European Parliament resolution on harassment of minorities in Vojvodina
Date: 2004-09-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU relations, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro, Vojvodina, democratisation, ethnic group, fact-finding mission, human rights, rights of minorities

9.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 140 E/163

Thursday 16 September 2004

Continues to insist that Burma should not attend the ASEM V Summit, and that Burma should not
irreversible political change towards democracy takes place in that

3.
become a member of ASEM, until
country;

Demands the immediate release of and full freedom of movement and expression for Aung San Suu

4.
Kyi and other leading NLD members as well as other political prisoners held by the SPDC;

5.
Calls for all NLD offices currently closed to be allowed to reopen; calls on the SPDC to initiate
immediately a meaningful dialogue with the NLD and ethnic groups to bring about a return to democracy
and respect for human rights, including ethnic minorities' rights in Burma;

6.
Insists that the SPDC relinquish its grip on power and that the results of the last elections be fully
respected, that the National Convention procedures be modified and that a time- frame for its completion
be established;

7.
Insists that the EU's Common Policy on Burma should be strengthened immediately and, in addition to
the measures proposed by the Council, should also ban the import of goods and services from enterprises
owned by the military, military personnel and their associates and ban the import of strategically important
goods from sectors of the economy under monopoly, such as gems and timber, and furthermore calls on
travel agencies and independent tour operators in the EU to stop promoting and selling tourist visits to
Burma;

Calls for an EU envoy to be appointed to work towards securing the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and

8.
freedom for the NLD;

9.
Calls on the UN to impose targeted sanctions on Burma, on the UN Security Council to address the
situation in Burma as a matter of urgency, and on UN Envoy Razali to be given unrestricted access to Aung
San Suu Kyi;

Insists that the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur's report of January 2004 be imple-

10.
mented;

11.
Calls on the ASEAN states to join the EU in exerting greater pressure on the SPDC to release Aung
San Suu Kyi and other detained NLD members immediately, and to take meaningful steps to exercise their
influence over the Burmese regime so as to bring about change for the better in Burma;

12.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of
the ASEAN and ASEM Member States, Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, the SPDC and the UN Secretary-Gen-
eral.

P6_TA(2004)0016

Vojvodina: harassment of minorities

European Parliament resolution on harassment of minorities in Vojvodina

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia,

— having regard to its resolutions on the Commission's Annual Reports on the Stabilisation and Associ-

ation Process for South-East Europe of 7 November 2002 (1) and of 20 November 2003 (2),

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

(1) OJ C 16 E, 22.1.2004, p. 98.
(2) OJ C 87 E, 7.4.2004, p. 521.

C 140 E/164

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

9.6.2005

Thursday 16 September 2004

A. having regard to the EU's efforts to promote democratisation and respect for human and minority

rights in the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro,

B.

C.

having regard to the repeated harassment of minorities in Vojvodina, and in particular of the Hungarian
minority, in recent months,

aware of the fact that there has been recent proof of ongoing violence against Serb citizens of Hun-
garian ethnic origin, which has occurred in several towns in the province of Vojvodina, such as des-
ecration of tombstones in many towns; a proliferation of anti-Hungarian graffiti; burning of the
national flag of the Republic of Hungary; physical aggression by the police against a mayor represent-
ing the Hungarian minority,

D. noting that although these incidents can be perceived as local or isolated, there is a danger that they

could escalate in different directions,

E. whereas in the past one and a half years the central and local authorities of Serbia have failed to ensure
respect for fundamental human rights, including those of ethnic and national minorities, and to bring
the perpetrators to justice,

F.

deeply concerned at the fact that the Serb authorities mostly turn a blind eye to the violence, often
treating it as vandalism and refusing to accept a nationalist or sectarian motive,

G. whereas the EU and its Member States have consistently been calling for respect for fundamental values

and minority rights throughout the region,

H. noting recent steps by the Belgrade authorities to address this serious situation and expecting more

concrete measures to be taken by them,

1.

Expresses deep concern at the repeated breaches of human rights in the province of Vojvodina;

Calls upon the authorities in the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro to
2.
acknowledge these violent acts as criminal acts according to the legislation in force and insists on the
importance of immediate and effective action, so that similar events are not left unremedied and are pre-
vented in the future;

3.
Reminds the Governments of the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
that observance of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human and minority rights and funda-
mental freedoms, and the rule of law is one of the basic principles of the Stabilisation and Association
Process and a prerequisite for their future relationship with the EU, including orderly relations with all
their neighbours;

4.
Calls on the Regional Assembly of Vojvodina urgently to address these issues and to establish a pol-
itical climate that assists in addressing the concerns and aspirations of all citizens and ensuring safety and
the rule of law in the region;

5.
Invites the Conference of Presidents to authorise its Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) to send a fact-finding mission to the province
and to report back to the Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on Human Rights, with regard
to further action to be taken;

6.
Calls on the Council and the Commission also to monitor closely developments in Vojvodina and to
use the EU's political leverage to raise this issue with all authorities in the Republic of Serbia and the State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro;

7.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Governments and Parliaments of the Republic
of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the authorities of Vojvodina province, the Special
Coordinator for the Stability Pact for South-East Europe and the OSCE.