Annual report on human rights in the world

Following the unanimous adoption of his report on human rights in the world, the rapporteur, Mr Renzo IMBENI (PSE, I) stated that this unanimity illustrated Parliament's will to formulate specific proposals for action, rather than confine itself to a list of grievances, and that he was delighted that the Committee on Foreign Affairs had decided to give priority to increasing public awareness of respect for human rights in the world. With regard to education, he trusted that the Commission would submit an action plan as quickly as possible to encourage knowledge of and respect for others. He also felt that it was the European Parliament's duty to call on the Union to oppose the rise in all forms of fanaticism and take positive and effective measures against these violations of human rights. In addition, he hoped that, if the European Parliament agreed with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, this question would be debated during the course of the 1996 intergovernmental conference and the European Union would have a real foreign human rights policy. Specific proposals: Mr IMBENI called for action at two levels: - at the international level, priority should be given to: . fighting anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance; . equal opportunities and the fundamental rights of women; . children's rights; . national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities; . people vulnerable to exclusion or discrimination on the grounds of sexual or social behaviour or physical differences; . affirming the right not to be tortured, sold or trafficked as a human being; . condemning recourse to the death penalty; . education (cf. rapporteur's statement); . implementing monitoring and the World Conference. - at Union level, 10 proposals were tabled for the intergovernmental conference: 1. to incorporate the declaration on fundamental rights by the three institutions (5 April 1977) into the Treaty itself; 2. to merge all foreign policy into a common policy based on respect for human dignity; 3. to encourage references to human rights in bilateral agreements concluded by Member States; 4. to insert an "essential elements" clause in every agreement concluded between the European Union and a third country, as part of a so-called conditionality policy; 5. to order the Commission and the Council to publish an annual memorandum on their policy on this subject, to include monitoring of texts adopted by the European Parliament; 6. to order the Commission to supply the European Parliament with the information needed in order to take a position on the suspension of relations with a third country; 7. to order the Council to adopt European Parliament resolutions passed by a 2/3 majority; 8. to include the prevention of attacks on human dignity as one of the objectives of the Union's foreign policy; 9. to coordinate action carried out with regional or international organizations; 10. to appoint a Commissioner responsible for human rights and democratization.�