European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on the initiative for a universal moratorium on the death penalty
Date: 2007-04-26
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: charter on human rights, death penalty, human rights, the EU's international role, third country

20.3.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 74 E/775

Thursday 26 April 2007

Resources devoted to human rights work

157. Welcomes the fact that the Commission now gives greater prominence to human rights in the
mandate of heads of Commission delegations in third countries;

158. Welcomes the fact that, in the ongoing process of renewing the mandates of the EU Special Repre-
sentatives, a reference to human rights has been added to all the mandates;

Advocates that increased human resources in the human rights area be made available to all Special

159.
Representatives appointed by the Council;

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160.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States and the candidate countries, the United Nations, the Council of
Europe, the OSCE, the governments of the countries and territories mentioned in this resolution, and the
offices of the main human rights NGOs based in the EU.

P6_TA(2007)0166

Universal moratorium on the death penalty

European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on the initiative for a universal moratorium on
the death penalty

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolution of 1 February 2007 on the initiative in favour of a universal moratorium

on the death penalty (1),

— having regard to the Guidelines on EU policy towards third countries on the death penalty of 29 June

1998,

— having regard to the final declaration of the third World Congress against the Death Penalty held in

Paris between 1 and 3 February 2007,

— having regard to the statement on abolition of the death penalty delivered on 19 December 2006 in
the UN General Assembly by the EU Presidency, which was initially signed by 85 countries in all
geographical groups,

— having regard to the statement read by the EU Presidency on behalf of the European Union during the

fourth session of the UN Human Rights Council on 29 March 2007,

— having regard to the public support for a moratorium expressed by the Secretary-General of the UN

during his recent visit to Rome,

— having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the call for a universal moratorium on the death penalty is a strategic move towards the

abolition of the death penalty in all countries,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0018.

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B. whereas its resolution of 1 February 2007 called on the EU Presidency to urgently submit a resolution
to the current UN General Assembly and to keep Parliament informed of the results achieved; whereas
at this stage no resolution has been submitted to the current UN General Assembly,

C. whereas the statement on the death penalty presented by the European Union in the UN General
Assembly on 19 December 2006 has now gathered 88 signatures from countries in all geographical
groups;

1.

Reiterates its call to the EU Member States to gather third-country support for the statement;

2.
Encourages the EU to seize the existing opportunities and press its case and calls on the EU Member
States and the EU to immediately submit — seeking the co-sponsorship of countries in other continents —
a resolution for a universal moratorium on the death penalty to the current UN General Assembly;

3.
Calls on the EU Presidency to encourage those remaining countries which have not signed and ratified
the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to do so, and those
Member States that have not signed Protocol No 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights on the
death penalty to do so;

Fully endorses the final declaration of the third World Congress and intends to follow up the Con-
4.
gress, notably by developing the parliamentary dimension of the global campaign against the death penalty
and raising the matter through its interparliamentary delegations and participation in the ACP-EU Joint
Parliamentary Assembly and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly;

Calls on the Council and the Commission to take every possible opportunity to support the establish-

5.
ment of regional abolitionist coalitions;

Calls on all institutions of the European Union, together with the Council of Europe, to support the
6.
World Day against the Death Penalty by declaring 10 October a European Day against the Death Penalty,
from 2007 onwards, and endorses the initiative of organising a high-profile European conference against the
death penalty in connection with that day; mandates its President to represent the European Parliament,
together with the relevant delegation, on that occasion;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EU Member

7.
States, the UN Secretary-General, the Chair of the UN General Assembly and the UN Member States.

P6_TA(2007)0167

Homophobia in Europe

European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on homophobia in Europe

The European Parliament,

— having regard to international instruments guaranteeing human rights and fundamental freedoms and
prohibiting discrimination, notably the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR),

— having regard to Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 13 of the EC
Treaty, which commit the EU and the Community, respectively, as well as the Member States, to
upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms and which provide means at European level to
fight discrimination and human rights violations,