Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-13-Speech-2-181"
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"en.20060613.25.2-181"2
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".
(
) Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, human rights is one of the issues addressed – and very intensively and on a very long-term basis – by the European Union’s network of treaties with third states, comprising association agreements, cooperation agreements, European Neighbourhood Policy action plans, and human rights, the common values of the European Union, are indeed an essential component part of them, not merely for legal reasons, but because this European Union defends certain values and takes care to see that third states do likewise. Among them, of course, is Tunisia, and the Council has indeed had good reason recently to be concerned about the human rights situation there.
I would like to take this opportunity to point out that repeated occurrences of this kind do damage to a country's image in the eyes of the world at large. Following our exchange of views with the Tunisian foreign minister on 5 June, the Presidency has taken further steps by way of response to these occurrences. The meeting of the association committee in Tunis, scheduled for July 2006, will offer us an appropriate context for a debate in which these events can be addressed, and we are also willing to engage in a frank and constructive dialogue with you, in this House, on that subject.
I would like, by way of conclusion, to make a number of further observations on other developments in the human rights sphere, to which this resolution of your House makes reference, and which are also a cause for concern to the Council. Freedom of association – albeit within certain limits – is enshrined in the Tunisian constitution; as is so often the case with human rights issues, the law or the constitution is very much up to standard, but what matters is the way these are implemented and enforced. The Tunisian constitution also guarantees the independence of the judiciary, but, on the other hand, there are numerous reports of the authorities interfering in court cases. The case brought against the lawyer Mohammad Abou, which, as you know, was brought against him after he published a critical article online, would appear to back up these accusations.
Let me now conclude by stressing that European Union is very interested in cooperating with Tunisia in modernising its justice system, for which purpose it has allocated funds as part of the MEDA programme, and it takes a great interest in the progress achieved in putting this project into effect.
Speaking on behalf of the Council, I can assure you that the European Union will continue to be firm in raising human rights issues and concerns with Tunisia and will be demanding of the Tunisian authorities that they apply the principles of human rights and democracy across the board. In so doing, our first priority has to do with the discharge of the obligations concerning democracy, responsible governance and human rights, given by Tunisia to the European Union in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy. We have left Tunisia in no doubt that it is on compliance with these obligations that the further development of our relationship will depend.
I would like to take this opportunity to say how regrettable I think it is that Mrs Flautre should herself have come to be on the receiving end of threats from the Tunisian security forces. On 5 June, the European Union lodged a very strong protest concerning these occurrences with the Tunisian foreign ministry.
The upholding of human rights is a quite essential element in our dealings with Tunisia, just as much as it is in our relations with those third states with which we have agreements, and is set out as such in very clear terms in the association agreement with Tunisia and in the European Neighbourhood Policy action plan in respect of that country. As part of the action plan, which has been effective since 4 July 2005, Tunisia entered into a number of very specific obligations concerning democracy, responsible governance and human rights, and there is no doubt about the fact that practical compliance with these obligations is of major importance in terms of the further development of the European Union’s relations with Tunisia. One thing to which the country committed itself was the establishment of a sub-committee on human rights. We strongly invite our Tunisian partners to make it possible for this sub-committee to hold its first meeting in the coming months. The European Union wants to deepen dialogue on these important issues before this year is out.
It is obvious that the European Union would like to see Tunisia – like every other third state – becoming stronger and more prosperous, while at the same time making progress in those areas where there may be deficits, as is the case, in many instances, where human rights are concerned. It has to be said that international reports, statistics and rankings point to Tunisia enjoying good, and indeed impressive, economic rights and social advances. The EU very much welcomes Tunisia’s efforts, particularly as regards the position of women, the right to education and other issues.
That an Arab country should make very definite progress in these areas is important for the Arab world as a whole, and so are the positive steps that have been taken in recent months, and we do – as we should – acknowledge them, such as, for example, the opening up of the prisons to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the appointment of a mediator and the amnesty for political prisoners. Since Tunisia is one of the most important countries with the capacity for serving as an example to the Arab world, we also hope that we will be able to work together with it within the new UN Human Rights Council in a constructive manner.
None of this, however, can conceal the fact that the human rights situation in Tunisia does, in many respects, give cause for concern, particularly as regards the right of expression of opinion, freedom of association and freedom of assembly, not to mention the independence of the judiciary. In particular, the events before and during last November’s world summit on the information society in Tunis still cast a shadow over Tunisia. Following these occurrences, we gave Tunisia a public and clear reminder of the European Union’s expectations of it as regards the discharge of its obligations and responsibilities in matters of human rights.
On the occasion of a human rights démarche by the EU in November 2005, we underlined our regret at the occurrences at the World Summit and reiterated our core concerns, which were, firstly, that an end should be put to the blocking of EU-funded civil society projects; secondly, that progress should be made in the implementation of the programme of judicial reform; and, thirdly, that a sub-committee for human rights should be set up. There is no doubt that these démarches were a first step, and the Commission and the Council have closely monitored developments since November. As the Austrian Presidency of the Council began at the start of this year, a number of accommodating gestures were in fact seen to be made, including the signature, in December 2005, of the financial agreement for the MEDA programme for the modernisation of the justice system, and the release of EU funds for two NGOs.
However, the funds for the oldest and most respected human rights organisation on the African continent, the existence of which the Tunisian authorities themselves describe as an
remained blocked, which, indeed, they still are. The organisation to which I refer is the
whose complaints about the police’s attempts at intimidating its members and at interfering with its proper functioning have not since then been resolved. As long ago as September 2005, the organisation was prevented from holding its General Meeting pending a court ruling that is still awaited. The EU troika’s response to this was to embark on a démarche in Geneva in order to back up the EU’s desire that the League might be allowed to continue its work without hindrance. I am sure that the Commission, too, would like to say something about the blocking of the funds it has allocated to the League, but I do not myself propose to say anything further on the subject.
Despite a further démarche by the European Union on 22 May this year, the League was again prevented from holding its General Meeting on 27 and 28 May, when police were deployed in a disproportionate manner against peaceful activists, and, regrettably, the chairwoman of your House’s Human Rights Committee, Mrs Flautre, was not only a witness to this but also a victim of it."@en1
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"Ligue tunisienne des droits de l’homme,"1
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