Accueil Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

I welcome the adoption of more stringent rules on transparency and in particular the obligation for Members to publish their meetings online, which will strengthen the integrity of the European Parliament. I equally welcome that the rules acknowledge that in some cases, disclosure of meetings could endanger the life, physical integrity or liberty of an individual, and introduce a derogation for such cases. Indeed, in many places of the world, human rights defenders risk their lives as well as the lives of their families and loved ones every day, simply for the act of speaking up against human rights violations. Just for sharing their testimony, they may face harassment, arbitrary arrests, torture, execution or assassination. Yet, it would go against the very principle of EP’s human rights work to refuse to hear testimonies of human rights defenders at risk to avoid the publication of such meetings or endanger them by identifying them by name. For these compelling reasons, it will not be appropriate to identify such individuals with their real name when declaring such meetings to the President. I expect the Bureau to reflect this reality in the implementation of these rules.