The European Parliament,
– 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),
– 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),
– having regard to Directive 2004/38/EC 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),
– having regard to Directive 2000/43/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin
(3),
– having regard to the statement by Commission Vice-President Reding on the PVV website of 11 February 2012
(4),
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, at the beginning of February, 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 thus can count on a majority in the Dutch Parliament;
J. whereas the Dutch Government has so far not formally condemned the PVV hotline;
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. Stresses the obligation of all European Union governments to guarantee the rights of free movement and non-discrimination; calls upon the European Council and the Dutch Government formally to condemn the PVV hotline since it undermines those rights and is an affront to European values and principles;
4. Calls on the Dutch authorities and the Dutch Equal Treatment Commission to investigate whether this initiative has contributed to incitement to hatred;
5. Calls on the Commission to check whether this initiative is compatible with the spirit and letter of European law, in particular concerning free movement and non-discrimination;
6. Calls on all Member States to promote the mobility of workers in the EU by following up on the requests made by Parliament in its resolutions;
7. Calls on the Commission and the Council to review the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia as a matter of urgency in order to broaden its scope with a view to making it more effective in fighting all forms of racism and xenophobia;
8. 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.
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