Brussels, 22/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament (EP) has linked improvement to the working conditions of migrants in Qatar to the organisation of the football World Cup in 2022 to be held in that country. In a resolution adopted on Thursday 21 November, MEPs urged the international football federation (FIFA) to send a “clear and strong message to Qatar to prevent the preparations for the 2022 football World Cup being overshadowed by allegations of forced labour”. As the country will lack labour for finalising the building of infrastructure needed, it is estimated that 500,000 migrant workers will be needed. The Parliament, which is concerned by the working conditions of those labourers (with some MEPs speaking of slavery conditions), has also put pressure on European companies taking part in the preparations so that they comply with international norms on human rights and labour conditions. To a broader extent, MEPs also call on the Qatari authorities to adopt a draft law on domestic workers, which has got nowhere till today, and not to punish employees who run away from their employers. Although the Greens and the Social Democrats supported this resolution, the Christian Democrats expressed some reservations on the last point. A parliamentary delegation will be in Qatar early 2014.
Bolivia and Bangladesh. MEPs also adopted a resolution calling on Bangladesh to ensure the forthcoming organisation of elections takes place in transparency and without violence. They also call on the Bolivian authorities to ensure a fair and independent trial for the Hungarian, Elod Toaso, and the Croatian national, Mario Tadic, accused of being part of an unlawful paramilitary group, and to carry out an independent investigation into the death during a shooting incident of Arpad Magyarosi (Romanian), Michael Martin Dwyer (Irish) and Eduardo Rozsa Flores (Hungarian). (MD/transl.jl)