Bruxelles, 2/02/11

"European authorities seem to have learned from Tunisia and were quicker to condemn violence in Egypt" said Marie Christine Vergiat MEP (France). "Let us beware of interference and be firm on all violations of human rights. The EU has lost a lot of credibility in many countries in the region. It must be humble while being attentive to the needs of real people.

According to Willy Meyer MEP (Spain ) " The EU must revisit its neighbourhood policy - we're more concerned with signing free trade agreements than human rights. The problem is that the EU is not stepping up to support the people on the streets and this applies all over the Arab world. People can no longer stand autocracy; we must support them and live up to the expectations placed on us by our neighbourhood policy.

"We express our strong support for and solidarity with the Egyptian people and their legitimate struggle for freedom and justice" concluded Takis Hadzigeorgiou MEP (Cyprus). "At the same time, we must closely monitor the impact that Muslim fundamentalism could have in Egypt and the Middle East."

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