Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-23-Speech-2-180"
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"en.20030923.5.2-180"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, as well as the draftsman’s work and the line he has taken on external relations, we support many – if not all – of the amendments tabled by Mr Van Hecke on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, some of which we have been able to contribute to specifically. In particular, I would draw your attention to a whole set of amendments on the human rights clause.
As Parliament, we have called – and we have battled for years with success – for our relations with third countries to incorporate a human rights clause imposing – and I do not wish to offend anybody by using that word – mutual respect for the most well-known and most supported agreements in force, the cooperation and aid programmes for emerging countries and, more generally, for countries with which we sustain relations.
In actual fact, this clause, formally included in agreements with third countries, is often disregarded by those who should be enforcing it. It is disregarded for various reasons, probably because there is no specific monitoring mechanism in place. However, the fact remains that, very often, we continue blithely to implement our budget on the basis of these agreements – which, as such, must clearly be observed – despite frequent disregard for one of the clauses.
That is why there are a number of amendments seeking to ensure that the budgetary authority is provided with timely information on the situation as regards the human rights clause, so as to place Parliament in a position to decide, should this prove necessary and in the appropriate manner, to request formally the suspension of the agreements with a country. There are serious, significant cases of systematically violated rights and of countries whose economies depend greatly, if not on European Union aid, certainly on the rich tapestry of relations they sustain with the European Union: I refer to countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia itself, where, as you are aware, the situation is currently very serious and there is a danger of a
taking place within the next few days, in contempt of the results of elections which Parliament itself declared – maybe rather prematurely – to be perfectly above board.
These are the reasons why I believe it is possible, not least through the lever of the budget, to send a clear signal to the beneficiary countries so as to make the human rights clause a genuine reality and to reassure Parliament, which is one arm of the budgetary authority as well as the promoter of the idea, that the Commission is not implementing the budget as if nothing had happened but is carrying out pre-emptive monitoring. This is one of the most important aspects. I welcome the exchanges on the subject of Iraq, which would appear to be an indication of a desire for constructive dialogue on the issue. I believe that the consideration which I have just illustrated deserves, in all respects, as stated by the draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, the support of the House in the final vote on the budget."@en1
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