MEPs examined the state of citizens’ rights in the EU in 2022 and 2023, identifying an array of concerns across the member states.
They approved the report on the state of fundamental rights in the EU with 391 votes in favour, 130 against, and 20 abstentions.
MEPs called for justice for the killing of journalists and welcomed the agreement on the media freedom act. They reiterated their concern over using spyware, highlighting the need to regulate the industry strictly and calling on EU countries, notably Greece, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Cyprus, to follow Parliament’s recommendations.
Backsliding on women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights
The text recalls that gender-based violence is highly prevalent in all EU countries and strongly condemns the rapid backsliding on women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights in several member states, including the denial of access to safe and legal abortion in Poland.
In the case of Hungary, Parliament calls on the European Council to determine whether Hungary has committed severe and persistent breaches of EU values under Article 7(2) TEU and strongly deplores the systematic scapegoating of the LGBTQI+ community by the authorities. Parliament once again calls for the negotiations on a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence to be concluded swiftly and for gender-based violence to be included in the list of EU crimes.
Corruption on the rise
Parliament expresses deep concern over the increasing level of corruption in several EU countries and reiterates its condemnation of alleged incidents involving high-level officials and politicians, including current and former MEPs. The EU anti-corruption framework and the Whistleblower Protection Directive must be fully implemented in the member states, and an independent ethics body is needed at the EU level, MEPs point out. Parliament also speaks against government attempts to influence judicial independence and calls for effective checks and balances.
MEPs are also concerned about threats to freedoms of association, speech and assembly, including police violence and mass arrests, disinformation and the need to ensure artistic freedom, religion-based and racist incidents and that not all member states have fully transposed the framework decision on racism and xenophobia.
MEPs underlined police violence against Romani persons, widespread fundamental rights violations against migrants and refugees, and the codification of pushbacks into national law.
They called for children’s right to equal recognition of parenthood across the EU.
They also expressed concern about the risk of biases built into new technologies, including AI, poverty and social exclusion, and digital poverty. They called to improve institutional safeguards (including establishing the Fundamental Rights Agency as an independent human rights authority).
Rapporteur Katarina Barley (S&D, Germany) commented: “Fundamental rights violations are widespread in EU member states. Times of crises are like a litmus test in this regard, as the respect for fundamental rights cannot depend on favourable economic and societal conditions. They are not optional; they are the essence of our societies and a core founding value of the EU.”
