Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-16-Speech-3-112"
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"en.20000216.8.3-112"2
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"Mr President, I regret the absence of the Presidency-in-Office of the Council. This is a Council declaration, and I believe that it would perhaps have been useful for them to have been present for the rest of the debate.
I think it is worth reminding you that the inclusion of this item on the agenda clearly reflects the need, which has been expressed by all the political Groups, for Parliament to hold a debate before the next meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, so that it may express its opinion on such a sensitive issue, one which is so dear to this House.
Following the statement of the Presidency-in-Office of the Council and the Commission, I believe we can all agree that the current situation with regard to human rights is far removed from what we would all like to see. At a European Union level we must recognise that the situation is not completely satisfactory, since, for example, although the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is a common instrument in all Member States, not all subsequent protocols have been ratified or signed by all of them.
Another clear drawback in this area is the fact that the European Union itself is not a signatory to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, with all the additional disadvantages that this situation entails. I hope that these problems can be tackled and dealt with in the context of the current discussion of the European Union Charter on Fundamental Rights.
With regard to foreign affairs, I believe that the majority of points which we have included in the resolution accurately illustrate the real situation and hardly invite optimism, Mr President. Issues such as the abolition of the death penalty, the torture which still goes on in many supposedly democratic countries or the situation of minorities in many parts of the world, demand a clear, visible and effective response from the European Union.
In my opinion, this resolution contains a series of essential points, but I would like to stress one in particular, that is, the need for greater coordination between the European Union and the United Nations.
Mr President, in a world such as this, which is increasingly dominated by the phenomenon of globalisation, and not only in the economic field, our responses, in order to be effective, must be concerted and coordinated. In order to make our actions effective, we must implement a type of coordination in practice which does not exist at present. This Parliament therefore advocates the principle that we need to participate in the Commission on Human Rights and other international fora which deal with these issues and, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, this Parliament would like to be able to participate in this type of meeting as soon as possible.
Soon, in May, the European Commission intends to present a communication on the development of the role of human rights and democratisation in the Union’s external relations. I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Commission to take good note of this need for coordination, which I have just mentioned, and to seek new formulas which will strengthen the role played by the European Union in the field of human rights and, in particular, by this Parliament, especially from the point of view of coherence, recognising the good will of those third countries which accept the inclusion of the democratic clause. I believe that this should be applied to all areas, in particular also the budgetary area.
Lastly, I must recognise the important contributions made by civil society in this area, as well as the often underestimated role of the numerous non-governmental organisations who act on the ground. The Union must make every effort to provide all the necessary support for them to carry out their important work."@en1
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