Mr President, Commissioner, we are dealing with two forms of torture, which it is equally important to combat. The first works on the pretext that it is necessary to find out certain information, for example in the case of dangerous terrorism. The other form of torture quite clearly seeks to destroy and break people. Obviously we reject both forms of torture in equal measure. Unfortunately it is the case that many people think that torture is something out of the Middle Ages and a problem that in our advanced age we had overcome at the latest by the Enlightenment. It was, however, precisely the twentieth century that in a very particular way produced cruel forms of torture and the cruel torturous regimes of Communism and National Socialism, and we have to recognise that, even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, torture regrettably continues to be a reality in many parts of the world. In Latin America, torture has thankfully declined considerably since the 1970s and 1980s. In Africa, there is hardly any country where torture is not practised. In Asia, it is often precisely important European Union trading partners – who otherwise appear in pinstripes as business associates – who have perfected various forms of torture and unfortunately the issue is still relevant here in Europe. Just a few years ago there were particularly cruel cases of torture in Kosovo. Or look to the East, for example: thankfully the situation in Central Europe has improved – next to me is sitting my friend Figel from Slovakia, a human rights campaigner – and happily 12 years ago these nations overthrew the cruel regimes that practised torture in a democratic revolution, but in the Member States of the Council of Europe, which is meeting concurrently at the other side of the Ill, the problem still exists. In Chechnya, for example, the Russian military is responsible for committing brutal acts of torture, and no one is talking about it. Tomorrow in the Council of Europe, they will discuss whether to introduce monitoring for Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is an exemplary democracy, while in Russia, in Chechnya, torture continues to be used. Compared with Liechtenstein, however, it is a large country, and that is why no one dares to tackle the issue. Or take Turkey, a candidate country: it is finding it very difficult to cope with the issue of torture, and yet it also belongs to the Council of Europe and has an association agreement with the European Union. This is not just about far-away third countries or past periods of history; it is about the reality of our foreign policy. That is why I welcome the fact, Commissioner, that the Commission is making this issue such a high priority. I welcome the fact that it is determined both to raise this issue at international level and to actively help the victims of torture, wherever they may come from – we still have a large number of traumatised torture victims with us in Europe precisely from the Balkans – and above all to work in the field of prevention. I should like to lend my strong support to this initiative. Our foreign trade policy and our human rights policy need to be joined up; the same applies to our development policy. The time of human rights clauses in our treaties being just window-dressing is over; they must also be applied and if they really are violated then of course measures must also be taken, because just complaining, just lamenting, just criticising does not do any good. Quite simply, practical, substantial steps also need to be taken and I do actually believe that a country in which torture continues to be used on a daily basis for the purpose of administering justice simply cannot be an appropriate economic partner for a democratic Europe. That is why I am in favour of a dynamic policy in this field.

Political group: PPE-DE