ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
40.

Is concerned that the EU has a very low lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity and relies on production sourced outside Europe with limited transparency; welcomes, therefore, the European Battery Alliance and the Strategic Action Plan on Batteries; calls for their expansion to cover all available battery technologies; calls for continuous support for them and for the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan to be strengthened, in line with broader objectives in terms of the circular economy, industrial strategy and chemicals management; welcomes, in this respect, the Commission’s announcement that it will propose legislation on batteries in support of the Strategic Action Plan and the circular economy; calls, in this regard, for life cycle analysis of batteries, the introduction of circular design, safe management and handling during the treatment of hazardous substances in cell manufacturing, and the introduction of a carbon footprint label declaring the environmental impact of all battery value chains placed on the European market; stresses the importance of creating ecosystems around the battery value chain in order to foster the competitiveness and sustainability of the industry;
75.

Notes that SMEs account for approximately 30 % of the value of EU goods exports and more than 80 % of all EU enterprises exporting goods, and yet only 5 % of SMEs are active on the international front, meaning that a large majority depend on the vibrancy of the internal market; supports the idea that a specific chapter on SMEs should be part of all proposed FTAs, as is the case in the EU-Japan agreement and the modernised agreement with Mexico, and that SMEs should be included when revising existing FTAs; notes that trade barriers and bureaucracy are especially burdensome for SMEs; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to support micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with specific focus on and measures for those which are women-led; calls on the EU and its Member States to pay particular attention to the special circumstances of women-led MSMEs when establishing export helpdesks, to take advantage of the possibilities created by FTAs, and to strengthen services, technologies and infrastructures (such as internet access) that are of particular importance for the economic empowerment of women and women-led MSMEs;
5.

Calls on the Commission to strengthen the link between EU mainstream financial and policy instruments and objectives related to the socio-economic development and inclusion of Romani people set out by the Commission’s legally binding proposal; calls on the Commission to mobilise funding for Romani equality, inclusion and participation under the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and EU Recovery Plan; insists in this respect that entities that engage in discriminatory practices against Romani people, or take decisions or implement measures to this effect, should not be eligible for funding from the Union's budget; calls upon the Commission, Member States and enlargement countries to adjust the existing mainstream financial mechanisms and make them flexible for blended use of funds in Romani communities by enabling access to information, outreach, capacity building, delivery of technical assistance and guarantees during the funding application process; is of the opinion that funds are often most effectively spent at local level by local governments and NGOs, therefore calls on the Commission to increase the funds distributed directly to them, and involve local Romani representatives in the implementation; takes the view that in order to support Romani and pro-Romani civil society organisations, more flexible co-financing requirements should be taken into account, as many NGOs, especially from local level cannot afford own financial contributions, this being a barrier in accessing EU funds for the grassroots NGOs; calls on the Commission to effectively respond to the concern about the increasingly shrinking space for independent civil society in some Member States; is concerned that the coronavirus outbreak might lead to cuts in relation to the Rights and Values programmes for the MFF 2021-2027, negatively affecting CSOs advocating for Romani communities and thus affecting outreach to Romani communities; calls on the Commission and the Member States to effectively address this risk;
E.

whereas ‘in order to ensure the adequate involvement of the European Parliament and of the Council in the second phase of application of the reciprocity mechanism, given the particularly sensitive political nature of the suspension of the exemption from the visa requirement for all the nationals of a third country listed in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 and its horizontal implications for the Member States, the Schengen associated countries and the Union itself, in particular for their external relations and for the overall functioning of the Schengen area, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union [was] delegated to the Commission in respect of certain elements of the reciprocity mechanism’ including the suspension of the exemption from the visa requirement for all nationals of the third country concerned;
6.

Strongly reiterates its call on the Commission to treat attempts by Member State governments to damage media freedom and pluralism as constituting a serious and systematic abuse of powers and as going against the fundamental values of the EU as enshrined in Article 2 TEU; welcomes, therefore, the Commission’s intention to include a specific chapter on monitoring media freedom and pluralism in its Annual Report on the Situation of the Rule of Law within the EU; suggests, in this context, a bottom-up approach reflecting individuals’ voices and diversity to ensure that the challenges faced by journalists and the media sector are effectively captured; calls, furthermore, for the inclusion in this chapter of country-specific recommendations and effective responses as well as an assessment of the transparency of ownership and the level of government and private interference in the EU Member States; encourages the Commission to actively cooperate with the Council of Europe, exchanging best practices and making sure that the measures undertaken are complementary; urges the Commission and the Member States to develop and maintain a credible framework for the protection of media freedom and media pluralism; calls for the Commission to aim to introduce standards and benchmarks for media freedom at Union level, as well as incentives for higher convergence between Member States; calls on the Commission and the Member States to fully support and strengthen the tools already developed for the promotion and protection of the rights and freedoms enshrined in Article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 10 of the ECHR, such as the Media Pluralism Monitor and the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, and to promptly react to possible threats to and violations of these rights and freedoms; urges the Commission to take into account the impact of the emergency measures taken in 2020 in the context of COVID-19 on press freedom, institutional transparency, accountability, media pluralism and safety of journalists, including through an overview of the attacks against journalists across the EU and the responses provided by Member States in this regard; recalls Parliament’s repeated call for a permanent, independent and comprehensive mechanism covering democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the EU; considers that the EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights must enshrine media freedom, including artistic freedom, as an essential pillar of a democratic system; calls on the Commission, in this context, to collect information and statistics on media freedom and pluralism in all the Member States;
H.

whereas homelessness rates have increased over the last decade in a number of EU Member States; whereas the causes of such an increase are a combination of rising housing costs, the impact of the economic crisis, the reduction of social protection and the inadequacy of policies to address homelessness in many Member States; whereas house prices rose by 5 % in the euro area (EA19) and by 5,2 % in the EU27 in the second quarter of 2020 compared with the same quarter of the previous year;
9.

Stresses that co-legislators have agreed that the Regulation on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget shall apply from 1 January 2021 and will have to be applied to all commitments and payments; recalls that the applicability of this Regulation cannot be subject to adoption of any guidelines, as the text agreed is sufficiently clear, and no implementing instruments are foreseen; expects the Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, to ensure that the Regulation is fully applicable from the date agreed by the co-legislators and recalls that annulment of the Regulation or part of it is only possible by the CJEU; affirms that if a Member State seeks the annulment of the Regulation or the parts thereof, Parliament will defend its validity before the Court and expects the Commission to intervene in support of Parliament’s position; highlights, in such case, that Parliament will ask that the Court proceed in an expedited procedure; recalls Article 265 TFEU and states its readiness to make use of it;
28.

Points to the important ongoing work of the Committee on Petitions aimed at ensuring the protection of animal welfare in the EU, as demonstrated by the significant number of petitions on this topic discussed in its meetings in 2019; believes it is of paramount importance to launch a new EU strategy on animal welfare to bridge all the existing gaps and ensure full and effective protection of animal welfare through a clear and comprehensive legislative framework that is fully in line with the requirements of Article 13 TFEU; draws attention to the public hearing on ‘Revaluation of the wolf population in the EU’, which the Committee on Petitions held on 5 December 2019 jointly with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and in association with the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, in order to give voice to citizens’ concerns about the legal framework for the protection of the wolf as well as the impact of wolves and other large carnivores such as the brown bear population on the environment and rural communities; emphasises that in the framework of the Habitats Directive large carnivores are protected species in most of the Member States; calls on the Member States to make better use of the tools under the existing EU legislation to address possible conflicts concerning the conservation of protected large carnivores; invites the Commission to present as soon as possible an updated EU guidance on species protection rules in order to achieve a satisfactory coexistence between people and large carnivores in affected areas;
12.

Calls on the Russian Government and State Duma to revise the legal framework for elections and the legislation on foreign agents and undesirable organisations in order to facilitate pluralism and free and fair elections in accordance with international standards and create a level playing field for opposition candidates; demands that the Russian Government guarantees all democratic parties equal access and equal chances during the upcoming Duma elections, as non-registration of parties is an abuse of the registration procedure that destroys political competition and pluralist democracy; underscores that there is an ever increasing convergence of attitudes and tactics between the regime in Russia and the dictatorship in Belarus; observes that both regimes are fearing the growing demand for change among their people, which is why stealing elections presents itself as a convenient political solution to them;
9.

Encourages Croatia’s national, regional and local authorities to closely monitor the reconstruction activities and to ensure that they comply with requirements for earthquake-resistant buildings and infrastructure and apply best professional practices and expertise from other Member States; calls on the Croatian authorities and the institutions responsible to take account of the experiences from the post-war reconstruction process in the affected areas in order to clarify whether irregularities in building practices led to poor quality and contributed to the devastating consequences of the recent earthquakes; welcomes the Croatian Government’s decision to publish the register of companies which took part in the reconstruction process as a first step towards this aim;
49.

Recalls its position of 12 September 2018 on autonomous weapons systems, which states that strikes must not be carried out without meaningful human intervention; calls on the VP/HR, the Member States and the European Council to adopt a common position on autonomous weapons systems that ensures meaningful human control over the critical functions of weapons systems, including during deployment; reaffirms its support for the work on LAWS of the UN GGE of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which remains the relevant international forum for discussions and negotiations on the legal challenges posed by autonomous weapons systems; calls for all current multilateral efforts to be accelerated so that normative and regulatory frameworks are not outpaced by technological developments and new methods of warfare; calls on the VP/HR, in the framework of the ongoing discussions on the international regulation of LAWS by the states parties to the CCW, to remain engaged and help to advance, without delay, the effort to develop a new global regulatory framework and a legally binding instrument focused on definitions, concepts and characteristics of emerging technologies in the area of LAWS, ethical and legal questions of human control, in particular with regard to their critical functions, such as target selection and engagement, the maintenance of human responsibility and accountability and the necessary degree of human-machine interaction, including the concept of human control and human judgment; calls for these efforts to ensure compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law during the different stages of the lifecycle of AI-enabled weapons, with a view to agreeing specific recommendations for the clarification, consideration and development of aspects of the normative framework relating to emerging technologies in the area of LAWS;
29.

Expresses its profound concern at the ongoing suffering of the Syrian people, 10 years after the conflict began; is particularly concerned that humanitarian needs in Syria have risen by a fifth in the last year alone, and that an additional 4,5 million Syrians now suffer from food insecurity, while 90 % live below the poverty line; considers that humanitarian access must remain a central priority for the EU in Syria, and that increased needs require an greater financial and political response from the EU; notes that UNSC Resolution 2533 on the border crossing at Bab al-Hawa is coming up for renewal in July 2021; regrets the fact that Russia and China abstained from the last vote instead of voting in favour of the resolution; is of the opinion that cross-line delivery of humanitarian assistance cannot be relied upon to deliver for the people currently relying on cross-border delivery; recalls that 2,4 million Syrians depend on this border crossing for survival. and that failure to extend this crossing for a minimum of 12 months would have severe and life threatening consequences; condemns the actions of those UNSC members that have sought to limit humanitarian access for political purposes; urges all UNSC members to support the renewal of the cross-border resolution in order to avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis and to ensure the expansion and support for cross-line interventions carried out in line with humanitarian principles; highlights the importance of ensuring the immediate reauthorisation of the Bab al-Salam and Yarubiyah border crossing points in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 74/169, in order to ensure that aid reaches populations in need in both the north-west and north-east by the most direct routes; underlines the importance of ensuring that humanitarian aid is exclusively directed to those most in need;
42.

Stresses the need to study the resilience of cultural heritage and notes the liaison between sustainable tourism and cultural heritage; believes that cultural tourism can act as a catalyst for strengthening the mutual understanding of people in the EU by allowing them to discover European cultural heritage in all its diversity; highlights the need to take into account the lessons learnt from the European Year of Cultural Heritage; recalls that many initiatives have been taken at EU, national and local level to improve sustainable tourism by integrating cultural heritage into environmental, architectural and planning policies; considers the need to protect industrial heritage of regions in transition to enable new economic and professional opportunities in those areas; reiterates the need to raise awareness of heritage protection among all actors, including of the risk of illicit traffic in cultural goods; points out that any reflection on sustainable tourism must also take a another look at works and cultural goods that have been looted, stolen or illegally obtained during wars; encourages the promotion of excellence in sustainable cultural tourism; calls on the Member States to take measures to foster collaboration between experts in cultural tourism and to promote cooperation and exchange of best practices in the sector;
28.

Is aware that the COVID-19 crisis will not be solved by the current fiscal stance alone; underlines, therefore, the importance of implementing deep, growth-enhancing, balanced and sustainable and socially just, tailor-made structural reforms to deliver on, among other things, sustainable and socially inclusive growth and jobs, which can support the recovery efficiently, as well as supporting the digital transformation and green transition, quality employment, reduction of poverty, and the UN SDGs, and can boost competitiveness and the single market, increasing convergence and stronger and sustainable growth within the Union and the Member States; points out that the long-term growth potential of Member States’ economies in particular can only be enhanced by structural improvements; notes, however, that the effectiveness and success of the alignment of Member States’ policy measures will depend on the review of the Stability and Growth Pact and, according to outcome thereof, its adaptation, as well as increased ownership by the Member States of the implementation of the country-specific recommendations;
7.

Calls on the Government of Pakistan to unequivocally condemn incitement to violence and discrimination against religions minorities in the country; calls on the Government of Pakistan to put in place effective, procedural and institutional safeguards at the investigative, prosecutorial and judicial levels to prevent the abuse of the blasphemy laws pending their abolition; deplores the continuing discrimination against and violence towards religious minorities in Pakistan, including Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Shias and Hindus; recalls the 2014 mob attack on the Ahmadi community in Gujranwala following allegations of blasphemy against its member Aqib Saleem, who was acquitted in court, that resulted in the deaths of three members of the community, including two children; notes that it has been made a requirement that no police officer below the level of police superintendent may investigate charges before registering a case;
(ae)

address the human rights situation and challenges faced by civil society, in particular concerns raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN special rapporteurs, in its dialogue with the Indian authorities, including at summit level; encourage India, as the world’s largest democracy, to demonstrate its commitment to respect, protect and fully enforce the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression for all, including online, the right to peaceful assembly and association, including in relation to the latest large-scale farmers’ protests, and freedom of religion and belief; call on India to secure a safe environment for the work of and protect and guarantee the fundamental rights and freedoms of human rights defenders, environmentalists, journalists and other civil society actors, free from political or economic pressure, and to cease invoking laws against sedition and terrorism as a means to restrict their legitimate activities, including in Jammu and Kashmir, stop blanket restrictions of internet access, review laws in order to avoid their possible misuse to silence dissent and amend laws that foster discrimination, and facilitate access to justice and ensure accountability for human rights violations; address the harmful effects of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) on civil society organisations;
27.

Stresses that the human rights-based approach is applicable to all pillars of the NDICI, including crisis response in the rapid response pillar; stresses once again that migration-related spending in the NDICI should indicatively be 10 %, and that migration-related activities under the NDICI should concentrate on addressing the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement, and on supporting increased engagement for facilitating safe, orderly, regular and responsible migration, as well as on the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies and governance; highlights that the NDICI is an external instrument and there should be a clear demarcation between internal and external EU migration policies, instruments and funds; underlines that the final agreement on migration-related activities in the NDICI should be horizontally coordinated with internal EU funds as well as the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) to avoid overlaps; notes that migration-related actions in crisis situations through the rapid response actions pillar should address, in particular, needs related to forced displacement, including supporting host communities, in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles; insists in this regard on the need to ensure that the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework is accompanied by a robust human rights framework for the identification, implementation and monitoring of future migration cooperation programmes, in order to link the disbursement of EU funding to human rights obligations;
O.

whereas over recent years, Haiti has been plagued by several waves of large-scale mobilisations against high living costs, authoritarianism and corruption; whereas the ongoing political crisis is linked to and commensurate with the deterioration of all social, economic, security and human rights indicators; whereas poverty has increased, access to basic social services, already reduced, has further decreased, and in the space of two years, food insecurity has almost doubled, now affecting millions of Haitians; whereas Haiti is the only least developed country in the Americas; whereas Haiti, ranked number 170 of the world’s countries in the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index 2019, is in continuous need of humanitarian and development aid and remains the poorest country in the Americas, and one of the most impoverished states in the world, with 59 % of the population living below the national poverty line; whereas government corruption is rampant, and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 ranks Haiti 161st out of the 180 states surveyed;