Europe, Headlines, Human Rights

EUROPE: Amnesty Urges Britain to Act on Rights

Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, Jun 28 2005 (IPS) - The British presidency of the European Union should push for a strong human rights agenda to help the bloc overcome its political and institutional crisis, Amnesty International is urging.

The group says the promotion of human rights by Britain, which takes over the presidency of the European Union (EU) Friday (Jul. 1) for six months will help the bloc reaffirm itself as a "union of values", both in its external relations and in its domestic policies.

The group says Britain is taking over presidency of the bloc during a "political and constitutional crisis" following the breakdown of talks on the future budget and rejection of the draft constitution in the French and Dutch referendums last month.

In a paper ‘Delivering on human rights – Amnesty International’s ten-point programme for the UK Presidency of the European Union’ released Tuesday (Jun. 28), Amnesty says the crisis stems from an absence of "a compelling vision of the purpose of the European project, reflecting a sense among Europe’s citizens that the EU is not delivering on the promises of its values", not only in the economic and social sphere, but also in terms of security, global poverty, conflict and human rights.

"It is clear that the current EU crisis stems from a lack of vision of what the EU is actually for," Amnesty International EU office director Dick Oosting said in a statement.

"By actively promoting the protection of human rights, the EU can project a convincing sense of purpose not only to its citizens but to the rest of the world. This will be a real test for the UK Presidency – to make the EU deliver on a strong human rights agenda," he added.

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) says Britain’s positive engagement in areas such as arms control, freedom of expression and development in Africa contrasts sharply with "troubling practices that are at odds with its human rights obligations" in areas such as counterterrorism and the treatment of asylum seekers.

"The UK should use its presidency to put the EU’s words into practice when it comes to human rights. It must lead the EU by example, not just in areas where we have seen positive developments, such as arms control and freedom of expression, but also closer to home on issues like counter-terrorism and asylum," Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said.

Amnesty recommends that during its presidency of the EU, Britain must take a series of steps to ensure that the bloc delivers on human rights issues.

Within the bloc, Amnesty says the proposed EU Fundamental Rights Agency, which has yet to be approved by the European Commission, the EU executive, should be the "cornerstone" of a proper fundamental rights order including full compliance by member states.

Following consultations during 2004, the EU is expected to confirm that the agency will focus on issues inside the EU, and will be limited to actions by the EU and its member states when they are applying EU law.

However, Amnesty says this will exclude the general human rights situation in member states where they act autonomously, and insists there is a strong need for an independent agency that is "empowered to identify the weaknesses in the existing system of human rights protection in the EU and to raise the corrective capacity of both the national and collective systems."

There are also "serious concerns" about the EU’s criminal law response to terrorism, ranging from definition problems undermining legal certainty and the secrecy surrounding terrorist blacklists, to the way that human rights protection obligations are allowed to dissolve at borders.

"The EU has failed so far to properly address the serious issue of protection of fundamental rights in its collective policies and legislation on counterterrorism," the paper says.

The group is urging Britain to take steps to redress the lack of human rights in the EU’s counter-terrorism strategy by ensuring definitions of terrorism are clear, and by establishing legally binding standards as to how member states should comply with their international obligations to protect human rights when prosecuting terrorists across borders.

Amnesty also recommends that member states’ right to control the entry, residence and removal of foreign nationals on their territory must be exercised in accordance with international refugee and human rights law, and calls on Britain to uphold international human rights and refugee law principles ensuring that EU member states only resort to detention when it is "necessary, proportionate and lawful."

The group also calls for the early ratification and implementation of the European Convention Against Trafficking, which would lead to a more effective response to human trafficking and the need to protect the rights of its victims.

Amnesty says Britain should press for more active implementation of the EU’s human rights foreign policy guidelines to ensure that human rights are followed abroad.

Amnesty is particularly concerned about the practice of torture, the use of the death penalty and the situation of human rights defenders or children and armed conflict in countries outside the EU.

The NGO also calls on the British presidency to complete the review of EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports and to press for a binding international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to stop global spread of arms. Amnesty says it is concerned that EU member states are continuing to export arms to countries that abuse human rights and suffer internal instability.

Amnesty welcomed the British government’s support for developing an international ATT and says it is important that it use its presidency to encourage other member states to do the same.