Written question with priority to the EU Commission

in accordance with article 42.5 of the Rules of Procedure

by Olivier DUPUIS

Subject: EU action on China with regard to the UN Commission on Human Rights

With 6 more weeks to go until the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, is seems that the EU has still not decided on action to be taken on the very serious human rights situation in China.

So far the EU Human Rights Working Group has failed to reach a conclusion on what the EU should do with respect to a China resolution. At the same time, the human rights situation in China is deteriorating even further while the so-called dialogue on human rights between the EU and China is deadlocked. For these reasons, a UN resolution condemning the human rights situation in China is needed more than ever.

It seems that the Presidency of the Union is committed to such a resolution and is supported by most other Member States on this issue. However, from well-informed sources as well as from the press, it appears that 2 Member States are strongly opposed and are obstructing the consultation process.

Can the Council confirm this information? If this is the case, what action is the Presidency of the Union planning to take to overcome the deadlock?