83. Stresses that high priority must be given to the full implementation of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders; calls on the Council to take initiatives to protect human rights defenders; calls on the Commission and on the Member States to o
rganise training of their staff in Delegations, Embassies and Consulates on the application of these guidelines; asks the Commission to consider making funds available to cover the expenses of such training; welcomes the elaboration of a handbook by the EU Netherlands Presidency for the implementation of the guidelines; regrets, however, that the Parliament has been denied accurate infor
...[+++]mation of its content; calls on the Council and the Commission to raise the situation of human rights defenders systematically in all political dialogues; calls on the Commission to organise on the level of EC Delegations information seminars on the guidelines with all relevant local NGOs; calls once more on the Council to inform the European Parliament about the implementation of these guidelines on the ground and to involve it fully in the process of evaluating them;