MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the migration crisis and humanitarian situation in Venezuela and at its borders
2.7.2018 - (2018/2770(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Karol Karski, Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, Ryszard Czarnecki, Monica Macovei, Ruža Tomašić, Angel Dzhambazki, Geoffrey Van Orden, Pirkko Ruohonen‑Lerner, Jana Žitňanská, Jan Zahradil, Raffaele Fitto on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0315/2018
B8‑0317/2018
European Parliament resolution on the migration crisis and humanitarian situation in Venezuela and at its borders
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Venezuela, in particular those of 27 February 2014 on the situation in Venezuela[1], of 18 December 2014 on the persecution of the democratic opposition in Venezuela[2], of 12 March 2015 on the situation in Venezuela[3], of 8 June 2016 on the situation in Venezuela[4], of 27 April 2017 on the situation in Venezuela[5], of 8 February 2018 on the situation in Venezuela[6], and of 3 May 2018 on the elections in Venezuela[7],
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,
– having regard to the statement of 8 February 2018 by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda,
– having regard to the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Venezuela of 31 March 2017,
– having regard to the report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights entitled ‘Human rights violations in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’ of 22 June 2018,
– having regard to the joint statement of 28 April 2017 by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention,
– having regard to the G7 leaders’ statement of 23 May 2018,
– having regard to the declarations of the Lima Group of 23 January 2018, 14 February 2018, 21 May 2018 and 15 June 2018,
– having regard to the declaration of 20 April 2018 by the Organisation of American States (OAS) on the worsening humanitarian situation in Venezuela,
– having regard to the report of the General Secretariat of the OAS and the panel of independent international experts on the possible commission of crimes against humanity in Venezuela of 29 May 2018,
– having regard to the report published by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on 12 February 2018 entitled ‘Democratic Institutions, the Rule of Law and Human Rights in Venezuela’, and to the IACHR resolution of 14 March 2018,
– having regard to the declarations of 26 January 2018, 19 April 2018 and 22 May 2018 by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on the latest developments in Venezuela,
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 13 November 2017, 22 January 2018, 28 May 2018 and 25 June 2018,
– having regard to the statement of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, on the official mission to Colombia in March 2018,
– having regard to the statement of 23 April 2018 by its Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the situation of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela continues to deteriorate; whereas Venezuela is facing an unprecedented political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis resulting in a mounting death toll and increasing numbers of refugees and migrants;
B. whereas a growing number of people in Venezuela, in particular vulnerable groups such as women, children and sick people, are suffering from malnutrition as a consequence of limited access to quality health services, medicines, food and water; whereas despite the readiness of the international community, the Venezuelan Government regrettably remains obstinate in its denial of the problem and its refusal to openly receive and facilitate the distribution of international humanitarian aid;
C. whereas the economic situation has significantly worsened; whereas the International Monetary Fund has projected that hyperinflation in Venezuela will soar to 13 000 % in 2018, up from an estimated 2 400 % in 2017, resulting in price increases of, on average, almost 1.5 % every hour;
D. whereas an OHCHR report published on 22 June 2018 highlights the Venezuelan authorities’ failure to hold to account the perpetrators of serious human rights violations, which include killings, the use of excessive force against demonstrators, arbitrary detentions, ill-treatment and torture; whereas impunity in favour of security officers suspected of the extrajudicial killings of demonstrators also appears to be rife; whereas these findings are evidence of a further escalation of the tense situation in the country;
E. whereas the elections held on 20 May 2018 were conducted without complying with the minimum international standards for a credible process and failed to respect political pluralism, democracy, transparency and the rule of law; whereas this places additional constraints on efforts to resolve the political crisis; whereas the EU, together with other democratic bodies, does not recognise the elections or the authorities put in place by this illegitimate process;
F. whereas the current crisis in Venezuela, in all its myriad aspects, is generating the largest population displacement ever witnessed in the region; whereas according to the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the total number of Venezuelans to have left the country increased dramatically, from 437 000 in 2005 to over 1.6 million in 2017; whereas around 945 000 Venezuelans left the country between 2015 and 2017; whereas in 2018 the total number who have left the country since 2014 has exceeded 2 million people; whereas there has been a 2 000 % increase in the number of Venezuelan nationals seeking asylum worldwide since 2014, reaching more than 280 000 by mid-June 2018;
G. whereas according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Colombia is hosting the biggest share of displaced people, with over 820 000 Venezuelans living on its territory; whereas Cúcuta and Boa Vista, which are situated on the border with Venezuela, are experiencing a major influx of people, who are often in terrible health and nutrition conditions; whereas Peru, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay are also facing influxes of great numbers of refugees and migrants; whereas maritime routes are becoming increasingly significant, particularly to Caribbean islands such as Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire and Trinidad and Tobago; whereas European countries, in particular Spain, are also being increasingly affected; whereas host countries are coming under increasing strain in terms of providing assistance to new arrivals;
H. whereas on 17 March 2018 the EU allocated a humanitarian aid package of EUR 31 million to Latin America and the Caribbean, with EUR 6 million going to Colombia and a further EUR 2 million to those affected by the crisis in Venezuela; whereas on 7 June 2018 the Commission announced a package of EUR 30.1 million in emergency aid and medium-term development assistance to support the Venezuelan people and the neighbouring countries affected by the crisis; whereas in 2018, EUR 5 million was allocated via the Instrument Contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) to conflict prevention activities on the borders of Brazil and Colombia;
1. Is deeply shocked and alarmed by the devastating humanitarian situation in Venezuela, which has resulted in large numbers of deaths and an unprecedented influx of refugees and migrants to neighbouring countries and beyond; expresses its solidarity with all Venezuelans forced to flee their country for want of the most basic living conditions, such as access to food, drinking water, health services and medicines;
2. Urges the Venezuelan authorities to acknowledge the ongoing humanitarian crisis, to prevent its further deterioration, and to promote political and economic solutions to ensure the safety of all civilians and stability for the country and the region;
3. Demands that the Venezuelan authorities allow unimpeded humanitarian aid into the country as a matter of urgency to prevent the aggravation of the humanitarian and public health crisis, and in particular the reappearance of diseases such as measles, malaria, diphtheria and foot-and-mouth disease, and that they grant unhindered access to international organisations wishing to assist all affected sectors of society; calls for the rapid implementation of a short-term response to counter malnutrition among the most vulnerable groups, such as women, children and sick people;
4. Commends the Colombian Government for its prompt reaction and the support it has provided to all incoming Venezuelans; also praises Brazil and other countries in the region, in particular Peru, regional and international organisations, private and public entities, the Catholic Church and ordinary citizens in the region as a whole for their active help and solidarity vis-à-vis Venezuelan refugees and migrants;
5. Calls on the international community to establish a coordinated, comprehensive and regional response to the crisis and to step up its financial and material assistance to recipient countries by fulfilling their commitments; warmly welcomes the EU humanitarian aid allocated to date, and calls, as a matter of urgency, for additional humanitarian support to be released via emergency funds, in order to meet the rapidly increasing needs of people affected by the Venezuelan crisis in the neighbouring countries;
6. Urges the Venezuelan authorities to put an immediate end to all human rights violations, including violations against civilians, and to fully respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly; further urges the Venezuelan authorities to restore democratic order, it being an indispensable condition for putting an end to the escalating crisis;
7. Calls for the holding of fresh presidential elections in accordance with internationally recognised democratic standards and the Venezuelan constitutional order; stresses that the legitimate government resulting from such elections must urgently address the current economic and social crisis in Venezuela and work towards national reconciliation;
8. Welcomes the swift adoption of additional targeted and revocable sanctions that do not harm the Venezuelan population, imposed for the conduct of the illegitimate elections of 20 May 2018, which were given no international recognition and which took place without an agreement on the date or on the conditions, and in circumstances which did not allow the participation of all political parties on an equal footing; recalls the possibility of new sanctions being imposed on those responsible for the heightened political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis, in particular on President Nicolás Maduro;
9. Fully supports the investigations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the extensive crimes and acts of repression perpetrated by the Venezuelan regime, and calls for the EU to play an active role in this regard; supports the call of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish a commission of inquiry into the situation in Venezuela and to deepen the involvement of the ICC;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Government and National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the governments and parliaments of the Republic of Colombia, the Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Peru, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States and the Lima Group.
- [1] OJ C 285, 29.8.2017, p. 145.
- [2] OJ C 294, 12.8.2016, p. 21.
- [3] OJ C 316, 30.8.2016, p. 190.
- [4] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0269.
- [5] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0200.
- [6] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0041.
- [7] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0199.