MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Venezuela
13.1.2020 - (2020/2507(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Manu Pineda, Sira Rego, João Ferreira, Sandra Pereira, Mick Wallace, Clare Daly, Giorgos Georgiou, Manuel Bompard, Stelios Kouloglou
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
B9‑0051/2020
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Venezuela
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations of 1945, and in particular to Chapter 1, Article 1(2) thereof with its stated purpose ‘to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace’,
– having regard to the principle of non-intervention laid down in the UN Charter,
– having regard to Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which state that ‘all peoples have the right of self-determination’ and that ‘by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’,
– having regard to Article 2 of the UN Charter, which contains the commitment of the UN member states to upholding the sovereign equality of all states and to respect their territorial integrity and political independence,
– having regard to the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and in particular to Articles 7 and 8, which define the rules for the election of the President and the Bureau,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Article 7 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela state that a new President and Bureau must be elected at the beginning of the annual session period by the Members of the Assembly present at the first session;
B. whereas on 5 January 2020, a new President and Bureau of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were elected in accordance with its Rules of Procedure;
C. whereas Luis Parra from the opposition party Primero Justicia was elected President of the National Assembly by 81 of the 140 members present; whereas this is more than the quorum required under Article 46 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela;
D. whereas during the same sitting, the Bureau of the National Assembly was elected; whereas it is formed of Franklyn Duarte (Copei), the First Vice-President, José Noriega (Voluntad Popular), the Second Vice-President, Negal Morales (Acción Democrática), the Secretary, and Alexis Vivenes (Voluntad Popular), the Sub-Secretary;
E. whereas Juan Guaidó did not attend the ordinary session of the National Assembly of 5 January 2020; whereas the session was attended by the leaders of the main opposition parties;
F. whereas the newly elected Second Vice-President and Sub-Secretary of the National Assembly, José Noriega and Alexis Vivenes, belong to Voluntad Popular, the same party as Juan Guaidó;
G. whereas after the election of the new President and Bureau of the National Assembly, the outgoing President Juan Guaidó proclaimed himself President for another mandate in front of a group of journalists with complete disregard for the principles laid down in the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure;
H. whereas the US State Department has threatened new sanctions that would have a further impact on the situation of the Venezuelan population;
I. whereas the economic and social situation in Venezuela has deteriorated enormously as a consequence of the increasing number of US and EU economic and financial sanctions, leading to hyperinflation, supply shortages, growing poverty and a scarcity of medicines and medical equipment;
J. whereas unilateral coercive measures are contrary to established international law; whereas the UN, and in particular its Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, has repeatedly stressed this; whereas sanctions cause disruption to any state and, when they harm the economy, can have a devastating impact on the citizens of developing countries;
K. whereas the position of the United States, some EU Member States and the so-called Lima Group is intended to interfere in the internal political situation of Venezuela and has further inflamed the situation;
L. whereas the external interference, destabilisation, disinformation campaigns, manipulation of public opinion and violence promoted by some sectors of the opposition against the sovereignty, independence, peace and democratic stability of the country and against the Venezuelan people have been denounced on a number of occasions;
M. whereas dialogue is the basis for the peaceful settlement of conflicts and internal situations in all countries; whereas the Member States must encourage a constructive dialogue with the Venezuelan Government in order to find solutions to the concrete problems that now exist in Venezuela;
N. whereas the Venezuelan Government and the opposition have agreed to engage in a permanent peace dialogue as a result of talks in Barbados facilitated by Norway; whereas this initiative has resulted in a roundtable for national dialogue, involving seven parties representing both the government and the opposition;
O. whereas the roundtable for national dialogue has recognised the legal and legitimate election of Luis Parra as President of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela;
1. Acknowledges the election of the President and the Bureau of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, headed by Luis Parra, that took place on 5 January 2020;
2. Urges the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the governments of the EU Member States to refrain from referring to Juan Guaidó under any title other than his current title of Member of the National Assembly;
3. Strongly calls on the United States and the EU Member States to uphold their commitment to respect international law, in particular the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states;
4. Supports the efforts of democratic forces, the Venezuelan Government, the democratic opposition and the Venezuelan people to find answers to their political and economic challenges for themselves and to promote the strengthening of national dialogue in Venezuela;
5. Condemns the threats issued by the US State Department and the governments of some EU Member States, such as Trump’s threat to invade the country and his administration’s call for the imposition of further sanctions, which have inflamed the political situation in Venezuela; calls for the European Union and its Member States to support the efforts of the roundtable for national dialogue;
6. Stresses that the sanctions imposed on Venezuela have inflicted, and are continuing to inflict to an increasing extent, very serious harm to human life and health; takes the view that these sanctions fit the definition of collective punishment of the civilian population as described in both the Geneva and Hague international conventions, making them illegal under international law and treaties; urgently calls for the lifting of all economic and financial sanctions against Venezuela, which have strongly contributed to the deterioration of the country’s economy and the social situation of its citizens;
7. Notes that the economic difficulties experienced by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela have been aggravated by US sanctions; calls on the UN General Assembly to restore the voting rights of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in accordance with Article 19 of the UN Charter, which states that members may be permitted to vote if the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond their control;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and 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, the Government of Venezuela and the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly.