EPP Resolution on the Armenian Genocide: Complete Acknowledgment of Success

• 03.10.2015, 12:41
• Liana Hovhannisyan
•  Europe,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Armenia,  Analytics,  Info

On March 3 of this year Political Assembly of the European People’s Party adopted a resolution called "Armenian Genocide and European Values", which condemned the Genocide against the Armenians and called the EU and the Council of Europe member states, as well as the members of other international organizations to get united in their efforts to restore historical justice and pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.  No doubt, the resolution adopted by the EPP is a real progress in the efforts directed towards the international recognition of Genocide, particularly when one takes into consideration the fact that the resolution refers not only to the Genocide recognition, but also to the restoration of the rights of the Armenian people and necessity of compensation, as well as to other points of the Pan-Armenian Declaration on the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

However in order to completely acknowledge the importance and meaning of the resolution we consider it necessary to make more detailed reference to the structure of EPP party, to its role and weight in the EU institution as well as to the main functions of the EPP Political Assembly.

The European People’s Party (EPP) is the political family of centre-right, the founders of which are the Europe’s Founding Fathers:  French prominent political actor Robert Schuman and one of the founders of German Federal Republic, Konrad Adenauer and others. EPP is one of the largest European political families consisting of 78 parties from 39 countries. The members of EPP are the president of European Council Donald Tusk,  Head of European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and  Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn,  President of Romania Klaus Iohannis,   Prime Minister of Ireland  Enda Kenny, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades,  former president of France Nicolas Sarkozy and other prominent political actors.  

In fact the Presidents of the EU two main institutes among the three, the European Council and the European Commission, are appointed by the EPP, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk. The EPP forms a majority party both in the European Parliament (221 of 751 places) and in the European Council (11 of 28 members) as well as in the European Commission (14 of 28 commissioners). It should also be mentioned that the European Parliament, which presents the voice of the EU 500 million population, along with the European Council, is responsible for the EU legislation and budget.

The European Commission is in charge of proposing legislation to the Parliament and the Council and of enforcing it. The Commission is responsible for taking a country before the European Court of Justice if it does not comply with the European treaties and the European law.

EPP is also presented in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly formed in the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative. Euronest has 110 members, of which 60 are the representatives of the European Parliament, while the rest 50 members are the representatives of the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), ten members from each country. 29  of 60 members that present European Parliament in Euronest are EPP members. In the delegations of the Eastern Partnership countries there are also EPP members: 5 from Armenia, 4 from Georgia, 3 from Moldova and 3 from Ukraine. Overall 44 of 110 Euronest members are EPP representatives. 

It is also worth mentioning about the important role of EPP in the Council of Europe. The Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) consists of the parliament members of Council of Europe 47 countries. More than half of the PACE members, 192 of 363, are EPP representatives. Besides the above mentioned institutions, EPP is also presented and is an active actor in other major international organizations such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

EPP party consists of Presidency, Political Assembly and Congress. Political Assembly,  the body that adopted the resolution on the Armenian Genocide, consists of the members from  EPP Presidency,  members from EPP group in European Parliament and other members. Political Assembly meetings are organized thrice annually, during which the mandate of  working groups is defined. The working groups are responsible for the formulation of the documents and suggestions of the party.

During those meetings the  resolution, documents, recommendations  adopted by the EPP serve as guidelines for the party members to express  their positions by voting  for or against different resolutions presented  in the international organizations as well as for  presenting their own initiatives in those organizations.

For example on January 28 of 2014 the party adopted a resolution, which welcome the efforts of the Ukrainian people to establish democracy in the country and condemned the violence of the Ukrainian government against them. Later, on different international platforms the EPP not only stayed loyal to its position but also initiated additional steps to put it  forward. Last year on June 16,  the EPP along with other four parties in the European Parliament, presented their resolution in which they called to respect the right of the Ukrainian people and condemned the activities of the Russian side in Ukraine. The resolution passed by the majority of votes by the European Parliament next  day.

To conclude it is to be stated that on the eve of the Centennial of Armenian Genocide, the EPP resolution "Armenian Genocide and European Values" is a real progress if one takes into consideration the role and weight of the EPP both in the EU and other international organizations. However the Armenian side should not be satisfied by this progress. The resolution forms an appropriate basis to go forward in the  efforts of international recognition and condemnation of  Genocide. After the Armenian side got the assistance of the EPP on this issue, the material proof of which is the above mentioned resolution on Genocide,  it seems nothing can hinder the Armenian side to present similar resolutions in the international institutions where it is represented, such as Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe.