Rights in the limelight

The September issue of Europe Infos, the monthly publication of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), addresses themes linked to the Year of European Citizenship and the preparations for 2014 elections. The report of a priest from Syria opens the issue devoted to EU-USA partnership, to the “soul of Europe” and to the account of a set of important initiatives held during the summer. Contributions to policies for the Roma, the protection of victims of violence and the right to assisted suicide, of which follows a summing-up, complete the issue. The editorial is by Fr Patrick Daly, COMECE General Secretary. Progresses and delays in the implementation of policies for the Roma. “The EU Progress Report on Roma integration (2013) shows that 16 Member States have improved coordination on Roma integration policies at national level”, “18 countries have taken action to establish better coordination between the local and national levels of government, and 20 Member States have introduced structured dialogues with local and regional authorities”, José Luis Bazán (COMECE Secretariat) thus summarised the progress made so far. But there is still a long way to go: segregation of Roma children in education, and in some countries less than half of them complete primary school studies; only one in three Roma are employed; have a life expectancy of 10 years less than the average European and a child mortality rate that is significantly higher; and access to housing remains hard. The Commission has proposed a new Council Recommendation, “the first EU legal instrument for Roma inclusion”. The Commission has proposed a specific investment priority through the European Social Fund and the Fund for Social inclusion. While the participation of Roma organisations is crucial for success in the implementation of the national strategies, civil society is scarcely involved, as highlighted during the the 8th European Platform for Roma Inclusion that took place past June. In defence of the victims of violence. The recently-adopted “EU Regulation No 606/2013 on mutual recognition of protection measures in civil matters” provides for protection to the victims of violence as part of their EU citizenship rights, explained Alessandro Calcagno (COMECE Secretariat). The Regulation at issue provides for the protection to victims of physical or psychological violence any form of violence in close relationships, such as physical violence, harassment, sexual aggression, stalking, intimidation or other forms of indirect coercion. Measures are applied by a judicial, national authority even if only one of the protection measures is breached. The victim must have a suitable “certificate” to invoke the protection measure in another Member State. In this way “the Union makes its presence felt on the side of vulnerable persons all over Europe” such as the victims of domestic violence and the ever more numerous victims of the Internet and social networks. Assisted suicide? “The right to assisted suicide for all, regardless of their health situation”, may well be on its way “to becoming a new standard in European human rights law a little sooner than you might have foreseen”, envisages José Ramos-Ascensão (COMECE Secretariat). His reflection is based on a recent case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)- Gross v. Switzerland – in which an elderly woman, uncomfortable with her diminishing physical and mental faculties owing to her ageing, wanted to put an end to her life by means of taking a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital. However, four medical doctors one after another had refused to issue the necessary prescription for such a drug. The alleged reasons for that refusal included the fact that the Code of Conduct of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences – considers that the task of the doctor is to alleviate symptoms and to support the patient and that assisted suicide is not part of a doctor’s task, because this contradicts the aims of medicine. Previous ECHR judgements on end-of-life issues from the right to privacy enshrined in Article 8 of the Convention, have gradually built up an individual’s “right to decide by what means and at what point his or her life should end” and “a positive obligation on the State to take the necessary measures to permit a dignified suicide”. Now the Court “required the Swiss authorities to “issue comprehensive and clear guidelines”. Four European States allow medical doctors to prescribe lethal drugs.