Strasbourg, France. European Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis on Wednesday urged the United States government to abide by the rule of law following the killings of nurse Alex Pretti and Renee Good by US law enforcement agents.
Address to the European Parliament
Speaking during an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Kadis said there could be no double standards and described the United States as a long-established democracy founded on the same enlightenment ideals as European democracies, adding that it had helped develop the international legal framework on human rights.
He said that recent events in Minneapolis, Minnesota had been met with concern in Europe.
Condolences and expectations of accountability
Kadis said the European Commission deplored the loss of life and expressed condolences to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
He said the European Commission trusted that the US judicial system and law enforcement would take all necessary actions to ensure justice was served and that human rights and the rule of law were respected.
He added that it had been noted that the US Department of Justice had opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Pretti.
EU engagement with the United States
Kadis said the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the protection of human rights were not up for debate, calling them tools to hold power to account and to ensure rights and freedoms were upheld.
He said this applied in the European Union, in the United States and anywhere in the world, and stated that the EU would continue to engage with the United States openly on issues of concern.
He announced that EU special representative for human rights Kajsa Ollongren would travel to Washington DC in the coming weeks.
EU values
Kadis said that in a rapidly changing world, the European Union would continue to defend the values and ideals on which it was founded, including human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
What do you think the EU’s next steps should be in its engagement with the United States on human rights and the rule of law?