Proposition 53K3089

Proposition de résolution relative à l'organisation de la coupe du monde de football par le Qatar en 2022 et au respect des droits humains fondamentaux et de conditions de travail décentes sur les chantiers de construction.

General information ¶

Authors

PS | SP Philippe Blanchart, Olivier Henry, Mohammed Jabour, Christiane Vienne

Submission date

Oct. 24, 2013

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

Qatar resolution of parliament human rights sport

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld LDD MR VB

Abstained from voting

N-VA

Party dissidents ¶

• Alexandra Colen (VB) abstained from voting.
• Peter Luykx (CD&V) abstained from voting.

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

April 2, 2014 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

by MM. Georges Dallemagne and Steven Vanackere, rapporteurs, refer to the written report.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, you know as I do the controversies that have been raised both by the designation process and by the environmental plan of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

According to the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ICU), the construction hurdles for the World Cup in football risk cost the lives of at least 4,000 workers over the next seven years if no measures are taken to guarantee the rights of migrant workers.

Faced with this situation, at the end of January, the International Football Federation Association (FIFA) called on Qatar to present concrete measures to improve the fate of workers. On February 11, Qatar announced improvements.

The resolution proposal I present to you is linked to initiatives taken both at the level of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels at the sport level and at the level of the European Parliament. Here we are situated on the diplomatic-political level. The text submitted to you today aims to clearly affirm the House’s position and serious concerns regarding the respect of construction workers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

I am convinced that the total boycott of sports events is counterproductive. On the other hand, such events should, on the contrary, constitute a lever for promoting human dignity, including that of workers. The current situation leads us to work case by case.

If the title of this text mentions the situation in Qatar, the will we display is indeed that of a general approach and especially in advance. What’s the point of being angry ex post?

Finally, this text has an essential link with European trade agreements. We demand that, in the face of such potential markets, the European Union use these agreements as a free trade instrument capable of generating the inclusion and effective implementation of high and binding social and environmental standards. The aim is to ensure the protection of human rights and the environment in order to prevent any risk of social and environmental dumping through the inclusion of safeguard clauses in agreements to be concluded with all trade partners of the European Union.

I would like to point out three priorities. First, Parliament will have to be informed of the opening of future APPIs. Second, social and environmental clauses must be accompanied by binding measures, evaluation possibilities and, where appropriate, reforms and templates for resolutions. Third, it is absolutely necessary that a clause be provided in future agreements in order to preserve the right of States to regulate.

My group intends to ensure the follow-up of this resolution. It is not enough to vote on it tomorrow, but it is also necessary to check whether Belgium has applied point 7 of this text, which requires to activate as soon as it comes into force, article 6, § 4 of the agreement of the Belgian-Luxembourg economic union with Qatar.

by Mr. Can the Minister tell us exactly when this agreement will come into force? He will say it another time.

Thank you for your attention and support for our text.

Thank you Madame. The Minister agrees to support the text.

I would like to intervene briefly on this subject.

Whenever there is a big championship in the foreground, we suffer from calendar sadness. We had debates here, for example about Tibet, but once that was over, everything was forgotten and the Tibetans sat with the baked pearls. The same happened in connection with Sochi; once it was over, it was all done, and the Russian bear even conquered Crimea.

This is the case with Qatar. It is not that I do not support it; there is no word in it that is not correct. So I agree with this one hundred percent, but let us be a little less hypocritical in such matters.

The World Cup in Qatar was awarded in 2010. At the time, a Belgian was also in the board of the FIFA that Qatar had assigned. I don’t know if that man voted for it or not. Responsibility was assumed in 2010.

One knows in advance how the situation is in such countries. Whenever it comes to a sporting event, the mass jumps on it. About a month ago we went to a similar Arab Emirate. A princess with three hundred business leaders in her chest went there to sell our land, while the human rights conditions there are even worse than in Qatar. I didn’t hear anyone from the political world. When it comes to sport, it is a matter. This makes it difficult for me.

Sochi is over. First the politicians called out and then it was over. For example, if someone in the European Community dared to say that instead of taking visas from six Russian diplomats, we would prohibit oligarchs from owning European football clubs, then Europe would be in the head. I always find it difficult to use the sport for this purpose.

I appreciate that the petitioners acknowledge that a sports boycott is only due to the athletes. However, I would like to emphasize once again that we are always hypocritical when it comes to sport, but that when it comes to business, like in Saudi Arabia, we always follow those people. We would be much more consistent in these matters, Mrs. Vienne.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak briefly on this warm day.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit a vote statement now so that we do not have to do that again tomorrow.

In fact, I agree with what Mr. Dedecker said. We support the spirit of the resolution that calls on Qatar to change the humiliating working conditions in which workers work on the World Cup infrastructure. At the same time, we complain that the resolution burns out diplomatic resources available, namely a threat of boycott or a request to move the football event. That could be a ultimate stake behind the door with regard to the Qatar organizers. However, those instruments were not included in the resolution.

Therefore, we will abstain from voting, although we support the spirit of the resolution. Furthermore, we do not consider it necessary for a government to interfere with whether or not to allocate sporting events to certain countries.