Brussels 26.09.2024 Today, the European Union and Qatar held their 6th Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels.

The discussions covered a wide range of topics, such as labour rights, women’s rights, vulnerable groups, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law – including the right to fair trial and the death penalty – digital rights, and freedom of religion with a focus on combatting anti-Muslim hatred, reads the press-release issued by the European External Action Service.

“The European Union acknowledged Qatar’s socio-economic reforms, particularly in climate action, sustainable development, women’s empowerment* and economic inclusion.
*However EEAS spokesperson Peter Stano declined any illustrations of the empowerment of women in Qatar.

“The EU welcomed the growing cooperation with Qatar in multilateral fora; and encouraged Qatar to expedite the ratification of key international human rights treaties.

“The two sides exchanged also on their cooperation in UN human rights fora, reaffirming their commitment to enhance bilateral coordination in this regard. The next Human Rights Dialogue will take place in Doha in 2025.”

These talks represent a normalisation process after “Qatar-gate” scandal, shuttering Brussels, when police investigation disclosed that Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania spent around €4 million for directly influencing the European Parliament decisions. On 9 December 2022, acting on the investigation, Belgian police conducted 20 raids at 19 different addresses across Brussels, resulting in eight arrests of politicians across Belgium and Italy, including vice-president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili. Since then broader investigation was undertaken to expose the corruption, and illegal methods of exercising influence. The incident caused a larger discussion on trading power in global world, and ways to protect democratic sovereignty.
According to Amnesty International report for 2023 Qatar authorities continued to restrict the right to freedom of expression and suppress critical voices. Migrant workers continued to face a range of abuses, including wage theft, forced labour and brutal exploitation, and had inadequate access to grievance and redress mechanisms. Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice. Discriminatory laws put LGBTI people at risk of detention.
Undoubtfully anti-Russian sanctions contributed to growth of significance of Qatar gas imports to Europe, which raised from 16% to 40% this year. The importance of these economic relations were underscored by the President of the EU Council Charles Michel.