| Jänner | Februar | März | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Mai | Juni | ||||||
| Mai | ||||||||
| Mo | Di | Mi | Do | Fr | Sa | So | ||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ||
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | ||
| 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||||
E-Mail Service
Medienakkreditierung
Hotelreservierung
Routenplaner
Wetter
Statement by H.E. Ambassador Wolfgang PETRITSCH
Permanent Representative of Austria
on behalf of the European Union
Geneva, 27 June 2006
Check against delivery
Mr. Chairman,
The European Union would like to thank the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group for her presentation and the report which very well reflects the progress achieved in the process.
The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
The European Union once again reaffirms its commitment to the full realisation of economic, social and cultural rights and to the effective empowerment of the right-holders. The universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights, as stated in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, are now firmly established principles. Full and equal emphasis must be given to the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights and civil and political rights, since all human rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person.
The European Union welcomes the work undertaken by the Working Group to consider options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which successfully concluded its third session in January this year. The sessions of the Working Group have provided an excellent opportunity to enhance our understanding about the dimensions of economic, social and cultural rights, their justiciability, and ways to improve the implementation of the Covenant.
In the third session, the process was taken a further step ahead with the useful deliberations on the basis of the analytical paper with elements for an Optional Protocol which helped us focus the discussions, clarify contending issues and indicate possible solutions. By identifying options regarding the communications, inquiry and inter-State procedures, by analysing the way existing systems function and also by giving us examples of national and regional case-law, as well as by identifying a number of cross-cutting issues and considering possible solutions, the document was a sound basis for an in-depth and informed discussion concerning the scope, contents, possibilities, impact, implications, pros and cons of a possible Optional Protocol.
The process has also greatly benefited from the participation of the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Prof. Eibe Riedel, a great number of Non-Governmental Organisations, National Institutions and other experts who have enriched the debates in the Working Group and clarified further our options through their active contribution to this process for a number of years.
In view of the significant progress achieved in the Working Group, it is important that the Council now takes this process forward taking into account all views on an optional protocol to ensure that the work can advance in the most effective way.
The European Union would like to thank you for your tireless efforts in leading this process, and commends the fairness and moderation shown in the conduct of this process so far. We trust that a spirit of constructive cooperation, inclusiveness and openness will continue to prevail in the future work of the Working Group.
