Letter sent to European Commission by 10 EPP Group Heads of Delegations from Central Eastern Europe in European Parliament
26 April 2012, Brussels
Letter sent to European Commission by 10 EPP Group Heads of Delegations from Central Eastern Europe
Discrimination against Central Eastern European citizens is unacceptable
The Heads of EPP Group Delegations of the 10 Central Eastern European Member States (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) have sent an open letter today to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. In the document, the EPP Group MEPs are expressing their deepest concern with regard to the numerous discriminatory actions carried out against Central and Eastern European citizens and calling the Commission to step up against such measures.
In the letter, the signing parties recalled the launch of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV)’s internet hotline, set up against Eastern European citizens and the launch of a similar website by the Belgian Flemish far-right party, Vlaams Belang, targeting all migrants. The EPP Group MEPs also raise their concern on the recent decision of Switzerland, in which the country temporarily re-introduces an authorisation requirement for workers coming from the eight Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004.
The 10 Eastern European EPP Group Heads of Delegations strongly condemn these developments. „We believe that these discriminatory actions go against the fundamental European values of human dignity, freedom, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights and that these unacceptable measures are making Central Eastern Europeans second-class citizens and thus risk destroying the very basis of the Union – equality of EU citizens” as stated in the letter.
„We cannot accept any form of discrimination coming from either inside or outside the European Union. These discriminatory measures set dangerous precedents and could encourage extreme political forces to use similar actions against Central Eastern European citizens. This would lead to dangerous consequences, such as the strengthening of xenophobia, extremism and far-right movements, and would create deep divisions between European nations, thus weakening the EU as a whole” as the letter highlighted. With this in mind, the Heads of the 10 Central Eastern European EPP Group Delegations are calling President Barroso to step up against these and other discriminatory actions. „We are calling on you to make a stand against the use of double standards, to use all your power to put pressure on all movements, political forces and even on states to terminate these unacceptable actions”.
The letter was signed by:
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Head of Polish EPP Group Delegation, as co-initiator;
András Gyürk, Head of Hungarian EPP Group Delegation; as co-initiator;
Theodor Dumitru Stolojan, Head of Romanian EPP Group Delegation;
Andrey Kovatchev, Head of Bulgarian EPP Group Delegation;
Tunne Kelam, Head of Estonian EPP Group Delegation;
Vytautas Landsbergis, Head of Lithuanian EPP Group Delegation;
Krišjānis Kariņš, Head of Latvian EPP Group Delegation;
Milan Zver, Head of Slovenian EPP Group Delegation;
Zuzana Roithova, Head of Czech EPP Group Delegation;
Anna Zaborska; Head of Slovakian EPP Group Delegation
Opublikowane w portalu Polonia.NL 26.04.2012
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