Check against delivery! 

President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament,  

First of all, let me start off by appreciating the long-standing and broad-based partnership the European Union has with Uganda, including in the areas of private sector development, the green transition and good governance.  

We recognise Uganda’s contribution to regional security, including providing sanctuary for the more than 1.5 million refugees in the country as well as the continuous contribution of troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) - now the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) -, to provide security in Somalia. We also recall our excellent collaboration in addressing the Ebola outbreak in 2022. 

We look forward to cooperating with Uganda in the operationalisation of the recently adopted Council Conclusions on the Great Lakes Strategy as well as enhancing bilateral and regional economic cooperation through the Economic Partnership Agreements and we are considering a strategic partnership on critical raw materials. 

Our important partnership with Uganda only emphasises our serious concerns regarding the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. 

Immediately after its announcement, there have been numerous contacts and demarches from the European Union towards the government, Parliament and the President [of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni] expressing our concern and [encouraging] reconsideration of the Bill.  

At the end of March, the Head of the EU Delegation [in Uganda, Jan Sadek] and the Italian Ambassador [to Uganda, Massimiliano Mazzanti] met in private with President Museveni to discuss the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and the European Union’s continued concerns with the promulgation of the law.  

If the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is signed into law, Uganda will seriously undermine its international and continental human rights obligations. It is important to recall that the European Union is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.  

The European Union strongly encourages Uganda to reconsider the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and believes that the Ugandan government and lawmakers should engage in dialogue with all sectors of society to foster a greater sense of tolerance towards the rights of all people to live free from fear, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  

The Bill calls into question Uganda as a country where rights and freedoms are guaranteed to all citizens, an essential feature not only of an open and democratic society, but also [of] an environment conducive to business and foreign investment.  

Thank you for your attention. 

Link to video (starting as of 3:38): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-239947 

Closing remarks 

President, Honourable Members, 

The debate today testifies our continuous interest and engagement on the rights of LGBTIQ persons.

The trajectory Uganda would follow if the Bill in question would become law, eroding the core values on which our relation is built is very worrying and could jeopardise the prospect of a strengthened partnership. 

Now, let me say once again, as I did say in my opening remarks: this law should not be promulgated. If the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is signed into law, Uganda will seriously undermine its international and continental human rights obligations. It is important to recall that the European Union is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. 

The European Union strongly encourages Uganda to reconsider the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and believes that the Ugandan government and lawmakers should engage in dialogue with all sectors of society to foster a greater sense of tolerance towards the rights of people to live free from fear, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

The [European] Commission will use all opportunities of engagement with the Ugandan authorities and civil society in the context of our broader partnership, to promote that all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, are treated equally, with dignity and respect, in line with the European Union guidelines on the death penalty, and on the promotion and protection of the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. 

Let me stress once again that the European Union will continue to follow the human rights situation in Uganda very closely, including through our bilateral Political Dialogue. 

We stand ready to support and assist Uganda in its agenda to advance human rights. 

Thank you for your attention. 

Link to video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-239949