Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-12-Speech-2-227"
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"en.20061212.41.2-227"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure for me to present to you today the European Union’s annual report on human rights. The first report on human rights was published in 1999, when Finland, as it was this time too, was involved in drafting the report in its role as Presidency of the European Union. The purpose of the report has not changed since then. It still deals, in a way that is unique, with the European Union’s human rights policy and what has been achieved within its framework. The report now completed concerns the EU action and policies implemented in the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 and which were aimed at promoting a universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
During the period under review in the report, which is to say between the summer of 2005 and the summer of 2006, there was a major change to the UN structures. The negotiations on the creation of the United Nations Human Rights Council and, later, the first sitting of the new Council, provided a crucial framework for EU action in the area of multilateral human rights policy. The EU’s goal the whole time was to establish a Council that would give human rights the status it had been guaranteed in the UN Charter. Although we did not get all the issues that we had promoted in the final text adopted in March 2006, the Union nonetheless believes that the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council will be an essential element in strengthening the UN Human Rights System. It will also be a major step forward in the UN reform process as a whole.
The promotion of human rights, democracy and progress in the rule of law is hugely important in the fight against terrorism and various extremist movements. In statements made in several UN and other forums, the EU has reiterated its opinion that a respect for human rights is vital in the work to combat terrorism. The Presidency has emphasised on several occasions that effective action against terrorism and the protection of human rights are complementary and mutually supportive goals.
Political dialogue is undeniably one key tool in the promotion of human rights. The mainstreaming of human rights has involved an attempt to guarantee that human rights issues will be dealt with consistently in contact between the EU and third countries at different levels. This also applies to countries with which the EU is involved in a special human rights dialogue, such as China and Russia. The human rights report this year for the first time underlines the EU’s commitment to enhancing dialogue between cultures, both within the Union and with third countries.
The victims of breaches of human rights and the defenders of human rights around the world expect a lot from the European Union, and for a reason. The European Union, as a Community based on values, may be expected to strive to promote human rights and democracy with clear goals in sight. This report will help us judge how well the Union has been able to respond to this challenge.
The report follows seven earlier annual reports published between 1999 and 2005, in accordance with the declaration adopted in 1998 by the European Council. Issued on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it urged the European Union to step up its work on human rights. It also called on the EU to draw up an annual report on human rights.
The report on human rights presents an overview of the work done to promote human rights and democracy by the institutions of the European Union. The EU’s external policies and internal circumstances are also subjects for scrutiny. Furthermore, there is a separate section devoted to an examination of action on the part of the European Parliament to promote human rights and democracy. To its credit, the European Parliament raises issues on human rights and makes certain that they also receive the attention they deserve in the other Union institutions.
The report highlights the special priorities of the EU’s human rights policy, such as the mainstreaming of human rights. In practice, mainstreaming has meant increasing interaction between human rights experts and national think-tanks and presenting aspects of human rights in different EU areas of activity, such as crisis management and the export of arms. The European Union has developed ways of dealing with special problems, such as women, security and children, in connection with armed conflicts. The Personal Representative of the Secretary-General/High Representative has been actively involved in mainstreaming human rights in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and in increasing awareness of the EU guidelines on human rights.
The European Union has adopted special guidelines on certain issues and in this way has determined the priorities in its human rights policy. The Union is opposed to the death penalty under any circumstances and has highlighted individual cases where the minimum standards of international law have not been met. During the reporting period, the Union drew particular attention to countries where policy on the death penalty has been changing.
The European Union has encouraged different countries to join the international Convention against Torture and thus reinforce action aimed at its abolition.
Moreover, the Union has specified certain priority target countries where it proposes to improve the human rights situation by trying in various ways to alleviate the suffering of children caught up in armed conflicts. It has been important to highlight this issue in multilateral international forums and make the EU better equipped to deal with it in the context of European Security and Defence Policy operations.
With regard to the EU’s guidelines on human rights defenders, the Union has launched global campaigns on freedom of speech and women’s human rights. Because human rights defenders very often come under attack themselves, their rights are still one of the EU’s priorities.
The Council appreciates the central role played by the European Parliament in our joint efforts to defend and promote the implementation of human rights. The Sakharov Prize awarded yearly for those who speak on behalf of freedom of thought has a key part to play here. Over the years Parliament has acknowledged the achievements of major figures, such as Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. We welcome the fact that this year’s Sakharov Prize has gone to the Belarusian opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich. There is reason to believe that this internationally recognised honour will encourage Mr Milinkevich and others to continue their important work to strengthen democratic forces in Belarus."@en1
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