With the World Cup in Qatar in full swing, the European Union Parliament condemns the
deaths of thousands of migrant workers
during the preparations for the 2022 World Cup, especially during the construction of the stadiums where the matches are played.
The Eurochamber has also
asked Fifa and Qatar
to
compensate all the victims
connected with the preliminary stages of preparation of the soccer championship underway in the Arabian Peninsula.
According to estimates, there are more than
two million foreign nationals
in Qatar , who make up about
94% of the country's workforce
.
In another important point underlined in Strasbourg, through a
resolution adopted
by acclamation
, MEPs describe
corruption
within Fifa as "
rampant, systemic and deeply rooted
" and deplore the lack of transparency that characterized the choice of Qatar as host.
Equally important, the EU Parliament calls for
strict application of human rights
and sustainability criteria for the state in which the competition takes place.
The European Parliament also urges EU member countries, in particular Germany, France, Italy and Spain, to put pressure on UEFA and FIFA to commit to reforms such as the introduction of
democratic and transparent procedures for awarding
the championship soccer world cup.
Qatar won the 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process
amid credible allegations of corruption and bribery
, the text of the resolution reads .
To protect athletes and fans and put an end to the practice of so-called
sportswashing
, international sporting events should not be assigned to countries that violate fundamental and human rights and where gender-based violence is systematic, the MEPs said again.
Lastly, MEPs
condemned the abuses
perpetrated by the country's authorities
against
the LGBTQ+ community
, including the use of national laws that allow pre-trial detention of LGBTQ+ people without charge or trial for up to six months.
In the resolution, Qatar is urged to strengthen measures to ensure gender equality, including by abolishing what remains of the women's guardianship system, and to step up efforts to achieve fair representation of women in the formal labor market.