Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-13-Speech-1-101"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-01-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Basic rights in the EU (2001)2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030113.6.1-101"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-01-13-Speech-1-1022
lpv:speaker	lp:Johannes Blokland2
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; ChristenUnie - Staatkundig Gereformeerde Parti (2002-03-18--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation to the European Economic Area Joint Parliamentary Committee (EEA) (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 member; ECON (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Delegation to the EU-Slovak Republic Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-04-30)3 co-chair; EDD (2001-01-30--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, as Mrs Swiebel said in a Dutch newspaper, if Europe imposes stricter standards on others than it does on itself it will lose credibility. Indeed, we should take a good look at ourselves before we point a finger at others. In the light of the situation the world is in, however, this statement is a long way from reality. I do not want to play down the violations of human rights in EU Member States. We need to remain vigilant so that the relatively good human rights situation in the EU does not deteriorate. Any layperson can, however, see that the violations of human rights that take place here and also the human rights themselves that have been violated are of a different order from those taking place elsewhere. In Pakistan people are being sentenced to death for belonging to a religion. Mrs Swiebel mentions a political party in the Netherlands that does not admit women as members as a serious case of violation, along with the fact that it takes too long to take legal action in some states. This kind of occurrence cannot be compared with the others. At present, the reality is that Europe is imposing stricter standards on itself than on others. The very suggestion that it might be the other way round makes us lose credibility in the eyes of the outside world. The Swiebel report pleads for a clear framework, preferably a constitution, as we would otherwise not be able to arrive at an independent, unambiguous assessment. In fact, this report reveals a clear political colour and the ‘values and standards’ tag that goes with it. That these standards and values are obviously not universal is demonstrated not least by the number of opponents in the committee responsible and by the alternative proposal put forward by the UEN. A constitution of our own would be undesirable and unnecessary. The EU consists of solid nation states with their own perfectly good constitutions. These are contained in an existing democratic order with a process of judicial review and an involved civilian population. If the European Union were to get a constitution of its own, this would at most be able to supplement the national Member States’ own constitutions. What is more, in Europe we have the excellent ECHR and the Court associated with it. So now we are supposed to go and review ourselves when the need arises? Europe is a community of values, not only an economic community, as Mrs Swiebel rightly says. Our Member States’ constitutions and the ECHR prove that. The review framework and the review process already exist. We do not need a politically tinted report from the European Parliament or a European constitution for that."@en1

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