Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-03-Speech-2-233"
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"en.20020903.8.2-233"2
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".
Mr President, as the honourable Member knows, meeting the Copenhagen political criteria is the
not just for concluding but even for starting accession negotiations, which is why no country can join the European Union unless it meets all the political criteria.
The question which you have put refers to religious organisations which you, Madam, say are usurping powers which belong to the state or that there is a danger that they will do so and that, as a result, the human rights of women in candidate countries might be restricted. The Commission takes the view that future Member States have achieved a good level of democratic stability and that human rights, and that includes religious freedom, are respected in future Member States.
Religious freedom is guaranteed in all future Member States, meaning that religious communities do of course have the right to take part in social debate in their countries. That is perfectly normal and it happens in every Member State. Religious communities are part of civil society and, like every other social organisation, they are entitled to take part in social debate. In some countries to a greater degree and in some countries to a lesser degree. Governments, the state authorities, are required to watch very closely to ensure that social groups do not exercise powers to which they are not entitled and which, for example, might have an adverse impact on fundamental rights. In theory, as far as equal opportunities for women are concerned, we have made considerable progress from a legislative and institutional point of view in all future Member States, but obviously more needs to be done to foster economic and social equality for women. But that does not just apply to future Member States; it also applies to the majority of current Member States. We cannot say that all the deficits have already been rectified, which is why the Commission will of course continue to monitor developments closely in this area and will include an up-to-date appraisal of the situation in the report which I have already mentioned and which is due to be published in October 2002."@en1
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