A strengthened approach to human rights is needed if European Parliament activities on human rights and democracy are to become more visible, coherent and consistent, and thus more influential on EU policy and on the world stage. The Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) therefore calls on all candidates in the 2014 European Elections to adhere to the manifesto below.
If I am elected in the 2014 European Elections I pledge to:
1. Promote the EU’s founding principles and the objectives of its human rights and democracy policy
through my daily work in all Parliamentary committees and delegations, dealing with both internal and external affairs
2. Publicly and privately raise human rights abuses and cases of individuals at risk in plenary and committee/delegation meetings, with EU officials, EU Member States, EU national parliamentarians and with the countries concerned and through initiating resolutions, statements and letters
3. Regularly meet with NGOs and human rights defenders in Brussels and Strasbourg, in my home country and on my visits to other countries
4. Support the improvement of the Parliament’s work on human rights and democracy to actively support structural reform including the upgrading of the current Sub-Committee on Human Rights (DROI) to a fully-fledged committee; for all Committees and Delegations to task a Vice Chair with a specific responsibility for human rights and to reform the “urgencies” (rule 122) procedure
5. Improve transparency within the Parliament and within other EU institutions to ensure a public record on all votes on human rights issues, for all high level EP positions to be appointed in a transparent manner and for hearings with EU officials to be held in public
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