Report on fundamental rights in the European Union for 2000

The committee adopted the own-initiative report by Thierry CORNILLET (EPP-ED, F) calling for the setting up of a permanent working group to monitor continuously the situation of fundamental rights in the EU. Instead of the traditional type of annual report on the human rights situation in the EU, the committee decided to draw up this year·s report with reference to the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The resolution was limited to more general recommendations on improving fundamental rights in the EU, while specific cases of concern were mentioned in the accompanying explanatory statement, which has no particular status. Next year, however, the committee wanted to take the resolution and the explanatory statement listing specific cases in Member States as a whole. The report would then be drawn up by a working group under the committee's supervision and on the basis of observations by specialist bodies, NGOs and human rights and legal expert networks, and in cooperation with national parliaments. It would then be submitted to plenary for a yes or no vote. The recommendations contained in the report focused on ways of improving fundamental rights in areas such as police treatment, detention and prison conditions, the treatment of asylum-seekers, victims of trafficking in human beings, the protection of privacy, freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression, the rights of citizens of third countries, discrimination and racism, national minorities, equality between men and women, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the rights of children, the elderly and the disabled, working conditions and social protection, good administration and the right to a fair trial.�