The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Egypt,

- having regard to the EU-Egypt Association Agreement of 2004 and in particular Article 2 thereof,

- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966 to which Egypt is a party,

- having regard to the statements by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, of 1 February 2012 on the football tragedy in Egypt and of 2 February 2012 on the continued crackdown on civil society in Egypt,

- having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  Whereas on 1 February 2012 clashes immediately after a football match in Port Said resulted in 74 deaths and hundreds of injured people,

B.  Whereas anger and speculations about politically motivated causes of these clashes have led to street riots in the days following the football tragedy resulting in further deaths and injuries,

C.  Whereas Egyptian judges are investigating the bona fide activities of pro-democracy non-governmental organisations and political foundations (including Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the US-based International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute), whereas 43 defendants have been referred to the Cairo Criminal Court and ordered not to leave the country and whereas further NGO staff may yet be sent to trial,

D.  Whereas these organisations also stand accused of establishing and managing offices in Egypt without the formality of authorization from the Egyptian government but whereas applications for registration made by the organisations in accordance with the directions of the Egyptian authorities which have not been acted upon for over five years,

E.  Whereas these charges are the culmination of an escalating legal crackdown on national and international non-governmental organisations in Egypt, in contradiction with international humanitarian law, inconsistent with the basic standards of the rule of law and undermining efforts to promote democratic values and safeguarding human rights,

F.  Whereas ongoing investigation and reference to trial of individuals employed by internationally recognized NGOs and political foundations reflects a politically motivated assault on civil society and not a legitimate legal process,

G.  Whereas the European Union has repeatedly expressed its commitment to freedom of thought, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion and has stressed that Governments have a duty to guarantee these freedoms all over the world,

H.  Whereas article 2 of the 2004 EU-Egypt Association Agreement states that "Relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect of democratic principles and fundamental human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement,

1.  Calls for the criminal charges against the NGOs and political foundations to be immediately withdrawn as they were not preceded by appropriate legal procedures; Calls on the Egyptian authorities to respect the freedom of association and to ensure that any inspections of national or foreign civil society organisations are carried out in full transparency and impartiality, and in line with appropriate legal procedure and in full respect of international standards of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

2.  Expresses its full support for the commitment and the important and high quality work carried out by these organisations in support of civil society and the Egyptian people in order to promote peace, democracy and human rights;

3.  Expresses its deepest condolences to the victims of the 1 February football tragedy and their families and friends;

4.  Is deeply concerned over accusations of political motivations behind these clashes and calls on the Egyptian authorities to allow for a fully transparent, impartial and independent investigation of the 1 February event and to make public the results of the investigation as soon as it is concluded and has drawn up its report;

5.  Reiterates, one year after the revolution, its solidarity with the Egyptian people in this critical period of transition and underlines that the process of democratic change demands sustained efforts and commitments;

6.  Expresses deep concern over reports of plans by the Supreme Council Armed Forces to deploy more soldiers and tanks nation-wide, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the resignation of ex-President Mubarak on 11 February on which activists are planning for national manifestations and strikes;

7.  Welcomes the inauguration of the democratically elected People's Assembly and expresses its hope that this will represent a further concrete step towards building a democratic regime based on human rights, good governance and respect for the rule of law;

8.  Stresses again its support for the continuation of Egypt's democratic transition and hopes that this process will allow for a timely transfer of power to civilian rule;

9.  Welcomes the liberation of imprisoned bloggers Alaa Abd El-Fattah and Maikel Nabil Sanad; reiterates its call to the Egyptian authorities to guarantee that no blogger, journalist or human rights defender is subject to direct or indirect harassment or intimidation in the country; underlines that the amelioration of the human rights situation in the country requires comprehensive police reform;

10.  Welcomes the partial lifting of the emergency laws that have resulted in severe clampdowns on street demonstrations and political dissent and thousands of arrests and imprisonments after military or no trials; Calls on the Egyptian authorities to fully lift these laws as part of the transition to civilian rule;

11.  Welcomes the Council decision authorizing the opening of the negotiations with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia with a view of establishing deep and comprehensive free trade agreements as soon as conditions are fulfilled and the necessary preparatory process is completed; hopes that this decision will act as a catalyst for economic reforms in Egypt and that it will contribute to improving the investment climate in the country;

12.  Welcomes the ongoing revision of the European Neighbourhood policy drawing lessons from errors of the past in order to strengthen its value-based approach which includes a "more for more" principle promoting mutual accountability and increasing support to and cooperation with countries engaged in genuine political reforms but also "less for less" in cases where a country shies away from such reforms and turns in the opposite direction;

13.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt.