May human rights win

The voice of the European Parliament in Brussels has been raised in support of the Tibetan people and, more generally, in calling for respect for human rights and democracy in China. The EP, meeting in plenary session on 9/10 April, adopted by a very wide majority a resolution that makes several explicit references to the Dalai Lama and his role as essential partner in dialogue in this delicate phase of relations between the two countries.Rights and liberties in relations between Lhasa and Beijing. In the resolution approved in the chamber (580 votes in favour, 24 against and 45 abstentions) the European Parliament “firmly condemns the brutal repression by the Chinese security forces against Tibetan demonstrators and all acts of violence from whichever source” in Lhasa and in Tibet and “expressed its own sincere condolences to the families of the victims”. A debate on the question had been held in the EP during its session on 26 March: in the meantime the Dalai Lama has accepted an invitation to speak in the chamber in December this year. MEPs are closely monitoring developments in Tibet and their wider repercussions on the situation of human rights and democracy in China, the organization of the Olympic Games in Beijing and the journey that the Olympic torch is now making through the world. In its resolution the EP “calls on China to honour its commitments to human and minority rights and the rule of law” and, in particular, urges China “to respect its own public commitments to human rights and minority rights, democracy and the rule of law” and “not to misuse the 2008 Olympic Games by arresting dissidents, journalists and human rights activists”. The EU and the Olympic Games. On the other hand, the resolution passed by the EP underlines that the organization of the Olympic Games in Beijing represents “an extraordinary opportunity for China to open itself up to the world”. But the country must demonstrate that it is “able to keep its promises in terms of the promotion of fundamental rights for all Chinese without distinction”. The resolution “pays tribute to the fact that the Dalai Lama has called on the Tibetan people to protest non-violently, has rejected calls for Tibetan independence, and has instead proposed the middle way of genuine cultural and political autonomy, and religious freedom”. It asks the Chinese authorities “to open up Tibet to the foreign media and diplomats, in particular EU representatives”. It further “calls on the EU Presidency-in-Office to strive to find a common EU position with regard to the attendance of the heads of government and of state and the EU High Representative at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, with the option of non-attendance in the event that there is no resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama”. Support for small and medium business. Many other issues were tackled by MEPs during their plenary session. The chamber formally adopted a written declaration (as anticipated by SirEurope , no. 26 of 9 April) which calls for formal commitments from the common institutions and member states to “put an end to the problem of the homeless” by 2015, with a wide-ranging programme of interventions at the social and housing levels, including “emergency winter plans” to prevent the high number of victims from cold that is registered every year. The EP also approved the report of Austrian MEP Paul Rubig, which provides for “the financial participation of the EU in the Eurostars programme aimed at supporting small and medium businesses in a framework of European cooperation for research in the field of transnational projects”. The document envisages an overall mobilization of 800 million euros, 100 million to be allocated from the EU budget, 300 from the budgets of member states and the other half to be raised by private investments.Christianity among the European cultural “matrices”. The chamber also debated the process of Croatia’s rapprochement with the EU. Endorsing the report of the Austrian representative Hannes Swoboda, MEPs have welcomed the reforms so far carried out, but at the same time call for further progress in the field of reforms of public administration, the justice system, and the fight against corruption. Lastly, the chamber debated two reports (Guy Bono, France and Vasco Graca-Moura , Portugal) on future EU strategy in the field of culture. MEPs share the view that the modernity and competitiveness of Europe depend both on economic innovation and on culture and creativity. They further affirm that the European cultural heritage – including the interdependence between its main matrices, “such as Greek and Latin antiquity and the Judeo-Christian legacy that have historically placed Europe in the vanguard of all continents – has been revealed as “an incomparable generator of innovation, development and progress”, “an essential source of humanism, spiritual enrichment and inspiration, democracy, tolerance and civilization”: 2011 could be proclaimed “European Year of the Greek and Latin classics”.