On Thursday 16 March, while welcoming the EU framework for action in favour of human rights defenders that has developed over the last 20 years, the European Parliament called on the EU to do more.
In the report by Hannah Neumann (Greens/EFA, German) which they adopted (400 votes in favour, 43 against and 86 abstentions), MEPs say that “the human rights defenders dimension has yet to be integrated into the Union’s external action as a whole in a systematic and coherent way”.
They call on the EU to further strengthen its policy framework for the development of human rights by putting into practice “continuous, concrete and effective” actions in third countries.
The European Parliament also calls for a genuine ‘Team Europe’ approach to human rights defenders. It is important to place the protection of defenders at the heart of the Union’s political commitment and diplomatic action vis-à-vis third countries “by aligning all the Union’s external action in third countries with the Union’s action to protect human rights defenders and promote their work”.
MEPs also call for violence against human rights defenders to be integrated into the EU’s crisis management policy and for an effective protection response to activists in need. They also call for increased funding for these defenders and to make it easier for them to obtain visas.
The European Parliament is also committed to strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights defenders, including through the adoption of a new European Parliament policy framework on support for human rights defenders and a more systematic dialogue with them.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/5un (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)