Report of the Commission on Framework Decision 2008/913/JAI
12.2.2014
Question for written answer E-001465-14
to the Commission
Rule 117
Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (ALDE) , Iñaki Irazabalbeitia Fernández (Verts/ALE) , Ramon Tremosa i Balcells (ALDE) , Salvador Sedó i Alabart (PPE) , Willy Meyer (GUE/NGL) , Raül Romeva i Rueda (Verts/ALE) , Raimon Obiols (S&D) , Maria Badia i Cutchet (S&D)
On 27 January last, the International Day of the Holocaust, Vice-President Viviane Reding denounced the attitude of those European States that have not yet complied with the provisions of Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JAI, which binds States to treat as criminal offences the denial or trivialisation of the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity committed by the Nazi regime and its European allies. She also announced that, while she cannot penalise these States, she will put pressure on them. Spain, which is one of the infringers, is seeing an alarming proliferation of homages to leading figures of the Francoist dictatorship, which over the last few weeks has included the public sponsoring in Burgos of an exhibition about General Yagüe, who was responsible among other atrocities for the orders that led to the extermination of more than 4 000 civilians in Extremadura, as well as failure to act on the part of the government against various activities extolling the figure of the dictator, including those carried out by the Foundation that bears his name. In this context, Mr Pablo de Greiff, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, presented on 3 February last a harsh report[1] in which he called on the Spanish authorities to bring the crimes committed by the Franco regime, which have gone totally unpunished, to justice and to treat the victims differently. The Commission undertook to draw up a report on the situation by the end of 2013 (answer to Question E-005756/2013) and may launch infringement proceedings against Member States who are in breach as from December this year.
1. Can the Commission say when the said report will be ready and when its conclusions will be published?
2. Is the Commission aware of the conclusions of the UN’s Special Rapporteur’s report on the crimes of the Franco regime in Spain?
3. Does the Commission consider that this situation shows that the present Spanish authorities are trivialising the crimes committed by the Franco dictatorship?
4. Could the Commission say what specific steps will be taken to apply pressure in the case of Spain, as announced by the Vice-President during the act to which this question refers?
- [1] http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2014/02/03/actualidad/1391443224_877477.html
OJ C 307, 10/09/2014