MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Egypt
2.7.2013 - (2013/2697(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Véronique De Keyser, Libor Rouček, Pino Arlacchi, Emine Bozkurt, Saïd El Khadraoui, Ana Gomes, Richard Howitt, María Muñiz De Urquiza, Raimon Obiols, Pier Antonio Panzeri, Boris Zala, Joanna Senyszyn on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0362/2013
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Egypt, in particular that of 14 March 2013 on the situation in Egypt[1],
– having regard to the statement of European Parliament President Martin Schulz on the conviction of 43 NGO workers in Egypt of 6 June 2013, and the joint statement of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Štefan Füle on the Egyptian NGO trial verdicts of 5 June 2013,
– having regard to the statement by the spokesperson of High Representative Catherine Ashton on the new NGO law in Egypt of 2 June 2013,
– having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Arab Republic of Egypt, of the other part, of 2001, which entered into force in 2004,
– having regard to the special report of the European Court of Auditors of 18 June 2013 on ‘EU cooperation with Egypt in the field of governance’,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, to which Egypt is a party,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Egypt is in a critical period of transition towards democracy; whereas the country is facing fundamental challenges in the fields of the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and social justice; whereas mounting political tensions are deepening internal polarisation within Egyptian society, leading to demonstrations and violent clashes; whereas cases of excessive use of force and violence against peaceful demonstrators by security forces and unidentified groups remain unpunished;
B. whereas millions have been marching in the streets in Cairo and across Egypt in protest against the policies of President Morsi and the current government; whereas, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Health, 16 people have been killed and 781 wounded in violent clashes over the past days; whereas the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement on 1 July 2013 giving Egyptian political forces 48 hours to fulfil the people’s demands, otherwise the military would step in and present a political roadmap for the country;
C. whereas an inclusive political process based on consensus, joint ownership and a genuine national dialogue with meaningful participation of all democratic political forces is the only way to overcome the current political and social divisions and tensions, with the aim of creating deep and sustainable democracy in Egypt; whereas Egypt should not repeat past mistakes by sliding back to a situation of military leaders dominating politics and leading the country;
D. whereas social justice and a higher standard of living for citizens are crucial dimensions of the transition towards an open, stable, democratic, free and prosperous Egyptian society; whereas Egypt is facing aggravating economic difficulties; whereas economic prosperity in the country requires political stability, sound economic policies, the will and means to fight corruption, and international support;
E. whereas, although civil society has a crucial role to play in the transition towards democracy, international and domestic NGOs are facing increasing pressure, hostile attacks, harassment and intimidation in Egypt; whereas, on 4 June 2013, a Cairo criminal court convicted 43 foreign and Egyptian NGO workers to up to five years in prison for civil society activities and ordered the closure and the confiscation of assets of local branches of five international NGOs which had been operating in Egypt for a long time, namely the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, Freedom House and the International Center for Journalists; whereas these court sentences are part of a campaign of intimidation by government authorities against NGOs in Egypt;
F. whereas Egyptian Law 84/2002 regulating the functioning and activities of NGOs, adopted under the regime of former President Mubarak, continues to be used against civil society organisations in Egypt; whereas the raids on NGO offices, and the court sentences against NGO workers, are clear indications of an urgent need to adopt a new law and new regulations protecting and encouraging civil society activities in the country; whereas, on 29 May 2013, President Morsi sent to the Shoura Council a new draft law on NGOs that has provoked widespread criticism; whereas this law, if adopted in its current shape, would further strengthen and institutionalise state control over civil society by giving excessive powers to the government; whereas any new law on NGOs should be drafted in full cooperation with Egyptian civil society actors, must fully comply with the country’s international commitments and obligations, and should follow international standards;
G. whereas independent trade unions have a crucial role to play in the field of labour relations in this critical period of political, economic and social transition in Egypt; whereas the functioning and activities of trade unions in the country is still regulated by Law 35/1976; whereas Article 53 of the new constitution allows only one trade union per profession; whereas the Penal Code and other laws impose further restrictions on labour rights; whereas the lack of an explicit legal basis for the establishment of independent trade unions in Egypt – and, therefore, of any legal protection for such unions – means that their leaders and members are often fired, harassed or intimidated by employers; whereas this situation is contributing in a significant way to the current crisis of industrial relations in the country, to the benefit of none of the social partners;
H. whereas women are in a particularly vulnerable situation in the current period of transition in Egypt; whereas, according to reports by Egyptian and international human rights organisations, female protestors are subject to violence, sexual assaults, virginity tests and other forms of degrading treatment by security forces, while women’s rights activists face regular harassment and intimidation;
1. Expresses its solidarity with the Egyptian people in this critical period of transition towards democracy, and its sincere condolences to the families of the victims of ongoing violent clashes; urges the President and the government of Egypt to fulfil their responsibilities to ensure the security of all citizens in the country regardless of their political views and affiliation; urges all political actors to show restraint with the aim of avoiding further violence in the best interest of the country;
2. Reminds the Egyptian President and government of their duty to represent all parts of Egyptian society, and calls on them to reconsider their policies by listening to the millions of people marching in the streets in Cairo and across the country, with the aim of restoring basic trust in the government and the unity of the people of Egypt; stresses that Egypt should not slide back to a situation of military leaders dominating politics and leading the country; underlines the crucial importance of restoring political stability in Egypt, also in the context of aggravating economic difficulties, and calls on all relevant actors to work towards the completion of a political and constitutional transition with the aim of consolidating democratic institutions and the rule of law;
3. Reiterates its call to the Egyptian government and authorities to ensure full respect for the freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, the freedoms of expression and speech, the freedom of media, the freedoms of religion, conscience and thought, and women’s rights, and to ensure the protection of minorities and non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, which are essential elements of deep and sustainable democracy; calls also for serious, impartial and transparent investigations into all cases of death, torture, degrading treatment and harassment of peaceful protestors, and for those responsible to be brought to justice;
4. Calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence, sexual assaults, virginity tests and other forms of degrading treatment against female protesters and women’s rights activists, for serious and impartial investigations into all such cases, and for those responsible to be brought to justice;
5. Expresses its solidarity with and full support of international and domestic NGOs that contribute to building deep and sustainable democracy in Egypt; is deeply concerned about the recent Cairo court rulings that sentenced 43 foreign and Egyptian NGO workers to up to five years in prison for civil society activities and ordered the closure and the confiscation of assets of local branches of five international NGOs; calls on the Egyptian government and authorities to put an immediate end to all forms of restrictions, harassment and intimidation against international and domestic NGOs in the country, in particular by dropping all criminal charges against NGO workers and avoiding the criminalisation of NGO activities by using judicial procedures as a political tool against them;
6. Expresses its deep concern about the new draft law on NGOs sent by President Morsi to the Shoura Council on 29 May 2013, as the adoption of this law, in its current shape, would be another step towards increased government control and repression of international and domestic NGOs in Egypt; urges the Egyptian government to support the emergence of an independent, free and vivid civil society in the country, which is essential to deep and sustainable democracy, and to propose a new draft law on NGOs, to be elaborated in full cooperation with Egyptian civil society actors, which fully complies with the country’s international commitments and obligations, and follows international standards; is of the opinion that such a new law should be adopted by the new parliament to be elected democratically in free and fair elections;
7. Calls on the Egyptian government to put an immediate end to all forms of repression, discrimination and harassment against independent trade unions in the country; calls for the limitation, set out in Article 53 of the new constitution, of one trade union per profession to be abolished and for the full compliance of Egyptian labour and trade union legislation with relevant ILO conventions to be ensured; calls also for the adoption, with genuine participation of trade unions, of a new law on trade unions in Egypt that guarantees that they can function and operate without government interference;
8. Urges the Vice President / High Representative, the European External Action Service and the Commission to develop the principle of ‘more for more’, and eventually ‘less for less’ – with a particular focus on civil society, women’s rights and minority rights – in a more coherent and practical way, including by means of setting clear conditions and benchmarks, without creating a negative effect on the living conditions of the Egyptian population, in the EU’s relations with Egypt; calls also for the situation of civil society and trade unions in Egypt to be addressed at all levels of the EU’s dialogue with the Egyptian government; recalls that lack of significant progress in areas such as democratic governance, the rule for law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Egypt may lead to the suspension of EU budgetary support to the Egyptian government;
9. Urges the EU and its Member States to continue to provide substantial financial support and technical assistance to Egyptian NGOs and to work together with them to strengthen civil society awareness, the culture of civil action and civil society activities in the country, which are crucial elements of deep and sustainable democracy;
10. Takes note of the findings presented in the European Court of Auditors’ special report of 18 June 2013 entitled ‘EU cooperation with Egypt in the field of governance’, and calls on its Committee on Budgetary Control to ensure appropriate follow-up to this report in Parliament; calls for action towards more transparency and accountability concerning the way EU funding is spent in Egypt, with special regard to projects fostering civil society and protecting minorities and women’s rights;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, and the parliament and government of Egypt.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0095.