Situation in Western Sahara (debate)
President
The next item is the debate on the situation in Western Sahara.
Statements by the Council and the Commission.
Andris Piebalgs
Member of the Commission, on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. - Madam President, I thank this House for a very timely discussion on Western Sahara. I am answering, on behalf of Catherine Ashton, on the basis of the oral questions put forward by Members of the Parliament.
The European Union is worried about the events which took place in Laâyoune at the beginning of November, and it regrets the loss of lives. Now calm has returned to Laâyoune, even though underlying tensions still remain. The European Union is worried that the violent outburst witnessed in Laâyoune could hamper the United Nations Secretary-General's attempts to find a mutually-acceptable solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
Regarding the concerns we are talking about today, we shall make sure that they reach the Moroccan authorities through the appropriate channels. The issue of Western Sahara is on the agenda of the Association Council's next meeting in December. It could also be raised within the Joint Parliamentary Committee between the European Parliament and Morocco.
The European Union continues to be engaged with Morocco on reforms in areas such as good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The European Union maintains a good and frank policy dialogue with Morocco within the bodies responsible for the follow-up of our Association Agreement. Within this framework, the European Union has reminded our partner of the importance of it abiding by the international commitments it has undertaken regarding respect for human rights. As for the use of Western Sahara's natural resources, it is Morocco's responsibility to comply with its obligations under international law, including those related to the use of Western Sahara's natural resources.
The European Union supports the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General with a view to achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in agreement with the Security Council resolutions.
Bernd Posselt
(DE) Madam President, I have been waiting for 70 minutes for Question Time to begin and would like to ask when it will actually take place. Normally, the debate is interrupted for Question Time and then continued afterwards.
President
There will be no Question Time, because the group chairs decided at the Conference of Presidents that it would not take place. I therefore do not think there is any point in you waiting any longer.
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra
Madam President, they say that the philosopher Aristotle was walking around his famous Peripatetic School with his students when one of them made a comment that upset his master. By way of apology, he said, 'that was not my comment, it was made by your master Plato'. Then Aristotle stopped and pronounced a sentence that has been repeated numerous times on the European stage from the fourth century BC to the present day. He said, 'Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is the truth'.
Madam President, Morocco is a positive and active partner of the European Union, and it is also a strategic and fundamental ally in containing radical Islamic fundamentalism. However, as President Sarkozy said when he spoke here, Parliament is the democratic heartbeat of the European Union, and has an irrevocable and undeniable commitment to the cause of human rights. Therefore, if these rights are not acknowledged, it cannot stand aside and look the other way. It must speak out loud and clear about the principles that drive us.
Madam President, the European Union has been, is and will be a loyal partner of Morocco, but that partnership is based on principles and values, and we have to proclaim those principles and values.
I will conclude now, Madam President, by saying that truly, moderation in character or temperament is always a virtue, but moderation in the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially freedom of expression, is always a vice, always a weakness and always cowardly, and as representatives of the people of the European Union we cannot allow ourselves to act in that way.
Véronique De Keyser
Madam President, this resolution was difficult to negotiate, but we have finally ended up with something which I think has managed to satisfy all groups. I would like to thank my fellow Members for their efforts, because we dare not speak any more about Sahara, knowing as we do what a sensitive subject it is. There will therefore be no political stance here on the conflict between Morocco and Sahara.
On the other hand, the first point condemns the violence that unfolded during the dismantling of the camp near Laâyoune; and this condemnation of violence is clear even if we do not currently have all the facts to say who did what.
As for the second point, we regret - to put it mildly - the fact that there is no freedom of the press and that humanitarian organisations and parliamentarians are unable to go to the region. We believe this is unacceptable.
The third point is closely linked. We note that Morocco is going to launch an investigation, but we resolutely believe and we demand that there should be an international inquiry to shed light on events.
That aside, in terms of the political conflict, we shall leave that to the UN and we urge both parties to resume negotiations.
Ivo Vajgl
Madam President, Commissioner, this debate and the resolution on which we will be taking a vote tomorrow were triggered by two incidents: the death of a fourteen-year-old boy who was killed by a Moroccan policeman's bullet and, a few days later, the violent dismantling of the protest camp housing more than ten thousand natives of Western Sahara who had peacefully tried to draw the world's attention, and ours too, to the intolerability of their social, political and economic situation.
This incident has claimed new human casualties, which we regret. They have paid the highest possible price for this ongoing problem that is familiar to us all. Western Sahara is the last example in the world of a process of decolonisation having remained incomplete, one where the neighbouring country is enjoying the benefits of illegal occupation of a foreign territory, rejecting Security Council resolutions, repeatedly ignoring UN demands for a referendum and the right to self-determination for the people of Western Sahara and infringing human rights and standards of international law.
Western Sahara, a country of sand and stone which is crossed by a wall of shame measuring more than a thousand kilometres, is rich enough to excite the appetites and expectations of Morocco and those countries that are actively or passively supporting its unrelenting stance. We know who they are. The problem of Western Sahara is a political problem, a problem of decolonisation. It can be solved in only one way, in the same way that similar problems were solved elsewhere, that is on the basis of international law, self-determination of nations and agreements. We need to strengthen the role of the United Nations in Western Sahara; the mandate of MINURSO is too narrow, with the mission simply maintaining the status quo, and proving to be powerless and purely a formality.
Commissioner, thank you very much for your clear words. Despite the different interests of some influential Member States, or precisely because of those, the European Union should play a more active role and use every means at its disposal. Morocco, too, which enjoys support and understanding in many quarters, should make an effort to resolve the situation constructively.
Raül Romeva i Rueda
Madam President, I would first of all like to welcome the fact that we finally have an opportunity to talk about the Western Sahara and to adopt a resolution. For once the pressure from Morocco has not triumphed, as it has on other occasions. I believe that this is good for Parliament's credibility, but also for the transparency of what is happening in the Western Sahara.
Secondly, I want to loudly, clearly and firmly condemn the irresponsible and provocative manner in which the Gdaim Izyk camp was dismantled. It is true that the violence came from many sides, but I think it is entirely unjustifiable to place those who are defending themselves against an attack on the same level as those who are repressing, persecuting and torturing them.
We therefore demand an independent investigation under the aegis of the United Nations. We are not talking about a conflict between equals. Not everyone has the same level of responsibility and not everyone in this conflict is using the same strategies or the same weapons.
We must indeed ask for calm from all parties, but most importantly we must demand that the Kingdom of Morocco ceases its hostile attitude towards the Saharan people and stops harassing parliamentarians, the media and human rights defenders.
The European Union cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this as if nothing were happening. We in the European Union have a major historical responsibility, particularly certain countries such as Spain and France.
Let us indeed act sensibly, as the Minister, Mrs Jiménez, asked us to do, but the sensible thing to do now is to say 'enough' to the Moroccan regime. It all very well to want good trade relations with Morocco. That is a necessary and positive thing, but not at the cost of human rights or at the cost of infringing international law.
Mrs Jiménez, Baroness Ashton, in order to arrive at a fair, sustainable and mutually acceptable solution, the referendum on self-determination needs to be held. Let us make that possible.
Charles Tannock
on behalf of the ECR Group. - Madam President, the frozen conflict over Western Sahara is destabilising the surrounding region. Morocco's intransigence continues to deny justice to the people of Western Sahara, who have been waiting for a referendum on independence for the past 20 years.
While I do accept that Morocco is an important ally of the West in the fight against terrorism, it is deeply regrettable that Morocco will not deliver on its stated commitments to the terms of the UN settlement plan. We should now, in the light of the report of violence against the people of Western Sahara, give the UN mission there a mandate to monitor the human rights of the Sahrawi people. But efforts to develop this capacity have been sadly and consistently blocked by France. This is almost unique among all UN missions: it is the only one without a human rights mandate. Morocco and the Polisario Front both need to understand what is expected of them in terms of standards by the international community. We do have a lot of leverage over Morocco here in the EU, particularly over fishing rights and aid.
Hopefully the impending referendum scheduled for South Sudan, which will create a new sovereign state in the south, will provide fresh motivation for all the parties involved to seek a final resolution to this long-standing dispute over Western Sahara - a territory and a people which, in my mind, deserve a peaceful and prosperous future.
Willy Meyer
Madam President, I would like to start by stating the obvious: we need to tell the Kingdom of Morocco that this is not its parliament. This Parliament's sovereignty stems from the citizens of Europe, and therefore it decides its agenda, issues and resolutions, and the constant interference in this institution by the Kingdom of Morocco is unacceptable.
Secondly, ladies and gentlemen, the basic issue is that we are talking about an occupation by the military, police and Moroccan settlers; an illegal occupation of a 'non-self-governing territory' as defined by international law. Morocco has no sovereignty over the Western Sahara; I repeat, none. It cannot apply its laws, it cannot apply its sovereignty, and Parliament therefore needs to send a very clear message to the international community and to the Saharan people, as they are the ones that need to decide their future through a referendum on self-determination, which is what the United Nations Security Council has agreed.
All the abuses and repression that are being perpetrated in the Western Sahara by the Moroccan Government only have one aim: ensuring that they cannot exercise their right to self-determination. The European Parliament therefore needs to be firmer in defending that right, standing with the Saharan people and condemning the abuses. The dismantling of the Dignity Camp should never have been allowed.
I went there a few hours beforehand. I am in elected office and I was prevented from disembarking a Spanish plane in order to be present at what was unfortunately about to happen a few hours later, because they did not want any witnesses. They have a great deal to hide, and Parliament cannot be a party to the systematic concealment of everything that this repression means. As for the association agreement, ladies and gentlemen, Baroness Ashton - who regrettably is absent - when is it going to be frozen? When will we say that this course is unacceptable? I believe that Parliament needs to speak out loud and clear, ladies and gentlemen.
Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa
(PL) Madam President, Western Sahara is, today, at a crossroads. We must not ignore the recent actions of the government of Morocco. Conflicting reports exist as to what really happened in the camp on the outskirts of the city of Laâyoune. However, we must not treat lightly the fact that 15 000 people have lost their homes and been forced to leave the towns where they lived, and this is, in fact, only one example of human rights violations which go back to 1975. We - the members of the European Parliament - must take a close look at the history of this region and the cruelty which the Sahrawis have experienced, and we must strengthen policy aimed at resolving the conflict and this problem.
Some Member States have tried to resolve these problems by working with the UN, but these efforts, however, have proved unsuccessful. It has not been possible to agree the recommendations necessary to bring Morocco to book. UN security forces have been restricted in their activity in Western Sahara, whereas they should be able to exercise complete control and oversee humanitarian aid. Furthermore, Morocco has not lifted the blockade on free access to the region for journalists and international observers.
One UN observer has rightly stated that attention focussed on this region of Africa might save life and protect the Sahrawis from the Moroccan policy of extermination. Amnesty International is calling for an independent investigation to be made about the violence. This is a good idea. It should be done. It is not known, today, how many people have died, been seriously injured or have simply disappeared as a result of Morocco's actions.
Finally, I would like to call upon our House to make a definite reaction which will put an end to the current slow international diplomacy and to develop a solution which will protect the Sahrawis from further cruelty.
María Muñiz De Urquiza
(ES) Madam President, the violence that has shaken the Western Sahara, which we strongly condemn, just as we regret the loss of human life and demand respect for human rights, must not break out again.
There needs to be a permanent, fair and mutually acceptable solution, within the framework of the United Nations, to a conflict that has now gone on for more than 30 years and is condemning thousands of Saharan refugees to despair and condemning a neighbouring area that is of fundamental importance to the European Union to instability.
We therefore call on Morocco, which is a prominent and reliable partner of the European Union, with which we share major interests and plans, to redouble its efforts at dialogue in order to bring a negotiated end to the conflict. We also call for calm among the Saharan people and their representatives, to whom we offer a message of solidarity in their circumstances. We also call on them to maintain dialogue with an open and constructive attitude.
We ask the European Union to join in the efforts of the group of countries that are friends of the Sahara, which includes my own country, Spain, in facilitating that dialogue as a credible negotiator in the region. The opening of a Moroccan parliamentary investigation into the events in the Sahara and the fact that the Moroccan authorities are prepared to inform Parliament about what has happened are significant signs that we do value. They are not, however, a substitute for a policy of information transparency ensuring the presence of all media in the area.
The resolution that we will adopt tomorrow is the result of a complex agreement which reflects Parliament's concern regarding stability in the Maghreb and for human rights. It is also a demonstration of Parliament's backing for a negotiated end to the conflict, with no prior conditions, but on the basis of the United Nations Security Council resolutions establishing the Saharan people's right to self-determination.
Izaskun Bilbao Barandica
(ES) Madam President, the Moroccan authorities deserved our condemnation for the attack on the Gdaim Izyk camp, following which the serious incidents in Laâyoune took place. The individual rights of the Saharan people, who were asking peacefully for better living conditions, have been infringed. Moreover, freedom of the press and of information have been limited, and dozens of members of this and other parliaments, including that of my country, the Basque Parliament, have been denied access to the area.
There is no reliable information, therefore we ask the United Nations to conduct an official investigation into what happened. We do, however, know that there were deaths, injuries and hundreds of people detained. We regret all deaths that occurred during this incident, because all of them - whether they be Moroccan police or Saharan activists - are irreparable. I would like to express my solidarity with all of their families.
The camp was attacked on the day that the third round of informal meetings was beginning in New York on the situation in the Western Sahara. This attack does not favour dialogue, agreements or peace; on the contrary, it is an obstacle to a peaceful and fair outcome to the occupation of the Western Sahara.
I want to ask for calm from the parties. Resolving this problem requires permanent dialogue between Morocco and the Saharan people, based on mutual respect and with the aim of fulfilling the United Nations resolutions, which include the Saharan people exercising their right to self-determination.
I will conclude with some self-criticism: we must always criticise violations of human rights. It does not matter who, where, how or why they are perpetrated, because democratic principles and values must always come before interests. I therefore ask the European Union for greater commitment.
João Ferreira
(PT) Madam President, the events in recent weeks in the Western Sahara were not an isolated incident. They are part of a long history of three and a half decades of repression, violence and the oppression of a people. Western Sahara's history is one of constant attempts by Moroccans to block negotiations on the implementation of the Sahrawi people's unalienable right to self-determination.
This is therefore the moment to once again condemn the brutal repression by Moroccan authorities of everyone in the occupied territories who resists colonisation and fights for their people's legitimate right to self-determination. This is also the time to expose the real humanitarian tragedy that is being forced upon the Sahrawi people, who are obliged to live far from their homeland in refugee camps, and to call for the urgent strengthening of international humanitarian aid. There should also be demands for the enforcement of international law and UN resolutions, and the need to hold a referendum.
The European Union and the Member States have a great responsibility in all of this, which they cannot ignore lest they become accomplices, Morocco being a country that benefits from a special status due to several agreements that it has with the EU.
Santiago Fisas Ayxela
(ES) Madam President, thousands of Saharans left their cities and peacefully set up the Gdaim Izyk camp in order to demand better living conditions. The Moroccan security forces violently dismantled the camp and, as a result, serious riots broke out in Al Aaiún. The Moroccan armed forces killed a young Saharan, and a Spanish citizen died in unclear circumstances.
There are currently no reliable figures regarding the number of deaths, injuries, disappearances or arrests during those riots. Moreover, numerous MEPs have been banned from entering the Sahara, along with journalists who are still having serious problems doing their work.
Morocco is Europe's friend and strategic ally, and it is not good to have doubts or misunderstandings between friends. If Morocco has nothing to hide, it must allow the clarification of what happened. Therefore, although it is true that the Moroccan Parliament has set up an investigative commission, I think it is essential that an international commission be set up, that European and politicians and journalists have freedom of access to the area and that the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara extend its mandate to the protection of human rights, both in the area controlled by Morocco and in the area controlled by Polisario.
The Commission and the European governments, least of all the Spanish Government, cannot look the other way in response to this situation. Realpolitik must not be an excuse for turning a blind eye. They must request clarification regarding these serious events and ask Morocco and the Polisario to resume discussions as soon as possible in order to arrive at a peaceful agreement on the basis of the United Nations resolutions.
Pier Antonio Panzeri
(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like first of all to say to Mr Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra that, ahead of resolving the conflict between Plato and the truth, perhaps we needed a little more time before coming up with this resolution, for at least two reasons.
Firstly, we could have collected all the information to help guarantee that Parliament would take a more solid stance and, secondly, a series of meetings and hearings had got under way in the relevant committees Parliament took the legitimate decision to move ahead immediately, In any case, this does not diminish the requirement for these hearings and the need to keep the negotiations with Morocco open.
I therefore believe that, after the vote, it is a good idea to apply our efforts in three specific directions: establishing a new leading role for Europe, with its diplomacy and neighbourhood policies; contributing to a positive outcome to the negotiations opened by the United Nations; and, finally, using all parliamentary instruments - beginning with the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the mixed committee - to ensure that the meeting goes ahead and helps find solutions. I think it would be helpful to work determinedly towards these specific objectives.
Frédérique Ries
(FR) Madam President, I would like to thank the Commissioner, who has clearly shown himself this evening to be on the side of appeasement. Yes, we had to condemn the violence on both sides. Yes, we needed to call for a lasting solution to this conflict, which has been going on now for over 30 years. And yes, obviously, we needed to address the importance of press freedom, the cornerstone of any democratic country.
That being said, I still regret the lack of balance in this text on certain issues. For instance, I would have liked mention to have been made of the fate of Mustapha Salma, the Polisario Front dissident kidnapped for having dared to call for dialogue. Human rights are mentioned, of course, but not for everybody, which is regrettable. In this conflict, it is not just a question of innocents on one side and guilty on the other. There are responsibilities, albeit unequal, on both sides of this conflict, which has lasted over 30 years.
Above all - and this is essential - all parties share responsibility now for finding a just, realistic and sustainable solution, and when I say all parties, I mean Morocco, I mean the Polisario Front and also Algeria, a key symbolic player that is only mentioned in the final words of our resolution.
To conclude, I would just like to say, Madam President, that I fully support the proposals to continue this constructive dialogue as put forward by Mr Panzeri.
Marco Scurria
(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, amongst friends one can speak frankly and tell things as they are. Hence, we are telling Morocco that it must do much more to resolve the Western Sahara situation.
The European Union cannot continue, and could not continue, to pretend that it is all nothing, because we risk committing a serious error. We risk telling those who have chosen peace, like the Sahrawi people did through the Polisario Front, that they have chosen wrongly.
Those who do not send suicide bombers, who do not carry out attacks, and who trust only in international organisations do not make the news. For these people the powers of the world do not come together. Madam President, that is not right, because the Sahrawi are a courageous but mild-mannered people, they live their religion in the right way and their women have important roles in society. The Sahrawi are fighting for their land, for which their love is as infinite as their desert; and they are fighting for their identity, and it is not right that they are left to themselves.
The vote we have striven for tomorrow in this part-session is an important sign that the European Union is working to take a decisive role in the destiny of this area of land.
Norbert Neuser
(DE) Madam President, Commissioner, I welcome the clear words chosen by Mr Piebalgs. It is important for the European Parliament to show clearly where it stands and also to condemn the brutality that has taken place there. It has taken us a long time to hold the debate on Western Sahara in the European Parliament, and I think that we have been too hesitant in our actions and that we act only after there have been fatalities there.
I am pleased that we will be able to adopt a resolution tomorrow with all parties, which will perhaps not go as far as one or other of the groups would like, but it represents a broad consensus and is a clear signal to Morocco and to the population of Western Sahara that the European Parliament stands by its fundamental values.
As chair of the Intergroup, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of its members, who have ensured that Western Sahara has remained, and will continue to remain, on the agenda. I am certain that, together with Mr Piebalgs and Baroness Ashton, we must remain committed to Western Sahara.
Ana Gomes
(PT) Madam President, the brutal attack on the peaceful protest of the Sahrawi camp has stuck a serious blow to the negotiations under the auspices of the UN. It reminded me of the worst times in East Timor: talks being held in the UN while the people were being attacked in order to thwart them. Spain could be an advocate for the former colony that it abandoned, as Portugal was for self-determination in East Timor, but it is not, as it does not wish to compromise its commercial and other interests in Morocco.
It is now known that Madrid and the UN were warned of the attack. It is but a short step from negligence to complicity. France bears particular responsibility for encouraging Morocco to continue with the occupation. As for the European Union, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy only spoke of the attack weeks after it had happened, and did so in an extremely brief, irrelevant statement. In this resolution Parliament is calling out to the European Union, demanding an international independent enquiry into the events and the identification of the dead, missing and prisoners, demanding unrestricted access to the international press, humanitarian organisations and observers, demanding that the UN monitor human rights in Western Sahara and demanding the immediate release of all Sahrawis detained in Morocco or in the occupied territory of Western Sahara.
Guido Milana
(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I have only one regret in this Chamber this evening, and that is that we are only discussing the Sahrawi people because the Moroccans have invaded the camp outside Laâyoune, and that is a shame for democracy in this Parliament.
Parliament should have found the will to discuss this issue of its own accord, as it has been rotting on international negotiating tables for 30 years. This is the most significant political fact. We were forced into it by acts of violence, not because we autonomously decided to guarantee human rights. What is the fact that a referendum for self-determination should be held there, if not a question of respect for human rights?
Precisely because Morocco is our friend, because Morocco is the strong party in the relationship, we must forcefully request that it is no longer possible to postpone this desire and follow up with all consequent actions. We must seek to create the conditions so that the aim of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is not only to realise the conditions for a referendum which is constantly being postponed. We must try to use all the means at the disposal of the European Union to bring this event about and ensure that the referendum does justice to a people's 30 years of suffering.
Gilles Pargneaux
(FR) Madam President, Commissioner, leaving aside this afternoon's debate and the resolution which we will consider tomorrow, let us get back to the main issue, which I did not really hear mentioned during the debate just now.
A real national cause for Morocco, let us not forget that this major political issue is a diplomatic challenge for Morocco's relations with the countries of Africa and the Maghreb, primarily Algeria.
Secondly, it is an economic challenge as this issue hinders the formation of a prosperous and stable Maghreb. It is also a security challenge due to the activism of the al-qaeda terrorist organisation in Islamic Maghreb, and subsequently, it is a humanitarian challenge for the Sahrawi people in question, particularly those in the Tindouf camps, who cannot get out.
We must get back to what matters. What matters is resolution 1920, adopted unanimously by the UN, which requests that we be able to put the issue of autonomy proposed by Morocco on the table and which also calls for family visits between Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps.
So there, in essence, are the challenges we believe important. As suggested by our colleague, Mr Panzeri, dialogue needs to be reopened with all parties, in particular with the Moroccan authorities in the weeks that follow, which will be done, as there are plans for the foreign affairs minister to appear before us on 1 December.
Antonio Masip Hidalgo
(ES) Madam President, on 18 November, in the Spanish Parliament, the Minister Mrs Jiménez stressed that the opinion of the International Court of Justice in The Hague was that decolonisation has not yet taken place and that Western Sahara cannot be assimilated into Morocco. There have been 35 years of illegal suffering and occupation. The camp is the epitome of the distance between Morocco and the Saharan people, no matter how many settlers and soldiers they have introduced into the area from which they expelled thousands of genuine inhabitants.
Morocco is repressing with hatred what it knows to be a different people. Soon there will be colonial trials such as the one that took place on 5 November in Casablanca, where foreign and European observers were beaten. Let us prevent the destruction of a noble, heroic people group that is a friend of Europe.
Salvatore Iacolino
(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, such a serious event as that which has taken place in recent weeks to the detriment of the Sahrawi people cannot go unpunished and therefore the European Parliament is duty-bound and required to intervene.
On the other hand, there is no doubt - as Mr Salafranca Sanchéz-Neyra rightly said - that over time the people of Morocco have made a series of important contributions to Africa, which mean that we can consider them not only friends, but particularly close to the positions held by the European Union.
Without prejudice to the penalty, which we are duty-bound to apply and is absolutely essential, a new path of negotiations should be associated with this, as already launched in the joint committee, which really allows fundamental rights to be protected, since they cannot continue to be violated as they have been, ahead of the United Nations throwing full light on the issue we are talking about today, in order to throw light on a violation of fundamental rights which really must be penalised.
Metin Kazak
(BG) Madam President, I, too, wish to congratulate Commissioner Piebalgs for the exceptionally balanced, even presentation of the European Commission's attitude to the events in Western Sahara. I believe that we are at risk of doing more harm than good with this resolution because no attention is being paid to the efforts which Morocco is making to achieve a lasting, just solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
I would like to say that many international organisations are still there, conducting their investigations into what happened. I believe that the best forum for dialogue with Morocco is the EU-Morocco Joint Parliamentary Committee. I think that support needs to be given to the efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution under the auspices of the United Nations, rather than making biased statements.
Janusz Władysław Zemke
(PL) Madam President, I cannot emphasise too strongly that the situation in Western Sahara is rightly the cause of our concern. We, in this Chamber, know very well that the conflict, which has been going on there for many years, may have effects in territories which are much further away. There are people there who have no hope, who are being both repressed and humiliated. In a situation like this, the people who have been humiliated can often constitute a natural base for terrorist activity. They can be receptive to terrorist indoctrination, and Western Sahara may become a place from which terrorism is exported. Therefore, the European Union should condemn all cases of violations of the law, but I think that greater effort should be made to help UN forces, so that they can be still more effective in ensuring security in the area.
Nicole Kiil-Nielsen
(FR) Madam President, on 8 November, the Moroccan authorities used violence in dismantling the camp set up near Laâyoune, in Western Sahara, resulting in deaths and numerous injuries.
I am absolutely outraged that a Member State, in this instance France, should object to the request for a UN fact-finding mission looking into these events. Uganda's proposal at the UN Security Council meeting on 16 November was however both legitimate and desirable. It is all very well for France to hide behind the lack of decision on the part of the Security Council when it has abused its weight of veto power to prevent any light being shed on these incidents. Would the truth be so hard to face?
Europe, which likes to think itself exemplary in protecting human rights, must demand an independent and transparent fact-finding mission, under the aegis of the United Nations, and an extended mandate for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). More generally, we are counting on Baroness Ashton for a fair and lasting solution to be brought to this unacceptable situation for the Sahrawi people.
Dominique Vlasto
(FR) Madam President, like my fellow Members, I deplore the loss of life in this conflict. However, I would like to say that the proposed text is unbalanced and I regret that the vote on this resolution has been rushed. It would have been better to wait for the results of the investigations to have a proper discussion on solid foundations and to enable fellow Members to gain a true idea of what is really happening. Indeed this could be seen as a way of influencing UN negotiations on the future of Western Sahara. I must say that this worries me at a time when the Euro-Mediterranean policy is being relaunched. It will take time to establish the facts and to know who is responsible for what. As far as I am concerned, this is essential for the stability of this highly sensitive region and for the wellbeing of its people.
John Bufton
Madam President, I will also talk today about the upsetting developments in Western Sahara.
As we have been reading in our newspapers, there have been violent confrontations in refugee camps, where the bulk of the Western Saharan population have been confined since the Moroccan invasion of the 1970s. To invade their country is one thing, but to confine a large percentage of the population in refugee camps is another.
The Western Sahara in Exile movement has courageously brought this situation to the world's attention. The UN Security Council has examined this latest violent episode, but stopped short of calling for an independent investigation.
It is a safe bet that the Moroccan authorities will be less than impartial if the investigation is left up to them. The Moroccan authorities cannot even decide how many people were killed in the raid at the camp in Laâyoune. Given the proximity of Western Sahara to Europe, and its potential to destabilize the sensitive North African region, this could escalate if things are not done soon.
I strongly believe that there should be an independent investigation and I call on the UN Security Council to launch one.
Bernadette Vergnaud
(FR) Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to begin by pointing out that I did not believe it right to give our opinion so early on with a vote on the events that took place in Laâyoune on 8 November, when we do not have all the facts at our disposal to give us the necessary hindsight and objectivity.
Nevertheless, given these conditions, I am relieved to see that we have reached a relatively balanced and measured joint resolution which takes into account the concept of human rights and which does not unduly condemn either party, even though some points are questionable. In any case, the most important thing I think is not to inflame the situation further so that investigations and negotiations can be conducted in an atmosphere of calm, and so I think it wise not to be drawn into challenging the privileged status of a neighbouring partner country on the basis of partial and often contradictory reports.
Andreas Mölzer
(DE) Madam President, Morocco's desire to suppress reports of the incidents in Western Sahara does not show the country in a good light. When the Gaza aid flotilla was attacked there was an immediate international outcry. However, when a protest camp was cleared in the occupied Western Sahara, with people being killed in the process, and the town in question was declared a no-go zone, even for journalists, there was a lack of combined dynamic action from the international community.
Of course, it was only to be expected that, in view of the intractable situation, the liberation movement would at some point no longer feel bound by the ceasefire. This was also linked to a referendum on Western Sahara - a referendum the participants of which could never actually be agreed on. Meanwhile, more and more Moroccans settled there. In my opinion, these incidents must be fully investigated. The European Union should act as a neutral mediator and try to bring both parties in the dispute to the table once again.
Ulrike Rodust
(DE) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I support the compromise reached for the resolution. As coordinator for the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament in the Committee on Fisheries, I am also interested in the fisheries agreement with Morocco. It is good that we are calling for the resolution for international law to be respected in connection with the exploitation of resources in Western Sahara. Unfortunately, most Members of this House are not aware that there is an opinion issued by Parliament's legal service which states that the current fisheries agreement with Morocco contravenes international law if it is not demonstrated that the people of Western Sahara benefit from the agreement. There is currently no demonstration of this and the European Commission has therefore put negotiations concerning renewal of the agreement on hold. I very much hope that a diplomatic solution can be found here. However, it has to be clear to us that we cannot ignore international law on account of economic interests.
Ulrike Lunacek
(DE) Madam President, I, too, am very pleased that we finally have a resolution on the conflict in Western Sahara in this House. I think this should have happened a lot sooner on other grounds, not only after the occurrence of these atrocious incidents in the Gdaim Izyk camp.
I really do not understand why Morocco is not prepared to allow an independent inquiry. If it has nothing to hide, the inquiry should be carried out. So why is it not being done? I very much hope that this resolution will be adopted in Parliament tomorrow - of course that does not mean that there should not be dialogue with Morocco. Next week, the Moroccan and Algerian foreign ministers, as well as the Polisario Front, are invited to attend a meeting of the Committee of Foreign Affairs. I hope they will come and engage in a discussion with us.
However, I do not think the suggestion to postpone the resolution is a sensible one, because, as the European Parliament, it is important for us to respect and support the principle of compliance with human rights, as well as the principle of a people's right to self-determination - in this case for the Sahrawi. I visited the camps close to Tindouf for the first time 23 years ago. Since then, this people has been fighting to finally be able to observe its own law and to hold a referendum that is fair and just. I am therefore pleased that this resolution is now on the table and that tomorrow it will hopefully actually be adopted, too.
Cristian Dan Preda
(FR) Madam President, firstly, I would like to say that it is true that we could have debated longer and come up with a different text. At the same time, however, the text was given more or less the same time that is usually devoted to emergency resolutions. Our Moroccan partners should therefore be told that this is, in fact, the consensus reached by the various political groups.
I believe that it is a stage of this dialogue. Probably for the first time, I support the proposal made by Mr Panzeri for continued dialogue within the parliamentary committee on certain matters that bind us to our Moroccan colleagues. It is a recently created committee which can be supported - why not? - by a group of friends from Morocco, because there are a lot of them here. I am also really looking forward to dialogue with the Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minster. He has announced that he will address the Committee on Foreign Affairs next week. This will present another opportunity to continue this dialogue.
Andris Piebalgs
Member of the Commission. - Madam President, after very closely following the debate, I would like to stick to my initial statement. I believe that it is very balanced and very correct.
I would just repeat the last sentence. The United Nations Secretary-General has the support of the EU in achieving a just, lasting and mutually-acceptable political solution which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in agreement with the Security Council resolutions. I would definitely encourage both sides to support the efforts of the United Nations.
President
Seven motions for resolutions have been tabled to wind up the debate. That brings the debate to a close.
The vote will take place tomorrow at 12:00.
(The sitting was suspended at 20:00 and resumed at 21:00)
Written statements (Rule 149)
Dominique Baudis
Looking carefully at the images available on the Internet, one can measure the level of violence used against the Moroccan law enforcement authorities. The scenes witnessed at both the Gdaim Izyk camp and on the road to Laâyoune are evidence of the deadly acts of violence against the Moroccan security services. Not even the emergency vehicles were spared. The reality is very far removed from what the propaganda would have us believe. Our Parliament therefore needs to show restraint and use discretion rather than unduly laying the blame on the Moroccan authorities and holding them fully responsible for this situation.
Debora Serracchiani
The latest violent events linked to the dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the Western Sahara require greater attention due to the negative effects they could have on stability in the region. The clearing of the camp at Laâyoune seems to have resulted in about a dozen deaths, more than 700 wounded, 150 missing and 160 arrested by the Moroccan authorities and is believed to have led to the killing of a Spanish citizen of Sahrawi origins, Baby Hamday Buyema. We must not leave the Sahrawi people all alone, but we need to finish off the negotiations conducted under the aegis of the United Nations, in accordance with the principles of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly Article 2. The European Union must intervene and urge the Moroccan Government to avoid further bloodshed and release those Sahrawi who have been detained illegally. The resumption of informal talks between the parties, which took place on 7 and 8 November 2010, must represent the first sign that a fair solution can been peacefully accepted by the parties.


EU - Canada Summit (debate)
President
The next item is the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the EU-Canada Summit.
Catherine Ashton
Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. - Mr President, Canada is one of the oldest and most like-minded partners of the European Union. We work together on a wide range of issues - both bilaterally and, of course, around the world.
Our relationship is anchored in a shared history that goes back a long way and by common values that are deeply held. It is on that basis that we cooperate to protect our common interests. We do so of course for the benefit of citizens in Europe and in Canada, but also to promote security and prosperity worldwide.
So it is an important relationship. We need to nurture and invest in it, so that we realise its full potential. That is the purpose of the next EU-Canada Summit which will take place in Brussels on 5 May.
The timing is fortunate. Because it means that, as Canada is chairing the G8 and G20 summit at the end of June, our EU-Canada Summit allows us to take stock and align our strategies on global themes that will figure on the G8 and G20 summits, for example, how to promote a sustainable economic recovery, cooperation on financial market reform and regulation, climate change and combating nuclear proliferation.
I attended the G8 foreign ministers meeting recently in Canada where, indeed, many of these issues were discussed.
We will also have the chance to discuss EU-Canada bilateral relations and how we work together on regional crises. Our aim is to have a focused, business-like summit.
With our bilateral relations, the summit will deal with efforts to upgrade and modernise the EU-Canada relationship. It will offer us an excellent opportunity to provide support at the highest political level to reach an ambitious comprehensive economic and trade agreement as soon as possible.
We will take stock of the progress made during the first three rounds of negotiations but also give new impetus to these negotiations, bearing in mind its importance to expand trade and job creation. On trade more generally, the summit should send a clear signal that the EU and Canada reject protectionism, recalling our commitment to reaching an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced conclusion of the Doha Development Round.
The summit should also address the subject of reciprocal visa-free travel. Our goal is clear: we want visa-free travel to Canada for all EU citizens as soon as possible.
We will also have a chance to discuss our crisis management cooperation which, I am pleased to say, is expanding rapidly. We have several crisis management operations ongoing, notably our police mission in Afghanistan, where our cooperation with Canada is exemplary.
Haiti will also be on the agenda of the summit for obvious reasons. Canada plays a very important role in Haiti, and one of the areas where we can and should strengthen our joint efforts is in linking crisis management to longer-term development. This was also the point I stressed during the New York conference on Haiti on 31 March which was co-chaired by both the EU and Canada, along with France, Spain and Brazil.
Along with my fellow Commissioners for Development, Andris Piebalgs, and for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, I was pleased to announce at New York that the EU will contribute over EUR 1.2 billion to Haiti's reconstruction and development.
The EU and Canada both have a long-term commitment to assist Haiti on the path to reconstruction; to rebuild for a better future.
The summit will cover climate change. Taking into account the post-Copenhagen context, adaptation to and mitigation of climate change will continue to top the agenda and will require supportive energy policies. There is wide support for the idea that EU-Canada cooperation should focus on financing mechanisms as well as on support to third countries' clean development.
The consequence of climate change for the Arctic will be another important element of our discussions at the summit. Nowhere are the effects of climate change more keenly felt than in the Arctic region. Environmental changes have a growing impact on the Arctic's people, biodiversity and landscape - both on land and at sea. Protecting the region, including its population, is a key objective of the EU's evolving Arctic Policy, as honourable Members may recall from my presentation during the March Plenary session. With more than 40% of its land mass in the North, Canada shares our interest in protecting the Arctic environment and ensuring the sustainable economic and social development of the region.
Finally, when we talk about upgrading and modernising the EU-Canada relationship, we have the 1976 European Community-Canada framework agreement. This is still in force but outdated. EU-Canada cooperation has extended to other fields such as foreign and security policy and closer cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs.
So we need a modernised framework agreement to act as an umbrella for all our sectoral agreements, including the comprehensive economic and trade agreement and we are holding exploratory talks with Canada to upgrade that agreement at the present time.
In a world of big challenges and where change is constant, we need partners. Canada is among the most important the European Union has. We aim for a productive summit with clear results.
Elisabeth Jeggle
Mr President, Baroness Ashton, ladies and gentlemen, thank you, Baroness Ashton, for your comprehensive statement. As vice-chair of the delegation for relations with Canada in the European Parliament, I am particularly pleased that we are discussing in Parliament the forthcoming EU-Canada Summit. As you know, the vote has unfortunately been postponed until the beginning of May. However, I would like to present briefly the points that are important to the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats).
Since 1959, Canada has been one of the closest and the oldest partners of the European Union. Canada and the European Union share many common values and are firmly in favour of a multilateral approach to tackling global challenges. In 2010, Canada holds the G8 Presidency and will host the next G20 summit. With regard to the current negotiations for a comprehensive economic and trade agreement between the European Union and Canada, it is important for us to deepen and strengthen the good relationship between the two partners at the forthcoming summit.
For this reason, we are calling in our joint resolution for a coordinated and coherent approach to the challenges which face us, in particular, with regard to the economic and financial crisis, foreign and security policy, development cooperation, climate and energy policy and the negotiations in the Doha round. However, we are also calling for the problem of the visa requirement that has been partially reintroduced by the Canadian Government for EU citizens from the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania to be resolved during the forthcoming EU-Canada Summit. Against this background, we very much welcome the opening of a visa office in the Canadian Embassy in Prague and the establishment of an expert working group on this issue.
Finally, I would like to emphasise once again that I am convinced that the EU-Canada Summit will deepen the already close political relationship between the two parties. Thank you for your commitment and your attention.
Ioan Enciu
As Mrs Ashton, the High Representative, has also said, Canada is one of the European Union's oldest partners, and this year's summit is important in order to continue and consolidate this close cooperation in every area: economic, trade, climate change and military. Indeed, I wish to welcome the measures which have been taken so far aimed at signing an EU-Canada trade agreement and I hope that this year's meeting will give the necessary impetus to finalise it.
Bearing in mind the current economic situation and state of the climate, I must emphasise the need for close cooperation in order to identify alternatives to the traditional sources for producing energy, which will respect the particular features of both states, the European Union and Canada, which are involved in developing and using low carbon technology. At the same time, cooperation should also be promoted in the energy-climate sector and maritime sector in the Arctic region.
There are also sensitive issues which will be touched on at the summit. I am referring here to ecological issues, global warming, ACTA, CETA, the banking sector, bringing stability to financial and economic markets, the CITES conference and the EU-Canada agreement on PNR information. I think that, bearing in mind the experiences from the past, the European Union and Canada will manage to resolve as many of these issues as possible. However, these issues must be approached with tact and understanding, without any recriminations, simply looking ahead to the future and taking into account the interests of citizens on both sides. Guaranteeing reciprocity in bilateral relations is one of the European Union's basic principles. We hope that, in the near future, Canada will waive the visa requirements for Romanian, Czech and Bulgarian nationals, thereby ensuring fair and equal treatment for all European Union citizens.
Finally, bearing in mind that the European Parliament's opinion is required to sign any international treaty, it must be involved and consulted right at the initial phase of any project. I take this opportunity to ask the Commission to establish effective communication with the European Parliament in order to achieve sustainable results.
Wolf Klinz
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the partnership between the EU and Canada works very well, not only in the area of the economy, but also on questions of foreign policy, such as Iran, Afghanistan, Haiti and other similar cases.
Despite this, we are faced with a number of serious challenges. I am sure that we can overcome them, because we have such a close friendship and partnership. I am thinking about five points in particular. Firstly, we must do the job of regulating the financial sector properly. A great deal was promised by the G20 and I believe that it is important for it to be clearly shown at the G20 summit in Toronto, which is hosted by Canada, that the G20 countries are taking concrete measures and not just making promises.
My second point has already been mentioned. We have very similar objectives with regard to climate policy. We in Europe can definitely learn from Canada about carbon capture and storage projects and other developments in this sector. We hope to be able to agree on joint standards for reductions.
My third point concerns the need for a new trade agreement and I believe that our objectives are very similar in this area as well. I would like to highlight two points where action is needed and where we intend to move closer together, but still remain some distance apart. One of these concerns visa-free travel, which you, Baroness Ashton, have already referred to. I hope that it will be possible to treat ethnic minorities from EU Member States in the same way as all other EU citizens.
My last point relates to the passenger data agreement which expired in the autumn of last year. It is de facto still in force, but no longer has a basis in law. We need a new legal basis, so that we can produce a new agreement. This new legal basis must ensure that civil rights are respected. Modern technological opportunities for networking should not be used to make all the information on names, dates of birth, flight details, credit cards, and so on, readily available in such a way that this information can be misused. We hope that we can work together to create a legal basis which corresponds to our European concept of civil rights.
Reinhard Bütikofer
Mr President, Baroness Ashton, Canada is a good friend and an important partner of the EU. It is also an important international player and has long been a mature democracy which we can learn a lot from. However, because it is a long time since we have adopted a resolution on Canada in this House, we should take the opportunity to look more seriously at the relationship between Europe and Canada than this resolution does.
I find it rather embarrassing that the resolution refers to the many common challenges, but does not include the policy on the Arctic among them. There is no mention of protecting the Arctic using targets and standards. The Arctic is only referred to in passing and the fact that in March, Canada prevented Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the indigenous peoples from taking part in an international meeting on the Arctic in a rather unfriendly way is completely overlooked.
I am embarrassed that the problem of the tar sands, the bluefin tuna and the ban on seal culling are not addressed. This is not all about provoking Canada. However, if we hold a serious discussion with a friend, it is foolish and shameful not to mention the problems that we have. No mention is made of the fact that Canada did not play a particularly positive role in Copenhagen. The problem of the visa policy, specifically with regard to the Czech Republic and its Roma people, should be highlighted more clearly.
We must work together in friendship, but we must not sweep the problems under the carpet, because that does not help anyone. Therefore, my group will seek to ensure when we vote that the problem of the tar sands and of the import of seal products is included in the resolution.
Philip Bradbourn
on behalf of the ECR Group. - Mr President, as chairman of the Delegation for relations with Canada, I warmly welcome this resolution, which is actually a first part of an EU-Canada Summit. As has been said, Canada is one of Europe's oldest partners, and strengthening our relations across the Atlantic has become a priority for both sides. Again, as the noble lady said in her opening remarks, discussions are progressing with Canada for a comprehensive, economic and trade agreement which hopefully will set the standard for future trade agreements between the EU and third countries.
Parliament will have to approve these agreements, and I hope that the Commission will keep Members, especially the interparliamentary delegation and the International Trade Committee, fully informed and involved at each stage of these discussions.
The resolution before us is one that I can fully support as it is concise and sticks to the issues of the summit and our relations with the Canadian Government. The resolution sets a positive tone for future discussions and illustrates this Parliament's willingness to engage positively with our oldest trading partner. It can be built upon to advance the reputation not only of this House, but also in future negotiations with other third countries.
Joe Higgins
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group. - Mr President, there has not been any assessment of the social, environmental and economic effects of an economic agreement between the European Union and Canada.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, with 600 000 members in areas such as health care, education, local municipalities, public utilities and transport, is seriously concerned about the effects of such an agreement. The National Union of Public and General Employees, with 340 000 members in Canada in the public and private sectors, is equally concerned, as is the Public Service Alliance of Canada, with 165 000 members.
These workers are concerned because they understand that such an agreement will be implemented primarily in the economic interests of big business in both Canada and in the European Union and not primarily in the interests of working people or of social justice.
Now, both the European and Canadian transnational corporations want to break into the provision of public services in Canada - on a maximisation-of-profit basis, of course. They see an EU-Canada agreement as a vehicle to force extensive privatisation in areas like public transport, water provision and electricity. Such a development would be ominous for Canadian workers' pay and conditions. It could be the beginning of a race to the bottom in exactly the same way as we have seen in Europe, where the EU Commission itself endorses the rights of private companies providing services to exploit workers, as proven when the Commission took the Luxembourg state to court for wanting migrant service workers to be given the same protection as Luxembourgish workers.
Now, Canadian water is a particular target of the water multinationals. Some EU-based multinationals previously wreaked havoc in countries such as Bolivia with water privatisation and their baleful influence is already being felt in Canada.
Happily, ordinary people in Canada are prepared to fight to protect their public water provision. They will need to be vigilant.
The European public sector workers' trade unions are also concerned, and I call on both Canadian and EU-based unions to forge a real campaign to protect public ownership in public services with democratic control rather than maximisation of private profit, but not just a coming together at leadership level but a real involvement of the rank and file to protect their public services.
Anna Rosbach
on behalf of the EFD Group. - (DA) Mr President, Europe and Canada have enjoyed a good partnership for many years, so it is only natural for us to seek to expand free trade. Is the present method the best one, however, in view of the time that the negotiations have taken? Is the EU apparatus too cumbersome and bureaucratic to deal with this task?
Canada would like a free trade agreement with the EU, but at the same time, Canada refuses to ban the terrible method used to slaughter seals that runs absolutely counter to all rules on animal welfare.
Similarly, Canada wants the right to tax shipping through an ice-free Northwest Passage. A route north of America must be freely available to all, however. The Northwest Passage is an ideal way to save time, money and fuel and benefit the environment. It improves the competitiveness of all the countries of the northern hemisphere. I therefore urge Canada to pursue the ideas behind the free trade agreement and drop any ideas of taxing use of the open sea.
Andreas Mölzer
(DE) Mr President, as if it were not embarrassing enough that information has leaked out in the middle of the negotiations on the comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA), the accusation has also been made that Canada is being forced to adapt its copyright laws to US and EU standards as part of the CETA and the anti counterfeit trade agreement (ACTA). It seems that the CETA refers to significant privatisation, deregulation and restructuring. This involves local authorities being prevented from applying specific local or ethnic procurement guidelines. Of course, it makes sense to put larger contracts out to tender and, of course, there must be rules in place to ensure that corruption and nepotism do not become rife.
When our local authorities here are already complaining that they are not allowed to use companies that show social commitment, but instead are generally forced to give contracts to the firms that dominate the market, it becomes even more incomprehensible that we are imposing similar regulations on other countries. When free trade agreements allow multinational companies to sue governments for damages because of their decisions on environmental and health policy, it is clear that the European Union has learnt far too little from the financial and economic crisis and is continuing on the wrong, neoliberal course.
If the EU really wants to be there for its citizens, as the soapbox speakers always say, then it must stop going down the wrong road and turn itself into a bulwark against globalisation, while supporting friendly powers such as Canada.
Cristian Dan Preda
(RO) I would like, first of all, as other fellow Members have also done, to emphasise that the EU-Canada Summit is an important opportunity for deepening our partnership with this important democracy. This relationship is extremely important to the EU as it involves partners who share the same values and have worked together over a long period of time.
At the same time, I would like to remind you of the declaration made at the previous EU-Canada Summit in Prague in May 2009, which reiterated the partners' common objective, and I quote, 'to enhance the free and secure movement of people between the EU and Canada, with a view to extending as soon as possible visa-free travel to Canada for all EU citizens'.
One year on, we are obliged to note that we are far from achieving this objective. Currently, not only are Romanians and Bulgarians still subject to a compulsory visa requirement, but, as you are aware, visas were reintroduced for the Czech Republic last year.
I think that we have here, first and foremost, a problem of reciprocity. Given, as you are well aware, that all EU Member States have waived visas for Canadian citizens, in accordance with our legislation, we have, on the other hand, if I may say so, a problem of consistency as Canada has removed the visa requirement for one of the candidate countries, Croatia, while, I repeat, currently retaining visa requirements for citizens from EU Member States.
I believe therefore that the May summit must make significant, if not decisive progress on the issue of waiving visas for all EU Member State citizens. I think that specific measures are required and this objective must be placed as high as possible on the agenda because we are no longer happy with declarations of principle. This form of discrimination is extremely unfair, especially for citizens in the country where I come from, a Member State of the European Union, which has made significant technical progress in terms of waiving visas.
Jörg Leichtfried
(DE) Mr President, I am wondering why I always feel that I should suspect the Commission of not wanting to put things before the European Parliament. That is the case with the free trade agreement which is being negotiated with Canada. I would like to join in the criticism voiced by fellow Members who have said that some of the facts are suspicious, in particular, the one mentioned by Mr Higgins, and I fully agree with him.
In my opinion, trade agreements are a good thing if they promote general prosperity on both sides, but not when they serve the interests of a few large multinational companies almost exclusively. When you find out that health, education or public security have suddenly become the subject of trade agreements and that they are to be deregulated and privatised, then you begin to suspect that the agreement is for the benefit of the few and will cause harm to many others. I would like to send out a warning to the people who are attempting to bypass the European Parliament in introducing agreements of this kind.
The second point that I would like to make is as follows. If you meet and negotiate with a long-term partner, such as Canada, you have to cover some unpleasant subjects. I believe that a discussion and an agreement of this kind should include the issue of the seal cull. This is not intended to annoy anyone, but to clarify the European position and to find a solution which would put an end to the appalling profit making at the expense of small animals.
Marian-Jean Marinescu
(RO) My fellow Member, Sebastian Bodu, was unable to make it to Strasbourg today and I am going to stand in for him.
At the moment, 39 million European citizens from Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria are unable to travel to Canada without a visa. More than half of this number - 22 million - are Romanians. Retaining the visa scheme for entry into Canada, as in the case of the United States scheme too, creates the situation where some Europeans are second-class citizens.
European citizens' freedom of movement must be treated on a uniform basis. The visa issue affects the relationship between the European Union and Canada. President Barroso called at the previous summits for a resolution of this matter. This issue must continue to be raised.
In the case of Romania, the proportion of rejected visa applications from Romanian citizens has dropped from 16% to 5% between 2004 and 2008. Roughly 200 000 Romanians live in Canada, the large majority of whom have entered there through the Canadian state's official immigration schemes. I do not understand why Canada takes different approaches. In 2009, visas were waived for a European country which is not a European Union Member State, the reason being given that a large number of citizens originating from that country were already living in Canada.
I also believe that the Czech Republic must benefit again from the visa waiver. The reason given for reintroducing visas must not become a factor for the other states. The topic of visas has been entered on the agenda for the EU-Canada Summit by the European Parliament. The EU must maintain the stance taken in October 2009, which is to enforce the solidarity clause if the problem is not resolved by the end of 2010.
Vice-President Ashton, achieving a visa waiver for Member States would be a major success for you in your job. I wish you every success in this endeavour.
Kriton Arsenis
(EL) Mr President, Canada is one of the oldest and closest allies of the European Union and has been since 1959. However, our cooperation must always be based on common values and mutual respect.
Canada is one of the ten worst emitters of greenhouse gases in the world and is the only country which, even though it signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol, then publicly announced that it had no intention of honouring its legal commitments. Instead of reducing emissions by 6% compared with 1990, emissions in Canada have risen by 26%. The production of tar sand is the main cause. Emissions of greenhouse gases from the production of tar sand are 3-5 times greater than from conventional production of oil and natural gas. The production of tar sand also takes two to five barrels of water for every barrel of tar extracted and then creates a series of waste products which threaten both biodiversity and the life of the natives. This production is also destroying the boreal forest, one of the biggest carbon sinks on the planet. By 2020, tar sand will probably have produced more emissions than Austria and Ireland. Canada spends just USD 77 per person on green subsidies, compared with USD 1 200 for Korea, 420 for Australia and 365 for the United States.
Guaranteeing protection for the boreal forest is extremely important and it is important that we ask Canada to comply with the international agreements that we have jointly signed, but which only we are respecting unilaterally, and that should be the basis for any further cooperation.
Miroslav Mikolášik
(SK) Since 1959, Canada has been one of the closest and most stable partners of the European Union. I am delighted that the economic situation has improved in Canada during the term of the current right-wing administration, which has not happened during previous electoral terms in this country.
The strengthening economic situation and the stronger Canadian dollar, which are leading to greater prosperity for Canadian citizens, have also sent a positive signal to other countries, creating favourable conditions for the development not only of political but also of economic cooperation. I believe that the EU-Canada Summit in Brussels will bring concrete progress in negotiations over a complex agreement on economic partnership.
Canada is the eleventh largest trading partner of the EU, accounting for up to 1.7% of overall foreign trade of the Union, and the EU is the second largest investor in Canada, while Canada is the fourth largest investor in the EU.
In 2008, the total volume of goods reached almost EUR 50 billion, while services accounted for EUR 20.8 billion. The liberalisation of trade in goods and services between the EU and Canada, along with greater access to markets, will make it possible to invigorate and deepen bilateral trade, which will certainly bring significant benefits to both the EU and the Canadian economies.
Jan Březina
(CS) Mr President, Baroness Ashton, ladies and gentlemen, the common visa policy of the EU now faces a major challenge in the form of the visa requirement imposed by Canada for the past 10 months on citizens of the Czech Republic. Canada, through its unilateral measure in relation to the Czech Republic, has also quite unacceptably bypassed the EU bodies responsible for the common visa policy. The rights of citizens of a Member State, as well as the prestige of the EU institutions which uphold these rights, have thus come under threat. The unprecedented action of the Canadian Government towards a Member State of the Union confronts the entire EU with a test of solidarity.
Czech citizens are relying on the European Commission resolutely to take on the role of defender and representative of a Member State and its legitimate interests. There will be a unique opportunity for this at the forthcoming EU-Canada Summit, where the visa question should be among the points of discussion. It is high time that all possible steps were taken to achieve a breakthrough in this long drawn-out affair. I applauded the fact that the Commission, in October 2009, adopted a report in which it called on Canada to open a visa office in Prague and to establish a timetable for lifting the visa requirement. Canada has fulfilled the first requirement but not yet the second, and therefore neither the European Commission nor the Council should be satisfied with progress to date. The pressure on Canada should not be relieved, but, on the contrary, should rather be increased. In this context, I would like to call on the Commission to make a clear statement regarding its commitment to propose, in case of insufficient progress, countermeasures involving the introduction of a visa requirement for Canadian officials and diplomats.
I firmly believe that we must stop dragging our feet. Czech citizens do not expect fine promises and sympathetic noises from EU bodies, but concrete, goal-orientated actions. In my opinion, the ball is now in the hands of the Commission and especially President Barroso, who will be the main negotiating partner of the Canadian premier at the summit. If we fail to start acting self-confidently and forcefully towards the Canadian Government, any efforts we make will lose effect and the result will be that the faith of Czech citizens in European institutions will be seriously undermined. Our talk of European solidarity will then be so much hot air to them.
Othmar Karas
(DE) Mr President, Baroness Ashton, ladies and gentlemen, as a member of the EU delegation for relations with Canada, I would like to emphasise the fact that Canada and the EU share common values. Our common values form the basis for the structure of our society and are of fundamental importance in this respect. We should make increasing use of this common foundation to take joint responsibility for restructuring basic global conditions. Our close historic and cultural links and our respect for multilateralism, including our support for the Charter of the United Nations, form the foundation of our partnership. We must improve and strengthen our relationship on a variety of levels, in particular, of course, on the political level.
The agreement that we are discussing today will be the first based on the new treaty and the Commission should be aware of this. The main requirements for a successful decision-making process for this agreement are transparency, cooperation and the inclusion of Parliament. Two important subjects have been raised in this discussion. The one-sided visa rules for Czech citizens are unacceptable and should be abolished. Canada's criticism of the strict regulations on the sale of seal products is an indication not that we need to change, but that Canada must change.
However, one of the objectives of the EU-Canada agreement is that we should work together to create a stronger trade area than the North American free trade agreement (NAFTA) area. This is not just about economic cooperation, but also about sending out a clear signal that protectionism is not acceptable. It is a lucky coincidence that Joe Biden is speaking in the European Parliament in Brussels on the same day as the EU-Canada Summit is taking place, because effective, professional cooperation with both parts of the North American continent is important to us and because together, we want to take more responsibility in the world.
Zuzana Roithová
(CS) Baroness Ashton, I would like to point out to you that the Achilles heel regarding successful ratification of the agreement between the EU and Canada is the unilateral visa requirement for the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, because it creates an unacceptable form of second class citizenship in the EU. Not just the other countries showing solidarity with us, but also many MEPs will be perfectly entitled to block ratification if Canada fails to fulfil the promise to tighten its lax asylum policy, which is supposed to be the precondition for lifting visa requirements. Baroness Ashton, can you tell me whether you have pointed out to Canada that it is not acceptable for the country to postpone until 2013 the tightening of this generous asylum act which is open to abuse, and that it must amend the act as soon as possible, bearing in mind the shared values and good economic relations it has with the European Union, the terms of which are to be contained in the new trade agreement? Madam Vice-President, do you consider it your priority to raise the question of bringing forward this deadline at the summit with Canada in two weeks' time, and to get the visa requirement lifted before signing the agreement with Canada? If this is not the case, are you aware of the possibility that this important agreement may not be ratified here in the European Parliament, because we do not intend to accept this behaviour on the part of Canada towards the three Member States of the EU?
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you on behalf of millions of citizens for your solidarity, and to applaud the fact that the draft of your joint resolution, which we will vote on in Brussels, includes a clear call for the amendment of the Canadian asylum system and the quickest possible lifting of the visa requirement for almost 50 million European citizens.
Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris
(IT) Mr President, High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, I think that the discussion and the debate in this Chamber lend great strength to its actions with a view to the May summit.
There is no doubt about the ideas that everyone has expressed: the importance of our relationship with Canada, the importance of the partnership and our shared values with a great democratic country with which we have a strategic need to cooperate.
However, some questions have been raised which, in my opinion, and on the basis of your mandate from this House, are questions which absolutely must be dealt with and, if possible, resolved, because it is the solutions that count at the end of the day, not the battles.
The first of these concerns the need to stress the principle of reciprocity regarding the free movement of Canadian and European citizens. I am neither Czech, nor Romanian, nor Bulgarian, and other Romanian colleagues have spoken before me, but, all the same, as a European citizen, I feel just as cheated of my rights if European citizens cannot move freely around Canada - I am talking quickly, because you understand me, Mr President, but I think you would like me to repeat it for the translation - but, all the same, I feel cheated if other citizens from other European countries cannot move freely around Canada, while Canadian citizens can move freely around all the European countries.
Moving onto the issue of the seal massacre: we are always moved when television programmes or press enquiries show the vicious, terrible actions used in certain hunting pursuits: in this Parliament, we have the chance to voice our opinions, and I believe that we should stop feeling upset and protesting and start taking action.
Our relationship with a great democratic country such as Canada should also allow us to bring up problems and to request moratoriums. I thank Baroness Ashton for the action she will take and report back to this Parliament, beginning with the summit in May.
Olga Sehnalová
(CS) Madam Vice-President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, in connection with the forthcoming EU-Canada Summit, I would like to mention one of the fundamental principles on which the EU is based. This is the principle of solidarity. This value must be respected in all circumstances if the EU wants to retain the trust of its citizens, even in cases which involve a problem for just one Member State. As has already been said, in July 2009, Canada introduced a visa requirement for citizens of the Czech Republic. At the request of the Czech Republic, the question of visa relations with Canada was included as an item at the February meeting of the Council of Justice and Internal Affairs. Solidarity with the Czech Republic was expressed at the meeting by Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, and also in clear terms by the Spanish Presidency. The Commission also proclaimed solidarity, although there is no concrete solution in sight, even after negotiations between the groups of experts. Time moves on, and it is decidedly not working in favour of the EU and its citizens. For EU citizens from the Czech Republic, waiting for a new Canadian asylum act to be passed as a condition for lifting the visa requirement, with the closest realistic deadline in 2013, is hard to swallow. In this context, they are therefore expecting real help from the EU. If we often talk of citizens having a crisis of confidence in European institutions, let us also seek reasons for it in an approach, which, unfortunately, has not been one of complete solidarity so far.
Chris Davies
Mr President, I hope the High Representative will congratulate the Canadians on their diplomatic skills because they have something to teach us. At the recent conference on the trade in endangered species (CITES), they teamed up with their Japanese allies to comprehensively defeat our attempt to introduce a trade ban on bluefin tuna.
That CITES conference was all too reminiscent of the one on climate change in Copenhagen, where the EU position was unclear. We seemed to have spent a lot of time debating amongst ourselves, rather than debating with others, on a day-by-day basis and we ended up being soundly thrashed.
Japan and its Canadian allies had spent months beforehand doing the rounds, winning friends and buying a bit of influence here and there in order to get the votes they needed to get the result they wanted. We ended up coming out looking incoherent, disorganised and weak.
The Environment Commissioner has said that this must never happen again. He is determined to make a change. However, we have conferences of this kind taking place across the world all the time and we need to ensure that we are harnessing the full diplomatic skills of the European Union to ensure we have a forward-looking strategy, that we use our resources effectively, and that we stop punching below our weight.
Franz Obermayr
(DE) Mr President, I would like to highlight a very serious problem in enforcing intellectual property rights in these negotiations. Critical comments from Canadian professors of law and also from Harvard indicate that the planned agreement could amount to a complete revision of Canadian copyright, patent and trademark law.
On the one hand, the Canadians feel that their sovereignty and their right to make use of their own intellectual property are being restricted. However, on the other hand, strict and precise rules governing copy protection and the extension of this protection to cover films are very, very important.
It seems to me particularly crucial to include the Internet in any discussions on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, because it is impossible to protect intellectual property on the Internet without cross-border agreements. I am in favour of a specific ban on recording with video cameras in cinemas. This should be enforced in Canada. However, it is important for us to find a middle way. We should support the protection of intellectual property, but oppose blanket surveillance and persecution on the Internet.
Of course, it is also important to take into account that Canada has a different legal tradition and a different legal system. This is a very difficult problem to solve, but I hope that we can find an effective solution.
Paul Rübig
(DE) Mr President, Baroness Ashton, ladies and gentlemen, our most important concern should be to provide support for small and medium-sized businesses, particularly during an economic crisis. These companies employ two-thirds of all workers and generate 80% of tax income. For this reason, it is essential for public tenders to focus on giving small and medium-sized enterprises the opportunity to be awarded public contracts. Of course, the technical regulations, in other words, the trade facilitation measures, must also be adequately taken into consideration in this agreement. What I would like to know is whether there is an agreement with the World Trade Organisation to incorporate the basic principles of the Doha negotiations into this free trade agreement.
Silvia-Adriana Ţicău
(RO) Mr President, Commissioner, air transport is vital for bringing the European Union and Canada closer to each other by facilitating the transportation of goods and persons. The EU-Canada air transport agreement, signed on 18 December 2009, and the agreement on civil aviation safety between the European Union and Canada, signed in Prague on 6 May 2009, are two important elements in the transatlantic dialogue between the European Union and Canada. The first agreement is enforced provisionally until its entry into force after its ratification. The Council has not yet received any notification in this regard.
The second agreement is not enforced provisionally. The Council must send the proposal for a Council decision and the text of the agreement to the European Parliament for its opinion.
Bearing in mind the importance of air transport in the cooperation between the European Union and Canada, I would like to ask you, Vice-President, when the two agreements between the European Union and Canada will be able to enter into force properly.
Fiona Hall
Mr President, Canada is a close ally, but the EU must be a critical friend where necessary. Canada's record on climate change is poor and Canada was obstructive during the Copenhagen negotiations. Of particular concern is the tar sands industry, as Mr Arsenis mentioned. Extracting oil from tar sands requires much more energy than oil produced from other sources, as well as being very polluting for the local environment.
Given that the Canadian Government is currently trying hard to get the Commission to weaken its approach to carbon measurement in the implementation of the Fuel Quality Directive, may I ask the High Representative whether she will be raising the issue of tar sands in the summit discussions?
Catherine Ashton
Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. - Mr President, this has been an extremely useful and valuable debate for the preparations for the summit. Honourable Members have covered a wide range of different topics and I shall not least be making sure that the two presidents - the President of the Commission and the President of the Council - who, of course, will be leading the European Union at the summit, are fully aware of the issues that have been raised.
I am very grateful for the helpful way in which Members of Parliament have given me information, and put questions on areas I have to confess I do not know very much about - for example, on air transport, which I will have to find out about for them.
I would like just to pick up on two or three of the key areas that were discussed. In the context, there seemed to be a general view among honourable Members that this is an important relationship. Perhaps some of the frustrations I felt in the Chamber were because we recognise the importance of Canada and the importance of the shared values that we hold. The frustration of those honourable Members from the countries particularly affected by the visa question is therefore completely understandable.
Let me begin with trade, because quite a lot of the different contributions focused on that. We are right to go for an ambitious trade agreement. This will not be easy and from the very beginning - and I actually launched the trade negotiations - we recognised that, because of the particular interests of the EU and Canada, this was never going to be an easy negotiation. However, we should be very ambitious on both sides.
One example is intellectual property rights, where I am very concerned that Canada needs to make sure it has a proper regime in place. I know that it is looking at that and that the discussions and the rounds so far have been extremely positive and constructive and things are moving at a good pace.
I agree that we need to keep the Committee on International Trade fully informed and, as Mr Bradbourn said, those with a particular interest in Canada also need to be clearly in the loop on that. There will be an impact assessment, which is already being worked on at the present time, and, of course, Parliament will play its role in giving assent or not to the agreement when it is finally put forward. There is a very clear and key role for Parliament there.
All I would add to that are two things. One is that a good trade agreement actually benefits our citizens. That is what it is for. It is to make sure that for consumers, there are greater choices and for workers, there are greater opportunities. We need to ensure that all our trade agreements provide genuine opportunities across the European Union.
On the point on small and medium-sized enterprises, which I agree is very significant, I am reminded that one of the statistics that always struck me as being very interesting is that only 8% of our small and medium-sized enterprises actually trade, and only 3% trade outside of the European Union.
I have always felt, and continue to do so, that if we were able to increase those figures and provide opportunities - and government procurement may indeed be one of the areas where that is a possibility - then that is an opportunity in both directions for our small and medium-sized enterprises to benefit.
A number of honourable Members talked about the Arctic, and we have had discussions about that in recent times in Parliament. I accept that this is a very important issue, not least because it links to the other important issue I wanted to raise before I mention visas, which is climate change.
As far as we are concerned, Canada did belong to the group of countries that, in the Copenhagen negotiations, did not, in our view, take us anywhere near far enough. We can debate Copenhagen further - and no doubt in other conversations with the Commissioner responsible, there will be opportunities to do so. We were interested that, in the Speech from the Throne on 3 March, the Canadian Government stated that it fully supports the Copenhagen climate change accord. That is significant, and what we want to do in the context of the summit is to encourage and urge Canada to be ambitious, notably in increasing its mitigation target for 2020.
The international carbon market is key in shifting investment towards a low-carbon economy, and part of what we are able to do in our bilateral relationship is to push forward on those strategic questions of investment, of green technology and of collaboration, in trying to support all the measures we need to take to mitigate the problems of climate change.
The final issue - and there were many, but I just want to pick on three - and one which I, of course, wanted to raise, is the whole question of visas. This is extremely important and, as Member States represented here through their MEPs have mentioned, there are three Member States who are actually affected.
There is a lot of work going on to try and resolve this matter. We have had a lot of dialogue with Canada, a lot of the issues are well known and there are issues for Canada to resolve in terms of the legislation that it needs to put in place for the future. Honourable Members were quite right to raise this question and it will be part of the discussions.
The second expert working group meeting took place in Prague to look at the issues particularly relevant to the Czech Republic, and that has been facilitated by the Commission, so the Commission is fully involved.
I did pick up on, and will take away from this debate, the frustration of honourable Members who have raised the need to work quicker and further to address this problem and to recognise what is absolutely the most significant point of this, which is that this is not a bilateral issue, but a European Union-Canada issue, and we need to address it as such.
President
The debate is closed.
The vote will take place during the first part-session in May.
Written statements (Rule 149)
Sebastian Valentin Bodu
At the moment, 39 million European citizens from Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria are unable to travel to Canada without a visa. More than half of this number, 22 million, are Romanians. Retaining the visa scheme for entry into Canada for some of us is an untenable situation as it creates two classes of European citizens. European citizens' freedom of movement must be treated on a common, uniform basis, while the visa issue concerns the relationship between the EU and Canada and not bilateral relations between Canada and the respective states.
In the case of Romania, the proportion of rejected visa applications from Romanian citizens has dropped from 16% to 5% between 2004 and 2008. Roughly 200 000 Romanians live in Canada, some of whom have entered there through official Canadian immigration schemes. This is one of the reasons for a large number of visa applications. The topic of visas was entered on the agenda for the EU-Canada Summit by the European Parliament.
The EU's stance must be to apply the solidarity clause if the issue is not resolved by the end of 2010. The waiver of visas for Member States would be a first achievement for the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Corina Creţu
I think that one of the priority issues on the agenda for the EU-Canada Summit, scheduled to take place in Brussels on 5 May, must be to waive visas for all European Union citizens, on the basis of reciprocity and in order to eliminate the current discrimination preventing Romanian, Bulgarian and Czech citizens from visiting Canada without a visa.
This situation is all the stranger considering that, last year, the Canadian authorities removed the compulsory requirement to apply for short-stay visas for citizens of Croatia, a country still negotiating its accession to the EU. Romania has made significant progress in the last few years, including with regard to certain important criteria for removing the visa scheme. The rate of rejection of visa applications, the rate of exceeding the legal residence period and the number of asylum applications are in steady decline.
This is why the visa waiver would reflect this development, not to mention that equal treatment given to European and Canadian citizens would help strengthen mutual trust.