European Parliament resolution on human rights in the world in 2000 and the European Union Human Rights Policy (11317/2000 - C5-0536/2000 and C5-0628/2000 - 2000/2105(INI))
Date: 2001-07-05
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU policy, budget, democracy, diplomatic relations, enlargement of the Union, human rights, institutional cooperation, international affairs

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13. Human rights in the world

A5-0193/2001

European Parliament resolution on human rights in the world in 2000 and the European Union
Human Rights Policy (11317/2000 (cid:129) C5-0536/2000 and C5-0628/2000 (cid:129) 2000/2105(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the second EU Annual Report on Human Rights (11317/2000 (cid:129) C5-0536/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to the report from the Commission on the implementation of measures intended to
promote observance of human rights and democratic principles in external relations for 1996-1999
(COM(2000) 726 (cid:129) C5-0628/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to Articles 3, 6, 11 and 19 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 177 and 300

of the Treaty establishing the European Community,

(cid:129) having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and its Optional Protocols, in particular Article 19, and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women (1967) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989),

(cid:129) having regard to the European Parliament(cid:146)s annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought,

(cid:129) having regard to its previous resolutions on human rights in the world, adopted on 16 March
2000 (1), 17 December 1998 (2), 12 December 1996 (3), 26 April 1995 (4), 12 March 1993 (5),
12 September 1991 (6), 18 January 1989 (7), 12 March 1987 (8), 22 October 1985 (9), 22 May
1984 (10) and 17 May 1983 (11),

(cid:129) having regard to the proclamation of the Charter of fundamental rights by the European Council in

Nice on 7 December 2000,

(cid:129) having regard to its previous resolutions on respect for human rights in the European Union, in

particular the resolution of 16 March 2000 (12),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolutions of 16 March 2000 on countering racism and xenophobia in the
European Union (13) and on the Commission communication: Countering racism, xenophobia and
anti-Semitism in the candidate countries (COM(1999) 256 (cid:129) C5-0094/1999) (14),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2001 on the Commission communication on EU election

assistance and election observation (COM(2000) 191 (cid:129) C5-0259/2000) (15),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 19 December 1997 on the report from the Commission on the
implementation of measures intended to promote observance of human rights and democratic prin-
ciples (for 1995) (COM(1996) 672 (cid:129) C4-0095/1997) (16),

(1) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p. 336.
(2) OJ C 98, 9.4.1999, pp. 267 and 270.
(3) OJ C 20, 20.1.1997, p. 94.
(4) OJ C 126, 22.5.1995, p. 15.
(5) OJ C 115, 26.4.1993, p. 214.
(6) OJ C 267, 14.10.1991, p. 165.
(7) OJ C 47, 27.2.1989, p. 61.
(8) OJ C 99, 13.4.1987, p. 157.
(9) OJ C 343, 31.12.1985, p. 29.
(10) OJ C 172, 2.7.1984, p. 36.
(11) OJ C 161, 10.6.1983, p. 58.
(12) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p. 344.
(13) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p. 366.
(14) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p. 376.
(15)
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 8.
(16) OJ C 14, 19.1.1998, p. 399.

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(cid:129) having regard to the Special Report (No 12/2000) (1) of the Court of Auditors on the management by
the Commission of EU support for the development of human rights and democracy in third countries
together with the Commission(cid:146)s replies,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 17 December 1998 on the communication from the Commission to
the Council and the European Parliament on (cid:145)The European Union and the external dimension of
human rights policy: from Rome to Maastricht and beyond(cid:146) (COM(1995) 567 (cid:129) C4-0568/1995) (2),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 19 December 1997 on setting up a single coordinating structure

within the Commission, responsible for human rights and democratisation (3),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 20 September 1996 on the communication from the Commission
on the inclusion of respect for democratic principles and human rights in agreements between the
Community and third countries (COM(1995) 216 (cid:129) C4-0197/1995) (4),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 5 September 2000 on a common Community diplomacy (5) and the
communication from the Commission on the development of the external service (COM(2000) 456),

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication on the reform of the management of external aid

(SEC(2000) 814),

(cid:129) having regard to the new ACP-EC Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (6),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 1 March 2001 on the Commission communication on the European

Community(cid:146)s Development Policy (COM(2000) 212 (cid:129) C5-0264/2000) (7),

(cid:129) having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 381/2001 of 26 February 2001 on creating a rapid-
reaction mechanism (8) and its position on the proposal for a Council regulation creating the Rapid
Reaction Facility of 17 January 2001 (9),

(cid:129) having regard to the results of the United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993
and the conclusions of the United Nations Conference on Women and Development in Beijing in
1994,

(cid:129) having regard to the results of the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Commission,

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security
and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Devel-
opment and Cooperation (A5-0193/2001),

A. whereas common values such as the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms and the rule of law form the foundation of the EU(cid:146)s objectives for peace, devel-
opment and international cooperation in the framework of EU foreign policy and development policy,

B. whereas Parliament(cid:146)s commitment to defending respect for human rights and its leading role in press-
ing for the development of EU human rights policies and in keeping human rights at the forefront of
the EU agenda are clearly highlighted by the constant appeals from citizens concerned about viol-
ations of human rights, both inside and outside the EU,

(1) OJ C 230, 10.8.2000, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 98, 9.4.1999, p. 267.
(3) OJ C 14, 19.1.1998, p. 402.
(4) OJ C 320, 28.10.1996, p. 261.
(5)
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 4.
(6) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.
(7)
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 12.
(8) OJ L 57, 27.2.2001, p. 5.
(9) OJ C 262, 18.9.2001, p. 141.

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C. whereas, faced with ongoing conflicts, increasing poverty and continuous violations of human rights
and democratic principles, in their various forms, in a large number of countries, the EU must conduct
a more consistent crisis-prevention policy commensurate with its political and economic strength, and
a bilateral and multilateral dialogue on issues concerned with human rights and the development of
democracy in all its aspects,

D. whereas the latest developments showing increasing threats to freedom of expression and the safety of

journalists in many countries raise serious concern,

E. whereas human rights are universal and the principle of national sovereignty should not deny the EU
the right to seek to exert influence (cid:129) and possibly to intervene (cid:129) with a view to halting gross and
systematic violations of human rights with grave humanitarian consequences,

F. whereas human rights and democratisation in other countries are a matter of European concern, and
whereas the Union must back up its policies, declarations and dialogue with cooperation projects that
will lead to improvements on the ground,

G. whereas abovementioned the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement introduces new areas for political dia-
logue and consultation such as conflict prevention and crisis management, good governance, the fight
against corruption, enforced migration and gender equality, and strengthens the role of the Parlia-
mentary Assembly in promoting the process of democracy,

H. whereas the coherence and consistency of EU policy on human rights and democracy must be ensured
by improved cooperation and dialogue between the EU institutions, and the role of Parliament in EU
human rights policy should, in the light of the recent development of human rights policy instruments
and mechanisms by the Council and the Commission, be targeted more towards controlling the
policies of these institutions,

I. whereas the results of the Human Rights Discussion Forums, and in particular the Conference in
Venice held in May 2000 on the theme (cid:145)The European Union and the central role of human rights
and democratic principles in relations with third countries(cid:146), underlined the need to ensure the trans-
parency and continuity of all available instruments to deal with human rights situations,

J. whereas the abovementioned Commission report responds to the call from Parliament, Member States

and partners in civil society for more accountability in the deployment of Community funds,

K. whereas the Commission(cid:146)s reform of the management of external assistance aims to substantially
improve the speed of delivery and the quality and profile (visibility) of European Union external
assistance, since the exponential growth in the volume of aid has not been matched by appropriate
changes in human resources, structures and management tools,

EU strategy for human rights

Underlines the fact that respect for human rights should be an integral element of, and be prioritised
1.
in, all EU activities,
including EU conflict prevention efforts, and that human rights matters must be
addressed openly and efficiently in peace-building dialogues and in agreements with third countries; there-
fore calls on the Council and the Commission to draw up more focused, thematic common strategies for
human rights (for example on children and on impunity), whereby the respective work programmes
should systematically include sections on well-defined policies and actions aimed at promoting human
rights and democracy;

2. Welcomes the initiatives and stances taken by the Council under the Swedish Presidency, which led
to the adoption, at the session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, of resolutions, decisions
and declarations on issues raised by the European Parliament in its resolution of 18 January 2001 (1);

(1) OJ C 262, 18.9.2001, p. 233.

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Regrets, nevertheless, that the Council did not submit a resolution on human rights in China, as

3.
requested by the European Parliament in its resolutions of 18 January and 5 April 2001 (1);

Considers that a strategy can only be useful if it is conceived in such a way as to add real value to EU
4.
policy on human rights and democratisation; is therefore in agreement in demanding: that there should be
specific annual priorities which, even if limited, should be clearly defined and verifiable; that the setting of
priorities should always go hand in hand with the indication of measures for the actual implementation of
such priorities by the various Community institutions and the Member States; that the strategy as a whole
should be subject to an annual review; and lastly, that the strategy should ensure that all the relevant
policies of the Union are more coherent;

5.
Hopes that the guidelines adopted on 26 February 2001 by the Council will improve the effective-
ness of the Union(cid:146)s common strategies, which are an important instrument in promoting in a more cohe-
rent manner the Union(cid:146)s interests, including respect for human rights and the strengthening of democracy
and the rule of law;

Calls on the Council and future Presidencies to develop a coherent EU approach based on these

6.
guidelines;

Stresses the importance of the European Union(cid:146)s strategy and action at the 58th session of the UN

7.
Human Rights Commission, which will take place in Geneva in 2002;

Notes that the European Union now has added responsibility owing to the United States(cid:146) failure to be

8.
re-elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Commission;

9.
Stresses, furthermore, that, with a view to a long-term political strategy, the Union(cid:146)s key instruments
(cid:129) whether development cooperation, humanitarian assistance, human rights clauses in partnership and
cooperation agreements, or deployment of funding under the Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights
(cid:129) should be informed by one common principle, namely the need to use all instruments in order to elicit
the most beneficial changes and in a self-sustaining manner;

10.
Calls, therefore, on the Commission to ascertain systematically whether EU action is likely to pro-
mote democratisation and respect for human rights in third countries, on the basis of a sound country
assessment and a systematic ex ante analysis of the relevant action, possibly with the support of inter-
nationally experienced experts and local and international non-governmental organisations; considers that
the strategy and instruments must be adapted in a flexible manner, and mechanisms for monitoring and
evaluation of results must be put in place;

11.
Calls, furthermore, on the Commission to include a reference to the need for campaigns for the
promotion of human rights and democracy as an integral part of its country strategy papers and to for-
ward these papers systematically to Parliament;

Stresses the need for an efficient Union policy in the field of crisis management, which should be
12.
primarily based on the early use of all available tools for conflict prevention, such as the newly established
rapid-reaction mechanism, a sustained political dialogue addressing human rights violations, and on close
cooperation with the relevant international and regional organisations (UN, OSCE, OAU, etc.);

Conditionality and international diplomacy for human rights

Reiterates its concern about the fact that many international agreements by which the EU is bound
13.
and which include human rights clauses do not include implementing rules governing the suspension
mechanism, as provided for in the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, and insists, therefore, that adequate
regulations should be adopted where necessary;

14.
Notes that, formally, the Commission has the exclusive right of initiative as regards the invocation
of the human rights clause, but calls on the Commission to respect Parliament(cid:146)s requests concerning the
initiation of consultations foreseen in the suspension process;

(1) Texts Adopted, Item 16.

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15.
Believes that criteria for the implementation of the clause need to be applied in a flexible manner;
emphasises, however, that interpreting such clauses positively and flexibly should never become a justifi-
cation or a pretext for inaction, especially in cases of gross violations of human rights, in cases of torture,
which should never be negotiable;

16.
Reiterates that the current policies of (cid:145)blind(cid:146) sanctions must be replaced by policies of (cid:145)smart(cid:146) sanc-
tions more appropriate to the specific circumstances of each country; urges the Council and Commission
to develop further tools and mechanisms to target assets illegally expropriated by corrupt heads of govern-
ments or their entourages and to promote coordinated international efforts to restore such assets to the
country of origin as soon as a genuine process of democratisation has started;

17.
Calls on the Member States to ensure that their actions are consistent with the Union(cid:146)s measures in
the field of external relations and, in particular, to suspend their bilateral cooperation with any country
with which the Union has suspended its cooperation and to maintain their suspension for the same length
of time as the Union;

18.
Believes that the political dialogue should reflect a real partnership in which both sides learn from
each other; calls on the Council to come to an agreement with the partner countries in order to address
questions concerning human rights and democracy, the rule of law, respect for minorities, good govern-
ance and gender equality in its dialogues on a systematic and regular basis;

Calls on the Council to formulate concrete objectives for the human rights dialogue, to ensure that
19.
its results are regularly evaluated and that Parliament is systematically informed about the agenda and the
results;

20.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to ensure the coherence of their external action, irrespec-
tive of the existence or otherwise of agreements and suspensory or implementing clauses on respect for
human rights;

European Parliament and interinstitutional cooperation

21.
Decides to launch internal discussions on the way in which its competent bodies, starting with its
committee responsible, currently monitor the issue of human rights and democracy, with a view to assess-
ing whether and how these structures need to be improved;

22.
Recommends that procedures should be drawn up to allow a coordinated and coherent follow-up
of individual cases of human rights violations raised in plenary resolutions, by the European Parliament(cid:146)s
committee responsible and the Working Party on Human Rights and by interparliamentary delegations and
joint Parliamentary committees;

23.
Calls on its committee responsible to appoint one or more of its Members to carry out a coor-
dinated and consistent follow-up of individual cases of human rights violations raised in plenary resol-
utions or by its relevant parliamentary bodies and to guarantee a better coordination with the human
rights work of other committees; considers that the representative(s) thus appointed could also act as its
official representative for human rights in relation to the outside world, in particular the EU institutions
and the international organisations;

24.
Calls on the Presidency to organise, with representatives of Parliament, pre-sessions of the Council(cid:146)s
Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM) and meetings, with a view to the annual sessions of the UN
Commission on Human Rights;

Reiterates its call on the Council(cid:146)s Secretary-General/High Representative for the CFSP to present an
25.
annual report to the Council and Parliament on the results of the coordinating of the positions and policies
of the Member States in international organisations, alongside the Union(cid:146)s position and policies on issues
concerning human rights and democracy;

26.
Calls on the Council(cid:146)s Secretary-General/High Representative for the CFSP and on the Commission
to discuss in advance with Parliament the annual orientations and priorities of the Union in conflict pre-
vention; calls on the Commission to present to the Parliament an overall evaluation report of the imple-
mented actions and projects under the rapid-reaction mechanism, notably by indicating the amounts
involved, their nature and the partner concerned;

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27.
Recalls that monitoring of human rights situations should be a primary task of the Policy Planning
and Early Warning Unit and calls on the Secretary-General of the Council/High Representative for the CFSP
to inform Parliament about the activities of the (cid:145)horizontal issues(cid:146) task force, which deals with human
rights and conflict prevention;

28.
Calls on the Council to appoint a high-level liaison officer for external relations not only to attend,
but also to participate as a speaker in the meetings of Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on Foreign Affairs; calls on
the Council to respond in writing to Parliament(cid:146)s annual report on human rights;

29.
Stresses, furthermore, that joint reports to be drawn up by the EU(cid:146)s Missions and the Delegations
concerned could substantially improve their coherence when assessing the human rights situation in third
countries and should refer to Parliament(cid:146)s recommendations; considers that coordinated working methods
should be extended to joint reporting to Member States(cid:146) capitals and Parliament;

30.
Stresses that training of the EU Mission staff as well as Commission staff in RELEX, Development,
ECHO and in particular in Delegations, should include a fundamental grounding in human rights and
democracy issues; calls on the Commission to provide a sufficient budget for such training;

31.
Stresses that the second EU Annual Report on Human Rights, while providing broader information
about EU activities, does not yet contain information on human rights activities conducted by the Member
States (links to national human rights reports and human rights bodies), or on the follow-up to Parlia-
ment(cid:146)s initiatives and statements;

32. Welcomes the effort put into the details and background information but encourages the Council to
be more self-critical when reporting on policies and assessing the results, enabling democratic scrutiny, in
particular by Parliament;

33.
Deplores the fact that the second EU Human Rights Discussion Forum in December 2000 coincided
with Parliament(cid:146)s plenary session and insists on improved coordination between the institutions in order to
ensure broad participation by Members of Parliament; calls on the Presidency and the Commission to
organise future Human Rights Discussion Forums in Brussels in order to facilitate Parliament(cid:146)s partici-
pation;

Calls on the Belgian Presidency and the Commission to focus the attention of the next Human

34.
Rights Discussion Forum on the sex trade, asylum, immigration and trafficking in human beings;

35. Welcomes, in this respect, Commissioner Mr Patten(cid:146)s insistence at the informal Council meeting in
Nyk(cid:246)ping on 8 May 2001 on the need to apply the same criteria to non-member States as to Member
States to implement a coherent human rights policy; also welcomes the Commission proposal submitted
on 8 May 2001 on promoting human rights and democratisation in non-member States as a good basis
for discussion;

Calls on the Council to set up a website on human rights issues; welcomes, in this context, the
36.
progress made by the Commission(cid:146)s Relex DG; emphasises the usefulness of a human rights website run
jointly by the EU institutions on the Europa server;

Dialogue with non-governmental organisations defending human rights and democracy

Notes the importance of NGOs as partners of the EU and the governments of the Member States(cid:146)
37.
governments in the debate on human rights and democracy policy and in the implementation of pro-
grammes in third countries; calls, therefore, on the Commission to involve the NGOs as partners, who
can cooperate in the political dialogue and not simply as actors implementing EU human rights and
democracy support actions; at the same time, considers it necessary that the Commission ensures that all
the NGOs with whom it cooperates respect the universal standards of transparency and independence;

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38.
Recommends establishing dialogue and consultation mechanisms between the NGOs and the EU
institutions and looks forward to the Commission communication on strengthening the relationship with
NGOs;

39.
Recognises the important contribution of the NGOs in providing Parliament with information for
the preparation of its initiatives and statements, and in particular urgency resolutions; welcomes in par-
ticular the monthly Human Rights Contact Group meetings;

Cooperation with international organisations

40.
Congratulates the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, on having given human
rights a central role in the UN system by placing the emphasis on understanding human rights in their
broadest sense (cid:129) economic and social as well as civil and political rights;

41.
Subscribes to the target set by the United Nations Secretary-General of placing human rights at the
heart of every aspect of United Nations activity and underlines the need for adequate funding for the Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

42.
Calls on the Council and Commission to cooperate with UN Treaty bodies and special mechanisms,
to take into account their findings and recommendations, and to contribute further to consistent and
cohesive EU action in the framework of international organisations; believes that structures and coop-
eration have to be developed in a way that guarantees the complementarity and compatibility of the
common efforts; encourages EU Member States to accede to the relevant UN conventions as soon as
possible;

43.
Reiterates its call on the Council and Member States to support the proposal made at UN level that
countries acceding to UN human rights instruments should issue a standing invitation to all relevant UN
Special Rapporteurs;

Implementation of human rights budget

Recalls that Article 274 of the Treaty confers the sole responsibility for implementing the budget on

44.
the Commission and obliges it to implement the budget as established by the Budgetary Authority;

45.
Emphasises the importance of involving Parliament in laying down guidelines and monitoring the
implementation of human rights and democracy programmes; calls on the Commission to discuss with the
Parliament(cid:146)s human rights working group the annual policy priorities for human rights budget expenditure
formulated within the context of an overall EU strategy;

46. Welcomes the increase in the human rights budget (Chapter B7-70) for 2001 but notes with con-
cern that the implementation figures of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights are not
satisfactory; insists that the European Union must deliver in accordance with its political commitments;

47.
Expects that the Commission(cid:146)s intention to define performance targets for the implementation of
the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights will lead to improved results, will facilitate the
evaluation process and will contribute to providing value for money for the taxpayer;

48.
Remains convinced that the European Development Fund needs to be integrated into the general
budget of the European Union in order to increase transparency and improve the allocation of resources;

49.
Underlines that the management capacity of the programmes needs to be improved and the allo-
cation of human resources reviewed, if necessary; insists that the implementation of the abovementioned
Chapter B7-70 must reflect the importance that the European Parliament and the European citizen attach
to the promotion of human rights and democracy;

50.
Calls on the Commission to forward to Parliament a progress report on the reform of the manage-
ment of external assistance and to publish annually and in due time for the budgetary Authority to take it
into account the report on the implementation of measures funded through the European Initiative for

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Democracy and Human Rights; considers that more progress must be made with regard to thoroughly
assessing projects, by establishing guidelines and standards, notably concerning pertinence, efficiency, effec-
tiveness, impact and sustainability, cost-effectiveness and the pros and cons of co-financing with other
international partners;

51. Welcomes the Commission efforts to decentralise and devolve the management of external assist-
ance to the Commission delegations (and, where appropriate, the authorities of third countries) in order to
improve the speed and quality of EU aid management; believes that the authorities of third countries
should not be involved in decision-making regarding the granting of funds under the European Initiative
for Democracy and Human Rights;

52. Welcomes the efforts of EuropeAid with regard to transparency and customer service; recommends
improving the human rights and democracy funding website by including selected projects and evaluation
reports;

Stresses the importance of standardising the implementation procedures as well as the symbols used

53.
by the organisations involved in providing EU aid;

54.
Recommends that the Commission establish a help-line and e-mail-box for information on the
application procedure for grants and that it organise seminars concerning the system of Community grants
to local NGOs, linked to the implementation of human rights and democracy micro-projects;

Development

Points out that human rights include social, economic and cultural rights and the right to peace, a

55.
healthy environment and development, and that development is in fact the realisation of these rights;

56.
Stresses that human rights also include allowing the countries concerned to choose their own
model of development in the context of stable political structures, for a socially and ecologically sustain-
able development, based on the economic and strategic potential of the country concerned;

57.
Congratulates the governments of the Member States which have unilaterally cancelled or reduced
the debt of the poorest countries and encourages those which have not yet done so to follow their
example;

Deplores in particular the tragic wars, civil conflicts and inter-ethnic strife which are a major cause

58.
of human rights violations;

Stresses the fact that human rights constitute a cornerstone of both the EU(cid:146)s development policy

59.
and the Cotonou Agreement;

Stresses the necessity to end discriminatory provisions against women and girls in national legis-
60.
lation, and to ensure equal access for all, regardless of gender, to education (both primary and higher
education), the labour market, health care, etc;

Recalls its support for the setting of fair social standards in economic activity and its commitment

61.
to take part in efforts to combat the exploitation of labour throughout the world;

Respect for Freedom of Expression and Independent Journalism

Urges the Council and Commission to give priority to press freedom issues and especially the

62.
security and independence of journalists;

Calls on the Council and Commission always to take immediate and forceful action in the case of

63.
the disappearance, torture and intimidation of journalists anywhere in the world;

Stresses the inalienable right of any journalist in detention to a fair trial and calls for such trials of

64.
journalists anywhere in the world to be made open to observers from the international community;

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65.
Calls for concrete measures, including devoting sufficient resources to preventing attacks on jour-
nalists; calls for rigorous investigations into such attacks, to ensure that those responsible are brought to
justice and victims obtain compensation; recalls that States have a positive duty to protect the media from
attacks and to ensure that perpetrators do not enjoy impunity;

66.
Calls on the Council and Commission to take all possible measures with a view to ensuring that
persons who are the victims of a violation of the freedom of the press do not for that reason suffer any
additional obstacles to their movement in the EU or in third countries other than the country in question;

67.
Urges the Council and Commission to assist the media in trouble spots, using the expertise of local
professionals and international journalism groups; calls for proposals to establish media help-centres in
Colombia and East Timor, for example, providing opportunities for empowerment of local organisations
in dealing with their difficulties;

Recommends that the Council and Commission support the adoption and implementation of codes

68.
of practice for security in journalism;

69.
Condemns all forms of censorship and recommends that priority be given to promotion of freedom
of expression, information and press freedom and public access to public documents; stresses that the
principle of conditionality upon respect for human rights including freedom of expression, should be
applied in political and economic relations with third countries;

Stresses that there can be no democratic, modern state without a strong civil society and free media,

70.
in which every citizen has unrestricted access to information via independent media;

71.
Calls for a thorough analysis of existing obstacles to media freedom, including a review of all laws
and regulations affecting access to information and the exercise of journalism, including libel, defamation
and sedition laws;

72.
Calls for continued support for the monitoring of the implementation of freedom of expression
legislation; in this respect recommends that the Council and Commission take relevant actions aimed at
coordination with other international institutions, such as the United Nations, the OSCE Representative on
Freedom of Media, NGOs, journalist associations and trade unions, as well as complementary measures;

Calls for governments to provide open access to information and urges them to adopt freedom of

73.
information legislation in line with international standards to ensure their implementation;

74.
Deplores the violations of human rights committed by Russian troops in Chechnya; urges the EU
Member States and members of the Council of Europe to bring the case before the European Court of
Human Rights;

75.
Calls upon governments not to interfere in the media or abuse legal measures to limit media free-
dom; urges governments to combat excessive media concentration, review draconian and disproportionate
defamation laws and ensure a fair and transparent licensing system as well as fair control of the distribu-
tion of information;

Urges all countries that have taken measures to control and limit the use of modern technology to

76.
guarantee their citizens(cid:146) right to freely use e-mail and the Internet without censorship;

77.
Requests governments to ensure the freedom of reporting, i.e. protection of whistleblowers who
disclose information in the public interest and to guarantee by law the right of journalists everywhere
not to reveal confidential sources of information;

78.
Expresses its concern over the gradual concentration of the media and the consequent danger of the
disappearance of private and independent media in Russia; expresses the wish, in addition, that the difficult
conditions which Ukrainian journalists have faced in the recent past may be resolved soon in order to
ensure a free and independent press;

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79.
Calls for governments to promote a positive economic and regulatory environment for the media,
including actions which guarantee the labour and social rights of journalists, lower the financial burdens
on the media (tax, licensing) and encourage the extension of telecommunication lines to rural and other
under-serviced areas; recommends that government information should be made available through the
Internet;

80.
Calls for appropriate measures to be taken to convert state-controlled broadcasting bodies into free
public-service broadcasting bodies so as to reflect a pluralistic society; is therefore particularly concerned at
the development in Russia of a tendency to curb reportage that criticises the government;

Recommends that governments ensure open access to information and communication techno-

81.
logies and create the necessary legal, professional, technical and educational infrastructure for their use;

Recommends that governments ensure transparency and fairness in the allocation of technical and

82.
financial resources in all public sector areas;

Urges governments to take measures to combat undue commercialisation of media and to adopt

83.
anti-trust rules that recognise the special social, cultural and democratic value of information;

84.
Recommends that governments ensure effective access to the media for ethnic, religious, cultural
and linguistic minorities and other vulnerable groups, and bear in mind that, under international law,
States have a positive duty to promote the plurality and diversity of media sources;

85.
Urges the Commission to implement strategies to reinforce media quality through media training
assistance programmes; welcomes and supports the efforts made by independent organisations of media
professionals who are developing self-regulation of media for better accountability;

Calls on the Commission to work towards the establishment of an ethical

86.
journalists(cid:146) code at
national level, so as to prevent the media being used as a channel of propaganda to promote violence,
discrimination, intolerance and hatred;

Stresses that the right to privacy and personal data protection should be meticulously protected,

87.
while combating cybercrime and other abuse of new technologies;

Human and minority rights in the context of EU Enlargement

88.
Urges the candidate countries to speed up the improvement of prison systems and the reform of the
judiciary, criminal procedure and the penal code, where necessary, to shorten the length of pre-trial deten-
tion and to provide for state-guaranteed legal aid; calls upon the Commission to enhance institution-build-
ing measures, including training, to strengthen the democratic functioning of law enforcement bodies;

89.
Regrets that the Roma minorities in several candidate states are still subject to serious discrimi-
nation on the labour market, in education, contacts with authorities and civil society, and that Roma are
subject to police assault and racist violence; considers the change in people(cid:146)s attitudes towards Roma to be
of fundamental significance for the emancipation of Roma;

90. Welcomes the development of action plans for social and political integration of the Roma by the
governments of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, but notes that no significant progress
has been made; urges the government of Romania to follow this direction; urges the governments of these
countries, the Council and the Commission to allocate adequate financial resources for the implementation
of these strategies, and to closely associate the Roma communities and local authorities in the implemen-
tation, monitoring and adjustment of programmes and projects;

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91. Welcomes the attempts by the Romanian Government to abolish repressive legislation regarding
sexual minorities, and stresses to Romanian legislators that basic human rights will at no point be open
to negotiation;

92. Welcomes the adoption of a National Programme for Social Integration in Latvia, and of similar
programmes for the integration of the Russian-speaking population in the other Baltic States; urges the
respective authorities to speed up the implementation of the programmes in terms of legal provisions,
institutions and financial allocations;

93.
Calls on the Slovak government to improve its policy and cultural subsidies in favour of cultural
diversity and the maintenance of national minorities(cid:146) cultural heritage; calls on the Commission to monitor
closely the implementation of the Law on the Use of Minority Languages in Official Communication;

Calls on the Romanian government to implement fully the UN Convention on the Rights of the

94.
Child as a prerequisite for accession;

95.
Urges the Commission to explicitly raise human rights violations against the Kurdish population in
the context of the Accession Partnership with Turkey; urges the Turkish government to ensure the safe
return to south-east Turkey of more than 500 000 expelled Kurdish villagers; welcomes the government(cid:146)s
reform intentions and urges their translation into concrete measures; calls on Turkey, as a further positive
step, to sign and ratify the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;
urges Turkey to end torture and ill-treatment, as well as impunity for these human rights abuses; calls on
Turkey to protect human rights defenders against harassment; calls upon Turkey to abolish the death
penalty and to adopt, as a matter of urgency, measures to bring about a real improvement in the situation
in prisons; calls on the Turkish Government to comply also with the judgement of European Court of
Human Rights of 10 May 2001 that condemned Turkey for gross human rights violations in Cyprus;

Calls on the Commission, in the context of political dialogue with Turkey, to insist on the need to
96.
take firm action to stop any further deterioration in human rights in the occupied part of Cyprus and
particularly press freedom;

97.
Calls on the Turkish Government to repeal all judicial and other bureaucratic obstacles to Christian
minorities, whose members are deprived of their legitimate rights to their properties in Turkey; considers it
indispensable for minorities once again to have their own religious seminaries to educate their own clergy;

98.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue their efforts to improve the effectiveness of
programmes concerning respect for democracy and human and minority rights in the candidate countries;
asks for steps to be taken to facilitate the participation of social partners, NGOs, local authorities and
representatives of national minorities in the programming, implementation and monitoring of these pro-
grammes;

Recommendations on other issues requiring urgent international action

99.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a more active policy in the field of
corporate social responsibility with regard to human rights, and reiterates its call to promote the compre-
hensive application of ILO conventions to prevent social exploitation, notably ILO Convention No 182 on
the Worst Forms of Child Labour; underlines the need for an ongoing human rights impact assessment of
this aspect of EU trade policy; stresses the importance of codes of conduct on human rights for business,
such as the OECD guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and ILO Conventions on Labour rights;

100.
Calls on the EU, its Member States and other countries involved, to take adequate multidisciplinary
measures against organised trafficking in human beings, in particular with respect to women and children,
including the protection of victims, provision of information for potential
immigrants on the risk of
trafficking and exploitation, and utilisation of programmes such as TACIS;

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101.
Urges all States to ratify without reservation and implement the abovementioned Convention on
the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), including its additional Protocol,
and to refrain from expressing reservations concerning the convention; urges States such as Saudi Arabia
to halt discrimination after ratification; condemns in particular the practice of (cid:145)honour killings(cid:146) in Jordan
and Pakistan; urges all governments to formulate legislation against all forms of domestic violence and to
refrain from invoking religious or cultural considerations to avoid obligations in this respect;

102.
Denounces the existence of obscurantist regimes which, particularly in Afghanistan, defend archaic
forms of mental and physical violence and disregard the most basic human rights, particularly those of
women;

Denounces in particular the introduction of a yellow badge to be worn by non-Muslim citizens of

103.
Afghanistan and asks for the immediate withdrawal of this order;

104.
Calls upon the Presidency to play an active role in the upcoming UN-mediated peace talks with
the Taliban and the other parties to the conflict in Afghanistan; underlines the need to build up inter-
national pressure against the regime and the countries supporting it, in particular Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
and the United Arab Emirates, by blocking all weapon deliveries and establishing trade embargoes; calls
upon the Commission to take all necessary steps to help improve the situation of the Afghan refugees in
Pakistan;

105.
Calls for the genital mutilation of women to be fully recognised as a human rights violation; urges
the governments concerned to prohibit female genital mutilation and provide for the rehabilitation and
treatment of victims; calls for suitable protection to be given to such women where they seek asylum
owing to the threat of physical mutilation;

106.
Calls on the EU to put pressure on the UN to undertake a major international study on violence
against children, with due regard to institutional and domestic violence, including remedies and rehabili-
tation; notes that the United States, together with Somalia, is the only country that has not yet ratified the
Convention on the Rights of the Child;

107. Welcomes the conclusion and adoption of the Optional Protocol to the abovementioned Conven-
tion on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts; calls on all EU Member
States to ratify this Protocol without reservations and to adopt without reservation legislation preventing
the recruitment and abduction of persons under 18 for military purposes, for instance in Sudan and
Uganda; calls for the establishment of an effective Special Court in Sierra Leone to try those responsible
for the gravest human rights abuses since 1991;

108. Welcomes the guidelines to EU policy towards third countries on the death penalty; reiterates that
the application of the death penalty to persons under 18 years and the mentally retarded contravenes the
abovementioned International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as customary international
law; calls on all States to introduce a moratorium on executions with a view to completely abolishing
the death penalty and reiterates firmly its request to the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Congo, Iran
and other States to immediately end all executions;

109.
Calls on the EU to work urgently for a strong Convention on the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearances, expresses its deepest concern at the alarming rate of disappearances in Chechnya
and Algeria and calls on Colombia to dismantle its paramilitary groups, and end impunity;

110. Welcomes the adoption of the guidelines to EU policy towards third countries on torture and
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as a decisive step to make the eradication
of torture a key objective of the EU human rights policy; encourages Member States and institutions to
apply the guidelines strictly; calls on the EU to take measures to guarantee access for the UN rapporteur on
torture to countries covered by EU partnership and association agreements;

111.
Urges all States that have not yet done so to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture as a matter
of priority; calls on all States to promote the drafting and adoption of a strong Optional Protocol to the
UN Convention Against Torture, providing for unlimited inspection of places of detention based on the

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principle of (cid:145)any time, any place(cid:146); invites all governments to recognise the competence of the UN Com-
mittee Against Torture to examine individual complaints and urges them rapidly to establish an effective
procedure for the investigation of torture allegations according to UN standards;

112. Welcomes the fact that 139 States signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
(ICC) before the 31 December 2000 deadline, and that by that time 27 States had ratified; calls upon all
States to ratify before the end of this year; and calls upon all States to continue to support the work of the
existing International Criminal Tribunals;

113.
Reiterates its call upon all States to end repression and discrimination against peaceful religious
and philosophical minorities; urges, in particular, China to end the repression of the Falun Gong as well as
its Islamic, Christian and Buddhist population, Russia, Georgia, Syria and many other States to lift their
ban on Jehovah(cid:146)s Witnesses, Ukraine to stop discrimination of Greek-Catholics, Armenia to counter hos-
tility against Muslims and Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to end discrimination against Christians;

114.
Urges the EU and its Member States to voice its concern regarding caste discrimination and to
formulate strategies to counter this widespread practice, which is affecting 260 million people in India,
with countries in South Asia and elsewhere, and in particular in the context of the World Conference
Against Racism, to urge that caste discrimination and the dehumanising practice of (cid:145)untouchability(cid:146) be
incorporated into the Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference Against Racism;

Calls upon the EU to investigate to what extent its policies contribute to the abolition of caste-

115.
discrimination and the practice of untouchability in India;

116.
Stresses that homosexuals are still victims of discrimination, prejudice and denial of their basic
human rights in countries all over the world, including some Member States and candidate countries
such as Romania; calls upon the eighty countries in the world which still prohibit homosexuality in their
domestic law to change this legislation without delay; urges those States which impose the death penalty
on homosexuals to stop doing so immediately;

117.
Recognises that disabled people, in particular persons with intellectual impairment and persons
with severe and multiple disabilities are particularly vulnerable to human rights abuses and that this matter
requires serious attention by the EU institutions and by governments throughout the world;

118.
Asks the Member States to increase their support for the UN International Decade of the World(cid:146)s
Indigenous Peoples, and the EU to support the UN/Ecosoc Indigenous Peoples(cid:146) Permanent Forum so that it
can become operational as soon as possible, as well as the rights of indigenous peoples for appropriate
intellectual property laws and for an equitable benefit from the commercial use of their ancestral knowl-
edge; urges all Member States to sign and ratify ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples;

Calls on the Member States (cid:129) in this year of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Dis-
119.
crimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (cid:129) to take active measures to combat xenophobia and
racism against refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants; urges all States to ratify without reservation the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime on Genocide and the Conventions on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

120.
Urges Member States to reaffirm their commitments under the 1951 Refugee Convention to pro-
tecting refugees and asylum-seekers, and to reverse the current negative policy-trends, signified by
increased liability for carriers and stricter visa requirements; urges all states to adopt this Convention and
the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees without delay; calls on the EU to accede to the 1990
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their
Families; calls on the EU and the Member States to gear up their asylum policy to the CFSP to ensure that
no asylum-seekers will be sent back to their country of origin without sufficient guarantees for their
personal security;

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Calls for Member States to support the right of genuine conscientious objection from military

121.
service and to identify those countries where such objection is not recognised;

Thursday 5 July 2001

122.
Calls upon all Member States to enact legally binding restrictive criteria for arms exports, based on
their existing commitments under international law, incorporating as a minimum the EU Code of Conduct
on Arms Exports; calls for restrictions on licensed production arrangements and the activities of arms
brokers and shippers, and effective monitoring and verification of end-use undertakings; urges all States
to provide for effective parliamentary scrutiny of arms exports and to improve public transparency
through the publication of detailed annual reports on arms exports; calls on Member States to encourage
others to adopt similar legally binding practices, unilaterally and through regional and international fora;

123.
Urges Member States to consider the fight against the spread of small arms a priority and to
advocate the adoption of a comprehensive and effective action programme at the 2001 UN Conference
on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,

Calls on Member States to ban the manufacture, promotion, trade and use of police and security

124.
equipment for cruel, inhuman or degrading purposes or with medical effects that are not fully known;

Condemns the actions of terrorists who, through murder and intimidation, deprive people in

125.
many countries of their right to life and to freedom of expression;

126.
Urges all states to take practical steps to protect humanitarian aid workers and human rights
defenders against all forms of aggression and, when such acts occur, take steps effectively to investigate
them and prosecute the perpetrators; recalls the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders as adopted
on 9 December 1999 and stresses that EU embassies and offices in third countries should monitor the
activities of local human rights organisations and defenders and intervene to support and protect these
whenever necessary; encourages the EU to support legally, politically and financially those NGOs which,
through non-violent means, stand up for the protection of human rights defenders in other countries;

127. With reference to the recent session of the UNCHR in Geneva which was also attended by
Members of Parliament, recalls its resolution on the preparation of the meeting, and cannot help but regret
the absence of Member State action with regard to co-sponsoring a resolution on China; welcomes the
active participation of Member States and the European Commission; congratulates those Member States
elected to the UNCHR; notes with regret that the US for the first time failed to be re-elected into the
UNCHR; urges the Council and the Commission to ensure that those Member States represented in the
UNCHR strictly apply the criteria defined by the EU irrespective of the country concerned;

Calls on the European Union to take on a very much more active leading role on human rights

128.
questions (cid:129) not only in relation to the United Nations, but also in all bilateral talks;

*

*

*

129.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Coop-
eration in Europe, the United Nations Organisation, the governments of the accession candidate countries
and the governments of the countries referred to in the resolution, as well as the EU offices of the leading
non-governmental organisations on human rights.