Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-10-06-Speech-3-026"
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"en.20101006.10.3-026"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, as the President has just said, I speak before this House on the World Day and also the European Day against the Death Penalty on behalf of the high representative, Baroness Ashton.
In this regard, and as a very specific example, we are going to join our efforts to encourage Belarus to abolish the death penalty, especially by organising joint events in Minsk during this World Day.
Ladies and gentlemen, because we fundamentally believe that the abolition of the death penalty is essential to the protection of human dignity and to respect for human rights, we oppose the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and we will continue to call for its universal abolition.
Universal abolition is, and will continue to be, a key priority of our external action on human rights and so I reaffirm here, on behalf of Baroness Ashton, our determination to keep the European Union at the fore in the fight for the universal abolition of capital punishment.
As you know, the picture of the use of the death penalty in the world is still a mixed one. On the one hand, the vast majority of states today are in favour of its abolition, either in law or in practice, and it is encouraging to see that the number of such states continues to grow. Indeed, we are seeing a strong tendency towards abolition and the restriction of capital punishment in most countries.
On the other hand, the number of executions and the procedures in place for using the death penalty around the world are unfortunately alarming: the 5 679 executions reported in 2009 were 5 679 executions too many. And with 58 countries and territories still using the death penalty, our work is far from finished.
Furthermore, we all know that wherever capital punishment remains in force, there are serious problems with regard to respect for international rules and standards, especially with regard to limiting the death penalty to the most serious crimes, excluding juvenile delinquents from its scope of application and guaranteeing a fair trial.
The conclusion is clear: there is no room for complacency in the matter. Therefore, we must use every available means, including diplomatic channels and public awareness, to achieve our goal, and that is why the High Representative has made the European Union’s action for the abolition of the death penalty a personal priority.
What does this mean in practice? The future European External Action Service will undoubtedly be able to rely on the fact that the European Union is already today the leading institution in the fight against the death penalty, but the service will also stand as our best opportunity for fulfilling our potential.
It will notably strengthen our ability to speak as one, giving us the opportunity to engage and bring together all the instruments available in Europe for the fight against the death penalty.
Moreover, the European Union is also continuing to improve the way that it joins forces with other international and multilateral organisations that work for the abolition of the death penalty.
The resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty under the 65th United Nations General Assembly this autumn should reflect progress towards universal abolition. It should reinforce and extend the tendency towards abolition that we are seeing in every region of the world. Close cooperation between the European Union and the Council of Europe is another asset in our fight against the death penalty."@en1
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