Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-06-Speech-3-281"
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"en.20090506.36.3-281"2
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"Madam President, I would like to begin by thanking you for this opportunity to take stock of the Durban Review Conference, which I know has been followed closely by many Members here today.
Externally the EU regularly raises racism and xenophobia issues in its bilateral political and human rights dialogues with third countries such as Russia and China. We have also ensured that racism and xenophobia are mainstreamed into our cooperation strategies such as the European neighbourhood policy action plans. Much is happening within various multilateral fora. Within the OSCE framework, Member States coordinate their work so as to ensure that the commitments made by the 56 OSCE participating states in this area are respected and implemented. This is also the case within the Council of Europe and within the wider UN framework.
These examples demonstrate our collective commitment to work on this issue both internally and more widely with partners worldwide. The Durban Review Conference was part of those wider efforts. It was not easy and quite clearly was marred by those who thought to deviate the results of the conference for their own narrow political ends. But for all that, we should welcome the fact that, in the end, it has focused attention both on the continuing need to tackle racism and xenophobia and on the commitment which we have, and which is shared by very many others, to eradicating this scourge.
The preparatory process leading to the conference was particularly complex, with a significant number of countries having serious misgivings about the process in the light of what happened in 2001. Because of their concerns that the conference would be used as a platform for expressions of hatred and intolerance in its most extreme form, several Member States, including my own, decided to withdraw from the conference. These concerns were confirmed by the intervention of one member of the UN at the very beginning of the conference. Not only did we find this totally unacceptable, but it was directly contrary to the very spirit and purpose of the conference.
It is unfortunate, although perhaps inevitable, that this incident and the subsequent walk-out of all Member States as well as other UN members, made the news headlines, overshadowing the consensual adoption of the outcome document. At the same time, I think that the very constructive and solid EU contribution through the preparatory phase of the conference should be fully acknowledged. This was particularly the case in relation to the drafting of the outcome document, in which the EU played a critical role. Despite the distractions to which I have referred, the fact that the final outcome document of the conference respects all the EU red lines represents a considerable achievement.
The outcome document fully respects the existing human rights framework, particularly with regard to freedom of expression, and complies with many of our demands, such as the need to avoid any reference to the defamation of religions and to refrain from any singling-out of Israel. In addition, the paragraph on remembering the Holocaust was maintained in the text.
We now need to reflect on the implications for the EU of both the conference itself and the outcome document. We will need, in particular, to define how we support implementation of the commitments which have been undertaken. The Council remains extremely concerned by the phenomena of racism and xenophobia, which we consider to be among our most important human rights challenges today.
I know that this Parliament fully shares these concerns and that you have been instrumental in helping create much of the legislative basis and the practical tools to help combat this scourge. Fighting racism and xenophobia is an ongoing process which requires both political will and practical measures, not least in the area of education. There is also a continuing need to enhance dialogue and mutual understanding and to promote tolerance.
Whilst there are signs that the EU’s anti-discrimination legislation is having a positive impact, the overall global progress in the fight against these phenomena remains regrettably slow. In fact the trend in a number of countries is even negative. We have seen cases where the current economic crisis is starting to fuel racist and xenophobic intolerance across the world. Against the background of the economic crisis, strong anti-racism policies are more important than ever. Both within Europe and more widely, we are facing an upsurge in violent attacks targeting migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as minorities such as the Roma.
The EU has a strong
on the fight against racism and xenophobia. Both these phenomena are incompatible with the principles upon which the EU is founded. The EU has repeatedly rejected and condemned all manifestations of racism and will continue to do so. The EU, within the limits of the powers conferred on it by the Treaties, will continue to tackle racism and xenophobia, both within the Union itself and in the context of our external actions.
Internally, we have adopted legislation prohibiting direct and indirect discrimination, on the basis of racial or ethnic origin, at work, education and with regard to access to goods and services. Legislation also prohibits discrimination on other grounds, including religion, age, sexual orientation and disabilities, particularly in the workplace. The EU has also adopted legislation to ban hate speech from TV channels, as well as to criminalise ‘publicly inciting to violence or hatred directed against a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin’. The same piece of legislation makes it a crime to publicly condone, deny or grossly trivialise crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."@en1
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