31.8.2013   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 251/88

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having regard to Articles 2, 3, 4, and 6 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), Articles 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 45, 49, 56, 67, 83 and 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR),

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having regard to Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law (1),

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having regard to Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States (2),

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having regard to Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin (3),

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having regard to Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding’s statement of 11 February 2012 on the PVV website (4),

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having regard to Rule 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.

whereas, at the beginning of February 2012, the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) launched an internet hotline ‘Meldpunt Midden en Oost Europeanen’, calling on people to report complaints arising from the ‘massive labour migration’ of ‘Central or Eastern European citizens’, in particular Poles, Romanians and Bulgarians; whereas people are asked, in particular, whether they have experienced any problems in terms of anti-social behaviour and whether they have lost their jobs to one of those citizens;

B.

whereas the free movement of citizens in the European Union is enshrined in Article 21 TFEU, and the free movement of workers within the European Union in Article 45 TFEU;

C.

whereas the right to protection from discrimination on grounds of nationality is enshrined in Article 18 TFEU, and protection from discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin in Article 10 TFEU;

D.

whereas the right to freedom of thought is enshrined in Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and freedom of expression in Article 11 thereof;

E.

whereas the European Union is founded on the values of democracy and the rule of law, as stipulated in Article 2 TEU, and on unequivocal respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and in the ECHR;

F.

whereas the Member States have an obligation to all EU citizens to ensure that they are not discriminated against or stigmatised when living and working across Europe;

G.

whereas the PVV hotline openly incites discrimination against European Union workers from Central and Eastern European countries and is creating divisions between communities in Dutch society;

H.

whereas the PVV website undermines the free movement of persons and the right to non-discrimination, based on Directive 2004/38/EC and the relevant Treaty articles;

I.

whereas the Dutch Government has signed a parliamentary support agreement with the PVV and can thus count on a majority in the Dutch Parliament;

J.

whereas the Dutch Government has so far not formally condemned the PVV hotline;

K.

whereas the launch of this hotline sparked a fierce debate in the Netherlands, and many political parties, the media, SME and other company leaders, civil society leaders and individual citizens have condemned the PVV initiative; whereas many counter-initiatives have been launched, such as a website to report positive experiences with Polish people;

L.

whereas the ambassadors of ten Central and Eastern European countries in the Netherlands have strongly objected to the website, stating that ‘it encourages negative perception of a particular group of EU citizens within the Dutch society’;

M.

whereas, according to the latest studies carried out by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (5), migrant workers from Central and Eastern European countries are making a significant contribution to the Dutch economy and the Dutch labour market;

N.

whereas the commitment of Dutch government policy to European integration has significantly decreased over the last years, as demonstrated by the position of the current Dutch Government on issues such as Schengen enlargement and the free movement of workers;

O.

whereas there is a real risk of similar hotlines being launched in other Member States;

1.

Strongly condemns the website launched by the PVV, as it goes against the fundamental European values of human dignity, freedom, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights and risks destroying the very basis of the Union, which is pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and freedom of movement;

2.

Considers the PVV hotline as an ill-intentioned initiative aimed at creating divisions within society and obtaining political gain to the detriment of workers from Central and Eastern Europe;

3.

Strongly calls on Prime Minister Mark Rutte, on behalf of the Dutch Government to condemn and distance himself from this deplorable initiative; stresses, furthermore, the obligation of all European Union governments to guarantee the rights of free movement and non-discrimination, and thus calls on the European Council formally to condemn the PVV hotline since it undermines those rights and is an affront to European values and principles;

4.

Urges the Dutch Government not to turn a blind eye to the policies of the Party of Freedom which are in contradiction with fundamental EU values;

5.

Calls on the Dutch authorities to investigate whether this initiative has resulted in incitement to hatred and discrimination;

6.

Stresses that workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 have had a positive impact on Member States' economies and have not caused serious disruptions in their labour markets, but have made a significant contribution to sustained economic growth in the EU;

7.

Calls on the Dutch Government to give a swift answer to the letters sent by the Commission on envisaged legislation that may infringe Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of EU citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, and to follow up on the requests made by Parliament in its resolutions;

8.

Calls on the Commission and the Council to do their utmost to stop the spread of xenophobic attitudes such as those expressed on this website and to ensure the effective implementation of the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia in all Member States;

9.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Council of Europe and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.