Venezuela: Renew Europe deplores last week’s EU diplomatic mission to Caracas and calls for a plenary debate with HR/VP Josep Borrell

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament is asking for a plenary debate with the HR/VP Josep Borrell, following the European External Action Service’s mission of last week to Caracas, which raises a number of concerns regarding its content and mandate.

Dacian Cioloș (Co-President USR PLUS, Romania), President of Renew Europe Group, said:

“The European Parliament and a vast majority of the Member States of the European Union have recognised Mr. Juan Guaidó, as Venezuela’s legitimate interim President and therefore the main interlocutor for any official dialogues to be conducted between this Union and Venezuela. It is therefore not acceptable to conduct a diplomatic mission to Caracas on behalf of the EU and ignore this. Our group demands a clarification from the European External Action Service and HR/VP Borrell in regards to this mission. Renew Europe strongly asks the EEAS to act within the democratic principle that characterizes the EU and to respect the role of Mr. Guaidó as legitimate interim President of Venezuela.”

MEP, Jordi Cañas (Ciudadanos, Spain), First Vice-President of the EUROLAT Parliamentary Assembly and Renew Europe Group’s Eurolat Coordinator, added:

“The High Representative must urgently clarify his mandate to dispatch a diplomatic mission to Caracas to meet with Maduro’s government, and if he had the approval of the President of the Commission. The only legitimate interlocutor recognized by the European Parliament is the National Assembly, and any attempt to whitewash the regime, to legitimize the electoral farce called for December 6, will face total rejection by this House.”

Renew Europe MEP, Dita Charanzová (ANO, Czech Republic), Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for relations with Latin America, concluded:

“The position of the European Parliament has been consistent and clear: we recognize Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela. The High Representative has turned a blind eye to our position in sending this mission to negotiate with the dictatorship of Maduro, and must clarify this to the European Parliament next week and answer our questions. We need a common approach to foreign policy, and actions like this severely undermine it.”

ENDS