Brussels, 4 March 2015
In a week the European Parliament will be gathered in Strasbourg for its March Plenary Session and will vote on the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2013 and the European Union’s policy on the matter presented by the Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri from the Socialist and Democrats group, a report which is very contradictory as regards respect for subsidiarity and democracy.
This report contains many positive points, such as the protection of the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. However, the report also oversteps EU competence and breaches the principle of subsidiarity as it explicitly criticises national referendums in several EU Member States, namely Croatia and Slovakia, and national legislation in Lithuania (par. 165). A criticism that breaches both the mandate of the EU Institutions and of the Committee for Foreign Affairs responsible of the report…
The report “encourages the EU institutions and the Member States to further contribute to reflection on the recognition of same-sex marriage or same-sex civil union” (par. 162), albeit the EU is not competent on this sensitive issue.
These paragraphs make the report very contradictory as it “Expresses its serious concern over the shrinking space of legitimate civil society action in many countries around the world; considers a free civil society to be one of the foundations for the protection and support of human rights and democratic values in all societies” (Par. 121), and at the same time criticises democratic referendums and the legitimate expression of citizens within the EU itself, a very sensitive matter in countries which suffered of decades of antidemocratic regimes.
FAFCE calls on the Members of the European Parliament to be consistent and respect the principle of Subsidiarity and the popular expression of Member State citizens.
Contact: Maria Hildingsson, Secretary General
+32 4 70 20 39 18
info@fafce.org
