On Monday 22 February, the European Foreign Affairs Ministers decided to strengthen their support for the Hong Kong population, as the situation in the city-state continues to deteriorate.
The EU had already adopted measures to support the population in July (see EUROPE 12538/10).
“We agreed on a two-step process with a set of short and longer-term actions, in addition to the initial response package that was adopted last July”, announced the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, at the end of the EU Council.
As the first step, Europeans will strengthen their support for civil society. “It is essential that we step up our support with due regard for the safety of those concerned. This can be done through increased coordination and concrete measures, such as project funding, networking of people and public support where appropriate”, said Belgian Minister Sophie Wilmès.
The EU will also step up coordination with “like-minded” partner countries and “outreach to relevant authorities”, according to the High Representative. For Mrs Wilmès, the independence of the judiciary, “put under extreme pressure by the authorities in Beijing”, must be guaranteed.
The Union could, in a second step, take additional measures. “We also agreed on steps to be taken in case of further deterioration of the situation, such as an aggressive ‘reform’ of the electoral process in Hong Kong or further erosion of the independence of the judiciary”, Mr Borrell warned, without going into further detail.
He recalled that what was happening in Hong Kong affected the EU’s relations with China. “That is why we are working in a two-step approach, doing step by step according with the evolution of the situation. We do not want to anticipate decisions, we want to see what is happening and acting accordingly with that”, he explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)