During the final plenary sessions of January in Strasbourg, we had the opportunity to speak with Rudi Kennes, an independent Member of the European Parliament (MEP),within the parliamentary group of the Left (GUE/NGL) and who serves on the Committee on International Trade (INTA). Mr Kennes is very concerned about taking care of ordinary people and defending their rights, especially when it comes to their labor rights. However, he emphasizes the importance of taking care of people who are not formally employed too, who still contribute to the society with their activities despite not being counted by statistics.
During our conversation, he shared his perspective on the state of Human rights within the framework of the INTA Committee and discussed what are the main challenges the European Parliament faces in ensuring the protection and promotion of Human Rights.
Misrepresentation of citizens in the European Parliament
As a former trade unionist, Mr. Kennes recognizes the importance of representing individuals who do not have a strong voice within the European Parliament. One of the key concerns he highlighted is the persistent lack of communication between citizens who experience the direct consequences of political decisions and the politicians responsible for representing them.
As he told us: “I am the first manual worker ever elected to the European Parliament from Belgium. What does that say? (…) We can discuss what democracy is, but to keep it simple, let’s say even in a civil democratic parliament, all communities should be represented, no? It’s obvious that working class people are under- represented.”
Mr. Kennes further emphasizes that politicians often do not experience the direct impact of their decisions in the same way as the population does. As a result, they may struggle to adopt effective measures to address the negative consequences of their policies. Therefore, it is essential that politicians are aware of what citizens’ concerns are and they talk with the people, instead of about the people. When political agreements are adopted solely in accordance with politicians’ agendas while disregarding the current demands of EU citizens, this constitutes a serious mistake and reflects a broader failure within the democratic system. In response to such developments, trade unions often mobilize against these changes through strikes and other forms of collective action.
He continues: “I still see a strike today as a failure, (as much as it is important to strike). It is a failure because we were not able to come to a common sense or agreement (…).”
The limited work within the INTA committee to discuss Human Rights
According to Mr. Kennes, efforts to address humanitarian issues within the INTA Committee are limited due to the structural functioning of the European Parliament. Given the current composition of the Parliament, dominant political groups can often make decisions without fully considering the perspectives or support of smaller groups, especially on the left, which struggle to place progressive policies on the agenda due to
the small size of the group. He stresses the importance of holding a majority in order to control the committee’s agenda, and points out that the representation of parliamentary groups is not sufficiently balanced to ensure that all diverse voices are adequately taken into account.
This imbalance makes it difficult to introduce new topics onto the committee’s agenda for discussion under equal conditions among all parliamentary groups. Ultimately, it leads to the marginalization of social and humanitarian concerns in favor of more prominent policy priorities, such as economic and trade agreements.
The European Union is losing its moral authority
Lastly, Mr. Kennes emphasized the European Union’s limited ability to persuade governments to act in defense of human rights. He pointed to the absence of strong leadership within the EU, arguing that the emergence of new international actors, such as Donald Trump, further undermines the commitment to preserving the values enshrined in the UN Charter. This development weakens even further the EU’s moral
authority and its credibility as a “respected” actor on the international stage. As violence escalates in many regions worldwide and populations continue to suffer the consequences of conflict and destruction, the EU is not consistent or firm in condemning serious human rights violations. Its passive stance toward ongoing crises reflects a growing shift away from humanitarian priorities in favor of economic objectives.
Mr. Kennes refers to the current situation in Gaza and the continuing agreement between the EU and Israel as an example of this decline in moral authority: “(…) let’s say the turning point I think is really the Gaza discussion. I don’t think that the European Union has moral authority anymore. Who are we today to say to other countries ‘you have to behave like this’ when we ourselves do not challenge the most obvious violations of international law?”
ASSEDEL, based in Strasbourg and committed to the promotion of human rights and European values, continues to follow and shed light on developments that shape the future of European democracy and international relations.