EU united against capital punishment

President Barroso said that "The European Union is unreservedly opposed to the use of capital punishment under all circumstances and has consistently called for the worldwide abolition of this punishment. Death penalty is against human dignity. We want to give visibility to the efforts of the many Non-Governmental Organisations and individuals who strive, day after day, towards the abolition of the death penalty."

Vice-president Franco Frattini, Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, added that "The death penalty is a wild and revengeful parody of justice. Today, we can affirm with pride that death penalty has no place within the European model and confirm our commitment to promote universal abolition".

A growing number of countries are abolishing the death penalty: 133 countries have done so in practice or in law.

In line with its common foreign policy objective to develop and consolidate respect for human rights, the EU has become the lead institutional actor in the world against death penalty. In June, the EU tabled a resolution at the UN General Assembly proposing a world-wide moratorium on executions.

The Commission has funded around 30 anti-death penalty projects worldwide since 1994, with an overall budget of about €15 million.

For more information:
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/news/intro/news_intro_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/human_rights/adp/index.htm

See also: World Coalition against Death Penalty
http://www.worldcoalition.org

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• EU welcomes UN Resolution on a Moratorium on the Death Penalty (16/11/2007)
• EU Presidency Statement on the adoption of the UN resolution on the moratorium on the use of the death penalty  (15/11/2007)
• Introductory Statement - United Nations 3rd Committee: Moratorium of the use of the Death Penalty (8/11/2007)
• EU Presidency Statement - United Nations 3rd Committee: Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (24/10/2007)
• EU on World Day against the Death Penalty (10/10/2007)
• EU Commissioner Frattini - "Europe against the Death Penalty" (10/10/2007)
• Death Penalty: EU Presidency Declaration on 400th execution in Texas (21/8/2007)
• Rwanda: EU Presidency Declaration concerning formal abolition of the death penalty (26/7/2007)
• Launching the European Day against the Death Penalty (19/6/2007)
• EU Presidency Declaration - Third World Congress against the Death Penalty, Paris, 1-3 February 2007 (31/1/2007)