DOCSLIB.ORG

0918 2 MINUTES Meeting of 18 September 2018, 15.00

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
0918 2 MINUTES Meeting of 18 September 2018, 15.00 ASAMBLEA PARLAMENTARIA EURO-LATINOAMERICANA EURO-LATIN AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLEIA PARLAMENTAR EURO-LATINO-AMERICANA ASSEMBLÉE PARLEMENTAIRE EURO-LATINO- AMÉRICAINE PARLAMENTARISCHE VERSAMMLUNG EUROPA-LATEINAMERIKA Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights EUAL_PV(2018)0918_2 MINUTES Meeting of 18 September 2018, 15.00 – 18.30 Vienna The meeting opened at 15.20 on 18 September 2018 with Francisco Assis (EP, replacing Co- Chair Artis Pabriks) and Roger Haroldo Rodas Melgar (Parlacen, Co-Chair) in the chair. 1. Adoption of agenda AP102.535v05-00 After a debate on whether the floor should be given to external experts for items 7 and 8, which ended in agreement, the draft agenda was approved as shown in these minutes. Speakers: Roger HAROLDO RODAS MELGAR (Parlacen, Guatemala), Francisco ASSIS (S&D, Portugal), Óscar RONDEROS (Parlasur, Venezuela), Gloria OQUELÍ SOLORZANO (Parlacen, Honduras), Ángel ROZAS (Parlatino, Argentina) and Ramón JÁUREGUI ATONDO (S&D, Spain) 2. Approval of minutes of meetings 5 April 2018, in Panama (Panama) AP102.529v01-00 The minutes were approved. 3. Co-chairs’ announcements Co-Chair Francisco Assis outlined the various items on the agenda of this Committee meeting. He made some procedural comments and informed Members about the available interpretation for this meeting. 4. Draft report on ‘Restructuring sovereign debt’ EP co-rapporteur: Ernest Urtasun (Greens/ALE, Spain) LAC co-rapporteur: Angel Rozas (Parlatino, Argentina) PV\1174694EN.docx PE102.678v02-00 EN EN Consideration of amendments 1- 45 Vote in committee The co-rapporteurs were in agreement on the need to foster an international framework to address the issue of sovereign debt and emphasised experiences, both in the EU and LAC countries, in restructuring such debt. They pointed out that countries needed to strike a balance between their debt repayment obligations and the duties of welfare and social assistance that they owed their citizens. They ended by calling for greater transparency and stressing the need to tackle speculators. The report, as amended, was adopted by the Committee with 27 votes in favour, 6 against and no abstentions. The Chair announced that the deadline for amendments to Plenary had been set for 19 September at 10.00. Speakers: Ernest URTASUN (Greens/ALE, Spain) and Ángel ROZAS (Parlatino, Argentina) 5. Draft report on ‘Regulation of lobbies’ activities in the EU and LAC’ EP co-rapporteur: Claudia Țapardel (S&D, Romania) LAC co-rapporteur: Angel Rozas (Parlatino, Argentina) First consideration of the joint motion for a resolution Francisco Assis, speaking on behalf of the EP co-rapporteur, and other speakers stressed the need for better regulation on lobbying with a view to encouraging transparency. This would require, among other things, distinguishing lawful from non-lawful activities, which would help provide citizens with adequate information on the political decision-making process. Co- rapporteur Ángel Rozas alluded to the need to better protect whistleblowers reporting irregularities in the representation of interests. He and the other speakers welcomed the progressive introduction of the ‘legislative footprint’, which enabled greater traceability concerning the activities of pressure groups in the legislative process. The problem of the ‘revolving door’ was also raised, although Mr Pizarro pointed out that in small countries, which had a limited pool of qualified staff, this situation should be tackled with greater flexibility. Speakers: Francisco ASSIS (S&D, Portugal), Ángel ROZAS (Parlatino, Argentina), Jorge PIZARRO SOTO (CPM UE-Chile) and Renate WEBER (ALDE, Romania) 6. Working documents on ‘Cooperation on criminal justice in the EU and Latin America’ EP co-rapporteur: Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD, Italy) LAC co-rapporteur: Víctor Rolando Sousa (Parlandino, Peru) First consideration of two working documents PE102.678v02-00 2/11 PV\1174694EN.docx EN The rapporteurs agreed that the processes of globalisation and increasing interconnection facilitated by economic and technological progress had facilitated unlawful activities and that those engaging in them had taken advantage of loopholes and uncoordinated or inconsistent national legislation. They stressed that international cooperation in criminal justice matters was essential for the consolidation and defence of the rule of law and democratic political systems, and added that well-functioning systems of criminal law at national level were a prerequisite for successful international cooperation. The speakers stressed how difficult cooperating on this issue was owing to varying definitions of criminal offices and differences in legal traditions and practices from one country to another, but agreed on the need for effective use to be made of international cooperation instruments and for overlaps in efforts to be avoided. Speakers: Fabio CASTALDO (EFDD, Italy), Victor Rolando SOUSA (Parlandino, Peru) and Ramón JÁUREGUI ATONDO (S&D, Spain) 7. Topic for debate: ‘The humanitarian crisis resulting from the massive emigration of Venezuelan citizens’, exchange of views with: Alejandro Guidi (Senior Regional Advisor for the Americas, International Organisation for Migration [IOM]) Juan Carlos Murillo (Deputy Director Americas Bureau, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR]) Mr Guidi (IOM) and Mr Murillo (UNHCR) presented the latest data on Venezuelan citizens fleeing their country and spoke of the effects that this migration was having on the neighbouring countries. They highlighted the magnitude and complexity of the problem, outlined the profiles of people fleeing Venezuela, which included many highly vulnerable groups, and stressed the need to guarantee migrants food and basic services. They warned that, despite the generous response offered by the host countries, the magnitude of the exodus was such that it was pushing the response capacity of these countries to the limit and could lead to outbreaks of xenophobia. Many participants criticised the Venezuelan government’s policies and its crackdown against its people, which, they claimed, was having tragic consequences on the local population and negative effects on the neighbouring countries. They agreed on the need for a regional response to the crisis and the support of the international community. Some other speakers, however, criticised the focus on Venezuela, which ignored the other migration crises taking place in the Americas, particularly on the border with the USA or in Europe, and blamed the sanctions imposed on Venezuela for the situation in that country. Speakers: Alejandro GUIDI (OIM), Juan Carlos MURILLO (UNHCR), José Inacio FARIA (PPE, Portugal), Óscar RONDEROS (Parlasur, Venezuela), Ángel MEDINA DEVIS (Parlatino, Venezuela), Javier COUSO PERMUY (GUE/NGL, Spain), Victor SOUSA (Parlandino, Peru), Joao PIMENTA LOPEZ (GUE/NGL, Portugal), Fausto COBO MONTALVO (Parlandino, Ecuador), Carlos ZORRINHO (S&D, Portugal), Pablo GONZÁLEZ (Parlatino, Uruguay), Renate WEBER (ALDE, Romania), Daniel CAGGIANI PV\1174694EN.docx 3/11 PE102.678v02-00 EN (Parlasur, Uruguay), Luis MORLOTE RIVAS (Parlatino, Cuba), Tucapel JIMÉNEZ (Parlandino, Chile), Gloria OQUELÍ SOLORZANO (Parlacen, Honduras), Óscar RONDEROS (Parlasur, Venezuela), Francisco ASSIS (S&D, Portugal) and William MILLESON (Parlatino, Curação) 8. Topic for debate: ‘The situation in Brazil following the ruling of the Brazilian Supreme Court against Lula da Silva’, exchange of views with: Claudia Zilla (Head of Research Division for the Americas) German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)) Ms Zilla outlined a series of factors affecting the electoral process, such as the new electoral law, the prosecution of the candidate Lula da Silva and the rejection of his appeal, which had caused him to pull out of the race, the growing disaffection and political polarisation among Brazilians and outbreaks of politically-motivated violence. In the ensuing exchange of views, the speakers debated the extent to which the rule of law and separation of powers were being respected in Brazil, the instrumentalisation of the judicial system for political ends (the ‘judicialisation’ of politics), the use and abuse of the law to dominate less powerful groups (‘lawfare’), and the uncertainties of the post-election period, with a parliament expected to have more, but smaller, political parties. In general, the radicalisation of politics in Brazil was stressed. The position of the Army in the new post- electoral political landscape was also alluded to. Speakers: Claudia Zilla (SWP), Julia PERIÉ (Parlasur, Argentina), José Inacio FARIA (PPE, Portugal), Joao PIMENTA LOPEZ (GUE/NGL, Portugal), Edgar MEJÍA AGUILAR (Parlatino, Bolivia), Fabio CASTALDO (EFDD, Italy), Diego MANSILLA (Parlasur, Argentina), Pablo GONZÁLEZ (Parlatino, Uruguay), Iuliano GIUSEPPE (CESE), Ana MIRANDA (Greens/ALE, Spain), Pamela AGUIRRE (Parlandino, Ecuador) and Francisco ASSIS (S&D, Portugal) 9. Proposals for reports and topics for debate in committee meetings during 2019/2020 Gustavo PENADÉS (Parlasur, Uruguay) asked for the next committee meeting to consider the possibility of the Eurolat Assembly adopting a declaration condemning the Armenian genocide. Mr Penadés was informed that his request would be forwarded to the Bureau for consideration. 10. Other business Ángel MEDINA DEVIS (Parlatino, Venezuela), spoke out against the arrest and detention in solitary confinement in a Venezuelan prison, without access
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hon. Mr President of the European Parliament, Dear David Sassoli
    Hon. Mr President of the European Parliament, Dear David Sassoli, Since March, when the outbreak of COVID-19 intensified in Europe, the functioning of the European Parliament (EP) has changed dramatically, due to the sanitary measures applied. We understand the inevitability of the contingency plan, taking into account the need to prevent infection and the spread of the virus and to protect the health and lives of people. Six months later, the functioning of the EP is gradually returning to normal. However, there are services whose unavailability seriously impairs parliamentary work, namely the interpretation service. The European Union (EU) has 24 official languages and all deserve the same respect and treatment. We recognize that the number of languages available in committee meeting rooms has been increasing, but even so, more than half of the languages still have no interpretation. Multilingualism is a right enshrined in the Treaties that allows Members to express themselves in their own language. Now, that is not happening and we are concerned that the situation will continue, even taking into account the expected workflow in the commissions after these atypical six months. In this sense, we appeal, once again, to you, the President of the EP for the application of the letter and the spirit of the principle of multilingualism, finding solutions that respect this principle and that allow the use of any of the 24 official languages of the EU. The expression of each deputy in her/his own language is a priority so that there can be conditions to fully exercise the mandate for which she/he was elected and a condition of respect for the citizens who elected her/him.
    [Show full text]
  • Brussels, 24 February 2021
    Brussels, 24 February 2021 Declaration from Members of the European Parliament to urge the Commission and Member States not to block the TRIPS waiver at the WTO and to support global access to COVID-19 vaccines We, Members of the European Parliament, urge the European Commission and the European Council to review their opposition to the TRIPS waiver proposal at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which serves to enable greater access to affordable COVID-19 health technologies, including vaccines, in particular for developing and middle income countries. This call comes in view of the European Council meeting of 25 February 2021 and the crucial decision to be made by all Member States at the WTO General Council on 1-2 March 2021. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the need to ensure global open access to COVID-19 health technologies and to rapidly scale up their manufacturing and supply has been widely acknowledged. However, despite efforts and statements made by the European Commission and several heads of state in support of treating COVID-19 medical products as global public goods, this has not yet translated into actionable realities. In this context, the EU’s open opposition to the TRIPS waiver risks exacerbating a dangerous North-South divide when it comes to affordable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, personal protective equipment, treatments and vaccines. The WTO decision on a potential waiver offers a crucial and much-needed act of effective solidarity, as it is an important step towards increasing local production in partner countries and, ultimately, suppressing this pandemic on a global scale.
    [Show full text]
  • Maria João Rodrigues Relatora De Documento
    www.pseuropa.pt | www.twitter.com/psnaeuropa Nº 116 • JULHO DE 2016 FOTO PE EDITORIAL FRANCISCO ASSIS Esperemos que no final acabe, apesar MARIA JOÃO RODRIGUES RELATORA de tudo, por prevalecer a posição menos DE DOCUMENTO QUE PRETENDE insensata DAR UM NOVO RUMO À EUROPA PÁG. 3 A eventual aplicação de sanções a Portugal por incum- AÇORES primento dos objectivos orçamentais acordados no ano 1. de 2015 constitui uma injustiça e dá um sinal errado. Ao RICARDO SERRÃO SANTOS NA DEFESA longo dos últimos 10 anos, com a excepção do período mais agu- DOS PRODUTORES LOCAIS PÁG. 2 do da crise financeira em que a própria Comissão Europeia ins- tigou os governos nacionais a adoptarem políticas orçamentais expansionistas, os sucessivos executivos portugueses empe- PORTO RECEBEU CONFERÊNCIA nharam-se com sucesso num esforço drástico de consolidação orçamental. O actual governo tem reiteradamente assumido a INTERNACIONAL PROMOVIDA PELOS intenção de prosseguir esse esforço, ainda que recorrendo a ins- EURODEPUTADOS SOCIALISTAS PÁG. 2 trumentos de política económica diferentes. Não há neste mo- mento qualquer razão para pensar que esteja em causa o cabal cumprimento dos objectivos resultantes da nossa participação OPINIÃO na moeda única. O Primeiro-Ministro tem reiterado de forma en- fática a intenção de respeitar as regras em vigor. Como tal, esta ANA GOMES - BREXIT: A RESSACA PÁG. 2 atitude agora adoptada pelas instâncias europeias releva de um fundamentalismo a todos os títulos condenável e especialmen- CARLOS ZORRINHO - COMBATER te impróprio no contexto da profunda crise existencial que afec- ta a União Europeia. Esperemos que no final acabe, apesar de O “DEFICIT DEMOCRÁTICO” NA UE PÁG.
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Alliances
    101-06c Advocacy plan: Regional Alliances Regional Alliances - Advocacy Strategy 2020-2022 Please note: this strategy is a living document and needs further elaboration and thought. It will also need to be updated based on political opportunities that arise in the upcoming months and years until the end of 2022. 1. Advocacy issue 1.1. Definition of the problem: what is the problem? What are the root causes? Who is affected? What are the implications? In a world filled with new threats and opportunities, the European Union, as an actor on the world stage, needs to consolidate relations with its closest partners. The EU is a power that seeks to safeguard its interests vis-à-vis other big players in international relations in full respect of international law and its own values. Ursula von der Leyen, presenting for the first time her College of Commissioners said “My Commission will be a geopolitical Commission committed to sustainable policies. And I want the European Union to be the guardian of multilateralism. Because we know that we are stronger by doing together what we cannot do alone". A significant change in the new EC set up is the replacement of the ‘Development’ Commissioner with a Commissioner for ‘International Partnerships’, and it is unclear whether this marks a linguistic or substantive change. The emphasis on ‘partnerships’ rather than ‘development’ potentially signals a shift away from traditional donor/recipient relations and in this context CONCORD (with its members) must influence the EC interpretation of “international partnership” making sure that it won’t be exclusively focused on business, trade, growth, investment relations but that instead it will prioritise the wellbeing of people and planet and the fight against inequalities, promoting clear commitments towards a fairer and more sustainable world.
    [Show full text]
  • Mapa De Poder Na Rede EN 31Marco V3
    PORTUGAL TOP 50: MAP OF POWER ON THE NET Influential Politicians in Twitter March 2015 BARCELONA | BOGOTÁ | BUENOS AIRES | LIMA | LISBOA | MADRID | MÉXICO | PANAMÁ | QUITO | RÍO DE JANEIRO | SÃO PAULO | SANTIAGO DE CHILE | SANTO DOMINGO Elaborado por TOP 50 DUARTE MARQUES MAP 45 LÍDIA BULCÃO DIOGO FEIO RUI 28 49 OF POWER MOREIRA JORGE SEGURO FILIPE SANTOS MARISA MATIAS SANCHES 29 HENRIQUES 47 LUÍS VALES PEDRO 11 27 PASSOS COELHO 12 ON THE NET PAULO PEDROSO ANTÓNIO FILIPE 13 MÁRIO RUIVO 30 7 CATARINA MARTINS Influential Politicians 44 CARLOS 10 COELHO in Twitter 14 ANTÓNIO JOSÉ SEGURO JOANA PORTUGAL - March 2015 33 AMARAL DIAS MICHAEL RUI TAVARES 8 SEUFERT TOP 50 RANKING Map of Power on the DANIEL 25 MIGUEL TIAGO OLIVEIRA 3 Net - Influential Politicians in Twitter is 16 1 the result of the research work by IMAGO - LLORENTE & CUENCA to PEDRO MOTA identify, measure, and compare the SOARES 32 9 EDITE ESTRELA level of influence held by the main Por- tuguese politicians in the digital arena. ANÍBAL 15 MARIA GRAÇA CARVALHO CAVACO SILVA 26 The research conducted took as its MAP OF starting point the premise that Twitter - INFLUENCE INFLUENCE + INFLUENCE + INFLUENCE INFLUENCE - INFLUENCE is the maximum example of online in- fluence - an open space where informa- 0 25 50 75 POWER 75 50 25 0 tion is public, in which relationships are JOSÉ GUSMÃO 34 50 established and ideas spread more PEDRO SANTANA LOPES concisely and quickly than on any other 42 ADOLFO social network. MESQUITA NUNES NUNO MELO 48 24 GARCIA PEREIRA Is there any link between online pres- ANTÓNIO 31 ANA 6 ence and influence outside the Inter- PRÔA GOMES net? Should personal online assets be 41 RUI RIO explored by politicians as mechanisms JOSÉ 17 to approach their voters? These and JUNQUEIRO 4 23 LUIS MENEZES other questions are discussed in this 2 CARLOS study.
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament Elections 2019 - Results
    Briefing June 2019 European Parliament Elections 2019 - Results Austria – 18 MEPs Staff lead: Nick Dornheim PARTIES (EP group) Freedom Party of Austria The Greens – The Green Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) (EPP) Social Democratic Party of Austria NEOS – The New (FPÖ) (Salvini’s Alliance) – Alternative (Greens/EFA) – 7 seats (SPÖ) (S&D) - 5 seats Austria (ALDE) 1 seat 3 seats 2 seat 1. Othmar Karas* Andreas Schieder Harald Vilimsky* Werner Kogler Claudia Gamon 2. Karoline Edtstadler Evelyn Regner* Georg Mayer* Sarah Wiener 3. Angelika Winzig Günther Sidl Heinz Christian Strache 4. Simone Schmiedtbauer Bettina Vollath 5. Lukas Mandl* Hannes Heide 6. Alexander Bernhuber 7. Barbara Thaler NB 1: Only the parties reaching the 4% electoral threshold are mentioned in the table. *: Incumbent Member of the NB 2: 18 seats are allocated to Austria, same as in the previous election. European Parliament ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• www.eurocommerce.eu Belgium – 21 MEPs Staff lead: Stefania Moise PARTIES (EP group) DUTCH SPEAKING CONSITUENCY FRENCH SPEAKING CONSITUENCY GERMAN SPEAKING CONSTITUENCY 1. Geert Bourgeois 1. Pascal Arimont* 2. Assita Kanko 1. Maria Arena* Socialist Party (PS) Christian Social Party 3. Johan Van Overtveldt 2. Marc Tarabella* (S&D) 2 seats (CSP) (EPP) 1 seat New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) 1. Olivier Chastel (Greens/EFA) Reformist 2. Frédérique Ries* 4 seats Movement (MR) (ALDE) 2 seats 1. Philippe Lamberts* 2. Saskia Bricmont 1. Guy Verhofstadt* Ecolo (Greens/EFA) 2. Hilde Vautmans* 2 seats Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open 1. Benoît Lutgen Humanist VLD) (ALDE) 2 seats democratic centre (cdH) (EPP) 1 seat 1. Kris Peeters Workers’ Party of 1.
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament 2014-2019
    European Parliament 2014-2019 Committee on Industry, Research and Energy ITRE_PV(2018)0903_1 MINUTES Meeting of 3 September 2018, 15.00-18.30 BRUSSELS The meeting opened at 15.08 on Monday, 3 September 2018, with Jerzy Buzek (Chair) presiding. 3 September 2018 1. Adoption of agenda ITRE_OJ (2018)0903_1 The agenda was adopted in the form shown in the minutes. 2. Chair’s announcements None. 3. Approval of minutes of meetings 18-19 June 2018 PV – PE625.486v01-00 The minutes were approved. * * * 4. Education in the digital era: challenges, opportunities and lessons for EU policy design ITRE/8/13342 2018/2090(INI) Rapporteur for the opinion: Tamás Deutsch (PPE) PA – PE623.921v01-00 Responsible: CULT* – Yana Toom (ALDE) Opinions: EMPL*, ITRE Consideration of draft opinion PV\1163879EN.docx PE628.391v01-00 EN United in diversity EN Speakers: Andor Deli, Carlos Zorrinho, Caroline Nagtegaal, Benedek Jávor, Patrizia Toia, Anusca Ferrari (European Commission, DG EAC). 5. Reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment ITRE/8/13554 ***I 2018/0172(COD) COM(2018)0340 – C8-0218/2018 Rapporteur for the opinion: Barbara Kappel (ENF) PA – PE625.401v01-00 Responsible: ENVI – Frédérique Ries (ALDE) PR – PE623.714v01-00 Opinions: ECON, ITRE, AGRI, PECH, JURI Consideration of draft opinion Speakers: Barbara Kappel, Maria Spyraki, Dominique Riquet, Xabier Benito Ziluaga, Carlos Zorrinho, Hugo Schally (European Commission, DG ENER) * * * From 16.00: *** Electronic vote *** 6. Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and
    [Show full text]
  • Brussels, 6. May 2021 Dear President Von Der Leyen, Dear Executive Vice
    Brussels, 6. May 2021 Dear President von der Leyen, Dear Executive Vice President Dombrovskis, Dear Vice President Schinas, Dear Commissioner Breton, Dear Commission Kyriakides, late last night the United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai released a statement that the Biden-Harris administration will support the waiving of intellectual property protection for COVID-19 vaccines. We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament, urge you to drop your opposition and to actively support the adoption of the proposal for a temporary ‘Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19. According to the data from the WHO there have been 154,815,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 3,236,104 deaths1. There is an urgent need for strong international collaboration to speed and scale up manufacturing, to expand the supply of effective medical technologies and to work with governments and manufacturers to ensure fair and equitable allocation of the vaccines for all countries so that everyone, no matter where they live, is protected. We are experiencing shortages of supply and few wealthy countries were able to secure the biggest share of vaccine doses, leaving a majority of the global population living in low-and-middle income countries without any opportunity to receive vaccine 1 https://covid19.who.int/ (6. May 2021) doses. At the same time pharmaceutical companies approach to intellectual property remains business-as-usual, limiting manufacturing and supply capacities. While we fully support the European Union’s financial contributions to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its vaccine pillar the COVAX Facility for the purchase of potential COVID-19 vaccines, it is simply not enough.
    [Show full text]
  • Letter from the ECB President to Ms Ana Gomes, Mr Carlos Zorrinho, Mr Pedro Silva Pereira, Mr Francisco Assis, Ms Liliana Rodrig
    ECB-PUBLIC COURTESY TRANSLATION Mario DRAGHI President Ms Ana Gomes Mr Carlos Zorrinho Mr Pedro Silva Pereira Mr Francisco Assis Ms Liliana Rodrigues Mr Ricardo Serrão Santos Ms Maria João Rodrigues Members of the European Parliament European Parliament 60, rue Wiertz B-1047 Brussels Frankfurt, 6 July 2016 L/MD/16/338 Re: Your letter (QZ-064) Honourable Members of the European Parliament, In your letter, which was passed on by Mr Roberto Gualtieri, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, to Ms Danièle Nouy, Chair of the ECB Supervisory Board, with a cover letter dated 7 June 2016, you raised an issue relating to the implementation of monetary policy. Ms Nouy has therefore forwarded this question to me. As I had the opportunity to explain to your MEP colleagues, Mr Melo and Mr Fernandes, who posed questions similar to yours, the ECB generally does not comment on individual counterparties. I can, however, confirm that the Banco de Portugal proposed to the Governing Council to take a decision affecting the counterparty status of Banco Internacional do Funchal S.A. (BANIF), on the grounds of prudence. In putting forward such a proposal, the Banco de Portugal fulfilled its obligations within the Eurosystem, as per the rules established in the General Documentation on the implementation of the Eurosystem’s monetary policy and in the Address Postal Address European Central Bank European Central Bank Tel. +49- 69- 1344- 0 Sonnemannstrasse 20 60640 Frankfurt am Main Fax: +49- 69- 1344- 7305 60314 Frankfurt am Main Germany Website: www.ecb.europa.eu Germany 2 procedures to be applied by national central banks regarding counterparty issues.1 The decision of the Governing Council of 17 December 2015 consisted of freezing BANIF’s level of Eurosystem liquidity- providing reverse transactions on the grounds of prudence.
    [Show full text]
  • October 21, 2020 President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Arab Republic Of
    October 21, 2020 President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Arab Republic of Egypt Cairo, Egypt Dear President Abdel Fattah El Sisi: We write this letter to express our grave concern about the continued detention of prisoners of conscience in Egypt. Particularly at a time of aggravated health risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to prioritize the human rights of detainees and immediately release those unjustly detained. Despite these risks, we note the continued detention of a number of human rights defenders, lawyers, political activists, and other prisoners of conscience in Egypt. Among these we note the continued pre-trial detention of political activist Ramy Shaath, who has been held for more than a year without charge. We note the continued detention of activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, whose sister Sanaa Seif was detained while she and her family attempted to make a complaint to the Public Prosecution about an assault they suffered in front of Tora prison. We also note the continued detention of human rights lawyers Mohamed el Baqer, Zyad el Elaimy, Mahienour el Massry, Haitham Mohamedeen and Ibrahim Metwally, researchers Patrick Zaki and Ibrahim Ezz el-din, and journalists Esraa Abdelfattah, Solafa Magdy, Hossam al-Sayyad and Mahmoud Hussein. We note that these are but a few of the many prisoners of conscience held in Egyptian prison at risk to their lives. We recall the preventable deaths this year of musician Shady Habash and US citizen Mustafa Kassem, both as a result of medical negligence while in detention. A joint statement issued by the World Health Organization, the UNODC, the OHCHR, and UNAIDS issued in May called for releases in order to mitigate overcrowding in prisons, and an April OHCHR press briefing reiterated this call to Egypt directly.
    [Show full text]
  • Solidarity Between Generations Must Guide the EU Response to and Recovery from COVID-19
    Letter addressed to: Ursula von der Leyen, President European Commission Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 1049 Brussels Belgium and Charles Michel, President European Council Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 175 1048 Brussels Belgium Logatec, 28th May 2020 SUBJECT: Solidarity between generations must guide the EU response to and recovery from COVID-19 Dear President von der Leyen, Dear President Michel, In this context of the COVID-19 crisis, we welcome and support your efforts to step up a European response and underline the importance of respecting of the EU principle of solidarity between generations, enshrined in article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union. We reaffirm the intrinsic value of human life at every age, strongly deplore all forms of ageism, and call on the Union and the Members States to protect human rights of all persons, without discrimination on the ground of age. It is important to continue the reflection on demographic change and solidarity between generations in discussions at the level of the EU and in the Member States. Only through such an approach will it be possible to guarantee adequate protection of human rights of all persons, especially those with greater risk factor: older persons, persons with disabilities, children and others. Keeping them at the heart of discussions is also of key importance for strengthening social cohesion. Even as confinement measures start to be lifted, we are concerned about the reports of reinforced ageism, the still dramatic situation in some Member States‘ nursing homes and the effects of long-term confinement on older persons, their families and the wider society.
    [Show full text]
  • Brussels, 23 April 2021 Open Letter Concerning European Commitment
    Brussels, 23 April 2021 Open letter concerning European commitment to end homelessness at the Porto Social Summit Dear President of the European Council Michel, Dear Prime Minister Costa, Dear Members of the European Council, Dear Members of the Employment and Social Affairs Council, In its Communication on the Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Commission rightly states that the number of homeless people has risen sharply and is currently unacceptably high. The European Commission also refers to the fact that the European Parliament and stakeholders want the EU to set an objective to end homelessness by 2030, which was most recently called for in the report on ‘Access to Decent and Affordable Housing’. As Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Ana Mendes Godinho, Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security in Portugal, and Yves Leterme, Goodwill Ambassador for the Fight against Homelessness in Europe, jointly stated in June 20201: “Though complex, homelessness is not insurmountable and can be overcome. Ending homelessness requires resolute action addressing its root causes, and investing in prevention and empowerment strategies. The European Union also has an important role to play: it can rally all interested stakeholders around a shared goal, galvanise the political commitment of Member States, facilitate exchange of best practice and support the scale-up of evidence-based policies via the EU budget.” While we welcome the proposal for an EU Platform on Combatting Homelessness and the High Level Conference on it as important steps for putting homelessness on the European agenda and supporting Member States’ actions, we regret that the European Commission did not include a shared European goal to reduce and ultimately end homelessness as a sub-target of the poverty reduction target in the action plan.
    [Show full text]