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FM report: human rights protection in EU still “inefficient and incomplete”

MOSCOW, January 15 (Itar-Tass) - Protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms in the EU remains inefficient and incomplete, says a report on the human rights situation in the EU in 2013, released on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s site.

The report was based on reputable international sources like reports of the UN Human Rights Council and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, OECD materials, as well as data provided by human rights experts, journalists and NGOs.

“All these are common in their striving to relieve the European Union of its grave human rights blights which, as demonstrated by last-year events, have only aggravated and require practical steps for their elimination,” the report goes.

Among the acutest problems the report notes “stable growth of xenophobia, racial prejudice, aggressive nationalism, chauvinism and Neo-Nazism”. Amid the ongoing financial crisis in Europe, the Russian Foreign Ministry is also concerned about escalating violations of rights of minorities, refugees and migrants and infringement of social rights. Inadequate protection of children's rights, gender inequality, abuse of power by the police, violation of prisoners’ rights and participation of the whole range of EU countries in the CIA's secret prisons programme are also alarming, the report says adding that “systemic and massive violation of the right to privacy and encroachment upon the freedom of speech and freedom of the press are a special cause for concern”.

According to the Foreign Ministry, many EU members still “prefer to abstain from commitments under basic multilateral human rights agreements” or, when they do take on such commitments, “these are surrounded by neutralizing provisions”.

All this, the Foreign Ministry believes, clearly indicates that the present system of human rights protection in the EU “remains inefficient and incomplete” amid no progress in providing supernational monitoring in case of violations in individual member countries. The EU lacks mechanisms that might ensure pro-active reaction to such violations and bring those responsible to justice, the report says, adding the EU authorities even “connive" with violations in some cases.

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