/95

Resolution on the illegal arrest and detention of the Cypriot national guardsman, Giorgos Karotsakis, by the Turkish forces of occupation in the northern sector of Cyprus

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the abduction and arrest of the 18 year-old Cypriot Giorgos Karotsakis by the Turkish forces of occupation on 3 November 1995,

B. whereas the national guardsman was unarmed when he was arrested,

C. having regard to the refusal of the occupying regime to release him or to allow members of his family to visit him,

The European Parliament,

1. Condemns the illegal arrest and continuing detention of Giorgos Karotsakis;

2. Condemns once more the continuing illegal occupation by Turkish forces of territory belonging to the Republic of Cyprus;

3. Calls on the Turkish forces of occupation to release Giorgos Karotsakis immediately and unconditionally;

4. Reaffirms its position that all foreign troops must be withdrawn from the territory of the Republic of Cyprus;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of Cyprus and Turkey.
B4-1112, 1140 and 1167/95

Resolution on the imprisonment of Mr Medhi Zana

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the human rights situation in Turkey, particularly those concerning Mr Medhi Zana and the members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly of Kurdish origin,

A. pointing out that on 13 May 1995 Mr Medhi Zana had been in prison in Turkey for a year,

B. pointing out that on 3 December 1992 Mr Zana outlined to Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights his view on the situation regarding Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin living in Turkey and that, according to Turkish law, the mere act of stating that a Kurdish minority exists in Turkey constitutes a crime,

1. Condemns once more, in the strongest terms, the violation of human rights in Turkey, with particular regard to Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin;

2. Calls for the immediate release of Mr and Mrs Zana and their colleagues and of all Turkish citizens who have been imprisoned for defending human rights in Turkey;

3. Reaffirms its determination to defend, by all possible means, respect for human rights in Turkey and calls on the government in Ankara to adhere to the international human rights conventions which Turkey has signed;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Turkish Government.
B4-1415/95

Resolution on the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolution of 19 January 1995 on the international decade of the world's indigenous peoples ((OJ C 43, 20.2.1995, p. 85.)), and in particular paragraph 7 thereof,

A. having regard to the draft UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, as adopted by the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1992/2/Add.1), which was the outcome of annual meetings over more than ten years between specially appointed experts and representatives of indigenous peoples from all over the world,

B. having regard to the establishment of an open-ended working group of the UN Human Rights Commission to draw up a draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,

C. concerned at the continued violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in all parts of the world,

D. aware of the need for an international agreement to defend all rights of indigenous peoples,

E. aware of the need to take account in international trade agreements of the living conditions of indigenous peoples, as already stated in its abovementioned resolution of 19 January 1995 in which it 'calls on the Council and Commission to include special paragraphs on indigenous peoples in future trade and cooperation agreements between the European Union and third countries in order to guarantee their rights',

F. noting the wide support of indigenous peoples for the draft Declaration in its present form,

1. Welcomes the upcoming meeting of the open-ended working group which will take place in Geneva from 20 November to 1 December 1995;

2. Urges the EU Member States participating in the open-ended working group to demand that the draft drawn up by the UN Working Group of Indigenous Populations be accepted as a basis for further discussion;

3. Calls on the Council to take a common position on the draft Declaration;

4. Asks the UN to work out procedures that allow maximum participation of indigenous peoples in the further discussion of the Declaration;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the UN and the UN Centre for Human Rights.
B4-0138/96

Resolution on the cormorant problem in European fisheries

The European Parliament,

A. whereas there has been a twentyfold increase in cormorant numbers in recent years,

B. whereas, in particular, there has been a very significant increase in cormorants in Denmark and Northern Germany, inland areas such as the Rhone and Po valleys and in areas where, in the past, they were rarely seen, such as Bavaria and Austria,

C. whereas predation by cormorants can have a devastating effect on inland and coastal fisheries,

D. whereas the interests of fishermen are best served by a rational and effective programme of management which seeks to maintain fish stocks at abundant levels, capable of supporting fisheries on a sustainable basis,

E. whereas the use of derogations under Article 9 of Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds ((OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1.)) does not answer the need to manage cormorant species at Europe-wide level,

F. whereas some Member States have already called for international action in the context of the Bonn Convention,

The European Parliament,

1. Considers it appropriate to take special temporary measures, by means of scientific projects approved by the Commission, aimed at:

(a) reestablishing environmental balance in the areas where an abnormal increase in the number of cormorants is ascertained,

(b) preventive action to restrict the reproduction of cormorants,

(c) the analysis and development of other non-violent ways of reducing the environmental impact of excessive numbers of cormorants,

(d) and, above all, catching cormorants in areas where their presence is proven to be a nuisance and, in view of studies carried out by scientific authorities, the temporary exclusion of cormorants (Phalacrocorax sinensis) from Annex I to Directive 79/409/EEC;

2. Calls on the Council to take effective action to restore depleted fish stocks and ensure that the common fisheries policy maintains fish at levels which can support both human fisheries and natural predators;

3. Urges the Commission and the Council to investigate non-lethal alternatives which will constrain the impact of cormorants (as required in Article 9(1) of the Directive);

4. Calls upon the Commission to develop a programme for the conservation of wetlands in the European Union;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.