ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
31.

Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to step up their efforts to substitute substances of very high concern and to restrict substances that pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment in the context of REACH, not least as a means to fulfil the requirement of the 7th Environment Action Plan to develop non-toxic material cycles so that recycled waste can be used as a major, reliable source of raw material within the Union; calls, in this respect, on the Commission to immediately drop its unilateral moratorium on the processing of recommendations by ECHA with regard to the inclusion of substances of very high concern in Annex XIV to REACH, and instead proceed swiftly with the inclusion of such substances; stresses in accordance with the waste hierarchy that prevention takes priority over recycling and that, accordingly, recycling should not justify the perpetuation of the use of hazardous legacy substances;
7.

Welcomes efforts in both the public and private sectors to introduce journey planners together with the required open standards and interfaces, but notes that many such services cover only specific regions or countries and that few are multimodal; calls therefore, as a first step, for transport services providers and providers of journey planners to build on existing synergies and to focus more closely on providing multimodal, cross-border journey planners with tailored ticketing arrangements, devoting particular attention to the language in which services are provided, taking into account the use of minority languages and linking long-distance and local transport including the ‘first and last mile’, i.e. by upgrading the different systems to develop their interoperability and enable communication between them; calls on the Commission to use the TEN-T corridors as a pilot project for the identification of passenger flows and the potential for multimodal information, travel planning and ticketing services;
30.

Recalls, in this context, Parliament’s initial opposition, and emphasises its responsibility to be fully involved, to control and to scrutinise; demands that the Commission and the Council provide full, transparent and timely information on the criteria for, and on the entire procedure that could trigger reprogramming or a suspension of commitments or payments of, the ESIF in accordance with Article 23(15) of the Common Provisions Regulation; points out that the decision on the suspension of commitments or payments should be taken as a last resort, when all other options have been exhausted and after assessments have been made of possible repercussions on growth and jobs, because suspending commitments or payments could have serious consequences for national, regional, and local authorities, as well as for the achievement of cohesion policy goals as a whole; considers that the aim of macroeconomic conditionality should be to make cohesion policy more sustainable and efficient, and rejects the idea that regions, localities or citizens should be penalised for macroeconomic decisions taken by national governments; draws attention to the possibly considerable administrative workload entailed in reprogramming of funds; recalls that a proposal for re-programming submitted in accordance with Article 23(4) of that regulation requires the prior consultation of the monitoring committee concerned as referred to in Article 49(3) of the same regulation;
17.

Takes note of the outcome of the popular initiative of 9 February 2014‘Against Mass Immigration’ and the decisions taken on 11 February 2015 by the Swiss Federal Council in relation to its implementation of a draft implementing law and new flanking measures; points out that this runs counter to obligations stemming from the Free Movement of Persons Agreement (FMPA) and expects Switzerland to respect these obligations; points out that the question of migration of citizens from third countries should not be confused with the free movement of persons as enshrined in the Treaties; stresses that the unilateral measures taken by Switzerland in order to avoid discrimination against Croatian citizens fall short of replacing the ratification of the Protocol extending the FMPA to include Croatia and that ratifying that Protocol would clear the way for Switzerland’s involvement in the Horizon 2020 programme to continue and be extended after 2016 in order to promote researchers’ access to Horizon 2020 funding; calls upon the Commission to work with Switzerland and the Member States to find a satisfactory solution that respects the provisions of the concerned agreements and adhering to the rule of law;
D.

whereas the latest figures reveal that at least 2 466 people in 55 countries are known to have been sentenced to death in 2014 — an increase of almost 23 % on the 2013 figure; whereas at least 607 executions were carried out worldwide in 2014; whereas these figures do not include the number of people believed to have been executed in China, which continued to execute more people than the rest of the world combined, while sentencing thousands more to death; whereas death sentences and executions are continuing at an alarming rate in 2015; whereas the increase in death sentences is closely linked to court rulings in mass trials in response to terrorism-related offences in countries such as Egypt and Nigeria; whereas the possible reintroduction of the death penalty is being considered in Chad and Tunisia; whereas death sentences continue to be handed down and executed in certain states in the USA;
15.

Deplores the fact that past adjustments and reforms and inequitable development policies have contributed to ineffective health systems; urges the Commission to help the three countries affected to develop their own public health systems in order for them to be able to meet basic healthcare needs and to build up the infrastructure required to ensure that all their citizens have access to public healthcare; in particular, takes the view that building a resilient health system over the long term requires, inter alia, (i) investing resources in basic public health services, (ii) ensuring safe and quality care by increasing resources to train, supervise and pay health workers adequately and by giving access to safe drugs, (iii) engaging local stakeholders and communities in crisis response and development planning; calls on international donors to increase Official Development Assistance (ODA) to those countries through country systems such as budget support; calls on the Commission to establish, in cooperation with partner countries, the WHO, the World Bank and other donors, coherent needs-based health plans and monitoring procedures;
27.

Recalls that the EU should start investing in order to be ready to tap the potential of third countries with a large population and emerging economies, particularly the BRIC countries, where the number of outbound tourists is rising; points out the need for initiatives aimed at promoting tourism and for greater flexibility and consistency in respect of tourist visa arrangements and border crossings; stresses that the promotion of a larger number of Visa Tourism platforms, coupled with a cautious approach to the simplification of the Visa Code, is an important component in increasing the number of tourists from outside Europe and raising the visibility of European tourist destinations; highlights the potential of touring visas for groups of tourists who had already been in the country, and the importance of implementing more visa waiver agreements in order to make optimum use of international tourist arrivals; considers it advisable, with due respect for the Member States’ right and duty to control entry across their own borders, for the European institutions and the Member States to develop, in the context of the common visa policy, a long-term strategy for better-coordinated and simplified visa procedures;
10.

Considers it necessary to maintain the ordinary legislative procedure for the adoption of rules common to all sea basins, including the establishment of standards and objectives for technical measures, including technical measures contained in specific regulations, or for technical measures not likely to be amended within the foreseeable future and considers that the ordinary legislative procedure is not always necessary for measures adopted at regional level or which are possibly subject to frequent changes; is of the opinion that these measures should be evaluated on a regular basis in order to ensure they remain relevant; considers that the judicious use of delegated acts can meet this need for flexibility and responsiveness; recalls, however, that Parliament retains the right to object to any delegated acts under the Treaty;
15.

Welcomes the fact that Ecuador has ratified all eight fundamental ILO conventions; insists on the importance of swift ratification and effective implementation of all ILO conventions by Ecuador and all the EU Member States; regrets that Ecuador has not yet ratified ILO Convention 129, and calls on the Commission to support the efforts of Ecuador to progress in the effective application thereof; calls on the Ecuadorian Government to follow the recommendations of the ILO’s Committee of Experts for effective application of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and emphasises the importance of the possibility for workers to be able to change or establish new trade unions, for reasons of independence, effectiveness and ideological affinity, and recalls in particular that the ILO has requested that the Ecuadorian Government take the legislative action necessary to comply with the provisions of Article 2 of the Convention;
26.

Expresses concern about Vietnam being one of the major source countries for victims of human trafficking, and about reports of large numbers of children, especially boys who are not protected by the law against sexual abuse, falling victim to child prostitution, trafficking or maltreatment; urges Vietnam to develop strong and effective child protection laws that protect all children regardless of their gender; calls on the Commission to support Vietnam in strengthening its capacities in the field of migration policies and the fight against human trafficking and organised crime, including in the context of its labour and migration policies; is equally concerned about reports on the exploitation of Vietnamese victims of human trafficking, including minors, in the Member States; calls on the Commission to urgently ensure that key protection provisions set out in the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings are fully implemented; encourages the Government of Vietnam and the Commission to consider the establishment of a subcommittee or specialised working group on human trafficking under the Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement;
3.

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that all legislative proposals forming part of the Energy Union follow the ordinary legislative procedure, thus fully involving Parliament and ensuring effective democratic oversight; expects the post-2020 governance framework for the Energy Union to be ambitious, reliable, transparent, democratic and fully inclusive of Parliament, and to ensure that the 2030 climate and energy targets are achieved, in particular through the full implementation, enforcement and updating of existing climate and energy legislation; asks the Commission, without prejudice to other reporting obligations, to present on an annual basis a report on the implementation of the Energy Union, including details of the implementation of energy legislation and progress made towards meeting the 2020 and 2030 targets, to develop and update a set of key indicators to be included in the report, and to allow assessment of progress with Energy Union; such indicators could include, but are not limited to, interconnection capacity, market integration, reduction of energy imports, levels of diversification, energy prices and costs, development of community and locally-owned generation, and levels of energy poverty and vulnerability; notes the Energy Council conclusions of 26 November 2015 on the governance system of the Energy Union, and asks the Commission to present swiftly to Parliament and the Council a legislative proposal taking into account the Council conclusions and Parliament’s views as expressed in this report; agrees with the Council conclusions that the National Energy and Climate Plans covering the period from 2021 to 2030 should not only be geared towards meeting the 2030 targets, but also reflect the longer-term perspective, specifically the agreed EU objective of reducing emissions by 80-95 % by 2050 compared to 1990 levels;
A.

whereas the most recent general elections were held on 24 May 2015, in which the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) remained the ruling party and won all the seats in the national parliament, owing in part to the lack of space for critical or dissenting voices in the election process; whereas May’s federal elections took place in a general atmosphere of intimidation and concerns over the lack of independence of the National Electoral Board; whereas the EPRDF has been in power for 24 years, since the overthrow of the military government in 1991;
121.

Believes that the development of e-administration is a priority for innovation, as it has a leverage effect on all sectors of the economy and enhances efficiency, interoperability and transparency, reduces costs and the administrative burden, allows for better cooperation between public administrations, and provides better, more user-friendly and personalised services for all citizens and businesses in view of the opportunities offered by digital social innovations; urges the Commission to lead by example in the field of e-government and to develop, together with the Member States, an ambitious and comprehensive e-government action plan; believes that this action plan should be based on users’ needs and best practices, including benchmarks for progress, a step-by-step sectoral approach to apply the ‘once only principle’ in public administrations according to which citizens and businesses should not be asked for information already provided to a public authority, whilst ensuring citizens' privacy and a high level of data protection in compliance with the requirements and principles of the EU Data Protection Reform package and fully in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as a high level of security regarding these initiatives; considers that it should also ensure the full cross-border deployment of highly encrypted e-ID and e-signatures, in particular with the swift implementation of the eIDAS regulation and the increased online availability of public services; stresses the importance for citizens and businesses to have access to interconnected commercial registers;
AC.

whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions was launched on 19 November 2014, with a year’s delay, to replace the electronic platform for filing petitions previously available on the Europarl portal, and was conceived in order to promote the right to petition and enhance citizens’ active participation in the life of the EU; whereas this portal, not yet fully operational, has been designed to provide an integrated solution covering the specific needs of the petition process, giving EU citizens wishing to file a petition an internet tool better suited to their needs, with a real time follow-up of the various stages of their petitions; whereas several shortcoming have been identified, especially with regard to the search function, that undermine the role of the portal as a public register of petitions, and whereas the second phase, aimed at resolving all the existing loopholes, should have already been concluded; whereas the portal can help improve the service and its visibility for citizens and Committee members, and will act as an electronic register (planned in Rule 216(4) of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure) allowing citizens to file and keep track of petitions, and to affix their electronic signature to their own petitions; whereas the new portal is intended to make the petition procedure more transparent and interactive, and administrative aspects more efficient, in the interest of petitioners, Members and the general public; whereas the web portal should be the tool by which means transparency in the petition process can be increased, petitioners' access to information enhanced and citizens sensitized to the capacity and possibilities of the Committee on Petitions to help them to redress their situation; emphasises that the use of new information and communication technology should be increased and further stimulated in order to bring the Committee’s work closer to the citizens;
5.

Notes the positive yet modest impact of the Asset Purchase Programme (APP) on money and credit dynamics, with loans to enterprises still weak but benefiting from a gradual easing of credit standards, a continued easing of the terms and conditions for new loans, a fall in rejected applications, an increase in demand for loans and a gradual picking-up of private investment in the first three quarters of 2015, while significant differences across euro area economies remain; notes furthermore that since the launch of the APP, medium-term inflation expectations have begun to rise, gradually converging towards the target of 2 %, while the risks of a deflation trap may have decreased; asks the ECB, where possible, to apply the APP to all Member States without discrimination while respecting the rules the ECB is bound by;
29.

Encourages the Ombudsman to continue to promote the European Network of Ombudsmen with a view to informing EU citizens in a better way about the allocation of responsibilities between the European Ombudsman, national and regional ombudsmen and Parliament’s Committee on Petitions; recognises the important contribution of the Network in fostering the exchange of best practices and information about its members’ remits and competences; notes that 59,3 % of complaints processed in 2014 fell within the competence of a member of the Network; calls on its Committee on Petitions to be a more active member of the Network and to reinforce its collaboration with the Network on common policies which fall within the field of activities of the European Union; notes that in 2014 the Ombudsman transferred 86 complaints to this committee;
49.

Asks the EEAS, within the review of its Central Asia Strategy and in line with its priorities for 2016-2020 and the progress already made by Central Asian countries, to establish a comprehensive Gender Equality Action Plan, with concrete actions to improve women’s rights and women’s living conditions; considers that every Central Asian country should be encouraged to enact legislation which explicitly prohibits all forms of violence and discrimination against women, including sexual, physical, physiological and economic abuse, that prevent them from working or from accessing bank accounts, credit cards or transportation, among other isolating tactics; points out that financial security is the number one predictor of whether or not a victim of domestic violence will break free and remain free from further abuse; calls on the Central Asian countries to treat violence against women as a criminal offence, to properly investigate all reported cases and to implement measures to guarantee protection, assistance and access to justice for victims, together with mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of the law; notes that the marriage agency industry is relatively significant in Central Asia and asks that countries in the region consider regulating these agencies so as to best protect vulnerable women from exploitation; calls on the Central Asian countries to organise education campaigns about the right to live free from violence and awareness-raising initiatives for society as a whole, and especially religious leaders, about the absolute requirement to obtain the consent of both parties to marriage ceremonies;
44.

Notes that the country has been facing an unprecedented migratory flow, with over 500 000 persons transiting through in 2015; recognises that it has acted as a responsible partner in coping with the huge influx of migrants and refugees and in setting up effective border management measures; is aware of the increasingly tense situation at the border with Greece, and calls on the authorities to continue cooperation and coordination with the EU on migration issues; encourages the stepping-up of measures related to border management to combat illegal migration and human trafficking; notes the economic burden created by this influx; calls on the Commission to enhance support for border management capacity and allow access to the relevant EU instruments and programmes; calls upon the competent authorities to avoid and refrain from any kind of actions, including violence and the use of force, which might discriminate against, and put at risk the lives of, refugees and migrants; notes that all relevant kinds of actions should be in line with EU values and principles and should respect the dignity of human beings and human life; encourages the competent authorities to enhance, with the EU’s help, reception and accommodation facilities, regional coordination and information exchange and effective border management, to extend law enforcement capacities and to combat trafficking in human beings; urges the country to do everything possible to ensure facilities for refugees and migrants, uphold humane conditions, refrain from violent pushbacks and ensure strict respect for the country’s own law and for international law on refugees and asylum; notes that the overall number of unfounded asylum applications filed in Schengen member countries has declined; recalls that special attention must be devoted to the vulnerable situation of refugee and migrant children and unaccompanied minors travelling across the country by providing them with basic services and ensuring outreach of social workers to provide appropriate protection;
4.

Calls, as a matter of urgency, for immediate, independent, objective and thorough investigations into these and previous murders in order to bring their intellectual and material authors to justice and to put an end to impunity; welcomes the fact that, at the request of the Honduran Government, the investigation into the murder of Ms Cáceres includes representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and of the OAS; takes the view that instruments available within the framework of the UN and the IACHR, such as an independent international investigation, as requested by the victims, could help to ensure impartial and fair investigation of these murders;
E.

whereas three opposition candidates, Omar Elmi Khaireh, Mohamed Moussa Ali and Djama Abdourahman Djama, contested the April 2016 election results as lacking transparency and not showing the will of the Djiboutian people; whereas local human rights organisations have not recognised the results; whereas political space for the opposition remains very narrow, with limited freedom of expression; whereas police forces and security services have tight control of the country, and the judiciary is weak and close to the government; whereas opposition leaders were constantly subjected to imprisonment and harassment and there have been allegations of torture; whereas it is alleged that the army was ordered to remove opposition representatives from some polling stations so that the ballot boxes could be stuffed, while other districts such as Ali-Sabieh were put under military control; whereas President Guelleh hosted a party allegedly to reward the army for its contribution to the election before the official results were even released; whereas the African Union has deplored a number of irregularities (the lack of records, the failure to post results and the fact that the votes were not counted in public);