French Presidency must start rebuilding public confidence in the EU by committing to practical right

July 01 2008

Human rights campaigners Fair Trials International (FTI) have urged France to use its 6-month presidency of the EU, which starts today, to address the crisis of public confidence in the EU following the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty after the Irish referendum on 12 June.

“The Irish No referendum on the Lisbon Treaty shows how little trust EU citizens have in Europe. Considerable effort needs to be made in order to increase the faith people have in the institutions and work of the EU. In particular, the EU needs to be made relevant to citizens’ lives.”

“As a starting point, Europe should make its commitment to freedom based on human rights, democratic institutions and the rule of law come true.

“Measures aiming at increasing transparency and accountability of the decision making process can and should be adopted even without a new Treaty, and a concerted effort to improve the functioning of the institutions would be a first step toward restoring the image of Europe.

“Moreover, it is of paramount importance that the EU bases all its coming legislation on a strong commitment to improving, rather than watering down, citizens’ rights.

“More specifically, in the area of justice and home affairs the rush to adopt numerous measures which impose the principle of mutual recognition of legal systems between member states is highly disputable in the absence of well founded mutual trust and confidence in the various criminal justice systems which operate against the EU.

“Minimum procedural safeguards and basic defence rights are urgently needed to ensure such mutual trust, and no further legislation should be adopted in this area without such safeguards being secured.

“Similarly, the exchange of highly sensitive information extracted from criminal records should not be allowed in the absence of adequate data protection measures.

There will be no long term prospects for the EU without efforts to increase transparency and accountability of the decision making processes and to respect and enhance citizens’ rights.

FTI encourages the French Presidency to take the bull by the horns and address these crucial issues”, concluded Catherine Wolthuizen.

For comment, contact Catherine Wolthuizen on 07846 472 923 or 020 7762 6400