Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-23-Speech-3-330-000"
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"en.20110323.25.3-330-000"2
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"Mr President, we are here this evening to discuss this Parliament’s reports on the Gulf Cooperation Council. I understand that some political groups would have preferred to have postponed the discussion so as to better reflect the strategic times the Arab world is going through.
Indeed, at the time you started drafting no-one could have guessed what the world would be like today, nor what challenges the countries and people of the entire Arab region would be facing. In line with our conviction that each country is different from the others, the European Union is responding to different situations with different adapted responses. You heard Cathy Ashton yesterday on all these: whether Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen or Bahrain, the European Union is faced with many critical choices and decisions.
The report we are discussing this evening is focused on the Gulf Cooperation Council and its countries, some of which are also experiencing calls from their populations to take better account of their political, social and economic aspirations. Gulf governments are responding in different ways: substantial financial packages to alleviate the most pressing and social needs, announcements for political reforms, ceding some legislative powers to elected bodies, or openness to comprehensive and inclusive national dialogues.
But we have also seen violence. Within the limits of our discussion tonight this is especially true of Bahrain. We have been following this closely; Cathy Ashton has repeatedly stated her concern at reports of serious violence on the streets and at the signs of increasing sectarian tensions. She has also called on the security forces present in the country to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. She has raised her voice many times in calling for dialogue as the only way forward. All of this has been done using a mix of public statements, which you have seen, and direct contacts with the authorities concerned.
The question for us is: where does all this lead to? What should the EU do? How should we read your report against the backdrop of these events? Yesterday Cathy Ashton noted she preferred engagement to isolation and I share that view. Your report calls for more contacts and not less and I agree. As trade Commissioner I would welcome better opportunities for exchanges between businesspeople. This is a time for us Europeans to stand ready to foster more contacts with the populations of the Gulf countries. It is also time for us Europeans to stand ready to respond positively to any request we may get for Europe to facilitate unprecedented dialogue leading to reforms.
We should not shy away from defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, but we should not dictate or impose our models of democracy on others either. Europe firmly believes that reforms must come from within. I believe this is right also with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is not for me to tell this Parliament how to go about dealing with the report before it. What I believe is that we need to think in strategic terms, and for that dialogues and engagements are essential.
The EU should stand ready to lend all its support to dialogue and reform processes in the region. We are ready to provide political support to reform, and also know-how and expertise to address more specific issues. We welcome any such opportunity but this can only happen if and when the countries in the region ask for our assistance.
One final word on the free trade area with the Gulf for which I am directly responsible. I trust that when the right circumstances on the ground materialise we will be able to proceed on the basis of a common EU determination to further trade relationship objectives in relation to the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Needless to say stability is a necessary condition both for the political contacts between governments and citizens to be enforced, and for trade flows and business to operate effectively. Thank you for your attention and I would more specifically thank the rapporteur, Mr Baudis."@en1
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