Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-12-Speech-4-033"
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"en.20040212.2.4-033"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner Patten, it is important that the issue of human rights and democracy is once again brought to the centre of the debate on relations between the European Union and the Mediterranean countries. Almost ten years on from the Barcelona process we note that there is still a serious lack of democracy in these countries, which has also been pointed out in numerous United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports. Indeed, we must ask ourselves if the policy that we have implemented to date and, above all, the instruments put forward in this area, were adequate given the ambitious objectives of the Barcelona strategy.
Article 2 of the clause of the bilateral association agreements has turned out to be broadly insufficient. I am, however, asking a more complex question: are bilateral agreements adequate instruments for promoting the development of human rights? I believe that these agreements have helped to give international recognition to regimes that would otherwise have had no legitimacy. We need to be very careful about this, and I believe that the Commission communication poses this question.
I support the ten points; the Initiative for Democracy that the European Parliament wants is an interesting instrument because it is one of the few instruments which allows measures to be carried out independent of governments. Indeed, all the others fall within the intergovernmental sphere, even if you are right, Commissioner, when you state that we need to remember that part of this dialogue must also involve the ruling classes. Nevertheless, I would like this instrument to be more consistent with the rest of our policies, otherwise there is a risk that it will be a way to legitimise the other policies, which are essentially
. This incentive is, therefore, excellent, it is good for countries prepared to go down this road and it is just as excellent regarding the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, which could have interesting potential. It is extremely important for the Sana’a Conference, which has brought the issue to the attention of governments and civil society. I ask myself, however, if there should not be a permanent and unequivocal push for democracy from the European institutions, which is also based on new instruments. For example, Commissioner, why not try, with these countries, to have a multilateral convention on human rights, which is also based on institutions that are able to guarantee these rights? Compared to the current situation, this would give rise to a different dynamic.
Finally, I tabled an amendment to Article 11, because I think that farming out this policy to an external agency somewhat contradicts the debate that we have had up until now, since it should be the European institutions that have the power to implement this policy. Therefore, as regards financial procedures, should the Commission not have instruments that are adapted to implementing these objectives?"@en1
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