EPP and Liberals break the EU consensus on Venezuela
Date
28 Mar 2019
Sections
Security
In blatant contradiction with the European External Action Service and the previous resolutions adopted by the European Parliament on Venezuela, the EPP Group and the Liberals today pushed for a resolution that opens the door to the use of force or an armed intervention and questions any mediation for a peaceful and democratic solution.
The S&D Group, which voted in favour of previous parliamentary resolutions denouncing abuse of power and calling for clean elections, supports the efforts currently deployed by the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the EU and chose to maintain the official EU line today, which includes rejecting any use of violence or an armed intervention to solve the difficult crisis affecting Venezuela. The Group has criticised the partisan and electoral use of the Venezuelan crisis by some members in the Parliament.
S&D MEP Ramón Jáuregui, who co-chairs the EU-Latin America parliamentary assembly (Eurolat), said:
“The position of the EPP and ALDE Groups is irresponsible: We continue to support the European External Action Service and the Contact Group of which a majority of European countries are part of. The political right wing in the Parliament is denying something evident: that the only international agent that is talking to the government and to the opposition these days, with the aim of a regime transition and the calling of elections, is the European Contact Group, with the support of some countries in the region. This animosity against any mediation is stupid and incoherent.
“We remain on the EU position, which still favours a political democratic and peaceful solution as the only way out of this crisis.
“We also regret the rejection of an amendment introduced by our Group which explicitly called for the inclusion of a paragraph in the resolution, so as to categorically reject any military intervention or use of violence in the Venezuelan crisis. Any speculation or strategy including a military intervention cannot but generate an escalation of violence in the country and will have disastrous effects in the whole region.”