Articles by Aurelia Bouchez

October 10 is World and European Day against the Death Penalty. This is an opportunity to talk about human rights and recommit to our values. The European Union has a strong and principled position against the death penalty, at all times and at all circumstances. All 28 EU member states have abolished death penalty, but we have also committed to seek to end the practice outside our borders.
For that reason, abolishing capital punishment worldwide is one of the chief objectives of the EU’s external policy. The EU’s High Representative, Catherine Ashton, has made clear on several occasions that one of her top priorities is to continue the EU’s long-standing campaign against the death penalty worldwide.
Today, 140 countries around the world envisage capital punishment in law or in practice. Since 2002, 21 countries have abolished the death penalty. However, figures provided by Amnesty International remind us that this is no time for complacency. In 2012, at least 1,722 people in 67 countries around the world received a death sentence.

The EU Delegation is committed to supporting the efforts of the Republic of Kazakhstan to ensure a continuing positive climate for business and investment here. During his visit to Astana on 1-3 June, Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, expressed his appreciation of Kazakhstan’s open and positive business climate, and the readiness…

This year, the European Union and Kazakhstan celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. On the eve of the anniversary, on 29 January, Foreign Minister Idrissov visited Brussels. His meeting with President Barroso gave an opportunity to take stock of the two decades that have elapsed since the first official visit of…