En En Motion for a Resolution

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

En En Motion for a Resolution European Parliament 2019-2024 Plenary sitting B9-0071/2021 19.1.2021 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure on the crackdown on the democratic opposition in Hong Kong (2021/2505(RSP)) Jordi Solé, Reinhard Bütikofer, Erik Marquardt, Alice Kuhnke, Francisco Guerreiro, Rosa D'Amato, Saskia Bricmont, Diana Riba i Giner, Pär Holmgren, Hannah Neumann, Alviina Alametsä, Yannick Jadot, Ignazio Corrao, Jakop G. Dalunde, Bronis Ropė, Eleonora Evi, Tineke Strik, Sara Matthieu on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group RE\P9_B(2021)0071_EN.docx PE662.855v01-00 EN United in diversityEN B9-0071/2021 European Parliament resolution on the crackdown on the democratic opposition in Hong Kong (2021/2505(RSP)) The European Parliament, – having regard to its resolutions of 19 June 2020 on the PRC national security law for Hong Kong and of 18 July 2019 on the situation in Hong Kong1, to its resolutions of 24 November 2016 on the case of Gui Minhai, jailed publisher in China2, of 4 February 2016 on the case of the missing book publishers in Hong Kong3, and to its previous recommendations relating to Hong Kong, in particular the recommendation of 13 December 2017 on Hong Kong, 20 years after handover4, – having regard to its previous resolutions on China, in particular those of 12 September 20185 and of 16 December 20156 on EU-China relations, – having regard to the adoption of the National Security Law in Hong Kong by the Standing Committee of the China’s National People’s Congress on 30 June 2020, – having regard to the declarations on Hong Kong by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), on behalf of the European Union, of 12 November 2020 and 7 January 2021, - having regard to the statements on Hong Kong by the Spokeperson of 10 August, 22 September, 2 November and 29 December 2020, – having regard to the joint statement of the 21st EU-China summit of 9 April 2019, – having regard to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) adopted on 4 April 1990, which entered into force on 1 July 1997, – having regard to the joint Communication from the Commission and the VP/HR of 12 March 2019 entitled ‘EU-China – A strategic outlook’ (JOIN(2019)0005), and the Council conclusions of 18 July 2016 on the EU Strategy on China, - having regard to the European Parliament Conference of Presidents’ press statement of 6 July 2020, - having regard to the Council Conclusions on Hong Kong of 24 July 2020, - having regard to the Council Decision and a Regulation establishing a global human 1 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2019)0004. 2 OJ C 244, 27.6.2018, p. 78. 3 OJ C 35, 31.1.2018, p. 46 4 OJ C 369, 11.10.2018, p. 156 5 OJ C 433, 23.12.2019, p. 103. 6 OJ C 399, 24.11.2017, p. 92. PE662.855v01-00 2/9 RE\P9_B(2021)0071_EN.docx EN rights sanctions regime of 7 December 2020, – having regard to the joint reports of the Commission and the VP/HR of 22 July 2020 (JOIN(2020)13), 8 May 2019 (JOIN(2019)008), 26 April 2017 (JOIN(2016)0016) and 25 April 2016 (JOIN(2016)0010) on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – Annual Report, – having regard to the 13th annual Structured Dialogue that took place in Hong Kong on 28 November 2019, and the 37th EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, held in Brussels on 1 and 2 April 2019, – having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong of 19 December 1984, also known as the Sino-British Joint Declaration, - having regard to the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Hong Kong of 17 June 2020, - having regard to the comment on the situation in Hong Kong by the OHCHR Spokesperson on 7 January 2021, – having regard to the EU’s ‘One China’ policy, – having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, – having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966, and the concerns raised by the UN Human Rights Committee in its List of Issues for Hong Kong, published on 26 August 2020, – having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure, A. whereas on 5 January 2021 the Hong Kong police arrested 53 representatives of the democratic opposition and activists under charges of subversion under the National Security Law in Hong Kong (NSL); whereas among those detained were the organisers and candidates of last July’s democratic primaries in view of the upcoming LegCo elections, former LegCo members, district councillors, as well as an American lawyer involved in the pro-democracy movement; whereas under the direction of the Hong Kong Police, banks also froze HKD $ 1.6 million related to the 53 individuals; whereas all but three individuals have been released on bail pending further investigation; B. whereas this was the latest of a long series of arrests of representatives and activists of the democratic opposition and other actions aimed at undermining democratic institutions in Hong Kong since the entry into force of the NSL on 1 July 2020; whereas 93 opposition figures have been arrested under the law since its introduction; whereas the United Nations human rights experts on 1 September affirmed that the law implicated serious concerns of legality, as well as undue limitations on freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly; C. whereas Hong Kong Leader and prominent Chinese officials had declared, upon its RE\P9_B(2021)0071_EN.docx 3/9 PE662.855v01-00 EN adoption, that the NSL would be applied over some extremely rare cases posing serious threats to Chinese national security; whereas, in practice, the law, based on very broad and vague definitions and provisions, is being applied to essentially outlaw all forms of dissent with the pro-Chinese camp, to stifle political pluralism and the exercise of human rights; whereas since the adoption of the NSL Hong Kong authorities have increasingly detained pro-democracy leaders, raided news media offices and ousted opposition lawmakers almost on a daily basis; D. whereas the Hong Kong government took the decision to postpone LegCo elections originally scheduled for 6 September 2020 by one year, clearly in an effort to hamper the opposition, which for the first time had stood a real chance of winning a majority; whereas immediately after the entry into force of the NSL, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam declared that primaries were illegal and might violate the NSL; E. whereas on 10 August 2020 Jimmy Lay, the media mogul and founder of the pro-dem newspaper Apple Daily was arrested on grounds of violations of the NSL; F. whereas on 23 August, 12 Hong Kong city residents, who had been active in the protests, were arrested after being caught in a speedboat fleeing to Taiwan on grounds of separatism and collusion with foreign forces; whereas, after having being detained without charge in a detention centre in the mainland and being denied bail, at the end of December 2020, 10 of the them were sentenced to between seven months and three years in prison after a one-day trial in Shenzen, which was effectively closed to the public and held in violation of the principle of fair trial and due process; G. whereas on 10 November 2020 the National People’s Congress (NPC) of the PRC passed a resolution to make patriotism a legal requirement for Hong Kong lawmakers, giving power to the Hong Kong government to disqualify lawmakers without having to go through courts; whereas, under such new ruling, Hong Kong lawmakers who refuse to acknowledge Beijing’s sovereignty will “immediately lose their qualifications”; whereas on the next day following the adoption of the ruling, four opposition LegCo members were disqualified; H. whereas in reaction to such events, 15 members of the pan-democrat opposition in the LegCo immediately resigned en masse and in protest, leaving LegCo practically deprived of any representation of the opposition; I. whereas on 24 July 2020, the Council of the EU adopted a coordinated package of measures towards Hong Kong to respond to the imposition of the NSL, in particular measures in relation to visas, asylum and residence permits, an export control regime for dual-use equipment and technology related to internal repression and cyber surveillance, stepping up scholarships and academic exchanges involving Hong Kong students and universities, further engagement with and supporting Hong Kong civil society, the monitoring the extra-territorial effects of the NSL, the review of extradition arrangements between the EU Member States and Hong Kong; whereas those measures were reviewed by the EEAS and discussed with the Member States at the Foreign Affairs Council on 7 December 2020, concluding that the political situation had deteriorated, with severe blows to political pluralism and freedom of opinion and that the EU would continue to implement the Council conclusions expressing political PE662.855v01-00 4/9 RE\P9_B(2021)0071_EN.docx EN support for Hong Kong's autonomy under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, and that, if necessary, further measures could be considered at a later stage; K. whereas with the adoption of the Council Decision and Regulation establishing a global human rights sanction regime, for the first time, the EU is equipping itself with a framework that will allow it to target individuals, entities and bodies – including state and non-state actors – responsible for, provide financial, technical, or material support for or are otherwise involved in, or associated with serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide, no matter where they occurred; J.
Recommended publications
  • Letter to the Commission Regarding Printers Voluntary Agreement
    Brussels, Wednesday 26th of May To: Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Mr Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Mr Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal We urge the European Commission to keep its promises and propose a regulatory measure addressing the durability and repairability of printers as well as the reusability of cartridges as part of the forthcoming Circular Electronics Initiative. And we ask that the Commission rejects the proposed voluntary agreement drafted by manufacturers. The Commission's flagship Circular Economy Action Plan, adopted in March 2020, has set out to address the entire life cycle of products and tackle their premature obsolescence notably by promoting the right to repair for ICT products. In addition to mobile phones, laptops and tablets, the Plan has rightfully identified printers as a particularly wasteful product category, and has included a commitment to tackle them by means of a dedicated regulatory instrument “unless the sector reaches an ambitious voluntary agreement” by September 2020. Nearly one year later, the discussions on the voluntary agreement have not yielded any tangible results. Voluntary approaches clearly do not work. We need strong regulatory action now. We are extremely concerned by this situation. Not only because of the negative impacts of short-lived printers on the environment and on consumers but also because we are witnessing promises made being walked back on. Printers are one of the most iconic examples of premature obsolescence. Our analysis of printers in use today suggests that over 80% of them have been in use for less than 3 years, and only about 4% have been in use for 5 years or longer.
    [Show full text]
  • En En Report
    European Parliament 2019-2024 Plenary sitting A9-0169/2021 21.5.2021 REPORT on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health (2020/2215(INI)) Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Rapporteur: Predrag Fred Matić RR\1233997EN.docx PE660.070v03-00 EN United in diversityEN PR_INI CONTENTS Page MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION.............................................3 EXPLANATORY STATEMENT ............................................................................................25 MINORITY POSITION ...........................................................................................................29 OPINION OF THE COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT .....................................................30 INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE.................................38 FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE ....................................39 PE660.070v03-00 2/39 RR\1233997EN.docx EN MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health (2020/2215(INI)) The European Parliament, – having regard to Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), – having regard to Articles 5, 6 and 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, – having regard to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, its Programme of Action and the outcomes of its review conferences, – having regard to the Nairobi
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament Elections 2019 - Forecast
    Briefing May 2019 European Parliament Elections 2019 - Forecast Austria – 18 MEPs Staff lead: Nick Dornheim PARTIES (EP group) Freedom Party of Austria The Greens – The Green Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) (EPP) Social Democratic Party of Austria NEOS – The New (FPÖ) (Salvini’s Alliance) – Alternative (Greens/EFA) – 6 seats (SPÖ) (S&D) - 5 seats Austria (ALDE) 1 seat 5 seats 1 seat 1. Othmar Karas* Andreas Schieder Harald Vilimsky* Werner Kogler Claudia Gamon 2. Karoline Edtstadler Evelyn Regner* Georg Mayer* Sarah Wiener Karin Feldinger 3. Angelika Winzig Günther Sidl Petra Steger Monika Vana* Stefan Windberger 4. Simone Schmiedtbauer Bettina Vollath Roman Haider Thomas Waitz* Stefan Zotti 5. Lukas Mandl* Hannes Heide Vesna Schuster Olga Voglauer Nini Tsiklauri 6. Wolfram Pirchner Julia Elisabeth Herr Elisabeth Dieringer-Granza Thomas Schobesberger Johannes Margreiter 7. Christian Sagartz Christian Alexander Dax Josef Graf Teresa Reiter 8. Barbara Thaler Stefanie Mösl Maximilian Kurz Isak Schneider 9. Christian Zoll Luca Peter Marco Kaiser Andrea Kerbleder Peter Berry 10. Claudia Wolf-Schöffmann Theresa Muigg Karin Berger Julia Reichenhauser NB 1: Only the parties reaching the 4% electoral threshold are mentioned in the table. Likely to be elected Unlikely to be elected or *: Incumbent Member of the NB 2: 18 seats are allocated to Austria, same as in the previous election. and/or take seat to take seat, if elected European Parliament ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• www.eurocommerce.eu Belgium – 21 MEPs Staff lead: Stefania Moise PARTIES (EP group) DUTCH SPEAKING CONSITUENCY FRENCH SPEAKING CONSITUENCY GERMAN SPEAKING CONSTITUENCY 1. Geert Bourgeois 1. Paul Magnette 1. Pascal Arimont* 2. Assita Kanko 2. Maria Arena* 2.
    [Show full text]
  • APRES Moi LE DELUGE"? JUDICIAL Review in HONG KONG SINCE BRITAIN RELINQUISHED SOVEREIGNTY
    "APRES MoI LE DELUGE"? JUDICIAL REvIEw IN HONG KONG SINCE BRITAIN RELINQUISHED SOVEREIGNTY Tahirih V. Lee* INTRODUCTION One of the burning questions stemming from China's promise that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" is whether the HKSAR's courts would have the authority to review issues of constitutional magnitude and, if so, whether their decisions on these issues would stand free of interference by the People's Republic of China (PRC). The Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 promulgated in PRC law and international law a guaranty that implied a positive answer to this question: "the judicial system previously practised in Hong Kong shall be maintained except for those changes consequent upon the vesting in the courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the power of final adjudication."' The PRC further promised in the Joint Declaration that the "Uludicial power" that was to "be vested in the courts" of the SAR was to be exercised "independently and free from any interference."2 The only limit upon the discretion of judicial decisions mentioned in the Joint Declaration was "the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and [to a lesser extent] precedents in other common law jurisdictions."3 Despite these promises, however, most of the academic and popular discussion about Hong Kong's judiciary in the United States, and much of it in Hong Kong, during the several years leading up to the reversion to Chinese sovereignty, revolved around a fear about its decline after the reversion.4 The * Associate Professor of Law, Florida State University College of Law.
    [Show full text]
  • OFFICIAL RECORD of PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 27 June 2019 the Council Continued to Meet at Nine O'clock
    LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 11929 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 27 June 2019 The Council continued to meet at Nine o'clock MEMBERS PRESENT: THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P. PROF THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE STARRY LEE WAI-KING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAK-KAN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN KIN-POR, G.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE PRISCILLA LEUNG MEI-FUN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P. 11930 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 THE HONOURABLE CLAUDIA MO THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE WU CHI-WAI, M.H. THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHARLES PETER MOK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHI-CHUEN THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG, S.B.S., M.H., J.P. THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LEUNG THE HONOURABLE ALICE MAK MEI-KUEN, B.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE KWOK KA-KI THE HONOURABLE KWOK WAI-KEUNG, J.P.
    [Show full text]
  • Greens/EFA Group - Distribution of Seats in EP Parliamentary Committees
    Seats in Committees Update 04.02.2021 Greens/EFA group - Distribution of Seats in EP Parliamentary Committees Parliamentary Committees Seats FULL Members SUBSTITUTE Members Foreign Affairs (AFET) Marketa GREGOROVÁ Alviina ALAMETSÄ Pierrette HERZBERGER- Reinhard BÜTIKOFER FOFANA Viola VON CRAMON Sergey LAGODINSKY 7 Jordi SOLE Katrin LANGENSIEPEN Tineke STRIK Hannah NEUMANN Thomas WAITZ Mounir SATOURI Salima YENBOU Ernest URTASUN Agriculture (AGRI) Claude GRUFFAT Benoit BITEAU 5 Anna DEPARNAY- Francisco GUERREIRO GRUNENBERG Martin HÄUSLING Pär HOLMGREN Bronis ROPĖ Tilly METZ Sarah WIENER Thomas WAITZ Budgets (BUDG) Rasmus ANDRESEN Damien BOESELAGER 4 David CORMAND Henrike HAHN Alexandra GEESE Monika VANA Francisco GUERREIRO Vacant Culture & Education (CULT) Romeo FRANZ Marcel KOLAJA 3 Niklas NIENASS Diana RIBA Salima YENBOU Vacant Development (DEVE) Pierrette HERZBERGER- Alviina ALAMETSÄ FOFANA Benoit BITEAU 3 Erik MARQUARDT Caroline ROOSE Michelle RIVASI Economic & Monetary Affairs Sven GIEGOLD Damien CARÊME (ECON) Claude GRUFFAT Karima DELLI Stasys JAKELIŪNAS Bas EICKHOUT 7 Philippe LAMBERTS Henrike HAHN Kira PETER-HANSEN Ville NIINISTÖ Ernest URTASUN Mikulas PEKSA Piernicola PEDICINI Vacant Committee seats - UPDATE 30.9.20 Employment & Social Affairs Kira PETER-HANSEN Romeo FRANZ 4 (EMPL) Katrin LANGENSIEPEN Terry REINTKE Mounir SATOURI Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Tatjana ŽDANOKA Sara MATTHIEU Environment, Public Health & Margarete AUKEN Michael BLOSS Food safety (ENVI) Bas EICKHOUT Manuela RIPA Pär HOLMGREN Sven GIEGOLD Yannick JADOT Martin HÄUSLING
    [Show full text]
  • OFFICIAL RECORD of PROCEEDINGS Wednesday, 13 June 2018 the Council Met at Thirty-One Minutes Past Eleven O'clock
    LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 13 June 2018 12053 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Wednesday, 13 June 2018 The Council met at thirty-one minutes past Eleven o'clock MEMBERS PRESENT: THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, G.B.S., J.P. PROF THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE STARRY LEE WAI-KING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAK-KAN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN KIN-POR, G.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE PRISCILLA LEUNG MEI-FUN, S.B.S., J.P. 12054 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 13 June 2018 THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-KIN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CLAUDIA MO THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL TIEN PUK-SUN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WU CHI-WAI, M.H. THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHARLES PETER MOK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHI-CHUEN THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, J.P.
    [Show full text]
  • Sr Iván Duque Márquez, Presidente De La República De Colombia Cra. 8 ## 7 - 26, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia [email protected]
    Sr Iván Duque Márquez, Presidente de la República de Colombia Cra. 8 ## 7 - 26, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia [email protected] Bruselas, 3 de septiembre de 2021 Señor Presidente, Como usted bien sabe desde el Parlamento Europeo hemos seguido siempre de cerca la situación de la República de Colombia con el objetivo de contribuir a la construcción de una paz estable y duradera, reforzar la institucionalidad en el país y colaborar en la protección de los derechos humanos. En los últimos días hemos tenido conocimiento de la salida del país del Gobernador del Departamento del Magdalena, Dr. Carlos Eduardo Caicedo, para proteger su vida ante los planes inminentes del paramilitarismo que se han propuesto acabar con ella. En nuestra opinión, los hechos que han salido a la luz y han obligado a un gobernante a abandonar el país, tienen una evidente profunda afectación en el orden constitucional y democrático de cualquier país. Para nosotras y nosotros, la implementación íntegra de los acuerdos de Paz y la garantía de los derechos humanos es una prioridad en nuestra relación con Colombia, posición refrendada por esta cámara en las últimas resoluciones aprobadas. Ante esta situación, le solicitamos que como Jefe del Estado active, implemente y refuerce las medidas pertinentes que garanticen la protección del Dr. Caicedo y el cumplimiento de su mandato democrático como Gobernador del Magdalena. La democracia es base esencial de la paz y se funda en asegurar, en primer lugar, las garantías para el ejercicio político de las personas electas en cargos públicos, así como a los líderes sociales y políticos de la oposición y la sociedad civil.
    [Show full text]
  • Opinion on the Draft Council Decision on The
    European Parliament 2019-2024 Committee on Foreign Affairs 2018/0356M(NLE) 5.12.2019 OPINION of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the Committee on International Trade on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (2018/0356M(NLE)) Rapporteur for opinion: Isabel Wiseler-Lima AD\1194359EN.docx PE641.414v02-00 EN United in diversityEN PA_NonLeg PE641.414v02-00 2/7 AD\1194359EN.docx EN SUGGESTIONS The Committee on Foreign Affairs calls on the Committee on International Trade, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions into its motion for a resolution: 1. Recalls that Parliament gave its consent to the EU-Vietnam Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) on 17 December 20151, which defines future relations and aims to enhance further cooperation on global and regional challenges; notes with concern that the human rights situation in the country has deteriorated since the entry into force of the PCA; 2. Regrets that the Commission did not carry out a human rights impact assessment on the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, though requested to do so by Parliament, which runs counter to the decision of the European Ombudsman of 2015 and to the commitments made in the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, and calls on it to carry out such an assessment immediately; points out that the Commission also committed to carrying out an ex post economic, social and environmental impact assessment;
    [Show full text]
  • Brussels, 23Rd April 2021 Dear Commissioner Johansson, Dear
    Brussels, 23rd April 2021 Dear Commissioner Johansson, Dear Vice-President Schinas, Since the opening of the new Mavrovouni camp in Lesbos in September 2020, several concerns have been raised over the risk of lead poisoning in a camp built partially on top of a repurposed military firing range.1 The Greek Government is aware of this risk since results of testing conducted in December 2020 confirmed lead contamination in parts of the Mavrovouni camp which currently house around 6,000 migrants and asylum seekers. It is well known that pregnant women and children are those most at risk when living on and playing with soil and dust contaminated by lead. On January 27, 2021, the Greek government published the results2 of limited soil testing that were conducted by the Greek Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (EAGME) in November 2020. 12 samples were taken in the camp and only 3 samples were taken from the area of the camp most at risk: the shooting range. No comprehensive testing has taken place assessing the risks for people living in the camp. These results were examined by two environmental and one medical expert specialised in lead consulted by Human Rights Watch who said that the reported testing was not sufficient in scope to fully assess the extent and severity of lead contamination at the Mavrovouni camp. Moreover, they reported that the methodology used by the EAGME was not clearly described.3 Experts were also concerned that wrong standards have been applied to some of the test results. According to the results of the testing, elevated lead levels were found in two samples: “MAV- 1” (with very elevated lead levels of 2,233 mg lead/soil) and “MAV-12” (with elevated lead levels of 330 mg lead/kg soil).
    [Show full text]
  • RED 4 RES(Pdf, 59.26 KB )
    Executive Vice-President Timmermans Commissioner Simson Director-General Juul-Jorgensen 31 March 2021 Dear Executive Vice-President, Dear Commissioner, Dear Director-General, Keep the Renewable Energy Directive for renewables – “low-carbon” fuels and non-renewable energies should not be included in any provision of the Renewable Energy Directive Climate change is the defining challenge of this century. And renewable energy is one of the main pillars of European climate action, resulting in more than one-third of emission reductions to date. All scenarios for the EU achieving its targets under the Paris climate agreement rely on the rapid scaling up of renewable energy. Beyond emission reductions, investment in renewables brings many benefits: better European energy security, lower fossil fuel import bills, local job creation, better public health, economic development, and the possibility of millions of Europeans to actively participate in and benefit directly from the energy transition. The main policy tool for promoting renewable energy is the Renewable Energy Directive. It has proven successful in driving down the price of renewable energy technologies and boosting investments in renewables across Europe. However, the current intention to broaden the scope of the Directive beyond renewables is counter-productive and risks promoting the very fossil fuels that renewables should be displacing in Europe’s energy system, as defined in the European Commission’s long-term strategy. Non-renewable and low-carbon fuels, including so-called ‘low carbon’ fossil fuels, should not be included in any provision under the Renewable Energy Directive nor should they count towards the EU’s binding 2030 renewable energy target.
    [Show full text]
  • The Integrity Branch of Government, Whereas Merits Review Is a Manifestation of the Executive Branch
    INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY AND PUBLIC LAW AN ADDRESS TO THE JUDGES OF HONG KONG BY JAMES SPIGELMAN NPJ HONG KONG, 30 OCTOBER 2014 The sumptuary rules of the Chinese Imperial Civil Service established a rigidly defined set of dress requirements for all public officials: from the black lacquer-treated hats with protruding wings and the black boots trimmed with white lacquer to the ceremonial belts backed with jade, rhinoceros horn, gold or silver. Each distinctive sub- unit or rank of the civil service also had a badge of rank in the form of a cloth chest piece embroidered, in the case of the civil hierarchy, with birds in pairs. The top rank had two stately cranes soaring above clouds. The lowest rank had a pair of earth-bound quails, pecking the grass. The military ranks wore breast patches carrying images of fierce animals such as lions, tigers, bears and panthers. There was one distinct civil service unit with a unique system of badge identification. Western scholars, by an inaccurate analogy with the Roman administrative system, called this unit the “censorial” or “supervising” branch of government. Its role was to maintain the integrity of the mechanisms of governance. Civil officials in this branch 1 had an embroidered breast patch which, uniquely, was identical for all members of the branch, regardless of rank. It displayed a legendary animal called a Xiezhi which could detect good from evil. Allegedly, it could smell an immoral character from a distance, whereupon the Xiezhi would leap upon the person and tear him or her to pieces1. The Xiezhi is a symbol of justice, equivalent to the blindfolded woman bearing equipoised scales in the Western legal tradition.
    [Show full text]