Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-14-Speech-2-013"
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"en.20060214.4.2-013"2
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".
Mr President, respect for democratic principles and fundamental human rights, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, inspires the internal and external policies of the parties and constitutes an essential element of the European Union’s international agreements.
The cumbersome and vague wording of the democratic clause to which I have just referred has many limitations and lacks the mechanisms required to ensure that it functions properly. The result is that the clause is often used as an alibi or rhetorical example, without having any real consequences.
The report we are debating today is intended to put an end to this situation, increasing the effectiveness of the clause from a legal point of view. To this end, we Socialists have made several proposals that have been taken up in this report, something about which we are very pleased. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Agnoletto and thank him for his work and understanding.
We do not want to be under any illusions, though. This initiative report will once again come face to face with reality when we come to applying the clause.
The European Union must promote the introduction of the clause in line with the recommendations of this report, and that is what we are calling for today in this House. We shall continue to need great political will on the part of the Union so that respect for human rights genuinely provides added value in international agreements and in the promotion of dignity and so that the introduction of the clause is not a dead letter and so that it is not used in a hypocritical fashion and only applied when it suits our interests. For this, we need Europe to have a genuine commitment to human rights; an effective, credible and coherent commitment.
We can implement a warning system to identify human rights violations which allows us to act appropriately and react in time. Europe must maintain reciprocity in the application of the human rights clause, because we must be able to maintain a frank and open dialogue with the countries with which we have reached agreements, and we must also be able to listen to the criticisms of partner countries, in relation to how we Europeans treat their nationals, for example, and react accordingly.
Europe must maintain a credible position. Human rights cannot be used as a bargaining chip. We cannot stop defending them for the sake of other topical interests. Europe must act in an honest and clear fashion. We must call for an end to the death penalty in India, China, Japan and the United States. We must demand an end to torture wherever it takes place, whether in Guantánamo, in Iraq or in Syria.
In a world obsessed by short-term benefits and security, we cannot lower our guard when it comes to defending our universal rights."@en1
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