Debate on Tibet in the European Parliament

Two weeks after 10 March, the European Parliament held a fruitful debate on Tibet yesterday at a plenary session in Brussels (24 March). When discussion on Tibet started, representatives of the Spanish Presidency unfortunately left the room. European Deputy Laima Andrekiene from Lithuania reacted immediately and expressed her “deep disappointment that neither the Spanish Presidency nor the High Representative will be present for this discussion” and said “it is a disgraceful move against European Parliament which is the only EU institution elected by the people of Europe” and “a very bad precedent especially having the Treaty of Lisbon in force.” Several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from different political groups, including the Chairwoman of the Committee on Human Rights, echoed these serious concerns!

Despite these empty chairs, a very interesting debate took place around the human rights situation in Tibet, the relevance of appointing an EU Special Representative for Tibet and the importance of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and EU Foreign Affairs Representative Catherine Ashton. Different members of the Parliament also urged the European Commission to support civil society projects in favor of Tibetan population and refugee settlements in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

MEP Peter Stastny mentioned that he was member of the Tibet Intergroup of the European Parliament (which has held 2 meetings since its re-establishment) and announced the recent setting-up of a similar platform in the Slovakian Parliament.

Commissioner Sefcovic who spoke on behalf of the European Commission expressed concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet, the fact that Tibet was still not open to foreign diplomats or media and “the lack of progress (and results) of Sino-Tibetan dialogue” which “has to be constructive and substantive” in order to implement “meaningful autonomy for Tibetans within the PRC”. He also welcomed the Tibetan memorandum on genuine autonomy and the reiteration by the Tibetan side that the Dalai Lama was not seeking independence but was attached to the Middle-way approach.

PHOTO: Display of Tibetan flags in the European Parliament’s hemicycle, 10 March 2009.