During the EP Plenary session (03-06/10) in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on Trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other treatment or punishment. Statements by Marietje SCHAAKE (ALDE, NL), rapporteur, Cecilia MALMSTR&Ouml;M, Member of the EC in charge of Trade, Barbara LOCHBIHLER (Greens/EFA, DE), rapporteur, Santiago FISAS AYXEL&Agrave; (EPP, ES), Inmaculada RODR&Iacute;GUEZ-PI&Ntilde;ERO FERN&Aacute;NDEZ (S&amp;D, ES) and Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT).

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

respect for human rights in the world (T)

LOCHBIHLER, Barbara (Greens/EFA, DE)

MALMSTRÖM, Cecilia (ALDE, SE, EC)

GOMES, Ana (S&D, PT)

SCHAAKE, Marietje (ALDE, NL)

EU trade policy (T)

death penalty (T)

FISAS AYXELÀ, Santiago (EPP, ES)

RODRÍGUEZ-PIÑERO, Inma (S&D, ES)

Trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other treatment or punishment: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Marietje SCHAAKE (ALDE, NL), rapporteur, The strong EU position, and EP position, allowed us to improve key points despite initial reluctance in Council. I&rsquo;m glad that advertising, on line, but also trade fairs, will be illegal for banned goods. That extend the ban that services facilitating this threatful markets of torture and death penalty goods and services.I&rsquo;m glad we included the transit ban via the EU, for prohibited goods, and in addition knowledge based transit bans will be in place for multipurpose goods.We also added an urgency procedure which allows for rapid bans or control on new products, to make the rules future proof, we expands the reach of the urgency procedure to cover all annexes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of Trade, This regulations sets a high EU trade standards which take into account the need to respect human rights. It is an excellent example of the new value based trade that is so essential for our trade policy. We have shown leadership, when it comes to human rights, it is not only an empty statement, this is a concrete way to contribute to it. With concrete actions, through concrete measures, we show that were taking death penalty and torture seriously, and we want to make it difficult, and to remind countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, but also the US, that we don&rsquo;t tolerate, and we condemn these practices. It&rsquo;s a message of support to all those people who suffered tortures and unhuman treatment in prisons, police stations that we care for them, that we listen to them.

SOUNDBITE (German), Barbara LOCHBIHLER (Greens/EFA, DE), rapporteur AFET, The EU&rsquo;s control system is the only of this kind around the world, it's one of the few examples of the way in which trade policy could be used to protect human rights. Unfortunately, if you look to other governments, other regions, the outlook is very different. Trade in torture goods is dealt with far less stringent rules than trade in conventional or military weapons. So we do need rules as well, we have a system in place there now. Amnesty International argues that this type of trade has actually increased in recent years.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Santiago FISAS AYXEL&#192; (EPP, ES), The EU through this rule reaffirms its policy for eliminating the death penalty. It is unique instrument that will allow to stand up for the human rights that we have in our charter of Fundamental Rights here in the EU respect for human dignity, the right to live, prohibition of torture, and inhuman or degrading treatment. This agreement is a significant step forward in ending torture, and I hope that precedent will be an example for other parts of the world.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Inmaculada RODR&#205;GUEZ-PI&#209;ERO FERN&#193;NDEZ (S&amp;D, ES), So many people have been executed still in the 2015, there are countless thousands on the death road. The EU stands opposed to the death penalty and torture, but these stands means nothing if we don&rsquo;t take binding actions, the type of measures that we are adopting today. We are taking a huge step forward in adopting this new directive to defend human rights and to work for the eradication of the death penalty and torture.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), We need to insure that the EU is in no way complied in the use of the death penalty or acts of torture. In our trade policy and other areas of policy we are insuring that our businesses are not profiting for the sale of products to the third countries that could be used by dictatorships or democracies to inflict suffering on death of human beings.