ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
5.

Reminds the Commission and the Member States that not all vulnerable adults are necessarily vulnerable by virtue of their advanced age, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to take measures to strengthen the legal protection and rights not only of elderly vulnerable adults, but also of adults who are or have become vulnerable and who by virtue of a serious mental and/or physical disability are not in a position to protect their own interests; considers in this respect that it would be extremely worthwhile to establish procedures for the exchange and comparison of good practices among the Member States, taking forms of protection and safeguard as the starting point;
2.

Condemns, once again and in the strongest terms, the atrocities and widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by all parties in the conflict, and in particular the forces of the Assad regime with the support of its allies Russia and Iran, as well as by non-state armed groups, in particular ISIS/Da’esh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham; stresses its position that all those responsible for breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights law must be held accountable; encourages all states to apply the principle of universal jurisdiction in tackling impunity and welcomes steps taken by a number of EU Member States to this end, including the recent decision by Spain’s National Court to hear a criminal complaint against nine Syrian intelligence officials for torture and other human rights violations; reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to explore, in close coordination with like-minded countries, the creation of a Syria war crimes tribunal, pending a successful referral to the International Criminal Court; stresses that those committing crimes against religious and ethnic minorities and other groups should also be brought to justice; remains convinced that there can be neither effective conflict resolution nor sustainable peace in Syria without accountability for the crimes committed;
4.

Calls on the authorities of the special autonomous province of Aceh to prevent further persecution of homosexuals and to decriminalise homosexuality by amending its Islamic Criminal Code; strongly condemns the caning of two homosexual men of 20 and 23 years of age in Aceh on 22 May 2017, it being the first time authorities in Aceh caned people for homosexual practices; strongly condemns the fact that homosexuality is illegal under Aceh’s Islamic Criminal Code, which is based on Sharia law; stresses that the punishment of the two men is cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment which may amount to torture under international law; calls, furthermore, on the authorities to immediately terminate publicly flogging;
74.

Deplores the fact that the Commission no longer feels the need to publish the EU anti-corruption report, which impaired the assessment of the scale of corruption in 2015; regrets, in particular, that this decision was taken without any discussions with Parliament; is of the opinion that, irrespective of the Commission’s intentions as regards fighting corruption, this last-minute cancellation sends out the wrong message not only to the Member States but also to citizens; notes that, since becoming a party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 12 November 2008, the European Union has not participated in the review mechanism provided for under the Convention, nor has it taken the first step of completing a self-assessment of how it is implementing its obligations under the Convention; calls on the European Union to fulfil its obligations under the UNCAC by completing a self-assessment of how it is implementing its obligations under the Convention and participating in the peer-review mechanism; urges the Commission to reconsider its views on the EU Anti-Corruption Report; calls on the Commission to carry out further analysis at the level of both the EU institutions and the Member States of the environment in which policies are implemented, in order to identify inherent critical factors, vulnerable areas and risk factors conducive to corruption;
10.

Welcomes the progress made in implementing the various agreements signed since August 2016 in the normalisation process with Serbia, following months of little to no progress; emphasises that the full implementation of the agreements is essential for further successful evolution of the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue; calls on both Kosovo and Serbia to show more engagement and sustained political will as regards the normalisation of relations and to refrain from any actions that would jeopardise the progress achieved so far in this process; recalls that this is a condition for accession to the EU; takes note of some progress on other technical issues such as cadastres university diplomas and licence plates and on the implementation of the agreement on the Mitrovica Bridge; has been following developments on the Mitrovica bridge with concern and supports the recent agreement; welcomes the allocation of an independent international telephone code to Kosovo; reiterates its call for the European External Action Service to carry out an evaluation on a regular basis of the performance of the parties in fulfilling their obligations and to report its findings to the European Parliament; stresses that the agreements reached should improve the daily life of ordinary citizens; notes that the benefits of the dialogue are not evident to the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia and emphasises the need for the utmost transparency in communicating the outcomes of the dialogue, in particular in northern Kosovo; stresses the importance of good neighbourly relations with all countries in the Western Balkans;
10.

Calls on the Commission to step up efforts to facilitate the governance of the SDGs to ensure the following: (i) Multi-sector: by setting up a national co-ordination structure responsible for the follow-up of Agenda 21 which would benefit from the expertise of NGOs; (ii) Multi-level: by establishing an effective institutional framework for sustainable development at all levels; (iii) Multi-actor: by facilitating and encouraging public awareness and participation by making information widely available; (iv) A focus on improving the science-policy interface; (v) Establishing a clear timetable that combines short-term and long-term thinking. Asks the Commission, therefore, to ensure that the multi-stakeholder platform results not only in pooling, but also in the dissemination of working knowledge on SDGs, and to ensure that the platform influences the policy agenda. As such, requests that the Commission, with input from Parliament and the Council, create a multi-stakeholder platform that engages actors from across a range of sectors. Business and industry, consumer groups, trade unions, social NGOs, environment and climate NGOs, development cooperation NGOs and local government and city representatives should all be represented in a forum of no less than 30 stakeholders. The meetings should be open to as many actors as possible and designed to be expanded if interest increases over time. The platform should, in its quarterly meetings, identify issues which present impediments to delivering on the SDGs. Parliament should consider the establishment of a working group on the SDGs so as to ensure horizontal working within Parliament on the topic. This forum should consist of MEPs representing as many of the Committees as possible. The Commission and Parliament should both be active in the meetings of the multi-stakeholder platform meetings. The Commission should produce an update to the platform each year on its future plans to help with SDG implementation, as well as a document that would be accessible at all levels in all Member States about best practice in implementing SDGs ahead of the UN SDG high level meetings in June/July. The Committee of Regions should act as a bridge between local actors and national actors;
10.

Recommends, therefore, that the Commission propose common PSC contracting guidelines for the hire, use and management of military and security contractors which clearly spell out the requirements for PSCs to qualify for EU contracts, with the goal of replacing the current patchwork of approaches; urges the Commission and the EEAS to use the same guidelines for the hire, use and management of military and security contractors in all external actions, missions and operations, for EU Delegations across all countries and regions and for all services of a revised Common Military List of the European Union; considers that these guidelines should be based both on international best practices in relation to PSC conduct and management, in particular the Montreux document and the ICoC, and take into account the need for particular care to be taken when selecting PSCs in a complex post-crisis context; urges the Commission and the EEAS to only use ICoC-certified providers, as is already done by the UN for whom ICoC is a requirement; points to the approach taken by US authorities which include detailed standards and requirements in each individual contract, and calls on the EU to follow this example; underlines that contracts with the PSCs should include inter alia clauses on the possession of licences and authorisations, personnel and property records, training, the lawful acquisition and use of weapons, and internal organisation;
19.

Highlights the ability of satellites to provide uninterrupted, very high-capacity connectivity, in particular in remote areas and outermost regions, which is essential for overcoming the digital divide, for the development of high-speed networks and for the expansion of the Internet of Things networks, enabling services such as autonomous driving, smart fleet and freight management, e-governance, e-learning and e-health applications; emphasises the complementarity of terrestrial and space-based technologies for delivering very high-capacity networks; insists that the Commission recognise this and take appropriate account of the contribution of satellites in this domain; stresses as well the need to reserve adequate frequency bands for the operation of such satellite services; calls for this to be addressed in the current legislative work on telecommunication networks, with adequate investments made in R&D; believes as well that the Space Strategy for Europe should be implemented in coordination with the Commission’s digital strategies, with the support of Member States and industry, so as to promote effective and demand-driven use of satellite communications in order to foster ubiquitous connectivity in the whole of the EU;
E.

whereas Member States have criticised, inter alia: the lack of studies on the effect of genetically modified soybean on human and animal health, which is preventing the environmental risk assessment from being finalised; the choice and location of the field sites for the comparative assessment; the fact that the toxicological risk assessment cannot be completed because there was no appropriate toxicity text with plant material from DAS-68416-4 soybean; the lack of information on the complementary herbicides which may be used on the genetically modified crop and their metabolites; the fact that the nutritional assessment is supported by an industry study from which no scientific conclusions can be drawn; and the fact that the applicant’s proposal for an environmental monitoring plan does not meet the objectives defined in Annex VII to Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (7);
47.

Points to the continuous need for better coordination at European level of social security systems, for which the Member States are responsible; stresses the absolute priority of ensuring the sustainability and fairness of social security systems, these being central pillars of a European social model; highlights that adequate, sustainable pensions are a universal right; calls on the Member States to ensure adequate and sustainable pensions in the light of continued demographic change; underlines the fact that pension systems should ensure an adequate retirement income above the poverty threshold and allow pensioners to maintain a proper standard of living; believes that the best way to ensure sustainable, safe and adequate pensions for women and men is to increase the overall employment rate and the number of decent jobs available across all age groups, and to improve working and employment conditions; points out that gender pension gaps remain significant and have negative social and economic consequences; highlights, in this regard, the importance of women’s integration into the labour market and other adequate measures to combat the gender-pay gap and old-age poverty; believes that reforms of pension systems and the retirement age in particular should also reflect labour market trends, birth rates, health and wealth circumstances, working conditions and the economic dependency ratio;
17.

Notes that ASEAN has declared itself to be people-oriented and people-centred and that the legitimacy and relevance of the regional integration processes, both in the EU and ASEAN, depend on associating as many stakeholders as possible in the process and communicating its achievements; considers people-to-people contacts, particularly for young people, to be a very important instrument of cultural exchange, and calls for a considerable enlargement of the Erasmus+ facility for ASEAN; underlines that there is much room in the ASEAN countries for vocational training, and highlights prospects of cooperation in the area of the dual formation system practised in certain EU Member States; urges also developing cultural diplomacy activities in line with the communication of 8 June 2016 on an EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations and the recent report of Parliament on the subject; highlights the important function of the Asia-Europe Foundation and believes that support for its work should be expanded;
3.

Urges all WTO members to capitalise on the momentum created by recent progress, bearing in mind the strategic objective of strengthening the multilateral trading system and the need to consolidate the WTO as the centre of trade negotiations, while at the same time recognising that new approaches are necessary in order to face the current challenges; acknowledges that flexibility, openness, inclusiveness and political engagement will be key to advancing in a global, balanced and realistic way on the remaining issues of the DDA; takes the view that, since the Doha Round was launched in 2001, the world has changed dramatically in economic, political and technological terms, and that new challenges such as e-commerce, digital trade, investment transparency, subsidies and overcapacity, global value chains, public procurement, domestic regulation for services, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and greater compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas beyond the DDA need to be discussed, which can be done without prejudice to outstanding issues on the DDA; stresses the need to enable developing countries to find their own approaches for continuing to ensure equal opportunities in these new sectors;
1.

Notes that in four years of the YG’s implementation, from 2013 to 2017, the youth unemployment rate in the EU has decreased by more than 7 percentage points, from 23,8 % in April 2013 to 16,6 % in April 2017, which means that almost 2 million young people have ceased to be unemployed; notes that, since the YG was implemented, more than 14 million young people have taken part in some kind of scheme; regrets that in many instances too much of this decrease is because so many young people have been forced to seek employment outside the EU, a loss that will be sorely felt in future decades; regrets, furthermore, that in mid-2016, 4,2 million young people in the EU were still unemployed (18,8 % of the demographic concerned); urges the Member States to utilise available EU support in order to tackle this longstanding issue; calls for the EU and the Member States to implement strategies that meet the requirements and needs of the labour market of each single Member State in order to create high-quality training opportunities and lasting employment;
23.

Believes that the reform of the Electoral Act could be an opportunity for the Union to become more democratic; highlights the fact that thousands of Europeans share this view; recalls the need to promote participation in European elections by increasing the visibility of political parties at the European level and that strengthening the European character of the elections to the European Parliament is a shared responsibility of the EU and its Member States; encourages the Council to include gender-mainstreamed and gender-balanced lists in the revision of the abovementioned act; asks the Commission to act on complaints regarding the exercise of the right to vote in European and municipal elections, to devise a concrete action plan for the introduction of electronic voting in the European Parliament elections starting at the earliest feasible date, and to make that system more widely available to all EU citizens; urges the Member States to do all they can to encourage persons who do not possess the citizenship of any state and who reside permanently in the EU Member States to adopt the citizenship of the host Member State so that they can enjoy full EU citizenship rights; considers that EU citizens who move to and reside in another Member State should have the possibility to exercise their right to vote in the national elections of their country of origin; calls on Member States that disenfranchise nationals who choose to live for an extended period of time in another Member State to ease the conditions for these nationals and preserve their right to vote in national elections; urges the Commission to take the necessary steps to enable persons with disabilities to exercise their right to vote without any form of discrimination; supports the possibility of introducing a European identity card in addition to national identification documents;
37.

Reiterates its full support for the ICC, the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s proprio motu powers, and the progress made in initiating new investigations as an essential means to fight impunity for atrocity crimes; calls on all Member States to ratify the Kampala amendments on the crime of aggression and to add the ‘atrocity crimes’ to the list of crimes for which the EU has competence; condemns any attempt to undermine its legitimacy or independence and calls for the EU and its Member States to cooperate consistently in order to support the ICC’s investigations and decisions with the aim of putting an end to impunity for international crimes, including when referring to the arrest of persons wanted by the ICC; urges the EU and its Member States to consistently support ICC examinations, investigations and decisions and to take steps to prevent and respond effectively to instances of non-cooperation with the ICC and provide for adequate funding; welcomes the meeting of 6 July 2016 between EU and ICC representatives in Brussels in preparation for the 2nd EU-ICC round table meeting, enabling relevant staff at the ICC and the EU institutions to identify common areas of interest, exchange information on relevant activities and ensure better cooperation between both parties; notes, with profound regret, the recent announcements of withdrawals from the Rome Statute, which represent a challenge in terms of victims’ access to justice and which should be firmly condemned; considers that the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States should continue to encourage third countries to ratify and apply the Rome Statute; reiterates its call for the VP/HR to appoint an EUSR for International Humanitarian Law and International Justice with a mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and to the ICC across EU foreign policies; calls for the EU and its Member States to support UN accountability mechanisms and resolutions at UN multilateral fora, including the Human Rights Council;
D.

whereas at least 891 people are currently on trial or awaiting trial in Egypt on charges that could carry a death sentence; whereas at least 38 individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged offences have been tried alongside adult co-defendants on charges that carry the death penalty; whereas courts have recommended initial death sentences for at least seven such individuals; whereas the imposition and execution of the death penalty against persons who were aged under 18 when the crime was committed is a violation of international law, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as Article 111 of Egypt’s Child Law; whereas Egypt is a party to numerous international conventions on political and civil rights, torture, the rights of children and juveniles, and justice;
2.

Strongly condemns the increase in violence against Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, including the targeting of religious institutions and worshippers, such as the recent killing of at least 48 Christians in villages across Plateau State and the bombing of a mosque in Mubi, northeast Nigeria, in which at least 50 people died; calls on President Buhari and the Nigerian Government to increase their efforts to bring the violence to an end, defend Nigerians’ right to worship freely and protect the rights of all their citizens more rigorously, in line with the country’s laws and Constitution; extends its condolences to the families of all the victims of the ongoing violence; recalls, in addition, that until the 1970s, the coexistence of herdsmen and farmers was peaceful and regrets that the current violence, which concerns access to land and has been exacerbated by the disappearance of effective mediation schemes, is being depicted as a religious conflict, which oversimplifies the issue;
3.

Recalls that, in accordance with Article 17(1) of the TEU, the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, has the legitimacy and authority to ensure that all the Member States are upholding the principles of the rule of law and the other values referred to in Article 2 of the TEU; considers, therefore, that the measures taken by the Commission to carry out the task and to ensure that the conditions which existed before a Member State’s accession are still being fulfilled do not violate the sovereignty of the Member States; recalls the responsibility of the Council itself to be involved in matters of rule of law and governance; welcomes the idea of holding regular talks on the rule of law within the General Affairs Council and calls on the Council to continue down this path so that every Member State is subject to regular evaluation;
9.

Notes that the Haitian parliament passed an annual budget in September 2017; underlines the recent progress made with regard to the right to education, in particular through the Universal, Free and Compulsory Education Programme, which requires both a system of effective monitoring and enforcement and a sustained financial effort both from the Haitian national budget and EU development assistance; calls for greater attention to be given to the well-being and rehabilitation of Restavek children, including the most disadvantaged, the disabled, those with learning difficulties and those in rural areas, within the framework of the next EDF and Haiti’s National Indicative Programme, including through a regular joint progress report on measures taken and their effectiveness in combatting the Restavek phenomenon;