Presidente. − Onorevoli colleghi, voglio salutare tutti i colleghi, la Commissaria Kroes, Vicepresidente della Commissione europea, la rappresentante del Consiglio signora Kozakou-Marcoullis e, in maniera particolarmente affettuosa, voglio salutare il nostro ex collega Stavros Lambrinidis, che oggi è qui in questa Aula, dove è stato molte volte negli anni passati anche a presiedere la nostra sessione, ma che oggi è in veste di rappresentante speciale europeo per i diritti umani. Un carissimo abbraccio a Stavros Lambrinidis.

L'ordine del giorno reca, in discussione congiunta,

– la relazione di Leonidas Donskis, a nome della commissione per gli affari esteri, sulla relazione annuale sui diritti umani e la democrazia nel mondo nel 2011 e la politica dell'Unione europea in materia (2012/2145(INI))(A7-0377/2012), e

– la relazione di Rui Tavares, a nome della commissione per gli affari esteri, sulla revisione della strategia dell'UE in materia di diritti umani (2012/2062 (INI)) (A7-0378/2012).

  Leonidas Donskis, pranešėjas. − Šio dokumento rengimas, bei su juo susijusios įvairių Europos Parlamento frakcijų diskusijos rodo, kiek svarbi Europos Parlamentui ir Europos Sąjungai yra žmogaus teisių politika ir pasiryžimas ginti žmogaus teises, kaip galimybę įtvirtinti pasaulyje taiką ir dialogo ir susikalbėjimo, o ne jėgos ir kumščio politiką. Kaip šio dokumento autorius ir pranešėjas, esu giliai dėkingas savo ALDE grupės kolegoms, šešėliniams pranešėjams ir kitų grupių kolegoms už vertingas pastabas, įžvalgas, patarimus, rekomendacijas, kritiką ir kolegialumą, kuris lydėjo visą mano darbą. Šis kolegialumas ir mūsų sutelktos pastangos bei susikalbėjimas yra viena iš esminių ir pozityviausių mano patirčių per visą su pranešimu susijusį darbą.

Mes siekėme parengti sutelktą, rišlų, vientisą, nuoseklų, logišką pranešimą, kuris ne tik atspindėtų praeitį ir įvardintų bei registruotų problemas, bet ir teiktų gaires bei orientyrus tapdamas strategiškai svarbiu Europos Sąjungos dokumentu. Štai kodėl tarp pagrindinių šio dokumento akcentų yra šie: Europos Sąjungos atsakomybė už trečiųjų šalių ir viso pasaulio žmogaus teisių gynėjus ir disidentus (nes būtent jie, o ne demokratijai ir žmogaus teisėms nepalankios institucijos, yra mūsų esminiai partneriai); pamatinių žmogaus teisių punktai Europos Sąjungos ir trečiųjų šalių tarptautiniuose prekybos susitarimuose (nes mums kelia nerimą ne iki galo parengti, nesubalansuoti, neambicingi ir neadekvatūs žmogaus teisių stebėsenos mechanizmai šiuose susitarimuose, ypač kalbant apie Vidurio Azijos šalis); ypatingas dėmesys viso labo tik savo tikėjimą, kultūrą ir istorinę tapatybę siekiančio išsaugoti Tibeto situacijos dramatizmui ir iš jo kylanti būtinybė įkurti specialaus Europos Sąjungos atstovo Tibeto klausimais instituciją – tai ypač išryškėja sisteminių žmogaus teisių pažeidimų Kinijoje ir Rusijoje kontekste.

Šiais metais ypatingas dėmesys skiriamas saviraiškos laisvei ir naujosioms medijoms – šios patirties nebegalime ignoruoti po Arabų pavasario, kurio liudininkais mums teko būti. Sykiu mes negalime apeiti ir nutylėti to, be ko prarastume teisę vadintis žmogaus teises ginančia institucija – LGBT, kastų sistemos sąlygotos diskriminacijos, moterų ir vaikų teisių problemų pasaulyje.

Ir niekaip negalima nutylėti situacijų, kai žmonės XXI a. žudomi už seksualinę orientaciją, kai iki šiol baudžiama už vadinamuosius garbės nusikaltimus, kai tebelieka įteisintas mergaičių lytinių organų žalojimas ir galimybė neištikimas moteris užmėtyti akmenimis.

Dar kartą noriu iš visos širdies padėkoti kolegoms už jų ypatingą paramą, supratimą ir kolegialumą, sykiu tikėdamas, kad mes dirbome bendrą darbą, kuris apvainikuotas šiuo dokumentu. Todėl esu įsitikinęs, kad lygiai taip pat kolegialiai ir ta pačia dvasia užbaigsime šį darbą rytojaus balsavimuose.

  Rui Tavares, rapporteur. − Mr President, I will first say a few words in English before I pass on to my mother tongue, Portuguese, because I want to offer my condolences in my name, but I believe also in the name of Parliament, to the family of a man who was very important for us in an unexpected way.

This man died yesterday aged 97 years old. His name was Albert Otto Hirschman, an economist – known mainly to economists but also to students of political science. He was a theoretician of development; the first economist to show that development was not growth – and I think that is interesting for our colleagues in the Committee on Development – but even before he wrote his main books he was an anti-fascist freedom fighter in the Spanish Civil War and during World War Two. One of the founders, with Varian Fry, of the International Rescue Committee who together saved people like Hannah Arendt, Max Ernst, André Breton and Heinrich Mann and many people from intellectual and artistic circles in Europe.

After that, by coincidence – since he was the brother-in-law of our predecessor Altiero Spinelli – he was one of the first federalists and one of Altiero’s great supporters in the United States when, back in the fifties, Altiero was trying to convince the Americans to support the idea of a transnational democratic parliament for Europe, which is this Chamber where we are now, so I think it is fitting that we recognise this hero of mankind and of the European project.

The coherence of his life and work will, I think, give us a clue to what we are discussing here today. So I will now pass to the remainder of my speech in Portuguese.

Senhor Presidente, a coerência e a consistência, meus caros Colegas, é de facto o ponto de toque dos dois relatórios que aqui discutimos, o relatório do nosso colega Donskis e o meu próprio relatório, sobre a revisão estratégica das políticas de direitos humanos da União Europeia.

É importante que a União Europeia não olhe para as suas políticas de direitos humanos como sendo um apêndice das outras políticas, mas como estando no centro de tudo o que nós queremos fazer no mundo e na própria União Europeia. Trazendo as políticas de direitos humanos para o centro, nós beneficiaremos não só os países terceiros onde muitas vezes os direitos humanos precisam ainda de ser respeitados, mas também os nossos próprios concidadãos europeus, não só em matérias de trabalho e ambientais, mas também de direitos fundamentais. Essa é a segunda questão. A União Europeia não pode continuar a não ser crítica em relação a si própria quando a crise económica, e não só a crise económica, mas más políticas e má governança dentro da União Europeia também violam no nosso território os direitos fundamentais dos cidadãos europeus. Portanto, creio que nesta Casa todos estaremos de acordo. Votámos hoje o relatório da nossa Colega Flašíková sobre direitos fundamentais. A União Europeia só pode ser credível para o exterior se for crítica em relação àquilo que se passa dentro das suas portas, se for crítica, fidedigna e verdadeira. Para isso, também teremos de arrumar melhor a nossa casa. Esse é um terceiro aspeto deste relatório. Nós votamos por ano dezenas de resoluções que condenam governos de países terceiros pela violação de direitos humanos, às vezes não condenando veementemente o que se passa no nosso próprio território, outras vezes não fazendo o necessário acompanhamento das resoluções que aqui votamos.

É muito importante que a Comissão, o Serviço de Ação Externa, o Representante Especial Stavros Lambrinidis, que está aqui hoje, e o Conselho, façam o acompanhamento das resoluções que são aqui votadas. Nós instamos a Comissão a propor legislação que obrigue, por exemplo, as empresas da União Europeia a garantir que as suas aquisições não apoiam causadores de conflitos nem apoiam violações graves dos direitos humanos. Precisamos de garantir que nem mais um cêntimo dos impostos do contribuinte europeu vai para estas empresas. Pedimos que seja estabelecida uma parceria efetiva entre a União Europeia e as sociedades civis dos países terceiros, em particular criando uma convenção euro-árabe da juventude para unir as duas margens do mediterrâneo. Segundo uma ideia que vem do nosso próprio Representante Especial, adicionarei uma emenda amanha para uma convenção interparlamentar de mulheres dos parlamentos europeus e do outro lado do mediterrâneo, dos parlamentos árabes.

Nós precisamos de aprender, evidentemente, com os erros da Primavera Árabe, mas precisamos também de aprender com os nossos próprios erros de ligação interinstitucional aqui e, esse é outro dos aspetos do relatório, precisamos de arrumar a nossa própria Casa do Parlamento em relação à discussão de resoluções de urgência, que têm muitas vezes pouca assiduidade por parte dos deputados e que têm mais uma vez pouco acompanhamento, o que é um aspeto muito importante.

Agradeço a todos os colegas que colaboraram neste relatório e estou pronto para as vossas perguntas.

  Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, President-in-Office of the Council, on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. − Mr President, on behalf of Vice-President/High Representative Catherine Ashton, I am honoured to address you and this august body in your annual joint debate on human rights.

It is fitting that this year’s Human Rights Day should coincide with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union for bringing reconciliation and democracy to our continent. Human Rights are not only at the heart of the European Union’s founding principles, they are a silver thread that runs through all our external policies.

The Nobel Prize is a great recognition of our past achievements. But it also focuses the spotlight on all of us – the EU institutions, the Member States, and 500 million citizens – to work together and redouble our efforts to promote and protect human rights, both within our borders and worldwide. With the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the creation of the External Action Service, we now have the means to make human rights an even more integral part of our foreign policy making.

2012 has been an intense and busy year. This past July, the EU adopted a human rights strategy and appointed our first EU Special Representative for Human Rights – your own, as was mentioned before, Mr Stavros Lambrinidis. His mission is to give more coherence and consistency, more effectiveness and visibility to the EU human rights policy and carry the message for human dignity around the world.

We agreed an action plan to translate our commitments into concrete results. We have pushed ahead with over 48 human rights country strategies, now agreed for the next three years. Our EU election observation missions continue their essential work, strongly supported by this House. And we have used our network of delegations worldwide to help ensure that the Disabilities Convention – the first human rights convention the European Union has been a party to – is fully applied.

We could not do the important work we do on human rights without the constant support and cooperation of this House. Together we amplify our calls to safeguard fundamental freedoms and democracy. Reports, such as those by Mr Donskis and Mr Tavares, which we are discussing here today, set the bar high and challenge us to do more and better. Quite rightly so. Your vigilance and support bolster our efforts. At the heart of our efforts lies a simple truth: that each man, woman and child has a valuable contribution to make; that every citizen is of inherent worth in our societies.

The award of this year’s Sakharov prize to Ms Nasrin Sotoudeh, an imprisoned human rights defender and lawyer, and Jafar Panahi, a film director – both from Iran – sends an important signal. Through his work, Jafar Panahi has called attention to the hardship suffered by Iran’s poorest. The courage and sacrifices of Nasrin Sotoudeh inspire us all. In their different ways, they both speak for those who have no voice and those whose rights have been denied. Every voice counts. This is the foundation of our democracy. And it is the principle on which this House is built.

The theme of this year’s Human Rights Day focuses our attention on inclusion and participation in public life. It could not be more timely. The desire to embed these principles in society is the driving force behind what we are witnessing in the Arab world today. The recent steps taken towards democratic transition by several countries in the region and beyond are a beacon of hope for peoples everywhere.

But such progress is rarely linear, nor can it be taken for granted. A few weeks ago, we launched a task force to give much needed political and economic support to Egypt in its democratic transition. We are prepared to be a true partner. But we have also made it very clear that respect for human rights and democratic principles remain the fundamental tenet of our support.

The reaction in Syria to what began as a peaceful protest to demand political participation has cost tens of thousands of lives. Over 2.5 million Syrians are in urgent need of aid. More than 1.2 million are internally displaced, with hundreds of thousands more seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. The civil war risks destabilising the entire region. On Monday the European Union Foreign Affairs Council expressed its deep concern about the widespread and systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Syria.

The EU will continue working closely and comprehensively with international partners on planning to ensure the international community is ready to provide rapid support to Syria once transition takes place. As soon as a genuine democratic transition begins, the European Union stands ready to develop a new and ambitious partnership with Syria across all areas of mutual interest.

The Sahel is another case where the European Union needs a comprehensive approach, keeping human rights at its centre. The last few months have witnessed a further deterioration of the situation there. More than 16 million people are now directly at risk of malnutrition.

The humanitarian situation in Mali is particularly worrying. Radical rebels in the North have been recruiting child soldiers and imposing brutal punishments in the name of a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia. We must make all possible efforts to ensure that human rights defenders are free to express their opinions. The Malian army must be fully trained to respect human rights.

In North Korea, unequal distribution of food continues to threaten the survival of many. Restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of expression violate the basic human rights of citizens. Simple dissent and opposition can lead to imprisonment and even torture.

In our relations with Russia, Vice-President/High Representative Catherine Ashton has been clear in all her statements on human rights. Be it in individual cases – such as the Magnitsky investigation and the ‘Pussy Riot’ trial – or with respect to recent NGO legislation, Catherine Ashton has conveyed the Union’s strong message of support for civil society and its unwavering commitment to human rights. In September she commented extensively in this House on the political use of justice in Russia, echoing many of the concerns raised by the honourable Members. We have also, on many occasions, reiterated our serious concerns over the worsening situation of civil society in Russia.

At a time when the European Union has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, our thoughts turn naturally to Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from China. Liu Xiaobo is today the only Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is not at liberty, serving an 11-year prison sentence for authoring Charter 08 and reprimanding human rights abuses in his articles on the internet. I renew the European Union’s call on the Chinese authorities to respect Liu Xiaobo’s right to freedom of expression and to release him from prison immediately and unconditionally.

Inequality between men and women continues to permeate all aspects of society. Girls are more likely to be kept out of school, to be forced into marriage and to be subject to violence and harmful practices. Women and girls are also still more likely to be denied access to basic healthcare. At the same time, there are estimates that some three million women and girls around the world face female genital mutilation or cutting every year.

It took the bravery of a 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, to alert the world to the inequalities that exist in many places when it comes to education as well. Of the nearly 800 million people who still lack basic literacy skills, almost two thirds are women. Redressing these inequalities is not only about righting wrongs; it is also an investment in the future.

Research shows that income rises by 10% for every additional year spent in school. Education also helps us tackle inequality, teaching girls to grow into women who stand up against discrimination and violence to form pillars of a vibrant democracy.

Freedom of religion or belief is an inalienable human right and an essential pillar of safe and prosperous societies. It is an integral part of our political dialogues. This year we have expressed concern about the situation in Iran, Egypt and Nigeria, to name just a few examples. We are also working on common guidelines to address the issue even more systematically.

We must continue to speak out for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people across all continents. People should not be killed or imprisoned for who they are or whom they love. Yet homosexuality remains illegal in over 75 countries, with seven still imposing the death penalty.

We can only advance human rights effectively if we work together and share the responsibility of promoting them. Today the EU works closely with regional partners around the globe, such as the OSCE, the African Union, as well as the League of Arab States and the OIC. There is no better forum than the United Nations to ensure that universal human rights are recognised as just that – applying to every woman, man and child, wherever they may live.

The election of Estonia, Germany and Ireland to the UN Human Rights Council means that there are now nine EU Member States represented – a record level. We have already advanced human rights in a number of areas through this forum. To name just a few examples: on Syria, the EU took the lead in tabling a resolution focusing on the continuing human rights violations as well as access to the country. We also worked hard to achieve the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur for Belarus and for Eritrea.

A particular success was the resolution on the death penalty, which was adopted by a record number of 110 positive votes and 91 co-sponsors. And by deepening our engagement with the OIC, we have managed to adopt a resolution on freedom of religion and belief. We were particularly happy that the African-led initiative on the first ever resolution against female genital mutilation was adopted by consensus.

The positive developments in Burma/Myanmar have given hope to all of us. When Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the 1990 Sakharov Prize, she was under house arrest. She was blocked by her government from coming here to Strasbourg to collect her award. This year, she was not only able to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly, she also received an unprecedented public tribute from her country’s President. The story of Burma/Myanmar shows that progress really is possible through painstaking work and political leadership. Events of this year have demonstrated how our world has become even more interconnected.

The Arab Spring is a recent example of how the internet works as a catalyst for social and political reform, spreading the message of the socially marginalised and the politically oppressed. Unfortunately, these new and inclusive forms of expression are seen as a threat by some. Over the past year, we have therefore had to develop innovative measures in response to the worrying trend of increased internet censorship. We restricted the export of internet technology used to intercept citizens’ communications in Syria and Iran. We have developed ways to assist internet users, bloggers and cyber-activists living under authoritarian regimes to circumvent arbitrary disruptions to communications technologies, including the internet. These are just two examples showing that the European Union is dedicated to safeguarding human rights both online and offline.

Social media are just one example of how we need to open up more arenas to address human rights. Civil society networks are key. This is why we team up with hundreds of NGOs from all over the world to champion the cause of human rights. Only last week, the 14th Annual EU NGO Forum brought together over 200 committed human rights defenders, activists and policy-makers.

These motivated men and women have the desire and will to effect change. They turn common interests into common action. Yet NGOs increasingly face severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association placed on them by governments that seek to silence their voices and stifle their actions.

To support their cause, the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights has supported human rights defenders and civil society in over 100 countries in 2012. For the period 2014-2020 we hope to make an additional EUR 1.6 billion available to bolster their effort further.

In October, the European Endowment for Democracy was created to support pro-democracy defenders struggling for democratic transition in the European neighbourhood and beyond. It is a great pleasure to see that nine MEPs have agreed to be on the Board of Governors, including the honourable Member and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Elmar Brok, as Chair.

So looking back, 2012 has been a landmark year for human rights. We have every intention of continuing to push ahead in years to come, also on the issues of coherence and consistency raised by Mr Donskis and Mr Tavares.

In closing, Mr President, allow me once again to thank you, and the honourable Members, and the European Parliament, for your prevailing support. Promoting human rights requires our consistent vigilance and continued dedication. This can sometimes seem daunting. But we should never forget that by advocating the rights of the repressed, by giving a voice to those who are forbidden to speak, and by providing shelter to those in need, we honour our shared humanity.

  Alf Svensson, föredragande av yttrande från utskottet för utveckling. − Herr talman! Deklarationen om de mänskliga rättigheterna är det viktigaste internationella avtal som vi har. Vi vet att världssamfundets länder har skrivit under och lovat att leva upp till dessa mänskliga fri- och rättigheter. Vi känner emellertid verkligen väl till – och det har refererats till det i flera inlägg här – hur man förtrampar och nonchalerar respekten för mänskliga fri- och rättigheter.

Syrien har nämnts, och vi vet alla hur det står till där. Östra Kongo har vi kanske uppmärksammat lite för lite – eller mycket för lite. För tre timmar sedan hörde vi dessutom om situationen i Iran. Låt oss verkligen se till att detta inte enbart blir ett tal om de mänskliga fri- och rättigheterna utan att vi stryker under i praktisk handling i våra avtal att vi fordrar någonting av dem som vi relaterar oss till eller träffar avtal med när det gäller mänskliga fri- och rättigheter.

Jag känner mig väldigt nöjd med att vi har fått en särskild representant för mänskliga fri- och rättigheter här i Europaparlamentet och är övertygad om att det är det bästa tänkbara sättet för de enskilda nationerna också att skaffa sig en sådan specifik representant.

  Edvard Kožušník, navrhovatel Výboru pro rozvoj . − Pane předsedající, dnes odpoledne jsme zde v sále udělovali Sacharovovu cenu. Před dvěma lety jsme stejnou cenu udělili kubánskému disidentovi Guillermu Fariñasovi. Tehdy samotné udělování muselo proběhnout bohužel bez jeho účasti. Když jsem Guillerma Fariñase nějaký čas po udělení Sacharovovy ceny osobně navštívil v jeho domě v Santa Claře, poděkoval mi za to, že na něj v Evropě myslíme. Bohužel dodal, že jej za těch několik měsíců od samotného udělení nikdo z Evropského parlamentu nekontaktoval, aby se mu pokusil předat finanční odměnu spojenou se Sacharovovou cenou. Nevím a doufám, že se od našeho setkání situace změnila a někdo z vedení Parlamentu jej již kontaktoval a odměnu mu předal.

Proč to dnes říkám? Při hájení lidských práv ve světě nestačí jen o nich hovořit, udělovat či dokonce přijímat různé ceny a ocenění. V prvé řadě je nutné dodržování lidských práv důsledně, vytrvale prosazovat a držet se svých zásad a principů, a to i tehdy, když nám to činí příkoří.

  Mariya Gabriel, rapporteure pour avis de la commission des droits de la femme et de l'égalité des genres. − Monsieur le Président, tout d'abord je voudrais saluer l'excellent travail de nos rapporteurs. Ensuite, en tant que rapporteure pour avis de la commission FEMM, je tiens à mettre en avant quatre points qui me semblent incontournables pour assurer une plus grande prise en compte des droits des femmes, parce que oui, quand on parle des droits de l'homme, on parle aussi des droits de la femme.

Le premier point est l'inclusion systématique d'une approche de genre dans le dialogue de l'Union avec les pays tiers et dans tous les instruments de l'action extérieure de l'Union. Le deuxième est l'inclusion de la défense des droits des femmes comme une priorité dans le mandat du représentant spécial de l'Union pour les droits de l'homme. M. Lambrinidis, nous avons confiance en vous pour que vous fassiez avancer les choses. Le troisième point est la nécessité de renforcer suffisamment l'Institut européen pour l'égalité des genres pour lui permettre de mener des études sérieuses, d'identifier les bonnes pratiques et, enfin, le quatrième point porte sur la nécessité de voir plus de femmes dans les négociations, visant à trouver des solutions dans les situations difficiles de conflit, d'après-conflit ou, tout simplement, de transition démocratique.

Voici donc quatre points importants, plusieurs messages politiques, qui figurent dans les rapports, mais avec un seul objectif: continuer en tant qu'Union européenne à se faire les défenseurs des droits de l'homme et contribuer au renforcement de ces droits par le biais de moyens et d'actions concrets. Nous le devons non seulement aux citoyens européens mais à tous les citoyens du monde.

  László Tőkés, a PPE képviselőcsoport nevében. – Elnök úr! Az Unió egyetemes emberi jogok iránti elkötelezettségét híven tükrözi, hogy az Európai Parlament immár több mint egy évtizede kibocsátja éves jelentéseit a világ országainak emberi jogi helyzetéről. Ezek a jelentések rendkívüli alkalmat kínálnak arra, hogy az emberi jogok terén világszerte tapasztalt visszalépéseket is nyomon kövessük, és eleget tehessünk azon erkölcsi kötelességünknek, hogy az Unió nyomást gyakoroljon az alapvető emberi jogokat lábbal tipró kormányzatokra. Felkérem az Európai Bizottságot, az Unió Külügyi Szolgálatát, hogy az Európai Parlamenttel szorosan együttműködve és azok megsértésére adott válaszképpen szilárd elvi alapokon nyugvó, egységes és hatékony stratégiát dolgozzon ki az emberi jogok védelmére. A tapasztalat ugyanis azt mutatja, hogy megfelelő következetesség és legitimitás nélkül, valamint az uniós intézményeknek a civil társadalommal egyeztetett közös álláspontja hiányában az úgynevezett harmadik országok nem veszik komolyan az Európai Uniót.

Akárhogyan is legyen, az Uniónak kötelessége az eddiginél is komolyabban is fellépnie az emberi jogok súlyosbodó csorbítása láttán, különös tekintettel a még mindig létező kommunista diktatúrákra, Kínára és Észak-Koreára, valamint egyes posztkommunista országokra, nevezetesen Oroszországra és a szovjet utódállamokra. Mindannyiszor fel kell lépnünk az emberi jogok védelmében, hiszen a jelenlegi súlyos globális és uniós válság közepette erősebben kell ragaszkodnunk elveinkhez, mint valaha.

  Raimon Obiols, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señor Presidente, me ha gustado mucho que el señor Tavares empezara su intervención evocando la figura de Albert Hirschman, que no solo ha sido un economista y pensador social muy influyente, sino que a los veintidós años fue voluntario en la defensa de la República Española contra el fascismo. Creo que Hirschman decía, a menudo, que no hay que contraponer intereses y valores, porque los valores son, en definitiva, intereses.

Creo que este es el punto de apoyo básico para enfocar la estrategia de la Unión Europea en materia de derechos humanos. Porque avanzar en esta defensa no es únicamente un deber para los europeos, en cierta forma, un resarcimiento ante la Historia de los europeos. Es también un factor que juega a favor de los intereses de Europa y de los europeos. Por eso, nosotros valoramos positivamente el informe del señor Tavares y hemos puesto el énfasis básicamente en algunos aspectos de mejora de la actividad de la Unión en este terreno, fundamentalmente para avanzar en la mejora de la eficacia, de la coherencia y de la visibilidad de la acción de la Unión.

Hemos tenido esta mañana una sesión solemne para hacer entrega del Premio Sájarov a la señora Sotoudeh y al señor Panahi, y creo que esto debe ser un acicate para avanzar en esta mejora concreta.

Hemos puesto el énfasis en cuatro aspectos muy concretos.

El primero es una exigencia de mayor coordinación entre la acción de la Unión y la de los Estados miembros. El nombramiento del señor Lambrinidis como representante especial puede ser un factor importante en esta dirección.

El segundo aspecto es la coherencia entre las políticas que defendemos de cara al exterior y las que practicamos en el interior de las fronteras europeas.

El tercero debe ser tratar de objetivar al máximo la evaluación anual de las relaciones y diálogos con los terceros países.

Por último, hay un cuarto aspecto sobre el cual quisiera poner un énfasis especial. Creo que tenemos a nuestro alcance obtener un objetivo históricamente equiparable al que fue la abolición de la esclavitud: la abolición universal de la pena de muerte. Creo que este objetivo debería estar en la mente de todos nosotros para conseguir que la Unión Europea fuera la protagonista principal en este objetivo histórico que es posible y realizable.

  Метин Казак, от името на групата ALDE. – Г-н Председател, уважаеми колеги, благодаря на докладчиците Tavares и Donskis за отличната им работа по двата доклада. Правата на човека трябва да бъдат поставени в центъра на всички политики на Европейския съюз и държавите членки, както и в основата на всички международни споразумения, и по-специално тези, отнасящи се до търговията. Споделям виждането, че най-важната задача на специалния представител за правата на човека г-н Ламбринидис е да подсили правозащитния акцент във всички стратегии на Съюза.

Въпреки че има множество инструменти в областта на правата на човека и демокрацията, налице са редица фактори, които пречат на ефективното прилагане на тези политики. Неприемлив е фактът, че тези инструменти не са в състояние да измерват провежданите политики. Поради тази причина смятам, че Арабската пролет и опитът, натрупан с държавите от Източното партньорство, показват необходимостта от реорганизиране на политиката за съседство, така че да се даде по-голям приоритет на политическия диалог с неправителствените организации, с правозащитници, синдикати, медии, които са важен фактор за процесите на демократизация и преход.

Затова и приветствам прилагането на нови инициативи като Европейския фонд за демокрация и Механизма за подкрепа на гражданското общество, които да действат като катализатори за демократизацията чрез предоставяне на гъвкава и навременна помощ.

Насърчаването на човешките права и демокрацията е наша обща отговорност, която може да бъде постигната, само ако Европейският съюз и държавите членки се ангажират с координирани и последователни планове за действие. Арабската пролет разкри редица недостатъци на политиките на Европейския съюз по отношение на региона, включително спрямо младите хора, които са изправени пред масова безработица и липса на перспектива в своите страни.

Затова подкрепям създаването на програми за обмен или за отваряне на европейски програми за младежи от трети държави, като в същото време се засили и активността на гражданското общество по тези въпроси. Като либерал вярвам, че само по този начин Европейският съюз може да се утвърди като надежден застъпник за правата на човека в света.

  Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, au nom du groupe Verts/ALE. – Monsieur le Président, je tiens à féliciter M. Donskis pour son excellent rapport et l'esprit de conciliation dont il a fait preuve.

Ce rapport annuel a une résonance particulière car l'UE s'est enfin dotée d'une stratégie et d'un plan d'action dans le domaine des droits humains. Un représentant spécial pour les droits humains vient d'être nommé. Les nouveaux instruments financiers de développement et la coopération pour les six ans à venir sont actuellement au cœur des négociations entre les institutions.

L'ensemble de ces éléments nous impose d'avoir une vision stratégique à long terme. C'est pourquoi je tiens à féliciter mon collègue Rui Tavares pour son rapport. La mise en perspective de ces deux dossiers contribuera à renforcer la position du Parlement au sein des institutions.

Nous sommes à un moment géopolitique clé. Depuis les printemps arabes, il est essentiel de tirer les leçons de nos erreurs, de nos liens trop étroits avec de nombreux autocraties et régimes répressifs, afin de faire face aux nouveaux défis, au Sahel et en Syrie, et de soutenir les transitions démocratiques aux portes de l'Europe.

Je reste perplexe face au manque de volonté politique de notre Parlement qui vient d'approuver les accords commerciaux avec le Pérou et la Colombie. En dépit des critères clairs et objectifs mis en place pour évaluer le respect des droits humains avant de signer des accords, le business as usual continue.

Depuis deux ans déjà, les défenseurs des droits humains et les syndicats en Amérique latine nous alarment sur les dangers de tels accords commerciaux, qui auront des effets dévastateurs sur les peuples autochtones, les paysans et sur l'environnement.

L'Union se targue de faire du respect des droits humains une priorité de sa politique extérieure. Lundi, lors de la Journée mondiale des droits humains, Mme Ashton déclarait que le respect des droits de la démocratie et de l'état de droit était le fil conducteur de la politique extérieure de l'Union. Mais nous sommes restés sourds aux appels des ONG et des citoyens du Pérou et de la Colombie en reléguant les standards de protection des droits humains et environnementaux à un statut de figurant dans ces accords commerciaux.

  Charles Tannock, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, I congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Donskis, on this report, which highlights multiple areas of concern throughout the world. I particularly like the emphasis on freedom of expression and religion, having long championed Christian minority rights in the communist and Islamic worlds.

I also welcome the further engagement of the High Representative in promoting shared values. But my group still remains unconvinced by the need for an EUSR for human rights, given the current involvement of Member States and the External Action Service already in this area. Perhaps, however, Mr Lambrinidis, who I see over there, in office, will convince me otherwise.

In addition, I particularly support the universal protection of human rights defenders and journalists in the report and feel very strongly about countries subject to repeated human rights resolutions of this Parliament, such as Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, North Korea and, once again, China, where insufficient attention is being paid to the plight of the Tibetans. The further deterioration of human rights in Russia is also of ongoing concern.

However, there are a number of passages in the report which are simply too prescriptive, in particular those relating to human rights in trade agreements, the ICC, the UN Security Council, CIA rendition, and asylum and immigration, which fall outside the scope of the EU’s competences. In the Tavares report we have similar concerns, also about being too prescriptive in its approach to the role of the delegations of this Parliament in monitoring such matters which, while well intentioned, risk overburdening the committees with bureaucratic regulations and costs. But the thrust of this report is generally positive and something which my group will welcome.

The ECR is fully committed to promoting fundamental human rights in the world. However, these occasionally need to be balanced with other interests. We also recognise that we cannot always impose our values on other cultures, and the definition of universal human rights is often contested, particularly when concerning the death penalty and abortion rights. These two, in particular, remain conscience matters for individual members of our own group.

  Νικόλαος Σαλαβράκος, εξ ονόματος της ομάδας EFD. – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, μιλάμε για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα. Τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα είναι ένας συγκινητικός και ωραίος τίτλος ενός μεγάλου βιβλίου με πολλά κεφάλαια, που συνεχίζει να γράφεται κάθε μέρα. Δεν έχει τελειώσει αυτό το βιβλίο. Φοβούμαι όμως ότι φιλολογούμε περισσότερο παρά μιλάμε ουσιαστικά, διότι, αφ’ ενός μεν, για την προάσπιση των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων δεν υπάρχουν οι κατάλληλοι μηχανισμοί, αφ’ ετέρου δε, οι δυσμενείς οικονομικές και κοινωνικές συγκυρίες της τελευταίας τετραετίας σε όλη την Ευρώπη και τον κόσμο κάνουν περισσότερο από ποτέ πιο δύσκολη την εφαρμογή των κανόνων για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα και μας οδηγούν σε μια πολιτική παγκόσμιας λιτότητος και αυστηρής λιτότητος, η οποία με τη σειρά της, εμμέσως ή αμέσως, δημιούργησε προσβολές των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων με συμπίεση των αμοιβών εργασίας, μείωση των κοινωνικών παροχών και των κρατικών κονδυλίων, οδηγώντας μεγάλες ομάδες στην φτώχεια και στον κοινωνικό αποκλεισμό. Είναι εύκολο να περιγράφεις τη φτώχεια, δύσκολο όμως να τη ζεις.

Το 2012 ο αριθμός των ανέργων παγκοσμίως έφτασε τα 200 εκατομμύρια, σημειώθηκε δηλαδή αύξηση κατά 27 εκατομμύρια άτομα. Η εργασία είναι ένα ανθρώπινο δικαίωμα που, εκτός από βιοπορισμό, δημιουργεί και αυτοσεβασμό στους ανθρώπους. Η χρηματοοικονομική κρίση πλήττει δυσανάλογα τους νέους ως νεοεισερχόμενους στην αγορά εργασίας με αποτέλεσμα να είναι οι τελευταίοι που προσλαμβάνονται και οι πρώτοι που απολύονται. Είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικό να προφυλάξουμε τα δικαιώματα των πιο ευάλωτων ομάδων του πληθυσμού, όπως των παιδιών, των γυναικών, των ηλικιωμένων, των ανάπηρων και όσων βιώνουν συνθήκες φτώχειας και οικονομικής εξαθλίωσης. Επιτρέψτε μου, κύριε Πρόεδρε, τέλος να τονίσω ότι θεωρώ απαραίτητη τη συνεχή εποπτεία μέσω διαφόρων μηχανισμών, ώστε να διασφαλίζεται η εφαρμογή των κανόνων για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα, ενώ οι πολίτες πρέπει να ενημερώνονται για τους τρόπους προάσπισης των δικαιωμάτων τους.

  Paul Murphy, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group. – Mr President, how credible are the noble commitments in these reports to human rights if, after they are passed, the EU simply reverts to type, realpolitik takes over and the economic interests of big business in Europe take priority in external relations?

Kazakhstan is a perfect example of this in action. Only a few days before Catherine Ashton’s recent visit to Kazakhstan, the regime stepped up its clampdown on the political opposition, banning opposition parties and shutting down opposition media. Vadim Kuramshin, one of the most outspoken human rights defenders in the country – who previously was acquitted by a jury of all but one minor charge that the regime had fabricated against him – was now sentenced to 12 years in prison on the very same charges.

Yet Catherine Ashton’s comments on the human rights situation simply amounted to box-ticking, and instead she emphasised the need for strong economic ties between businesses in Kazakhstan and in the European Union. Those ties are dominated by multinational companies extracting, exploiting and exporting the enormous wealth of natural resources out of Kazakhstan. The EU stand in relation to Kazakhstan and many other countries is entirely hypocritical and a slap in the face for those human rights defenders and independent trade unions fighting for human rights, workers’ rights and democratic rights.

  Philip Claeys (NI). - Gisteren maakte de commissie voor de bescherming van journalisten bekend dat er wereldwijd een recordaantal van 232 journalisten in de gevangenis zitten. Turkije, nota bene een kandidaat-lidstaat van de Europese Unie, voert het dubieuze lijstje aan met 49 journalisten in de cel, gevolgd door Iran en China.

Ik kan met aan zekerheid grenzende waarschijnlijkheid voorspellen hoe de Europese Unie hierop zal reageren. Wij nemen kennis van de feiten, wij betreuren de feiten en gaan vervolgens over tot de orde van de dag. Ondertussen worden de onderhandelingen met Turkije nog altijd voortgezet alsof er geen vuiltje aan de lucht is.

Deze hypocrisie moet nu eindelijk eens ophouden en de onderhandelingen over de toetreding van Turkije moeten definitief worden stopgezet.

Een andere zaak, een zaak die hier nooit aan bod komt, is de situatie in Zuid-Afrika, waar het geweld altijd maar extremere en dramatischere vormen aanneemt en waar boeren en andere blanke burgers specifiek geviseerd worden. Het is nog altijd wachten op het eerste serieuze initiatief van de Europese Unie op dat vlak en ook dat is een schande.

  Kinga Gál (PPE). - Üdvözlöm és gratulálok Taveres képviselő úr jelentéséhez, mely az EU jelenlegi emberi jogi stratégiai keretét vizsgálja felül azzal a céllal, hogy növekedjen az Unió hatékonysága, eredményessége és koherenciája az emberi jogok védelmének tekintetében. Nagyon fontos, hogy mihamarabb és a lehető leghatékonyabban kerüljön gyakorlatba ültetésre a Külügyi Tanács június 25-i ülésén elfogadott emberi jogokra és demokráciára vonatkozó új uniós stratégiai keret, és az ehhez kapcsolódó cselekvési terv. Emellett pedig elengedhetetlen a különböző uniós és más nemzetközi intézmények és szervezetek cselekvésének összehangolása is. Az Unió példaértékű szerepet kell, hogy betöltsön az emberi jogok védelme területén világszerte. Mindenkinek alapvető jogait, szabadságát és a méltóságához való jogát meg kell őrizni az Unió határain belül és kívül egyaránt. E törekvésben kiemelkedő szerep jut az új emberi jogi különleges képviselő munkájának, valamint minden olyan üzenetnek, amit itt az Európai Parlamentben fogalmazunk meg. Én ennek egyik legfontosabb eszközét, az éves emberi jogi jelentést tartom. Örülök, hogy az idei jelentésben hangsúlyosabban kapott szerepet a gyermekek és a kisebbségek jogainak védelme, valamint említésre került az új segítségnyújtási önkéntes szolgálat programjának létrehozása, mely végre konkrét cselekvést fog eredményezni az emberi jogok védelmének területén. Mindkét jelentéstevőnek még egyszer gratulálok!

  Jörg Leichtfried (S&D). - Herr Präsident, geschätzte Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Ich komme aus einer Stadt in Österreich, wo vor ca. einem Lebensalter – mein Großvater hat das noch miterlebt – Arbeiter, die für ihre Freiheit gekämpft haben, von Austro-Faschisten mit Hilfe des Heeres ermordet wurden. Der Anführer dieser Arbeiter ist aufgehängt worden, und sein letztes Wort, das Wort Freiheit, ist ihm von der Schlinge des Henkers abgewürgt worden.

Hätte es damals so etwas gegeben wie eine Europäische Union, irgendwo anders, die darauf geachtet hätte, dass Menschenrechte nicht nur in diesem Gebilde, sondern auch anderswo eingehalten werden, wäre das vielleicht nicht passiert.

Und deshalb ist es sicherlich unsere erste Aufgabe, jetzt, wo wir innerhalb der Europäischen Union – bei allen politischen Auseinandersetzungen, die es gibt – diesen Hass, diese Bitterkeit, diese Gewalt überwunden haben, auch außerhalb unserer eigentlichen Zuständigkeit dafür zu sorgen, dass die Menschenrechte überall in der Welt eingehalten werden, soweit wir das können.

Und ich denke dieser Bericht weist, Herr Berichterstatter, in eine sehr, sehr gute Richtung. Wichtig ist – und das habe ich auch versucht, mit meinen Anträgen in den Bericht hineinzubringen –, dass wir in diesen Fragen einheitlich auftreten.

Wichtig ist, dass wir auch dafür sorgen, dass die, die sich für Menschenrechte einsetzen, von uns gestärkt werden, und die Verleihung des Sacharow-Preises heute war ein Beitrag dazu.

Und wichtig ist es auch, dass wir unsere Stärke zur Durchsetzung von Menschenrechten einsetzen, und das ist zweifellos auch unsere Wirtschaftsstärke. Ich bin froh, dass, seit das Europäische Parlament Handelspolitik mitentscheidet, Handelspolitik auch als Menschenrechtspolitik eingesetzt wird. Wir haben im Abkommen mit Zentralamerika und mit Kolumbien und Peru gesehen, dass erste Ansätze in diese Richtung funktionieren – auch wenn nicht alles so funktioniert, wie wir es möchten.

Geschätzte Kolleginnen und Kollegen, es ist unsere erste Aufgabe, aus unserer Geschichte zu lernen, aus dem, was die Menschen bei uns erlebt haben, zu lernen und dafür zu sorgen, dass so etwas in Zukunft weltweit nicht mehr geschieht – soweit uns das möglich ist.

Dear colleagues, I am also very happy that a friend of mine is now responsible for this job. I have known him for quite a long time and I know he is the right man here to do the job. Gia sou Stavros!

  Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (ALDE). - Mr President, I second the last remark. It is good to have you here in this job, Stavros, it is good that we have you as an EU Special Representative for Human Rights. I think that is very good.

Die Menschenrechtspolitik der Europäischen Union war ja eine Zeit lang wirklich in der Kritik.

Die Stunde der Wahrheit war der Arabische Frühling. Wir haben in den Spiegel geschaut, und was wir gesehen haben, das hat uns nicht alles gefallen. Wir haben darauf reagiert, mit einer Menschenrechtsstrategie, mit einem Aktionsplan – das ist gut. Mit einem Sonderbeauftragten für Menschenrechte – auch das ist gut. Wir unterstützen die Zivilgesellschaft und Nichtregierungsorganisationen – auch das ist gut. Wir wollen uns koordinieren und wir wollen an einem Strang ziehen – auch das ist gut.

Aber hier habe ich eine ganz konkrete Frage an Frau Kozakou-Marcoullis, mit der Bitte um Antwort: Wir wollen uns koordinieren, wir wollen uns abstimmen, wie machen wir das praktisch?

Sollten wir uns nicht – Sie haben den Europäischen Demokratiefonds erwähnt – in unserer Politik und in unseren Instrumenten wirklich darauf verpflichten, dass die Demokratieförderung von EIHDR und EED eng abgestimmt wird, dass miteinander geredet wird, um Doppelungen zu vermeiden? Ich bin sicher, Sie werden mir da zustimmen.

Und Sie haben auch Diskriminierungen auf der Basis von Kastenzugehörigkeit erwähnt. Wir werden morgen hierzu eine Dringlichkeitsentschließung haben. Würden Sie mir auch zustimmen, dass die Europäische Union in ihrer Politik und ihren Instrumenten kastenbasierte Diskriminierung aufgreifen und bekämpfen sollte?

Herzlichen Dank für Antworten auf diese beiden Fragen.

  Barbara Lochbihler (Verts/ALE). - Mr President, of course, I also welcome the presence of the human rights special representative, Mr Lambrididis. However, I regret very much that the High Representative Baroness Ashton is not present in person. It is a very rare occasion that we have a plenary where we have two substantial human rights reports to discuss and to decide on.

The annual report is a comprehensive document and perfectly summarises the European Parliament’s view on human rights developments around the globe. It underlines what is also clearly stipulated in the human rights review and in Article 21 of the Lisbon Treaty: human rights should be the silver thread running through all our external relations – in view of yesterday’s adoption of the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia and Peru, I must add, including trade,

The Treaties oblige us to make human rights a priority of our trade policy. A priority, not a mere appendix to the goal of opening markets to European companies. In practice, however, we are totally inconsistent and ignorant in our approach. We can, of course, continue to leave human rights concerns to the political level and exclude them from our trade policies. We can continue to discuss the human rights situation at the end of our business meetings, or issue a few press statements from time to time. We can continue to attach weak and ineffective roadmaps to trade agreements; we can continue to conduct yearly human rights dialogues, which in many cases have long since turned into an exchange of monologues. We can continue business as usual; if we are lucky we might even satisfy the media and public opinion.

We will not change much for the people in the relevant countries, however, and in my eyes this is the main objective of our policies and I hope we see the Nobel Peace Prize as a challenge to become more principled in our human rights approach.

  Konrad Szymański (ECR). - Panie Przewodniczący! Jest jedna sprawa, która wymaga wciąż poprawy w naszej polityce praw człowieka na świecie. Tą sprawą jest ochrona wolności religijnej przed ingerencją, wrogością a nawet wprost antyreligijną polityką niektórych państw. Czasami, jak w przypadku Indii, mamy do czynienia ze społeczną nienawiścią, z którą rząd nie może sobie poradzić mimo dobrej woli. Czasami, jak w przypadku niektórych państw Bliskiego Wschodu, społeczna niechęć przekuwa się w coraz bardziej wyraźną politykę państwa zmierzającą do religijnych czystek. Taki los widzą przed sobą chrześcijanie w Iraku, Syrii czy Egipcie. Doceniam reakcję na ten problem ze strony Catherine Ashton. Jednak pilnie potrzebujemy jednoznacznego spisu norm, według których powinna zachowywać się nasza dyplomacja wobec problemu podważania podstawowego wymiaru wolności, jakim jest wolność religijna.

  William (The Earl of) Dartmouth (EFD). - Mr President, I am going to start with a quote from the Bible: ‘Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the speck out of thy brother’s eye’.

On human rights the hypocrite’s beam is the European Arrest Warrant. Its consequence is that 60 million British citizens and residents fall under the jurisdiction of continental Europe’s harsh and alien legal systems. It is no exaggeration to say that potentially we are all at risk. If this Assembly is to be taken seriously on human rights, instead of wittering away about violations in countries where we have no influence – like India, as the gentleman did there – it would be much better if you instead joined the campaign for immediate suspension of the European Arrest Warrant prior to its abolition.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question under Rule 149(8))

  Sarah Ludford (ALDE), blue-card question. – Mr President, I would like to ask the Earl of Dartmouth if he is content to leave Britain and its citizens prey to some of the worst organised major criminals who launder money and smuggle drugs, people and firearms and would smuggle terrorists as well if the UK was not in the European Arrest Warrant.

Sure it needs improving, but people like me have been on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs for a very long time and have actually worked actively to improve the European Arrest Warrant and institute defence safeguards, whereas he just shouts on the sidelines and would leave Britain open to all the worst criminals and indeed see it become a safe haven for criminals.

They used to be on the Costa del Sol. Then they would be in the UK.

  William (The Earl of) Dartmouth (EFD), blue-card answer. – The reason why Britain has become a safe haven for criminals, for example for Abu Qatada, is because of the European Court of Human Rights and the sooner we withdraw from that the better. Please join me in that campaign as well.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question under Rule 149(8))

  Jörg Leichtfried (S&D), Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Herr Präsident! Herr Dartmouth, das ist ja recht interessant, was Sie sagen, und Sie müssen entschuldigen, dass ich Sie jetzt dafür angreife, weil Sie ja einer der wenigen in Ihrer Gruppierung sind, die auch wirklich in diesem Haus mitarbeiten. Die anderen tun das ja nicht.

Aber trotzdem: Wie können Sie einen Haftbefehl für Verbrecher mit Folter, mit Mord, mit Vergewaltigung und anderen Dingen, die weltweit geschehen, mit Massenmord vergleichen? Jeder vernünftige Mensch kommt doch nicht auf die Idee, das zu vergleichen. Wie gibt es das, Herr Dartmouth? Das verstehe ich einfach nicht.

(Beifall)

  William (The Earl of) Dartmouth (EFD), blue-card answer. – What we support is the position as it was before, which is that before anyone could be extradited the British judge had the right to review the primary evidence. What we are opposed to is the position, as in the Assange case, whereby a prosecutor can simply fill in the forms for an arrest warrant and there is no control and no supervision. That is our position and I put it to you that it is an entirely credible one.

  Auke Zijlstra (NI). - Voorzitter, in dit huis heeft men de mond vol van mensenrechten. Vooral Lady Ashton blaast altijd hoog van de toren. De EU moet wereldwijd de mensenrechten bevorderen, vindt zij. En ook mijn partij betreurt het wanneer waar ook ter wereld de mensenrechten worden geschonden. Maar de Unie is in haar beleid volstrekt inconsistent, hypocriet zelfs.

U zegt zich hard te maken voor de principes van de mensenrechten in de wereld, maar ik hoor u niet over de vele christenen, joden en vrouwen in de islamitische wereld. Zij leven als tweederangs burgers en worden zwaar onderdrukt. En ik hoor u niet over de mensenrechtentoestand in Turkije, waar journalisten in de gevangenis zitten vanwege hun kritiek op de regering of op de islam.

En ik hoor u ook niet over de mensenrechten in Egypte, waar islamisten de grondwet wijzigen om de sharia in te voeren, een ware verschrikking voor de minderheden in dat land.

Voorzitter, de conclusie moet zijn dat het mensenrechtenbeleid van de EU volstrekt ongeloofwaardig is, één grote farce.

  Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE). - Señor Presidente, bienvenido a nuestro debate, señor Lambrinidis. El respeto de los derechos humanos y de la democracia es una de las señas de identidad de la Unión Europea; debe ocupar, lógicamente, un puesto muy relevante en nuestra acción exterior. Este es el asunto objeto de los informes Donskis y Tavares que mañana votaremos.

Yo querría hacer unas consideraciones generales muy breves. Todos conocemos la universalidad y la indivisibilidad de los derechos humanos, pero también somos conscientes de que en el actual mundo multipolar algunos países emergentes no tienen la misma visión que nosotros sobre la importancia primordial del respeto de las libertades. Sin embargo, hemos de cooperar con estos importantes países, por ejemplo, para afrontar retos globales. Además, nuestra dependencia del exterior en materia energética, el que seamos la primera potencia comercial o el fenómeno de la globalización, en suma, nos obligan a relacionarnos con el resto del mundo.

De toda esta compleja situación es consciente el Tratado de la Unión. Así, reconoce el importante objetivo del apoyo a la democracia y a los derechos humanos pero, acertadamente, por ejemplo, en los artículos 3 y 21, recoge también otros objetivos: intereses, seguridad, independencia, estrategia.

Por todo ello y en resumen, lo que necesitamos es que la Unión Europea lleve a cabo —y sé que es difícil— una política exterior que, sobre la base de nuestros valores, sea inteligente y eficaz, así como capaz de integrar de forma equilibrada los distintos objetivos, incluida la defensa de los derechos humanos y la democracia.

A este fin debe cooperar, dentro de sus competencias, un Parlamento Europeo que ha sido el creador del Premio Sájarov y, desde luego, muy sensible al respeto de los derechos humanos.

  Richard Howitt (S&D). - Mr President, once again we are dealing with the annual human rights report and, following the strategic review, we are making progress. The European Endowment for Democracy is established, as is our own Parliament’s democracy support directorate. Unlike the British Conservatives, I take great pleasure in the fact that the European Union Special Representative on Human Rights – a post we called for – is here in this debate and has already undertaken valuable work on Russia and on the African Union, concerning which he is in deep discussion with us. Thank you.

Mr Donskis, you have produced an excellent report, and I commend the personal attention you have given to the issues of selective justice, the proposal for a procedural mechanism in relation to the human rights clause and your proper concern about abuses in psychiatric institutions. I also commend Mr Tavares and the contact group you have initiated, which has strengthened Parliament’s active role in support of human rights.

I commend the Presidency speech this afternoon and celebrate with the Presidency the fact that Europe has acted in the UN to co-sponsor the resolution this year on human rights defenders and to help build the successful coalition in support of the resolution for sexual orientation and gender identity, and has taken the lead in proposing the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. However, it has taken too long for the Council to agree the common position on ICC referral for Syria. We must now act urgently to build international support in order to enact it at the level of the Security Council.

The EU must also honour the commitment and the strategy to promote human rights without exception, and that means ending the relative silence in relation to violations in the Gulf and in Central Asia. As I said last year, culture change has to happen in the External Action Service, and this is only just beginning. My proposal for human rights criteria in the professional performance review of staff should be enacted.

Currently in the process of drafting this Parliament’s report on business and human rights, having recently returned from being Chief Observer at the elections in Sierra Leone and next week leading this Parliament’s human rights mission to Bahrain, I take great personal pride in contributing to this Parliament’s and this Union’s human rights efforts. But in the week of the Nobel and of the Sakharov Prizes, President, those we celebrate in this debate are the people – inspirational people – who are human rights defenders and who keep human rights defenders alive in countries and in situations around the world where they are in greatest danger.

  Sarah Ludford (ALDE). - Mr President, the award of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Sakharov award today certainly make it necessary for the EU to practise what it preaches.

I have one particular challenge on this. I am delighted to see that Mr Donskis’s excellent report includes the continuing problem of EU-based pharmaceutical companies exporting death penalty drugs to third countries, including the United States. To shy away from this issue would give tacit approval to EU complicity in the barbaric practice of capital punishment, which we in this European Parliament deplore almost without exception. I was very sorry to hear the British Conservative Charles Tannock reiterate that the death penalty is a matter of conscience for his group. I do not understand how they can expect to be in the EU.

Anyway I am pleased that Mr Donskis’s report includes a call for the Commission to amend the 2005 regulation to require prior authorisation of export of these drugs, which can be used in lethal injections for capital punishment, so that we prevent new or rebranded drugs slipping through the net. I am also delighted to see Mr Lambrinidis here and I hope that perhaps we can work together on this particular issue. I would like to applaud those European companies as well as governments, which include the UK Government, which have taken steps to address this matter, but more needs to be done.

Finally, I would just like to commend the report’s inclusion of the appalling problem of oppressive blasphemy laws used in some countries to persecute those of a differing religion. It was very nice to hear Sharin Ebadi, in particular, talk about the problem in Iran. Last week in Brussels many of us attended the event organised by the Ahmadiyyah Muslim community, which in fact Mr Tannock presided over. Their work campaigning for peace and interfaith dialogue has attracted international praise, yet their members who live in Pakistan and other countries like Indonesia face discrimination, persecution, disenfranchisement and even death. So we must work more on these oppressive blasphemy laws.

  Oldřich Vlasák (ECR). - Pane předsedající, debatu o lidských právech vedeme v době, kdy Evropská unie získala Nobelovu cenu za mír. Ano, můžeme být právem spokojeni, protože v současnosti je území našich států dlouhou dobu bez konfliktů a válčení. To, co by nás však mělo tížit, je, že boje a ozbrojené rozepře se nachází hned za našimi dveřmi.

Měli bychom si proto otevřeně přiznat, že prosazování lidských práv a míru mimo naše území se nám příliš nedaří. Jak jinak lze totiž zhodnotit kontinuální eskalaci konfliktu v Sýrii či pokračující represe opozice v Íránu, kdy se ani my sami nejsme schopni v zájmu ukončení násilností sjednotit na efektivním přístupu?

Všichni se jistě shodneme na tom, že pro Evropskou unii jsou lidská práva základním stavebním kamenem. Ostatně Smlouvy nám ukládají, že naše činnost musí spočívat na zásadách demokracie, právního státu, univerzálnosti a nedělitelnosti lidských práv a základních svobod. Měli bychom proto hledat cesty, jak lidská práva a mír v našich vnějších politikách uvést v život.

  Frank Vanhecke (EFD). - In de eerste plaats een simpele vaststelling die belangrijk is. Wat wij hier zo gemakkelijk universele mensenrechten noemen, zijn eigenlijk geen universele mensenrechten, maar zaken, verwezenlijkingen, die in de eerste plaats en zelfs bijna exclusief verwezenlijkingen zijn van wat ik de westerse beschaving zou willen noemen.

Dat zijn verwezenlijkingen die alles welbeschouwd nauwelijks in andere culturen ingeburgerd raken. Dat is belangrijk, omdat deze wetenschap ons van verkeerde of dwaze interpretaties van wereldgebeurtenissen kan weerhouden.

Het verslag van collega Tavares merkt bijvoorbeeld zeer terecht op dat de door dit Parlement zo bejubelde Arabische lente in werkelijkheid in veel gevallen is uitgemond in een verslechtering van de eerbiediging van de mensenrechten, bijvoorbeeld de rechten van niet-moslims in moslimlanden. Wie niet ziende blind is had dat destijds ook kunnen voorspellen.

Het ontbreekt deze verslagen aan duidelijke taal! Communisme, post-communisme en de opmars van het onverdraagzame islamisme zijn op dit ogenblik de voornaamste ideologieën die tot systematische schending van de mensenrechten leiden.

  Jean Roatta (PPE). - Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs les députés, cohérence, efficacité, visibilité, j'ajouterais courage. Voilà les mots clés qui doivent dicter notre politique européenne en faveur des droits de l'homme.

Nous avons une responsabilité en tant qu'Européens. Mes chers collègues, nous devons aller plus vite et encore plus loin. Les déclarations d'intention sur les droits de l'homme ne suffisent plus. Il faut condamner fermement toute violation des droits de l'homme, appeler des politiques ambitieuses et prendre des mesures exemplaires envers les pays tiers qui manqueraient à leurs droits et à leurs devoirs.

Je souhaite un suivi ambitieux des critères et le respect des droits de l'homme et que la Commission s'engage à donner au Parlement des rapports de suivi sur chaque État. Il est essentiel de définir pour chaque pays des priorités, des objectifs réalistes et des possibilités de sanctions politiques afin de permettre une action de l'Union plus efficace et des résultats mesurables. Nous devons être à la hauteur de ce que nous défendons. Notre politique, je l'imagine concrète et visionnaire car l'Union européenne a des atouts et des instruments stratégiques à mettre en valeur et nous devons adopter une démarche efficace. Il faut aussi faire confiance à l'action et au travail que va mener notre nouveau représentant spécial pour les droits de l'homme.

Mes chers collègues, en 2012, nous avons reçu le prix Nobel de la paix. Formons tous le vœu qu'en 2013, l'Europe reçoive le prix du respect des droits de l'homme.

  Ana Gomes (S&D). - Senhor Presidente, felicito os colegas Donskis e Rui Tavares pelos abrangentes relatórios em que cada um, à sua maneira, procura responder à necessidade de criar sinergias entre todos os instrumentos e políticas da União Europeia de modo a dar mais coerência e eficácia à atuação em defesa dos direitos humanos, em apoio de todos aqueles que, pelo mundo fora, são silenciados, presos, torturados, reprimidos ou explorados. Temos a responsabilidade de forçar a luz nos buracos das prisões físicas e outras, como sublinhou hoje Costa Gavras, na atribuição do Prémio Sakharov a Jafar Panahi e a Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Mas seis meses depois da adoção da nova estratégia de direitos humanos, pela União Europeia, forçoso é reconhecer que muito mais tem de ser feito. Em nenhuma outra região a credibilidade da ação europeia é testada do que na vizinhança árabe, onde os povos e as mulheres, em particular, se levantam por dignidade de direitos e liberdades fundamentais. Não se compreende, por isso, que a União tarde em promover a referência do regime assassino da Síria ao Tribunal Penal Internacional. Também eu espero que a designação do colega Stavros Lambrinidis faça avançar com mais coerência a política da União Europeia relativamente a parceiros estratégicos como a China e a Rússia. Parceiros estratégicos têm impacto global. De outro modo, não nos faremos sequer respeitar.

Mas também relativamente a outros países, incluindo aqueles que são recipientes da ajuda ao desenvolvimento por parte da União Europeia e que estão ligados a ela, por exemplo, pelo Acordo de Cotonu, com obrigações de direitos humanos, é escandaloso que a União Europeia continue com dois pesos e duas medidas, silenciosa e alheada de sistemáticas violações de direitos humanos. A Etiópia é um destes exemplos.

Nas políticas de desenvolvimento da União Europeia, tal como nas políticas de comércio, de energia ou no plano da segurança global, é imperativo que a atuação da União Europeia seja inteligentemente moldada pela lente fina dos direitos humanos e da promoção da democracia. É, por isso, inaceitável a invisibilidade dos direitos humanos em visitas de Lady Ashton, como aconteceu recentemente no Cazaquistão, como já foi aqui notado. A União Europeia não pode remeter-se aos mínimos perfunctórios em matéria de direitos humanos.

Por isso, termino, sublinhando, como já fizeram outros colegas, a mensagem de Albert Ishman, de que não se devem contrapor interesses e valores. Os direitos humanos definem a União Europeia e definem os interesses europeus e, por isso, têm absolutamente que nortear todas as suas políticas internas e externas.

  Bastiaan Belder (EFD). - Als rapporteur voor de betrekkingen tussen de EU en China heb ik met grote instemming kennis genomen van paragraaf 141 van het verslag Donskis.

Op grond van het internationaal mensenrecht kritiseert deze paragraaf terecht de repressieve houding van de Chinese overheid tegenover de florerende protestantse huiskerk en de ondergrondse rooms-katholieke kerk. Peking mag deze kerk helemaal geen registratieplicht opleggen, om maar te zwijgen van alle onrechtmatige overheidspogingen deze niet-geregistreerde kerken en hun gemeenteleden het fundamentele recht op geloofsvrijheid te ontzeggen.

Ik ben kortom zeer dankbaar dat het Europees Parlement op dit urgente en kardinale punt van godsdienst en geloofsvrijheid met één mond spreekt. Van Raad en Commissie verwacht ik natuurlijk hetzelfde, zeker als ik verneem dat de Chinese huiskerken al rekening houden met toenemende overheidsinmenging bij de naderende kerstdagen.

  Andrzej Grzyb (PPE). - Panie Przewodniczący! Pani minister Kozakou-Marcoullis stwierdziła, że rok 2012 to krok milowy w zakresie praw człowieka. Myślę, że te dwa sprawozdania – i tu gratuluję moim kolegom ich zawartości – pokazują, że istotnie nastąpiła ogromna zmiana. Z jednej strony postanowienia traktatu z Lizbony, a z drugiej strony również doświadczenia wynikające z arabskiej wiosny spowodowały, że musieliśmy zbudować nowe podejście do praw człowieka i włączyć prawa człowieka w integralną synergię z innymi politykami.

Czego oczekujemy od tego nowego podejścia? Przede wszystkim lepszej harmonizacji między politykami Unii a prawami człowieka. Klauzul, które odnoszą się do praw człowieka we wszystkich umowach Unii Europejskiej. Również wzmocnienia roli społeczeństw obywatelskich z tego sektora organizacji pozarządowych. Myślę, że powołanie Europejskiego Funduszu na rzecz Demokratyzacji – polskiej inicjatywy – bardzo będzie temu pomocne.

Chcę podkreślić również ważną rolę forów społeczeństw obywatelskich. Do rangi wielkiego problemu w sprawach człowieka urosła sprawa wolności sumienia, wyznania. W wielu miejscach na świecie chrześcijanie i inne wyznania są prześladowani za to, że mają odwagę być wyznawcami religii.

W sposób szczególny zwracam uwagę na rolę rzeczników praw obywatelskich. Narodowe instytucje praw człowieka mają ogromną rolę w promocji praw człowieka. Powinniśmy z tego skorzystać. Chcę również podkreślić rolę społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstw na rzecz praw człowieka i chciałbym apelować o to, aby ta sprawa została włączona do strategii Unii Europejskiej na rzecz demokratyzacji i praw człowieka. Dzisiaj byliśmy świadkami uroczystości wręczenia nagrody Sacharowa i również faktu, iż Unia została laureatem Pokojowej Nagrody Nobla. To wzmacnia naszą odpowiedzialność w zakresie praw człowieka.

  Joanna Senyszyn (S&D). - Panie Przewodniczący! Warunkiem skutecznych działań na rzecz praw człowieka jest wiarygodność. Dlatego obrona praw człowieka w samej Unii musi być traktowana priorytetowo. Do tej pory nie poradziliśmy sobie w Unii z dyskryminacją mniejszości etnicznych, religijnych, seksualnych, a nawet z dyskryminacją większości, jaką są kobiety. Kobiety są gorzej traktowane na rynku pracy, narażone na przemoc domową, molestowanie seksualne, zmuszane do prostytucji. Wciąż mamy liczne przypadki poważnego naruszania praw uchodźców, migrantów, społeczności romskiej. Jest duża grupa obywateli wykluczonych z uwagi na bezrobocie i niskie dochody. Większość mieszkańców Unii nie może cieszyć się takimi prawami, jakie mają biali, zamożni, heteroseksualni mężczyźni. Trzeba przyśpieszyć realizację zamierzeń w zakresie pełniejszej ochrony praw człowieka i stworzyć jasne klarowne procedury. Roczne podsumowanie działalności Unii musi obejmować postępy we wdrażaniu strategii na rzecz praw człowieka.

Konkretne pytania: w marcu bieżącego roku Parlament przyjął rezolucję w sprawie łamania praw człowieka w Bahrajnie. Czy podjęto już w tej sprawie odpowiednie kroki? Jakie działania podejmie lub planuje Komisja w sprawie bezprawnych wyburzeń palestyńskich domów przez Izrael i izraelskich planów nielegalnej budowy trzech tysięcy nowych domów na ziemiach okupowanych? Jakie działania planuje Komisja, aby zbudować koalicję poparcia wśród krajów trzecich dla wszczęcia oficjalnego dochodzenia w sprawie sytuacji w Syrii przed Międzynarodowym Trybunałem Karnym?

  Ivo Vajgl (ALDE). - Mr President, I should like to welcome Mr Lambrinidis again in this House.

Imamo dve odlični analitični poročili kolegov Donskisa in Tavaresa. Zdi se mi pa opravičeno omeniti nekaj problemov, ki jih v poročilih ni, so pa konkretna, ker se pravzaprav kršitve individualnih človekovih pravic prekrivajo z ogrožanjem kolektivnih pravic in so grožnja stabilnosti in miru.

Opozarjam na kršenje pravic Palestincev, na pravico Izraelcev, da živijo v svoji državi v miru in priznanju, na pravice pregnanih prebivalcev Zahodne Sahare, na pravico prebivalcev Nagornega Karabaha do življenja v domovini.

Evropska unija bi morala pri teh in podobnih problemih bolj dosledno uveljavljati načela mednarodnega in humanitarnega prava, boljše možnosti nimamo.

  Eduard Kukan (PPE). - Oceňujem prácu obidvoch spravodajcov – pána Donskisa a pána Tavaresa – za prípravu dobrých správ. Pripájam sa ku gratuláciám k získaniu Nobelovej ceny za mier. Únia ju dostala aj za šírenie hodnôt, ktoré nás spájajú, teda presadzovanie demokracie a ľudských práv. Som rád, že tohoročná správa o stave ľudských práv potvrdzuje ambíciu EÚ naďalej zohrávať v tejto oblasti kľúčovú úlohu v rámci členských krajín, ako aj vo vzťahu k ďalším partnerom vo svete.

Únia má dôležitú úlohu využiť svoju autoritu a prirodzený vplyv v oblasti ľudských práv a demokracie najmä v regiónoch svojho bezprostredného susedstva. Vítam preto fakt, že správa zdôrazňuje práve tento aspekt. Ako spravodajca k európskemu nástroju susedskej politiky plne podporujem zvýšenie aktivít Únie v našom južnom a východnom susedstve. Musíme tu presadzovať takú politiku, ktorá bude konzistentne podporovať konsolidáciu demokracie a ochranu ľudských práv v týchto oblastiach.

Arabská jar bola pre nás dôležitým signálom na prehodnotenie doterajších postojov. Na záver: je dobré, že tohtoročná správa poukazuje na možnosti zlepšenia politiky v oblasti ľudských práv a zároveň dáva signál pre ďalšie angažovanie sa Únie v týchto otázkach.

  Μαρία-Ελένη Κοππά (S&D). - Κύριε Πρόεδρε, θέλω κι εγώ με τη σειρά μου να καλωσορίσω τον Σταύρο Λαμπρινίδη στη συζήτησή μας σήμερα.

Μερικές μέρες μετά την Παγκόσμια Ημέρα για την Εξάλειψη της Βίας κατά των Γυναικών θα ήθελα να εκμεταλλευτώ την ευκαιρία της συζήτησής μας για να θυμίσω ότι χιλιάδες γυναίκες στον κόσμο υφίστανται βία στο ίδιο τους το σπίτι, γίνονται καθημερινά αντικείμενο εκμετάλλευσης και διακρίσεων στον εργασιακό τους χώρο και καθίστανται θύματα εμπορίας ανθρώπων και σεξουαλικής εκμετάλλευσης. Είναι τελείως απαράδεκτο το γεγονός ότι ακόμα και σήμερα γυναίκες και νεαρά κορίτσια που δεν συμμετέχουν σε πολεμικές συρράξεις υφίστανται τις χειρότερες συνέπειες του πολέμου, καθώς ο βιασμός χρησιμοποιείται ακόμα ως όπλο και μέσο καθορισμού της έκβασης των πολέμων.

Θα ήθελα λοιπόν να ευχαριστήσω ιδιαίτερα τους συναδέλφους Donskis και Tavares για την ιδιαίτερη ευαισθησία που έδειξαν στα ζητήματα των γυναικών. Είναι αξιοσημείωτο ότι στη φετινή έκθεση του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα στον κόσμο υπάρχουν 23 παράγραφοι με αναφορές στις γυναίκες, κάτι που αποτελεί αναγνώριση των προβλημάτων που αντιμετωπίζουν, αλλά, παράλληλα, και του σημαντικού, του κεντρικού, θα έλεγα, ρόλου που διαδραματίζουν σε κάθε κοινωνία.

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση και τα κράτη μέλη της οφείλουν να καταβάλουν ακόμα μεγαλύτερες προσπάθειες για την εξάλειψη της βίας κατά των γυναικών και να λάβουν σοβαρά υπόψη τα δικαιώματά τους στο πλαίσιο του διαλόγου που διεξάγουν με τρίτες χώρες. Μόλις χθες, στην αίθουσα αυτή, συζητήσαμε τη σύναψη συμφωνιών με τις χώρες της Κεντρικής Αμερικής, καθώς και με την Κολομβία και το Περού, που δεν φημίζονται για τον σεβασμό των δικαιωμάτων των γυναικών. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση έχει ένα σημαντικό μέσο πίεσης για τη βελτίωση της κατάστασης των γυναικών στις χώρες αυτές. Ελπίδα όλων μας είναι ότι θα το αξιοποιήσει.

  Laima Liucija Andrikienė (PPE). - Pirmiausia, noriu padėkoti kolegai Donskiui, kuris yra pagrindinis svarstomo metinio pranešimo autorius. Svarbiausios žmogaus teisių problemos atspindėtos pranešime, už kurį mes rytoj balsuosime ir kuriam aš tikrai pritarsiu. Šiandien norėčiau paminėti dvi problemas – tai žmogaus teisių padėtis okupuotame Tibete ir religijos bei tikėjimo laisvė.

2011 ir 2012 metai į istoriją įeis kaip degančio Tibeto metai. Protestuodami prieš nepakeliamas represijas, žmogaus teisių ir laisvių pažeidimus, tibetiečiai imasi kraštutinių protesto formų, gyvais fakelais tapo, savo gyvenimus paaukojo jau beveik šimtas tibetiečių – vyrai ir mažamečių vaikų mamos, vienuoliai, jauni žmonės. O mes, didelė ir galinga Europos Sąjunga, stebime situaciją. Stebime, nesistengdami pasiekti bent minimumo, kad nesutariančios pusės sprendimų ieškotų dialogo būdu, prie derybų stalo.

Dėl tikėjimo laisvės. Įdomu tai, kad postmoderniame pasaulyje religijos laisvė įgyja vis didesnę reikšmę visur – arabų pasaulyje, Europoje, Rusijoje, Kinijoje ir kitur. Aš dėkinga, kad kolega Donskis priėmė daugumą mano pataisų šia tema. Mes žinome, kad šiuo metu svarstomos Europos Sąjungos gairės dėl religijos ir tikėjimo laisvės, ir manau, kad Europos Parlamentas taip pat turėtų pasakyti savo žodį šia svarbia tema.

  Pino Arlacchi (S&D). - Mr President, Mr Lambrinidis, dear colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to Amendment No 2 to the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World. It concerns the Western Sahara. Signed by 96 colleagues, it condemns the ongoing repression of the Sahrawi people in the occupied territories and demands the release of all Sahrawi political prisoners.

Last year this Parliament, by adopting a similar amendment, achieved an important success in the field of human rights. For this reason I strongly believe that we should not miss the opportunity to reiterate our support for a fair and lasting settlement of the Western Sahara issue on the basis of the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people.

The rights of the Sahrawi are those of us all. In the same amendment we ask for full access to the occupied territories for independent observers, NGOs and the media. We call as well for the establishment of an international mechanism to monitor human rights in the Western Sahara.

In this way we will contribute to putting an end to the last case of colonial oppression in Africa.

  Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa (PPE). - Panie Przewodniczący! Dobrze się dzieje, że celem obecnego przeglądu jest umieszczenie praw człowieka w centrum stosunków Unii Europejskiej ze wszystkimi państwami trzecimi. Niestety, często można odnieść wrażenie, że używamy górnolotnych haseł i na hasłach kończymy. Oczywistym jest, że kluczowe priorytety powinny obejmować zasadnicze prawa podstawowe. Te wolności są ewidentne, ale nie możemy zapominać o sprawach, o których możemy uczyć resztę świata. Kwestia zwalczania kary śmierci oraz przeciwdziałania dyskryminacji kobiet to dziedziny, w których Unia Europejska osiągnęła godne podziwu rezultaty. Nie zapominajmy o demokracji i praworządności, które traktujemy jako naturalne, ponieważ są warunkami wstępnymi do korzystania z praw człowieka. Korzystajmy z naszych możliwości, organizując szerokie konsultacje, wyznaczając realne cele, nie uciekając od form politycznego nacisku, ale nie zapominając o wysiłkach na rzecz ochrony i wsparcia dla obrońców praw człowieka w państwach trzecich.

Na zakończenie z aprobatą przyjąłem zachętę dla właściwych instytucji Unii Europejskiej do zaangażowania się we wsparcie wolności religii i rozwiązywania konfliktów oraz do udzielania pomocy podmiotom religijnym i organizacjom wyznaniowym w tym zakresie.

  Elisabeth Jeggle (PPE). - Herr Präsident! Danke den Kollegen für diese umfassenden Berichte.

Menschenwürde, Freiheit, Demokratie, Gleichheit, Rechtsstaatlichkeit, Einhaltung der Menschenrechte – dies gilt laut Artikel 2 im Lissabon-Vertrag für die EU in ihrem Inneren. Und diese Werte müssen auch Bedingungen bei Abkommen mit Drittstaaten sein. Mehr Kooperation muss eine Verbesserung der Menschenrechtslage und des Demokratieaufbaus nach sich ziehen. Wir dürfen nicht mit zweierlei Maß messen, sondern müssen auch auf unsere Glaubwürdigkeit achten.

Grundvoraussetzung für eine aktive Zivilgesellschaft und einen politisch-demokratischen Entwicklungsprozess sind Bildung, Beschäftigung sowie die ausreichende Versorgung mit bevorzugt lokal produzierten Nahrungsmitteln.

Hierzu muss vor allem der Bodenspekulation Einhalt geboten werden. Eine Verdrängung der Lokalbevölkerung und Umweltprobleme durch exportorientierte Umwidmung von Ländereien müssen so vermieden werden. Es ist entscheidend, die lokale Nahrungs- und Einkommenssicherheit zu stärken. Hier ist unsere Handelspolitik prioritär gefragt.

Ich verurteile jegliche religiöse Diskriminierung. Glaubensfreiheit muss als universales Menschenrecht auf alle Glaubensrichtungen angewandt werden.

Ich danke auch explizit den Berichterstattern, dass sie dieses Thema umfassend behandelt haben. Danke, und morgen eine gute, eine zielführende Abstimmung!

Procedura "catch the eye"

  Danuta Jazłowiecka (PPE). - Panie Przewodniczący! Już w latach 70. uznano, że demokracja i prawa człowieka są fundamentem tożsamości międzynarodowej ówczesnych wspólnot europejskich. Od tego czasu propagowanie tych wartości stało się jednym z głównych celów europejskiej aktywności zewnętrznej. Pomimo upływu ponad 40 lat cel ten pozostał tak samo aktualny, co wskazuje na małą skuteczność podejmowanych wysiłków. Stosunkowo niewielkie sukcesy w tej materii wynikają przede wszystkim z tego, że Unia stała się niewiarygodna w swoich dążeniach. Badania pokazują, że jej partnerzy międzynarodowi uważają, iż Europa traktuje prawa człowieka niezwykle instrumentalnie, tolerując ich łamanie u swoich sojuszników, a piętnując w sytuacji, gdy jest to jej wygodne. Najlepszym przykładem takiego niespójnego podejścia jest polityka w stosunku do Chin czy Rosji.

Ale ta niespójność ma również wymiar wewnętrzny. Jak bowiem możemy być wiarygodni dla naszych partnerów, kiedy w państwach członkowskich nieustannie łamane są prawa człowieka? Wystarczy wymienić prześladowania Romów, łamiące wszelkie standardy traktowanie nielegalnych imigrantów czy dyskryminację mniejszości muzułmańskiej. Nasza polityka zewnętrzna dotycząca praw człowieka nigdy nie będzie skuteczna, jeżeli sami nie będziemy jej rygorystycznie przestrzegać.

  Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D). - Signor Presidente, considero molto buone le relazioni. Noi però dobbiamo assumere sempre più la consapevolezza di inquadrare la questione dei diritti umani nel contesto più ampio. Generalmente agiamo soprattutto a posteriori, facciamo risoluzioni, condanne e raccomandazioni, ma dobbiamo porci con molta più forza l'esigenza di un intervento preventivo su scala internazionale. Qui dobbiamo definire nuove linee guida laddove si stanno formando ad esempio i processi costituzionali in tanti paesi, penso al Mediterraneo. È lì che si decide in questo momento, è lì che dobbiamo influire in questo momento per non avere problemi dopo relativamente ai diritti umani. Infine, c'è un'ulteriore esigenza di non perdere di vista la necessità di tenere collegati i diritti umani e i diritti civili con le questioni riguardanti i diritti economici e i diritti sociali. Direi di più: vi è la necessità soprattutto di tenere insieme la politica estera e il nuovo quadro geopolitico con la questione dei diritti e per questo serve una maggiore sinergia tra Parlamento europeo, Commissione e Consiglio.

  Andrew Henry William Brons (NI). - Mr President, Mr Donskis is quite rightly concerned about selective justice under the guise of the rule of law, but of course only in new and transitional democracies.

In a number of EU Member States it is possible to be jailed for stating one’s views on immigration or expressing an opinion on academic subjects. Honest tyrannies that admit expressly to jailing people for being opponents are rare indeed. Nearly all tyrannies inside and outside the EU pretend that they are adhering to the rule of law but in fact they have passed laws which are tailor-made for their political opponents.

France is probably the worst culprit in the EU, where the incautious choice of a word, detail or debate might lead to prosecution, as might the posing of an unfavoured analogy or comparison between events. Ms Le Pen is the latest victim of such a prosecution. Such countries are not so much democracies as gulags or prison camps.

  Elena Băsescu (PPE). - Din păcate, Uniunea nu a avut până acum o abordare unitară asupra drepturilor omului la nivel mondial. Adoptarea cadrului strategic va oferi mai multă coerenţă în domeniu. Consider şi eu că drepturile omului trebuie să fie în centrul relaţiilor cu toate ţările terţe, iar respectarea lor să fie menţionată în toate acordurile pe care Uniunea Europeană le încheie. De aceea, Comisia ar trebui să elaboreze criterii clare pentru aplicarea clauzei drepturilor omului, precum şi mecanisme care să ducă la o activare mai simplă a ei. Aşadar, eu susţin ideea raportorului că Parlamentul trebuie să fie un factor de codecizie în domeniu.

În final, dacă tot vorbim despre drepturile omului, aş dori să vă amintesc despre repetatele încălcări ale lor în regiunile de conflict îngheţat şi mă refer în special la regiunea transnistreană.

  Αντιγόνη Παπαδοπούλου (S&D). - Κύριε Πρόεδρε, τιμήσαμε σήμερα με το βραβείο Ζαχάρωφ δύο άτομα που υφίστανται ταπεινωτικές συνθήκες φυλάκισης γιατί προασπίζονται ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα. Εκατομμύρια πολίτες βιώνουν παραβιάσεις ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων και πολλές μορφές σκληρής, απάνθρωπης και ταπεινωτικής μεταχείρισης. Τιμωρούνται ή αντιμετωπίζουν διακρίσεις λόγω γενετήσιου προσανατολισμού ή ταυτότητας, φύλου ή εθνοτικής καταγωγής. Είναι θύματα βίας, σύγχρονης δουλείας, εκμετάλλευσης ή ακόμα εθνικού ξεκαθαρίσματος.

Αναμένω πως η βραβευμένη με Νόμπελ Ειρήνης Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση θα ακολουθήσει μια πολύ πιο δυναμική πολιτική στα θέματα των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων, όχι μόνο σε τρίτες χώρες αλλά και εντός ευρωπαϊκών εδαφών. Ας μην ξεχνάμε πως στη δική μου πατρίδα, την Κύπρο, παραβιάζεται το θεμελιώδες δικαίωμα του κάθε Ευρωπαίου πολίτη να ζει και να κυκλοφορεί ελεύθερος στην ίδια του την πατρίδα. Η συνεχιζόμενη τουρκική κατοχή παραβιάζει ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα προσφύγων, αγνοουμένων και εγκλωβισμένων. Τι κάνει η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση για να τερματίσει την τουρκική κατοχή στη δική μου πατρίδα;

  Franz Obermayr (NI). - Herr Präsident! Die Menschenrechte müssen in den Mittelpunkt der Beziehungen mit den Drittstaaten rücken, und entsprechende Klauseln sollten auf alle Abkommen mit Drittstaaten ausgedehnt werden. Dabei hat die EU eine besondere Pflicht, was die Lage der Christen betrifft, vor allem jetzt, nach dem sogenannten Arabischen Frühling. In Ägypten hat der Aufstieg der islamischen Kräfte dramatische Konsequenzen für die Kopten gebracht.

Ein weiterer Punkt ist wichtig, nämlich der Schutz der Unionsbürger in Drittstaaten. Dem österreichischen Arzt Dr. Adelsmayr etwa wurde in Dubai ein faires Verfahren verweigert, er wurde zu lebenslänglicher Haft verurteilt und kann sich nun im Unionsgebiet de facto nicht frei bewegen, weil er die Auslieferung fürchten muss. Es bräuchte in solchen Fällen ein koordiniertes Vorgehen der EU: Wenn einem EU-Bürger ein faires Verfahren im Sinne der Menschenrechtskonvention vorenthalten wird, dann sollte dieser auch von keinem Mitgliedstaat ausgeliefert werden. Die Antwort von Frau Ashton dazu war eher enttäuschend bis nichtssagend, aber wahrscheinlich ist es wichtiger und besser und medienwirksamer, sich für die russische Gruppe Pussy Riot einzusetzen als für den österreichischen Arzt Dr. Adelsmayr.

  Oreste Rossi (EFD). - Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'Unione europea e il Parlamento europeo in particolare sono molto attenti alla difesa dei diritti umani che sono sia quello di poter vivere nel proprio paese in libertà, sia quello di poter professare la propria religione. Ahimè, il mondo sta attraversando dei momenti veramente difficili. Io penso, proprio perché oggi c'era un convegno importante, a quelle persone esule iraniane che si trovano in Iraq, a Camp Liberty e a Camp Ashraf, che ogni giorno vengono picchiate e malmenate, e a cui si cerca di non far arrivare le derrate alimentari.

Questo è incredibile, è incredibile anche perché molti paesi europei sono lì in missione di pace, eppure la pace non c'è stata. Siamo presenti anche in altre realtà, eppure vengono massacrati una volta i cristiani, una volta i fedeli di altre religioni, e questo è inaccettabile. Io chiedo che l'Unione europea e in particolare il Parlamento spingano affinché, quando certi paesi lasciano i loro governi liberi di ammazzare, massacrare, uccidere e togliere i diritti alle persone, si arrivi a sanzioni serie e forti, non alla guerra, ma a sanzioni vere, reali e tangibili.

(Fine della procedura catch the eye)

  Bernd Posselt (PPE). - Herr Präsident! Ich wollte nur sagen, die Anzeigetafel funktioniert seit längerer Zeit saumäßig.

Jetzt sind die ganze Zeit dieselben Kollegen als nächste Redner angezeigt gewesen, und nur oben sind immer die aktuellen gekommen. Unten standen immer dieselben, obwohl sie nicht die nächsten Redner waren.

Und auch heute Mittag bei der Abstimmung war angezeigt: Es ist Abstimmung, da war keine. Dann war angezeigt: Jetzt ist die Abstimmung vorbei, da lief sie noch.

Das war beim letzten Plenum schon so. Meine Assistenten haben sich schon bei mir beschwert. Ich bitte Sie, dafür zu sorgen, dass hier im Haus diese Anzeigetafeln und dieses Anzeigesystem wieder in Ordnung kommen. Das ist seit längerer Zeit absolut in Unordnung.

  Presidente. − Grazie per la segnalazione, informeremo della questione i servizi competenti.

  Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, President-in-Office of the Council, on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. − Mr President, honourable Members, I would like to thank all of you for this very important debate.

This House has for years been a champion of human rights and your active involvement in our broad activities on human rights continues to guide us throughout the process. The important reports of the two rapporteurs will undoubtedly further nourish our reflexion on how to better ensure consistency in EU policy by working closely with the European External Action Service, the Commission and this House.

Let me now turn to some specific points that have been raised by the honourable Members. Definitely I cannot answer every question or every very important remark that has been made, but I will try to answer or to comment on some of those issues that have been raised.

Let me first of all express on behalf of the High Representative/Vice-President how much she regrets that she cannot be here with you today. As you all know, she has committed herself to making human rights an integral part of our EU external relations and she would have been delighted to discuss with you the great achievements we have seen this year, which I have briefly elaborated on in my introduction.

This week Cathy chaired the Foreign Affairs Council, where tangible improvements on human rights issues in the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue have been achieved. She participated in the General Affairs Council, where discussions went on late into the night last night to come to an agreement to advance the stabilisation and association process for the Western Balkans, and of course this week the Friends of Syria meeting as well as the situation in Egypt are particularly high on her agenda. We must do our utmost to end the terrible bloodshed in Syria and to ensure that the recent advances in Egypt’s democratic transition do not unravel in the light of recent events.

Regarding women, peace and security, which has been mentioned, I would like to say that the European Union is active on the issue of women, peace and security in more than 70 countries. Its support amounts to about EUR 200 million a year for the development and the implementation of national action plans, funding for non-governmental organisations and training for governmental agencies. The European Union has included specific attention to women, peace and security in its political and human rights dialogues and consultations with countries such as Canada, Ethiopia, the US, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda, to name but a few.

We also want to ensure that the political commitment to gender equality is translated into concrete cooperation activities and feeds into the programming of EU assistance. The second implementation report on the EU plan of action on gender equality and women’s empowerment in development has been prepared. The report includes concrete examples of mainstreaming of gender in our geographical instruments.

On gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation: this is one of the most prevalent and pervasive forms of human rights violations and it is deeply rooted in gender inequality between men and women. The European External Action Service and the Commission are therefore committed to strengthening its actions both internally and externally. The High Representative/Vice-President Ashton and Vice-President Reding made a statement on the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February 2012 and a declaration on ending FGM at the European Parliament on 13 June 2012. The European Parliament unanimously adopted the joint resolution on ending female genital mutilation in June 2012. The European External Action Service is currently preparing a campaign to be launched in spring 2013 under the EU Human Rights guidelines on violence against women and girls to draw attention to the need to step up efforts to eradicate this practice, particularly on the African continent.

On the death penalty: consistent with its strong and principled policy against the death penalty, the European Union is undoubtedly one of the most prominent international players and lead donors in the abolitionist cause worldwide. The fight against the death penalty is at the heart of the EU’s human rights policy and a personal priority for the High Representative/Vice-President. The EU uses all tools available in order to promote its abolitionist policy according to the 11 EU guidelines.

Mention was made of Kazakhstan. The lack of substantial progress in advancing human rights in Kazakhstan is certainly a matter of concern which we have conveyed to President Nazarbayev. When the High Representative/Vice-President met with the President during a visit to Astana in November, they had an intensive exchange of views. On that occasion she expressed to him her firm belief that, as a member of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and also a newly elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, Kazakhstan should demonstrate its strong commitment to human rights, including the freedoms of speech, of assembly and association and of religion and belief.

The respect for common values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights is also the basis for deepening our relations through the new PCA.

On freedom of religion and belief: as a universal human right, freedom of religion and belief is a priority under the EU human rights policy. The European Union has to promote it for everyone outside and within the European Union. The European Union and Member States have been very active on freedom of religion and belief over the last two years. The EU is active in putting together action lines, specific Council conclusions 2009-2011, an internal action plan in 2010, a request made to all EU delegations in 2011 to follow the situation and report on issues and actions taken, focus on freedom of religion and belief in the EU annual human rights reports of 2010-2011, and proposals for new guidelines on the freedom of religion and belief agreed in the Foreign Affairs Council in June to be adopted by the beginning of 2013. The European Parliament of course will be informed and comments will be very welcome.

On the question raised by Graf Lambsdorff, I agree that there will be a need for coordination between the existing instrument and the new European Endowment for Democracy. As you know, a great part of the existing European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights is dedicated to election observations where Parliament has a great role to play. Our intention is that the European Endowment for Democracy will be complementary to that.

To conclude, let me once again pay tribute to this year’s Sakharov Prize Winners – Nasrin Sotoudeh and Jafar Panahi – for the courage they showed in the struggle against repression and once again assure this House of the central place of human rights and democracy in the external action of the EU, as demonstrated by our strong commitment and continuous work in this field throughout 2012.

A lot of work lies ahead. I am not here to say that we are perfect but that we want to achieve that goal. I can assure you that the High Representative, the EU Special Representative Mr Lambrinidis and all the Member States will redouble our efforts until human rights are not only volumes of conventions and resolutions, but are translated into reality for every human being on this planet irrespective of colour, ethnic origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation. If we want to have a better world, human rights should remain at the heart of our domestic and our foreign policy.

IN THE CHAIR: EDWARD McMILLAN-SCOTT
Vice-President

  Leonidas Donskis, pranešėjas. − Rusų rašytojas ir disidentas Aleksandras Solženicynas yra ištaręs lemtingą frazę, kad moderniaisiais laikais valstybėse nebeliko iš tikrųjų jų vidaus reikalų, nes visi tie reikalai jau yra tapę tarptautiniais ir bendražmogiškais. Vadinasi, joks pilietis ar gyventojas nėra savo valstybės nuosavybė ar vidaus reikalas. Nacionalinė valstybė negali savintis universalių žmonijos reikalų ir problemų, iš kurių esminė yra žmogaus gyvybė ir jos vertė, nelygstama asmens vertė ir orumas, fundamentalios teisės ir pilietinės laisvės. Kaip kinų Demokratijos Sienos aktyvistai 1978 m. Pekine, taip ir rusų disidentai, savo narsa beviltiškoje kovoje įkvėpę Vakarus ir sukūrę ištisą nūdienos žmogaus teisių diskursą, yra pats geriausias kontrargumentas prieš įtikėjimą, kad žmogaus teisės yra tapusios naująja sekuliarine ir politine Vakarų religija, esą nieko bendra neturinčia su likusia žmonijos dalimi.

Europos Sąjunga negali nekalbėti vienu balsu, kai prabylama apie žmogaus teises, kaip esminį kriterijų vertinant valstybių politikos civilizuotumą, jų demokratinius kredencialus ir patikimumą moderniojo jautrumo formų požiūriu. Todėl viliuosi, kad šis pranešimas taps vienu iš Europos Sąjungos politikos įrankių siekiant įgyvendinti minėtuosius tikslus ir harmonizuoti mūsų kalbėjimą bei paversti mūsų veikimą efektyvesniu.

  Rui Tavares, relator. − Senhora Kozakou-Marcoullis, vou ser muito direto. Eu não gosto da expressão fio prateado, o tal silver thread de que agora se fala muito. Os direitos humanos não são um fio prateado na política da União, são o artigo n.º 2 dos Tratados da União. O primeiro artigo diz estabelece-se uma União Europeia, o segundo diz a União Europeia funda-se nos direito humanos. São os nossos alicerces, são as nossas fundações, não são um fio prateado meramente decorativo como naquela conversa das pessoas que tiveram uma experiência de quase morte e veem um fio prateado. Eu espero que não seja assim. Eu espero que não seja assim porque, aliás, nesse caso deveria, já que citou diretamente o discurso da Senhora Ashton no Cazaquistão, eu devo dizer, não queria ter citado esse discurso aqui porque esse discurso foi vergonhoso em termos de direitos humanos.

Nesse discurso, eu tenho-o aqui, falou-se de cooperação reforçada com o Cazaquistão, apoio à entrada do Cazaquistão na Organização Mundial do Comércio, relações de vizinhança, e depois, no fim, vou citar em inglês:

É claro que o Prémio Nobel nos dá responsabilidades especiais. Gostei muito de tê-la ouvido falar sobre a questão da Síria, pois eu creio que a Presidência Cipriota desempenha um papel muito importante. A Presidência do Conselho está quase a terminar, mas Chipre é o único país da União Europeia que tem uma fronteira marítima com a Síria. Chipre está a uma hora de caminho da Síria. Chipre deve, a partir de janeiro, quando terminar a Presidência Cipriota e regressar à Mesa do Conselho como um membro de igual direito, propor à União Europeia o estabelecimento de um corredor humanitário entre a Síria e Chipre, desde que os outros países da União Europeia giram os fluxos migratórios e de refugiados que aí virão com solidariedade, como o seu país tem pedido, e com partilha de responsabilidades, como nós temos pedido aqui no Parlamento Europeu muitíssimas vezes.

Nós não podemos continuar com empresas europeias impunemente a fazer frutuosos negócios com regimes autoritários, sem com isso sofrer qualquer sanção, não podemos continuar com acordos comerciais a fazer-se sem avaliações de impacto e não podemos continuar com bancos europeus como o HSBC ontem, o Deutsche Bank hoje, a serem apanhados a fazer lavagem de dinheiro de ditaduras.

Enquanto a União Europeia não tiver coerência, não tem credibilidade. Resta-me, para terminar, agradecer aos meus colegas dos vários grupos políticos, que foram relatores na sombra deste relatório, agradecer também, em particular, a Mychelle Rieu e a Levente Csaszi, enquanto conselheiros por parte do Grupo Político dos Verdes e do Secretariado

I also want to say that it is important that the country moves forward with economic liberalisation and in support of civil society and human rights. We will continue to work closely with Kazakhstan as we move forward into the future. That was all on human rights.

não podemos continuar com bancos europeus como o HSBC ontem, o Deutsche Bank hoje, a serem apanhados a fazer lavagem de dinheiro de ditaduras.

Enquanto a União Europeia não tiver coerência, não tem credibilidade. Resta-me, para terminar, agradecer aos meus colegas dos vários grupos políticos, que foram relatores na sombra deste relatório, agradecer também, em particular, a Mychelle Rieu e a Levente Csaszi, enquanto conselheiros por parte do Grupo Político dos Verdes e do Secretariado da Subcomissão dos Direitos do Homem, e agradecer ao Representante Especial, Stravos Lambrinidis, pelas boas ideias que já deu para este relatório. Mas espero que, no Conselho e na Comissão, e no Serviço de Ação Externa, não pensem que terciarizam os direitos humanos para o nosso ex-colega Stravos Lambrinidis, que nós sabemos que é ativo e criativo, e que depois nos continuem a dar discursos tão fracos, em termos de direitos humanos, como o que a Senhora Ashton nos deu no Cazaquistão e, por favor, não o citem como um bom exemplo.

Foi um péssimo exemplo e nós reparámos nisso, nós vimos.

  President. − Thank you, Mr Tavares, I am sorry, we forgot to start the clock but you have made your points and I am sure they are shared by many in the House.

The debate is closed.

The vote will take place tomorrow (Thursday, 13 December 2012).

Written statements (Rule 149)

  Tunne Kelam (PPE), in writing. – Parliamentary scrutiny over the EU’s performance in protecting human rights in the world is essential to ensure that different aspects and nuances are taken into account by the VP/HR, the Commission and the EEAS. The call to mainstream human rights into all external actions of the Union is not simply a ‘nice’ thing to say, but an effective tool to ensure that human rights will form the basis in external relations.

Religiously motivated violence is a growing menace in the world, especially in acute conflict regions in Middle-East and Africa. In particular Christians find themselves in life-threatening situations. The VP/HR must become more vocal in and demand in all forms of human rights dialogues that religious minorities are protected and their right to practice their religion upheld.

Regrettably, the 2011 annual report mentions the Sakharov Prize only in a declaratory manner, not specifying if anything has been done, and if so what. The EEAS and the Commission need to stay in regular touch with both the candidates and laureates of the Sakharov Prize to ensure continuous dialogue and to monitor the human rights situation in the respective countries, offering moral and real protection to those acutely persecuted.

  Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE), kirjallinen. – Käsittelemämme parlamentin vuosittainen ihmisoikeusraportti tiivistää ne arvot, joita me mepit olemme puolustaneet vuodesta toiseen ottamalla esille sekä yksittäisiin ihmisiin kohdistuneita ihmisoikeusrikkomuksia että systemaattisempia puutteita eri puolilla maailmaa. 2011 on ollut ihmisoikeuksien kannalta melko katastrofaalinen vuosi. Aivan liian useita ihmisoikeusaktivisteja ahdisteltiin, pahoinpideltiin tai jopa lynkattiin. Samalla EU on joutunut ehkä koko historiansa suurimman haasteen eteen yrittäessään pitää talouskriisiä kurissa vaipumatta mitättömyyteen maailmalla. Ihmisoikeustyömme on ollut näkymättömämmässä roolissa, vaikka Unionilla – ja tietysti parlamentilla - onkin uudenlaiset valtuudet ulkopolitiikan tekoon. EU on kuitenkin rahoittanut tuhansia ihmisoikeushankkeita ja johtomme on antanut kriittisiäkin lausuntoja, kun siihen on ollut tarvetta. On hienoa, että EU on tehnyt päätökset perustaa ihmisoikeusasioiden erityisedustajan virka ja neuvoston ihmisoikeustyöryhmä, sekä luoda strategiset kehykset ja toimintasuunnitelma unionin ihmisoikeuspolitiikalle. On tärkeää, että kiinnitämme huomiota kaikkien toimielinten yhteistyöhön. Ulkosuhdehallinnon tulisikin näytellä koordinoivaa roolia meppien työpanosta unohtamatta. Meillä on loistavat yhteydet paikallisiin ihmisoikeusaktivisteihin sekä keskeisiin päättäjiin. Nobelin rauhanpalkinnon saajana unionilla on entistä suurempi vastuu toteuttaa perussopimuksen 21. pykälässä määriteltyjä periaatteita. Päättäjien on hyvä muistaa, että yleensä on parempi reagoida aikaisin ennemmin kuin liian myöhään, varsinkin kun on kyse naapurustostamme. Syyrian, Egyptin, palestiinalaisalueiden, Libyan, Bahrainin, Jemenin ja monien muiden maiden tilanne ei ole parantunut. Meidän on siis tarkistettava, ovatko aikaisemmat toimemme olleet tarpeeksi tehokkaita.

  Tokia Saïfi (PPE), par écrit. – Chaque année, la commission des Affaires étrangères, dont je suis membre, évalue la situation des droits de l'homme et de la démocratie dans le monde et le rôle et les actions de l'UE dans ce domaine. Le point le plus marquant pour moi cette année est la nomination d'un Représentant spécial de l'Union pour les droits de l'homme, le Grec Stravros Lambrinidis. Mais il faut aussi citer la mise en œuvre du principe "plus pour plus", nouvelle ligne directrice de toute l'action extérieure de l'UE; ou encore l'adoption du nouveau cadre stratégique et du plan d'action de l'UE en faveur des droits de l'homme. Ce rapport se prononce également en faveur de davantage de cohérence entre toutes les actions et méthodes de l'Union dans ce domaine et rappelle le rôle crucial joué par les délégations de l'UE à l'étranger. Ce sont deux arguments que je développe régulièrement, mais qui sont encore trop peu souvent entendus, notamment de la Commission européenne et du Service d'action extérieure. C'est pourquoi, à l'instar de la grande majorité de mes collègues, j'ai soutenu ce rapport qui, je le souhaite, mettra ces principes en tête des priorités de l'action extérieure de l'Union.