Leden van het Europese Parlement debatteren over protesten in Tunesië en Egypte (en)

In a debate on Egypt and Tunisia with Catherine Ashton on Wednesday, a majority of Parliament's political groups criticised both the lack of a unified European voice in reacting to the protests taking place in the two countries as well as the ambivalence of Europe's support for the protesters and their cause. MEPs called for a review of the EU's neighbourhood policy towards the Mediterranean, in the light of its perceived failure to promote reform.

High Representative Ashton started by expressing her admiration for the dignity and courage of the protesters, adding that in both Tunisia and Egypt, events had reached "a point of no return."

On Egypt, the High Representative deplored the fact that the peaceful protests were turning violent and expressed concern about rumours that live ammunition may have been used today. She called on the Egyptian government to free all detained protesters and restore access to communication networks. "For me, politics is about changing things, about helping people improve their lives," she said, adding that "the time has come for an orderly transition."

On Tunisia, she informed the Parliament that she had met the country's new foreign minister and had agreed to provide assistance to the new government - both technical and legal assistance for the transition - as well as help to civil society. The Council would review its priorities "so we can adapt our assistance to Tunisians' societal needs". She also welcomed Parliament's decision to send a delegation to the country, saying it was "important for Tunisians to see our commitment to their democratic transition". She also announced that she would travel to Tunisia the week after next.

On behalf of the EPP group, José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (ES) deplored the fact that the EU "was caught wrong-footed" by the current crisis. His main conclusions were that the EU needs a higher profile and to speak with one voice, and that "we have not learned the lessons of cosying up to the enemies of democracy". Finally, beside the short-term goal of supporting the democratic transition, in the medium term, he said "the EU has to deeply consider reviewing its neighbourhood policy in the Mediterranean."

Adrian Severin (S&D, RO) warned that although "social upheaval is a guarantee for change, it is no guarantee for change for the better". He called for a deep analysis of the situation, to avoid a shift toward another type of totalitarianism. He supported the High Representative in her strategy of emphasising both reform and stability but cautioned that "the devil is in the detail".

Guy Verhofstadt (BE), in the name of the ALDE group, drawing a parallel to the 1989 events in Europe, expressed disappointment that Europe had "failed to give support to the people in the street." Europe had made two errors: "We haven't really taken measure of this historic moment in time and we have failed to analyse the situation properly", he said. He called on the High Representative to change the EU's position. "The EU should stand 100% behind the Egyptian people and its demands. Mubarak should leave his country to democracy," he concluded.

For the Group of the Greens/EFA, Daniel Cohn-Bendit (FR) criticised High Representative Ashton for calling for calm in Egypt, saying "there will only be calm if Mubarak leaves". He also stressed that in any upcoming election, the EU should ensure that all sides have equal access to means of campaigning, given the wide gulf in resources among the various political forces in Egypt.

Charles Tannock (ECR, UK), referring to the "hurricane of change" in North of Africa, drew attention to the worrying trend towards violence and declared that President Mubarak "can only play a role in transition by stepping down."  "I do not want a secular tyranny or an Islamist theocracy," said Mr Tannock, adding that the EU should support a liberal democracy, based on stability, peace and democracy. 

Marie-Christine Vergiat (GUE/NGL, FR) warned against meddling in the internal affairs of Tunisia and Egypt. She noted that the Tunisians had achieved their aims by themselves and the EU should let them "do their jobs". At the same time, she found it in bad taste to talk about opening markets at this juncture, as the EU's role in the liberalisation of the economy in Tunisia had profited former President Ben Ali and his family.

Fiorello Provera (EFD, IT) drew attention to the risks of the current situation: the possible Islamisation of these countries, in the mould of the Iranian revolution, and a worsening of the economic situation, leading to higher unemployment and larger migratory flows towards Europe.

Nikki Sinclaire (NI, UK) noted that the Egyptian people now expected aid without strings from the European Union. She also expressed dissatisfaction with the use of EU funds in Tunisia. "If the money had been used for reforms, the people would not have revolted," she said, and asked the High Representative for truthful answers about where EU had funds ended up.

The vote on the joint motion for resolution on Tunisia will be adopted tomorrow and there will be a vote in the February II plenary session on motions for resolutions on Egypt .