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The Foreign Affairs committee called on the Council on Thursday to appoint a high-level envoy with an international reputation, tasked with raising the EU's human rights profile worldwide, to the new post of EU Special Representative for Human Rights created in line with the EP's repeated demands.

Eelnõus, mis võeti vastu neljapäeval, kutsub Euroopa Parlament Šveitsi valitsust üles tühistama "diskrimineeriv ja õigusvastane" otsus taaskehtestada pikaajalise elamisloa kvoodid Poola, Leedu, Läti, Eesti, Slovakkia, Sloveenia, Tšehhi ja Ungari kodanikele.

Vastavalt neljapäeval vastuvõetud EP resolutsioonile peab EL paremini kasutama loodusvarasid, et elavdada majanduskasvu ning samas kaitsta keskkonda. Väärtuslikke materjale tuleb taaskasutada, selle asemel, et neid prügilates ladustada või põletada. Saadikute arvates peab maksustama ressursside raiskamise, et tõsta ELi konkurentsivõimet.

Neljapäeval toimunud hääletusel nõudis parlament tungivalt, et komisjon esitaks uusi meetmeid soolise palgaerinevuse vähendamiseks, sealhulgas rangemaid sanktsioone tööandjatele. EP ettepanekus seadusloomeliseks algatuseks rõhutatakse, et sooline palgaerinevus on Euroopa Liidus ikka veel keskmiselt 16,4% ning mõnes liikmesriigis on see protsent isegi suurenenud.

All actions aimed at suppressing the freedom of expression and assembly in Azerbaijan should stop immediately, says a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday. Azerbaijan's hosting of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in its capital Baku on 26 May should be an opportunity for it to show its commitment to democracy and human rights, it adds. In a separate resolution, also passed on Thursday, Parliament calls on China to stop deporting North Korean refugees back to North Korea.

MEPs criticize the recent decision of the High Court of Ukraine to postpone its ruling on the appeal by former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her seven-year prison sentence, in a resolution adopted on Thursday. They warn against delaying the legal proceedings, condemn the use of force against her by prison guards and remind Ukraine of its obligation to examine any complaints of cruel treatment.

Emergency financial assistance from the EU for cash-strapped neighbours must depend on respect for human rights and democracy, said Parliament on Thursday. MEPs also oppose plans to cut Parliament out of future decisions on granting this aid.

Devising a "European Investment Plan" to create new jobs, reallocating EU structural funds to projects to create them for young people, and introducing a "European Youth Guarantee" to ensure that they are not without jobs for more than four months, are among the proposals set out by MEPs in a resolution, adopted Thursday, on measures to tackle youth unemployment.

EU Member states should set an example in fighting homophobia, says Parliament in a resolution adopted by a clear majority on Thursday. MEPs condemn homophobic laws and violence in European countries, and call on EU member states to consider giving access to cohabitation, registered partnerships or marriage to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Väljapakutud finantstehingute maks (inglise keeles: financial transaction tax FTT) peab olema paremini ettevalmistatud, et see haaraks suuremat hulka kauplejaid ning maksust eemale hoidmine ei oleks tulus. Sellise seisukoha võttis EP vastu kolmapäevasel hääletusel. EP arvamuse kohaselt tuleb maksu kehtestamisega minna edasi, isegi kui selle kasuks otsustavad vaid mõned ELi liikmesriigid.