During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs discuss how to stop imports into the EU of products made by prisoners in Chinese labour camps.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

EU - China (T)

respect for human rights in the world (T)

GAHLER, Michael (EPP, DE)

VERGIAT, Marie-Christine (GUE/NGL, FR)

KADENBACH, Karin (S&D, AT)

GOERENS, Charles (Renew, LU)

FÜLE, Štefan (EC)

MIGALSKI, Marek Henryk (ECR, PL)

Import of LAOGAI made goods into the EU: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), &#352;tefan F&#220;LE, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, The EU is indeed faced with the problem that goods produced in Laogai under those very conditions which we condemned may well be imported in the EU. However it is extremely difficult to accurately establish wheatear and which goods imported from China in to the EU have been produced in Laogai.

SOUNDBITE (English), &#352;tefan F&#220;LE, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, The EC is therefore open to revisiting the question of the most effective way to apply pressure on countries that make use of prison labour in violation of fundamental human rights principles and of conventions of the international labour organisation.

SOUNDBITE (German), Michael GAHLER (EPP, DE), The Americans have very specific experience of how these products can be kept out of a given market. Are you prepared to note the list of enterprises concerned? Are you prepared to exchange data with the Americans, to exchange experience about the import ban?. And finally will the EU insist that the UN special rapporteur for torture goes to China to visit camps of his choices, as well as Tibet.

SOUNDBITE (German), Karin KADENBACH (S&amp;D, AT), I, as a representative of consumers as well, I will like to see the security and safety of products insured. That if they are buying things from China that they don't come from forced labour camps. We need to rise awareness when its comes to toys for example for children. I expect action there and I expect specific proposal from the EC . I want to see trade marks I want to see labelling, I want to see embargos on trade, and I will like to see specific actions taken by China as well, and showing a will to improve and increase this dialogue, because China must have an interest on improving their human rights record. Let's work in dialogue with them. You can't just say that we can turn a blind eye to the human rights situation when we are talking about economic issues.

SOUNDBITE (French), Charles GOERENS (ALDE, LU), What we are expecting from EU is that it takes majored steps, but nevertheless steps which shows a united front in order to ring real concessions out of the Chinese. We have already set up task forces for far more minor issues in the past.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Marek Henryk MIGALSKI (ECR, PL), It is very difficult to drown anything other than a comparison of Gulag . Laogai means re-education through work. Doesn't this remind us all of the phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei" over the entrance gate to the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz ?. We can not be indiferent to this, and it should be on the agenda of any discussions between the EU and China, and indeed in any discussion between EU member states and China . This is an urgent question and Commissioner this really must be on any agenda with the Chinese authorities.

SOUNDBITE (French), Marie-Christine VERGIAT (GUE/NGL, FR), The responses we hear so far do not answer a colleague question. You haven't said anything very specific. I don't think you should hide behind the fact that there are other labour camps in other countries. China is in a process of modernization so you say. Well, that depends from what perspective, I will say. I feel that we should do at least what the US is doing. I don't always support them but here we should do a minimum. You've talked about security we've talked about the fight against terrorism. When it's comes to that we can cooperate with the US even if that involves EU citizens. Why can't EU do the same when it's comes to making sure that human rights are respected in practice? So Commissioner I would ask you when is the EU going to put a ban on the export of products from the Laogai camps?