newsitems

*Strasbourg/- In 2 recent Letters to the CoE, the Family of the Murdered Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink, strongly denounces Turkey's reluctance to implement ECHR's Judgement which condemned Ankara on 2010 for failing to really Investigate the Murder's circumstances in order to find and punish all those responsible, (See "EuroFora"s previous NewsReport at: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/echrhrantdink.html ), shortly before its Committee of Ministers holds, next week in Strasbourg, its Semestrial Human Rights' Session, revealing, inter alia, that Turkish Authorities not only avoided, until now, to seriously prosecute several identified Suspects even among High-Ranking Turkish State's Officials, but they even went as far as to .. "Reward" those suspected to have participated in the preparation and/or to have covered up the Murder, by promoting them, afterwards, to important positions, even officially dedicated to ... Human Rights' protection, as Media have just revealed these Days !, ( See Facts cited Infra).
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Meanwhile, as early as since October 2007, the Son of the Murdered Journalist, Arat Dink and others were condemned by Turkish Courts for "insulting the Turkish Identity (sic !)" because he dared re-publish a part of his killed Father's original texts!...

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 - In particular, the murdered Journalist's Family's Lawyer Fethiye Cetin wrote to the CoE 2 Letters denouncing the fact that, while "ECHR's judgement requires to bring to Justice any person who is found Resonsible in this (Journalist's Murder) case, as well as to make Efficient Investigations on allegations concerning High-ranked (Turkish) State Officials", "nevertheless, the Turkish Government not only Failed to make concrete, serious and sincere progress on the implementation of this judgement untl now, but it even limits itself merely into sending to (CoE's Committee of Ministers some Plans ... on the on-going prosecution process (against anyone involved in the cold-blood Murder) which are far away from being efficient and effective". ----------------------
On January 2012, the Turkish Criminal Court of Appeals at Istanbul "Aquitted all those accused to be members of an illegal Band", and, "despite all the proof contained in the File, the (Turkish) Criminal Court did NOT admit that Hrant Dink's Murder was an act committed in the framework of an illegal Band's activities".      

 - "Moreover, the No 1 Suspect, Erhan Tuncel, who worked for Trabzon' s Direction of Security , was Acquited (by the Turkish Court) from accusations of belonging to a Band, as well as for Directing it, and as an Instigator having also taken part to the Murder".

+ In addition, even Osman Hayal, brother of one among the Main Suspects Accused : Yasin Hayal, was also Acquitted from accusations to belong to an Armed Band",
Even Yasin Hayal was condemned "only for having been an Istingator of the Murder" of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink, but was, even him, acquitted by the Turkish Courts from the denonciation of his role as founder and director of a Band".
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As for the unemployed Turkish Youngster who was arrested by the Turkish Police as the Gunman who shot and killed the Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink, a Law introduced by Ankara's Government long after the 2007 Murder : on 2010, excluded any competence to the ordinary Criminal Courts, sending him for judgement to the Juvenile Courts, which "Separated" the accusation of belonging to a Band, and "Postponed" it until the Turkish Supreme Court judges an Appeal by the Family of the murdered man against the Rejection, by other Turkish Courts, of all other denonciations on all other Suspect's alleged involvement in an Armed Band to allegedly plot the Murder. An issue still Pending during Autumn 2012...
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- However, "even more than 5 (Five) Years now after the Murder, not any new Criminal Procedure was even launched, except only from those which had been launched since the start", and "this Investigation's File remains Unefficient, despite the fact that we have already presented, many times, concrete Informations that we have found, concerning the Participation of certain (Turkish) State Officers in the Murder, as well as relevant Proof", Victim's Family also denounced.

- "It's Worrying to see that there wasn't any Progress or concrete Development in the .; Investigation, particularly when it concerns High-ranked (Turkish) State's Agents, who have had a possibility to Disguise or Destroy Evidence, and even have, indeed, Attempted to do so..... It is clear that the Time which has lapsed, favours the Suspects and causes prejudice to the Killed Man's Family... Therefore, it has now (End of November 2012) become clear that this (Turkish) Enquiry is not at all Efficient in order to shed Light on the Real Circumstances of the case", Warned the Document lodged by their Lawyer now to CoE's Committee of Ministers, responsible for the implementation of ECHR's judgements by all Member States.
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Moreover, after a Turkish Procurator Rejected a Court's demand to impose more serious Sanctions to 2 Turkish Secret Services' Agents, Okan Simsek and Veysel Sahin, than a mere "condamnation for Negligence" wasn't serious enough, "for having Failed to fullfil their Duty, even if they had been Informed about the Preparations of the Murder of Hrant Dink", during a "new Court's Hearing they ... declared that they had Informed their Chiefs that Hrant Dinck was going to be Murdered".

 - But, "their (Turkish Secret Services') Chiefs not only hadn't reacted to this Information, but they had even tried to Hide from the Judges, after the Murder, several Informations and Documents which could serve as Proof, had Forged Fake Documents, had exerted Pressure upon themù (Simsek and Sahin) in order to Hinder them from giving their Testimonies, and, those Same Chiefs had even Threatened also another Witness, Coskun Igci, in order to dissuade him from saying anything to the judge", the Victims' Lawyer astonishingly revealed !

    However, even after Criminal Prosecution was extended also to "8 Officers of the (Turkish) Gendarmerie, Colonel Ali OZ and Captain Metin Yildiz, Chief of Secret Services", "despite efforts, by the Victim's Family's Lawyers and from a Judge, to upgrade the case to the more heavy Sanctions normally corresponding to the Serious character of the Facts for which these suspects were accused", nevertheless, the Turkish Authorities refused that, and obliged to keep the procedure downgraded and limited only at the Lower level of Minor Offenses, instead of that of a Higher Criminal Court, (regardless of the fact that "the accused had also Falsified Official Documents, Forged Fake Documents, Destroyed Evidence of the Crims, Threatened Witnesses in Murder case, and attempted to Obstruct their Testimonies").

    Thus, by a judgement issued on June 2011, a Trabzon Court "condemned Ali Oz and Metin Yildiz", (Chief of Turkish Secret Services), to 6 Months of Imprisonment, while Husein Yilmaz, Omer Unalir, Okan Simsek and Veysel Sahin were condemned to 4 Months in jail, but Gazi Gunay and Onder Araz were aquitted".
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    + Meanwhile, when "Hrant Dink Family's Lawyers provided New Evidence and asked to Open an Enquiry on the Responsibilities of the (Turkish) National Intelligence Agency, the Security Services' Direction at Istanbul and Trabzon, as well as the Gendarmery's Commandment in Trabzon; and the Intelligence Department of (Turkey's) National Security Service, who hadn't taken any Measure to Protect Hrant Dink's Life", "Trabzon's Prosecutor droped the case", and "the Turkish Criminal Court of Appeals discontinued those proceedings".

    => "In consequence, until now (2012) not any Criminal Prosecution wasn't ever launched, neither on the (Turkish) State Security Agents in Trabzon province, where the Murder had been Planned and Prepared, and where the Suspects had met eachother, Nor vis a vis the Agents of Istanbul's Security Service, there where the Murder was committed", the Lawyers' document presented at the CoE in Strasbourg denounces.

    Therefore, "concerning the Implementation of ECHR's Judgement in the case "Dink v. Turkey" (2010), "despite the fact that (according to ECHR's well established case-law) every person Involved in that incident must be brought to Justice, and an Efficient Investigation must be made vis a vis High-Ranking (Turkish) State Officials, nevertheless, Nothing concrete wasn't ever made in this sens", and, "contrary to Turkey's obligation to Fill the Gaps in its Judicial System, as they were clearly noted in ECHR's Judgement, in fact, No Progress at all wasn't ever observed,  and No Steps at all weren't ever made in order to FIGHT AGAINST IMPUNITY" of Crimes, the Victim's Family's Lawyers denounced, underlying anew "the Vital Importance of the case Dink v. Turkey in the domain of the Fight against Impunity" of Serious Crimes.
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 - In fact, "the Turkish Government didn't ever made any serious, concrete and sincere attempt to implement ECHR's Judgement", since all "those Responsible" for the Murder "weren't brought to Justice, and No Reventive Measures in order to avoid Repetition of Similar Violations as in the case of Hrant Dink's Murder, were ever taken".

>>> "On the Contrary, several among those Responsible" for the bloody incident, were even .. REWARDED by Promotion, and, at several occasions, the (Turkish) Government repeated some initiatives similar to those who underly the Violations of Human Rights" condemned by the ECHR in the Dink v. Turkey case", the Lawyers denounced, presenting even more recent facts.

- The Victims' Family had asked to "Identify all those Responsible, who knew the Plan to Murder Hrant Dink, but didn't take preventive and Protective Measures", and "Reveal the Causes of their Inactivity", "make a direct Enquiry on the Relations between these Officials and the Illegal Group currently prosecuted (Comp. supra), as well as the support that they gave to them, in order to apply Dissuasive Criminal Sanctions", "Investigate on all those Responsible for having Destroyed, Covered-up and/or Modified Evidence after the Murder, while also treating the Murderer as a "Hero", (reference at the infamous Photo where the Murderer is saluted like a Hero by Smiling Turkish Policemen in front of a Turkish Flag, filmed by their pals as for Propaganda video material, etc).

+ But also to "Start a New Judicial Process on all Investigations led by Trabzon Prosecutor's office, which resulted in the Impunity of all those accused, while knowing perfectly well that any new enquiry should be directly led by the same Prosecutors who investigate on the Murder", as well as to "appoint Prosecutors able to conduct a Centralized Investigation, ...in order to determine the Cause of the Murder, and in particular if it was committed for Racist motivations based on the Ethnic (Armenian) origin of the Victim".

Through "an Independent and Impartial Judicial Mechanism, really able to Investigate, allowing also the Participation of the Victim's Family in the procedure", and "without obstacles against Freedom of Expression and of the Media", (i.e. with sufficient Transparency, according to ECHR's case-law), as Dink Family's Lawyers added at a more recent Letter to the CoE's Committee of Ministers.
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However, on the Contrary, "the ENQUIRY led by Istanbul Prosecutor's Office, not only was practically AMBADONED for a long Time, but the (Turkish) State Agents identified as SUSPECTS by the investigation, had even been .. REWARDED by obtaining Promotion", etc, the Victim's Lawyers denounced, (Comp. also Infra).
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+ The Letters that they "sent to (Turkey's) Ministers of Justice : Sadulah Ergin, Interior : Besir Ataley, and Foreign Affairs : Ahmet Davutoglou, in which were reiterated the above mentioned considerations, did not receive any Reply at all, until now", the Victims' Family observes.

On the contrary, "f.ex., on February 2012, during a Demonstration.... at Taksim square in Istaanbul, .. the (Turkish) Minister .. Idris Sahin, pronounced a Racist, Revengful and Provocative Speech against Armenians", during which appeared racist and discriminatory Placards accusing f.ex. "all Armenians (to be) Bastards", and/or "Praising the Murderers of Dink", etc., while "participants wearing the same White Scurf that Dink's Murderer had used during the Crime, had asked to march towards AGOS, the Media created by Dink", i.e. "reproducing precisely the same (brutal Hate) Spirit as that which had led to Hrant Dink's Murder",  the November 2012  Letter to the CoE denounces.
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Meanwhile, during a series of Exchanges of Letters and Meetings between Turkish State Authorities on 2011, they found that it would be "Impossible" for them "to present an Action Plan according to CoE's Committee of Ministers requirements" for the implementation of ECHR's Judgement in the Hrant Dink's Murder case, so that the Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglou reportedly proposed, instead, to sent (on behalf of Ankara's Government) a simple Letter to the CoE which would present, instead, merely the Judicial Procedures which had already been launched in the recent past, (without any substantial result, as the Victim's Family denounced Supra)...

- These Facts were revealed by an Article at Newspaper "Vatan", on May 2012, (later repeated under the Heading : "Another Cover-Up in the Hrant Dink case"),"but were not bellied, nor contested at all by anyone among the involved (Turkish) Ministers", Dink's Lawyer's Letter to the CoE points out, criticizing Ankara Government's  reluctance to make concrete steps in this case, instead of continuing to practically  refuse to really implement ECHR's judgement.
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+ Meanwhile, Ankara's failings became even more obvious, when .. 2 Turkish Judges who had condemned the Murdered Jounalist in the Past, triggering Threats which led to the cold-blood Killing on 2007, were elected by Ankara Politicians on 2012 as ..."Protectors (Ombudsmen) of Human Rights" !..

*+ In an ultime (?) Provocation by the main Turkish Political Establishment, Mehmet Omiroglou, the same Turkish Judge who condemned Murdered Journalist Hrant Dink by accusing him to "Insult Turkishness" (according to the infamous Article 310 of TPC), was elected by Turkish MEPs ... "Human Rights Ombudsman" at this end of November 2012.

- Mehmet Omiroglou's controversial "verdict (had) also triggered a series of life Threats that led to Dink's Assassination in 2007", several Media reminded.
This obviously scandalous and dangerous Choice (among .. "35 Candidates" initially !) took place despite strong critical Warnings not only by the Family of the Murdered man and of Human Rights Organizations, but even by the main Opposition Party CHP, which denounced that, in fact, "the (Turkish) Law on the Ombudsman is so much in favor of the(Turkish) Government", that "it almost Assigned the Ombudsman"....

+ Moreover, other Media have just revealed, that it's even a 2nd controversial Turkish Judge, "Muhidin Sicak, ... also in the list of ..judges who affirmed the shameful verdict against Hrant Dink" (comp. Supra), who was also "elected" as Member of the Turkish Parliament's so-called "Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Council", which has only 5 Members...
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As a matter of General Principle, all MEPs' who participate in CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly are required to respect Human Rights standards, or, otherwise, they face Sanctions, such as a risk for their credentials to be refused, or to be deprived of Voting and/or Speaking Rights, etc., as it has been already done, f.ex., vis a vis Russian, Ukranian and other MEPs in the recent Past, (while Greece had been pushed totally out of the CoE previously, for many Years).

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(NDLR : Fast Translation from Original texts partly in French).
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*Brussels/EU Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking to Journalists including "EuroFora" after his exceptionaly delayed Press Conference at the beginning of a crucial EU Summit in Brussels on the Strategic issue of EU's Financial Perspectives for the period 2014-2020, the experienced President of EU Parliament, Martin Schulz, stressed that EU Heads of State/Government, in case of disagreement this time, could "Continue Negotiations" further on, f.ex. on the basis of the (not yet agreed with MEPs) EU Budget for 2013, even before they might have to ask for EU's Monthly Funds to be re-confirmed by EU Parliament each time, according to the Rules, as long as they need in order to reach a deal perhaps during 2013.

Surprisingly starting with an unprecedented Delay long of about 3 Hours later than scheduled his Press Conference in Brussels, after a prolonging a series of successive preliminary Bilateral meetings by EU President Van Rompuy with most EU Heads of State/Government before the Collective EU Summit's Gathering, Schulz warned all involved that EU Parliament wasn't ready at all to accept "Any" outcome but only "a Sensible" Compromise on such an important issue as EU's Multi-Annual Financial Framework which can affect even EU's Future "Nature".

- "The Decisions you take Today will Shape the EU of Tomorrow", he stressed from the outset, pointing at "the Concerns (even) of ordinary People", vis a vis "some Member States'" alleged attempt "to use the MFF Negotiations (in order) to Alter (sic) the very Nature of the EU", while MEPs' majority "is categorically Opposed to any such Change", as EU Parliament's President officially anounced also in Brussels, backed by MEPs' Debates and Votes of a relevant Resolution earlier in Strasbourg's Plenary session.

- F.ex., "EU Budget .. amounts to only 2% of Total Government Spending in the EU", where, "taken together, the Member States' (National) Budgets are 50 Times Larger than the EU Budget". Recently, moreover, "between 2000 and 2010, Member States' Budgets Increased by + 62%, but the EU Budget rose by only 37%", and "even since 2008, when the (Global) Crisis started, Total Government spending in Member States has increased by an average of more than +2%", while, on the contrary, "the EU Budget .. has in fact Diminished in Size", "during the Last 15 Years", "by Comparison with National Budgets". Nevertheless, "some .. seem now to be asking the EU to square the circle : (i.e.) perform ever More Tasks than ever, with Fewer Resources", provoking "a Gulf" between "Decisions taken in EU Council" of Governments "in Recent Years", which "conferred a series of Additional Tasks on the EU", while, "at the same time, however, some .. want to Deny us (EU Institutions) the Funding we need to carry out those tasks", Schulz denounced.

- In consequence, today, for the EU, "Quality and Effective Administration is Impossible without Proper Funding", so that  "progress towards the establishment of a genuine Own (EU) Resources system is a Prerequisite for our (EU Parliament's) approval of the MFF", he warned Heads of State/Governments. Also because "EU Budget is the most powerful force for Growth", "specifically designed to Complement National Budgets - by channelling EU Funding precisely to those areas where the Member States are making Cuts" in order "to make the Structural Adjustments which are now essential to address the problem of .. Competitiveness", so that "EU Budget is not part of the Problems, but part of the Solution",  since it has "an enormous Leverage effect : Every €uro invested in the EU attracts an average of between +2 and +4 €uros in Additional Investment", as he noted, speaking earlier to EU Heads of States/Governments. Moreover, "Dividing the Member States into net Contributors and net Recipients No longer makes sense", because, in "EU Budget", "Synergies are generated which Benefit the net Contributors" : F.ex., on "Cohesion Funds", "when Slovakia receives Money for Transort Infrastructure projects", .. "Roads are built and Trains are ordered .. in Other EU Member States", he observed.

- But, until now, "Unfortunately, Little has been done to put .. into Practice" the "Decision" of "the June (2012) Summit" which had "reached an agreement on a Growth Pact", the German Socialist Top MEP regretted, launching a Call to EU's Governments" to "endow" that "Growth Pact with the Resources it Needs", because, otherwise, "Freezing or Cutting the EU Budget means Abandoning the "Europe 2020" Strategy" for innovative Development, as he claimed.             

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+ "Political Choices" are "involved" when EU is called to "do more, (but) with Less Money",  warned also EU President Herman Van Rumpuy in his own "Opening Remarks" at the November 2012, special Brussels' EU Summit, inviting EU Heads of State/Government to realize that "we must not forget (that) this is a Budget for the rest of the Decade", and, therefore, "it must be Future-oriented", as Van Rompuy stresssed on "this issue (which) only comes up every 7 Years", (i.e. on 2005 and 2012, etc)...
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*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- All involved must back European Council President Van Rompuy's efforts for a November 2012 deal on the Strategic EU MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives, by the forthcoming 22-23/11/2012 EU Brussels' Summit, or, otherwise, a delay risks to hinder any Timely Agreement during all this year 2012, since the next, December 2012 EU Summit comes just in "less than a Month", (on 13-14/12/2012), said to "EuroFora" the EU Chairman-in-office, Cyprus' Minister for EU affaires, Andreas  Mavrogiannis

The experienced former Ambassador to Brussels, New York and Paris, etc, was reacting to the Hypothesis, that other, EU Parliament's sources had communicated earlier this week to "EuroFora", that at least some EU Member States' Governments might be, in fact, tempted to keep a "Hard" stance at the November Summit, mainly for internal, national Public Opinion-related motives, but would be conscious of the fact that, (as even the influential German Chancellor Angie "Merkel has said"), that "an Agreement for a Solution has to be found at least on the next, December 2012 EU Summit", if EU really wants to be (and also be considered as such) Efficient enough..

- Otherwise, a deal won't become possible before February or may be March 2013, i.e. practically pushing towards the Middle of Next Year, with unpredictable consequences, particularly in the current overall context, Mavrogianis warned.

In fact, several experienced People inside EU Pärliament wouldn' see that necessarily as a bad thing, since it would practically mean that, instead of the harsh "Cuts" asked by some, on the contrary, the EU would continue to be Funded, by Monthly Decisions, on the base of the pre-existing EU Budget, i.e. that of 2012, which wasn't yet affected by any exceptionaly important cuts...

=>  - But, in that case, we (Cyprus EU Presidency) could suggest to all those Governments involved (in such an eventual Deadlock), that they should, at least, clarify what kind of Europe do they have in mind for the foreseeable Future, he agreed with "EuroFora".

>Nevertheless, the main task on the substance of the Negotiations for EU's Financial Perspectives 2014-2020 is up to the European Council's President, Hermann Van Rompuy, not upon us, carefuly reminded the Cyprus' EU affairs Minister, in charge of the rotating EU Council Chairmanship, without excluding, however, any "Facilitating" contribution, if it becomes necessary and/or really useful.                                                                                                                                                                                          
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(../..)

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(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version might be published asap).

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*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- Freedom of Conscience on Moral a.o. issues, against Discrimination of Individuals targetted in fact for their Opinions, was strongly supported by an  EU Parliament's cRystal-clear Majority today, on the occasion of MEPs' Vote to endorse new EU Commissioner for Health, Tonio Borg, despite earlier threats by other MEPs to reject him because of his personal opinion on Moral  issues such as refusal of Homosexuals' "Marriage", Genetic ManiPulation of Human Embryos' Stem Cells, etc. :  Public controversies which are currently sky-rocketing in France, where even Socialist President Hollande was reportedly threatened by his own political camp when he simply evoked Mayors' freedom to personaly abstain from ceremonials of same sex "marriage", despite a controversial attempt to impose its recognition with a draft law prepared by his party, which recently provoked a growing series of Popular Mass Demonstrations protesting against it.

 F.ex., - "We have no reason to doubt that he is competent and able", but, "Dr. Borg made no attempt to DENY HIS OPINIONS on social issues of great importance", such as "Homosexuality, Divorce, Abortion, and the scientific (sic !) use of Tissues and Cells (as he called the controversial Genetic Manipulation of Human Embryos by Technocrats), and, "accordingly, we withhold our suport for the confirmation of the Commissioner-Designate", threatened explicitly British Liberal MEP Chris Davies, speaking on behalf of the Liberal Group before the crucial vote.

- "This vote will be very "Tight", and a "No" cannot be excluded at all, as things stand right at this moment", warned thus "EuroFora" the Head of French ChristianDemocrats/EPP MEPs, Audy, last Night...

Nevertheless, EU Parliament's Plenary just voted this Noon in Strasbourg in favour of Borg's nomination as EU Health Commissioner with a Surprisingly Strong, Absolute Majority of 386 for, 281 against, and 29 Abstentions, (i.e. a more than + 105 MEPs' positive difference) !
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 - During a subsequent Press Conference, organized in EU Parliament shortly after that landmark Vote, by the leadership of the ChristianDemocrat/EP Group, the biggest inside EU Parliament, "EuroFora" observed that, "it was obviously very Important what has just happened in the case of EU Commissioner Borg. But, since ..."Freedom of Conscience" was evoked in this case, as well as in other cases too, at Present but also in Future, are you really sure that we can say that there wasn't any - or that we can Hope, after this (EU Parliament's) Vote, that there isn't, no more, any- RISK OF INTIMIDATION, about Personal OPINIONS on Moral Issues for the whole Society ?", we asked the organizers.

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    Borg, served as Malta's deputy Prime Minister, and long-time Foreign but also Home affairs Minister, has a solid background of Lawyer, including on Human Rights, and holds a long experience as former CoE's PanEuropean Assembly's member, as well as Member of CoE's Anti-Torture watchdog "CPT" (which stands for  "Commitee to Prevent Torture" and Inhuman or degrading treatments).

    So that any eventual problem which might be provoked on grounds of Hostility to a simple Individual's Personal Opinion, would have (a fortiori) Big Impact on terrorizing Simple Citizens, if even a Top Politician like Borg had been rejected by EU Parliament...

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- "I think that this Question has been settled : People Vote according to their Consciousness, we have Press Freedom, etc. both at the level of each Citizen, as well as for each MEP at the moment that he/she votes", Daul replied to our question.

 
- "And I believe that this is, precisely, one of those Fundamental Rights, that we are going to do anything in order to safeguard it at the European level", promissed the Leader of EU Parliament's biggest Group of MEPs, (that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP), in reply to "EuroFora"s Query.

+ Moreover, in this particular case, "I can't imagine what kind of Blackmail might be, eventually, made, since, as it was said (by German ChristianDemocreat MEP Dr Peter Liese), Mr. Bjorg is, now, going to work (mainly) on the case concerning Health and Tobbaco : That's his main area of action, during the period of just a little bit more than a Year, which remains today", (i.e. December 2012 - July 2014, up to the next EU Permanent Elections). This is going to be one his main files, and, there, I don't see how could anyone would attack him (even) when he'll speak about Health and Tobacco, there, I think that he will be free to work in Peace, at least for a Year", Daul concluded, with an estimation ad minima, but at least, realistically rock-solid..

Pressure stood so high, before that crucial vote, that, f.ex., "just between 2 and 2.30 pm I received more than 700 Emails in my (PC) screen by crazy people", he revealed !

- In fact, "EU Parliament respected the Candidate" EU Commissioner, "and his Technical Qualities, since, as far as it concerns the management of cases, it was uncontestable", Daul reminded.

- "We worked a lot, last night, together with EU Parliament's President", Martin Schultz, "and I'm going to meet him anew", "because it's very important, particularly when it wants to be taken seriously by EU Council , that EU Parliament doesn't look as someone who might reject anything, on any grounds", but, on the contrary, "demonstrates its capacity to work seriously on delicate issues", Daul praised MEPS' Majority.

 - "As I've already said yesterday, anyone has a right to be a Homosexual, to deal as he/she wants with his/her private life, but, I have also the Right to be Married, to have 2 Children, to be (Christian) Catholic, and to go to the Mass each Sunday !", he joked...

=> - "European Union is also that. (EU's) Fundamental Rights' Charter, is also this !", Daul pointed out.

- So that "it's not acceptable to trespass beyond certain limits, in some areas : It's not good, and the Best Reply is, Today, the entire Parliament's reply", clearly rejecting such Personal Attacks for simple Opinions , he stressed.        
       
 - The ChristianDemocart-"EPP (Group) was Unanimous", in supporting the inscriminated candidate EU Commissioner Borg, "but we were supported also by certain Socialists and various other MEPs, since we succeeded to get an Absolute Majority", Daul noted.

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 - Indeed, in addition to the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group's support, we also had that of the ECR (Conservatives, mainly British and Polish), but also a great part from the Socialists, and even a part of Greens and Liberals, etc., the experienced German ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP, Chair of a BioEthics' Group for the EPP, Dr. Liese observed.

=> - "Europe stands in favor of Pluralism of Opinions", Peter Liese stressed in Conclusion.

  - Indeed, "Nobody had contested EU Commissioner Bjorg's work Capacities, for which he had positive reports. In fact, it was mainly about his personal beliefs against Homosexuals' "Marriage", on Human Embryo Stem Cells, etc.

>>> - I.e., "this was a Discrimination", where "some searched to impose a kind of "Police of Beliefs", incompatible with Freedom of Conscience, Dr. Liese denounced.

    - "But People have a Right to support Christian and even Conservative Values,

including some which are not shared by all not even inside the EP Group", he found.
=> -  So that, "in Europe, there is (a Democratic) Debate", and, "on such controversial issues, where there is Not Unanimity inside the EU, then, can apply the Principle of Subsidiarity", (i.e. leaving each EU Membee State free to adopt various National Rules on such matters), Dr. Liese concluded.
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- "Today, it's a Victory for Europe. Today, common sense prevailed against Prejucide. Unity in Diversoty prevailed", mainstream MEP from Malta (Borg's compatriot), Busuttil stressed.

 - But, "there was a Risk", because "it was a Difficult Vote, because of the resistances that had been accumulating over the past Weeks", he reminded.

- "The Risk was that some stilfed Diversity, but that also they Destroyed Unity, and this destroyed, at the same time, the Europe in which we, (ChristianDemocrats/)EPP believe in", Busuttil observed.

- But, "Today I'm very Proud to be European", the mainstream Maltese MEP concluded, while also "Thanking all those who helped us get that Fantastic and restounding Majority" in EU Parliament's Plenary, even accross various political horizons, in a Secret Vote about a matter of personal beliefs on Moral issues, concerning each Citizen's freedom of conscience.

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