Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-01-21-Speech-4-012"
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"en.20100121.2.4-012"2
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"Mr President, I am disturbed by the speeches that I have just heard, from the Commissioner right through to my fellow Members. I feel that we really have our work cut out to gain an accurate and objective understanding of the present situation in Tunisia.
Frankly, when I listen to you, I feel as though I am listening to western intellectuals talking cheerfully, many decades ago, about the economic and social success in the countries of the USSR, with a complete inability to go and see what our shared values stand for in practice in those countries. What are our shared values, Mr Michel? They are human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
You have all rightly pointed out that Tunisia was our first partner to sign an association agreement. This is true, and that is why all this is very worrying, because we are not talking here about gaps, Commissioner, or about small steps. No. There is a huge, ongoing decline in human rights and democracy in Tunisia. Can you name one single newspaper, party or union that has been authorised in the last 20 years? No.
The truth is that fundamental freedoms are being systematically and utterly disregarded, and, with them, our own commitments. This is not about moralising; this is about respecting the values of the European Union, and respecting the commitments that we made by signing this association agreement.
Therefore, I demand that there be at least a shared analysis of this matter. I believe that we have worked hard to have this debate, but it would certainly be time better spent if we were to organise an actual delegation, one that really goes and meets this civil society in Tunisia and the various members of that society, in order to make an assessment of the continued harassment experienced by human rights defenders, students, trade unionists, workers and lawyers. There have been putsches in almost all of the associations that showed a certain degree of autonomy with regard to the authorities. I therefore believe that you are completely deluded on this matter.
Having listened to your speeches, I well understand why you do not want to see the real picture in Tunisia. You do not want to see it because you believe that there are economic interests at stake, and because you believe that there are interests at stake relating to the fight against terrorism and illegal immigration. You have expressed all this in the clearest of terms, and you go on about advances relating to equality between men and women and to the family, advances that date back to Bourguiba’s time. I repeat, these date back to Bourguiba. There has been no further progress since that time.
I therefore believe that, if we have any respect for ourselves, for the agreements we sign, for the Neighbourhood Policy or for EU values, we certainly cannot propose an advanced status for Tunisia. Therefore, I tell you straight: if you propose that and renounce all requirements and all commitments in relation to human rights and democracy with all the countries of the Mediterranean, that will be the guaranteed outcome."@en1
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