The National Plan for Peace and Security that was recently announced by Mexico’s President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be subject to evaluation by the European External Action Service (EEAS) so that they may identify whether or not the proposal is compatible with the protection of human rights.
The evaluation was announced by Fernando Ponz, deputy chief of EEAS Division in Mexico shortly after the MEP Josep Maria Terricabras, along with organizations such as Amnesty International and Peace Advisory Services (SERAPAZ), expressed their concerns surrounding the incoming government’s plan to create a National Guard.
“We are currently analyzing the proposals made by the transition team, and we are doing so while keeping in mind the values of the European Union regarding the State of law, human guarantees, and democracy,” stated Fernando Ponz in an interview with EL UNIVERSAL.
He added that they would not question the creation of the National Guard itself, since there are many examples of civil-military institutions in Europe, such as the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri, and the Spanish Military Police.
“We will not focus our attention on this. We are more concerned about the validity of such actions and their efficiency in the fight against organized crime and the protection of human rights in Mexico.”
He claimed that, should the organization find conditions that were a matter of concern, they would pass on their comments to the authorities “as was the case with the Security Law proposed by the administration of the outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto, upon which we voiced our concerns rigorously.”
Ponz congratulated the decision of Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) to overrule the Internal Security Law.
The SEAE is the diplomatic arm of the European Union. It is led by the Foreign Relations representative and vice-president of the EU Commission, Federica Mogherini. With headquarters in Brussels, the institution operates through diplomatic representatives around the world.
Their main responsibility is to manage diplomatic relations between the European Union and other countries, as well as the implementation of foreign policy and security. It is accountable to the European Parliament, an institution with a very wide range of powers that include the capacity to propose and adopt legislation that defines the future of the European Union.
The analysis of López Obrador’s security plan happens in the framework of a political dialogue between Mexico and the EU. The relationship between both governments is based on a clause of respect to individual rights.
“The initiative of making a National Guard is not going in the right direction. The militarization of the country, which started in 2006, was a mistake to begin with. Imagine what would happen if it were backed by Mexican law. I believe that it is a bad decision and this is one of the main concerns we want to share with the president-elect at the start of his administration,” stated the MEP Terricabras.
When asked about the government transition, Ponz stressed that the European Commission welcomed the incoming administration with optimism.
Brussels plans to receive Mexico’s incoming government with the intention of strengthening the cooperation between their governments by using tools provided by the modernization of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement.
