Protect human rights by tackling corruption
0 comments | by Ana Gomes
Protect human rights by tackling corruption Ana Gomes I believe this is also going to be very useful for the EU and for the sanity of our own methods. It could improve the transparency of our procedures so that we do not cooperate with practices that actually increase the opacity, like money laundering. Many highly corrrupt countries are also fast-growing economies and hence important tradeand business partners for the EU. How could the union find a balance between trading with these countries and still addressing the corruption issue? There is a tendency to turn a blind eye to human rights when important business is going on. This is particularly evident with oil-producing countries, like Saudi Arabia, Caucasian republics and African countries. There is no lack of glaring examples. In Russia energy is used as an economic and political tool, the Chinese people are fighting against serious abuse of all sorts, but the EU is very apologetic. But I also think that we in the EU care about human rights and believe it to be an essential fundament of our union, as well as a requirement of a world based on international law. Catherine Ashton, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, has said that human rights are the silver thread of our policies. Let's put it into practice. I think that a big step forward has already been taken as Lady Ashton appointed Stavros Lambrinidis as the representative for human rights.