Despite the narrowing of disparities, large differences remain.

24. Expresses its deep concern at the imminent adoption of the draft Foreign NGO Management Law, as it would mean a further shrinking of space for Chinese civil society and would severely restrict freedom of association and expression in the country, including by banning ‘overseas NGOs’ that are not registered with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and provincial public security departments from funding any Chinese individual or organisation, and prohibiting Chinese groups from conducting ‘activities’ on behalf of or with the authorisation of non-registered overseas NGOs, including those based in Hong Kong and Macao; calls on the ...[+++]Chinese authorities to substantially revise this law in order to bring it in line with international human rights standards;

1. Expresses its deep concern that human rights and democratic values, such as freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom of assembly and association, are increasingly under threat in many parts of the world, including under authoritarian regimes; also expresses its deep concern that the public space for civil society is shrinking and a growing number of human rights defenders are under attack worldwide;

Further impacts are then felt by national governments, who - in the face of a declining tax base - are forced to contemplate cutting public services, raising taxes on citizens, or borrowing more money.

C. whereas FGM was defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008 as all procedures that involve partial of total removal of the external female sexual organs for non-medical reasons, including sunna circumcision or clitoridectomy (partial or total removal of the clitoris along with the prepuce), excision (partial or total removal of the clitoris and the outside labia, ‘the lips’) and the most extreme practice of FGM, infibulation (narrowing the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal);

1. Welcomes the Commission’s communications entitled “Facing the challenge of higher oil prices” and “Second Strategic Energy Review – an EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan”; points out that, despite the drop in oil prices in the second half of 2008 as a result of the global financial crisis, the slow progress in switching to more sustainable fuels, declining output from the world’s oilfields and the continuing growth in demand, primarily driven by the emerging economies, inevitably mean a return, once the international crisis is over, to the tightening of the fossil fuel markets and increasing import dependency for the consu ...[+++]ming countries;