Brussels, 25/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption, on Thursday in Brussels, of two reports on the European Union's human rights policy, the European Parliament took a stance in favour of greater coherence in this policy. In this context, it calls on the European Convention to envisage bringing common foreign and security policy under Community competence.
The Parliament adopted the report by Spanish Socialist Rosa Diez Gonzalez on the European Commission's communication on the role of the EU in promoting human rights and democratisation in third countries. The Parliament deplores the inconsistencies linked to the Council's almost exclusive preponderance and to the requirement of unanimity, and also recalls that the Member States are often unable to adopt a common position during the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The Parliament considers it essential to bring the CFSP under Community competence as far as possible as this is the only way to really make Union action coherent in this field. It calls on the European Convention to submit concrete proposals along these lines. It also insists that the requirements for democratisation and respect of human rights imposed on the Union's partner countries should without exception take primacy over the economic, commercial or other legitimate interests of the Union itself or of each of its Member States. The EP takes a stance in favour of active and generous use of the social and environmental incentive clauses and of the "fight against drugs" clause introduced in the new system of generalised preferences for the period 2002-2004. Furthermore, it calls on the Commission to propose an interinstitutional code of conduct that would give increased equity and coherence to the Union's external action, and also supports the creation of a Union Agency for Human Rights and Democracy, as suggested in the conclusions of the European Council of Cologne. The Agency would have an informative and advisory role and develop a study on the situation of fundamental rights in each country of the world. Also, it should evaluate all the cooperation and association agreements each year.
The Parliament also adopted the annual report by Johan Van Hecke (EPP, Belgium) on human rights in the world in 2001. It mainly insists on the attention that must be given to the most vulnerable groups of persons: women, children, the elderly, the disabled, ethnic minorities and religious and homosexual minorities. It recommends the designation of an "ambassador" for human rights, entrusted with the task of representing the European Parliament, mainly with the other EU institutions and international organisations. The Parliament again calls for abolition of the death penalty and insists that there be an immediate end to executions in the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Congo. It also condemns the practice of stoning and other forms of degrading and cruel punishment, mainly those practised in Iran, in certain States of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
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