Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-04-Speech-3-554-000"
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"en.20120704.31.3-554-000"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank you for inviting me to speak at the opening of this debate on behalf of the High Representative, Vice-President Ashton.
We have focused in particular on equal access to media outlets. It is well established that the two main pro-government channels have enjoyed wider penetration than more critical channels, so we are encouraged by the recent decision by Parliament to enforce the so-called ‘must-carry/must-offer’ rules in the pre-election period and by the President’s strong statements on this issue, though we will wish to discuss further the enforcement of these rules.
Finally, I should of course underline that the EU remains committed to conflict resolution efforts in Georgia through strong support to Georgia’s territorial integrity, through our contribution to security and stability by the deployment of the EU monitoring mission, and through our leading role as co-chairs in the Geneva international discussions.
The conflict over Abkhazia and South Ossetia remains high on our agenda and we will continue to spare no effort to help find solutions. This commitment was strongly reflected in the Council conclusions of 27 February 2012.
I very much look forward to hearing the views of honourable Members on this very important issue.
This House, in its resolution of 17 November last year, gave strong support to Georgia’s territorial integrity and to the process of political association and economic integration with the European Union. It also recognised the importance of the Geneva Process and gave its backing to the work of the European Union’s special representative for the South Caucasus and to the EU monitoring mission. These were important signals of commitment to Georgia and to the region.
Members of this House have also been in the vanguard of supporting the deepening of human rights and democracy in Georgia. At the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly held in Baku in April a resolution was passed underlining the indispensable role of independent civil society in strengthening democracy and stressing the importance in this context of freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, including in the press and the media.
In addition, I am aware that a number of honourable Members have submitted parliamentary questions concerning the treatment of the political opposition, respect for human rights, labour relations and other related issues. These issues are all extremely relevant as the EU looks at Georgia preparing for elections in the autumn, and as we support Georgia’s reform drive built on the basis of consensus.
President Van Rompuy is in Georgia today. His visit is an opportunity to demonstrate the top-level commitment of the European Union to the deepening of our relations with Georgia and to the peaceful development of the South Caucasus region as a whole. I will not anticipate President Van Rompuy’s messages to Georgia here, but I would like to signal before the debate is open a number of critical issues for us at this time.
We are making good progress with our Association Agreement and with Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area negotiations. We will also soon begin concrete work on a visa liberalisation action plan preparing for mobility and stronger people-to-people contacts. All this is very positive news, but it is essential that Georgia makes every effort already to live within the spirit of association. We will provide Georgia with every possible support in meeting this objective, bearing in mind its great potential to benefit from the ‘more for more’ principle enshrined in the European Neighbourhood Policy.
In this context, President Barroso and Commissioner Füle as well as, obviously, High Representative/Vice-President Ashton, have emphasised to President Saakashvili in their recent meetings in Brussels the need to ensure fair political competition and the legitimacy of elections. Parliamentary elections in October must meet international democratic standards. Public trust in the election process will be crucial. Pluralistic elections require a strong, credible and serious opposition that takes part in the election process in a way that respects the constitution and the law.
We have noted with concern the perception that the government is trying to hinder the participation of opposition leader Ivanishvili, that resources are being deployed against him and that laws on party finance and vote-buying are being applied in a one-sided way. We must insist that the laws are correctly and transparently applied to leave no possible doubt that due process has been followed.
On the other hand, there is also a perception that Mr Ivanishvili is using his unequalled financial assets for electoral gain and this is a legitimate concern. Again we must insist that there is a level playing field for democratic competition and that votes cannot be bought."@en1
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