Official Journal C 310 of the European Union
Volume 59
English edition Information and Notices 25 August 2016
Contents
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2014-2015 SESSION Sittings of 9 to 12 February 2015 The Minutes of this session have been published in OJ C 102, 17.3.2016. TEXTS ADOPTED
I Resolutions, recommendations and opinions
RESOLUTIONS
European Parliament
Wednesday 11 February 2015
2016/C 310/01 European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the US Senate report on the use of torture by the CIA (2014/2997(RSP)) ...... 2
2016/C 310/02 European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on anti-terrorism measures (2015/2530(RSP)) . 6
2016/C 310/03 European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum (2015/2526(RSP)) ...... 12
2016/C 310/04 European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on country of origin labelling for meat in processed food (2014/2875(RSP)) ...... 15
2016/C 310/05 European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (2014/2154(INI)) ...... 19
Thursday 12 February 2015
2016/C 310/06 European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on Burundi: the case of Bob Rugurika (2015/ 2561(RSP)) ...... 25
2016/C 310/07 European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on the case of Mr Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia (2015/2550(RSP)) ...... 29 EN 2016/C 310/08 European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on mass graves of the missing persons of Ashia in Ornithi village in the occupied part of Cyprus (2015/2551(RSP)) ...... 32
2016/C 310/09 European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria, in particular in the IS context (2015/2559(RSP)) ...... 35
OPINIONS
European Parliament
Thursday 12 February 2015
2016/C 310/10 European Parliament decision of 12 February 2015 on setting up a special committee on tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect, its powers, numerical strength and term of office (2015/ 2566(RSO)) ...... 42
II Information
INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
European Parliament
Wednesday 11 February 2015
2016/C 310/11 European Parliament decision of 11 February 2015 on the verification of credentials (2014/2165- (REG)) ...... 44
III Preparatory acts
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Wednesday 11 February 2015
2016/C 310/12 P8_TA(2015)0015 Safeguard measures provided for in the Agreement with Iceland ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safeguard measures provided for in the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland (codified text) (COM(2014) 0308 — C8-0011/2014 — 2014/0160(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2014)0160 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safeguard measures provided for in the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland (codification) ...... 85 2016/C 310/13 P8_TA(2015)0016 Measures concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the measures that the Union may take following a report adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters (codified text) (COM(2014)0317 — C8-0017/2014 — 2014/0163(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2014)0163 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on the measures that the Union may take following a report adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters (codification) ...... 87
2016/C 310/14 P8_TA(2015)0017 Combined effect of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures with safeguard measures ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on measures that the Union may take in relation to the combined effect of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures with safeguard measures (codified text) (COM(2014)0318 — C8-0016/2014 — 2014/0164(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2014)0164 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on measures that the Union may take in relation to the combined effect of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures with safeguard measures (codification) ...... 88
2016/C 310/15 P8_TA(2015)0018 Common rules for imports ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for imports (codified text) (COM(2014) 0321 — C8-0012/2014 — 2014/0166(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2014)0166 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for imports (codification) ...... 89
2016/C 310/16 P8_TA(2015)0019 Common rules for exports ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for exports (codified text) (COM(2014) 0322 — C8-0013/2014 — 2014/0167(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2014)0167 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for exports (codification) ...... 90
2016/C 310/17 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Gabon to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0904 — C8-0263/2014 — 2011/0441(NLE)) ...... 91 2016/C 310/18 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Andorra to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0908 — C8-0264/2014 — 2011/0443(NLE)) ...... 92
2016/C 310/19 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Seychelles to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0909 — C8-0265/2014 — 2011/0444(NLE)) ...... 93
2016/C 310/20 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of the Russian Federation to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0911 — C8-0266/2014 — 2011/0447(NLE)) ...... 94
2016/C 310/21 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Albania to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0912 — C8-0262/2014 — 2011/0448(NLE)) ...... 95
2016/C 310/22 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Singapore to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0915 — C8-0267/2014 — 2011/0450(NLE)) ...... 96
2016/C 310/23 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Morocco to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0916 — C8-0268/2014 — 2011/0451(NLE)) ...... 97
2016/C 310/24 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Armenia to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0917 — C8-0269/2014 — 2011/0452(NLE)) ...... 98
2016/C 310/25 P8_TA(2015)0029 Cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences (COM(2014)0476 — C8-0113/2014 — 2014/0218(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2014)0218 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Directive (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council facilitating cross- border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences ...... 99
2016/C 310/26 European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Senegal and the Implementation Protocol thereto (12812/ 2014 — C8-0276/2014 — 2014/0238(NLE)) ...... 100 Key to symbols used * Consultation procedure *** Consent procedure ***I Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading ***II Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading ***III Ordinary legislative procedure: third reading (The type of procedure depends on the legal basis proposed by the draft act.) Amendments by Parliament: New text is highlighted in bold italics. Deletions are indicated using either the ▌symbol or strikeout. Replacements are indicated by highlighting the new text in bold italics and by deleting or striking out the text that has been replaced.
25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/1
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
2014-2015 SESSION
Sittings of 9 to 12 February 2015
The Minutes of this session have been published in OJ C 102, 17.3.2016.
TEXTS ADOPTED C 310/2 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
I
(Resolutions, recommendations and opinions)
RESOLUTIONS
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
P8_TA(2015)0031 US Senate report on the use of torture by the CIA
European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the US Senate report on the use of torture by the CIA (2014/2997(RSP)) (2016/C 310/01)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in particular Articles 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 21 thereof,
— having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 18 and 19 thereof,
— having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights and the protocols thereto,
— having regard to the relevant UN human rights instruments, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 10 December 1984 and the relevant protocols thereto, and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance of 20 December 2006,
— having regard to the European Court of Human Rights judgments in cases al-Nashiri v. Poland, Abu Zubaydah v. Lithuania, Husayn (Abu Zubaydah) v. Poland, El-Masri v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nasr and Ghali v. Italy, and al-Nashiri v. Romania,
— having regard to the Italian Court judgment that convicted and sentenced to prison terms in absentia 22 CIA agents, one Air Force pilot and two Italian agents over their role in the 2003 kidnapping of the Imam of Milan, Abu Omar,
— having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2006 on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners, adopted midway through the work of the Temporary Committee (1),
— having regard to its resolution of 14 February 2007 on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners (2),
— having regard to its resolution of 11 September 2012 on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA: follow-up of the European Parliament TDIP Committee report (3),
(1) OJ C 303 E, 13.12.2006, p. 833. (2) OJ C 287 E, 29.11.2007, p. 309. (3) OJ C 353 E, 3.12.2013, p. 1. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/3
Wednesday 11 February 2015
— having regard to its resolution of 10 October 2013 on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA (1),
— having regard to the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) study on the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA’s) Detention and Interrogation Programme and its use of various forms of torture on detainees between 2001 and 2006,
— having regard to its resolutions on Guantánamo, the most recent being that of 23 May 2013 on Guantánamo: hunger strike by prisoners (2),
— having regard to the Council conclusions on fundamental rights and the rule of law and on the Commission’s 2013 report on the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Luxembourg, 5 and 6 June 2014),
— having regard to its resolution of 27 February 2014 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2012) (3),
— having regard to the Commission communication ‘A new EU Framework to strengthen the Rule of Law’ of 11 March 2014 (COM(2014)0158),
— having regard to the Commission’s EU anti-corruption report of 3 February 2014 (COM(2014)0038),
— having regard to its resolution of 12 March 2014 on the US NSA surveillance programme, surveillance bodies in various Member States and their impact on EU citizens’ fundamental rights and on transatlantic cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs (4),
— having regard to Directive 2012/29/EU of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA,
— having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law is an essential element in successful counterterrorism policies;
B. whereas Parliament has repeatedly condemned the CIA’s secret detention and extraordinary rendition programme, which resulted in multiple human rights violations including the use of torture and other inhumane or degrading treatment, abduction, secret detention, detention without trial, and violations of the non-refoulement principle;
C. whereas, despite their particular nature, policies of national security and counterterrorism are not exempt from the principle of accountability, and there can be no impunity for violations of international law and human rights;
D. whereas accountability for extraordinary renditions, abductions, illegal secret detentions and torture is essential in order to protect and promote human rights effectively in the internal and external policies of the EU, and to ensure legitimate and effective security policies based on the rule of law;
E. whereas Parliament has repeatedly called for full investigations into the collaboration of EU Member States with the CIA’s secret detention and extraordinary rendition programme;
F. whereas the former Parliament, in its abovementioned resolution of 10 October 2013, called on the current Parliament to continue to fulfil and implement the mandate given by the Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners, and consequently to ensure that its recommendations were followed up, to examine new elements that might emerge and to make full use of, and develop, its rights of inquiry;
(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0418. (2) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0231. (3) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0173. (4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0230. C 310/4 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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G. whereas the report by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reveals new facts that reinforce allegations that a number of EU Member States, their authorities and officials and agents of their security and intelligence services were complicit in the CIA’s secret detention and extraordinary rendition programme, sometimes through corrupt means based on substantial amounts of money provided by the CIA in exchange for their cooperation;
H. whereas the report by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence rebuts CIA claims that torture revealed information that could not have been collected through traditional, non-violent interrogation techniques;
I. whereas an open criminal case (No 150/09, before Central Court No 5 (Juzgado Central No 5)) concerning the torture taking place at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base is ongoing within the National Court (Audiencia Nacional) of the Kingdom of Spain;
J. whereas US President Barack Obama committed to closing the Guantánamo Bay detention facility by January 2010, a facility which holds 122 detainees without formal criminal charges having being brought against them before a criminal court, including 54 who have been officially cleared for release;
K. whereas the assistance of EU Member States in resettling some of the Guantánamo Bay prisoners has been slow and limited;
1. Welcomes the decision of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to publish the summary of its report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Detention and Interrogation Programme; encourages the publication of the report in full, without excessive and unnecessary redactions;
2. Expresses its deep condemnation of the gruesome interrogation practices that characterised these illegal counterterrorism operations; underlines the fundamental conclusion by the US Senate that the violent methods applied by the CIA failed to generate intelligence that prevented further terrorist attacks; recalls its absolute condemnation of torture;
3. Considers that the climate of impunity regarding the CIA programme has enabled the continuation of fundamental rights violations, as further revealed by the mass surveillance programmes of the US National Security Agency and secret services of various EU Member States;
4. Calls on the US to investigate and prosecute the multiple human rights violations resulting from the CIA rendition and secret detention programmes, and to cooperate with all requests from EU Member States for information, extradition or effective remedies for victims in connection with the CIA programme;
5. Reiterates its calls on Member States to investigate the allegations that there were secret prisons on their territory where people were held under the CIA programme, and to prosecute those involved in these operations, taking into account all the new evidence that has come to light;
6. Calls on Member States to investigate fully recent allegations that illegal rendition, detention and torture took place on their territory and to prosecute those responsible;
7. Expresses concerns regarding the obstacles encountered by national parliamentary and judicial investigations into some Member States’ involvement in the CIA programme, the abuse of state secrecy, and the undue classification of documents resulting in the termination of criminal proceedings and leading to de facto impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/5
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8. Calls for the findings of existing inquiries relating to Member States’ involvement in the CIA programme, in particular the Chilcot inquiry, to be published without further delay; 9. Calls for the adoption of an EU internal strategy on fundamental rights and invites the Commission to propose the adoption of such a strategy and a related plan of action; 10. Instructs its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, with the association of its Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in particular its subcommittee on Human Rights, to resume its inquiry on ‘alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA’ and to report to plenary within a year by: — following up on the recommendations made in its abovementioned resolution of 11 September 2012 on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA: follow-up of the European Parliament TDIP Committee report; — facilitating and supporting human-rights-compliant mutual legal assistance and judicial cooperation between investigating authorities and cooperation between lawyers involved in accountability work in Member States; — organising a hearing involving national parliaments and practitioners to take stock of all past and ongoing parliamentary and judicial inquiries; — organising a Parliamentary fact-finding mission involving all interested political groups to the EU Member States where CIA secret detention sites allegedly existed; — gathering all relevant information and evidence on possible bribes or other acts of corruption linked to the CIA programme; 11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States. C 310/6 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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P8_TA(2015)0032 Anti-terrorism measures European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on anti-terrorism measures (2015/2530(RSP)) (2016/C 310/02)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to Articles 2, 3, 6, 7 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and to Articles 4, 16, 20, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 75, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87 and 88 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
— having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Articles 6, 7, 8, 10(1), 11, 12, 21, 47-50, 52 and 53 thereof,
— having regard to the Commission communication of 20 June 2014 on the final implementation report of the EU Internal Security Strategy 2010-2014 (COM(2014)0365),
— having regard to Europol’s EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) for 2014,
— having regard to the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on 24 September 2014 on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts (Resolution 2178 (2014)),
— having regard to the EU Internal Security Strategy, as adopted by the Council on 25 February 2010,
— having regard to its resolution of 14 December 2011 on the EU Counter-Terrorism Policy: main achievements and future challenges (1),
— having regard to its recommendation to the Council of 24 April 2009 on the problem of profiling, notably on the basis of ethnicity and race, in counter-terrorism, law enforcement, immigration, customs and border control (2),
— having regard to its resolution of 12 September 2013 on the second report on the implementation of the EU Internal Security Strategy (3),
— having regard to Europol’s Threat Assessment on Internet Facilitated Organised Crime (iOCTA) 2014,
— having regard to Europol’s EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) 2013,
— having regard to its plenary debate of 28 January 2015 on anti-terrorism measures,
— having regard to the informal Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council held in Riga on 29 and 30 January 2015,
— having regard to its resolution of 17 December 2014 on the EU’s renewed internal security strategy (4),
— having regard to the statement of the informal JHA Council of 11 January 2015,
— having regard to the JHA Council conclusions of 9 October 2014 and 5 December 2014,
(1) OJ C 168 E, 14.6.2013, p. 45. (2) OJ C 184 E, 8.7.2010, p. 119. (3) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0384. (4) Texts adopted, P8_TA(2014)0102. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/7
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— having regard to the report of the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator to the European Council of 24 November 2014 (15799/14),
— having regard to the Commission’s Work Programme 2015 published on 16 December 2014 (COM(2014)0910),
— having regard to the Commission communication of 15 January 2014 entitled ‘Preventing Radicalisation to Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Strengthening the EU’s Response’ (COM(2013)0941),
— having regard to the opinion of the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party on the application of necessity and proportionality concepts and data protection within the law enforcement sector (Opinion 01/2014),
— having regard to the judgment of the Court of Justice of 8 April 2014 in joined cases C-293/12 and C-594/12, Digital Rights Ireland ltd and Seitlinger and others, and the opinion of Parliament’s Legal Service on the interpretation of this judgment,
— having regard to Rule 123(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas terrorism and violent extremism are among the major threats to our security and our freedoms;
B. whereas the recent tragic events in Paris stood as a reminder that the European Union is facing a continuous and evolving terrorist threat which over the past decade has severely hit several of its Member States with attacks targeting not only people but also the values and freedoms on which the Union is based;
C. whereas security is one of the rights guaranteed by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, but fundamental rights, civil liberties and proportionality are essential elements in successful counter-terrorism policies;
D. whereas prevention strategies to combat terrorism should rely on a multifaceted approach aimed at directly countering the preparation of attacks on EU territory, but also at integrating the need to address the root causes of terrorism; whereas terrorism is a global threat that needs to be tackled on the local, national, European and global levels in order to strengthen our citizens’ security, to defend the fundamental values of freedom, democracy and human rights and to uphold international law;
E. whereas the several severe terrorist attacks on European soil since 11 September 2001, most recently in January this year, have had a significant impact on the sense of security among EU citizens and residents; whereas the security situation in Europe has changed dramatically in recent years owing to new conflicts and upheavals in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, the rapid development of new technologies, and the worrying rise of radicalisation that is leading to violence and terrorism both within the EU and in neighbouring countries;
F. whereas the spread of terrorist propaganda is facilitated by the use of the internet and social media; whereas cyberterrorism enables terrorist groups to establish and maintain links without the physical obstacle of borders, thus reducing the need to have bases or sanctuaries in countries;
G. whereas the EU is facing the severe and growing threat posed by the so-called ‘EU foreign fighters’, namely individuals who travel to a state other than their state of residence or nationality for the purpose of perpetrating or planning terrorist acts, or providing or receiving terrorist training, including in connection with armed conflicts; whereas an estimated 3 500 to 5 000 EU nationals have left their homes to become foreign fighters with the outbreak of the war and violence in Syria, Iraq and Libya, posing an immense challenge to the security of EU citizens;
1. Condemns in the strongest terms the atrocities in Paris, and reiterates its deepest sympathy with the people of France and the families of the victims, and its unity in the global fight against terrorism and the attack upon our democratic values and freedoms; C 310/8 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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2. Strongly and categorically condemns all terrorist acts, the promotion of terrorism, the glorification of those involved in terrorism and the advocacy of extremist violent ideologies, wherever they take place or are advocated in the world; stresses that there is no freedom without security and no security without freedom;
3. Notes with concern the rapidly rising number of EU nationals who travel to conflict areas to join terrorist organisations and later return to EU territory, presenting risks to the Union’s internal security and the lives of EU citizens; asks the Commission to propose a clear and common definition of ‘EU foreign fighters’ in order to increase legal certainty;
4. Underlines the need for more specialised measures to tackle the problem of EU citizens travelling to fight for terrorist organisations abroad; affirms that while prosecution can be pursued in some cases, other measures should be applied to prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism, to disrupt the travel of European and other foreign fighters and to deal with returnees; calls on the Member States and the Commission to develop best practices based on those of Member States that have adopted successful strategies, action plans and programmes in this field;
Combating the root causes of terrorism and radicalisation leading to violent extremism
5. Stresses that addressing the threat posed by terrorism in general requires an anti-terrorism strategy based on a multi- layer approach, which comprehensively addresses the underlying factors of radicalisation leading to violent extremism, such as developing social cohesion, inclusiveness and political and religious tolerance, and avoiding ghettoization, analysing and counterbalancing online incitement to perform terrorist acts, preventing departures to join terrorist organisations, preventing and stemming recruitment and engagement in armed conflicts, disrupting financial support to terrorist organisations and individuals aiming to join them, ensuring firm legal prosecution where appropriate and providing law enforcement authorities with the appropriate tools to perform their duties with full respect for fundamental rights;
6. Calls on the Member States to invest in schemes which address the root causes of radicalisation, including educational programmes, promoting integration, social inclusion, dialogue, participation, equality, tolerance and understanding among different cultures and religions, and rehabilitation programmes;
7. Points with grave concern to the phenomenon of radicalisation in prisons, and encourages the Member States to exchange best practices on the matter; asks that special attention be given to prisons and detention conditions, with targeted measures to address radicalisation in this environment; calls on the Member States to do more to improve prisons’ administrative systems so as to facilitate detection of detainees who are involved in the preparation of terrorist acts, monitor and prevent radicalisation processes and set up specific programmes of disengagement, rehabilitation and deradicalisation;
8. Stresses the urgent need to intensify the prevention of radicalisation and foster deradicalisation programmes by empowering and engaging with communities and civil society at national and local level to stop the spread of extremist ideologies; calls on the Commission to strengthen the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), which brings together all the actors involved in developing anti-radicalisation campaigns and setting up deradicalisation structures and processes for returning foreign fighters, and to directly challenge the extremist ideologies by providing positive alternatives;
9. Supports the adoption of a European strategy for countering terrorist propaganda, radical networks and online recruitment, building upon the efforts already made and the initiatives already taken on an intergovernmental and voluntary basis with a view to further exchanges of best practice and successful methods in this area;
10. Calls for the adoption of a Council recommendation on national strategies for the prevention of radicalisation, which would address the wide range of underlying factors behind radicalisation and make recommendations to the Member States on the setting-up of disengagement, rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/9
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Implementation and review of existing law enforcement measures
11. Calls on the Member States to make optimal use of existing platforms, databases and alert systems at European level, such as the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the Advanced Passenger Information Systems (APIS);
12. Stresses that free movement within the Schengen area is one of the most important freedoms of the European Union, and therefore rules out any proposals to suspend the Schengen system, and encourages Member States instead to tighten up existing rules that already include the possibility of temporarily introducing document checks, and to make better use of the SIS II system; notes that certain targeted checks can already be performed on individuals as they cross external borders;
13. Commits itself to work towards the finalisation of an EU PNR Directive by the end of the year; therefore urges the Commission to set out the consequences of the ECJ judgment on the Data Retention Directive (1) and its possible impact on the EU PNR Directive; encourages the Council to make progress on the Data Protection package so that trilogues on both — EU PNR Directive and Data Protection Package — could take place in parallel; encourages the Commission to invite independent experts from the law enforcement, security and intelligence communities and representatives of Working Party 29 to contribute views and principles, in light of security needs, regarding the necessity and proportionality of the PNR;
14. Calls on the Commission to immediately and thereafter regularly evaluate the current instruments and undertake a corresponding assessment of the remaining gaps in the fight against terrorism, where the European Council shall regularly assess the threats facing the Union in order to enable the Union and its Member States to take effective action; calls on the Commission and the Council to endorse a renewed roadmap to combat terrorism, which delivers an efficient response to existing threats and ensures effective security for all while guaranteeing the rights and freedoms which are the founding principles of the European Union;
15. Stresses that an essential dimension of the fight against terrorism must be the inclusion of policies to protect and support the victims and their families; calls, therefore, on all Member States to properly implement Directive 2012/29/EU of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime;
16. Considers that combating trafficking in firearms should be a priority for the EU in fighting serious and organised international crime; believes that, in particular, cooperation needs to be strengthened further as regards information exchange mechanisms and the traceability and destruction of prohibited weapons; calls on the Commission to evaluate as a matter of urgency the existing EU rules on the movement of illegal firearms, explosive devices and arms trafficking linked to organised crime;
17. Welcomes the upcoming adoption at European level of an updated legal framework for combating money laundering, as a decisive step to be implemented at all levels in order to ensure its effectiveness and thus address a significant source of financing for terrorist organisations;
18. Calls on Member States to step up judicial cooperation between them based on the available EU instruments, such as ECRIS, the European Arrest Warrant and the European Investigation Order;
EU internal security and EU law enforcement and Agency capabilities
19. Calls on all Member States to prevent the movement of terrorist suspects by strengthening external border controls, checking travel documents more systematically and effectively, tackling illicit arms trafficking and fraudulent use of identity, and identifying risk areas;
(1) Directive 2006/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks and amending Directive 2002/58/EC (OJ L 105, 13.4.2006, p. 54). C 310/10 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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20. Notes with concern the increasing use of internet and communications technology by terrorist organisations in order to communicate, plan attacks, and spread propaganda; asks that internet and social media companies work with governments and law enforcement authorities and civil society in order to combat this problem, whilst ensuring that the general principles of free speech and privacy are respected at all times; underlines that measures limiting the use and spread of data on the internet for counter-terrorism purposes need to be necessary and proportionate;
21. Reiterates that all data collection and sharing, including by EU agencies such as Europol, should be compliant with EU and national law and based on a coherent data protection framework offering legally binding personal data protection standards at an EU level;
22. Strongly encourages better exchange of information between Member States’ law enforcement authorities and EU agencies; further stresses the need to improve, intensify and accelerate global law enforcement information sharing; calls for more effective operational cooperation among Member States and third countries through the use of such valuable existing instruments as Joint Investigation Teams, the Terrorist Financial Tracking Programme and passenger name record (PNR) agreements, as well as more expeditious and efficient sharing of relevant data and information, subject to the appropriate data protection and privacy safeguards;
23. Calls on the Commission and the Council to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the EU’s counter-terrorism and related measures, in particular as regards the implementation thereof in law and in practice in the Member States and the degree to which the Member States cooperate with the EU’s agencies in the area, notably Europol and Eurojust, and to undertake a corresponding assessment of the remaining gaps, making use of the procedure provided for in Article 70 TFEU, and to introduce this evaluation process as part of the European Agenda on Security;
24. Underlines the need for European agencies and national law enforcement authorities to combat the main sources of revenue for terrorist organisations, including money laundering, human trafficking, and the illicit arms trade; calls, in this respect, for the full implementation of EU legislation in this area, in order to have an EU-wide coordinated approach; notes that only 50 % of information regarding terrorism and organised crime is given by Member States to Europol and Eurojust;
25. Invites the Member States to make better use of Europol’s unique capabilities by ensuring that their national units provide Europol with the relevant information in a more systematic and routine manner; further supports the creation of a European counter-terrorism platform within Europol to maximise its operational, technical and intelligence exchange capabilities;
26. Stresses the need to step up the effectiveness and the coordination of the criminal justice response through Eurojust, to harmonise criminalisation of foreign-fighter-related offences across the EU to provide a legal framework and to facilitate cross-border cooperation, to avoid prosecution gaps and to address the practical and legal challenges in the gathering and admissibility of evidence in terrorism cases, by updating Framework Decision 2008/919/JHA;
27. Calls for strong democratic and judicial oversight of counter-terrorism policies and intelligence work within the EU, with full independent democratic scrutiny, and insists that security cooperation should be strictly in line with international law;
Adopting an EU external strategy to combat international terrorism
28. Calls for the EU to actively promote a global partnership against terrorism and to work closely with regional actors such as the African Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, and in particular with the countries which are neighbours of Syria and Iraq and countries who have been dramatically impacted by the conflict, such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as with the UN and notably its Counter-Terrorism Committee; calls, in this regard, for increased dialogue between development and security experts between the EU and those countries; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/11
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29. Emphasises, in particular, the need for the EU, its Member States and its partner countries to base their strategy for combating international terrorism on the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights; stresses, furthermore, that the Union’s external actions to combat international terrorism should in the first place be aimed at preventing, countering and prosecuting terrorism; 30. Calls on the European External Action Service (EEAS) to adopt an EU external strategy for combating international terrorism, in order to address the sources of international terrorism and mainstream counter-terrorism; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to develop a counter-terrorism cooperation strategy with third countries while ensuring that international human rights standards are respected; 31. Urges the EU to revise its strategy towards the southern Mediterranean as part of the ongoing European Neighbourhood Policy review, and to focus on supporting those countries and actors who are genuinely committed to shared values and to reform; 32. Stresses the need to focus on preventing and countering radicalisation in the action plans and political dialogues between the EU and its partner countries, including by increasing international cooperation, making use of existing programmes and capacities, and working with civil society actors in countries of interest on countering terrorist and radical propaganda on the internet and on other means of communication; 33. Stresses that a comprehensive EU strategy on anti-terrorism measures must also make full use of its foreign and development policies in order to combat poverty, discrimination and marginalisation, to fight corruption and promote good governance and to prevent and resolve conflicts, all of which contribute to the marginalisation of certain groups and sectors of society and thus make them more vulnerable to extremist group propaganda; o o o 34. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the parliaments of the Member States. C 310/12 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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P8_TA(2015)0033 Renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum (2015/2526(RSP)) (2016/C 310/03)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to its resolution of 23 June 2005 on the information society (1),
— having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2006 on a European information society for growth and employment (2),
— having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2008 on the second Internet Governance Forum (3),
— having regard to the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), adopted in Geneva on 12 December 2003,
— having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Towards a Global Partnership in the Information Society: Translating the Geneva Principles into Actions’ (COM(2004)0480),
— having regard to the Tunis Commitment and Agenda for the Information Society, adopted on 18 November 2005,
— having regard to the Commission communication following the WSIS in 2006 (COM(2006)0181),
— having regard to its resolution of 15 June 2010 on Internet governance: the next steps (4),
— having regard to the NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement presented on 24 April 2014,
— having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Internet Policy and Governance — Europe’s role in shaping the future of Internet Governance’ (COM(2014)0072),
— having regard to the joint statement by the EU delegation to the Internet Governance Forum held from 2 to 5 September 2014 in Istanbul,
— having regard to Rule 123(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the purpose of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is to carry out its mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) with regard to convening forums for democratic, transparent and multistakeholder policy dialogue;
B. whereas the main role and function of the IGF is to discuss a wide range of issues related to internet governance and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the international community;
C. whereas on 20 December 2010 the UN General Assembly decided to extend the mandate of the IGF for a further five years;
D. whereas the discussion and decision on renewing the mandate of the IGF further will take place in 2015 at the UN General Assembly;
E. whereas Parliament sent an ad hoc delegation to the WSIS in 2005 and has done so for every annual meeting of the IGF since then;
(1) OJ C 133 E, 8.6.2006, p. 140. (2) OJ C 291 E, 30.11.2006, p. 133. (3) OJ C 41 E, 19.2.2009, p. 80. (4) OJ C 236 E, 12.8.2011, p. 33. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/13
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F. whereas the ad hoc delegations Parliament has sent have played a pivotal role regarding the promotion of European values and the interaction with civil society organisations and representatives of national parliaments present at these events, in cooperation with the Member States and the Commission;
G. whereas the top priorities for the European Union during the ninth IGF held in September 2014, with the overarching theme ‘Connecting Continents for Enhanced Multistakeholder Internet Governance’, were: expanded internet access globally; maintenance of the internet as a global, open and common resource; non-discriminatory access to knowledge; greater accountability and transparency in the multistakeholder internet governance model; rejection of the idea of a state-controlled internet; and recognition that our fundamental freedoms and human rights are not negotiable and must be protected online;
H. whereas on 27 November 2014 the EU transport, telecommunications and energy ministers approved the Council conclusions underlining the importance of a coordinated European position on internet governance and of support for strengthening the IGF as a multistakeholder platform;
I. whereas in March 2014 the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its intention to transfer the internet supervision functions of the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) to the global multistakeholder community before the expiry of the current contract between the NTIA and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in September 2015; whereas a balanced solution for this transition has to be found in time and should result in a system that cannot be subject to capture and manipulation, thereby continuing to ensure a stable internet;
J. whereas in April 2014 the NETmundial-Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the future of Internet Governance drew up a set of principles for internet governance and a roadmap for future development of the internet ecosystem;
K. whereas growth related to the internet economy is forecast to be almost 11 % in the EU, with a contribution to GDP expected to rise from 3,8 % in 2010 to 5,7 % in 2016,
L. whereas the internet constitutes a fundamental pillar of the Digital Single Market, and fosters, inter alia, innovation, growth, trade, democracy, cultural diversity and human rights;
M. whereas in an open internet all the rights and freedoms that people have offline should also apply online;
1. Calls on the UN General Assembly to renew the mandate of the IGF, and to strengthen its resources and the multistakeholder model of internet governance;
2. Considers that, although the IGF will not adopt formal conclusions, the European Union’s responsibility is to support this process and to raise the impact of these exchanges in policy discussions, as it offers a positive and concrete context for the shaping of the internet’s future on the basis of a multistakeholder approach;
3. Calls on the Member States and the EU institutions concerned to keep the IGF high on their agendas and to continue to support the IGF and its secretariat, and to contribute to the development of an efficient and independent organisation capable of exercising its mandate and contributing to the evolving model of internet governance;
4. Stresses that Parliament should continue to participate in future IGF meetings with a substantial delegation in order to contribute effectively to formulating an EU approach on internet governance together with the Member States and the Commission; C 310/14 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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5. Stresses the need to improve internet access all over the world; underlines that the IGF should increase the inclusive participation of all stakeholders; 6. Stresses that it is firmly committed to the multistakeholder model of internet governance; calls upon the Member States, the Commission and all relevant stakeholders to further strengthen the sustainability of this model by making actors and processes at national, regional and international levels more inclusive, transparent and accountable; 7. Emphasises the importance of completing the globalisation of the internet’s core functions and organisations; welcomes the commitment made by the US Government in March 2014 for the transfer of stewardship over the IANA functions; emphasises the importance of the full accountability and transparency of ICANN; 8. Underlines the existence of a firm deadline for completion of the negotiations on IANA functions that will provide a long-term solution for the stability and security of the internet, as in September 2015 the current agreement between ICANN and the US Government on the supervision of the IANA function will expire; 9. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to increase their efforts to support the conclusion of this new timely agreement; 10. Calls on the EU institutions concerned to propose the EU itself as a first international partner with ICANN as regards IANA functions, including a role on equal grounds with the US and other states in the affirmation of commitments that are currently regulating IANA services; considers this an important step in ensuring the complete neutrality of ICANN; 11. Stresses that lessons can already be learnt from the fruitful exchanges held in the context of the IGF up to now, and can be acted upon, in particular as regards regulatory aspects of electronic communications, and data security and privacy issues; considers that further discussions are needed within the IGF on issues related to cybersecurity and cybercrimes, ranging from solutions to improve the security of critical infrastructures to giving the appropriate tools for secure communication to individuals and small businesses, notably e-authentication and encryption; underlines the need to secure an open and independent internet as a global, common resource, together with non-discriminatory access to knowledge in the future, based on the initiatives and needs of the stakeholders, as well as freedom of expression; 12. Stresses that it is crucial to continue efforts to ensure legal protection of net neutrality, which is an indispensable precondition for safeguarding freedom of information and expression, boosting growth and jobs by developing innovation and business opportunities related to the internet and promoting and safeguarding cultural and linguistic diversity; 13. Stresses that fundamental freedoms and human rights are not negotiable and must be protected both online and offline; regrets that some states attempt to curb the global connectivity of their citizens by censorship and other restrictions; strongly rejects the idea of a state-controlled internet and mass surveillance of the internet; 14. Stresses the economic and social importance of online rights for privacy and of users’ control of their personal data; considers such rights to be fundamental for democracy, an open and neutral internet and a level playing field for businesses on the web; 15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Member States and the national parliaments. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/15
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P8_TA(2015)0034 Country of origin labelling for meat in processed foods European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on country of origin labelling for meat in processed food (2014/2875(RSP)) (2016/C 310/04)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/ 496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 608/2004 (1) (the ‘Food Information to Consumers Regulation’), and in particular Article 26(6) and (7) thereof,
— having regard to the Commission report of 17 December 2013 regarding the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for meat used as an ingredient (COM(2013)0755), and the accompanying Commission staff working document of 17 December 2013 entitled ‘Origin labelling for meat used as an ingredient: consumers’ attitude, feasibility of possible scenarios and impacts’ (SWD(2013)0437),
— having regard to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1337/2013 of 13 December 2013 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for fresh, chilled and frozen meat of swine, sheep, goats and poultry (2),
— having regard to its resolution of 6 February 2014 on the abovementioned Commission implementing regulation of 13 December 2013 (3),
— having regard to its resolution of 14 January 2014 on the food crisis, fraud in the food chain and the control thereof (4),
— having regard to the question to the Commission on country-of-origin labelling for meat in processed food (O-000091/ 2014 — B8-0101/2015),
— having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,
— having regard to Rules 128(5) and 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Article 26(6) of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation requires the Commission to submit a report to Parliament and the Council by 13 December 2013 concerning the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance of meat used as an ingredient;
B. whereas Article 26(7) of the abovementioned regulation provides that the report must, inter alia, take into account the need for the consumer to be informed, the feasibility of providing the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance and an analysis of the costs and benefits of the introduction of such measures; whereas it provides further that the report may be accompanied by proposals to modify relevant provisions of EU legislation;
(1) OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18. (2) OJ L 335, 14.12.2013, p. 19. (3) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0096. (4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0011. C 310/16 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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C. whereas on 17 December 2013 the Commission duly published its report regarding the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for meat used as an ingredient, and an accompanying staff working document entitled ‘Origin labelling for meat used as an ingredient: consumers’ attitude, feasibility of possible scenarios and impacts’;
D. whereas it is estimated that 30 % to 50 %, depending on the Member State concerned, of the total slaughtered meat volume is processed into meat ingredients for foodstuffs, mostly into minced meat, meat preparations and meat products;
E. whereas the Commission has yet to make any follow-up legislative proposals and concludes that further appropriate steps will be taken following discussions in Parliament and the Council;
F. whereas, according to the abovementioned Commission report regarding the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for meat used as an ingredient, the existing traceability systems in the EU are not adequate to pass on origin information along the food chain;
G. whereas Article 26(2) of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation provides that indication of the country of origin or place of provenance is mandatory where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food, in particular if the information accompanying the food or the label as a whole would otherwise imply that the food has a different country of origin or place of provenance;
H. whereas the impact assessment that supported the Food Information to Consumers Regulation indicated that the origin of meat appears to be consumers’ prime concern across the EU (1);
I. whereas according to the Food Chain Evaluation Consortium’s consumer survey of 2013, meat-based food scored highest among the various food groups covered by the survey when it comes to interest in origin labelling; whereas, on the basis of a more targeted examination of different types of processed meat-based product, the survey results indicate that more than 90 % of consumer respondents consider it important that origin be labelled;
1. Notes that indication of origin has been mandatory for unprocessed beef and beef products in the EU as a consequence of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis (2), and that EU rules for beef labelling have been in place since 1 January 2002; notes that these labelling requirements already include place of birth, rearing and slaughter;
2. Considers that the abovementioned requirements applicable to unprocessed beef and beef products have raised consumer expectations as regards information on the origin of other types of fresh meat widely consumed in the EU and of meat used as an ingredient in processed foods;
3. Notes that recital 31 of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation underlines the fact that the origin of meat is of prime concern to consumers and that as a result consumers expect to be properly informed about the country of origin of meat; points out, in addition, that recital 31 stipulates that mandatory labelling requirements should take into account the principle of proportionality and the administrative burden for food business operators and enforcement authorities;
(1) See Commission staff working document of 30 January 2008 accompanying the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers — Impact assessment report on general food labelling issues (SEC(2008)0092). (2) Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 (OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1). 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/17
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4. Stresses that 90 % of companies in the meat processing sector are SMEs; stresses the special role played by SMEs in the creation of growth and jobs, their contribution to a competitive European economy and their commitment to safe and high-quality food; believes that the creation of a level playing field for players in the sector is essential;
5. Reiterates its concern over the potential impact of food fraud on food safety, consumer health, consumer confidence, the functioning of the food chain and the stability of agricultural prices, and emphasises the importance of addressing food fraud as a matter of priority and thereby quickly restoring the confidence of European consumers;
6. Believes that labelling the country or place of origin of meat and meat products does not in itself prevent fraud, but that a rigorous traceability system does contribute to detecting possible infringements and taking action against them; notes that recent food scandals, including the fraudulent substitution of horsemeat for beef, have shown that stricter rules on traceability and consumer information are wanted by consumers; points out that stricter rules on traceability would also enable authorities to investigate food fraud incidents more effectively;
7. Highlights the importance of considering horsemeat in the context of meat used as an ingredient in processed foods, besides beef and the meat of swine, sheep, goats and poultry, as it represents a considerable share of meat used in processed foods;
8. Highlights, further, the fact that the Commission’s own report recognises that more than 90 % of consumer respondents consider it important that meat origin be labelled on processed food products (1); notes that this is one of several factors that may influence consumer behaviour;
9. Believes that labelling the origin of meat used as an ingredient in foods will help ensure better traceability along the food supply chain, more stable relationships between meat suppliers and processors and increased diligence when food business operators choose their suppliers and products;
10. Feels that food labelling should take account of the transparency of the information and its readability for consumers while enabling European businesses to operate in an economically viable manner and in conditions acceptable to the consumer’s purchasing power;
11. Points out that, as regards price impacts, the results of research undertaken by a French consumer organisation diverge widely from the findings of the Commission’s report as regards the costs of introducing country-of-origin labelling; recommends that this issue be further examined in order to gain a clearer picture of the possible price effects, provided that such an examination is done in conjunction with consumer organisations and would not delay legislative proposals;
12. Notes that country-of-origin labelling will become mandatory for unprocessed meat of swine, sheep, goat and poultry as of April 2015; whereas this must be taken into account in assessing the costs of providing origin information for these types of meat when used as an ingredient;
13. Notes that current voluntary origin information can give misleading information to consumers;
14. Calls on the Commission to review such voluntary schemes on origin labelling and propose clear, consistent, harmonised and enforceable rules when producers decide to implement voluntary origin labelling;
15. Notes further that while, as indicated in the Commission report, an EU/non-EU labelling indication requirement would be a lower-cost alternative, research undertaken by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), which covers some Member States, has found that this would not be an acceptable solution for consumers (2);
(1) COM(2013)0755, p. 7. (2) http://www.beuc.org/publications/2013-00043-01-e.pdf C 310/18 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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16. Believes that the Commission should investigate further the practice (which is already fairly widespread) among some European retailers and manufacturers of labelling the origin of meat in processed foods and to report its findings; 17. Reiterates its call for the Commission to take all necessary steps to make the prevention and combating of food fraud an integral part of EU policy and to address structural weaknesses within the overall food chain, in particular by increasing and strengthening monitoring; 18. Urges the Commission to adopt an implementing act concerning the application of Article 26(3) of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation, which relates to the indication of the country of origin of primary ingredients where this is not the same as that of the food product; 19. Urges the Commission to follow up its report with legislative proposals making the indication of the origin of meat in processed foods mandatory in order to ensure greater transparency throughout the food chain and to better inform European consumers, while taking into account its impact assessments and avoiding excessive costs and administrative burdens; 20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/19
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P8_TA(2015)0035 The work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2015 on the work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (2014/2154(INI)) (2016/C 310/05)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (1) (the ‘Cotonou Agreement’), as first amended in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005 (2) and as amended for the second time in Ouagadougou on 22 June 2010 (3),
— having regard to its position of 13 June 2013 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement amending for the second time the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000, as first amended in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005 (4),
— having regard to the Rules of Procedure of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), as adopted on 3 April 2003 (5) and most recently amended in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 27 November 2013 (6),
— having regard to Regulation (EU) No 233/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation for the period 2014-2020 (7),
— having regard to its position of 11 December 2013 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (8),
— having regard to its resolution of 12 March 2013 on the preparation of the multiannual financial framework regarding the financing of EU cooperation for African, Caribbean and Pacific States and Overseas Countries and Territories for the 2014-2020 period (11th European Development Fund) (9),
— having regard to its decisions of 3 April 2014 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth European Development Funds for the financial year 2012 (10), and of 3 April 2014 on the closure of the accounts of the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth European Development Funds for the financial year 2012 (11), and to its resolution of 3 April 2014 with observations forming an integral part of its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth European Development Funds for the financial year 2012 (12),
— having regard to the resolutions adopted by the JPA on 27 November 2013 on: the respect for the rule of law and the role of an impartial and independent judiciary; South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation: opportunities and challenges for the ACP countries; the social and environmental impact of pastoralism in ACP countries, and security in the Great Lakes region,
(1) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3. (2) OJ L 287, 28.10.2005, p. 4. (3) OJ L 287, 4.11.2010, p. 3. (4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0273. (5) OJ C 231, 26.9.2003, p. 68. (6) OJ C 64, 4.3.2014, p. 38. (7) OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 44. (8) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0571. (9) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0076. (10) OJ L 266, 5.9.2014, p. 145. (11) OJ L 266, 5.9.2014, p. 158. (12) OJ L 266, 5.9.2014, p. 147. C 310/20 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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— having regard to the resolutions adopted by the JPA on 19 June 2013 on: the threats posed again by military coups to democracy and political stability in the ACP countries, and the role of the international community; Economic Partnership Agreements — next steps; human resources for health in ACP countries; the situation in the Republic of Guinea; and the situation in the Central African Republic,
— having regard to the resolutions adopted by the JPA on 29 November 2012 on: the political and humanitarian crisis in Somalia: the challenges for the European Union and the ACP group; ICT-based entrepreneurship and its impact on development in the ACP countries; and the importance of access to energy for sustainable economic development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals,
— having regard to the resolutions adopted by the JPA on 30 May 2012 on: the political impact of the Libyan conflict on neighbouring ACP and EU States; price volatility, the functioning of global markets for agricultural products and their impact on food security in ACP countries; and the social and environmental impact of mining in ACP countries,
— having regard to the Communiqué adopted on 19 July 2013 in Abuja (Nigeria) at the JPA West African regional meeting (1),
— having regard to the Communiqué adopted on 16 February 2013 in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) at the JPA Caribbean regional meeting (2),
— having regard to the Communiqué adopted on 20 July 2012 in Apia (Samoa) at the JPA Pacific regional meeting (3),
— having regard to the Communiqué adopted on 24 February 2012 in Lusaka (Zambia) at the JPA Southern African regional meeting (4),
— having regard to the Code of Conduct adopted on 19 June 2013 for Members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly participating in election observation missions,
— having regard to the UN Millennium Declaration of 18 September 2000, which sets out the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as objectives established jointly by the international community for the elimination of poverty,
— having regard to the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘Increasing the impact of EU development policy: an Agenda for Change’ (COM(2011)0637),
— having regard to Rule 52 of its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A8-0012/2015),
A. whereas the ACP-EU JPA has a unique status, being the only multilateral interparliamentary assembly set up under an international agreement, the Cotonou Agreement;
B. whereas the JPA has developed into a genuine parliamentary assembly, offering a forum for the open and frank discussion of issues which are central to development cooperation, and makes a considerable contribution to the partnership on an equal footing between the ACP countries and the EU;
C. whereas the Cotonou Agreement between the members of the ACP Group of States and the EU is centred on the target of reducing and eventually eradicating poverty; whereas cooperation should also contribute to sustainable economic development, which is a basis for lasting peace and security and the democratic and political stability of the ACP countries;
(1) APP 101.509. (2) APP 101.351. (3) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/acp/2012_samoa/ pdf/apia_communique_fin_en.pdf (4) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/acp/2012_lusaka/pdf/ lusaka_communique_final_en.pdf 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/21
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D. whereas fact-finding missions were organised in 2013, to Mali to better understand the fragile situation of the country, to Liberia to contribute to the political dialogue as foreseen in Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement, and to Haiti to verify the reconstruction and the political situation;
E. whereas, after the adoption by the Assembly of a Code of Conduct for its Members participating in election observation missions, a new dynamic has been created which contributes to added value, as is the case of the joint JPA missions to the presidential elections in Mali and the parliamentary elections and the second round of presidential elections in Madagascar;
F. whereas the revision of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in 2010 strengthened the role of the JPA and its regional dimension;
G. whereas full involvement of the JPA should be ensured in the framework of the political dialogue conducted in accordance with Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement;
H. considering that it would be important to stimulate a regular informal dialogue based on substantial analysis with different categories of relevant official and non-official actors, in ACP-UE circles (the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the ACP-EU Council, the ACP-EU private sector and civil society dialogues) and in other circles that do not have a direct interest in the ACP-EU world;
I. whereas from 2003 to 2013, almost all the European sessions of the JPA took place in principle in the country holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union; whereas the rotating presidencies must respect the commitments made under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in this regard;
J. considering that the rapid rise of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and other emerging economies at the global level and in the ACP countries and regions is having a growing impact on the ACP Group and the current state of ACP-EU relations;
K. whereas under the new rules governing travel adopted by the European Parliament’s Bureau, accredited parliamentary assistants are no longer able to assist Members during plenary sessions of the JPA, which has a considerable impact on parliamentary work;
1. Welcomes the fact that the JPA, as one of the joint institutions of the Cotonou Agreement, continues to provide a framework for an open, democratic and comprehensive dialogue between Members of the European Parliament and the parliamentarians from ACP countries on implementation of this Agreement, including scrutiny of development cooperation under the EDF and conclusion and implementation of the EPAs; welcomes the capacity of the JPA to be a forum in which difficult and controversial subjects can be discussed frankly and openly; calls, therefore, for the future agreement, replacing the Cotonou Agreement, to include an explicit mention of non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, as demanded on many occasions by the European Parliament;
2. Stresses the need to strengthen political dialogue, and in this respect stresses the JPA’s role in promoting and defending the principles set out in Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement, particularly those relating to the rule of law and good governance;
3. Stresses the added value of holding the JPA sessions in the EU Member States holding the EU Council Presidency by rotation, and believes that this rotation should be maintained in the future; expresses concern at the unfortunate circumstances that led the Irish Presidency not to host the 25th Session; commends, however, the government of Denmark for agreeing to host the highly successful 23rd Session in Horsens, where cultural and educational links were established between the citizens of Horsens and ACP delegates; deplores the lack of interest shown by some EU Member States having held, or expected to hold in the future, the EU Council Presidency by rotation, in hosting the JPA sessions; calls on any EU Member State holding the EU Council Presidency by rotation to involve itself more deeply in the preparation, organisation and hosting of the JPA session; C 310/22 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
4. Underlines the importance of the JPA meetings, including the meetings of standing committees, but regrets that there was often unequal participation between EU members and ACP members and is concerned at the declining participation of EP members, particularly during the voting sessions; notes that there was more equal participation in missions, such as the regional meetings, and hopes these examples will be followed for JPA meetings in Brussels in the future;
5. Recalls the commitment expressed by the outgoing Vice-President/High Representative that the EU Council should be represented at ministerial level at the sessions of the Assembly, and calls on the incoming Vice-President/High Representative to respect this commitment;
6. Recalls the obligation of the ACP-EU Council to provide an annual report to the Assembly on the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement, which should include political, socio-economic and environment impact elements, rather than being a mere account of meetings held;
7. Recalls that, in accordance with Article 14 of the revised Cotonou Agreement, the joint institutions shall endeavour to ensure coordination, coherence and complementarity as well as an effective and reciprocal flow of information; is of the opinion that, as the President of the European Parliament is invited to the meetings of the European Council, the two Co- Presidents of the JPA should be given the opportunity to participate in the sessions of the Joint ACP-EU Council of Ministers; invites the Vice-President/High Representative to further improve the existing cooperation and ensure that the JPA is invited to participate in the next Joint Council;
8. Stresses the crucial role of the ACP national parliaments, local authorities and non-state actors in the preparatory phases and monitoring of the Country and Regional Strategy Papers and the implementation of the European Development Fund (EDF); calls on the Commission and the ACP governments to guarantee their involvement by supplying all available information to the parliaments of the ACP countries in good time, and assisting them in exercising democratic scrutiny, in particular by means of capacity building;
9. Takes note of the work of the Working Groups of the Committee on Development of the European Parliament on scrutiny in assessing and monitoring the programming documents for ACP countries and regions under the 11th European Development Fund, and asks for a reporting procedure to the JPA members on the outcomes of this process;
10. Congratulates the JPA Bureau for extending its work beyond purely administrative matters and using its meetings also for political discussions, by including on the agenda of its meetings in Brussels and Addis Ababa substantive issues of mutual concern, such as ‘the future of ACP-EU relations after 2020’; invites continuation of this practice in the future;
11. Calls on the JPA Bureau to develop a more strategic orientation concerning the work programme of the Assembly and the choice of reports by its Standing Committees, making sure that the reports are closely linked to the strategic objectives of the JPA and contribute in particular to the negotiations on the post-2015 development framework and EU- ACP relations after 2020;
12. Reiterates its deepest concern at the deteriorating political and humanitarian situations in several ACP countries and regions, including the domestic and external repercussions of such situations at various levels, and expresses solidarity with the affected populations; calls on the JPA to continue to monitor the situation in ACP countries in crisis, to pay closer attention to situations of state fragility, and to call on the ACP and EU States to fight in a coordinated fashion against the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Western Africa;
13. Welcomes the increasingly parliamentary — and hence political — nature of the JPA, together with the ever more active role played by its members and the greater quality of its debates, which are helping it make a vital contribution to the ACP-EU partnership; calls on the JPA to strengthen the dialogue on human rights in line with the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Cotonou Agreement, and to place this dialogue on its agendas as a recurring item; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/23
Wednesday 11 February 2015
14. Draws attention to the fact that the discussion on the post-2020 ACP-EU relations and the future of the ACP group is under way, and stresses the importance of the role that the JPA should play in this process; underlines, in this regard, the need for a comprehensive and strengthened joint parliamentary oversight, independently of the final outcome; stresses that any future agreement taking the place of the Cotonou Agreement should include an explicit mention of non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, as demanded on many occasions by the European Parliament;
15. Reiterates its deep concern over the adoption and discussion of legislation further criminalising homosexuality in some ACP countries; calls on the JPA to place this on the agenda for its debates; calls for reinforcement of the principle of non-negotiable human rights clauses and sanctions for failure to respect such clauses, inter alia with regard to discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity and against people living with HIV/AIDS;
16. Considers that the post-Cotonou discussion should be an occasion to thoroughly analyse both the failure and the success of the current agreement in terms of the sustainable socio-economic development of ACP countries; believes also that any future ACP-EU development and economic cooperation, as well as trade and investment arrangements, should ensure that no ACP country be left worse off;
17. Calls on the JPA bureau to appoint, within the JPA, two standing co-rapporteurs on Policy Coherence for Development (PCD), to work closely with the European Parliament’s PCD standing rapporteur, and to produce a biannual report on the implementation of Article 12 of the revised Cotonou Agreement;
18. Believes that, coinciding with JPA sessions, meetings should be held with civil society organisations active in the countries concerned, the idea being to foster a broader vision and to capitalise on their fund of experience and activities, emphasising best practice, with a view to forging closer ties with those organisations;
19. Insists that the EPAs with ACP countries should serve development objectives which reflect both national and regional interests and the needs of the ACP populations in order to reduce poverty, achieve the MDGs and ensure respect for fundamental human rights, including socio-economic rights such as the right to food or the right to access basic public services;
20. Invites the EU-ACP JPA to develop a common approach in defining the future development framework after 2015; encourages the engagement of the JPA members in negotiations on the new Sustainable Development Goals;
21. Welcomes the fact that successful regional meetings as provided for in the Cotonou Agreement and the JPA Rules of Procedure were held in 2012 and 2013; acknowledges that these meetings make for a genuine exchange of views on regional issues, including conflict prevention and resolution, regional integration and cooperation, and the negotiations for the WTO-compatible EPAs; commends the organisers of the successful meetings in Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Samoa and Zambia;
22. Stresses the importance of the workshops organised during the JPA sessions, which complement the plenary debates; invites the Bureau, which is responsible for monitoring the follow-up to resolutions and decisions of the Assembly, to enhance its role and follow up with the chair and rapporteur of the standing committee concerned;
23. Welcomes the participation of the EP Co-President of the JPA in the informal meetings of EU Ministers for Development and in the 7th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government;
24. Calls on the Commission to continue the practice of providing answers in writing beforehand to the oral questions tabled at each session of the Assembly; C 310/24 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
25. Calls on the states that have not yet done so to ratify the revised Cotonou Agreement; 26. Commends Commissioner Piebalgs for his dedicated involvement and the high quality of his contribution to the work of the JPA; 27. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the ACP Council, the Vice- President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the JPA Bureau, and the Governments and Parliaments of Denmark, Suriname, Ireland and Ethiopia. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/25
Thursday 12 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0036 Burundi: the case of Bob Rugurika European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on Burundi: the case of Bob Rugurika (2015/2561(RSP)) (2016/C 310/06)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to its previous resolutions on Burundi, especially that of 18 September 2014 on Burundi, in particular the case of Pierre Claver Mbonimpa (1),
— having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,
— having regard to the UN Security Council statement of 10 April 2014 on the situation in Burundi,
— having regard to the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement,
— having regard to the Council conclusions of 22 July 2014 on the Great Lakes Region,
— having regard to the reports of the UN Office in Burundi (BNUB),
— having regard to the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and on Freedom of Expression, as well as the June 2014 Council conclusions committing to intensify work on HRDs,
— having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
— having regard to the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG),
— having regard to the opinion of 25 April 2013 of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH),
— having regard to the statement of 10 September 2014 by the EU delegation to Burundi,
— having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
— having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
— having regard to Rules 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 20 January 2015 the Burundian authorities arrested and detained the human rights defender Bob Rugurika, director of Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), following his refusal to reveal his sources days after his radio station broadcast a series of investigative reports concerning the killing in September 2014 of three elderly Italian nuns, Lucia Pulici, Olga Raschietti and Bernadetta Boggian, in Kamenge, a town north of Bujumbura;
B. whereas the broadcasts included allegations of the involvement in the killings of senior intelligence officials, who were offered the right to comment prior to the broadcasts;
(1) Texts adopted, P8_TA(2014)0023. C 310/26 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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C. whereas the Burundian authorities have produced no evidence to justify detaining Mr Rugurika on grounds of ‘public solidarity breaking, infringement of confidentiality of inquiry, harbouring a criminal and complicity in murder’; whereas this arrest forms part of a pattern of government attacks on freedom of expression, targeting journalists, activists, and members of political parties; whereas such attacks have escalated in the run-up to the elections due to be held in Burundi in May and June 2015;
D. whereas international human rights law, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both ratified by Burundi, clearly states that pre-trial detention should be based on credible and legally founded charge; whereas the Burundian authorities have not produced any evidence of the need to detain Mr Rugurika;
E. whereas this is not the first attempt of the Burundian government to stop the media and human rights groups from publishing sensitive information and reporting on alleged government abuses; whereas despite this persistent harassment, journalists have not shied away from documenting and reporting on controversial subjects, among their number being Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a leading human rights defender who was arrested in May 2014 for remarks made on Radio Publique Africaine, only later to be released, although the charges against him have not been dropped;
F. whereas in June 2013 Burundi adopted a restrictive press law curbing media freedoms, limiting the subjects on which journalists are allowed to report, and potentially criminalising reporting on subjects such as public order and security; whereas Burundi’s journalists’ union has taken the matter to the East African Court of Justice;
G. whereas the adoption of a series of restrictive laws ahead of the 2015 elections, including the media law of April 2013, has compounded the harassment and threats suffered since 2010 by journalists and others whose critical voices denounce political assassinations, corruption and poor management of the country;
H. whereas Burundi is ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index;
I. whereas the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, Reine Alapini-Gansou, has condemned this arrest and demanded the immediate release of Bob Rugurika, and has recalled the responsibilities of the Burundian authorities arising from the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa and from the Declarations of Kigali and Grand Bay;
J. whereas the right of freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Burundian Constitution and by international and regional treaties ratified by Burundi, and is also part of the National Strategy for good governance and the fight against corruption, as well as being an essential condition for the holding of free and fair elections in 2015 and for their results to be accepted by all participants;
K. whereas a free, fair, transparent and peaceful electoral process in 2015 will enable the country, which is still in a post- conflict situation, to emerge from the political impasse created by the electoral process of 2010;
L. whereas, following the resolution of Parliament of 18 September 2014, and in particular the reference therein to Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, EU representatives have insisted on the need for inclusive participation in the electoral process by all political forces in the country, in line with the Roadmap and the Code of Conduct;
M. whereas the Burundian Government has confirmed its commitment to act to ensure that negotiations with all political forces in the country respect the above two documents, and has repeated its request to the EU and its Member States to provide material and financial support for the current electoral process and send observer missions to Burundi before, during and after the elections; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/27
Thursday 12 February 2015
N. whereas the EU has recently allocated EUR 432 million to Burundi from the European Development Fund 2014-2020, inter alia to assist with improving governance and civil society;
O. whereas Burundi continues to face its worst political crisis since it emerged from a 12-year civil war in 2005, and whereas this is once again posing threats not only to the country’s internal stability, but also to that of its neighbours in an already volatile region of the African continent;
1. Condemns the unjustified detention of Bob Rugurika and calls for his immediate and unconditional release; calls on the authorities at the same time to continue their investigations into the tragic killing of the three Italian nuns and to bring those responsible to justice; calls equally for the setting-up of an independent inquiry into the killing of the three nuns;
2. Denounces all human rights violations in Burundi and the introduction of restrictive laws ahead of the country’s 2015 presidential and parliamentary elections, in particular those having a damaging impact on the opposition, the media and civil society by restricting the freedoms of expression and association and the freedom to hold meetings;
3. Calls on the Burundian authorities to ensure an appropriate and fair balance between freedom of the media, including the freedom of journalists to investigate and report on crimes, and the need to ensure the integrity of criminal investigations;
4. Calls on the Burundian Government to allow a genuine and open political debate in the run-up to the 2015 elections and to respect the Roadmap and Code of Conduct negotiated under UN auspices and signed by all Burundian political leaders; recalls that the Burundian constitution states: ‘The President of the Republic is elected for a five-year term renewable once. No one can serve for more than two terms as president’;
5. Calls on the Burundian Government to respect the electoral calendar, and to include the opposition parties in the monitoring of the elections, including the phase of partial registration of new voters as agreed between the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and the political parties at the voters’ registration evaluation meeting of 29- 30 January 2015;
6. Expresses its deep concern at the interference by the government in the internal management of the opposition parties, the lack of freedom for those parties to campaign, and the increasing tendency for the judiciary to exclude opposition leaders from the electoral process;
7. Urges the Burundian Government to take measures to control the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party and prevent it from intimidating and attacking perceived opponents, and to ensure that those responsible for abuses are brought to justice; calls for an independent international investigation into the claims that the CNDD-FDD is supplying its youth wing with arms and training; urges the leaders of the opposition parties to prevent violence against their opponents;
8. Underlines the importance of respecting the Code of Conduct in Electoral Matters (Code de bonne conduite en matière électorale) and the UN-brokered election roadmap which was signed by political actors in 2013, and fully supports the activities of the UN and the international community aimed at preventing a further increase in political violence in the run-up to the 2015 elections and helping restore long-term security and peace;
9. Encourages all those involved in the electoral process, including the bodies responsible for organising the elections and the security services, to respect the commitments made in the Arusha Agreement, recalling that this agreement put an end to the civil war and is the foundation on which the Burundian Constitution is based;
10. Underlines the leading role the EU should play in monitoring the pre-electoral situation so as to avoid any going back on commitments which could have a serious effect not only on the democratisation process but also on peace and security in Burundi and throughout the Great Lakes Region; C 310/28 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Thursday 12 February 2015
11. Reiterates that Burundi is bound by the human rights clause of the Cotonou Agreement, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and therefore has an obligation to respect universal human rights, including freedom of expression; calls on the Government of Burundi to allow genuine and open political debate to take place ahead of the elections in 2015 without fear of intimidation, by refraining from interfering in the internal management of the opposition parties, by not placing restrictions on campaigning that affect all parties, especially in rural areas, and by refraining from abusing the judiciary to exclude political rivals; 12. Calls on the Commission, the Vice-President/High Representative and the Member States to continue working towards a clear and principled EU policy vis-à-vis Burundi that addresses the ongoing serious human rights violations, in line with the EU Strategic Framework on Human Rights; calls on the Commission to consider launching consultations with Burundi under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement with a view to its possible suspension from the Agreement and to take any appropriate measures while those consultations are being conducted; 13. Calls on the Vice-President/High Representative to make use of the intensified political dialogue provided for under Article 8 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement with the Burundian Government to concretely address the closure of the political space in Burundi and to establish clear and concrete benchmarks to measure developments and a strategy for responding to them; 14. Call on the Burundian Government, the opposition party leaders and civil society activists to do their utmost to support the Peace and Reconciliation Commission (PRC) in a democratic and transparent way in order to deal with past crimes and move forward to prepare the future; 15. Calls on the European Union and the Member States to release the funds required to address the humanitarian situation in this part of the world and to work in collaboration with UN bodies in particular on the chronic malnutrition situation; 16. Asks the Commission to allocate its funds for the 2014-2020 period as a matter of priority to the NGOs and international organisations that work directly with the people and to bring pressure to bear on the Government of Burundi to implement the reforms needed to consolidate the state; 17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Government of Burundi, the governments of the countries of the Great Lakes Region, the African Union, the Secretary- General of the United Nations, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and the Pan-African Parliament. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/29
Thursday 12 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0037 Saudi Arabia: the case of Raif Badawi European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on the case of Mr Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia (2015/ 2550(RSP)) (2016/C 310/07)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to its previous resolutions on Saudi Arabia, notably those concerning human rights and, in particular, that of 11 March 2014 on Saudi Arabia, its relations with the EU and its role in the Middle East and North Africa (1),
— having regard to the statement of 9 January 2015 by the Spokesperson of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini,
— having regard to the statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, appealing to the Saudi authorities to halt the punishment of Raif Badawi,
— having regard to Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
— having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
— having regard to the Arab Charter on Human Rights, ratified by Saudi Arabia in 2009, of which Article 32(1) guarantees the right to information and freedom of opinion and expression, and Article 8 prohibits physical or psychological torture or cruel, degrading, humiliating or inhuman treatment,
— having regard to the European Union Guidelines on Torture and Ill-Treatment, and on Human Rights Defenders,
— having regard to Rules 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Raif Badawi, a blogger and human rights activist, was charged with apostasy and sentenced by the Criminal Court of Jeddah in May 2014 to 10 years in prison, 1 000 lashes and a fine of SAR 1 million (EUR 228 000) after creating the website ‘Free Saudi Liberals Network’ for social, political and religious debate which was deemed to be an insult to Islam; whereas the sentence also bans Mr Badawi from using any media outlets and from travelling abroad for 10 years after his release from prison;
B. whereas on 9 January 2015, Mr Badawi received his first set of 50 lashes in front of the al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah, resulting in wounds so profound that when he was taken to a prison clinic for a medical check-up, it was found by the doctors that he would not be able to withstand another round of lashes;
C. whereas judicial verdicts imposing corporal punishment, including flogging, are strictly prohibited under international human rights law, including the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Saudi Arabia has ratified;
D. whereas on 6 July 2014, Raif Badawi’s lawyer, prominent human rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair, was sentenced by the Specialised Criminal Court to 15 years in prison, to be followed by a 15-year travel ban, after setting up the human rights organisation ‘Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia’;
(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0207. C 310/30 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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E. whereas the case of Mr Badawi is one of many cases in which harsh sentences and harassment have been used against Saudi human rights activists and other reform advocates persecuted for expressing their views, several of whom have been convicted, under procedures which fall short of international fair trial standards, as was confirmed by the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in July 2014;
F. whereas Saudi Arabia has a lively community of online activists and the highest number of Twitter users in the Middle East; whereas, however, the internet is heavily censored, with thousands of websites being blocked and new blogs and websites needing a licence from the Ministry of Information; whereas Saudi Arabia is on the Reporters Without Borders list of ‘Enemies of the Internet’ due to the censorship of the Saudi media and the internet and the punishment of those who criticise the government or religion;
G. whereas freedom of expression and freedom of the press and media, both online and offline, are crucial preconditions and catalysts for democratisation and reform and are essential checks on power;
H. whereas in spite of the introduction of some cautious reforms during the rule of the late King Abdullah, the Saudi political and social system remains profoundly undemocratic, makes women and Shia Muslims second-class citizens, seriously discriminates against the country’s large foreign workforce and severely represses all voices of dissent;
I. whereas the number and pace of executions are a matter of serious concern; whereas over 87 people were executed in 2014, mostly by public beheading; whereas at least 21 people have been executed since the beginning of 2015; whereas 423 executions were reported between 2007 and 2012; whereas the death penalty can be imposed for a wide range of offenses;
J. whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an influential political, economic, cultural and religious actor in the Middle East and the Islamic world, and a founder and leading member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the G-20;
K. whereas in November 2013 Saudi Arabia was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year period;
L. whereas the so-called Islamic State and Saudi Arabia prescribe near-identical punishments for a host of crimes, including the death penalty for blasphemy, murder, acts of homosexuality, theft or treason, death by stoning for adultery and the amputation of hands and feet for banditry;
M. whereas Saudi Arabia plays a leading role in financing, disseminating and promoting worldwide a particularly extremist interpretation of Islam; whereas the most sectarian vision of Islam has inspired terrorist organisations such as the so- called Islamic State and al-Qaeda;
N. whereas Saudi Arabian authorities claim to be a partner to Member States, notably in the global fight against terror; whereas a new counter-terrorism law adopted in January 2014 includes provisions which allow for all dissenting expressions or independent associations to be interpreted as terrorist crimes;
1. Strongly condemns the flogging of Raif Badawi as a cruel and shocking act by the Saudi Arabian authorities; calls on the Saudi authorities to put a stop to any further flogging of Raif Badawi and to release him immediately and unconditionally, as he is considered a prisoner of conscience, detained and sentenced solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression; calls on the Saudi authorities to ensure that his conviction and sentence, including his travel ban, are quashed; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/31
Thursday 12 February 2015
2. Calls on the Saudi authorities to ensure that Raif Badawi be protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and be given any medical attention he may require, as well as immediate and regular access to his family and lawyers of his choice; 3. Calls on the Saudi authorities to release unconditionally Raif Badawi’s lawyer, and all human rights defenders and other prisoners of conscience detained and sentenced for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression; 4. Condemns firmly all forms of corporal punishment as unacceptable and degrading treatment contrary to human dignity and voices concern about states’ use of flogging, strongly calling for its strict abolition; calls on the Saudi authorities to respect the prohibition of torture, as is most notably enshrined in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Saudi Arabia has signed and ratified; calls on Saudi Arabia to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; 5. Highlights the process of judicial reform undertaken by Saudi Arabia with a view to strengthening the possibility for improved protection of individual rights, but remains gravely concerned by the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, which continues to rank among the most repressive countries in the world; considers the case of Raif Badawi a symbol of the assault on freedom of expression and peaceful dissent in the country, and more broadly of the Kingdom’s characteristic policies of intolerance and extremist interpretation of Islamic law; 6. Urges the Saudi authorities to abolish the Specialised Criminal Court, set up in 2008 to try terrorism cases but increasingly used to prosecute peaceful dissidents on apparently politically motivated charges and in proceedings that violate the fundamental right to a fair trial; 7. Calls on the Saudi authorities to allow independent press and media and ensure freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly for all inhabitants of Saudi Arabia; condemns the repression of activists and protesters when they demonstrate peacefully; stresses that the peaceful advocacy of basic legal rights or making critical remarks using social media are expressions of an indispensable right; 8. Reminds Saudi Arabia’s leadership of its pledge to ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights’ when it applied successfully for membership to the UN Human Rights Council in 2013; 9. Believes that Saudi Arabia would be a more credible and effective partner in fighting terrorist organisations such as the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda if it did not engage in anachronistic and extremist practices, such as public beheadings, stoning and other forms of torture, similar to those committed by IS; 10. Calls on the European External Action Service and the Commission to support, in an active and creative manner, civil society groups and individuals defending human rights in Saudi Arabia, including through the arrangement of prison visits, trial monitoring and public statements; 11. Instructs its Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula to raise the issue of Raif Badawi and the other prisoners of conscience during the course of its forthcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and to report back to its Subcommittee on Human Rights; 12. Calls for the EU and its Member States to reconsider their relationship with Saudi Arabia, in a way that allows it to pursue its economic, energy and security interests, while not undermining the credibility of its core human rights commitments; 13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Secretary-General of the Centre for National Dialogue of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. C 310/32 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Thursday 12 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0038 Mass graves of the missing persons of Ashia in Ornithi village in the occupied part of Cyprus European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on mass graves of the missing persons of Ashia in Ornithi village in the occupied part of Cyprus (2015/2551(RSP)) (2016/C 310/08)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2007 on missing persons in Cyprus (1),
— having regard to the relevant reports of the United Nations Secretary-General (2), resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (3) and international initiatives taken to investigate the fate of missing persons in Cyprus (4),
— having regard to the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of 10 May 2001 (5) and 10 January 2008 (6) concerning missing persons in Cyprus, and the 12 May 2014 Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Cyprus v. Turkey,
— having regard to its resolution of 18 June 2008 on missing persons in Cyprus (7),
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0139/2008),
— having regard to its declaration of 9 June 2011 on the work of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus,
— having regard to the international humanitarian law, both conventional and customary, on missing persons,
— having regard to its previous resolutions on Turkey,
— having regard to Rules 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 14 August 1974 the village of Ashia was bombarded by Turkish air forces; whereas on 21 August 1974 enforced mass evacuations were conducted by the Turkish army; whereas final expulsion of all the inhabitants of the village took place on 28 August 1974;
B. whereas, in total, 106 individuals from the village of Ashia, aged between 11 and 84, went missing in 1974;
C. whereas in the spring of 2009, the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) conducted a search in the Ornithi area, a village situated 4 km west of the village of Ashia; whereas four burial sites were disinterred, two of which were water wells and the sites of mass graves; whereas it has been confirmed that the remains, identified by DNA testing, belong to the list of 71 civilians who went missing in Ashia on 21 August 1974, as stated above;
D. whereas evidence suggests that that the two mass graves had been previously exhumed; whereas the remains were intentionally removed and transferred to unknown locations;
(1) OJ C 301 E, 13.12.2007, p. 243. (2) Notably the latest one on the United Nations Operation in Cyprus (S/2008/353), Chapter IV. (3) Notably resolution 1818 (2008) of 13 June 2008. (4) Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus: http://www.cmp-cyprus.org (5) Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus: http://www.cmp-cyprus.org (6) Varnava and Others v. Turkey, Nos 16064/90, 16065/90, 16066/90, 16068/90, 16069/90, 16070/90, 16071/90, 16072/90 and 16073/90; pending appeal. (7) OJ C 286 E, 27.11.2009, p. 13. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/33
Thursday 12 February 2015
E. whereas the great agony and suffering of the families of the missing persons, who have remained ignorant of the fate of their beloved relatives for decades, still continues, and whereas all efforts must therefore be made to expedite the investigations by the CMP;
F. whereas the European Court of Human Rights held that there had been, with regard to Greek-Cypriot missing persons and their relatives: a continuing violation of Article 2 (right to life) of the Convention concerning the failure of the Turkish authorities to conduct an effective investigation into the whereabouts and fate of Greek-Cypriot missing persons who disappeared in life-threatening circumstances; a continuing violation of Article 5 (right to liberty and security) concerning the failure of Turkey to conduct an effective investigation into the whereabouts and fate of the Greek-Cypriot missing persons in respect of whom there was an arguable claim that they were in Turkish custody at the time of their disappearance; and a continuing violation of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) in that the silence of the Turkish authorities in the face of the real concerns of the relatives attained a level of severity which could only be categorised as inhuman treatment;
G. whereas the cases, where only partial skeletal remains of persons can be handed over for burial, cannot be considered as closed until all the identifiable remains of all the missing persons have been discovered;
H. whereas the European Court of Human Rights has ruled on the responsibility of Turkey, as the de facto occupying force in the northern part of Cyprus, to investigate the whereabouts and fates of those missing and facilitate the work of the CMP;
I. whereas the problem of missing persons is a humanitarian one deriving from the right of the relatives of missing persons to know their fate;
J. whereas the ordeal of missing persons in Cyprus began in 1964, with a limited number of missing persons from both communities, and reached its peak with nearly 2 000 missing persons following the military invasion by Turkey in 1974, which still keeps the island divided;
K. whereas a total of 2 001 Cypriots have remained missing for several decades now, of whom 1 508 are Greek Cypriots and 493 Turkish Cypriots;
1. Condemns the relocation that took place in Ornithi, and similar actions, as a great disrespect to the missing persons and a gross violation of the rights of their families to finally know the real conditions of the deaths of their loved ones; expresses its sympathy with the families of all missing people who are still living in uncertainty;
2. Underlines that relocation of remains and similar acts could represent a major disruption and complication for the challenging and difficult process of investigating the fate of all missing persons in Cyprus;
3. Highlights the urgency of the matter as regards the families of the missing persons, 41 years after their disappearances, and stresses that time is running out to find them as witnesses and relatives are passing away; calls for the immediate and complete verification of the fate of the missing persons;
4. Commends the work of the CMP and highlights the importance of intensifying its activities, as half of all the missing persons have yet to be located and more than two-thirds have yet to be identified;
5. Stresses that the work of the CMP depends on the full support and cooperation of all the parties involved and welcomes, in this regard, the funds provided by the EU and calls for their continued provision;
6. Notes that the CMP has made an urgent call for anyone with information on possible burial sites to contact CMP investigators; calls on Turkey and its government to immediately cease removal of the remains from the mass graves and to comply with international law, international humanitarian law and the ECHR judgments, and facilitate to that effect the efforts of the three-part Committee on Missing Persons by giving full access to military archives and military zones for exhumation; calls on Turkey to fully implement its obligation following the decision of the ECHR to compensate the families of the missing persons; C 310/34 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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7. Calls on Turkey to allow without deliberate delay access to zones that have been defined as military and there is information that burial sites of missing persons are located within them; underlines that the Turkish military should supply and share old military maps and give full access to its archives in order to facilitate the search for still undisclosed burial grounds; 8. Urges all EU Member States to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as a matter of priority, and calls on the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Member States to support the work of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, established under this Convention; 9. Reminds all parties concerned and all those who have, or are in a position to have, any information or evidence emanating from personal knowledge, archives, battlefield reports or records of detention places, to pass it on to the CMP without further delay; 10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Government and Parliament of Turkey, and recalls the unconditional obligation of every state, under the European Convention on Human Rights, to abide by final judgments in cases to which it has been a party. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/35
Thursday 12 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0040 Humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria, in particular in the IS context European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2015 on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria, in particular in the IS context (2015/2559(RSP)) (2016/C 310/09)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to its previous resolutions on Iraq and Syria,
— having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on Iraq and Syria, in particular those of 15 December 2014,
— having regard to the Council conclusions on Iraq and Syria of 30 August 2014,
— having regard to the statements by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on Iraq and Syria,
— having regard to the Joint Communication of 6 February 2015 by the VP/HR and the Commission entitled ‘Elements for an EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the Da’esh threat’,
— having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014) and 2170 (2014) and UN Human Rights Council resolution S-22/1,
— having regard to the UN Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic entitled ‘Rule of Terror: Living under ISIS in Syria’, of 14 November 2014,
— having regard to the Concluding observations on the combined second to fourth periodic reports of Iraq, published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on 4 February 2015,
— having regard to the statements by the Secretary-General of the UN on Iraq and Syria,
— having regard to the recent statements by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, on the situation of Syrian and Iraqi refugees,
— having regard to the NATO Summit Declaration of 5 September 2014,
— having regard to the EU Guidelines on international humanitarian law, on human rights defenders, and on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief,
— having regard to the conclusions of the International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq, held in Paris on 15 September 2014,
— having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Iraq, of the other, and to its position of 17 January 2013 on that agreement (1),
— having regard to Rule 123(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,
(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0023. C 310/36 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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A. whereas the ongoing violent crisis in Syria as a result of the Assad regime and terrorist violence has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe of an unprecedented scale in history, with more than 200 000 people killed, most of them civilians, more than 7,6 million people internally displaced, and more than 12,2 million Syrians in desperate need of assistance inside Syria; whereas 211 500 people are still besieged — 185 000 by government forces and 26 500 by opposition forces; whereas more than 3,8 million Syrians have fled their country, mainly to Lebanon (1 160 468 refugees), Turkey (1 623 839), Jordan (621 773) and Egypt/North Africa (160 772);
B. whereas the humanitarian situation in Iraq caused by the ongoing conflict and the violence and repression by the terrorist organisation ISIL/Daesh continues to deteriorate, and whereas more than 5,2 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and more than 2,1 million Iraqis are internally displaced; whereas there are 3,6 million people living in areas controlled by ISIL/Daesh, 2,2 million of whom are in urgent need of aid, and whereas these people are particularly difficult to access; whereas Iraq is also hosting more than 233 000 Syrian refugees;
C. whereas many refugees and internally displaced people are not registered, which disenfranchises unregistered populations from much-needed humanitarian aid and basic protection measures;
D. whereas the terrorist organisation ISIL/Daesh has conquered parts of north-western Iraq using brutal and indiscriminate violence, including Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, and whereas this was followed by summary executions of Iraqi citizens, the imposition of a harsh interpretation of sharia law, the destruction of Shiite, Sufi, Sunni, Yazidi, Kurdish and Christian places of worship and shrines, and barbaric atrocities against the civilian population, which have had a particular impact on women and children;
E. whereas former Ba’athist military personnel of the Iraqi army have joined ISIL/Daesh, and whereas the army itself is plagued by rampant corruption and political interference, which are hampering an effective response to ISIL/Daesh on its part;
F. whereas ISIL/Daesh has established so-called ‘sharia courts’ in the territory under its control, which have been carrying out barbaric, cruel and inhuman punishments against men, women and children; whereas ISIL/Daesh has published a penal code listing crimes punishable by amputation, stoning and crucifixion; whereas those who are punished are accused of violating the group’s extremist interpretations of Islamic sharia law, or of suspected disloyalty;
G. whereas ISIL/Daesh has launched systematic campaigns of ethnic cleansing in northern Iraq and Syria, carrying out war crimes and gross violations of international humanitarian law, including mass summary killings and abductions, against ethnic and religious minorities; whereas the UN has already reported on targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, the rape, smuggling and kidnapping of women, the slavery of women and children, the recruitment of children for suicide bombings, and sexual and physical abuse and torture; whereas ethnic and religious minorities, including Christian, Kurdish, Yazidi, Turkmen, Shabak, Kaka’i, Sabean and Shia communities, as well as many Arabs and Sunni Muslims, have been targeted by ISIL/Daesh;
H. whereas a report released by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on 4 February 2015 claims that ISIL/Daesh militants are selling abducted children as sex slaves and killing others, including by means of crucifixion and burying alive; whereas most child refugees and displaced children do not have access to education;
I. whereas large numbers of women have been killed or abducted by ISIL/Daesh in Syria and Iraq; whereas those abducted women and girls have reportedly been subjected to rape or sexual abuse, forced to marry fighters, or sold into sexual slavery; whereas some women have been sold as slaves for as little as USD 25; whereas Yazidi women in Iraq are particularly targeted; whereas integrated sexual and reproductive health/sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) services are clearly lacking; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/37
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J. whereas educated, professional women, and particularly women having run as candidates in elections for public office, seem to be at risk; whereas reports indicate that at least three women lawyers have been executed and four doctors recently killed in central Mosul; whereas the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is expected to present a report documenting human rights violations by ISIL/Daesh in Iraq to the Human Rights Council in March 2015; whereas apostates have been targeted and subjected to inhumane violence;
K. whereas LGBT people are suffering from violence and murders carried out by ISIL/Daesh, which have been taking place with total impunity; whereas the situation of LGBT people in the region is particularly vulnerable, given the limited family and community support and government protection, and whereas their safety remains at risk in refugee communities or in certain host societies;
L. whereas much-needed specific psychological help for victims of the conflict, including rape victims, is not available;
M. whereas the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has stated that almost 50 % of all Syrians have lost their homes and 40 % of the refugees are forced to endure sub-standard living conditions; whereas, according to the UN, three out of four Syrians live in poverty and the unemployment rate is over 50 %; whereas, in spite of strong efforts by the governments concerned, two thirds of the Syrian refugees in Jordan are living below the poverty line and 55 % of the refugees in Lebanon live in sub-standard shelters; whereas violence and discrimination against refugees have risen in the host countries;
N. whereas a severe winter is sweeping across the Middle East and the UNHCR has stepped up its winter assistance, launching a USD 206 million winter plan to help millions of vulnerable people in the region; whereas, despite the efforts made, many refugees are forced to live in unfinished buildings and inadequate shelters that expose them to sub- zero temperatures, heavy snow and strong winds; whereas approximately 740 000 internally displaced Iraqis are sheltering in sub-standard housing, and the UNHCR is taking steps to provide 600 000 of the displaced persons with winter support in Iraq;
O. whereas when temperatures rise, the risk of epidemics associated with dire sanitation conditions and limited access to safe drinking water, particularly in communal and informal settlements, increases;
P. whereas UNICEF is delivering winter assistance in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to 916 000 of the 1,3 million children targeted; whereas UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched a winter cash assistance campaign in January 2015 to provide 41 000 vulnerable refugee children in the Za’atari and Azraq camps with 14 Jordanian dinars to allow their family to buy them winter clothes;
Q. whereas on 1 December 2014 the WFP was temporarily forced to suspend a critical food aid scheme for more than 1,7 million Syrian refugees because of an international funding crisis; whereas the WFP raised USD 88 million after an urgent appeal and could provide food assistance to the refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey; whereas the WFP estimates that 2,8 million people in Iraq currently need food assistance; whereas the WFP alone required USD 214,5 million as a matter of urgency for its operations in Syria and the region, of which USD 112,6 million was needed to meet food assistance needs for the next four months;
R. whereas the parties to the conflict have used collective punishment as a weapon of war and have stolen and illicitly traded aid products, thereby violating the Geneva Conventions;
S. whereas, according to the Commission, approximately 276 000 refugees have tried to enter the EU illegally, the majority of whom undertook the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean; whereas, according to international organisations, nearly 2 % of the refugees drowned during the journey; whereas criminal organisations are transporting refugees in ‘ghost boats’ hurtling on autopilot towards the EU; whereas on 9 December 2014 a Resettlement Conference was held in Geneva, at which governments pledged to take in 100 000 Syrian refugees; whereas according to the UNHCR the contributions will still be insufficient with regard to the resettlement needs in the region; C 310/38 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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T. whereas more than EUR 3,3 billion has been mobilised by the EU and its Member States for relief and recovery assistance to Syrians in their country and to the refugees and their host countries; whereas in 2014 alone the EU and its Member States were the second-largest humanitarian donor to Iraq, providing EUR 163 million; whereas the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated at the request of the Iraqi Government; whereas the EU has spent more than it envisaged to address humanitarian needs, and whereas funds pledged by several non-EU countries have not always actually been transferred;
U. whereas, despite the various appeals, the international community is failing to meet the needs of Syrians and Iraqis and of the countries harbouring refugees; whereas, according to Kyung-wha Kang, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, UN operations are suffering from a lack of funding, with just 39 % of the required USD 2,3 billion having been received; whereas the UNHCR has stated that the delivery of relief aid continues to be a critical priority, but that it remains very difficult to operate within the areas to provide civilians and refugees with the proper aid they need; whereas UN agencies operating humanitarian programmes are to ensure a more integrated and cost- efficient response to the needs of all populations of concern;
V. whereas the international community is to provide a proportional response to military efforts, aimed at mitigating the suffering of civilians trapped by the conflict; whereas justice and reconciliation will be needed as an element of post- conflict measures and as a step towards building inclusive, representative and democratic governance;
W. whereas some Member States are offering equipment and training assistance to the legitimate Iraqi force and the Kurdish Peshmergas; whereas some Member States are directly participating in the military actions of the coalition against ISIL/Daesh;
1. Strongly condemns the gruesome, systematic and widespread human rights abuses and violations committed by the Assad regime, the terrorists of ISIL/Daesh and other jihadi groups in Iraq and Syria, including the killing of hostages, all forms of violence against people on the basis of their religious or ethnic affiliation, and violence against women and LGBTI people; stresses once again that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a fundamental human right; deplores the establishment of unlawful so-called ‘sharia courts’ in the territory under ISIL/Daesh control; recalls its absolute condemnation of torture; expresses its deep sympathy to the victims of the atrocities committed by the Assad regime, the terrorists of ISIL/Daesh and other jihadi groups, and calls for the immediate release of all hostages; strongly condemns ISIL/ Daesh abuses against children;
2. Expresses growing concern about the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Syria and Iraq and the violations of international humanitarian law, not least in the context of the ISIL/Daesh insurgency;
3. Stresses that the ongoing war in Syria and the recent threat posed by ISIL/Daesh constitute a serious danger to the people of Iraq and Syria, and to the broader Middle East; calls for the EU to adopt and implement a comprehensive regional strategy for defeating ISIL/Daesh and to contribute to joint efforts to mitigate the humanitarian crisis and end the conflict in Syria and Iraq; recalls that a cohesive response is needed in order to coordinate all aspects of engagement and to support host countries, including with security, humanitarian, development and macro-economic assistance; commends the role of neighbouring countries in accepting refugees; emphasises that the EU needs a strategy that complements UN and counter- ISIL/Daesh coalition activities and is aimed at engaging with regional partners in order to address terrorism financing, the supply of weapons and the flow of transnational foreign fighters;
4. Emphasises that various ethnic and religious minority groups have lived in peace for decades in the Middle East;
5. Supports the global campaign against ISIL/Daesh, and welcomes the commitment of the coalition partners to working together under a common, multifaceted and long-term strategy to defeat ISIL/Daesh; supports the King of Jordan’s strong determination to fight ISIL/Daesh; welcomes the defeat of ISIL/Daesh in the Syrian town of Kobani; stresses that assistance to enable the countries of the region to fight violent extremism, together with instruments to counter terrorism financing, should be part of this strategy; emphasises, in this connection, that any military campaign to liberate the territories under ISIL/Daesh control should adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, so as to avoid causing more loss of lives and feeding the extremist agenda, and to prevent new waves of refugees and internally displaced persons; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/39
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6. Condemns the use and exploitation of oilfields and related infrastructure by ISIL/Daesh and associated groups, which enables ISIL/Daesh to generate substantial income, and urges all states to uphold UN Security Council Resolutions 2161 (2014) and 2170 (2014), which condemn all trade, direct or indirect, with ISIL/Daesh and associated groups;
7. Stresses the centrality of protection of civilians within its comprehensive regional strategy, and the need to keep separate humanitarian and military/counter-terrorism efforts; emphasises the interlinkage between conflict and humanitarian suffering and radicalisation;
8. Takes the view that defeating the extremist terrorist threat that is gaining ground across the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond is crucial to combating terrorism inside the EU, since its advance actually feeds home-grown radicalisation;
9. Reiterates its concern at the fact that thousands of transnational foreign fighters, including citizens of the Member States, have joined the ISIL/Daesh insurgency; calls on the Member States to take appropriate measures to prevent fighters from travelling from their soil, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2170 (2014), and to develop a common strategy for security services and EU agencies with regard to monitoring and controlling jihadists; calls for cooperation in the EU and at international level with a view to appropriate legal action against any individual suspected of being involved in acts of terrorism; calls on the Member States to intensify cooperation and the exchange of information among themselves and with EU bodies;
10. Welcomes the EU’s new strategy ‘Elements for an EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the Daesh threat’, notably its EUR 1 billion package to ‘help restore peace and security that have been devastated by terrorism and violence for too long’ according to the VP/HR;
11. Calls on the international community to provide more humanitarian aid and assistance to the people affected by the crisis in Iraq and Syria; calls for the EU to consider initiating the convening of a donor conference; welcomes the commitments made by Member States of the EU, as the biggest donor of financial aid, and their pledges for the future; calls for the EU to put pressure on all donors to fulfil their promises and to deliver on their pledges swiftly; calls for an increase in the EU’s contributions to the UN’s humanitarian programmes and for the EU to strengthen its cooperation with international organisations;
12. Stresses that, in view of the unprecedented scale of the crisis, alleviating the suffering of millions of Syrians and Iraqis in need of basic goods and services must be a priority for the EU and the international community at large; condemns the consistent thwarting of attempts to deliver humanitarian aid and calls on all parties involved in the conflict to respect universal human rights, to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid and assistance through all possible channels, including across borders and conflict lines, and to ensure the safety of all medical personnel and humanitarian workers, in line with the various UN Security Council resolutions on the subject;
13. Calls on all the parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law and to ensure that civilians are protected, have unhindered access to medical facilities and humanitarian assistance, and are able to leave areas affected by violence safely and with dignity;
14. Is convinced that immediate humanitarian assistance and protection need to be an integral part of long-term strategies to mitigate the human suffering caused by the conflict and to support the socio-economic rights and livelihood opportunities of returnees, internally displaced persons and refugees, including women, so as to ensure enhanced leadership and participation, with a view to empowering them to choose durable solutions that suit their needs; considers that there is a need to address the specific risks faced by and the particular needs of different groups of women and children who are subjected to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination; C 310/40 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
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15. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adopt immediately specific actions to address the situation of women and girls in Iraq and Syria and to guarantee their freedom and respect for their most fundamental rights, and to adopt measures to prevent exploitation, abuse and violence against women and children, in particular the forced marriage of girls; is particularly concerned about the increase in all forms of violence against women, who are being imprisoned, raped, sexually abused and sold by members of ISIL/Daesh;
16. Urges a renewed focus on access to education, tailored to the specific needs generated by the ongoing conflict;
17. Calls for the EU and its Member States to make full use of the EU Guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, in relation to Iraq and Syria;
18. Calls on the international humanitarian agencies working in Iraq and Syria, including UN agencies, to increase the provision of medical and counselling services, including psychological treatment and support, for displaced people who have fled the ISIL/Daesh advances, paying special attention to the needs of the most vulnerable populations, i.e. survivors of sexual violence and children; calls for financial assistance to be made available, and for the creation of programmes to comprehensively address the medical/psychological and social needs of SGBV survivors in the ongoing conflict;
19. Calls on all the Member States to expedite the processing of asylum applications from the increasing number of refugees fleeing the conflict zones; calls for the EU to address the issue of the often fatal journeys across the Mediterranean, to implement a coordinated strategy aimed at saving lives, and to provide support to the Member States most affected by the mass arrival of irregular migrants and asylum seekers on their shores;
20. Reiterates its condemnation, in the harshest terms, of the crimes perpetrated by the Syrian regime against its population, including the use of chemical and incendiary weapons against civilians, mass arbitrary detention and its siege strategy to starve the population into submission;
21. Points out that the inadequate response to the instability in Syria has allowed ISIL/Daesh to flourish; expresses its concern at the increasing involvement of extremist Islamist groups and transnational foreign fighters in the conflict in Syria; stresses that a lasting solution requires a political transition through a Syrian-led, inclusive political process based on the Geneva communiqué of June 2012, with the support of the international community; calls for the EU to take the initiative for diplomatic efforts to that end; welcomes and supports the work of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, and his efforts to achieve a freeze on heavy fighting in urban centres, including Aleppo;
22. Calls on all regional actors to contribute to the de-escalation efforts in Iraq and Syria;
23. Calls on the new Iraqi leadership to act on its commitment to an inclusive government — one that represents the legitimate interests and addresses the dire humanitarian needs of all Iraqis; calls on the Iraqi authorities and the international community to prevent the taking of revenge against the Sunni civilian population of the areas currently under the control of ISIL/Daesh after these areas are liberated from ISIL/Daesh; underlines the fact that Iraq’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential for stability and economic development in the country and the region;
24. Welcomes the efforts of the Commission’s Humanitarian and Civil Protection department (ECHO) office in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, to address the humanitarian situation in the region; stresses that more and better coordination is needed between ECHO and the Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), in order to serve the populations in need in the best possible and most effective way; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/41
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25. Welcomes the announcement by VP/HR Federica Mogherini concerning the opening of the EU office in Erbil, and calls for the opening of this office to improve the effectiveness and visibility of EU action on the ground, including better coordination of humanitarian and development assistance; calls for the reinforcement of the EU office in Gaziantep, Turkey; 26. Supports the UN Human Rights Council’s request to the OHCHR for a mission to be dispatched to Iraq as a matter of urgency to investigate violations and abuses of international human rights law committed by ISIL/Daesh and associated terrorist groups, and to establish the facts and circumstances of such abuses and violations, with a view to preventing impunity and ensuring full accountability; 27. Remains convinced that there can be no sustainable peace in Syria and Iraq without accountability for the crimes committed by all sides during the conflict, in particular those based on religious or ethnic grounds; reiterates its call for the referral of those suspected of committing crimes against humanity in Syria and Iraq to the International Criminal Court, and supports all initiatives in this direction, for instance through the UN Security Council; 28. Requests equal accountability measures for all parties to the conflict, and access to legal support for all victims of the ubiquitous violations; takes the view that it is of paramount importance to ensure the protection of civilians who are trapped by violence and unable to access places of safety or who cannot access life-saving humanitarian assistance; 29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Council of Representatives of Iraq, the Regional Government of Kurdistan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Human Rights Council and all the parties involved in the conflict in Syria. C 310/42 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Thursday 12 February 2015
OPINIONS
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
P8_TA(2015)0039 Setting-up of a special committee on tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect
European Parliament decision of 12 February 2015 on setting up a special committee on tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect, its powers, numerical strength and term of office (2015/2566(RSO)) (2016/C 310/10)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the proposal by the Conference of Presidents,
— having regard to the decision of the Commission to investigate tax ruling practice under EU state aid rules in all Member States,
— having regard to the obligation of all Member States under EU taxation rules to communicate to other Member States, by spontaneous exchange, information on tax rulings, in particular if there may be a loss of tax in another Member State or a saving of tax may result from artificial transfers of profits within groups of enterprises,
— having regard to Rule 197 of its Rules of Procedure,
1. Decides to set up a special committee on tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect to examine practice in the application of EU state aid and taxation law in relation to tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect issued by Member States, if such practice appears to be the act of a Member State or the Commission;
2. Decides that the special committee shall be vested with the following powers:
(a) to analyse and examine practice in the application of Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) regarding tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect issued by Member States since 1 January 1991;
(b) to analyse and assess the Commission's practice of keeping under constant review, pursuant to Article 108 TFEU, all systems of aid existing in Member States, proposing to the Member States appropriate measures required by the progressive development or by the functioning of the internal market, checking whether aid granted by a State or through State resources is compatible with the internal market and not misused, deciding that the State concerned is to abolish or alter such aid within a certain period of time, and referring the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union if the State concerned does not comply, which has allegedly resulted in a high number of tax rulings incompatible with EU state aid rules; 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/43
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(c) to analyse and examine compliance by Member States since 1 January 1991 with obligations set out in Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (1) , regarding the obligation to cooperate and provide all necessary documents; (d) to analyse and examine compliance with the obligations set out in Council Directive 77/799/EEC of 19 December 1977 concerning mutual assistance by the competent authorities of the Member States in the field of direct taxation and taxation of insurance premiums (2) and Council Directive 2011/16/EU of 15 February 2011 on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation and repealing Directive 77/799/EEC (3), regarding communication by Member States to other Member States since 1 January 1991, by spontaneous exchange, of information on tax rulings; (e) to analyse and assess the Commission's practice as regards the proper application of Directives 77/799/EEC and 2011/ 16/EU regarding communication by Member States to other Member States, by spontaneous exchange, of information on tax rulings; (f) to analyse and assess compliance by the Member States with the principle of sincere cooperation enshrined in Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union, such as fulfilment of the obligations to facilitate the achievement of the Union's tasks and to refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the Union's objectives, given the alleged large scale of aggressive tax planning facilitated by Member States, and the likely significant consequences this has had on public finances of and in the EU; (g) to analyse and assess the third-country dimension of aggressive tax planning carried out by companies established or incorporated in the Member States, as well as the exchange of information with third countries in this respect; (h) to make any recommendations that it deems necessary in this matter; 3. Decides that the special committee shall have 45 members; 4. Decides that the term of office of the special committee shall be 6 months, beginning on the date of adoption of this decision. 5. Considers it appropriate that the special committee present a report drafted by two co-rapporteurs.
(1) OJ L 83, 27.3.1999, p. 1. (2) OJ L 336, 27.12.1977, p. 15. (3) OJ L 64, 11.3.2011, p. 1. C 310/44 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
II
(Information)
INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
P8_TA(2015)0028 Verification of credentials European Parliament decision of 11 February 2015 on the verification of credentials (2014/2165(REG)) (2016/C 310/11)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the Act of 20 September 1976 concerning the election of the Members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (1),
— having regard to its decision of 28 September 2005 adopting the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (2), in particular Articles 2(1) and 3(1) thereof,
— having regard to Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament for citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals (3)
— having regard to the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 7 July 2005 and 30 April 2009 (4),
— having regard to Rules 3, 4, and 11 of and Annex I to its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the official notifications from the competent authorities of the Member States of the results of the election to the European Parliament,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0013/2015),
A. whereas Article 7(1) and (2) of the Act of 20 September 1976 clearly set out the offices that are incompatible with the office of Member of the European Parliament;
B. whereas under Rule 11 of and Annex I to the Rules of Procedure Members are required to make a detailed declaration of their professional activities and any other remunerated functions or activities;
(1) OJ L 278, 8.10.1976, p. 5. (2) OJ L 262, 7.10.2005, p. 1. (3) OJ L 329, 30.12.1993, p. 34., (4) Judgment in Le Pen vs Parliament, C-208/03, EU:C:2005:429; and judgment in Italy and Donnici vs Parliament, C-393/07 and C-9/08, EU:C:2009:275. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/45
Wednesday 11 February 2015
C. whereas all of the Member States have notified Parliament of the names of the elected candidates, but some of them have not yet forwarded — or have done so with a delay — the lists of any substitutes, together with their ranking in accordance with the results of the vote, as required under Rule 3(4) of the Rules of Procedure;
D. whereas in some cases Member States provided partial notification of elected candidates and forwarded further details subsequently;
E. whereas in some Member States objections to the election of some Members of the European Parliament are being considered in accordance with national legislation and whereas these procedures could result in the annulment of the election of the Members concerned;
F. whereas, pursuant to Article 12 of the Act of 20 September 1976, Parliament is required to rule on any disputes concerning the validity of the mandate of its Members only where these relate to breaches of the provisions of the above-mentioned Act, and not in the case of breaches of the national electoral provisions to which the Act refers;
G. whereas in order to verify the credentials of its Members in accordance with Article 12 of the Act of 1976, Parliament must take note of the results of the election as officially declared by the competent authorities of the Member States, with no possibility for discretion in the matter; whereas, however, this provision does not prevent Parliament from reporting, where appropriate, potential cases of incompatibility between the national electoral legislation, on which the results are based, and EU law;
H. whereas the nationals of certain Member States who have been living in another country for a given period of time can be deprived of the right to vote in their home Member State (disenfranchisement); whereas in some cases this may also entail the deprivation of the right to stand as a candidate;
I. whereas the UK Electoral Commission has reported that a number of nationals of other Member States who are resident in the UK could not exercise their right to vote at the last European election;
1. Declares valid, subject to any decisions by the competent authorities of Member States in which the election results have been disputed, the mandate of the Members of the European Parliament listed in the annex to this decision whose election has been notified by the competent national authorities and who have made the written declarations required on the basis of Article 7(1) and (2) of the Act of 20 September 1976 and Annex I to the Rules of Procedure;
2. Repeats its request to the competent national authorities not only promptly to notify it of all the names of the elected candidates but also to forward the names of any substitutes, together with their ranking in accordance with the results of the vote;
3. Calls on the competent authorities of the Member States to complete without delay the examination of the disputes referred to them and to notify Parliament of the results;
4. Considers that disenfranchisement is tantamount to punishing nationals who have exercised the right of free movement within the EU (Article 20(2)(a) TFEU), to denying them their right to vote and to stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament in their Member State of residence (Article 20(2)(b) TFEU) and to violating the principle of direct universal suffrage (Article 14(3) TEU and Article 1(3) of the Act of 1976); takes the view that under no circumstances may disenfranchisement apply to European elections and calls on the Commission to ensure that none of the Member States provides for that possibility; C 310/46 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
5. Calls on Member States to ensure that the registration formalities relating to the participation of nationals of other Member States in the European elections, whether as voters or as candidates, are simplified, in particular by removing unnecessary administrative barriers so as to make the rights referred to under Article 20(2)(a) and (b) TFEU effective; requests that the Commission ensure that the practices of the Member States comply with EU law;
6. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Commission and the competent national authorities and the parliaments of the Member States.
ANNEX
List of Members of the European Parliament whose mandate is declared valid
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
Belgium (21 Members)
ANNEMANS Gerolf
ARENA Maria
ARIMONT Pascal
BAYET Hugues
BELET Ivo
DE BACKER Philippe
DEMESMAEKER Mark
DEPREZ Gérard
IDE Louis (*)
LAMBERTS Philippe
LOONES Sander (**)
MICHEL Louis
NEYTS-UYTTEBROECK Annemie (***)
RIES Frédérique
ROLIN Claude
STAES Bart
STEVENS Helga
TARABELLA Marc 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/47
Wednesday 11 February 2015
THYSSEN Marianne (****) VAN BREMPT Kathleen VANDENKENDELAERE Tom (*****) VAN OVERTVELDT Johan (******) VERHOFSTADT Guy
(*) Mr Louis IDE’s mandate ended on 19 December 2014. (**) Mandate valid with effect from 14 October 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Sander LOONES to replace Mr Johan VAN OVERTVELDT. (***) Ms Annemie NEYTS-UYTTEBROECK’s mandate ended on 1 January 2015. (****) Ms Marianne THYSSEN’s mandate ended on 1 November 2014. (*****) Mandate valid with effect from 6 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Tom VANDENKENDELAERE to replace Ms Marianne THYSSEN. (******) Mr Johan VAN OVERTVELDT's mandate ended on 11 October 2014. C 310/48 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Bulgaria (17 Members) ALI Nedzhmi BAREKOV Nikolay DONCHEV Tomislav (*) DZHAMBAZKI Angel GABRIEL Mariya HYUSMENOVA Filiz Hakaeva IOTOVA Iliana Malinova KOVATCHEV Andrey KYUCHYUK Ilhan MALINOV Svetoslav Hristov MIHAYLOVA Iskra NEKOV Momchil NOVAKOV Andrey (**) PAUNOVA Eva PIRINSKI Georgi RADEV Emil STANISHEV Sergey URUTCHEV Vladimir
(*) Mr Tomislav DONCHEV’s mandate ended on 7 November 2014. (**) Mandate valid with effect from 24 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Andrey NOVAKOV to replace Mr Tomislav DONCHEV. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/49
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Czech Republic (21 Members) CHARANZOVÁ Dita DLABAJOVÁ Martina JEŽEK Petr KELLER Jan KONEČNÁ Kateřina MACH Petr MAŠTÁLKA Jiří NIEDERMAYER Ludek POC Pavel POCHE Miroslav POLČÁK Stanislav POSPÍŠIL Jiří RANSDORF Miloslav SEHNALOVÁ Olga ŠOJDROVÁ Michaela ŠTĚTINA Jaromír SVOBODA Pavel TELIČKA Pavel TOŠENOVSKÝ Evžen ZAHRADIL Jan ZDECHOVSKÝ Tomáš C 310/50 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Denmark (13 Members) AUKEN Margrete BENDTSEN Bendt CHRISTENSEN Ole DOHRMANN Jørn KARI Rina Ronja KARLSSON Rikke KOFOD Jeppe MESSERSCHMIDT Morten PETERSEN Morten Helveg ROHDE Jens SCHALDEMOSE Christel TØRNÆS Ulla VISTISEN Anders Primdahl 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/51
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
Germany (96 Members)
ALBRECHT Jan Philipp
BALZ Burkhard
BÖGE Reimer
BROK Elmar
BUCHNER Klaus
BULLMANN Udo
BÜTIKOFER Reinhard
CASPARY Daniel
COLLIN-LANGEN Birgit
CRAMER Michael
DE MASI Fabio
DESS Albert
ECK Stefan
EHLER Christian
ERNST Cornelia
ERTUG Ismail
FERBER Markus
FLECKENSTEIN Knut
FLORENZ Karl-Heinz
GAHLER Michael
GEBHARDT Evelyne
GEIER Jens
GERICKE Arne
GIEGOLD Sven
GIESEKE Jens
GRÄSSLE Ingeborg
GROOTE Matthias
HÄNDEL Thomas
HARMS Rebecca
HÄUSLING Martin
HENKEL Hans-Olaf
HEUBUCH Maria C 310/52 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
HOFFMANN Iris
HOHLMEIER Monika
JAHR Peter
KAMMEREVERT Petra
KAUFMANN Sylvia-Yvonne
KELLER Ska
KOCH Dieter-Lebrecht
KÖLMEL Bernd
KÖSTER Dietmar
KREHL Constanze Angela
KUHN Werner
LAMBSDORFF Alexander Graf
LANGE Bernd
LANGEN Werner
LEINEN Jo
LIESE Peter
LIETZ Arne
LINS Norbert
LOCHBIHLER Barbara
LÖSING Sabine
LUCKE Bernd
McALLISTER David
MANN Thomas
MEISSNER Gesine
MELIOR Susanne
MICHELS Martina
MÜLLER Ulrike
NEUSER Norbert
NIEBLER Angelika
NOICHL Maria
PIEPER Markus
PRETZELL Marcus
PREUSS Gabriele
QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL Godelieve 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/53
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REDA Julia REINTKE Theresa REUL Herbert RODUST Ulrike SCHOLZ Helmut SCHULZ Martin SCHULZE Sven SCHUSTER Joachim SCHWAB Andreas SIMON Peter SIPPEL Birgit SOMMER Renate SONNEBORN Martin STARBATTY Joachim STEINRUCK Jutta von STORCH Beatrix THEURER Michael TREBESIUS Ulrike TRÜPEL Helga VERHEYEN Sabine VOIGT Udo VOSS Axel WEBER Manfred von WEIZSÄCKER Jakob WERNER Martina WESTPHAL Kerstin WIELAND Rainer WINKLER Hermann ZELLER Joachim ZIMMER Gabriele C 310/54 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Estonia (6 Members) ANSIP Andrus (*) KALLAS Kaja KELAM Tunne LAURISTIN Marju PAET Urmas (**) TARAND Indrek TOOM Yana
(*) Mr Andrus ANSIP’s mandate ended on 1 November 2014. (**) Mandate valid with effect from 3 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Urmas PAET to replace Mr Andrus ANSIP. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/55
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Ireland (11 Members) BOYLAN Lynn CARTY Matt CHILDERS Nessa CLUNE Deirdre CROWLEY Brian FLANAGAN Luke ‘Ming’ HARKIN Marian HAYES Brian KELLY Seán McGUINNESS Mairead NÍ RIADA Liadh C 310/56 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Greece (21 Members) ANDROULAKIS Nikos CHRYSOGONOS Konstantinos EPITIDEIOS Georgios FOUNTOULIS Lampros GLEZOS Emmanouil GRAMMATIKAKIS Giorgos KAILI Eva KATROUGALOS Georgios (*) KEFALOGIANNIS Manolis KUNEVA Kostadinka KYRKOS Miltiadis KYRTSOS Georgios MARIAS Notis PAPADAKIS Konstantinos PAPADIMOULIS Dimitrios SAKORAFA Sofia SPYRAKI Maria SYNADINOS Eleytherios VOZEMBERG Elissavet ZAGORAKIS Theodoros ZARIANOPOULOS Sotirios
(*) Mr Georgios KATROUGALOS’s mandate ended on 27 January 2015. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/57
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
Spain (54 Members)
AGUILERA GARCÍA Clara Eugenia
ALBIOL GUZMÁN Marina
ARIAS CAÑETE Miguel (*)
AYALA SENDER Inés
AYUSO Pilar
BECERRA BASTERRECHEA Beatriz
BILBAO BARANDICA Izaskun
BLANCO LÓPEZ José
CABEZÓN RUIZ Soledad
CALVET CHAMBON Enrique (**)
COUSO PERMUY Javier (***)
del CASTILLO VERA Pilar
de GRANDES PASCUAL Luis
DÍAZ DE MERA GARCÍA
CONSUEGRA Agustín
ECHENIQUE ROBBA Pablo
ESTARÀS FERRAGUT Rosa
FERNÁNDEZ ÁLVAREZ Jonás
FISAS AYXELÀ Santiago
GAMBÚS Francesc
GARCÍA PÉREZ Iratxe
GARDIAZABAL RUBIAL Eider
GIRAUTA VIDAL Juan Carlos
GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS Tania (****)
GONZÁLEZ PONS Esteban
GUERRERO SALOM Enrique
GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO Sergio
HERRANZ GARCÍA Esther
IGLESIAS TURRIÓN Pablo
ITURGAIZ Carlos (*****)
JÁUREGUI ATONDO Ramón
JIMÉNEZ-BECERRIL BARRIO Teresa C 310/58 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
JIMÉNEZ VILLAREJO Carlos (******) JUARISTI ABAUNZ Iosu Mirena LOPE FONTAGNÉ Verónica LÓPEZ AGUILAR Juan Fernando LÓPEZ BERMEJO Paloma LÓPEZ FERNÁNDEZ Javier LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE Antonio MARAGALL Ernest MATO ADROVER Gabriel MAURA BARANDIARÁN Fernando MEYER Willy (*******) MILLÁN MON Francisco José NART Javier PAGAZAURTUNDÚA RUIZ María Teresa RODRIGUEZ-RUBIO VÁZQUEZ Maria Teresa SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY Lola SEBASTIÀ TALAVERA Jordi SENRA RODRÍGUEZ María Lidia SOSA WAGNER Francisco (********) TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria TREMOSA i BALCELLS Ramon URTASUN Ernest VALCÁRCEL SISO Ramón Luis VALENCIANO MARTÍNEZ-OROZCO Elena VALLINA DE LA NOVAL Ángela Rosa ZALBA BIDEGAIN Pablo
(*) Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE’s mandate ended on 1 November 2014. (**) Mandate valid with effect from 20 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Enrique CALVET CHAMBON to replace Mr Francisco SOSA WAGNER. (***) Mandate valid with effect from 15 July 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of M Javier COUSO PERMUY to replace Mr Willy MEYER. (****) Mandate valid with effect from 11 September 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Ms Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS to replace Mr Carlos JIMÉNEZ VILLAREJO. (*****) Mandate valid with effect from 6 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Carlos ITURGAIZ to replace Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE. (******) Mr Carlos JIMÉNEZ VILLAREJO's mandate ended on 1 August 2014. (*******) Mr Willy MEYER's mandate ended on 10 July 2014. (********) Mr Francisco SOSA WAGNER's mandate ended on 20 October 2014. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/59
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
France (74 Members)
ALIOT Louis
ALLIOT-MARIE Michèle
ANDRIEU Eric
ARNAUTU Marie-Christine
ARTHUIS Jean
BALAS Guillaume
BAY Nicolas
BERÈS Pervenche
BERGERON Joëlle
BILDE Dominique
BOUTONNET Marie-Christine
BOVÉ José
BRIOIS Steeve
CADEC Alain
CAVADA Jean-Marie
CHAUPRADE Aymeric
DANJEAN Arnaud
DANTIN Michel
DATI Rachida
DELAHAYE Angélique
DELLI Karima
DENANOT Jean-Paul
de SARNEZ Marielle
D'ORNANO Mireille
DURAND Pascal
FERRAND Edouard
GODDYN SYLVIE
GOLLNISCH Bruno
GOULARD Sylvie
GRIESBECK Nathalie C 310/60 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
GROSSETÊTE Françoise
GUILLAUME Sylvie
HORTEFEUX Brice
JADOT Yannick
JALKH Jean-François
JOLY Eva
JOULAUD Marc
JUVIN Philippe
LAMASSOURE Alain
LAVRILLEUX Jérôme
LEBRETON Gilles
LE GRIP Constance
LE HYARIC Patrick
LE PEN Jean-Marie
LE PEN Marine
LOISEAU Philippe
MANSCOUR Louis-Joseph
MARTIN Dominique
MARTIN Edouard
MAUREL Emmanuel
MÉLENCHON Jean-Luc
MELIN Joelle
MONOT Bernard
MONTEL Sophie
MORANO Nadine
MORIN-CHARTIER Elisabeth
MUSELIER Renaud
OMARJEE Younous
PARGNEAUX Gilles
PEILLON Vincent
PHILIPPOT Florian
PONGA Maurice
PROUST Franck 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/61
Wednesday 11 February 2015
REVAULT D'ALLONNES BONNEFOY Christine RIQUET Dominique RIVASI Michèle ROCHEFORT Robert ROZIÈRE Virginie SAÏFI Tokia SANDER Anne SCHAFFHAUSER Jean-Luc THOMAS Isabelle TROSZCZYNSKI Mylène VERGIAT Marie-Christine C 310/62 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
Italy (73 Members)
ADINOLFI Isabella
AFFRONTE Marco
AGEA Laura
AIUTO Daniela
BEGHIN Tiziana
BENIFEI Brando Maria
BETTINI Goffredo Maria
BIZZOTTO Mara
BONAFÈ Simona
BORGHEZIO Mario
BORRELLI Davide
BRESSO Mercedes
BRIANO Renata
BUONANNO Gianluca
CAPUTO Nicola
CASTALDO Fabio Massimo
CESA Lorenzo
CHINNICI Caterina
CICU Salvatore
CIRIO Alberto
COFFERATI Sergio Gaetano
COMI Lara
CORRAO Ignazio
COSTA Silvia
COZZOLINO Andrea
D'AMATO Rosa
DANTI Nicola
DE CASTRO Paolo
DE MONTE Isabella
DORFMANN Herbert 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/63
Wednesday 11 February 2015
EVI Eleonora
FERRARA Laura
FITTO Raffaele
FONTANA Lorenzo (*)
FORENZA Eleonora
GARDINI Elisabetta
GASBARRA Enrico
GENTILE Elena
GIUFFRIDA Michela
GUALTIERI Roberto
KYENGE Kashetu
LA VIA Giovanni
MALTESE Curzio
MARTUSCIELLO Fulvio
MATERA Barbara
MOI Giulia
MORETTI Alessandra (**)
MORGANO Luigi
MOSCA Alessia Maria
MUSSOLINI Alessandra
PANZERI Pier Antonio
PAOLUCCI Massimo
PATRICIELLO Aldo
PEDICINI Piernicola
PICIERNO Giuseppina
PITTELLA Gianni
POGLIESE Salvatore Domenico
SALINI Massimiliano
SALVINI Matteo
SASSOLI David-Maria
SCHLEIN Elena Ethel C 310/64 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
SERNAGIOTTO Remo SORU Renato SPINELLI Barbara TAJANI Antonio TAMBURRANO Dario TOIA Patrizia TOSI Flavio (***) TOTI Giovanni VALLI Marco VIOTTI Daniele ZANNI Marco ZANONATO Flavio ZULLO Marco
(*) Mandate valid with effect from 11 July 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Lorenzo FONTANA to replace Mr Flavio TOSI. (**) Ms Alessandra MORETTI’s mandate ended on 2 February 2015. (***) Mr Flavio TOSI's mandate ended on 9 July 2014. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/65
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Cyprus (6 Members) CHRISTOFOROU Lefteris (*) HADJIGEORGIOU Takis MAVRIDES Costas PAPADAKIS Demetris STYLIANIDES Christos (**) SYLIKIOTIS Neoklis THEOCHAROUS Eleni
(*) Mandate valid with effect from 3 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU to replace Mr Christos STYLIANIDES. (**) Mr Christos STYLIANIDES’s mandate ended on 1 November 2014. C 310/66 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Latvia (8 Members) DOMBROVSKIS Valdis (*) GRIGULE Iveta KALNIETE Sandra KARIŅŠ Krišjānis MAMIKINS Andrejs PABRIKS Artis VAIDERE Inese (**) ŽDANOKA Tatjana ZĪLE Roberts
(*) Mr Valdis DOMBROVSKIS’s mandate ended on 1 November 2014. (**) Mandate valid with effect from 1 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Ms Inese VAIDERE to replace Mr Valdis DOMBROVSKIS. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/67
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Lithuania (11 Members) AUŠTREVIČIUS Petras BALČYTIS Zigmantas BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ Vilija GUOGA Antanas LANDSBERGIS Gabrielius MAZURONIS Valentinas PAKSAS Rolandas ROPÉ Bronis SAUDARGAS Algirdas TOMAŠEVSKI Valdemar USPASKICH Viktor C 310/68 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Luxembourg (6 Members) BACH Georges DELVAUX-STEHRES Mady ENGEL Frank GOERENS Charles REDING Viviane TURMES Claude 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/69
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Croatia (11 Members) BORZAN Biljana JAKOVČIĆ Ivan MALETIĆ Ivana PETIR Marijana PICULA Tonino PLENKOVIĆ Andrej RADOŠ Jozo ŠKRLEC Davor STIER Davor Ivo ŠUICA Dubravka TOMAŠIĆ Ruža C 310/70 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Hungary (21 Members) BALCZÓ Zoltán BOCSKOR Andrea DELI Andor DEUTSCH Tamás ERDŐS Norbert GÁL Kinga GÁLL-PELCZ Ildikó GYÜRK András HÖLVÉNYI György JÁVOR Benedek KÓSA Ádám KOVÁCS Béla MESZERICS Tamás MOLNÁR Csaba MORVAI Krisztina NIEDERMÜLLER Péter SCHÖPFLIN György SZÁJER József SZANYI Tibor Jenő TŐKÉS László UJHELYI István 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/71
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Malta (6 Members) CASA David COMODINI CACHIA Therese DALLI Miriam METSOLA Roberta MIZZI Marlene SANT Alfred C 310/72 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Netherlands (26 Members) van BAALEN Johannes Cornelis BELDER Bas van de CAMP Wim van DALEN Peter EICKHOUT Bas GERBRANDY Gerben-Jan de GRAAFF Marcel HAZEKAMP Antje Anna Helena HUITEMA Jan JANSEN Hans de JONG Cornelis JONGERIUS Agnes de LANGE Esther LENAERS Jeroen MAEIJER Vicky van MILTENBURG Matthijs MINEUR Anne-Marie van NIEUWENHUIZEN-WIJBENGA Cora van NISTELROOIJ Lambert PIRI Kati SARGENTINI Judith SCHAAKE Marietje SCHREIJER-PIERIK Annie STUGER Olaf TANG Paul in 't VELD Sophia 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/73
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Austria (18 Members) BECKER Heinz K. FREUND Eugen KADENBACH Karin KAPPEL Barbara KARAS Othmar KÖSTINGER Elisabeth LEICHTFRIED Jörg LUNACEK Ulrike MAYER Georg MLINAR Angelika OBERMAYR Franz REGNER Evelyn REIMON Michel RÜBIG Paul SCHMIDT Claudia VANA Monika VILIMSKY Harald WEIDENHOLZER Josef C 310/74 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
Poland (51 Members)
BONI Michał
BUZEK Jerzy
CZARNECKI Ryszard
DUDA Andrzej Sebastian
FOTYGA Anna Elżbieta
GERINGER de OEDENBERG Lidia Joanna
GIEREK Adam
GOSIEWSKA Beata Barbara
GRÓBARCZYK Marek Józef
GRZYB Andrzej
HETMAN Krzysztof
HÜBNER Danuta Maria
IWASZKIEWICZ Robert Jarosław
JACKIEWICZ Dawid Bohdan
JAZŁOWIECKA Danuta
JUREK Marek
KALINOWSKI Jarosław
KARSKI Karol Adam
KORWIN-MIKKE Janusz Ryszard
KOZŁOWSKA-RAJEWICZ Agnieszka
KRASNODĘBSKI Zdzisław Marek
KUDRYCKA Barbara
KUŹMIUK Zbigniew Krzysztof
LEGUTKO Ryszard Antoni
LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
LIBERADZKI Bogusław
ŁUKACIJEWSKA Elżbieta Katarzyna
ŁYBACKA Krystyna
MARUSIK Michał
OLBRYCHT Jan
OŻÓG Stanisław 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/75
Wednesday 11 February 2015
PIECHA Bolesław Grzegorz PIOTROWSKI Mirosław PITERA Julia PLURA Marek Mirosław PORĘBA Tomasz Piotr ROSATI Dariusz SARYUSZ-WOLSKI Jacek SIEKIERSKI Czesław Adam SZEJNFELD Adam THUN UND HOHENSTEIN Róża Gräfin von UJAZDOWSKI Kazimierz Michał WAŁĘSA Jarosław Leszek WENTA Bogdan Brunon WIŚNIEWSKA Jadwiga WOJCIECHOWSKI Janusz ZDROJEWSKI Bogdan Andrzej ZEMKE Janusz Władysław ZŁOTOWSKI Kosma Tadeusz ZWIEFKA Tadeusz ŻÓŁTEK Stanisław Józef C 310/76 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Portugal (21 Members) ASSIS Francisco COELHO Carlos FARIA José Inácio FERNANDES José Manuel FERREIRA Elisa FERREIRA João GOMES Ana MARINHO E PINTO António MATIAS Marisa MELO Nuno MONTEIRO DE AGUIAR Cláudia RANGEL Paulo RIBEIRO Sofia RODRIGUES Liliana RODRIGUES Maria João RUAS Fernando SERRÃO SANTOS Ricardo SILVA PEREIRA Pedro VIEGAS Miguel ZORRINHO Carlos ZUBER Inês Cristina 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/77
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Romania (32 Members) BOŞTINARU Victor BUDA Daniel BUŞOI Cristian Silviu CREŢU Corina (*) CRISTEA Andi-Lucian DĂNCILĂ Vasilica Viorica DIACONU Mircea DRĂGHICI Damian FRUNZULICĂ Doru-Claudian GRAPINI Maria HELLVIG Eduard-Raul IVAN Cătălin Sorin MACOVEI Monica Luisa MĂNESCU Ramona Nicole MARINESCU Marian-Jean MOISĂ Ionel-Sorin MUREȘAN Siegfried Vasile NEGRESCU Victor NICA Dan NICOLAI Norica PAŞCU Ioan Mircea PAVEL Emilian (**) PREDA Cristian Dan REBEGA Constantin-Laurențiu SÂRBU Daciana Octavia SÓGOR Csaba STOLOJAN Theodor Dumitru TĂNĂSESCU Claudiu Ciprian TAPARDEL Ana-Claudia UNGUREANU Traian VĂLEAN Adina-Ioana WEBER Renate WINKLER Iuliu
(*) Ms Corina CREŢU’s mandate ended on 1 November 2014. (**) Mandate valid with effect from 1 November 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Mr Emilian PAVEL to replace Ms Corina CREŢU. C 310/78 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Slovenia (8 Members) BOGOVIČ Franc FAJON Tanja PETERLE Alojz ŠOLTES Igor ŠULIN Patricija TOMC Romana VAJGL Ivo ZVER Milan 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/79
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Slovakia (13 Members) CSÁKY Pál FLAŠIKOVÁ BEŇOVÁ Monika KUKAN Eduard MAŇKA Vladimír MIKOLÁŠIK Miroslav NAGY József SMOLKOVÁ Monika ŠKRIPEK Branislav ŠTEFANEC Ivan SULÍK Richard ZÁBORSKÁ Anna ZALA Boris ŽITŇANSKÁ Jana C 310/80 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Finland (13 Members) HALLA-AHO Jussi HAUTALA Heidi JAAKONSAARI Liisa JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli KUMPULA-NATRI Miapetra KYLLÖNEN Merja PIETIKÄINEN Sirpa REHN Olli SARVAMAA Petri TERHO Sampo TORVALDS Nils VÄYRYNEN Paavo VIRKKUNEN Henna 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/81
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE (1 July 2014) Sweden (20 Members) ADAKTUSSON Lars ANDERSSON Max BJÖRK Malin CEBALLOS Bodil CORAZZA BILDT Anna Maria ENGSTRÖM Linnéa (*) ERIKSSON Peter FEDERLEY Fredrick FJELLNER Christofer GUTELAND Jytte HEDH Anna HÖKMARK Gunnar LÖVIN Isabella (**) LUDVIGSSON Olle LUNDGREN Peter NILSSON Jens PAULSEN Marit POST Soraya ULVSKOG Marita WIKSTRÖM Cecilia WINBERG Kristina
(*) Mandate valid with effect from 8 October 2014, date of the notification by the competent national authority of the election of Ms Linnéa ENGSTRÖM to replace Ms Isabella LÖVIN. (**) Ms Isabella LÖVIN's mandate ended on 3 October 2014. C 310/82 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT BY MEMBER STATE
(1 July 2014)
United Kingdom (73 Members)
AGNEW John Stuart
AKER Tim
ANDERSON Lucy
ANDERSON Martina
ARNOTT Jonathan
ASHWORTH Richard
ATKINSON Janice
BASHIR Amjad
BATTEN Gerard
BEARDER Catherine
BOURS Louise
BRADBOURN Philip (*)
BRANNEN Paul
CAMPBELL BANNERMAN David
CARVER Jim
COBURN David
COLLINS Jane
CORBETT Richard
DANCE Seb
(The Earl of) DARTMOUTH William
DEVA Nirj
DODDS Anneliese
DODDS Diane
DUNCAN Ian
ETHERIDGE Bill
EVANS Jill
FARAGE Nigel
FINCH Raymond 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/83
Wednesday 11 February 2015
FORD Vicky
FOSTER Jacqueline
FOX Ashley
GILL Nathan
GILL Neena
GIRLING Julie
GRIFFIN Theresa
HANNAN Daniel
HELMER Roger
HONEYBALL Mary
HOOKEM Mike
HOWITT Richard
HUDGHTON Ian
JAMES Diane
KAMALL Syed
KARIM Sajjad
KHAN Afzal
KIRKHOPE Timothy
KIRTON-DARLING Jude
LAMBERT Jean
LEWER Andrew
McAVAN Linda
McCLARKIN Emma
McINTYRE Anthea
MARTIN David
MOODY Clare
MORAES Claude
NICHOLSON James
NUTTALL Paul
O'FLYNN Patrick
PARKER Margot
REID Julia
SCOTT CATO Molly C 310/84 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
SEYMOUR Jill SIMON Sion SMITH Alyn STIHLER Catherine SWINBURNE Kay TANNOCK Charles TAYLOR Keith VAN ORDEN Geoffrey VAUGHAN Derek WARD Julie WILLMOTT Glenis WOOLFE Steven
(*) Mr Philip BRADBOURN's mandate ended on 20 December 2014. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/85
Wednesday 11 February 2015
III
(Preparatory acts)
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
P8_TA(2015)0015 Safeguard measures provided for in the Agreement with Iceland ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safeguard measures provided for in the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland (codified text) (COM(2014)0308 — C8-0011/2014 — 2014/ 0160(COD)) (Ordinary legislative procedure — codification) (2016/C 310/12)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0308),
— having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0011/2014),
— having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
— having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 10 December 2014 (1),
— having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 — Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts (2),
— having regard to Rules 103 and 59 of its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0031/2014),
A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts without any change in their substance;
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal. (2) OJ C 102, 4.4.1996, p. 2. C 310/86 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TC1-COD(2014)0160 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safeguard measures provided for in the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland (codification)
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) 2015/475.) 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/87
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0016 Measures concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the measures that the Union may take following a report adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters (codified text) (COM(2014)0317 — C8-0017/2014 — 2014/0163(COD)) (Ordinary legislative procedure — codification) (2016/C 310/13)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0317), — having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0017/2014), — having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, — having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 10 December 2014 (1), — having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 — Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts (2), — having regard to Rules 103 and 59 of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0033/2014), A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts without any change in their substance; 1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
P8_TC1-COD(2014)0163 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on the measures that the Union may take following a report adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters (codification)
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) 2015/476.)
(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal. (2) OJ C 102, 4.4.1996, p. 2. C 310/88 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0017 Combined effect of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures with safeguard measures ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on measures that the Union may take in relation to the combined effect of anti- dumping and anti-subsidy measures with safeguard measures (codified text) (COM(2014)0318 — C8-0016/ 2014 — 2014/0164(COD)) (Ordinary legislative procedure — codification) (2016/C 310/14)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0318), — having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0016/2014), — having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, — after consulting the European Economic and Social Committee, — having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 — Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts (1), — having regard to Rules 103 and 59 of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0032/2014), A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts without any change in their substance; 1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
P8_TC1-COD(2014)0164 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on measures that the Union may take in relation to the combined effect of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures with safeguard measures (codification)
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) 2015/477.)
(1) OJ C 102, 4.4.1996, p. 2. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/89
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0018 Common rules for imports ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for imports (codified text) (COM(2014)0321 — C8-0012/2014 — 2014/0166(COD)) (Ordinary legislative procedure — codification) (2016/C 310/15)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0321), — having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0012/2014), — having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, — having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 10 December 2014 (1), — having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 — Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts (2), — having regard to Rules 103 and 59 of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0040/2014), A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts without any change in their substance; 1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
P8_TC1-COD(2014)0166 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for imports (codification)
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) 2015/478.)
(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal. (2) OJ C 102, 4.4.1996, p. 2. C 310/90 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0019 Common rules for exports ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for exports (codified text) (COM(2014)0322 — C8-0013/2014 — 2014/0167(COD)) (Ordinary legislative procedure — codification) (2016/C 310/16)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0322), — having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0013/2014), — having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, — having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 10 December 2014 (1), — having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 — Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts (2), — having regard to Rules 103 and 59 of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0035/2014), A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts without any change in their substance; 1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
P8_TC1-COD(2014)0167 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for exports (codification)
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) 2015/479.)
(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal. (2) OJ C 102, 4.4.1996, p. 2. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/91
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0020 The accession of Gabon to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Gabon to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0904 — C8- 0263/2014 — 2011/0441(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/17)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0904), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0263/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0007/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Gabon. C 310/92 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0021 The accession of Andorra to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Andorra to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011) 0908 — C8-0264/2014 — 2011/0443(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/18)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0908), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0264/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0004/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Andorra. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/93
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0022 The accession of Seychelles to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Seychelles to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011) 0909 — C8-0265/2014 — 2011/0444(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/19)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0909), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0265/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0006/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Seychelles. C 310/94 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0023 The accession of the Russian Federation to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of the Russian Federation to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0911 — C8-0266/2014 — 2011/0447(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/20)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0911), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0266/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0008/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Russian Federation. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/95
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0024 The accession of Albania to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Albania to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011)0912 — C8- 0262/2014 — 2011/0448(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/21)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0912), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0262/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0002/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Albania. C 310/96 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0025 The accession of Singapore to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Singapore to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011) 0915 — C8-0267/2014 — 2011/0450(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/22)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0915), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0267/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0003/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Singapore. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/97
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0026 The accession of Morocco to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Morocco to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011) 0916 — C8-0268/2014 — 2011/0451(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/23)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0916), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0268/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0005/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Morocco. C 310/98 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0027 The accession of Armenia to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction * European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a Council decision on the declaration of acceptance by the Member States, in the interest of the European Union, of the accession of Armenia to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (COM(2011) 0917 — C8-0269/2014 — 2011/0452(NLE)) (Consultation) (2016/C 310/24)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2011)0917), — having regard to Article 38, fourth paragraph, of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, — having regard to Article 81(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (b), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8-0269/2014), — having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice of 14 October 2014, — having regard to Rules 59 and 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A8-0009/2015), 1. Approves the proposal for a Council decision and approves the acceptance of the accession; 2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Armenia. 25.8.2016 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 310/99
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0029 Cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences (COM(2014)0476 — C8-0113/2014 — 2014/0218(COD)) (Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading) (2016/C 310/25)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0476), — having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 91(1)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0113/2014), — having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, — having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 15 October 2014 (1), — after consulting the Committee of the Regions, — having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A8-0001/2015), 1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out; 2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text; 3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
P8_TC1-COD(2014)0218 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 11 February 2015 with a view to the adoption of Directive (EU) 2015/… of the European Parliament and of the Council facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Directive (EU) 2015/413.)
(1) OJ C 12, 15.1.2015, p. 115. C 310/100 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.8.2016
Wednesday 11 February 2015
P8_TA(2015)0030 Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Senegal *** European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 February 2015 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Senegal and the Implementation Protocol thereto (12812/2014 — C8-0276/2014 — 2014/ 0238(NLE)) (Consent) (2016/C 310/26)
The European Parliament, — having regard to the draft Council decision (12812/2014), — having regard to the draft Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Senegal (12830/2014), — having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 43, Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), and Article 218(7), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C8-0276/2014), — having regard to Rule 99(1), first and third subparagraphs, Rule 99(2), and Rule 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure, — having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Fisheries and the opinions of the Committee on Development and the Committee on Budgets (A8-0010/2015), 1. Gives its consent to conclusion of the Agreement; 2. Calls on the Commission to forward to Parliament the minutes and the conclusions of the meetings of the Joint Committee provided for in Article 7 of the Agreement, as well as the multiannual sectoral programme provided for in Article 4 of the new protocol; 3. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the participation of representatives of Parliament as observers in the meetings of the Joint Committee; 4. Calls on the Commission to send to Parliament and to the Council, before the present Agreement expires and as negotiations begin for a future one, detailed information in the form of an ex post report on the costs and benefits of the Agreement; 5. Calls on the Commission to submit to Parliament yearly reports on the implementation of the Agreement, concerning in particular the multiannual programme mentioned in Article 4 of the Implementation Protocol to the Agreement, as well as detailing the way funds provided pursuant to the Agreement are used; 6. Calls on the Commission and Council, acting within the limits of their respective powers, to keep Parliament immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedures related to the protocol and its renewal, pursuant to Article 13(2) of the Treaty on European Union and Article 218(10) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; 7. Calls on the Commission to focus in particular on the promotion of local management and accountability, as well as to facilitate the provision of adequate information to all local actors interested in the Agreement and its implementation; 8. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Senegal.
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition) ISSN 1725-2423 (paper edition)
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