Plenary summary: gender dimension in Cohesion policy, 75th and 76th sessions of the UN General Assembly and Rule of Law in the EU/application of the Conditionality Regulation
During its June I plenary session, the European Parliament Plenary debated and voted on several files that relate to the human rights of LGBTI persons:
- Regional Development (REGI) report on the gender dimension in cohesion policy
- Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) recommendation to the Council on the 75th and 76th sessions of the United Nations General Assembly
- Resolution on Rule of Law situation in the European Union and the application of the Conditionality Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092
Gender dimension in cohesion policy
On Monday, Members of the European Parliament debated the report from the Regional Development Committee on the gender dimension in cohesion policy (rapporteur: Monika Vana, Greens-EFA). The text was adopted on Tuesday.
The text of the report states the following:
- Stresses that all programmes implemented under cohesion policy should ensure gender equality throughout their preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as equal opportunities for all, including through positive action where necessary and applicable, without discrimination based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation […]; (¶10)
- Calls on the Commission, the Member States and their respective authorities to follow the principles of the rule of law, including the principle of non-discrimination, and respect for fundamental rights when it comes to decisions on funding programmes or regions […]; believes that the beneficiaries of cohesion policy should not adopt any discriminatory policy, in particular against those groups that still suffer from discrimination, such as the LGBTI community; encourages the rejection of applications from potential beneficiaries, including from regional or local authorities, which have adopted discriminatory policies against members of the LGBTI community such as the declaration of ‘LGBTI-free’ zones; (¶11)
Watch the plenary debate here.
Recommendation to the Council on the 75th and 76th sessions of the United Nations General Assembly
On Tuesday, Members of the European Parliament debated the recommendation from the Foreign Affairs committee to the Council on the 75th and 76th sessions of the UN General Assembly (rapporteur: María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, Renew Europe). The text was adopted on Wednesday.
The text of the report states the following:
- pursue further consistent dialogue across UN fora, in particular UNGA, on the need to protect the human rights of LGBTI persons, in line with the EU’s guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by LGBTI persons in multilateral fora[1], the EU guidelines on death penalty[2], and in respect of the internationally recognised Yogyakarta Principles[3]; encourage UN bodies and Members to include ‘gender identity and expression’ and ‘sex characteristics’ in their scope of consideration of human rights violations, thereby including transgender and intersex persons, as well as human rights violations to which they are victim; use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to advocate at global level for the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex acts, the abolition of the death penalty as a sanction for consensual same-sex acts, the adoption of legislation allowing for legal gender recognition and the banning of intersex genital mutilation and so-called ‘conversion therapy’ practices worldwide; (v)
Watch the plenary debate here.
Paragraph (v) carried four split votes, which you can check here (page 3). || The votes on the splits led the text to remain as tabled, as you can check here (page 2). || Consult the results of the roll-call votes on the splits here (page 350-357)
Resolution on Rule of Law situation in the European Union and the application of the Conditionality Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092
On Wednesday, Members of the European Parliament debated the Resolution on Rule of Law situation in the European Union and the application of the Conditionality Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092. The text was adopted on Thursday.
The text of the report states the following:
- Calls on the Commission to use all tools at its disposal, including the regulation, also to address the persistent violations of democracy and fundamental rights everywhere in the Union, including attacksagainst media freedom and journalists, migrants, women’s rights, LGBTIQ people’s rights, and freedom of association and assembly; welcomes the decision taken by the Grand Chamber of the CJEU to dismiss Hungary’s action against Parliament’s resolution of 12 September 2018 triggering the Article 7 procedure; regrets the Commission’s inability to respond properly to the many concerns expressed by Parliament about democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in several Member States; calls on the Commission to use all tools at its disposal, including Article 7 TEU, the Rule of Law Framework and infringement procedures under Article 19(1) TEU, as well as further instruments, such as expedited procedures, applications for interim measures before the CJEU and actions regarding non-implementation of the Court’s judgments; […] (¶7)
Watch the plenary debate here.
[1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/137584.pdf
[2] https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8416-2013-INIT/en/pdf
[3] http://yogyakartaprinciples.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/principles_en.pdf; http://yogyakartaprinciples.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/A5_yogyakartaWEB-2.pdf
