Press Release

Santa Maria da Feira European Council 19 and 20 June 2000

European Parliament resolution on the preparation of the European Council meeting in Feira on 19 and 20 June 2000

The European Parliament,

having regard to its resolutions of 16 March 2000 on the drafting of a European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights and of 18 November 1999 and 13 April 2000 containing its proposals for the Intergovernmental Conference,
having regard to the Commission's Recommendation for the Broad Guidelines of the Economic Policies of the Member States and the Community for the year 2000, drawn up in accordance with Article 99(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community, (COM(2000) 214),

A. whereas the Feira European Council takes place against the background of a further intensification of the negotiation process with 12 applicant countries, which must result in an early enlargement of the Union, on the basis of full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria by each applicant country, thus extending the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights from the existing Union to a much wider part of Europe,

B. whereas the Feira European Council will also examine progress towards the establishment of a common European security and defence policy, with both civilian and military components, opening up the possibility of autonomous EU action,

IGC and Charter of Fundamental Rights

1. Supports the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency to extend the IGC agenda to include, in particular, the rationalisation of the structure of the Treaty and the reform of the Treaty amendment process and urges the European Council at Feira to be ambitious in dealing with the IGC agenda under the French Presidency;

2. Expresses its deep concern at the lack of political will displayed by the Member States in the last few months with regard to the settlement of the various questions under discussion in the IGC; urges the Member States to examine the fundamental institutional questions in a general context and from a European perspective;

3. Regrets in particular the obvious reluctance of Member States to agree on a credible extension of qualified majority voting in the Council; reaffirms, that in the legislative area, qualified majority voting must not be separated from the extension of codecision;

4. Calls on the European Council to mandate the Presidency to include the following questions on the IGC agenda:

enhanced integration subject to the conditions set out in Parliament's abovementioned resolution of 13 April 2000;
incorporation into the Treaty of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with a view to giving it binding legal force,
incorporation in the Treaty of the institutional aspects of the common defence and security policy,
reinforcement of political coordination and the role of the Community institutions in the field of EMU, safeguarding the continued independence of the ECB,
constitutionalisation of the Treaties;

5. Calls on the Heads of State or Government meeting in Feira to give fresh impetus to the work of the Convention responsible for drawing up the Charter of Fundamental Rights and to confirm the comprehensive nature of the Cologne mandate and their commitment to the indivisibility of rights, whether these are civic, political or economic and social rights;

6. Points out that the Charter is a document enshrining shared values and principles with which citizens can identify and that it will provide inspiration for the development of Union policies, whilst adding to the economic and social dimension of European integration;

7. Stresses the need to conclude the IGC in 2000 in order not to impede the enlargement process; points out, however, that this timetable constraint must in no circumstances be used to justify not reforming the Treaties sufficiently;

Austria

8. Asks the Council Presidency to evaluate relations between 14 Member States and Austria and to develop, with all the parties in the EU concerned, a procedure leading to an acceptable solution;

Foreign Affairs

9. Welcomes the Israeli Government's decision to withdraw from Southern Lebanon and considers this a substantial step which will pave the way for new decisive talks with Syria and Lebanon with a view to a comprehensive peace agreement; urges in this respect the Lebanese Government to take control of the area, providing all guarantees for the security of the State of Israel and the other countries of the region;

10. Calls on the Council to play an active political role in the region and asks for an acceleration of the negotiations of all the EU's association agreements, in particular those with Syria and Lebanon;

11. Urges the European Council to emphasise to those Member States which have not yet done so the importance of speedily ratifying the EU's Association Agreement with Jordan, as this will vitally reinforce the positive contribution which this country can make to the peace and stability of the Middle East;

12. Calls for the strengthening of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership by means of measures under the three headings (political, economic and socio-cultural) of the Barcelona Declaration; stresses the need for a more strategic and integrated approach for the MEDA programme for sustainable development in the region and urges the unblocking of the MEDA funding;

13. Calls on the European Council to pursue actively the EU's strategy for stabilisation and association in the Balkans, joining international efforts within the framework of the Stability Pact; urges the Council to honour its commitment concerning the financing of the Western Balkans in line with the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 and invites the Council to speed up the conclusion of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement with Croatia, in order to send out a clear signal to the whole region and to help Croatia to become a successful example of peaceful and democratic development in the Balkans, if the current very critical economic phase can be overcome;

14. Suggests that the European Council should determine its position with regard to US intentions concerning an extended ABM system, taking into account the interests of all NATO member states as well as other proposals, such as those from groups within the Russian Duma and from President Putin;

15. Notes that the Member States and the Commission have made significant new financial commitments for external actions on behalf of the Union and calls on the Heads of Government to allocate systematically the necessary funding whenever they take new foreign policy initiatives and to indicate where funds might be found.

Follow-up to the Lisbon European Council

16. Calls on the European Council to maintain the momentum of its Lisbon conclusions, with a view to achieving a European Union of increased prosperity and shortened dole queues, by keeping the private sector and individuals at the forefront of the endeavour, paying particular regard to the European information society and innovative businesses, especially SMEs; considers that the creation of a European Research Area and the incorporation of the Lisbon principles into the R&D Framework Programme constitute an essential foundation for the modernisation of the European economy, and in particular the creation of more favourable conditions for SMEs (for example, a Charter for Small Firms and measures to combat social exclusion);

17. Insists that the new European Social Agenda be based on clear objectives and specific targets, using all relevant Community instruments and involving all parties in the social field, while maximising business dynamism, employment opportunities, sustainable development and social cohesion; calls for the modernisation of social protection systems in order to make work pay, to guarantee the viability and sustainability of pensions, benefits systems and high-quality health care, and to promote social inclusion;

18. Calls on the European Council to take urgent action with a view to reinforcing the commitments made at the Lisbon Summit concerning the strengthening of the position of the consumer in e-commerce, distance selling of financial services, copyright and legal powers, as well as alternative methods of conflict solving;

19. Endorses the appeal by the Lisbon European Council to companies' sense of social responsibility and expects that the Feira Council will firmly resolve that progress should be made on the Directive on the information and consultation of workers and on the setting up of an Observatory of Industrial Change;

20. Supports the new Lisbon strategy with its open method of coordination, which should result in the completion of the necessary legislative proposals; proposes that all existing Commission annual reports on economic, industrial and social affairs be combined in a 'Spring Report' on the economic and social situation and that this analysis be developed in its annual European Policy Guidelines for Growth and Employment;

21. Welcomes the Presidency's willingness to negotiate with the European Parliament over the incorporation of Parliament's resolution of 18 May 2000 on the Broad Economic Guidelines for 2000 ; reaffirms, however, that the democratic deficit in European economic policy must be overcome through the conclusion of an interinstitutional agreement in order to involve Parliament fully with the Council and the Commission in drawing up future guidelines;

22. Proposes that the European Council, when endorsing the accession of Greece to the single currency on 1 January 2001, reaffirms the commitment to non-inflationary growth, fiscal consolidation and structural reform throughout the European Union and the completion of a fully-integrated financial services market; and insists that economic coordination be strengthened and that the Stability and Growth Pact be fully applied;

Taxation policy

23. Should ECOFIN fail to agree the whole package on taxation, relies on the European Council finally to break the deadlock so that harmful tax competition can be avoided in Europe; calls for an agreement to be reached on the lines of the conclusions of the Helsinki European Council in December 1999 and on the basis of the Code of Conduct adopted by ECOFIN on 1 December 1997;

Freedom, security and justice

24. Reminds the Member States of their commitment to create an area of freedom, security and justice; regrets that work on this is falling behind schedule and urges the Council to redouble its efforts to make further progress this year; expresses its concern about the adoption by the Council of the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and about the lack of guarantees as regards the right of defence and the absence of parliamentary and judicial scrutiny;

Food safety

25. Urges the European Council to establish a strong, independent and competent Food Safety Authority, with a clear status in law, in conjunction with a far-reaching overhaul of legislation, and with a clear definition of Member States' obligations with regard to notification of a crisis and the monitoring by the Authority of developments within the Member States;

o
o o

26. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Commission, the parliaments of the Member States, and the Convention for the drawing up of a draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.



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Supports the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency to extend the IGC agenda to include, in particular, the rationalisation of the structure of the Treaty and the reform of the Treaty amendment process and urges the European Council at Feira to be ambitious in dealing with the IGC agenda under the French Presidency; 2. Expresses its deep concern at the lack of political will displayed by the Member States in the last few months with regard to the settlement of the various questions under discussion in the IGC; urges the Member States to examine the fundamental institutional questions in a general context and from a European perspective; 3. Regrets in particular the obvious reluctance of Member States to agree on a credible extension of qualified majority voting in the Council; reaffirms, that in the legislative area, qualified majority voting must not be separated from the extension of codecision; 4. Calls on the European Council to mandate the Presidency to include the following questions on the IGC agenda: enhanced integration subject to the conditions set out in Parliament's abovementioned resolution of 13 April 2000; incorporation into the Treaty of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with a view to giving it binding legal force, incorporation in the Treaty of the institutional aspects of the common defence and security policy, reinforcement of political coordination and the role of the Community institutions in the field of EMU, safeguarding the continued independence of the ECB, constitutionalisation of the Treaties; 5. Calls on the Heads of State or Government meeting in Feira to give fresh impetus to the work of the Convention responsible for drawing up the Charter of Fundamental Rights and to confirm the comprehensive nature of the Cologne mandate and their commitment to the indivisibility of rights, whether these are civic, political or economic and social rights; 6. Points out that the Charter is a document enshrining shared values and principles with which citizens can identify and that it will provide inspiration for the development of Union policies, whilst adding to the economic and social dimension of European integration; 7. Stresses the need to conclude the IGC in 2000 in order not to impede the enlargement process; points out, however, that this timetable constraint must in no circumstances be used to justify not reforming the Treaties sufficiently; Austria 8. Asks the Council Presidency to evaluate relations between 14 Member States and Austria and to develop, with all the parties in the EU concerned, a procedure leading to an acceptable solution; Foreign Affairs 9. Welcomes the Israeli Government's decision to withdraw from Southern Lebanon and considers this a substantial step which will pave the way for new decisive talks with Syria and Lebanon with a view to a comprehensive peace agreement; urges in this respect the Lebanese Government to take control of the area, providing all guarantees for the security of the State of Israel and the other countries of the region; 10. Calls on the Council to play an active political role in the region and asks for an acceleration of the negotiations of all the EU's association agreements, in particular those with Syria and Lebanon; 11. Urges the European Council to emphasise to those Member States which have not yet done so the importance of speedily ratifying the EU's Association Agreement with Jordan, as this will vitally reinforce the positive contribution which this country can make to the peace and stability of the Middle East; 12. Calls for the strengthening of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership by means of measures under the three headings (political, economic and socio-cultural) of the Barcelona Declaration; stresses the need for a more strategic and integrated approach for the MEDA programme for sustainable development in the region and urges the unblocking of the MEDA funding; 13. Calls on the European Council to pursue actively the EU's strategy for stabilisation and association in the Balkans, joining international efforts within the framework of the Stability Pact; urges the Council to honour its commitment concerning the financing of the Western Balkans in line with the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 and invites the Council to speed up the conclusion of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement with Croatia, in order to send out a clear signal to the whole region and to help Croatia to become a successful example of peaceful and democratic development in the Balkans, if the current very critical economic phase can be overcome; 14. Suggests that the European Council should determine its position with regard to US intentions concerning an extended ABM system, taking into account the interests of all NATO member states as well as other proposals, such as those from groups within the Russian Duma and from President Putin; 15. Notes that the Member States and the Commission have made significant new financial commitments for external actions on behalf of the Union and calls on the Heads of Government to allocate systematically the necessary funding whenever they take new foreign policy initiatives and to indicate where funds might be found. Follow-up to the Lisbon European Council 16. Calls on the European Council to maintain the momentum of its Lisbon conclusions, with a view to achieving a European Union of increased prosperity and shortened dole queues, by keeping the private sector and individuals at the forefront of the endeavour, paying particular regard to the European information society and innovative businesses, especially SMEs; considers that the creation of a European Research Area and the incorporation of the Lisbon principles into the R&D Framework Programme constitute an essential foundation for the modernisation of the European economy, and in particular the creation of more favourable conditions for SMEs (for example, a Charter for Small Firms and measures to combat social exclusion); 17. Insists that the new European Social Agenda be based on clear objectives and specific targets, using all relevant Community instruments and involving all parties in the social field, while maximising business dynamism, employment opportunities, sustainable development and social cohesion; calls for the modernisation of social protection systems in order to make work pay, to guarantee the viability and sustainability of pensions, benefits systems and high-quality health care, and to promote social inclusion; 18. Calls on the European Council to take urgent action with a view to reinforcing the commitments made at the Lisbon Summit concerning the strengthening of the position of the consumer in e-commerce, distance selling of financial services, copyright and legal powers, as well as alternative methods of conflict solving; 19. Endorses the appeal by the Lisbon European Council to companies' sense of social responsibility and expects that the Feira Council will firmly resolve that progress should be made on the Directive on the information and consultation of workers and on the setting up of an Observatory of Industrial Change; 20. Supports the new Lisbon strategy with its open method of coordination, which should result in the completion of the necessary legislative proposals; proposes that all existing Commission annual reports on economic, industrial and social affairs be combined in a 'Spring Report' on the economic and social situation and that this analysis be developed in its annual European Policy Guidelines for Growth and Employment; 21. Welcomes the Presidency's willingness to negotiate with the European Parliament over the incorporation of Parliament's resolution of 18 May 2000 on the Broad Economic Guidelines for 2000 ; reaffirms, however, that the democratic deficit in European economic policy must be overcome through the conclusion of an interinstitutional agreement in order to involve Parliament fully with the Council and the Commission in drawing up future guidelines; 22. Proposes that the European Council, when endorsing the accession of Greece to the single currency on 1 January 2001, reaffirms the commitment to non-inflationary growth, fiscal consolidation and structural reform throughout the European Union and the completion of a fully-integrated financial services market; and insists that economic coordination be strengthened and that the Stability and Growth Pact be fully applied; Taxation policy 23. Should ECOFIN fail to agree the whole package on taxation, relies on the European Council finally to break the deadlock so that harmful tax competition can be avoided in Europe; calls for an agreement to be reached on the lines of the conclusions of the Helsinki European Council in December 1999 and on the basis of the Code of Conduct adopted by ECOFIN on 1 December 1997; Freedom, security and justice 24. Reminds the Member States of their commitment to create an area of freedom, security and justice; regrets that work on this is falling behind schedule and urges the Council to redouble its efforts to make further progress this year; expresses its concern about the adoption by the Council of the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and about the lack of guarantees as regards the right of defence and the absence of parliamentary and judicial scrutiny; Food safety 25. Urges the European Council to establish a strong, independent and competent Food Safety Authority, with a clear status in law, in conjunction with a far-reaching overhaul of legislation, and with a clear definition of Member States' obligations with regard to notification of a crisis and the monitoring by the Authority of developments within the Member States; o o o 26. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Commission, the parliaments of the Member States, and the Convention for the drawing up of a draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.	Highlights EPP-ED Report Relations with national Parliaments Interparliamentary Delegations Plenary Session Agenda Parliament’s calendar Live TV Texts adopted Subscribe to email service Jobs
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