Brussels: The European Union (EU) praised the great reforms the State of Qatar has done regarding the protection of workers and its efforts in improving the work environment.
Speaking to QNA on the sidelines of an introductory meeting organized by the EU for a delegation of Gulf journalists at the Union’s headquarters in Brussels, European Union spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano said that the EU has always appreciated all steps taken by the State of Qatar with regard to workers, adding that such an endeavour is endless, thus, the EU encourages its partners in Qatar to continue on the path of labor reforms.
On the other hand, the EU Spokesperson praised the wonderful organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, noting that this success contributed to enhancing Qatar’s image and to a change of many misconceptions.
In another context, the European Union affirmed its keenness to strengthen relations with Islamic countries in general and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in particular, stressing that the countries of the EU have tools in place to combat hatred against Islam on the European continent.
In response to a question about the lack of legislation criminalizing insulting Islam in Europe, EU regional media officer for the Middle East and North Africa Luis Miguel Bueno said that there are legal directives from the Council of the European Union to criminalise hatred on the basis of religion.
In a related context, he indicated that the European Commission had spoken with member states in this regard, and had directed the need to impose penalties or fines to curb hatred on basis of religion, indicating that the decision is now in the hands of the parliaments of the concerned countries.
Bueno also reviewed the initiatives adopted by the Union to combat Islamophobia, such as the recent appointment of the European Commission’s Coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred Marion Lalisse.
In addition, the Union organizes training sessions for judges in some member states to deal with the issue of hatred against Islam, he said, noting that the project began in Italy and is supervised by Muslim trainers, in addition to another project targeting journalists in another EU member, for journalists to deal with impartiality with issues related to hatred against Islam, especially in light of the widespread disinformation about Islam in Europe.
The EU regional media officer for the Middle East and North Africa added that the EU has an important project to translate the Holy Qur’an into 22 European languages, a project funded by the EU, representing another dimension in addressing hatred against Islam.
