The revolution in Tunis has overtaken the European Union - and France reveals contradictory policies. In other North African states now threatening further protests. The Europeans need to rethink their attitude: they focus on democracy and stability? Hamburg - It is not his favorite subject. French President Nicolas Sarkozy puts his head fixed, the piece of paper on his podium.France had "underestimated the extent of the desperation of the Tunisian" that reads it. There had been in Tunisia "intolerable corruption." Sarkozy had at the press conference on Monday to limit damage. For years, France and the European Union, the Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben have courted Ali - and damaged her reputation.
It was about economic interests and security policy to human rights could not. As demonstrated, the Tunisians in their thousands on the streets, they could not count on help from the North. The French Foreign Minister Ben Ali was a few days before his escape, the "know-how of our security forces available will be - as the police had already shot dead several demonstrators.
But Madame did not mind that. Cabinet colleague Frédéric Mitterrand seconded, it was called "completely exaggerated," Ben Ali as a dictator. "The Europeans have made what the French wanted. They thought that Ben Ali a bulwark was against terrorism and therefore one must accept his dictatorship, "criticizes Daniel Cohn-Bendit, leader of the Greens in the European Parliament.
Even when Ben Ali increasingly came under pressure, could the European Member States only to some to follow the events closely. What they saw a few hours later, the flight of Ben Ali's was. contributed to this they did not have. "muddling through as usual can not," Louder and louder now be self-critical voices.
In retrospect, it was a mistake, an authoritarian regime set, says Rainer Stinner, foreign policy expert of the FDP in the Bundestag.'ve placed on stability, can human rights but missed out. Also CDU foreign policy expert Ruprecht Polenz admits that fear of Islamists has led to a wrong policy.
In the Rheinische Post, he demands: "We need a strategy, freedom and rule of law promotes." But what is this strategy, the European Union is based on values such as democracy, rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms are enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon? - and its current strategy towards the North African States based upon the only question is how much one insists on it..
"The EU is the power of good, but what it operates, is tough group politics," says Anne Bendiek, EU foreign policy expert at the Institute for International Affairs in Berlin. "The EU needs to ask itself whether it wants to cooperate with countries where human rights are trampled underfoot." It was important to be consistent, "muddling through as usual will not lead to effective policy." It is above all the Scandinavian countries which are interested in clear terms the EU and insist on the observance of human rights.
At the meeting of foreign ministers on 31 January should be on the Maghreb. European Union Gaddafi caresses soon could the attitude of the European Union will be tested again. And in the neighboring countries of Tunisia is brewing. In Algeria on Sunday, a man died, who set himself on fire - a similar act was triggered in December, the Tunisian riots.
For weeks to protest also Algerian opposition, they are committed to democracy and an end to a state of emergency in force since 1992. On Sunday, the police violently broke a demonstration, dozens of people were probably injured. Also in Yemen, there were protests at the weekend. In the capital Sanaa called for the withdrawal of thousands of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is 32 years in office.
On Friday, protesters also gathered in several cities in Jordan, to urge the government to resign. But if the European Union has already shown in Tunisia rather unwilling to stand up for democracy and human rights, it lacks in Algeria or Libya, simply the political power to exert pressure.
With Tunisia after all, the Europeans maintain close trade relations: 73 percent of Tunisian exports go to the EU, conversely, 72 percent of Tunisian imports from the EU. States such as Algeria, Libya and Jordan, however, are not so strong economically intertwined with Europe. Furthermore, important oil and gas supplies destined for the European Union.
Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi - a few years ago still persona non grata in the Western world - is already intense caresses. He meant to keep refugees from Europe. The EU is negotiating an agreement with Tripoli to take back refugees. For human rights is a scandal. What life is like in Libyan detention centers is already evident: they end up in overcrowded prisons, tortured and deported in windowless containers at the border.
The European Parliament stopped a few days of further negotiations between the EU and Libya. Realpolitik versus values policy: The European Union is expected in the near future probably not a radical change of their trade. After all, says expert Bendiek, was the Commissioner Stefan Füle, responsible for European Neighbourhood Policy, the observance of human rights standards is very important.
The European Green Cohn-Bendit is more skeptical: "Mr. Füle of good will, but he has little leeway." More important, says Cohn-Bendit, a clear commitment to human rights is: ".. It's hard to take a clear position but it's indispensable"
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