EU, CoE join hands against death penalty

The European continent got together on October 10 to reiterate its commitment to work towards the universal abolition of the “Death Penalty” punishment. On the occasion of the World and European day against the death penalty, European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot, Commissioner responsible for freedom, justice and security stated, “Europe has created a ‘de facto’ death penalty-free zone stretching from Iceland in the west to Vladivostok in the east and from Norway in the north to the south-east of Turkey – this is one of Europe's greatest achievements.”

"Nevertheless,” the Vice-President continued, "public debates within our societies demonstrate the need to reiterate, time and time again, that the abolition of the death penalty is an essential achievement for the respect for human dignity. This is the reason the European Commission works side by side with NGOs that are active in this field and supports abolitionist actions.”

European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner commented: "I am proud of the EU's leading role in the international efforts to abolish the death penalty. Although over half the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, the global figures for its use remain much too high.”

Recognising the “plight of victims of violent crime,” the Commissioner observed that the “death penalty is not the solution,” adding, “on the contrary, it only serves to aggravate a culture of violence and retribution. The Commission is determined to work towards the universal abolition of the death penalty through all available diplomatic channels and as a leading donor in this field.”

The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering said: "The European Day against the death penalty is the day on which we remember that the defence of human rights and the necessity of a justice system which is based on the respect of human rights and the dignity of the human being, is an essential part of our common values.”

The death penalty is a breach of fundamental human rights and failure to respect the dignity of the human being and the right to life. The European Parliament will fight against the death penalty under any circumstances everywhere in the world."

Signing a Joint Declaration with the Presidents of the European Parliament, of the Council and of the European Commission, on the EU side, and by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig said, "To die by order of the state, decreed by a judge or a politician as punishment for a crime, is thankfully a thing of the past in Europe.”

"But human dignity demands that we put our arguments to those who still carry out this practice. Once a year, we join with others across the world to press for a global moratorium on executions. The tide is turning and one day, I am sure, the death penalty will pass into history," PACE President added.

Abolition of the death penalty is a condition of membership in the 47-nation Council of Europe, where no executions have taken place since 1997, the statement noted.

During 2007, at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries, and at least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries. 88 percent of all known executions took place in five countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US.

Fresh EU proposals on asylum get wide support

Brussels, June 23 - There was general acceptance for the new European Commission proposals to streamline the process of treating asylum seekers in different EU member states. Struggling to formulate a common asylum policy for more than a decade, today this process varies across 27 Member States with Sweden on the most welcoming side of the asylum granting spectrum while Greece falls at the other end.

Highlighting the publication of the Policy Plan on Asylum, an integrated approach to protection in Europe, before World Refugee Day, celebrated around the world on June 20, Bjarte Vandvik, Secretary General of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) said in a statement: “The political momentum to develop high asylum standards obviously exists and ECRE is ready to continue cooperating with the European Commission and other stakeholders to achieve a meaningful European asylum system.”

Launching the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), Jacques Barrot, the European Commissioner for freedom, security and justice, said, “With this Policy Plan the Commission launches the second phase of the Common European Asylum System, whose overarching objectives are to uphold and reinforce the Union’s humanitarian and protection tradition and to achieve a true level playing field for protection across the EU. “This means that we will have to improve the common legislative standards, increasing the quality of decision making by supporting practical cooperation between national asylum administrations and fostering more solidarity between the Member States and between the EU and third countries in receiving refugee flows.”

The first phase of the CEAS (1999-2004) had given established “common minimum standards in areas such as reception conditions for asylum seekers, asylum procedures and the requirements to qualify as a person needing international protection, as well as rules for the determination of the Member State responsible for an asylum application (the so-called Dublin system,)” according to Commission documents. Moreover, with the French Presidency taking over in a few weeks on July 1, there are better hopes that there will be action on the proposals which include the creation of a European Support Office on Asylum, an EUwide resettlement scheme and measures to help member states and third countries that host a high number of refugees.

The proposals will be put to the European Council on October 15 2008 during French presidency and will, in the course of 2009, feed into a new five-year Programme in the Justice, Freedom and Security area. Commenting on the proposals, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said: “The Migration Package adopted today shows that we need to take a new approach to dealing with Immigration and Asylum.” Stressing, “Europe needs a common policy vision which builds on past achievements and aims at providing a more coherent and integrated framework for future action by the Member States and the European Union, Barroso said he hoped that, “If we work together on the ten principles to better manage immigration and reinforce the standards for protection of asylum seekers we will make tangible improvements in these crucial areas.”

According to a report published by the UNHCR in March 2008, Asylum levels and trends in industrialised countries 2007, the number of individuals requesting refugee or asylum status in Europe and non-European industrialised countries increased by 10 percent in 2007 in comparison to 2006. This is the first increase in five years and follows a 20-year low observed in 2006. Despite this increase, the 2007 level is only half the level witnessed in 2001. The rise in 2007 can by and large be attributed to the sharp rise in Iraqi asylum-seekers. If Iraqi asylum seekers were to be excluded from the analysis, the increase in 2007 would only have been two percent.