During a plenary debate on Wednesday 5 October, the majority of political groups at the European Parliament said that peace remained possible in Colombia on the basis of a renegotiated agreement. This is borne out by the ceasefire reaffirmed by both the Colombian government and the FARC, following the disappointment of the referendum result.
The co-leader of an EU delegation that acted as an observer for the Colombian referendum, Jáuregui Atondo Ramón (S&D, Spain), asserted that "peace has not failed in Colombia". In his view, the EU must send out three clear messages: it must allow the political diversity expressed during the referendum in Colombia to redevelop; negotiations must be pursued with the FARC and the FARC must maintain the ceasefire; the renegotiation of the peace agreement must be facilitated in order to take into account the majority of Colombians who rejected this agreement during the referendum on Sunday 2 October. According to Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, Austria), the different parties have to renegotiate "on the basis of what already exists". Tania González Peñas (GUE/NGL, Spain) explained that in an effort to give peace more of a chance, they needed to call on the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, to extend the ceasefire beyond 31 October so that it becomes permanent.
The small majority of Colombians who rejected the peace agreement signed between the Colombian government and the FARC believes that this agreement is too favourable towards the members of the guerillas and is also concerned by the crimes that could be committed once the weapons are handed in (see EUROPE 11637). Charles Tannock (ECR, United Kingdom) made a comparison with the peace agreement in Northern Ireland, which included an amnesty. He pointed out that more than 20 years later, all talk is of the agreement's success and nothing else. Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (ALDE, Spain) pointed out that "peace comes at a price".
The Slovak secretary of state for foreign affairs Ivan Korčok, said that "the referendum result does not affect the suspension" of European sanctions against the FARC, who have reconfirmed their commitment to the ceasefire (see EUROPE 11633). He did, however, also indicate that at this moment in time the launch of the European trust fund for Colombia has been frozen (see EUROPE 11560). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)