Schulz reiterates need for tolerance and solidarity to fight terrorism

Met dank overgenomen van Europees Parlement (EP) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 12 december 2016, 19:16.

President Schulz i reiterated the need to use the weapons of tolerance, solidarity, friendship and humanity to fight Daesh, al-Shabaab and other terrorist organisations. He cited the bomb attacks in Turkey, Egypt and Somalia this weekend as the latest examples of a scourge that has plagued the whole world in 2016. He conveyed Parliament’s deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of all these human tragedies.

To halt the terrorists’ efforts to spread fear among peoples and societies, we must reaffirm our values, tolerance, solidarity, friendship and humanity. This will be harder than dropping bombs, but our values are worth defending, insisted Mr Schulz. “If we were to give up the fight for these values, then the terrorists would have won.”

Mr Schulz also reported that he had written to the Ethiopian and Egyptian governments about the cases of Ibrahim Hawala and Dr Merera Gudina.

Mr Hawala was arrested as a minor for taking part in a protest demonstration and now faces the death penalty, and Dr Gudina was arrested on his return to Ethiopia after briefing the European Parliament on the political crisis there.

Outgoing MEPs

Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (ES /EPP) is leaving the European Parliament. His seat is declared vacant as of 18 November 2016.

Agenda changes

Tuesday

A full debate on the General revision of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure is added in the morning, as the second item, following the Commission Statement on “Clean Energy for All” Package.

A Commission Statement on the “Situation of the rule of law and democracy in Poland” is moved from Tuesday to Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday

A Commission Statement on the “Situation of the rule of law and democracy in Poland” is added as second item in the afternoon, after the Council and Commission statements on “Labour market reforms and labour relations in Greece”.

  • - 
    A Commission Statement on “European Commission Recommendation on implementation of the EU Turkey statement and the reinstatement of Dublin transfers” will be added in the afternoon, as the second item.

A Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the "Attack against the Coptic cathedral in Cairo - freedom of religion and belief" is added as seventh item in the afternoon.

REF. : 20161208IPR55149

Updated: ( 12-12-2016 - 19:21)