Presidency conclusions on human rights in the EU – MEPs write to Austrian Presidency
In October 2018, a disagreement among the Council on a wording on LGBTI rights led the Austrian Presidency to publish “Presidency conclusions” instead of the customary “Council conclusions” on the state of human rights in the EU.
Members of the Intergroup write to the Austrian Presidency to express their concern about this.
To: Sebastian Kurz, Federal Chancellor; Gernot Blümel, Federal Minister for the EU, Arts, Culture and Media; Karin Kneissl, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Concerns: Presidency conclusions on the state of human rights in the EU
Brussels, 5 November 2018
Honourable Members of the Austrian Government,
We are writing to you to express our concern on the recent decision of the Council to publish presidency conclusions on the state of human rights in the EU.
The Council has a tradition of publishing Council conclusions on the Commission’s report on the application of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. This report is key in monitoring progress in the areas where the EU can act.
As we understand, this year the Council could not publish Council conclusions because of an opposition to some of its provisions on LGBTI rights.
The discrimination, violence and hatred to which LGBTI people are exposed in the EU should not even be up for discussion. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, on which the presidency conclusions are based every year, explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation (article 21). The European Commission, with their List of Actions, have significantly contributed to raising awareness about LGBTI rights in the EU. The Council has also always been a key actor in safeguarding universal human rights.
In that view, we would like to ask what your Presidency intends to do in the future, in order to maintain its role of protecting the human rights of all EU citizens, including LGBTI people, and to counter attempts to deny the stark human rights violations they face in the EU.
Yours sincerely,
Terry Reintke MEP
Sophie in’t Veld MEP
Malin Bjork MEP
Fabio Massimo Castaldo MEP
Miriam Dalli MEP
Christine Revault d’Allonnes Bonnefoy MEP
Bart Staes MEP
Monika Vana MEP
Michel Reimon MEP
Nessa Childers MEP
Judith Sargentini MEP
Alessia Maria Mosca MEP
Brando Benifei MEP
Edouard Martin MEP
Julie Ward MEP
Jean Lambert MEP
Péter Niedermüller MEP
Birgit Sippel MEP
Beatriz Becerra MEP
Maria Noichl MEP
Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP
Benedek Jávor MEP
Taylor Keith MEP
Barbara Lochbihler MEP
Molly Scott Cato MEP
Maria Heubuch MEP
Jakop Dalunde MEP
Isabella Adinolfi MEP
José Inácio Faria MEP
Dimitrios Papadimoulis MEP
Seb Dance MEP
Theresa Griffin MEP
Ernest Urtasun MEP
Merja Kyllönen MEP
Heidi Hautala MEP
Hilde Vautmans MEP
Martina Anderson MEP
Lynn Boylan MEP
Matt Carthy MEP
Liadh Ni Riada MEP
Bas Eickhout MEP
