Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-12-Speech-2-241"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20061212.41.2-241"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for this excellent debate, during which we received some criticism about the drafting procedure from several Members of Parliament. This criticism will obviously be noted and in future we will also try to improve our consultation procedures with the European Parliament also. Perhaps because this report is based on a decision by the European Council from 1998, the drafting procedure also takes place within the context of the Council. We can, however, obviously improve the way we do things in this respect. We also have to remember that the report does not attempt to cover all the possible human rights problems that exist around the world, but mainly focuses on a presentation of human rights work engaged in by the institutions of the European Union.
As I said in my opening speech, the main recent priority area has been the mainstreaming of human rights, as a component in other areas of policy, and obviously the enhancement of the European Union’s external activity is a very important part of that, so that human rights can be fully integrated with external relations and development cooperation and so that the link between human rights and security, for example, may be clearly apparent to us.
Last year there was significant progress made when we reached agreement on the establishment of a European Fundamental Rights Agency. That will do much also to reinforce human rights work within the European Union. The Commissioner mentioned the fact that consensus has been reached on the human rights instrument. I would sincerely like to thank Parliament for its cooperation. This instrument will no doubt contribute to a process where human rights work in the European Union can be made more effective.
We need to remember that human rights work is not just about dealing with contemporary, clearly visible issues: above all, it is painstaking work over a long period of time which also requires patience in order to get results.
This debate also raised the issue of the almost philosophical question as to whether we have done all we can to improve the human rights situation. That is often to do with finding the right balance between persuasion and drastic action and finding the right balance between encouragement and restrictive measures. Obviously, dialogue normally yields better results than severing relations.
It is important to show that the European Union employs the same norms in its human rights work with all partners. Unfortunately, we also surely have to bear in mind that, although we have done all we can, our resources are nevertheless insufficient, perhaps, to improve the situation everywhere in the world. The challenges in the human rights sector thus abound, and this debate will certainly serve as a good basis on which the European Union institutions can continue to do their work."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples