Resolution on the conclusion of an association agreement with Algeria

Parliament adopted a resolution similar to the assent given by Parliament to the conclusion of the EC-Algeria Association Agreement (please see procedure file AVC/2002/0077). This resolution, presented by Elmar BROK (EPP-ED, D) on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, explained the European Parliament’s position on this Agreement and its expectations with regard to its implementation and subsequent monitoring. Welcoming the Council’s plan to conclude this Agreement, Parliament was firstly keen to reassert its attachment to respect for human rights in Algeria and called on the Algerian authorities to abolish the death penalty, improve the country’s legislation on the prison system and the status of women, find a solution to the crisis in Kabylia by instituting legal proceedings against those responsible for the repression there and strengthen the rule of law in the country. The European Parliament also welcomed the Agreement’s content in terms of resolving the problem of the ‘disappeared’ and eliminating all forms of impunity which were essential elements of the new Agreement, and the provisions on the free movement of persons and the rights acquired in Europe by legal immigrants of Algerian origin. It called on the Algerian authorities to pursue and step up their efforts to ensure greater respect for fundamental rights, including freedom of the press, freedom of association and the right to organise, and commended the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Algerian people. It also called for measures to fight against extremely high unemployment among the younger generation. Parliament was similarly concerned about the worrying phenomenon of terrorism within Algeria and called on the latter to accept help from the European Union in its fight against the devastating ‘fundamentalist’ terrorism. In general, the resolution reasserted the necessity of a withdrawal of the military from political decision-making and a strengthening of the political institutions. Parliament also expressed concern at the corruption prevailing in Algeria. Taking the view that lifting the state of emergency would contribute to the development of the rule of law and hence to fulfilment of the prior conditions set out in Article 2 of the Agreement on respect for human rights, Parliament immediately invited all signatories to the Barcelona Declaration to speed up the implementation of this article by defining clear mechanisms, while recommending the adoption of concrete measures in order to develop and implement all aspects of the partnership. The resolution also invited the Commission to guarantee the involvement of independent associations in implementing Euro-Mediterranean programmes and to take all the aspects mentioned in this resolution as points of reference for the future assessment of compliance with the human rights clause laid down in the Agreement. Parliament also regretted that the text of the Agreement did not refer to interparliamentary dialogue and hoped that the new Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly proposed in Valencia, once up and running, would monitor the Association Agreement. Finally, it called on the Commission to carry out a regular assessment of the economic, social and environmental consequences of implementing the Agreement.