The establishment of a Brussels-based Council Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM), the adoption of a set of detailed EU guidelines on key human rights issues (freedom of religion or belief, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) rights, freedom of expression online and offline), the adoption of a toolbox for a rights-based approach to development, the adoption of local Human Rights Country Strategies based on the cooperative work of EU Delegations and Member States' Embassies, the setting up of human rights focal points in EU Delegations, the improvement of a targeted training programme for EU staff and Member States' ...[+++] diplomats, have all contributed to this goal.

Calls on the Council to ensure that the Council Working Party on Fundamental Rights, Citizens Rights and Free Movement of Persons (FREMP) has a broad mandate that could include, for example, discussing and responding officially to reports of the FRA (in addition to recommendations of UN treaty bodies, special procedures and mechanisms), assessing the external human rights impact of EU instruments and policies, in coordination with the Council Human Rights Working Group (COHOM), ensuring coordination with agencies without a human rights mandate but human rights impacts (e.g. EIB or FRONTEX), examining EU and Member States signature, ratif ...[+++]ication and compliance with international human rights instruments and providing a forum for Council exchanges on internal human rights matters;

Recognises attempts by the Council and the Commission to organise a second round of the European Union-Uzbekistan dialogue on human rights in May 2008 and commends the Commission on its efforts to organise a civil society seminar on media expression in the margins of the dialogue, possibly in Tashkent; points out once again that the holding of a dialogue on human rights and experts' meetings on the 2005 Andijan massacre do not in themselves constitute progress and cannot be used as a reason for the lifting of sanctions; notes that the absence of an independent international inquiry into the Andijan massacre and the lack of any improvement in the human rights situation in Uzbekistan — these being the conditions laid down by the European Un ...[+++]ion for the lifting of sanctions — have logically led to the sanctions against Uzbekistan being extended; welcomes the fact that the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 15-16 October 2007 have introduced specific conditions which have to be met within a period of six months in order for the visa restriction suspension to be maintained; invites the Council and the Commission to carry out a serious assessment of the impact of the decision to suspend for six months some of the visa restrictions that form part of the European Union sanctions against Uzbekistan, and to review the overall human rights situation in the country; deplores the fact that Uzbekistan has so far failed to deliver any progress in any of these respects; pays tribute to the work done by its Subcommittee on Human Rights in closely monitoring the human rights situation every six months so as to provide the Council with regular parliamentary assessments and recommendations as regards the EU policy to be adopted in this matter; is appalled by the presidential election held on 23 December 2007 in Uzbekistan, which according to the ODIHR was ‘held in a strictly controlled political environment, leaving no room for real opposition, a ...

In the light of the valuable work carried out by the Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings since 2003 that has enabled the Commission to further develop its policy in the area and taking into account the increasing importance at global level of the policy area of trafficking in human beings, the Group of Experts should continue its work.

The Commission has monitored and, where relevant, participated in the activities of the relevant international organisations, such as the Council of Europe (Working group on biomedical research, which is drafting a protocol on biomedical research; Working group on biotechnology; Working group on human genetics, which is drafting a protocol on human genetics; and Steering Committee on Bioethics), UNESCO and the UN.

Full use must be made of the new Council Framework Decision on Confiscation of Crime-Related Proceeds, Instrumentalities and Property.[xl] The work of the Financial Action Task Force, in particular of the Working Group on Typologies (WGTYP), which focuses, inter alia, on Money Laundering Methods Associated with Human Being Trafficking , must be followed and evaluated in order to develop further political and operational options to combat human trafficking.