Brussels, 13/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 12 March, the Swedish Presidency made the following Statement on behalf of the European Union:
"The EU welcomes the decision by the People's Republic of China on 28 February to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The EU views this as an important starting point for further improvements of the situation of economic, social and cultural rights in China. The EU is concerned, however, at the decision by China to make a declaration to the effect that Chinese legislation takes precedence over article 8: 1 (a) of the Covenant, which guarantees the right to form and join a trade union of one's choice. The EU hopes that China will, as a matter of priority, bring its legislation into line with the provisions of the Covenant, including its article 8: 1 (a)."
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the EU, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey and the EFTA countries, members of the EEA, align themselves with this declaration."