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President,

Honourable Members of the European Parliament,

Thailand is among the European Union's most long-standing partners in Asia. In 2022, we signed the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and in 2023, free trade agreement negotiations resumed. The European Union and Thailand have started a successful cooperation on security issues, including maritime security, the law of the Sea and the fight against organised crime.

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Thailand marks an important step towards strengthening bilateral relations, based on shared universal values such as democracy and human rights. 
Thailand is also an important partner in the region, within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and multilaterally within the United Nations, where Thailand recently supported the European Union-sponsored Resolution on a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.  

In 2023, Thailand successfully held parliamentary elections, which resulted in a peaceful transfer of power to a new civilian government for the first time after the 2014 coup. It is important that the political space in Thailand remains open and that restored political pluralism and fundamental freedoms are protected.  

Regarding the human rights situation, while there has been some progress, challenges remain in some areas. The charges of sedition, and computer crime charges are used to limit free speech. Failure to comply with the royal defamation legal framework was at the origin of the motion for the dissolution of the main opposition party. We hope that Thailand will refrain from imposing disproportionate sentences in the lèse-majesté cases, especially on children and young people.  

On 27 February 2025, Thailand proceeded with the deportation of 40 Uyghurs refugees to China. The European Union deeply regrets this decision by the Thai Government taken in violation of the principle of non-refoulement as well as Thailand’s obligations under national and international law. It is detrimental to Thailand’s international image. We have expressed our serious concerns directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.

We also noted positive developments on the human rights situation in Thailand like the recently adopted Marriage Equality Act, which enshrines into law the equal recognition of relationships for same-sex couples. The European Union welcomes this step. Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country recognising same-sex unions.  

Thailand was also elected as a member of the Human Rights Council for 2025-2026 and continues its efforts to ratify the core human rights instruments. In 2024, Thailand ratified the International Convention for the Protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearances and started enforcing the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances Act.

The European Union supports the universal principles of democracy and human rights everywhere in the world. This is one of the fundamental tenets of the European Union common foreign policy.  

Therefore, we continue to raise human rights issues in the political dialogue with the Thai authorities and in multilateral fora, including at the Human Rights Council. The EU will also continue to support civil society stakeholders to promote dialogue and their effective participation.  

Thank you. 

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