STEFAN FULE: THERE IS NO PLACE FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP REGION
Charter 97
April 3 2012
European Commissioner for enlargement and neighbourhood policy,
spoke at a forum of Euronest in Baku.
– I am happy to be here, in Baku, 21 years after Azerbaijan, as well
as Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
regained their independence.
I am thankful for the invitation and I want to express my gratitude to
Azerbaijan’s Milli Mejlis for hosting our meeting. I am also pleased
to see hererepresentatives of Armenia’s parliament. The resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and reconciliation between the
two nations is not easy. But I believe that dialogue between both
parliaments may help overcome this sore issue. In this context, let
me stress the importance of ensuring that all opportunities are used
to establish and strengthen contacts across boundaries and within
the region as whole. For instance, culture that per definition has
no boundaries provides such an opportunity. I sincerely regret that
Belarus’ parliamentarians are not with us today. Yet, I think that
they will one day join your Assembly.
Let me assure you that we are strengthening our ties with Belarus’
civil society and we have reiterated our commitment to the policy of
critical engagement with authorities.
I am guided by the long-term vision of a democratic and prosperous
Belarus, free of political prisoners and strongly anchored in a common
space of European values. Let me here stress the following: there is
no place for prisoners of conscience or for political prisoners in
the Eastern Partnership region. And let us resist the temptation to
turn the debate about this important issue into a discussion about
who is a political prisoner and who is not. History has given us many
lessons here.
The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is an important element of the
Eastern Partnership. There are high expectations regarding your
contribution to the implementation of the Eastern Partnership. You
represent people and you hold your governments to account. I believe
that you can foster democratic values on which our partnership is
founded and urge your governments to undertake painful, although
necessary reforms.
About values. By making the values of liberty, democracy, human rights
and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law a central part of our
partnership we wish to extend the area of stability and security to
the Eastern part of the continent.
To make this happen, we have strengthened the Eastern Partnership
followinØg the review of our policy towards neighbours. As a result,
we have now an instrument that allows us to make our support better
tailored to the ambitions, needs and aspirations of the partners-
not only for those who have EU aspirations but also for those who
want a strategic partnership with the EU.
We plan to increase our assistance to the partners based on the so
called “more for more” principle: the more reforms the partners do,
the more support they get from us. Let me make it clear once again,
“the more for more” is not for Southern neighbours only. It does
not reflect the Arab Spring only. It applies to the Eastern partners
as well.
About reforms. We want to bring Eastern partners as close to the EU
as possible. We want to assist our partners in completing political
and economic reforms and adopting the European model of development
that will guarantee long term stability.
Political stability requires good governance and the rule of law.
Moreover, any political regime must enjoy the support of its people
to sustain itself over the longer term.
There is no better way of achieving this support than free and fair
elections. There is no better way of encouraging societies to freely
develop than to promote respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms, including freedom of the media and freedom of assembly.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Economic stability needs sustainable and inclusive growth. That is why
we encourage partners to develop small and medium size enterprises,
to fight against corruption and to further regular approximation to
EU standards in order to attract investments and make business in
their countries more transparent.
The leading role in ensuring that values are reflected not only in
political declarations but also on the ground falls on governments.
The same applies to the implementation of reforms. However, it does
not mean that other actors have no significant role to play. On the
contrary, parliaments are an indispensable element of this endeavour.
It is up to parliaments to keep governments accountable and to ensure
that the will and expectations of the people are taken on board when
political decisions are being made. Parliaments are well placed to
advocate for reforms, to promote democratic values and to defend
citizens’ rights.
So the Euronest is much more than just the latest institution
established under the Eastern Partnership. It is a tool to advance
democratisation and to exchange best practice among pØarliamentarians
from partner countries and EU Member States.
Importantly, the strength of the Euronest depends on the strength of
its elements: national parliaments and the European Parliament. That
is why the issue of democratic legitimisation is of paramount
importance. Free and fair elections in line with international
standards are a condition sine qua non of increased EU political and
financial support.
That is why the forthcoming elections in four partner countries will
be under the close scrutiny of the international community. I believe
that these elections will prove that Eastern partners are part of the
European family also in terms of conducting free and fair elections.
It is important that the electoral process is fair and provides equal
opportunities for all political forces standing for elections.
Allowing the opposition to conduct electoral campaigns without any
interference, ensuring equal access to media, inviting international
observers as early as possible- all these elements count.
It is equally essential to ensure that our societies can freely grow
and take part in the discussion about the main developments in their
countries.
Our goal is simple; we want to create the conditions for a stronger
dialogue between civil society and the authorities. This is why we
have established an Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. I am
glad to see members of the Forum in the room.
We should harness the courage and determination of civil society
representatives to advance the implementation of our goals. We must
not ignore their point of view. The values of democracy, human rights
and fundamental freedoms to which we have subscribed, oblige us to
foster the development of civil society.
We will continue to facilitate the regular structured dialogue between
civil society and governments that was launched in September 2011. I
would also like to encourage you to strengthen your ties with the
Civil Society Forum and its national platforms. I believe that both
institutions, the Euronest and the Forum can jointly foster democracy
and promote reforms in Eastern European countries.
The main challenge that we currently face is to vigorously implement
the ambitious agenda set by the Warsaw Summit. To maintain the momentum
of the Summit, we intend to establish informal Eastern Partnership
Dialogues. Through these Dialogues we would like to strengthen links
with partners and when appropriate, to deepen sector cooperation. It
will be an instrument of political steering. It will also strengthen
sense of ownership of the Eastern Partnership on the side of our
partners.
To streamline the implementation of the agreed objectives, we are
working on a road map of the Eastern Partnership. The road map will
list agreed objectives and actions and indicate EU support, including
financial assistance. It will provide us with a means of monitoring of
the progress. So, in addition to the instrument of political steering,
we will also have a clear and detailed agenda of our cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Euronest’s contribution is much needed in both aspects of our work:
the implementation of agreed objectives and assessing the progress.
That is why it is so important that this assembly is efficient and
effective. I am pleased that measures have been taken to enable
Euronest to conduct vigorous parliamentary debates on the positive
Eastern Partnership agenda.
Before I conclude, let me say few words about our host and it does not
matter if it is done without the presence of the President. Azerbaijan
has come a long way over the last 20 years. It has even come a
long way since I last visited Baku in 2010. A model of secularism
and tolerance, the country has developed into a strong economy,
upgrading its infrastructure and engaging in processes of economic
diversification. Beyond those internal transformations, it has also
gained clout on the international scene: it seats as a non-permanent
member in the UN Security Council. I believe it is not by chance
that today Baku hosts the first Euronest Session outside Brussels
and will soon host the Eurovision song contest. And it is also not
by chance that expectation is high to make domestic developments
sustainable through the adoption and the implementation of inclusive
and full-hearted reforms. And it is also not by chance that there
are legitimate aspirations of people of Azerbaijan that their wish to
fully benefit from democracy, the rule of law and respect for human
rights will be met.
To fully embark on the path towards modern 21st century country,
Azerbaijan should unwrap the entire potential of its people.
I wish you a successful session. I wish that the Euronest contributes
to the strengthening of the Eastern Partnership as a joint project
with joint ownership to the benefit of people of six partners and
the European Union. I look forward to the resolutions that you are
going to adopt and await our future cooperation.
Thank you.
http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2012/4/3/50244/