Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-15-Speech-3-009"
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"en.20060215.2.3-009"2
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"Mr President, Mr President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, the controversy we have seen in recent weeks over the caricatures that appeared in a Danish newspaper undoubtedly represents a most regrettable development, in that it touches on something the EU Member States and the EU itself have been striving for over many years: mutual trust and constructive cooperation among the various religious communities in our countries.
As you know, the High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, is currently in the Middle East. On 13 February, he met with the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, to discuss the possibility of a targeted dialogue between Europe and the Islamic world. The Secretary General and the High Representative will continue this discussion with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
The Council, and also individual Member States, will actively promote the dialogue with the Islamic world and continue along this path of dialogue between civilisations, and between religious communities. Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tuomioja, too, has already announced that dialogue will be a key preoccupation of the Finnish Presidency.
Our Presidency will also take further steps to help calm the situation. The possibility of enhanced dialogue between the EU and the Islamic world will be an important topic at the next General Affairs and External Relations Council on 27 and 28 February.
The present crisis calls for leadership on the part of the elected political representatives of the EU. Of course, this leadership cannot and should not consist in attempts by the state to impose a code of conduct on the media. I have already emphasised the importance to EU values of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and on no account should this hard-won freedom from censorship be put at risk. As the European Court of Human Rights has made clear in very many fundamental rulings, this freedom also extends to permitting new, controversial ideas and any kind of discussion, and also entails the freedom to both make mistakes and sharply criticise the mistakes of others. As the European Court of Human Rights stated in a fundamental ruling 20 years ago, freedom of expression also extends to potentially offensive or irritating material. The Court has also stated, however, that this freedom of expression must of course be subject to limits; that is, where the feelings – particularly religious feelings – of others could be offended.
The EU’s political leadership must now take the form of our conveying credibly that freedom of expression and respect for other cultures and religions do not contradict each other, but rather complement and are compatible with each other. We believe that the response to the present crisis should not be less freedom of expression, but rather credible commitment by a democratic, pluralist Europe to dialogue between cultures and civilisations. We must convey to the world’s Muslim communities that we wish to continue to work alongside them in developing a relationship built on trust. We must communicate to our Muslim fellow citizens in the EU that this Union is a good place, where they and the adherents of other religions are respected and can feel at home, and where they have the opportunity of democratic participation. It is important that our response to this challenge be based, in particular, on the trust that has been successfully built up in all Member States in the past years, both among religious communities and between politicians and religious communities.
I should like to draw the House’s attention to a number of activities that have taken place in my own country, Austria, as this situation very much calls for Member States, too, to assume their responsibilities; and, of course, the Council is also dependent on the activities of the individual Member States in its role as spokesperson on its own behalf and that of the EU as a whole.
One of the most important conversations Austria’s leading representatives have held in recent days in an attempt to defuse the situation is the one that took place on 7 February between Foreign Minister Plassnik and Anas Schakfeh, President of the Islamic Communities of Austria. This emphasised the importance of peaceful co-existence among the various religious communities in our countries and stated that the important thing now is to stand side by side and ensure that our ongoing discussions, which have proved valuable in practice, are also outwardly visible. This is a culture of dialogue that Austria, like all other Member States, has built up over the years, and which now has to prove itself in a crisis.
In recent months, Austria has seen some very important events, such as a major conference on the subject of ‘Islam in a pluralist society’, attended by large numbers of religious and political leaders: the President of Afghanistan, the President of Iraq, the former President of Iran, religious dignitaries from all religious communities. Two days ago, the Austrian Chancellor invited all the leaders of the large state-recognised religious communities in Austria to a meeting, at which all participants were unanimous in emphasising that peaceful coexistence, and peaceful – including critical – dialogue, is the only way to prevent developments of the kind seen in recent weeks. It is important to continue this dialogue, therefore; but also to defend our values, such as the right of free expression.
The trust and goodwill seen in all the Member States and also expressed by the institutions of the European Union in recent years seem to have been badly shaken. We have seen violent demonstrations that have even claimed lives. EU representations and other Member State institutions in various countries have been attacked and damaged. Threats have been issued and boycotts imposed.
This is a deeply regrettable development, which must prompt us to ask ourselves what has gone wrong and what can be done to prevent such events in future. A number of principles of our co-existence are at stake and should be discussed in conjunction with this issue.
Firstly, there is a consensus that any form of violence, any violent reaction by militant groups, is to be condemned, as the Council Presidency has explicitly done from the outset.
We also expect the governments responsible to be aware of their responsibilities, including under international law, and to take appropriate preventive measures.
It is now important to help calm and defuse any violence or violent confrontations. The Council Presidency has been exercising its own political responsibility since the very start of these events. As early as 30 January, the Council assured Denmark, Sweden and all the other countries concerned of its complete solidarity, whilst the Ministers for Foreign Affairs in the Council also emphasised the importance of freedom of the press and freedom of expression, which represent a cornerstone of the values championed by the European Union. Freedom of expression is an important asset, one we must defend and, indeed, for which we have fought long in our societies throughout European history. At the same time, however, the exercise of the right of free expression, as of any right, entails a great deal of responsibility, on the part of both individuals and institutions.
Early on, the EU, and also the United Nations and other organisations, a notable example being the Organization of the Islamic Conference, issued statements attempting to clarify the principles that must be adhered to in the course of this debate. The joint statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of 7 February was very important in this regard, putting particular emphasis on responsible conduct where people’s religious convictions are concerned as well as on freedom of expression, which entails responsibility – a personal responsibility – on the part of the press. Our societies do not permit governments to dictate what the independent press may say or may not say, provided it is within the limits set by the legal systems; which is a good thing. These legal systems must conform to international standards, in particular to the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The statement of 7 February I referred to also rejects and condemns violent attacks and calls for dialogue. On 8 February, Ursula Plassnik, Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, had a telephone conversation with Abdullah Gül, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Our involvement of Turkey in the endeavours to calm the situation has been a conscious decision, as that country is particularly well placed to play a very active, constructive role in promoting dialogue between Europe and the Islamic world. Austria has also, therefore, invited the High Level Group on the alliance of civilisations – which is under the auspices of the United Nations – to hold its next meeting in Austria.
Austrian Chancellor Schüssel, President of the European Council, issued a statement, also on 8 February, expressing his consternation at images on the website of an Islamic emigrants’ organisation in Antwerp and at the call by the Iranian newspaper
for a Holocaust-cartoon contest. We must also take a clear position condemning and rejecting such initiatives and calls."@en1
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