Human Rights in the EU – Absence of a collective system of accountability for human rights violations by member states
WRITTEN QUESTION
Submission: to the Council and the Commission
21 May 2003
Subject: Human Rights in the EU – Absence of a collective system of accountability for human rights violations by member states
In the biannual reports of Amnesty International, it is shown that in most member countries of the European Union, systematic human rights violations are taking place, with migrants and minorities being the main victims. These violations are usually carried out by members of security forces and take the form of torture, ill-treatment, and excessive use of force, while in most cases they go unpunished. At the same time, the European Union has developed significant action for the protection of human rights outside its territories, through a series of recommendations and demands to third countries with which it collaborates or funds, while remaining silent on violations taking place within its own borders. Furthermore, in the Treaties – and according to all indications, also in the new constitutional Treaty currently being drafted – the European Union’s intention to protect human rights both abroad and internally is made clear. In practice, however, based on the findings of the aforementioned reports, it seems that the European Union considers the safeguarding of human rights within its borders to be the responsibility of the member states. Thus, it has not developed any kind of accountability system at a supranational level, which would include mechanisms for monitoring and assessing the performance of member states, while recommending measures to address shortcomings, especially when they are of a structural nature.
The Committee is asked what actions it intends to take in order to promote the creation of a system of collective accountability for member states in cases where they violate human rights within the territory of the European Union.