COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Thursday, 29 August 2024

● Council of the EU   29/08/2024 14:13 | Press release | Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza   The EU urges immediate humanitarian pauses to enable the vaccination of all children in Gaza against the poliovirus. The Gaza Strip has been polio-free for the last 25 years. It is alarming that poliovirus was detected and that the first case was confirmed there again in July affecting children. An epidemic among a population already weakened by over 10 months of fighting and displacement, malnourishment, lack of basic health services, and deplorable sanitary conditions, as well as further spread internationally, must be avoided. The EU joins the call by the United Nations Secretary General and the World Health Organisation for immediate humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow for the polio vaccination campaign to take place. Two rounds of the campaign are expected to be rolled out in the Strip in the coming weeks in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, providing two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 to more than 640 000 children under ten years of age. The EU welcomes the delivery of more than 1.2 million oral polio vaccines as well as the cooperation by Israel in delivering the vaccines to Gaza, and underlines the importance of further cooperation by all sides with WHO, UNRWA and UNICEF to conduct the vaccination rollout. Commitment to the humanitarian pauses by all parties will be crucial to allow the successful and timely implementation of these urgent campaigns. Protecting healthcare facilities and their workers and ensuring safe access for children and families to vaccination sites will be essential to this end. The EU has consistently reiterated its concern about the catastrophic situation in Gaza and supported the ongoing negotiations for a deal on a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. The EU and its member states are jointly the biggest humanitarian donor in Gaza. The EU remains fully committed to providing humanitarian aid and support to Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza, including through the continuation of the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operations, increased funding to support health facilities and assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as well as humanitarian actors – both UN agencies and NGOs - on the ground.  Press material Monday, 26 August 2024   ● Council of the EU   26/08/2024 15:49 | Press release | Afghanistan: Statement of the High Representative on behalf of the EU on latest restrictions imposed by the Taliban on the people   The European Union is appalled by the decree recently issued by the Taliban, the so-called Law on Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The decree confirms and extends severe restrictions on the life of Afghans imposed by the Taliban, including imposed dress codes, notably ordering women to cover their bodies and faces in public. The decree also imposes that the voices of women must not be heard in public, which effectively deprives Afghan women of their fundamental right to freedom of expression. The decree further extends the power of the so-called Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice beyond an advisory role as it is now being given a clear mandate to enforce the decree. This, together with the restrictions imposed, punishable under Taliban law, violates legal obligations and Treaties to which Afghanistan is a State Party, including by undermining Afghan people’s right to due process. This latest decision is another serious blow undermining the rights of Afghan women and girls, which we cannot tolerate. We urge the Taliban to put an end to these systematic and systemic abuses against Afghan women and girls, which may amount to gender persecution, which is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Afghanistan is a State Party. The decree also creates yet another self-imposed obstacle to normalised relations and recognition by the international community, to which the Taliban publicly aspire. Such possible recognition, as stated in the UN’s independent assessment, of which the UNSC Resolution 2721 (2023) took positive note, would require the Taliban to fully respect both their obligations towards the citizens of Afghanistan and Afghanistan’s international obligations. The EU continues to stand by the women and girls of Afghanistan, and by all those in Afghanistan threatened by the Taliban.

Press material Sunday, 25 August 2024

● Council of the EU   25/08/2024 08:26 | Press release | Venezuela: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on recent post-election developments   The European Union remains extremely concerned about the deepening political crisis in Venezuela. The EU welcomes the interim report of the UN Panel of Experts, invited by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) to assess the overall conduct of the elections within the framework of the Barbados Agreement. This report has shed light on the electoral process and underscored the lack of substantiation for the results announced by Venezuelan authorities. As of today, Venezuelan authorities have not provided the necessary public evidence to assess the electoral process according to the standards indicated by the UN panel of experts. In light of the ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela (TSJ), it is worth recalling that the CNE is the body legally and constitutionally responsible for the transparent and detailed publication of official electoral results. Only complete and independently verifiable results will be accepted and recognized to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people is respected. The European Union continues to urge the CNE to publish and independently verify the official voting records (“actas”) from all the polling stations. Furthermore, the European Union stresses that the UN Panel of Experts has confirmed that a sample of the reviewed 'actas' published by the opposition exhibit the security features of the original result protocols, thereby confirming their reliability. According to the publicly available copies of the 'actas,' Edmundo González Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the presidential election by a significant majority. The Venezuelan people have to decide their own destiny. Their will must prevail. The European Union will continue to work with its regional partners to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people expressed at the ballot box is respected and to facilitate a Venezuelan-led dialogue that provides guarantees to both sides and leads to the restoration of democracy and to solve the current humanitarian and socio-economic crisis. Venezuelan authorities must respect the right of all Venezuelans to peacefully demonstrate and freely express their political opinions without fear of reprisal. They must refrain from using excessive force, end the repression and harassment of the opposition and civil society, and release all political prisoners. Human rights violations must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible held accountable.