European Parliament, december 9, 2010

Joint statement by MEPs on the Colombia free trade agreement and human rights :

In July a cross-party group of MEPs visited Colombia and met with Juan Manuel Santos shortly before he took office as President of the country.

The group were given reassurances that action would be taken to improve the human rights situation in Colombia. They were told that the EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement would result in greater respect for trade union rights.

But this week, MEPs have heard stories from people on the front line of the fight for human rights in Colombia. We have heard shocking stories that show abuses continue :

 Trade unionists have been targeted, with 41 assassinated so far in 2010 and none of the perpetrators have been brought to justice.

 Opposition figures have been targeted, with 12 leading Democratic Pole party activists killed in just the last six months. In just the last month three party members have been killed.

 In recent months there has been an upsurge in murders of children by the army, with five children killed in the first 3 months of the Santos presidency.

 In the first three months of the Santos administration, despite the government rhetoric about human rights – 32 civil society leaders have been assassinated, including trade unionists, human rights activists and indigenous leaders.

MEPs were given assurances by President Santos. However, the evidence brought to the European Parliament this week shows that he has let us down.

We believe that it is unacceptable for the European Union to enter into a free trade agreement with a country that is failing to tackle such clear abuses of human rights and trade union rights.

For those who have lost their lives and those who live in daily fear, we believe that the European Parliament has an obligation not to ratify the free trade agreement before concrete improvements on human rights are demonstrated.

Today, we vow to ensure that all members know of these stories and we will build the campaign to ensure that the free trade agreement will face firm resistance from the European Parliament without those improvements.

Catherine Bearder (UK, ALDE) Ana Gomes (Portugal, S&D) Richard Howitt MEP (UK, S&D) Bernd Lange (Germany, S&D) Barbara Lochbihler (Germany, Greens/EFA) Willy Meyer (Spain, GUE-NGL) Evelyn Regner (Austria, S&D) Helmut Scholz (Germany, GUE-NGL) Søren Bo Søndergaard (Denmark, GUE-NGL) Raül Romeva i Rueda (Spain, Greens/EFA)