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Madam President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament,  

Today’s debate is really a timely opportunity to discuss the situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Yesterday, one of the most watched global sports event kicked off in Doha. Over one million visiting football fans are expected, and billions will be watching worldwide. 

Besides the hosting of this important tournament, the country's human rights record has been in the global spotlight throughout its preparation over the last few months.  

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), for example, 50 people died in Qatar and some 500 others suffered serious injuries in work-related accidents linked to building the World Cup infrastructure in 2020. Each single one of those deaths is of course a tragedy. 

But Qatar has also made significant progress on labour rights over the past years.  

It was the first country in the Gulf to dismantle the discriminatory “kefala system”, which kept Qatar’s large migrant worker population at the mercy of their employers, and Qatar has adopted a new law establishing a non-discriminatory minimum wage.  

In addition, they have ensured a stricter oversight of World Cup infrastructure projects, and in many projects, Qatar is a front-runner in this sense. 

What is important to notice is that the organisation of the World Cup and the fact that it has made existing deficiencies become more evident have, in fact, accelerated labour reform in Qatar. 

At the same time, we all know that numerous challenges remain. Segments of the society and business community are resisting the reforms, including certain Western multinationals operating in Qatar.  

Thousands of migrant workers have seen their wages or work allowances cut or not paid at all, despite the Government’s efforts and the new minimum wage legislation. 

Living conditions of migrant workers need improvement and there is a need for better data collection of work-related fatalities and injuries.  

There are also concerns around the rights of LGBTI+ persons, either visiting football fans or, more importantly, those residing in Qatar, where homosexuality is still illegal. 

So yes, the human rights path for Qatar is far from complete. And, as for any other country, it is a continuous journey that will never be finished.  

Human rights and, in particular, labour rights [reforms] are key elements of the European Union’s bilateral engagement with Qatar at all levels. And Qatar has been open on this and welcomed this engagement.  

In fact, Vice-President [for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis] Schinas and Commissioner [for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas] Schmit regularly discuss labour rights with Qatari leaders. The European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, has also engaged extensively on this matter, including through his field visit to the construction site of one of the World Cup stadiums in Qatar in February 2020 and through his follow up meetings earlier this year. More recently, last week, the European Parliament DROI-Committee held a constructive public hearing in the presence of the Qatari Labour Minister [Ali bin Samikh al-Marri], providing the opportunity to raise openly all pertinent concerns about the situation of labour rights in this country.  

It is important that we remain engaged and continue to encourage the Qatari authorities to address those remaining challenges with a view to ensuring the sustainability of the ongoing reforms beyond the World Cup and to the benefit of the Qatari people and all those residing in the country.  

Qatar has now a chance to show the world it is ready and that it is willing to continue on the path of openness, the path of tolerance and the path of modernisation. This will encourage human rights reforms elsewhere in the region, as well as in other countries hosting big sports events. 

Thank you. 

Link to the video (starting as of 1:00): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-233552 

  

Closing remarks  

Thank you, President, Honourable Members, 

The debate today testifies your continued, of course, interest on the engagement on the human rights situation in Qatar. 

As I said in my opening remarks: yes, the human rights path for Qatar is far from complete. As for any other country, it is a journey that will continue, that will never be finished, and numerous challenges remain.  

The European Union has adopted a very clear Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025, where women, men, girls and boys in all their diversity, have equal opportunities. On LGBTI+ persons in Europe, the European Union is, of course, fully committed to addressing inequalities and challenges. We presented a strategy in 2020 and we will not be compromising on our principles and values because we believe in a Europe in the world that embraces diversity, and not hides it.  

Of course, as I said in my opening remarks: every life lost and every working-related death is a tragedy.  

Let me stress once again that the European Union will continue to follow the human rights situation in Qatar very closely. We will do this through our annual Political Dialogue and Human Rights Dialogue with the government, through our newly established European Union Delegation in Doha and in close contact with the International Labour Organisation. 

We stand ready to support and assist Qatar in its human rights reform agenda and we strongly encourage the Qatari government to look beyond the glamour of this sporting feast and beyond the final whistle of the World Cup final on 18 December. 

Thank you.  

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-233554