Brussels, 30/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - In the plenary session last week, the EP once again took stock of the human rights situation in the world and EU policy in this area, and gave overwhelming support to the 2006 annual report drafted by Simon Coveney (EPP-ED, Ireland). Mr Coveney is severe in his criticism of the United Nations Human Rights Council and its inability to come to reasonable compromises on key issues and the weakness of the Darfur resolution. There was also concern that some EU external delegations were unaware, or had imperfect understanding, of the European Union human rights guidelines. Among other major problems, Mr Coveney noted the human rights “style” that is peculiar to China (even though a very small step in the right direction was taken with the proposal to have the Supreme Court consider the issue of the death penalty), the Guantánamo camps, and the arms trade, particularly the trade in small arms on which there ought to be an international agreement.
Improved inter-institutional cooperation in human rights, which the European Parliament has been calling for, is already underway, said the representative of the German presidency of the Council, Secretary of State for European Affairs Günter Gloser. The Council human rights working group will examine the Coveney report: Mr Gloser suggested, thereafter, a meeting with the EP human rights sub-committee for further discussions.
The main elements of the EU human rights guidelines are condemnation of torture and the use of child soldiers, and, above all, the removal of the death penalty, which is of the highest priority for the Council. An action programme is being initiated and implemented at the moment. This campaign has already brought some results, notably the decision to make removal of the death penalty one of the first points in the United Nations session on human rights in Geneva. The intense lobbying which has been undertaken will be evaluated in May, the aim being to have a UN resolution brought forward, if there is a reasonable chance of success (two thirds of votes cast are required, Mr Gloser pointed out). At the end of the debate, while acknowledging that things are not perfect, Council President Mr Gloser refuted the arguments of those who say that, in some cases of human rights abuse, “Europe shuts its eyes”.
Speaking on behalf of the European Commission, Commissioner Joe Borg said that he felt that, despite some criticisms of the United Nations, “it would be wrong to give up what is still the world's largest human rights forum”. However, he said, “the cycle of politicisation” of discussion of this issue had to be broken, by trying to engage the largest possible number of countries. The Commission agreed that there had to be greater cooperation between the institutions, and was ready to make practical suggestions, if necessary. Dr Borg was also critical of Guantánamo, abuses in Belarus and the existence of forced labour camps in some countries.
As always when this issue is discussed, there were few dissenting voices among MEPs, with only slight differences of emphasis in the list of countries not meeting European standards: China, Russia, Belorussia, Libya for the death sentences pronounced on the Bulgarian nurses, and also Pakistan and Turkey for persecution of Christians. At the same time, there was the reminder that the EU must ensure that it sets a good example, for instance, in the way it treats minorities to be found in many new Eastern and Central European member states.
Spanish Socialist MEP Raimon Obiols called for a univocal position with regard to “all” countries, without distinction on the grounds of interest, and Italian MEP Marco Pannella (ALDE), speaking about the death penalty, condemned “fundamentalist abolitionists” who, for 14 years, had been undoing all the more realistic efforts to achieve a moratorium. In 1988, 97 countries had the death penalty, in 2007, it was 51: that, of course, was still too many, but there had been clear progress, Mr Pannella said. The deputy chairman of the human rights sub-committee, French MEP Patrick Gaubert welcomed the swift adoption of the human rights financial instrument. (lg)