Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2015-03-10-Speech-2-682-000"
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"en.20150310.45.2-682-000"2
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"Madam President, I have been proud to serve as rapporteur on the progress report for this country, and I want to make it clear that I, like my group, continue to support setting a date for EU accession talks to begin. We thank the new rapporteur, Mr Vajgl, for his continuity on this and other points. However, I am forced to use my speech now as shadow rapporteur to express my, and my group’s, deep concern about the impact that the current political crisis in the country is having on the prospects for realising the aim of opening talks.
My group recognises that we ourselves have a responsibility to avoid adding to the polarising forces in the country, which is why I worked with my PPE Group colleagues to secure the 1 March 2013 agreement, and why I have expressed my willingness, if asked, to do so again now.
In saying that, I am conscious that success would require genuine political will on both sides and that the long—term interests require functioning political institutions within the country, rather than reliance on external assistance. But let me make some things very clear: the announcement of charges and the threat of imprisonment against the leader of the opposition in the country – the leader of the sister party of the group of parties which I represent in this Chamber – is a dangerous moment for democracy in this country.
For the charges to be announced by the Prime Minister personally only adds to the concerns generated following the evidence of tapes released in relation to apparent gross political interference in the country’s judiciary and media. Tonight, the opposition party is publishing further evidence – this time alleging electoral malpractice on behalf of the governing party – while the governing party has a simultaneous press conference alleging bribery on behalf of the leader of the opposition.
We, in this Chamber, do not want to be drawn into a spiral of allegations and counter—allegations, nor into the conflicting explanations about the provenance of the tapes; but there is no doubt that mass surveillance has taken place and that at least some of the evidence produced is genuine. We cannot ignore that evidence and nor can the Commissioner. There is a sad history in this country, in this region and in other parts of Europe, of systems of surveillance and of charges being brought against individuals for political purposes. These practices have no place today, in this country or in Europe.
If further promises of remedial judicial reform are made now – when the same promises have been made before and not fulfilled – there would have to be new elements of monitoring and review to create confidence within the country and credibility outside it. There must be political will on both sides to resolve this crisis, and this crisis must be resolved."@en1
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