Brussels, 05/08/2004 (Agence Europe) - Having learnt that the Indonesian authorities intend to carry out an execution and that the execution is imminent, the Dutch EU Presidency notes in a declaration that, by so doing, Indonesia will be putting an end to the de facto moratorium on the death penalty. The Presidency urges the Indonesian government to go back on its decision and to maintain its de facto moratorium, and hopes even that Indonesia will envisage extending the scope of the moratorium to include abolition of capital punishment in its national law. The Dutch Presidency recalls that the EU is strongly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and is strongly committed to universal abolition of capital punishment. The death penalty has no deterrent effect and makes judiciary errors irreversible, which is why it has been abolished in all EU countries, the declaration recalls, also noting that there is in the world today a "growing tendency toward abolishing the death penalty". Thus, capital punishment has already been abolished by law or de facto in 118 countries or territories but remains in 78 countries.