On Thursday, 6 October, MEPs adopted a resolution condemning the repression of journalists in Myanmar since the 2021 coup. They are calling on the military junta to unconditionally release the arbitrarily detained journalists and media workers as well as President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and all others being held without cause.
In their resolution, MEPs also call on the Council of the EU to strengthen sanctions against the military regime by including the Burmese State Administrative Council on the list of sanctioned entities.
During a debate the previous day, Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, speaking on behalf of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, told MEPs that the EU had stepped up its diplomatic engagement with partners in the region, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). “However, we are concerned about the lack of progress in working towards a solution to the crisis in Myanmar”, he affirmed.
The authors of the resolution—which the European Parliament adopted by a show of hands—also urge the European Commission to “demonstrate that the ‘Everything But Arms’ scheme does not in any [way benefit] the junta”. Should the opposite prove true, the European Parliament wants the European Commission to withdraw these [commercial] preferences from Myanmar.
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/3g3 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)