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ABSTRACT
This paper examines the role of the European Parliament as an international moral tribune for the promotion of human rights through a qualitative case-study design. It focuses on the emblematic Ayotzinapa case, which involved the enforced disappearance of 43 young rural students and the killing of other six civilians in Mexico in September 2014. The paper innovatively analyses the parliamentary diplomacy activity of four Members and their respective political groups: Franziska ‘Ska’ Keller (Greens/EFA, Germany), Josep-Maria Terricabras i Nogueras (Greens/EFA, Spain), Estefanía Torres Martínez (GUE/NGL, Spain) and Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio (EPP, Spain), during the 8th parliamentary term (2014–2019). It addresses: How does the European Parliament, acting as an international moral tribune, exercise its role in promoting human rights in practice? Importantly, how do individual members and their political groups contribute to fulfilling this role? The research findings reveal that the phenomenon of parliamentary diplomacy on human rights is highly complex, challenging the mainstream notion that the European Parliament is a monolithic player acting as a moral tribune in international relations. Results also provide important insight for understanding the (micro-)processes of parliamentary diplomacy and their relevance for human rights advocacy within the European Union’s external relations and its Member States’.
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to all the actors who shared with her valuable information and insights during the research, as well as to anonymous peer reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Andrés Malamud and Stelios Stavridis, ‘Parliaments and Parliamentarians as International Actors’, in The Ashgate Research Companion to Non-State Actors, ed. Bob Reinalda (Farnham: Ashgate, 2011), 101–15; Stelios Stavridis and Davor Jančić, ‘Introduction: The Rise of Parliamentary Diplomacy in International Politics’, in Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, ed. Stelios Stavridis and Davor Jančić (Leiden: Brill, 2017), 1–15; Stelios Stavridis, ‘La Diplomacia Parlamentaria: El Papel de los Parlamentos en el Mundo’, Revista Española de Derecho Internacional 71, no. 1 (2019).
2 Malamud and Stavridis, ‘Parliaments and Parliamentarians’, 101.
3 A list of all acronyms and abbreviations used in this paper is provided in Table A1 in the supplementary material.
4 Davor Jančić, ‘World Diplomacy of the European Parliament’, in Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, 19–40.
5 The number of EP standing delegations for the 9th parliamentary term (2019–2024) was fixed at 44 on 17 April 2019. However, the EP decided to set up a new delegation to the EU-United Kingdom Parliamentary Partnership Assembly on 5 October 2021. See EP, Decision of 15 February 2022 on the Numerical Strength of Interparliamentary Delegations, 2022, Doc. P9_TA(2022)0021.
6 EP Conference of Presidents, Decision on the Implementing Provisions Governing the Work of Delegations and Missions Outside the European Union, 2015, Doc. PE 422.560/CPG, Articles 3(1), 3(5), 5(3), 21(1) and 21(2).
7 EP, Rules of Procedure, 2021, Annex VI(I).
8 EP Conference of Presidents, Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Thursday 31 May 2018, 2018, Doc. PE 620.109/CPG; EP Citizens’ Enquires Unit (Ask EP), email message to the author, 1 July 2022.
9 See Stelios Stavridis, “Parliamentary Diplomacy”: Some Preliminary Findings, 2002, University of Catania (Jean Monnet Working Paper in Comparative and International Politics 48); Roderick Pace and Stelios Stavridis, ‘The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, 2004–2008: Assessing the First Years of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Barcelona Process’, Mediterranean Quarterly 21, no. 2 (2010): 97; Stelios Stavridis, ‘Conclusions: Parliamentary Diplomacy as a Global Phenomenon’, in Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, 378; Stavridis, ‘La Diplomacia Parlamentaria’, 200–1.
10 Jančić, ‘World Diplomacy’, 21, 23; Stavridis, ‘La Diplomacia Parlamentaria’, 192–3.
11 Laura Feliu and Francesc Serra, ‘The European Union as a “Normative Power” and the Normative Voice of the European Parliament’, in The European Parliament and its International Relations, ed. Stelios Stavridis and Daniela Irrera (Abingdon: Routledge, 2015), 17–34; Jančić, ‘World Diplomacy’, 29–33.
12 Stelios Stavridis, ‘Foreign Policy and Democratic Principles: The Case of EPC’ (PhD diss., London School of Economics, 1991), cited in Stavridis, “Parliamentary Diplomacy”; Stelios Stavridis, ‘The European Parliament, European Foreign Policy and the Conflict in Former Yugoslavia 1991–1995’ (report to the European Commission, Jean Monnet Chair Research Project No. 95/0549, Reading, 1996) cited in Stavridis, “Parliamentary Diplomacy”; Stelios Stavridis and Irene Fernández Molina, ‘El Parlamento Europeo y el conflicto de Libia (2011): ¿Una tribuna moral eficiente?’, Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals 101 (2013); Paula Lamoso González and Stelios Stavridis, ‘El Parlamento Europeo como tribuna moral internacional: el caso de Venezuela’, Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals 131 (2022).
13 Stavridis and Fernández Molina, ‘El Parlamento Europeo y el conflicto de Libia’, 154.
14 Pace and Vella, ‘The European Parliament and the Cyprus Problem’, in The European Parliament, 266.
15 Reslow, ‘Human Rights, Domestic Politics, and Informal Agreements: Parliamentary Challenges to International Cooperation on Migration Management’, Australian Journal of International Affairs 73, no. 6 (2019): 554–5, 558.
16 Amis de la Terre France et al., The EU and the Corporate Impunity Nexus: Building the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights, 2018; Jakub Wódka and Agnieszka Cianciara, ‘External Europeanization through Parliamentary Cooperation: The EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee and EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee in Comparative Perspective’, in Parliamentary Cooperation and Diplomacy in EU External Relations: An Essential Companion, ed. Kolja Raube, Meltem Müftüler-Baç, and Jan Wouters (Cheltenham: Elgar, 2019), 247; Andrea Becerril, ‘Condenan Sheinbaum y gobernadores de Morena resolución de eurodiputados’, La Jornada, 12 March 2022.
17 Feliu and Serra, ‘The European Union as a “Normative Power”’, 23; Cosima Glahn, ‘The European Parliament as a ‘Normative Actor’ in Inter-parliamentary Cooperation?’ in Parliamentary Cooperation, 277.
18 See Mónica Velasco Pufleau, ‘The Impact of Parliamentary Diplomacy, Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy on EU Strategic Partners: The Case of Mexico’, in Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, 134–55.
19 United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Juan E. Méndez: Addendum. Mission to Mexico, 2014, Doc. A/HRC/28/68/Add.3, 18–9; UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), Concluding Observations on the Report Submitted by Mexico under Article 29, Paragraph 1, of the Convention, 2015, Doc. CED/C/MEX/CO/1, 2; Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Situation of Human Rights in Mexico, 2015, Doc. 44/15, 12–3, 36–7.
20 Feliu and Serra, ‘The European Union as a “Normative Power”’, 24–5; The Greens/EFA in the EP, ‘What We Stand for: Our Vision’, https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/what-we-stand-for/our-vision (accessed 19 March 2023); The Left in the EP – GUE/GNL, ‘About the Group’, https://left.eu/about-the-group/ (accessed 19 March 2023).
21 See Velasco Pufleau, ‘The Impact of Parliamentary Diplomacy’, 134–55.
22 Richard Corbett, Francis Jacobs, and Darren Neville, The European Parliament, 9th ed. (London: John Harper Publishing, 2016), 116–22.
23 See Mónica Velasco Pufleau, ‘Parliamentary Dialogue and the Role of the Joint Parliamentary Committee’, in The Modernisation of the European Union-Mexico ‘Global Agreement’, ed. EU, 2015, Doc. PE 534.985 (report to the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, EP/EXPO/B/AFET/2014/14 PART II), chapter 4 and section 5.1.
24 Along with Keller, Jiménez-Becerril also served as MEP from 2009 to 2014 (7th parliamentary term). However, unlike the other three examined MEPs, only Keller resulted re-elected in the 2019 European elections (9th parliamentary term, 2019–2024).
25 Corbett, Jacobs, and Neville, The European Parliament, 98.
26 EFE, ‘Sevilla recuerda al matrimonio Jiménez Becerril en el 25 aniversario de su asesinato a manos de ETA’, El Mundo, 30 January 2023.
27 On few exceptions, see Yoav Shemer-Kunz, ‘The Diplomatic Role of the European Parliament’s Political Groups in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’, in Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, 76–98; Daan Fonck, ‘The Emergence of the European Parliament as a Diplomatic Mediator: Conceptualising, Exploring and Explaining Parliamentary Diplomacy in EU Foreign Policy’ (PhD diss., KU Leuven, 2019).
28 See Article II of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons adopted by the General Assembly to the Organisation of American States on 9 June 1994 (ratified by Mexico in 2002); Article 2 of the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance adopted by the UN General Assembly on 23 December 2010 (ratified by Mexico in 2008).
29 CED, Concluding Observations, 2; IACHR, Situation of Human Rights in Mexico, 11, 63–6.
30 Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda, ‘Registro Nacional de Personas Desaparecidas y No Localizadas’, https://versionpublicarnpdno.segob.gob.mx/Dashboard/Sociodemografico (accessed 20 March 2023).
31 CED, Concluding Observations, 3–4; IACHR, Situation of Human Rights in Mexico, 66–7; CED, Follow-up Observations on the Additional Information Submitted by Mexico under Article 29 (4) of the Convention, 2019, Doc. CED/C/MEX/FAI/1, 1.
32 Iván E. Saldaña, ‘Hay 61 mil 637 desaparecidos; suman 5 mil 184 casos en lo que va del sexenio’, Excélsior, 7 January 2020.
33 CED, Concluding Observations on the Report Submitted by Mexico under Article 29, Paragraph 1, of the Convention: Addendum. Information Received from Mexico on Follow-up to the Concluding Observations, 2018, Doc. CED/C/MEX/CO/1/Add.2, 21.
34 See IACHR, ‘IACHR Makes Official Technical Cooperation Agreement about Ayotzinapa Students in Mexico’, Press Release, Doc. 136/14, 18 November 2014.
35 GIEI, Informe Ayotzinapa: Investigación y primeras conclusiones de las desapariciones y homicidios de los normalistas de Ayotzinapa, 2015, 311–3; GIEI, Informe Ayotzinapa II: Avances y nuevas conclusiones sobre la investigación, búsqueda y atención a las víctimas, 2016, 15–7. See also, among others, GIEI, Informe Ayotzinapa III Resumen, 2022.
36 Presidencia Enrique Peña Nieto, ‘Conferencia de Prensa “Caso Ayotzinapa”’, video, 27 January 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDiPRlOgwt8&t=1714s (accessed 6 July 2022).
37 See GIEI, Informe Ayotzinapa, 18–21, 26–8, 30; EAAF, Dictamen sobre el Basurero Cocula, 2016; GIEI, Informe Ayotzinapa II, 232–45, 251, 278–84.
38 EP DROI, ‘Exchange of Views on the Disappearance of 43 Teaching Students in Mexico with Relatives of Two of the Disappeared Students’, Webstreaming, 5 February 2015, https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstreaming/subcommittee-on-human-rights_20150205-0900-COMMITTEE-DROI (accessed 6 July 2022).
39 Primer Tribunal Colegiado del Decimonoveno Circuito, Amparo en revisión 203/2017, relacionado con los amparos en revisión 204/2017, 205/2017 y 206/2017, 2018.
40 OHCHR, Double Injustice: Report on Human Rights Violations in the Investigation of the Ayotzinapa Case. Executive Summary, 2018, 5.
41 Ibid., 7.
42 See Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, ‘Caso Ayotzinapa: la ONU-DH saluda avances encaminados a alcanzar la justicia y la verdad’, Press Release, 19 March 2020; IACHR, ‘Six Years On, the IACHR Acknowledges Progress in the Investigation and the Search for 43 Missing Students from Ayotzinapa and Stresses its Commitment to the Students’ Families’, Press Release, Doc. 234/20, 26 September 2020.
43 BBC, ‘Mexico Missing Students: Remains of Third Victim Identified’, BBC News, 16 June 2021.
44 Comisión para la Verdad y Acceso a la Justicia del Caso Ayotzinapa, Informe de la Presidencia de la Comisión para la Verdad y Acceso a la Justicia del Caso Ayotzinapa, 2022, 93–4.
45 See EP, Resolution of 23 October 2014 on the Disappearance of 43 Teaching Students in Mexico (2014/2905(RSP)), Doc. P8_TA(2014)0041, 2014. The EP adopts up to three urgent resolutions during its part-sessions held as a rule monthly in Strasbourg, as a result of a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Conference of Presidents decides on the list of subjects to be included in the debate based on a request made by a committee, an interparliamentary delegation, a political group or MEPs reaching at least the low threshold. EP, Rules of Procedure, Rule 144.
46 See Delegación de la Unión Europea en México, Local Statement of the European Union Concerning the Events in Iguala and Tlatlaya, 2014.
47 Council of the EU, Draft Annual Report from the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the European Parliament, 2015, Doc. 11083/15, 288.
48 Delegation of the EU to Mexico, Declaración local de la Delegación de la Unión Europea sobre la identificación genética de Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz, uno de los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos en Ayotzinapa, 2021.
49 Guillem Riutord Sampol (European External Action Service Acting Head of Division SG.2), letter to the author in response to the author’s request for access to documents of 2 November 2021, Doc. Ares(2021)7395196, 1 December 2021.
50 Spokesperson for the HR/VP, Statement by the Spokesperson on the Final Report of the GIEI about the Investigation on the Disappearance of the 43 Students in Iguala (Mexico), 2016.
51 Council of the EU, Draft Annual Report, 288.
52 See Marco Appel and Yetlaneci Alcaraz, ‘Eurodiputados piden suspender Acuerdo Global México-UE por desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 10 October 2014; Redacción, ‘Eurodiputados piden parar renovación acuerdo UE-México por la violencia’, La Vanguardia, 10 October 2014.
53 Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the United Mexican States, of the other part (EU Official Journal L 276, 28 October 2000, 45).
54 The EU and Mexico agreed to explore options for updating the Global Agreement in early 2013, principally to expand their trade and investment ties. Negotiations on these issues started in 2016 and were formally concluded in 2020. See Gisela Grieger, Modernisation of the Trade Pillar of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement, Doc. PE 608.680, 2020.
55 EP staff member, email message to the author, 6 May 2021. See also Marco Appel, ‘Parlamento Europeo discutirá el caso Ayotzinapa con carácter “urgente”’, Proceso, 15 October 2014.
56 Ernest Urtasun et al., Motion for a Resolution on the Abduction of 43 Students in Guerrero/Mexico, Doc. B8-0175/2014, 2014.
57 Javier Couso Permuy et al., Joint Motion for a Resolution on the Disappearance of 43 Teaching Students in Mexico, Doc. RC-B8-0167/2014, 2014.
58 Cristian Dan Preda et al., Motion for a Resolution on the Abduction of 43 Students in Guerrero/Mexico, Doc. B8-0161/2014, 2014.
59 Cristian Dan Preda et al., Joint Motion for a Resolution on the Disappearance of 43 Teaching Students in Mexico, Doc. RC-B8-0161/2014, 2014.
60 Mirra Banchón, ‘Iguala resuena en la Eurocámara’, Deutsche Welle, 14 October 2014.
61 Javier Couso Permuy et al., Proposition de résolution sur disparition de 43 étudiants enseignants au Mexique, Doc. B8-0167/2014, 2014.
62 There is no record of Terricabras’ vote in the relevant minutes. See EP, Minutes of Proceedings: Results of Roll-call Votes – Annex, Doc. PE 541.183, 2014, 9–10.
63 Marco Appel, ‘Se divide Parlamento Europeo por desaparecidos en Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 22 October 2014.
64 Viviana Viera Giraldo, ‘Ayotzinapa: Rueda de Prensa Parlamento Europeo con padres estudianteas (sic) desaparecidos’, video, 5 February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyOMIuxYx8I (accessed 6 July 2022).
65 See Observatoire législatif, ‘Fiche de procédure 2014/2905(RSP)’, EP, https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?lang=fr&reference=2014/2905(RSP) (accessed 6 July 2022).
66 This holds particularly true for the Finnish Satu Hassi and Heidi Hautala. See Marco Appel, ‘Contradicciones de México en derechos humanos: Parlamento Europeo’, Proceso, 23 September 2011; Satu Hassi, ‘Mensaje en el cuarto aniversario de los asesinatos de Jyri Jaakkola y Bety Cariño 27 de abril 2014’, video, 24 April 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCTlooJXqag (accessed 6 July 2022); Satu Hassi, Ska Keller, and Heidi Hautala, ‘Mexico’s Six Years of Impunity Have to End!’ Joint Letter, 27 April 2016, https://www.skakeller.de/artikel/mexicos-six-years-of-impunity-have-to-end (accessed 6 July 2022).
67 This pattern has also been evident within the framework of the adoption of the 10 March 2022 plenary resolution on the situation of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico. At the time of writing, this resolution is the latest one specifically addressing gross human rights abuse in Mexico after the October 2014 resolution. See Diana Riba i Giner et al., Motion for a Resolution on the Situation of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in Mexico, Doc. B9-0155/2022, 2022; EP, Resolution of 10 March 2022 on the Situation of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in Mexico (2022/2580(RSP)), Doc. P9_TA(2022)0078, 2022.
68 See Ulrike Lunacek, ‘Desaparición de 43 estudiantes de Magisterio en México’ (speech, EP plenary debate, Strasbourg, 23 October 2014); Viera Giraldo, ‘Ayotzinapa: Rueda de Prensa’; Anayeli García Martínez, ‘En México se asesina porque se puede: diputada finlandesa’, Proceso, 28 September 2015; Pedro Matías, ‘Presentará el GIEI ante parlamento europeo su informe sobre Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 28 September 2015; Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, ‘Eurodiputados hablan sobre Ayotzinapa y la crisis de DDHH en México’, video, 12 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6nsMAOrxA0 (accessed 6 July 2022).
69 See Velasco Pufleau, ‘The Impact of Parliamentary Diplomacy’, 151–3.
70 Juan Gama (Co-director of EL PAaCTO), email message to the author, 21 May 2021.
71 See Javier Couso’s (GUE/NGL, Spain) speech available at Viera Giraldo, ‘Ayotzinapa: Rueda de Prensa’.
72 See EP DROI, ‘Exchange of Views on the Disappearance of 43 Teaching Students’.
73 Elena Valenciano to Andrew Standley, 9 March 2015, Doc. EXPO-A-DROI D(2015)9673, 1.
74 Elmar Brok to Neven Mimica, 11 March 2015, Doc. DG EXPO D(2015)9679, annex 1.
75 See Feliu and Serra, ‘The European Union as a “Normative Power”’, 25; Stavridis, ‘Conclusions’, 377; Michal Onderco, ‘Parliamentarians in Government Delegations: An Old Question Still not Answered’, Cooperation and Conflict 53, no. 3 (2018): 414. On an exception, see Anna Herranz, ‘The Inter-parliamentary Delegations of the European Parliament: National and European Priorities at Work’, in The Role of Parliament in European Foreign Policy: Debating on Accountability and Legitimacy, ed. Esther Barbé and Anna Herranz (Barcelona: Oficina D'Informacio del Parlament Europeu, 2005), chapter 5.
76 See Stavridis, ‘Conclusions’, 375–8.
77 See Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, Desde las trincheras de AYOTZINAPA: la defensa por la educación y la vida de los hijos del pueblo. XXI Informe de actividades junio 2014 – junio 2015, 2015, 48, 150.
78 In collaboration with Servicios y Asesoría para la Paz (SERAPAZ) and the Centro de Colaboración Cívica A.C.
79 The author requested access to the grant contracts and their annexes to establish whether the final beneficiaries included the victims of the Ayotzinapa case. However, a complete disclosure of the documents was denied, which included the information regarding the description of the actions. Koen Doens (EC Director-General for International Partnerships), letter to the author in response to the author’s request for access to documents of 21 May 2021, Doc. Ares(2021)4224691, 29 June 2021. One observer has suggested that the EU denied the funding requested by the DROI. See Marco Appel, ‘La UE niega recursos a los padres de Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 2 October 2015.
80 See EP DROI, ‘Exchange of Views with Members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts Regarding the Disappearance of the 43 Teaching Students in Ayotzinapa and Feedback from the DROI Mission to Mexico/Guatemala’, webstreaming, 3 March 2016, https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/subcommittee-on-human-rights_20160303-0900-COMMITTEE-DROI_vd (accessed 6 July 2022).
81 EP DROI, ‘Exchange of Views with Claudia Paz y Paz and Francisco Cox, Members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts Regarding the Disappearance of the 43 Teaching Students in Ayotzinapa’, webstreaming, 26 September 2016, https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/subcommittee-on-human-rights_20160926-1500-COMMITTEE-DROI_vd (accessed 6 July 2022).
82 See Philipp Oliver Gross’ speech available at EP DROI, ‘Exchange of Views on the Disappearance of 43 Teaching Students’; Federica Mogherini, Parliamentary Questions: Answer Given by High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini, 2016, Doc. E-007468/2016(ASW).
83 Gloria Leticia Díaz, ‘Padres de los 43 piden mediación de Unión Europea en caso Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 15 April 2015; Ruth Rodríguez, ‘Piden crear plan global de búsqueda de desaparecidos’, El Universal, 17 April 2015; Mogherini, Parliamentary Questions; Nereo Penalver Garcia (EEAS Head of Division SG.2), letter to the author in response to the author’s request for access to documents of 24 June 2022, Doc. eeas.sg.2(2022)5155945, 27 July 2022.
84 EP Press room, ‘Disappearance of the 43 Students in Ayotzinapa: “Mexican Government to Go on with the Investigation", Says DROI Chair’, Press Release, Doc. 20160429IPR25308, 29 April 2016.
85 EP Press room, ‘DROI Chair Urges the Mexican Authorities to Conduct an Impartial Investigation into the Ayotzinapa Case’, Press Release, Doc. 20180320IPR00105, 20 March 2018.
86 See Grupo Parlamentario Confederal de Unidos Podemos-En Comú Podem-En Marea, ‘Proposición no de Ley presentada por el Grupo Parlamentario Confederal de Unidos Podemos-En Comú Podem-En Marea, relativa a reforzar los marcos de trabajo conjunto de la Cooperación Española en el sector de la gobernabilidad en México’, Boletín Oficial de las Cortes Generales: Congreso de los Diputados XII Legislatura, 3 May 2018, no. D-345, 22–3.
87 Marco Appel, ‘GIEI presentará al Parlamento Europeo reporte del caso Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 29 October 2015.
88 Marco Appel, ‘Posponen informe del GIEI sobre Ayotzinapa hasta febrero de 2016’, Proceso, 20 November 2015.
89 Ibid.
90 See La Redacción, ‘Acusan a eurodiputada de ser “cómplice” del Estado mexicano en caso Ayotzinapa’, Proceso, 9 December 2015; Redacción, ‘Europa es cómplice de EPN por ocultar falsas promesas sobre Ayotzinapa: ONG en Münich’, SinEmbargo, 13 December 2015.
91 EP DROI, ‘Exchange of Views with Members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts’.
92 Viera Giraldo, ‘Ayotzinapa: Rueda de Prensa’.
93 Ernest Urtasun et al., Motion for a Resolution, point 13.
94 See Heike Hänsel et al., ‘Antrag: Menschenrechte in Mexiko schützen, Verhandlungen zum Sicherheitsabkommen aussetzen’, Drucksache 18/3548, 17 December 2014; Tom Koenigs et al., ‘Antrag: Iguala ist kein Einzelfall – Zur Menschenrechtslage in Mexiko’, Drucksache 18/3552, 17 December 2014; Hans-Christian Ströbele et al., ‘Antrag: Sicherheitsabkommen brauchen Standards’, Drucksache 18/3553, 17 December 2014. See also Thilo Hoppe et al., ‘Antrag: Für eine Neuorientierung im Umgang mit Gewalt und Organisierter Kriminalität in Mexiko und Zentralamerika – Sicherheitsabkommen unter dem Primat der Menschenrechte gestalten’, Drucksache 17/13237, 24 April 2013; Hans-Christian Ströbele, ‘Fragen 19’, Drucksache 18/2831, 10 October 2014, 7; Heike Hänsel, ‘Fragen 10’, Drucksache 18/3013, 31 October 2014, 6.
95 After the Spanish national delegation, the German delegation was the second largest delegation within the GUE/NGL group in the 8th parliamentary term (2014–2019). Die Linke held seven out of the eight seats in the delegation.
96 Former advisor for an EP political group, online interview with the author, 31 August 2022.
97 See Matías, ‘Presentará el GIEI ante parlamento europeo’.
98 See Appel, ‘GIEI presentará al Parlamento Europeo reporte’; Appel, ‘Posponen informe del GIEI’.
99 See Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, ‘Eurodiputados hablan sobre Ayotzinapa’.
100 See Inder Bugarin, ‘Urge Parlamento Europeo a atender Recomendaciones’, El Universal, 29 April 2016.
101 See Azam Ahmed, ‘Spyware in Mexico Targeted Investigators Seeking Students’, The New York Times, 10 July 2017.
102 See Velasco Pufleau, ‘The Impact of Parliamentary Diplomacy’.
103 EP DROI, ‘Exchange of views with members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts’.
104 Ibid.
105 EP D-MX, Draft minutes 18th Meeting of the EU-Mexico JPC, Doc. D-MX_PV(2015)0220-18, 2015, 3.
106 César Martínez, ‘Acuden a eurodiputados por Ayotzinapa’, Reforma, 18 February 2015.
107 EP DROI, ‘Exchange of views with members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts’.
108 EP DROI, ‘Exchange of views with Claudia Paz y Paz and Francisco Cox’.
109 See EP D-MX, Minutes of meeting of 23 October 2014, Doc. D-MX_PV(2014)1023_01, 2014; EP D-MX, Minutes of meeting of 27 November 2014, Doc. D-MX_PV(2014)1127, 2014.
110 See Elena Valenciano’s (S&D, Spain) speech available at EP DROI, ‘Exchange of views on the disappearance of 43 teaching students’.
111 See Javier Couso’s (GUE/NGL, Spain) speech available at Viera Giraldo, ‘Ayotzinapa: Rueda de Prensa’.
112 Senado de México, ‘XVIII Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-Unión Europea’, video, 19 February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTU1wuO_ze4 (accessed 6 July 2022).
113 Pedro Matías, ‘Asilo político a Triquis en Europa sería un fracaso para Estado mexicano’, Página 3, 17 February 2015.
114 Senado de México, ‘XVIII Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta’.
115 See Teresa Jiménez Becerril, Informe de misión a raíz de la XX Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-UE y las reuniones conjuntas con la Delegación de la subcomisión de Derechos Humanos, Doc. PE543.312v01-00, 2016, 9–10; Delegación del Parlamento Europeo en la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta UE-México, XXIV Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta UE-México Acta, Doc. D-MX_PV(2018)0213_1, 2018, 6.
116 See Esquerra Republicana, ‘Les autoritats mexicanes són còmplices de la desaparició dels estudiants a Ayotzinapa’, video, 27 September 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSe9Yfm_apU (accessed 6 July 2022); Senado de Mexico, ‘Presentación del informe: La Cláusula de Derechos Humanos’, video, 16 February 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5i601g_tM4 (accessed 6 July 2022).
117 See La Redacción, ‘Condenan eurodiputados represión policiaca en Nochixtlán’, Proceso, 7 July 2016; EconomíaHoy.mx, ‘Peligra el TLC con Europa por violencia contra periodistas’. elEconomista.es, 7 April 2017.
118 See Coordinación de Comunicación Social, Visita al Pleno del Senado de la República, por parte de la comitiva de los eurolegisladores miembros de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-Unión Europea, transcript, 19 February 2015, http://comunicacion.senado.gob.mx/index.php/informacion/versiones/18830-visita-al-pleno-del-senado-de-la-republica-por-parte-de-la-comitiva-de-los-eurolegisladores-miembros-de-la-comision-parlamentaria-mixta-mexico-union-europea.html (accessed 6 July 2022); Senado de México, ‘Inauguración de la XVIII Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México Unión Europea’, video, 20 February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-LO906v7HU (accessed 6 July 2022); Senado de México, ‘Conferencia de prensa de los co-presidentes de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-Unión Europea’, video, 20 February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv9r0yAtDxw (accessed 6 July 2022); LauraRojasMx, ‘XVIII Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria México-UE’, video, 28 February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf5FT7-5M20 (accessed 6 July 2022).
119 See Senado de México, ‘Inauguración de la XVIII Reunión’; Senado de México, ‘Conferencia de prensa’.
120 See EP D-MX, Draft minutes 18th Meeting, 3.
121 See Martínez, ‘Acuden a eurodiputados por Ayotzinapa’.
122 See Senado de México, ‘Inauguración de la XVIII Reunión’; Senado de México, ‘Conferencia de prensa’; LauraRojasMx, ‘XVIII Reunión’; Víctor Ballinas and Andrea Becerril, ‘Eurodiputados difieren de la verdad histórica sobre los 43’, La Jornada, 20 February 2015.
123 EP D-MX, Draft Minutes 18th Meeting, annex Joint Declaration, point 24.
124 See Ibid., 2.
125 Elena Valenciano to Andrew Standley, 2.
126 See Teresa Jiménez Becerril, Informe de misión a raíz de la XX Reunión, 2–3.
127 Luis Huacuja (Technical Secretary for the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies), email message to the author, 18 December 2021.
128 See Senado de México, ‘Situación política y económica de la UE y México’, video, 10 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3L3LkxtFM (accessed 6 July 2022).
129 See Senado de México, ‘Situación política y económica de la UE y México’; Redacción, ‘Eurodiputada de Podemos se reúne con padres de Ayotzinapa y acusa impunidad’, La Vanguardia, 11 February 2016.
130 Senado de México, ‘Situación política y económica de la UE y México’.
131 See Teresa Jiménez Becerril, Informe de misión a raíz de la XX Reunión, 6.
132 See Senado de México, ‘Conferencia sobre la XX Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-Unión Europea’, video, 10 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrqv6Ic4ay4 (accessed 6 July 2022); Senado de México, ‘Inauguración de la XX Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-Unión Europea’, video, 10 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvycN7g_eWs (accessed 6 July 2022); Teresa Jiménez Becerril, Informe de misión a raíz de la XX Reunión, 7–8.
133 See Senado de México, ‘Conferencia sobre la XX Reunión’.
134 See Teresa Jiménez Becerril, Informe a raíz de la XXII Reunión de la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta México-UE y las reuniones conjuntas con la Delegación de la Comisión de Comercio Internacional, Doc. PE543.334v01-00, 2017.
135 Mirra Banchón, ‘EU-México: más énfasis en los derechos humanos’, Deutsche Welle, 28 February 2017.
136 See EP, Resolution of 18 July 2019 on the Situation at the USA-Mexico Border (2019/2733(RSP)), Doc. P9_TA(2019)0005, 2019.
137 See Estefanía Torres Martínez et al., Question for Written Answer to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative) – Human Rights in Mexico on the Second Anniversary of Ayotzinapa, 2016, Doc. E-007109-16; Esquerra Republicana, ‘Les autoritats mexicanes’; Ernest Urtasun and Josep-Maria Terricabras to Federica Mogherini and Stavros Lambridinis, 28 September 2016, https://www.ernesturtasun.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Carta-a-Federica-Mogherini.pdf (accessed 6 July 2022).
138 See Helena Castellà, The Human Rights Clause in the Modernization of the Global Agreement between the EU and Mexico, 2017 (policy paper requested by MEP Josep-Maria Terricabras Nogueras); EFE, ‘Piden no renovar tratado México-UE’, Reforma, 22 November 2017; Xabier Benito Ziluaga et al. to Cecilia Malmström, 30 November 2017, http://www.s2bnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/EN-Letter-Modernization-of-the-EU-Mexico-Global-Agreement-30.11.2017.pdf (accessed 6 July 2022); Josep-Maria Terricabras, ‘Derechos Humanos en México: Europa debe asumir su culpa’, Proceso, 13 February 2018; Senado de México, ‘Presentación del informe’; Delegación del Parlamento Europeo en la Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta UE-México, XXIV Reunión, 6.
139 See Stavridis, ‘Conclusions’, 384–5.
140 See Stelios Stavridis, ‘Parliamentary Diplomacy: A Review Article’, International Journal of Parliamentary Studies 1 (2021).
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Mónica Velasco-Pufleau
Mónica Velasco-Pufleau is Director of the European Union–Latin American and Caribbean Relations Chair of the European Institute of International Studies. She holds a cum laude PhD in Law – International Studies from the University of Barcelona and has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Luxembourg.