Mr President, I would like to begin by saying that I am honoured to present this annual report on the situation as regards human rights. It is a summary of the fundamental values on which the European Union is founded, a summary that is recognised and that is included in Part II of the draft Constitution prepared by the Convention. In my view, according to Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, the European institutions may monitor, each according to their respective remits, strict respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms on the part of the Member States. I hope that, following this vote, the legally binding nature of the Charter, once implemented, will enable European citizens to directly and individually refer matters to the EU’s Court of Justice. I say that because I insisted on involving citizens in the drafting of the Charter. Thus, at the first hearing I included two schools, one German and one French, which have been following the work for six months now. I then brought together the major non-governmental organisations – Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights – as well as representatives of the national parliaments, including the candidate countries. I believe that I was therefore able to gain a great deal more information and verify it during my own visits. An overabundance of information, far from being a handicap, can be very rewarding. Therefore, I also wanted to ensure that the report highlighted strong elements. For me, this meant first of all looking at perhaps one of the greatest splits in the European continent since the fall of the Berlin Wall, namely the consequences of 11 September, both within and outside the Union. I had the opportunity of undertaking a three-week study trip to the United States. While crossing the country, I saw that there are still very many negative effects of 11 September. People are afraid and, above all, everyone recognises that an unprecedented wave of Islamophobia is growing: it is very much to their credit that they recognise it. Churches, judges, citizens and NGOs were working to protect Muslims. From that point of view, it should be a lesson for us. Why should it be a lesson for us? In my opinion, all too often we forget the primary goal of terrorists: to destabilise the rule of law. Therefore, each time we do something that does not help to strengthen the rule of law, anywhere, we are contributing to the aim of the terrorists, which is precisely to destabilise the rule of law. It is then important to remember, within the context of defending the first fundamental right – the right to life – which is set out in the first chapter of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the need to remain united in the fight against terrorism. That is the least we can do while terrorists are striking indiscriminately. One story came back to me when I was working on this report. In 1994, I had the good fortune to meet with Nelson Mandela, who was just about to take power in South Africa. At the very time when he was about to take power, a report was published that classified the ANC as a terrorist organisation. Is it not also true that the German Occupation considered the Resistance to be terrorists? The UN has listed more than 142 definitions of terrorism. At some stage, one wants to say: everyone has their own adversary. Nonetheless, Mr President, the fact remains that terrorism today is a real source of conflict from all points of view and can lead to caution within societies and cause them to shut themselves off. It is therefore up to us to ensure that in this context we find solutions as quickly as possible. I am thinking, in particular, of the concern regarding the fact that citizens, European nationals, are today being held in what I would call great secrecy in Cuba because they are suspected of have carried out terrorist acts. Thus, combating terrorism also means helping to maintain the rule of law. The second thing that worries me is the situation in our prisons. I think that it is particularly shocking at this beginning of the millennium to see what is happening in the EU’s prisons, where the situation is far from satisfactory. The prisons are overpopulated almost everywhere, and particularly in France, where there are 60 000 prisoners but room for only 50 000. Another concern is the threats posed to freedom of expression. Here I am thinking, in particular, of the economic mega-groups and the case of Italy. The final problem is equality. From this point of view, it is essential for more European political parties to sign the 1998 Charter of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society as soon as possible. Moreover, the Member States’ transposition of the directives adopted by the Council to combat all types of discrimination in the workplace is often incomplete or even nonexistent. Other issues, such as solidarity, civic and social rights, gender equality and equality in the workplace, seem to me to tie in with European citizenship and justice. Too much progress is still required. I did not want to point the finger at any specific country. I simply wanted us to share what is best in each of our countries.

Political group: GUE-NGL