ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
B.

whereas the current COVID-19 crisis has shown to a very high cost that the EU remains an unfinished project and that the failure to ensure solidarity and coordination, the economic, health and social shocks, and the ongoing attacks on fundamental rights and the rule of law need to be better addressed by the Conference; whereas the ongoing crisis therefore makes it even more urgent for the European Union to start work on how to become more effective, democratic and closer to citizens;
18.

Points out, at the same time, that the expansion of digitalisation can have an environmental impact; recalls that all three programmes are characterised by the use of digital tools, in particular Creative Europe, and calls on the Commission to take account of their digital environmental impact; encourages the Commission to look at ways of reducing the environmental footprint of digital tools, including websites and software, used within the programmes; calls on the main programme stakeholders to promote the use of more environmentally friendly digital tools; underlines that joined-up policy-making is required across the future digital agenda and the European Green Deal to combine the digital transformation with environmental policy;
1.

To put forward a legislative proposal for Crypto-Assets, which provides legal certainty for the treatment of Crypto-Assets while ensuring high standard of consumer and investor protection, market integrity and financial stability. Such a framework should consider an open-ended and comprehensive pan-Union taxonomy and aim to legislate according to the principle of the same rules applying according to the same activity and risks and principle of proportionality, thereby minimising regulatory arbitrage and ensuring a level playing field. Such a legislative proposal should: (a) provide guidance on the applicable regulatory, supervisory and prudential processes and treatment of crypto-assets; adopt specific rules on market transparency and integrity at least equivalent to those of MiFID II for issuers or sponsors of crypto-assets; (b) address the regulatory gaps in existing Union legislation as regards to crypto-assets, for example, classifying certain crypto-assets as ‘transferable securities’ under MiFID II to ensure they are treated in the same manner as other transferable securities; (c) create a bespoke regulatory regime for new and evolving crypto-asset activities, such as ICOs or IEOs, and any crypto-assets which do not fall under the existing regulatory framework, ensuring that they are regulated in a harmonised manner on the Union level; (d) address the environmental impact of crypto-mining and the need for solutions aimed at mitigating the ecological footprint of mainstream crypto-assets;
13.

Recommends, in order to ensure compliance with the sectoral support objectives set out in Article 5 and without prejudice to other activities, the following priority and strategic actions: — improving monitoring, control and surveillance through the rapid modernisation of the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC), namely the need to update tracking software for vessel locations in Senegal’s fishing zone via satellite (inter alia VMS) under appropriate technical conditions, and to be able to receive electronic fishing logbooks; — supporting Senegal’s efforts in the fight against IUU fishing by means of a monitoring mechanism for vessels calling at the port of Dakar; — developing scientific capacity and the collection of scientific data so as to enable Senegalese authorities to take decisions based on the best available scientific stock assessment, as well as the imminent launching of planned oceanographic surveys with a view to strengthening the scientific monitoring of the deep-sea demersal fisheries and the knowledge of marine and coastal ecosystems; — supporting decent working conditions for all fishers and fisheries-related activities, in particular for women, by developing the collection of data identifying gender gaps and by fostering empowerment and improving their role and leadership in fisheries and aquaculture organisations; — actions to support the generation of added value for fishery products by means of a horizontal capacity building programme for operators in the sector; — supporting Senegalese small-scale coastal fisheries and communities, including job generation and the development of fisheries-related infrastructure supporting artisanal fishing activity and facilitating the development of the fisheries sector; — establishing basic and vocational training programmes for scientific observers and seamen (training in fishing techniques, but also safety on board, etc.), with particular emphasis on the training of young fishers and women who play an important role in marketing and processing and whose livelihoods and work depend on the fisheries sector; — in the framework of the Sectoral Policy Charter for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture for the period 2016-2023 adopted by Senegal, an annual joint review with partners, including the Union, to ensure the implementation of the planned sector policy reforms; — increased efforts to prevent delayed implementation of the sectoral support owing to difficulties on the part of the Senegalese side in implementing the administrative mechanisms to dispose of the funds; — ensuring greater visibility for actions financed by the Union and promoting proper understanding by the fishing communities and civil society of the specific contribution made by the Protocol to the development of the sector; — strengthening measures to encourage young people to engage in fishing;
2.

Urges the Government of Turkey to reverse that decision, and avoid any unilateral action that could raise further tensions on the island, in compliance with the recent call of the UNSC; calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus, to transfer the Varosha area to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550 (1984), and to refrain from any actions altering the demographic balance on the island through a policy of illegal settlements; stresses the need for the EU acquis to be implemented across the entire island, following the solution of the Cyprus problem;
7.

Calls on the Member States to make full use of flexibility in the application of EU rules on public finances and fiscal policies, in order to accommodate exceptional spending so as to prevent and mitigate the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, strengthen social welfare systems, and finance quality jobs, public services, the fight against poverty and the green and digital transitions; welcomes NextGenerationEU, the EU’s recovery plan; stresses that just green and digital transitions can only be achieved with appropriate support for education and social care and healthcare infrastructure, in order to ensure social fairness, social cohesion and prosperity for all; is concerned that, in the current crisis, social welfare systems are experiencing unprecedented pressure and that related public expenditure will increase exponentially; underlines that the expenditure for the crisis measures should not come at the expense of the least well-off, but should be borne fairly; stresses, therefore, that in order to fuel the recovery, the EU’s investment effort through the Recovery Plan must have a strong social dimension, strengthening social welfare systems and investing in social security, access to healthcare and education, affordable housing, employment, justice and social services for vulnerable groups, in order to combat the social impact of the crisis; considers that investment in education, well-designed progressive tax and benefit systems, social investment and the provision of quality public and social services are essential levers for preventing the transfer of disadvantage from one generation to the next; stresses the importance of the implementation of the EPSR in the context of the European Recovery Plan and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, at the same level as the Green Deal and the digital transition; calls, therefore, for the upcoming reforms linked to the recovery package to include upward social convergence as one of the main objectives of the national reform programmes, including through financial support; in this sense, believes that the new Porto 2030 targets should be supported in the Recovery Plan, alongside the economic and environmental targets;
16.

Recalls that Myanmar must fulfil its obligations and commitments in relation to democratic principles and human rights, which are an essential component of the EBA scheme; urges the Commission to launch an investigation pursuant to Article 19(1)(a) of the GSP Regulation with a view to suspending the trade preferences that Myanmar, and especially companies owned by members of the military, benefits from in specific sectors, and to keep Parliament duly informed; urges the EU and its Member States to increase pressure on the Tatmadaw and take any measure at their disposal to ensure the return to power of the elected authorities; calls on the Commission, without ruling out any possible measures including the preparation of sanctions against those responsible for the coup, to prepare gradual punitive matters to react adequately to the existing violations and any possible further violations, while bearing in mind the positive effects of previously granted trade preferences on civil society and the civil economy;
24.

Takes good note of the agreement on a complete ceasefire in and around Nagorno-Karabakh signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on 9 November 2020; hopes that this agreement will save the lives of both civilians and military personnel and open brighter perspectives for a peaceful settlement of this deadly conflict; regrets that changes to the status quo were made through military force, rather than peaceful negotiations; strongly condemns the killing of civilians and destruction of civilian facilities and places of worship, condemns the reported use of cluster munitions in the conflict; urges both Armenia and Azerbaijan to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which comprehensively bans their use, without further delay; stresses that a lasting settlement still remains to be found and that the process of achieving peace and determining the region’s future legal status should be led by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and founded on the group’s Basic Principles; highlights the urgent need to ensure that humanitarian assistance can reach those in need, that the security of the Armenian population and its cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh is ensured, and that internally displaced persons and refugees are allowed to return to their former places of residence; calls for all allegations of war crimes to be duly investigated and those responsible to be brought to justice; calls on the EU to be more meaningfully involved in the settlement of the conflict and not to leave the fate of the region in the hands of other powers;
(21)

Annex xx sets out a list of types of business-related adverse impacts on human rights. To the extent that they are relevant for undertakings, the Commission should include in that Annex the adverse impacts on human rights expressed in the international human rights conventions that are binding upon the Union or the Member States, the International Bill of Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, the United Nations human rights instruments on the rights of persons belonging to particularly vulnerable groups or communities, and the principles concerning fundamental rights set out in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, as well as those recognised in the ILO Convention on freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, the ILO Convention on the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the ILO Convention on the effective abolition of child labour, and the ILO Convention on the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. They further include, but are not restricted to, adverse impacts in relation to other rights recognised in the Tripartite of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy (MNE declaration) and a number of ILO Conventions, such as those concerning freedom of association, collective bargaining, minimum age, occupational safety and health, and equal remuneration, and the rights recognised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Social Charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and national constitutions and laws recognising or implementing human rights. The Commission should ensure that those types of impacts listed are reasonable and achievable.
D.

whereas the functioning of the EU institutions should be in compliance with the principle of the rule of law; whereas the EU institutions must strive for the highest possible standards of transparency, accountability and integrity; whereas these guiding principles are key components in promoting good governance within the EU institutions and in ensuring greater openness in the functioning of the EU and its decision-making process; whereas citizens’ trust in the EU institutions is fundamental for democracy, good governance and effective policy-making; whereas transparency and access to documents should also be guaranteed in relation to the way in which EU policies are implemented at all levels and EU funds are used; whereas openness and the participation of civil society are indispensable for promoting good governance in the EU institutions; whereas, in accordance with the basic principles of democracy, citizens have a right to know and to follow the decision-making process; whereas the European Parliament works with a high degree of transparency in its legislative procedure, including at the committee stage, which makes it possible for citizens, the media and stakeholders to see how and why decisions are made and to clearly identify different positions within Parliament and the origin of specific proposals, as well as to follow the adoption of final decisions;
49.

Welcomes the adoption of the Kosovo programme for gender equality, as well as the work of the Women’s Caucus in the Kosovo Assembly; calls on the Kosovo authorities to increase efforts to promote gender equality and strengthen the economic position of women, including by prioritising gender mainstreaming and increased cooperation with civil society, including women’s organisations, as well as by creating an environment conducive to the better representation of women in decision-making positions, and by making sure school textbooks do not perpetuate stereotypes and discrimination; calls in this respect for the participation of women in the negotiation team responsible for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue; demands equally that the EU side supports this endeavour and these efforts by adhering to the above mentioned recommendations itself;
N.

whereas the work of journalists in the region has become more difficult as a result of measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of limited physical access and reduced contact with authorities, particularly regarding their role in the fight against increasingly prevalent disinformation; whereas online disinformation, fake news and pseudoscience have been a big driver of the pandemic in Latin America, as part of the ‘infodemic’ as defined by the World Health Organization; whereas concrete examples of this range from quack and miracle COVID-19 ‘cures’ to political attacks and hate campaigns against certain communities and minorities; whereas social media has played a major role in the spread of disinformation and pseudoscience;
18.

Deplores the fact that perpetrators from the Russian intelligence services caused the explosion of the arms depot in Vrbětice in the Czech Republic, which constituted a violation of Czech sovereignty and represents an unacceptable act of hostility; strongly condemns activities aimed at destabilising and threatening EU Member States and calls on Russia to cease any such activities, to hold those responsible to account, and to compensate the families of the citizens who died in the 2014 attack; underlines that the European Union stands by the Czech Republic and calls on the VP/HR and the Council to take appropriate countermeasures, including extending targeted sanctions; expresses its deep solidarity with the people and authorities of the Czech Republic following the Russian attack perpetrated on EU territory and the unfounded and disproportionate expulsion of 20 Czech diplomats from Russia; expresses its support for the decision of the Czech authorities to equal the number of the staff at the Russian embassy in the Czech Republic with the number of staff at the Czech embassy in Russia, condemns the subsequent threats by the Russian Federation towards the Czech Republic and appreciates all acts of support and solidarity provided by different governments of EU Member States and all diplomatic services already offered; calls on the EU Member States, following the example of the Skripal case, to proceed with a coordinated expulsion of Russian diplomats;
92.

Calls for a whole-of-society approach towards cybersecurity; highlights that new approaches to cybersecurity should be designed on the basis of resilience and adaptability to stresses and attacks; calls for a holistic approach towards cybersecurity, where the whole system is taking into account, from system design and usability to the education and training of citizens; stresses that the digital transformation, with the rapid digitalisation of services and the large scale introduction of connected devices, necessarily makes our society and economy more exposed to cyberattacks; highlights that advances in the field of quantum computing will disrupt existing encryption techniques; calls on the Commission to support research that would allow Europe to overcome this challenge, and highlights the need for strong, secure end-to-end encryption; calls on the Commission to explore the use of blockchain-based cybersecurity protocols and applications to improve the resilience, trustworthiness and robustness of AI infrastructures; emphasizes the need to include cybersecurity components in all sectorial policies; underlines that effective protection requires EU and national institutions to work together with the support of ENISA to ensure the security, integrity, resilience and sustainability of critical infrastructures and electronic communication networks; welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a revision of the NIS Directive and its intention to enlarge the scope of it and reduce the differences of application by Member States; calls for a cautious approach towards potential dependencies on high-risk suppliers, especially for the deployment of 5G networks;
10.

Takes the position that any consideration of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), as well as any discussion on ratification by the European Parliament, has justifiably been frozen because of the Chinese sanctions in place; demands that China lift the sanctions before Parliament can deal with the CAI, without prejudice to the final outcome of the CAI ratification process; expects the Commission to consult with Parliament before taking any steps towards the conclusion and signature of the CAI; calls on the Commission to use the debate around the CAI as leverage to improve the protection of human rights and support for civil society in China and reminds the Commission that Parliament will take the human rights situation in China, including in Hong Kong, into account when asked to endorse the CAI;
G.

whereas in the light of the analysis carried out by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on 11 February 2021, precautionary measures in favour of 20 identified members of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) were adopted and it is sufficiently proven that the rights to life and personal integrity of the identified persons are at serious risk; whereas the Cuban authorities illegally broke into the house of independent artist and San Isidro Movement coordinator Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, and arbitrarily detained him for several hours without any charges; whereas Denis Solís González, a member of the MSI, is arbitrarily being held in prison charged with contempt, and Luis Robles Elizástegui is in prison just for carrying a poster peacefully calling for the release of Denis Solís González; whereas Maykel Castillo Pérez, a member of the MSI and co-creator of the song ‘Patria y Vida’ is being imprisoned arbitrarily and was communicated as disappeared for 14 days by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances;
17.

Stresses the absolute imperative of preserving the progress made on women’s rights in Afghanistan over the last 20 years; recalls the participation of women in the peace talks on the part of the Afghan Government, and insists there must be no compromise on women’s rights in the peace process; emphasises that progress on women’s rights in areas of the country not under government control must also be addressed in the negotiations; urges greater representation and full consultation of women’s organisations throughout the talks; underlines that the full participation of women in the post-reconstruction phase and in political and civic life in Afghanistan is a fundamental prerequisite to establishing sustainable peace, security and development; calls on the EEAS, Commission and Member States to further support the empowerment of women as a key condition for continuous financial support to the country;
D.

whereas Decree Law 35 updates the Cuban legal framework on the procedures for and conditions to obtain the required permits for the use of the national radio-electric spectrum and imposes obligations on telecommunications operators to suspend, monitor, intercept and control users and pass on their information to the Cuban authorities; whereas the decree is internationally recognised as illegal; whereas Resolution 105 establishes the Cybersecurity Incidents Regulation in a broad manner, providing a legal framework for the prosecution of individuals for a wide range of accusations and allowing sanctions to be imposed, mobile phones and computers to be seized, home searches to be carried out and even allowing the government to act as a facilitator for the initiation of criminal proceedings for crimes currently mentioned in the Criminal Code whose definitions are internationally recognised as illegal; whereas Decree Law 370, which was also enacted after the approval of the new 2019 Constitution, restricts freedom of expression on social networks;