Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Development

Cities of the future: European cities have increasingly accommodated cars and personal transport. Ideas like a 15-minute city have gained traction in being the future  of the modern city, but high emissions, lack of funding and lack of infrastructure have limited such ideas. How could the EU rethink its urban planning policies while keeping sustainability in mind?

Submitted by: Cameron Berg (NL), Andreas Carter (NL), Ricardo Fajardo (NL), Felix Gabriel (NL), Yara den Haan (NL), Alice Rossi (IT), Selim Yusuf Urfali (NL) and Simon Hoch (Chairperson, DE)

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Aware that cities are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon emissions,
2. Bearing in mind the rising level of urbanisation, with Europe’s level expected to rise from 75% to 83% by 2050, 
3. Noting with concern the lack of targeted funds for urban development, as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) only has a mandatory use of 5%  for integrated urban development,
4. Deeply disturbed by the lack of targeted Cohesion policy funds for urban development, 
5. Deploring the lack of common guidelines for urban development in the EU, 
6. Regretting the difficulty of incorporating every city’s individuality into general guidelines for urban development, 
7. Acknowledging the importance of involving citizens and local businesses in the transformation;    

1. Urges Member States to create targeted social media campaigns regarding reduced carbon emissions;
2. Invites Horizon Europe to increase financial support to start-up companies which promote sustainability;
3. Encourages Member States to reduce carbon emissions in expanding urban areas by supporting sustainable infrastructure and housing;
4. Calls upon the Directorate-General for Environment to propose new targets within the European Green Deal to increase sustainability in urban planning of the Member States and oversee their completion;
5. Suggests Member States to make living in small cities more attractive by: 
   1. investing in improvement of facilities, 
   2. increasing the accessibility to public transport,
   3. making working remotely more accessible;
6. Calls upon the European Commission to raise the percentage of the minimum mandatory use of the European Regional Development Fund for integrated urban development;
7. Directs the European Commission to adjust their Urban Agenda for the EU by creating and maintaining general guidelines of urban development for cities to follow;
8. Supports local urban authorities to still receive funds for fitting individual sustainable initiatives even if deviating from the aforementioned guidelines; 
9. Suggests municipalities to involve local businesses and active citizens in urban planning initiatives.

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Human Rights

Living to the fullest: For decades, disabled people have been put into institutions, although it has been proven that institutionalisation could ultimately lead to worsened mental health. What can the EU do to decrease the institutionalisation of patients with mental disabilities?

Submitted by: Emilia Boer (NL), Milla Brouwer (NL), Elena Amy Corazza (IT), Rosa Klinkspoor (NL), Sophia Ariane Manni (IT), Nadine Noothoven van Goor (NL) and Nadia Schnider (Chairperson, CH)

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Reaffirming that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities names the respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy and the importance of social inclusion as its fundamental principles, 
2. Bearing in mind that as of 2007, 1.2 million persons with mental disabilities in the EU were living in institutionalised care, 
3. Noting with deep concern the negative effects of institutionalisation on residents, such as neglect and social isolation,
4. Recognising that the European Commission names deinstitutionalisation and the transition to community-based care as a prime objective for the protection of persons with mental disabilities,
5. Further noting that unpaid care work of disabled family members is predominantly carried out by women,
6. Emphasising that discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited by Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights as well as Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
7. Deeply concerned the loss of legal capacity excludes persons with mental disabilities from enacting their rights and freedoms, including political participation and the right to self-determination;

1. Urges Member States to enable more flexible care and support options for persons with mental disabilities and their families through funding from the European Social Fund Plus, such as:
   1. financially supporting using the service of home health nurses,
   2. funding daycare options,
   3. subsidising the use of support animals, 
   4. establishing a family psychologist hotline;
2. Encourages Member States to combat the social exclusion of former and present residents of institutions by organising workshops and events for families and local communities in corporation with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Mental Health Europe (MHE) or Inclusion Europe;
3. Advises Member States to make institutionalised care more personalised by adding options such as internships, recreational activities or private time for residents; 
4. Asks Member States to improve access to psychological support for people with mental disabilities by collaborating with NGOs, such as MHE;
5. Suggests Member States to grant political rights to persons with mental disabilities, following the example of countries such as Austria or the Netherlands;
6. Calls upon the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) to facilitate the political participation of persons with mental disabilities by creating comprehensive political education;
7. Designates the European Psychiatrist Association (EPA) to assist Member States in creating a more nuanced approach towards the legal capacity and political rights by creating a differentiated scale;
8. Further suggests Member States to promote the employment and economic integration of persons with mental disabilities through fiscal incentives;
9. Further encourages Member States to create more inclusive schools by:
   1. offering a supplementary training for teachers on integrating disabled students, 
   2. allowing flexible schedules and part time studies for persons with mental disabilities;
10. Further calls upon the DG EMPL to combat stigmas through a media campaign featuring persons with mental disabilities;
11. Invites the European Expert Group (EEG) on the transition from institutional to community-based care to help combat abusive guardianship relations by advising Member States in the introduction of an office for intermediation between the guardian’s and the ward’s will; 
12. Further invites the EPA to create a common guideline on the standards of psychiatric expert witnesses in legal proceedings concerning the guardianship of persons with mental disabilities.

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Plastic, not so fantastic: With microplastic pollution of waterways and oceans becoming an increasingly threatening health hazard, how should the EU address the problem of microplastic pollution in order to safeguard the health of its citizens?

Submitted by: Job Hans Winter van Duijn (NL), Sergej Goekjian (NL), Ginevra Luchini (IT), Amir Melfor (NL), Annabel Smith (NL), Julia Isabel de Vries (NL), Moon Wennink (NL) and Zia Glasenhart (Chairperson, AT) 

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Taking into consideration that EU citizens have gotten used to the single-use lifestyle, 
2. Concerned by everyday products being manufactured in industries that release a lot of microplastics which end up in water systems,
3. Aware of the fact that wastewater treatment plants cannot remove microplastics completely,
4. Noting with concern that yearly 145,000 tonnes of primary plastics and between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of secondary microplastics are produced, 
5. Pointing out that some microplastics are produced on purpose while others emerge from daily use products, 
6. Keeping in mind the harmful additives contained in microplastics can cause serious health hazards, such as cancer and damaged reproduction, in both animals and humans,
7. Deeply regretting that the rapid discarding of fast fashion clothing leads to a large amount of microplastics,
8. Expressing its concern regarding mismatched results between microplastics that are measured in the environment and the ones tested for effects in the laboratory, 
9. Acknowledging that there is a lack of general knowledge on the topic in the general public, 
10. Bearing in mind that due to a lack of research, the long-term effects of microplastics are not fully understood yet;

1. Calls upon the European Commission to implement a ban on single-use plastic bags in the Directive on Single-Use Plastics; 
2. Encourages Member States to raise the deposit price on plastic bottles;
3. Requests the European Commission to amend Next Generation Europe to fiscally incentivise companies that strive to reduce microplastics during production and are upholding eco-friendly standards;
4. Recommends Member States to subsidise further research on the innovation and implementation of wastewater treatment plant filters;
5. Strongly urges Member States to introduce taxes on products containing an excessive amount of microplastics; 
6. Emphasises Member States to open more refill shops¹;
7. Urges Member States to drastically lower the production of products with primary microplastics by replacing them with more sustainable materials;
8. Requests the European Commission to amend Horizon Europe to subsidise eco-friendly clothing companies;
9. Directs the European Research Council to further study the long-term effects of microplastics on the human body and address the current mismatch of research results when comparing laboratories and actual environments; 
10. Calls upon the Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM) to establish a sub-committee on campaigns discouraging the use of single-use plastics.

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

We won’t be erased: With long waiting lists and violently transphobic measures like forced sterilisation, healthcare for transgender people is inaccessible in most Member States. How can the EU ensure accessible and safe transgender healthcare for all who need it?

Submitted by: Constantin van der Corneils (NL), Otto Crawford (NL), Adhemar Emmink (NL), Giulia Romanini (IT), Kaitlyn van der Weerd (NL) and Alice Maffoni (Chairperson, IT)

The European Youth Parliament

1. Strongly emphasising Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU which prohibits any type of discrimination, including on the basis of gender identity,
2. Noting with regret the insufficiently effective potential sanctions against Member States that are not abiding by EU law, 
3. Noting with deep concern that in 2022, 34% of transgender people in the EU faced gender-based discrimination by healthcare workers,
4. Alarmed by the lack of accessible and safe transgender care due to the absence of qualified clinics,
5. Disturbed by the lack of health insurance coverage and funding for safe and high quality transgender care,
6. Deeply concerned by discriminating legal practices towards transgender people in the EU, such as sterilisation, mandatory mental health diagnoses and the exploitation of the right to conscious objection by a medical practitioner;

1. Strongly urges the European Commission to uphold a prohibition on discrimination against transgender people as it is stated in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
2. Encourages the European Commission to adopt targeted membership sanctions against Member States that don’t abide by the EU anti-discrimination legislation;
3. Recommends Member States to create and implement school classes dedicated to raising awareness about the issues that the LGBTQIA+ community is facing;
4. Invites Member States to include gender-affirming services in essential healthcare;
5. Urges Member States to ban harmful gender transitioning requirements such as sterilisation and mental health diagnoses;
6. Asks Member States, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations such as the Transgender Training Institute (TTI) and Transgender Europe (TGEU), to implement awareness workshops in workplaces;
7. Encourages Horizon Europe to subsidise transgender health care;
8. Appeals Eurostat to increase the research done about issues facing the transgender community;
9. Requests Member States to revise the right to conscientious objection to include hormone replacement therapy. 

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Legal Affairs

Submitted by: Frederique Bots (NL), Tilek Buber (NL), Sara Fonti (IT), Felix Jacobs (NL), Mare Tressel (NL) and Izzy van Bemmel (Chairperson, NL)

Keeping democracy alive: Following the current increase in populist and far-right governments, exemplified by the recent elections in Italy, what legal stance should the EU take on protecting the rule of law for all European citizens?

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Acknowledging the strides already made by the European Commission in limiting the Polish and Hungarian governments through the withholding of the cohesion fund,
2. Gravely concerned by the loss of trust of citizens in the EU,
3. Fully alarmed by the rise of nativist¹ and far-right narratives which are in direct conflict with values stated in the binding Treaty of European Unity (TEU), by:
   1. being unwilling to tackle issues on areas concerning the refugee and economic crises unilaterally,
   2. disregarding frameworks to protect the rule of law,
   3. disregarding the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and the LGBTQIA+ community,
4. Noting with anxiety the growing influence of both intentional and unintentional misinformation about political processes,
5. Emphasising the legal roadblocks hindering any action according to the rule of law mechanism, posed by legislation requiring for a unanimous vote to take action according to Art. 7 of the TEU;

1. Asks the European Council to accept a proposed amendment changing the requirements to invoke art. 7 of the TEU, detailing the procedure of suspension of voting rights, from unanimity to an established majority² of at least three quarters of the Council;
2. Urges the European Council to take more action against violations of core EU values according to the Rule of Law Framework;
3. Calls upon the European Commission to allocate more funding to the European Investment Bank to protect economic and social stability of economically vulnerable citizens in sanctioned Member States through: 
   1. providing loans to small businesses,
   2. ensuring social security for affected citizens;
4. Further calls upon the European Commission to provide funding and tools for factcheck initiatives;
5. Invites the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to create protective and financial frameworks for independent and investigative journalism;
6. Requests the European Commission to enable non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which increase awareness of online misinformation through education by:
   1. creating an advisory cooperative framework for the NGOs,
   2. providing additional funding to the NGOs.

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

My body, my choice: Following the abortion ban in Poland and Hungary, birth control has become increasingly inaccessible and unsafe across the EU. How can the EU safeguard reproductive rights, while honouring the sovereignty of Member States?

Submitted by: Dominique Iris De Boer (NL), Marika De Piante-Vicin (IT), Anna Huitema (NL), Selen Kaçmaz (NL), Savo Bahaddin Muheddin (NL) and Sveva Austoni (Chairperson, IT)

The European Youth Parliament,

1. Deeply concerned by Poland’s recent implementation of policies restricting the right to abortion by targeting people seeking to undergo one,
2. Pointing out that banning or putting restrictions on sexual and reproductive healthcare services is a violation of human rights, as it contributes to increasing unsafe abortion practices and forced pregnancies,
3. Considering that sexuality education is optional in eight Member States,
4. Taking into account that sexuality education in most Member States does not follow the comprehensive guidelines of UNESCO, which aims to eradicate stigma surrounding abortions and inform on sexual and reproductive health (SRH),
5. Noting with deep concern that people coming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or minority groups are more affected by the inaccessibility of SRH centres and treatments,
6. Acknowledging with regret Member States’ lack of economic assistance for SRH supplies and birth control, such as insurance coverage or reimbursement of costs; 

1. Reminds Member States of the Treaty of the European Union and the Treaty of Lisbon expecting them to respect human rights;
2. Urges Member States to respect the principles of Goals 3 and 4 of the 2030 Sustainability Agenda; 
3. Condemns Member States that maintain mandatory counseling and waiting periods before accessing abortion as violation of human rights; 
4. Requests the European Research Council to research the harmful effects of abortion bans;
5. Asks the Council of Europe to collaborate with the Centre for Reproductive Rights in the creation of an international sexual and reproductive health rights convention aiming to create an agenda on reproductive health and sexuality education;
6. Encourages Member States to follow the UNESCO guidelines on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE);
7. Recommends Member States to reduce the price or reimburse the costs of contraceptives through health insurance systems and provide free abortions for all individuals;
8. Instructs Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) to financially support Member States following the aforementioned guidelines, enabling them to partially or completely reimburse costs of SRH services;
9. Calls upon the Directorate-General on Budget (DG BUDG) to introduce biannual checkups on the redirection of funds given to Member States with the aid of statistics provided by Eurostat.