Call for human rights action

Date: 10/12/1998

By Gareth Harding

MEPS will next week propose a radical overhaul of the EU's human rights policy following recent widespread criticism of the Union's record in the field.

In a series of resolutions, the Parliament is expected to call on the European Commission to carry out an annual audit of human rights world-wide, demand an increase in funding for human rights programmes and recommend setting up a specialised EU agency for human rights. MEPs will also urge the Union to sign up to the European Convention on Human Rights, which came into force almost half a century ago.

In the week when EU foreign ministers are due to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the Parliament will conclude that while there has been some progress, much more remains to be done.

“We must move from good intentions to a policy which implements these objectives,” said Greek Socialist MEP Yiannis Roubatis, the author of the Parliament's report .

He argues that the most glaring gap in current human rights policy is the EU's failure to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights, Although individual member states have signed up to the convention, Roubatis says the failure of the EU as a body to do so is “a contradiction of the Union's commitment to human rights”. He also claims the EU's current efforts to promote civil liberties remain patchy, uncoordinated and guaranteed to result in inter-institutional tension.

A first step would be to appoint a single European Commissioner responsible for human rights. The report also urges member states to agree to set up a fully-fledged EU agency for human rights and democracy to promote good government and monitor human rights abuses world-wide.

MEPs will urge the Commis-sion to draw up a list of key principles to be included in agreements with all countries, regardless of size or influence. They will also call on the EU to push for a code of conduct on human rights for European firms active in developing countries.

A separate resolution drawn up by all major political groups severely criticises the Commission for failing to provide funding for the European Human Rights Foundation, resulting in a “serious setback for EU efforts to promote human rights”.