Heidi Hautala, the Finnish Green MEP who is chair of the European Parliament’s sub-committee on human rights, has publicly urged EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to be more outspoken in criticising countries that have poor records on human rights. Ms. Hautala said she believed that Baroness Ashton’s discreet approach was not appropriate for the EU’s stance towards human rights abuses in China, Russia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and undermined the bloc’s aspiration to project a strong voice on the world stage.

“We have to be very vocal on these things at the moment,” Ms. Hautala said. “I have to some extent disputed her first statements that she believes in quiet diplomacy.”

Ms. Hautala claimed that the human-rights “dialogues” on fundamental rights which the EU conducts with over 40 countries were making no progress, and argued that, in dealing with major powers such as Russia or China, “vocal public statements can mean more”.

The MEP also called for more parliamentary access to confidential documents on human rights abuses in non-EU countries.

“The game is quite dirty sometimes and we need to know which countries are playing for human rights and which are playing against,” she said.

Source:

• European Voice