Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-12-13-Speech-2-274"
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"en.20051213.57.2-274"2
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".
Madam President, I shall begin by thanking the European Parliament for proposing this timely debate on Tunisia. I would like to record our appreciation of Tunisia’s recent hosting of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society from 16 to 18 November. We welcome the summit’s agreement to the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, an important contribution to the global effort needed to bridge what is known as the digital divide.
During the summit itself, the EU Troika made representations to the Tunisian authorities following an incident at the Goethe Institute, where NGOs were prevented from meeting to discuss plans for an alternative ‘Citizens’ Summit’.
The EU is also concerned about a number of other incidents involving freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, also reported during the summit. These include the disruption of the activities of a Belgian TV crew, as well as the disruption of the European Commission workshop for MEPs to meet members of civil society in the summit’s conference centre.
Tunisia’s Constitution provides for freedom of association, but within certain defined limits. The law provides for freedom of assembly, as long as a permit is obtained from the Minister of Interior. However, some NGOs experience difficulties in renting space and the control of funding. A number of associations have applied for legal status and have been refused, for example the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia. NGOs also report that Internet access is routinely blocked and e-mails addressed to certain e-mail accounts never reach the intended recipient.
During the presidential campaign of October 2004, the electoral code prohibited Tunisians from discussing politics in the international press, and opposition parties were given little opportunity to campaign. Whilst recognising that the election law safeguards female representation in parliament as well as the representation of minority views, we noted that the overall process leading to the elections did not provide a level playing field for contenders. We therefore encourage the Tunisian authorities to continue to improve the framework for elections and to take the necessary steps to ensure that the next elections fully meet international standards.
The EU is also concerned by reports from NGOs, including Amnesty International, about prison conditions in Tunisia. These reports state that overcrowding in prisons and discriminatory treatment of political prisoners continue as well as a lack of basic medical care, poor hygiene, torture and ill-treatment. We therefore welcome the fact that since June 2005 Tunisia’s authorities have allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross access to prisons.
Earlier this year, the Tunisian authorities announced their intention to allow Human Rights Watch representatives access to prisons in a similar way to that of the International Committee of the Red Cross, although no timeframe was specified. The Minister for Justice and Human Rights also announced that the practice of detaining prisoners in solitary confinement beyond 10 days, the maximum allowed under the Constitution, would cease. The EU welcomes these announcements and hopes that both undertakings will be put into practice.
I should also like to say a few words about the judiciary in Tunisia. Under its Constitution, it is independent. However, Amnesty International and others report that the authorities interfere in the judicial process. The trial in April 2005 of a lawyer and member of the National Council for Civil Liberties in Tunisia, Mohamed Abou, who wrote an article criticising Tunisia’s President Ben Ali, seems to support this contention. The Tunisian Magistrates’ Association has complained of increased intimidation by the Government after its board issued a communiqué criticising the attack on Abou. The Public Prosecutor closed the Tunisian Magistrates’ Association’s office in August. A law passed on 12 August 2005 making provision for the statute of magistrates does not take into consideration earlier calls by the Tunisian Magistrates’ Association concerning terms and conditions of service and would appear to weaken its position. We also note that despite several requests to visit, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers has yet to receive an invitation from the Tunisian Government.
The EU wishes to work with Tunisia to support the modernisation of its judiciary. The EU has provided money through MEDA to fund a project that will support this work and hopes to see progress on this. I am sure that the Commission will want to say something about this.
In conclusion, the EU welcomes the agreements reached at the World Summit on the Information Society as an important contribution to the global effort to bridge the digital divide. In terms of the EU’s relationship with Tunisia itself, we wish to see Tunisia maintain and develop its security and prosperity. We regret the serious restrictions on freedom of expression and association and the incidents which occurred prior to and during the World Summit on the Information Society.
The Council should like to assure honourable Members that the EU will continue to express its concern over specific human rights violations and to impress on the Tunisian authorities the need for full respect for human rights and democratic principles.
At the same time, it is right for us to consider more generally the issues of human rights and freedom of the press in Tunisia. The Council shares the concerns of Members of this House about the human rights situation in Tunisia and is well aware of the shortcomings in Tunisia’s performance, particularly with respect to acts of intimidation and harassment by the authorities against civil society and human rights activists. The meeting convened on Thursday, 1 December, involving MEPs, certain committees and other EU institutions involved in the summit, specifically to discuss human rights concerns in Tunisia, further highlighted the importance of these issues.
It is now time for us to look forward to the implementation by the Tunisian authorities of the commitments made by President Ben Ali on democracy, good governance and human rights set out in the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan. Implementation of these commitments will be an essential element in developing EU-Tunisia relations.
Human rights is an essential element in the EU’s relationship with Tunisia, as set out in the EU-Tunisia Association Agreement, which came into force on 1 March 1998, and the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan which came into force on 4 July this year. Under its action plan, Tunisia has signed up to commitments in the area of democracy, good governance and human rights. Implementing these commitments will be an essential element in developing EU-Tunisia relations. They include, for example, the establishment of an EU-Tunisia subcommittee on human rights. To this end we continue to urge the Tunisians to establish and hold a first session of a human rights subcommittee as soon as possible.
In addition to this, the EuroMed tenth anniversary summit on 27 and 28 November in Barcelona represented an important opportunity to help the EU’s Mediterranean partners, including Tunisia, to address the challenges of the 21st century, including in relation to good governance. At the EuroMed Summit, leaders endorsed an outcome-oriented five-year work plan. That plan included the creation of a governance facility to help those countries that make progress on good governance, allowing them access to additional funds to spend on their priorities.
Tunisia is a state party to the six core United Nations human rights treaties. Tunisia scores well on most socio-economic indexes of multilateral institutions, and social and economic rights are recognised and protected. Tunisia plays an active role within international human rights institutions and was elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in April 2004. Tunisia has not yet, however, signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The EU welcomes Tunisia’s record of promoting reform in the Arab world, notably on the position of women and the right to education. However, the EU remains concerned about the human rights situation in Tunisia, particularly in relation to freedom of expression and assembly and the independence of the judiciary.
This debate has raised in particular the issue of the freedom of the press in Tunisia. All books and publications, with the exception of newspapers, are still subject to censorship. Until May 2005, all newspapers had to clear articles with the Ministry of the Interior in advance of publication. Whilst this is no longer the case, we remain concerned that the fear of reprisals appears to have resulted in some self-censorship, as no newspaper offers any political criticism or opinion on domestic issues contrary to the government’s view. Access to foreign television, however, is common, as most Tunisian households have access to satellite television.
As I already made clear, the EU welcomes the agreement on the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society reached at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. The EU looks forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure the full and effective implementation of both stages of the summit process, both on substance and on follow-up.
A number of incidents involving freedom of expression and freedom of assembly were reported in the run-up to and during the summit itself. The Tunisian Human Rights League, the oldest human rights body in Tunisia, claimed police harassment of its activists and says that it has been prevented from functioning properly. A court decision in September 2005 postponed its Congress. The EU consequently made representations to the Tunisian authorities and issued a statement reminding the Tunisians of the EU’s expectations of its human rights responsibilities."@en1
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