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Motion for a Resolution by

The Committee on Human Rights [DROI]

#Fundamental rights and statelessness: With an estimated 600,000 stateless individuals living in Europe today, how should Member States ensure the protection of their fundamental rights and access to health care and other basic needs such as shelter and food during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Submitted by: Carla Sava (RO, Chairperson)

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Alarmed by the fact that 600,000 individuals in Europe are currently not recognized as nationals by any State,
2. Recognising that the legal definition of statelessness is changeable, 
3. Further recognising that the  categories of de facto¹ and de jure² statelessness do not cover all current cases of statelessness,
4. Noting with deep regret that stateless people in Europe and elsewhere face human rights violations in the form of:
   1. barriers to education, healthcare, shelter and employment,
   2. racial and gender discrimination leading  to their application for nationality being rejected,
5. Gravely concerned by the low social status of stateless people in Europe, caused by exploitation, marginalisation and discrimination,
6. Further concerned that marginalisation, discrimination and stigmatisation of stateless persons have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic,
7. Fully alarmed that 15 Member States lack mechanisms to achieve facilitated naturalisation of stateless individuals due to not having an established statelessness determination procedure,
8. Deploring that 12 Member States have not acceded to the 1954 UNHCR Convention on the Status of Stateless People³, 
9. Bearing in mind that signatory countries have expressed reservations regarding several obligations included in the UNHCR Conventions, 
10. Conscious that data on statelessness is unreliable as a result of a lack of birth registration systems along with other identification methods for statelessness,
11. Regretting that numerous stateless people and those at risk of statelessness have limited access to healthcare and social services during the COVID-19 pandemic;

Motion for a Resolution by

The Committee on Culture and Education [CULT]

Not an issue to tackle alone: In 2019, more than 75 million European adults met with family or friends at most once a month and around 30 million European adults felt frequently lonely. Considering the impact of loneliness on health and life satisfaction, what should be done to turn the tide of increasing loneliness in the EU?

Submitted by: Muna Shaiye (NL, Chairperson), Aya Bennis (NL, Chairperson)

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Fully alarmed by the increase of loneliness, especially among younger individuals,
2. Stressing that Member State’s governments are not taking enough measures to prevent loneliness,
3. Further stressing that there are not abundant active measures taking place regarding social inclusion, 
4. Deeply concerned that there is not sufficient medical attention given to solving mental, psychiatric and physical issues that can arise when loneliness is not resolved on time,
5. Acknowledging that the pandemic COVID-19 made the tackling of loneliness more complex,
6. Cognisanting that people have indulged in a deeper sentiment of loneliness due to the fear of contracting the virus and the increase in the pressure on the health sector;

Motion for a Resolution by

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs [LIBE II]

Believe it or not: With a new era of heavily edited audiovisual content on their way, the intentional spread of fake news and misleading content has never been easier, affecting 4 out of 10 European citizens daily. What measures should the EU and its Member States do to minimise the circulation of disinformation via traditional and digital media?

Submitted by: Esmee O’Connor (IE, Chairperson) 

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Noting with regret the lack of formal recognition in the form of legislation on the issue of fake news in certain Member States,
2. Concerned by the growing polarisation along with wavering tolerance towards people with different political beliefs in society, 
3. Conscious of the difficulty in differentiating between fake and factual news,
4. Acknowledging the existence of algorithms on digital media outlets that result in an incomplete and biased presentation of current affairs,
5. Recognising that the intention of the news industry is turning a profit resulting in smaller outlets depending on rapid production over quality control to stay competitive, 

Alarmed by the prevalence of circular reporting and evidence by citation in the news industry resulting in the spread of incorrect information perceived as factual and checked;