Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-26-Speech-3-334"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051026.22.3-334"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Madam President, I think that Mrs Wallström and yourself, Commissioner, have, like others, put your finger on an issue on which the Barcelona process has not kept all its promises. I am referring, of course, to the issue of human rights and democracy. If you are not convinced, you simply have to take stock of the situation regarding freedom of the press in the region – this was done at the invitation of Mrs Patrie this afternoon – or the situation regarding freedom of expression in Tunisia, on the eve of the World Summit on the Information Society. The proof can be seen in the number of violations of the rights to freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly; a justice system that suffers major deficiencies in many countries; the torture which is commonplace, or even virtually systematic, in some countries, and the defenders of human rights who, all over the world, are the victims of numerous violations of their rights and are subject to a great deal of harassment.
The Barcelona process has therefore not kept all its promises on these issues. As Mrs Jäätteenmäki said, I believe that it has some shortcomings with regard to women’s rights, economic and social rights and the mechanisms put in place for an effective policy regarding democracy and human rights. Despite all that, the Barcelona process has made it possible to institute mechanisms and forums for political dialogue on these issues, and has therefore laid the necessary foundations to launch an ambitious policy of promoting human rights and democracy.
You said, Commissioner, that the issue of immigration would be at the heart of the discussions at the Barcelona Summit. Allow me, in this regard, to draw your attention to one point. I think that, with regard to the fight against terrorism and illegal immigration, we are encouraging countries to break international law. That is pretty clear and it has just been illustrated once again by the incidents at Lampedusa involving Libya, and more recently by the incidents in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Mellila and in Morocco. By asking these countries to stem the flow of sub-Saharan refugees, we are encouraging and urging them to commit human rights violations. Before we try to quell the flood of those we call ‘illegal immigrants’, Europe itself has to define its legal immigration policy. However, you will be aware that we are making hardly any progress on this issue.
I am convinced that civil society and Members of Parliament can help to improve the implementation of our policies on human rights and democracy in this region. That is why I very much hope that the Commission will be present in Rabat for the next extraordinary meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples