Minutes of the sitting of Friday 19 December 1997
C 14/394 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER 1997 (98/C 14/05) PART I Proceedings of the sitting IN THE CHAIR: Mr ANASTASSOPOULOS Vice-President (The sitting opened at 9 a. m. ) 1. Approval of Minutes The Minutes of the previous sitting were approved. Mr Posselt referred to his remarks the previous day before the vote on topical and urgent motions for resolutions (Part I, before Item 19) when he had objected to the fact that only the joint motions were available at distributon in all languages and not the motions on which they were based, and to the Presidentís reply; he said that he had learned that arrangements had been made for there to be no longer any translation or distribution of original motions for resolutions. He crititicized these arrangements which would make it impossible, if a joint motion was rejected, which he said sometimes happened, to vote on the individual motions on which it was based. He therefore insisted that these motions should be translated and distributed as before (the President replied that, in view of the complaints which had been made, he would ask for the matter to be reconsidered). 2. Documents received The President announced that he had received the following texts from the Commission: (a) a proposal: › Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive amending Directive 89/662/EEC concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market, in order to reinforce checking (COM(97)0643 › C4-0659/97 › 97/0334(COD)) referred to responsible: ENVI opinion: AGRI legal basis: Art. 100a EC (b) the following documents: › Green Paper on the convergence of the telecommunica- tions, media and information technology sectors, and the implications for regulation › Towards an Information Society Approach (COM(97)0623 › C4-0664/97) referred to responsible: ECON opinion: RTDE, LEGA, ESOC, ENVI, CULT languages available: DE, EN, FR › Commission Working Document: Perspectives and Priori- ties for the ASEM Proces (SEC(97)1239 › C4-0667/97) referred to responsible: FASE opinion: RELA 3. Text of agreements forwarded by the Coun- cil The President announced that he had received from the Council a certified true copy of the following text: › Agreement between the European Community and Canada on customs cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters. 4. Authorization to draw up reports The following committees had been authorized to draw up reports: › RTDE on access to renewable energies on the electricity network › ESOC on cross-border workers: problems and solutions › FISH on the canned fish industry › RELA on world trade and regional blocks. 5. Transfer of appropriations The Committee on Budgetary Control and the Committee on Budgets had examined proposal for transfer of appropriations No 51/97 (SEC(97)2141 › C4-0610/97) in respect of those areas for which they were each responsible. In particular, the Committee on Budgetary Control had auth- orized: › the topping-up of Item 1895 (Other supplementary ser- vices) by ECU 215 000 and of Item 1896 (Supplementary services for the translation department) by ECU 600 000 from Item 1100 (Basic salaries); 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/395 › the topping-up of Article 200 (Rent) by ECU 2 550 700 from various headings in Chapters 10 and 11, it being specified that this amount was exclusively to be used for payment of the annual amounts due in respect of the Annex buildings; › the topping-up of Article 230 (Stationery and office supplies) by ECU 50 000 from Item 2710 (General publica- tions); › the topping-up of Item 3710 (Court expenses) by ECU 76 000 from Item 1100 (Basic salaries). At its meeting of 8 and 9 December 1997, the Committee on Budgets considered the above proposed transfer of appropria- tions, and in particular those parts thereof which fall within its remit. Recalling the decisions of the budgetary authority on the draft budget for 1999, the Committee on Budgets: › called on the Court of Justice to conclude an agreement with the Luxembourg authorities on the cost of screening (cf. the reply of the Registrar of the Court of Justice to question g in the aforementioned letter); › had authorized the release of appropriations from Chapt- er 100 to Article 200 (Rents) as follows: ECU 430 500 for the Annex buildings; ECU 2 287 473 in respect of the rent on the Palais › besides the appropriation of ECU 3 900 000 available in the heading and also intended to cover payment of the rent on the Palais. * * * The Committee on Budgetary Control had considered proposal for transfer of appropriations No 0056/97 (SEC(97)2169 › C4-0613/97) which was intended to supplement Article B7- 531: Exceptional assistance to Armenia, Georgia and Tajikis- tan in the amount of ECU 10 million, in both commitment appropriations and payment appropriations, from Article B7- 320: Cooperation with South Africa (payment appropriations) and item B7-8000: International fisheries agreements (commit- ment appropriations). Pursuant to Article 26(5(c)) of the Financial Regulation, the Committee on Budgetary Control authorized the above transfer of appropriations in its entirety and drew attention to the position of Parliament, as expressed in plenary sitting on 16 September 1997, to the effect that exceptional financial assistance should be allocated only to Armenia and Georgia. Friday 19 December 1997 It decided to authorize, pursuant to Article 26 (5)(b) of the Financial Regulation, the transfer of part of the reserve entered: in chapter B0-40: Provisions (for heading B8-013) to heading B8-013 Other joint actions of the European Union under the Common Foreign and Security Policy in an amount of: (in payment appropria- tions). * * * ECU 2 200 000 The Committee on Budgetary Control had considered proposal for transfer of appropriations No 0059/97 (SEC(97)2178 › C4-0618/97) which was to increase Item B2-1302: Objective 3 to ECU 133 020 302 and Item B2-1303: Objective 4 to ECU 40 495 125 in payment appropriations drawn from Chapter B2-14: Community Initiatives. The Committee on Budgetary Control condemned the lack of detailed justification to explain why a significant amount of money had to be taken away from the various Community Initiatives, especially since the slow-down in the implementa- tion of that part of the budget had earlier been the subject of a specific reference in the resolution adopted by Parliament on 2 October 1997 on the implementation of the 1997 budget ( Notenboom procedureí). It had therefore decided not to authorize the proposed transfer. * * * The Committee on Budgetary Control had considered proposal for transfer of appropriation No 0060/97 (SEC(98)2173 › C4-0625/97) whichwas to increase the payment appropriations entered in Article B7-8000 International Fisheries Agreements by ECU 10 980 000 by transfer from Article B7-950 Support expenditure for external policies, and authorized it in its entirety pursuant to Article 26(5)(c) of the Financial Regula- tion. 6. Human rights and democratic principles (vote) Imbeni report (A4-0381/97) and Lenz report (A4-0393/97) (Simple majority) * * * (a) A4-0381/97 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION: The Committee on Budgets had considered proposal for transfer of appropriations No 0057/97 (SEC(97)2170 › C4- 0617/97) concerning budget heading B8-013 › Other joint actions of the European Union under the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Amendments adopted: 1; 2; 3; 8 by EV (91 for, 56 against, 0 abstentions); 9 (1st part) by EV (90 for, 66 against, 2 absten- tions); 4 by EV (80 for, 72 against, 5 abstentions); 5 by EV (84 for, 67 against, 4 abstentions); 10 C 14/396 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 Amendments rejected: 6 by EV (61 for, 62 against, 2 absten- tions); 7; 9 (2nd part) The different parts of the text were adopted in order (paras 20 to 24 by EV (92 for, 60 against, 7 abstentions)). The following spoke during the vote: 8. Expenditure under CFSP (vote) Mu¤ller report › A4-0339/97 (Simple majority) MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION: › The President drew attention to an error in the Greek version of am 9: The following spoke during the vote: Split votes: am. 9 (PPE): 1st part: text without the word áprimarilyí 2nd part: this word Parliament adopted the resolution (Part II, Item 1(a)). (b) A4-0393/97 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION: Amendments adopted: 1 by EV (104 for, 66 against, 4 absten- tions); 2 (1st part); 7 by EV (94 for, 83 against, 3 abstentions); 3 by EV (100 for, 81 against, 1 abstention); 8 by EV (113 for, 69 against, 3 abstentions); 4; 5 by EV (107 for, 78 against, 1 abstention); 6 Amendments rejected: 2 (2nd part); 9 The different parts of the text were adopted in order (para. 7 by EV (92 for, 80 against, 7 abstentions), with the exception of para. 15 which was rejected by EV (88 for, 89 against, 6 abstentions). The following spoke during the vote: › the rapporteur, who drew attention to errors in various language versions of am 2 and pointed out that the French text was the authoritative one, and Mr Ha¤nsch, who asked for clarification of the split vote on this amendment; Separate votes: paras 7, 15 (PSE) Split votes: am. 2 (PPE): 1st part: text without the words áthe tendency forí 2nd part: these words Parliament adopted the resolution (Part II, Item 1(b)). 7. Benchmarking (vote) Murphy report › A4-0387/97 (Simple majority) › Mr Fabra Valle·s proposed an oral amendment to para. 7 which he read out: ácalls on the Courts of Auditors to have its Opinion 1/97 published in the Official Journal of the European Communities and to submit. í. Mrs Theato, chairman of the Committee on Budgetary Control, and Mrs Aelvoet, deputizing for the rapporteur, both agreed to the oral amendment. The President then established that there were no objections to the oral amendment being put to the vote. Mr Fabre-Aubrespy asked for separate votes to be taken on the oral amendment and the motion for resolution as a whole. The President put to the vote para 7 as amended and then the motion for a resolution as a whole. Parliament adopted the resolution (Part II, Item 3). * * * Explanations of vote were given by the following Members: Murphy report › A4-0387/97 › in writing: Titley Muller report › A4-0339/97 › orally: Fabre-Aubrespy › in writing: Willockx; Lindqvist, Sjo¤stedt, Scho¤rling, Sand- bæk 9. Genetically modified soya and maize (debate) The next item was a joint debate on seven oral questions to the Commission by the following Members: › Breyer and Lannoye, on behalf of the V Group, on labelling of genetically modified soya and maize products (B4-0908/97) › Florenz, Schleicher and Oomen-Ruijten, on behalf of the PPE Group, on labelling of products made from genetically modified soya and maize (B4-0909/97) MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION: Parliament adopted the resolution (Part II, Item 2). › Roth-Behrendt, on behalf of the PSE Group, on imple- menting provisions for the labelling of genetically modified soya beans and maize (B4-0910/97) 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/397 Friday 19 December 1997 › Pasty and Azzolini, on behalf of the UPE Group, on the labelling of certain foodstuffs produced from genetically modified organisms, (B4-0912/97) 10. Interim trade agreement with Uzbekistan * (debate and vote) › Eisma, on behalf of the ELDR Group, on the labelling of genetically modified soya and maize (B4-0913/97) › Papayannakis and Gonza·lez Alvarez, on behalf of the GUE/NGL, on the labelling of genetically modified soya and maize (B4-1003/97) › Souchet and Nicholson, on behalf of the I-EDN Group, on the labelling of products made from genetically modified soya and maize (B4-1006/97) Mr Berthu made a point of order. He protested at the decision by the Conference of Presidents that there should be no motions for resolutions on the oral questions. He said that his group had tabled a motion for a resolution in full compliance with the Rules and asked for it to be put to the vote (the President replied that Mr Berthuís group had been repre- sented at the Conference of Presidents meeting at which the decision had been taken). Mr Berthu said that he himself had represented his group at this meeting and that he had unequi- vocally opposed the decision which he said was in breach of the Rules. Mrs Breyer moved oral question B4-0908/97. Mrs Schleicher moved oral question B4-0909/97. Mrs Graenitz moved oral question B4-0910/97. Mr Santini moved oral question B4-0912/97. Mr Eisma moved oral question B4-0913/97. Mrs Gonza·lez A· lvarez moved oral question B4-1003/97. Mr Souchet moved oral question B4-1006/97. Mrs Cresson, Member of the Commission, answered the questions. The following spoke: Mrs Gebhardt, on behalf of the PSE Group, Mrs Keppelhoff-Wiechert, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mrs Ryyna¤nen, on behalf of the ELDR Group, Mr Lannoye, on behalf of the V Group, and Mrs Barthet-Mayer, on behalf of the ARE Group. IN THE CHAIR: Mr GUTIE· RREZ DI·AZ Vice-President The following spoke Mr Nicholson, on behalf of the I-EDN Group, Mr Gillis, Mr Olsson, Mrs Breyer, Mrs Raschhofer, Mrs Cresson, and Mr Ru¤big who put a question to the Commission which Mrs Cresson answered. Mrs Mann, deputizing for the rapporteur, introduced the report drawn up by Mr Wiersma, on behalf of the Committee on External Economic Relations, on the proposal for a Council Decision, on the conclusion by the European Community of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Commun- ity, of the one part, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part (COM(96)0466 › 10521/96 › C4-0082/97 › 96/ 0236(ACC)) (A4-0304/97). The following spoke: Mr Tindemans, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mr Van Dam, on behalf of I-EDN Group, Mr Posselt, Mr von Habsburg and Mrs Cresson, Member of the Commis- sion. The President closed the debate. VOTE: (Simple majority) DRAFT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION: Parliament adopted the legislative resolution by RCV (PPE): Members voting: For: Against: Abstentions: (Part II, Item 4). 71 68 0 3 * * * Mrs Van Bladel, vice-chairman of the Human Rights Subcom- mittee, announced that she had heard from humanitarian organisations in Angola that serious human rights abuses had been committed the previous day in several provinces. She ex- pressed horror at these events and asked that the President of Parliament call on the Council and Commission to remind Angola of its obligations with regard to human rights (the Pre- sident replied that her feelings were certainly shared by the rest the House and that he would convey her request to the President of Parliament). 11. UEFA decision concerning Coca-Cola Cup winners (statement with debate) Mrs Cresson, Member of the Commission, made a statement on UEFAís decision not to allow the winners of the Coca-Cola Cup to take part in European Cup matches. The following spoke: Mr Cunningham, on behalf of the PSE Group, Mr Perry, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mr Titley, Mr Wynn and Mrs Cresson. The President closed the debate. The President closed the debate. C 14/398 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 He announced that the following deadlines had been set: 14. Forwarding of texts adopted during the sit- › motions for resolutions: 12 noon on Thursday 8 January ting 1998 › amendments and joint motions: 7 p. m. on Monday 12 Jan- uary 1998. Mrs Lulling spoke. 12. Membership of committees At the request of the ARE Group, Parliament ratified the following appointments: › Legal Affairs Committe; Mrs Ewing to replace Mr Scar- bonchi The President informed Parliament, pursuant to Rule 133(2), that the Minutes of that dayís sitting would be submitted to Parliament for its approval at the beginning of its next sitting. With Parliamentís agreement, he stated that he would forward the texts that had just been adopted forthwith to the bodies named therein. 15. Dates for next sittings › Economic Affairs Committee; Mr Scarbonchi to replace Mrs Ewing The President announced that the next sittings would be held from 12 to 16 January 1998. 13. Written declarations (Rule 48) Pursuant to Rule 48(3), the President announced the number of signatures to these declarations: Document No Author Signatures 4/97 5/97 Cunningham Nencini 158 25 16. Adjournment of session The session was adjourned. (The sitting closed at 11. 45 a. m. ) Julian PRIESTLEY Secretary-General Jose· Mar ·a GIL-ROBLES GIL-DELGADO President 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/399 Friday 19 December 1997 PART II Texts adopted by the European Parliament 1. Human rights and democratic principles (a) A4-0381/97 Resolution on the Commission report on the implementation of measures intended to promote observance of human rights and democratic principles (for 1995) (COM(96)0672 › C4-0095/97) The European Parliament, › having regard to the Commission report, COM(96)0672 › C4-0095/97, › having regard to Articles C and J. 1(2) of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 130u, 228 and 238 of the EC Treaty, › having regard to its previous resolutions, in particular its resolution of 12 December 1996 on human rights in the world in 1995-1996 and the Unionís human rights policy (1), › having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Development and Cooperation, the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs and the Committee on Budgets (A4-0381/97), A. whereas Parliament, the Commission and the Council share the objective of constantly improving the effectiveness of the EUís external activities and policies for the promotion of human rights and democratic principles, which must be based where possible on positive measures, B. whereas the EU is a major international source of funding for such initiatives, C. whereas Parliament has created a specific budget chapter on democratization and human rights, with the objective of achieving greater efficiency, effectiveness and visibility in the EUís activities in this field; whereas this budget chapter has been reformulated within the 1998 budget procedure in order to ensure a more coherent and consistent approach in EU policy and to increase transparency in its implementation, D. whereas close parliamentary scrutiny and control of human rights expenditure is essential, E. whereas the closest possible cooperation and coordination between Parliament, the Council and the Commission is crucial if endeavours on behalf of human rights are to be successful, Institutional cooperation for the promotion of human rights 1. Welcomes the Commissionís report as a further contribution to the continuing effort to enhance the effectiveness and transparency of EU activities in favour of human rights and democratization; (1) OJ C 20, 20. 1. 1997, p. 161. C 14/400 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 2. Acknowledges the important work by the Inter-Service Group in coordinating human rights activities by different Commission DGs, and calls for further efforts to overcome the negative effects of the geographical compartmentalisation which exists within the Commission; 3. Notes that within the budget procedure for 1998 an interinstitutional working party on democracy and protection of human rights, comprising representatives of Parliament and of the Commission, has been created; recalls that this working party is to give its opinion on the current annual work programme; 4. Calls for the relevant Commission departments to be strengthened through redeployment and enhanced training, and, in the framework of the budgetary decisions, through an increase in staff numbers where there is a clear justification for this; 5. Urges that the ability to adjust priorities quickly in crisis situations should be enhanced; 6. Requests the Commission to establish and enforce clear guidelines for the acknowledgement and publication of EU subsidies in this area, in order to raise the profile of EU support for the promotion of human rights; 7. Requests the Commission to report promptly to Parliament any instances of third country governments objecting to or blocking human rights or democratization projects; it should also draw up proposals for dealing with such objections, with a view to overcoming the obstacles that unwilling governments can put in the way of human rights project funding; Calls on the Commission to grasp the opportunity provided by new electronic media to make 8. information on human rights available throughout the world, and to ensure that material from seminars funded by the EU is made available electronically, in order to encourage its wider distribution and to guide the work of related seminars in future; Calls on the Commission to publish annually a communication on compliance, by third countries 9. with which the Community has concluded agreements, with the human rights and democracy clause contained therein; Requests the Commission, in drawing up its reports on respect for human rights, to be guided by the 10. information supplied by international bodies and/or institutions charged with the task of monitoring respect for human rights; Electoral support and monitoring 11. Points out that it has decided, within the budget procedure for 1998, that the financial implementation of the support for, and supervision of, electoral processes (B7-709) will depend on the prior adoption by the three institutions of common rules and procedures for their representation during the special missions for electoral monitoring and/or post-electoral measures; notes that the consolidation of the budgetary resources used to finance operations related to elections in third countries will depend on this harmonisation and will be decided within the annual budget procedure; 12. Calls for a communication from the Commission evaluating EU participation in election monitoring missions in recent years, with a view to enhancing the EUís capacity to promote democracy through electoral support operations; 13. Points out that whenever additional ad hoc funding is needed for election observation and support operations the Commission should propose in due time to the budget authority, in accordance with the Financial Regulation, the corresponding transfer from other budget lines, if necessary from those concerning the countries in question, to budget line B7-709; Insists that a specific line should be created for election observation and support operations, distinct 14. from the human rights and democratization lines; 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/401 Friday 19 December 1997 Future reports on human rights expenditure Calls on the Commission to ensure that future reports include an assessment of the effectiveness of 15. funded projects, and to make assessments carried out by external consultants available to Parliament; 16. Calls on the Commission to clarify the respective roles of the report under consideration and the reports adopted pursuant to the November 1991 Council resolution on human rights, democracy and development; Calls on the Commission to draw up and publish its criteria for assessing the success or failure of 17. funded projects; 18. Recommends that consultant studies of the impact of development assistance projects should also examine to extent to which they have furthered respect for human rights and democratic principles, in view of the stipulation in the Treaty on European Union that the promotion of human rights is an objective of development cooperation; 19. › Calls on the Commission to address the following issues in future reports: the effectiveness of operations undertaken by organizations specifically named in human rights budget lines; › the ratio of administrative to operational expenditure in the grants given under Chapter B7-70; › › the extent to which projects were co-funded through other sources, in order to allow closer scrutiny of the benefits and shortcomings of cooperation with other actors; the breakdown of funding between official or government activities, semi-state activities, and non-governmental initiatives, and to seek to achieve a proper balance between government-run and non-governmental projects; › the compilation of comparative figures on expenditure on democratisation by EU Member States, other states such as the US, and other international organisations; Procedures 20. Calls on the Commission to take steps to reduce undue delays in the disbursement of grants, particularly in view of disturbing reports of excessive delays in their allocation, apparently due to overly bureaucratic procedures; Recommends that information about grants be made readily available, also to smaller organizations 21. and to organizations not based in Brussels or indeed in the EU, for instance by providing such information on the Internet, and that information on the status of an application be regularly provided to applicants; Reiterates that the inclusion of the democracy clause in economic cooperation agreements between 22. the European Union and third countries is an essential element in promoting human rights and democratic principles; 23. Recommends that, in cases where the EU has put its official relations with third countries on ice due to serious shortcomings in the area of human rights, direct support for forces in civil society working towards the countryís democratization be continued, with account being taken also of special solutions appropriate to the specific problems involved; In conclusion Reiterates its call for a thorough impact assessment at political level of human rights activities, and 24. for reports on the human rights situation in third countries to be forwarded regularly to Parliament; 25. Believes that a major evaluation conference could be held annually on the EUís democratization programmes throughout the world, along the lines of the October 1997 conference on the PHARE and TACIS democracy programmes; C 14/402 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 26. Expresses its support in principle for higher levels of expenditure to be made available for the promotion of human rights, provided that a more developed system of human rights reporting is established in the EU framework, which should include annual reports by each Commission Delegation identifying whether the situation regarding human rights and democracy in each partner country has improved; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the 27. governments and parliaments of the Member States. * * * (b) A4-0393/97 Resolution on setting up a single coordinating structure within the Commission responsible for human rights and democratization The European Parliament, › having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, › having regard to the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights, › having regard to the CSCE Charter adopted in Paris in 1990, › having regard to Article 130u(2) of the EC Treaty, › having regard to the resolution of the Council and the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council of 28 November 1991 on human rights, democracy and development, › having regard to the results of the UN human rights conference in Vienna in June 1993, and of the UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing, › having regard to its resolutions on human rights throughout the world, particularly the resolution of 12 December 1996 on human rights throughout the world in 1995/96 and the Unionís human rights policy (1), › having regard to its resolution of 21 April 1994 on human rights in the European Union’s foreign policy (2), › having regard to its resolution of 12 June 1997 on progress in implementing the common foreign and security policy (January to December 1996) (3), › having regard to the Commission communication to the Council and Parliament: The European Union and the external dimension of human rights policy: from Rome to Maastricht and beyondí, COM(95)0567, › having regard to the Commission report on the implementation of measures intended to promote human rights and democratic principles (for 1995), COM(96)0672, › having regard to the Commission report on cooperation with European non-governmental develop- ment organizations (NGDOs) in those fields of importance to developing countries (1994 financial year), COM(96)0032, › having regard to its resolution of 20 September 1996 on the communication from the Commission on the inclusion of respect for democratic principles and human rights in agreements between the Community and third countries (4), (1) OJ C 20, 20. 1. 1997, p. 161. (2) OJ C 128, 9. 5. 1994, p. 370. (3) OJ C 200, 30. 6. 1997, p. 148. (4) OJ C 320, 28. 10. 1996, p. 261. 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/403 Friday 19 December 1997 › having regard to its resolution of 13 June 1997 on the proposal for a Council Decision on a framework procedure for implementing Article 366a of the Fourth Lome· Convention, and the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy in report A4-0175/97 (1), › having regard to its resolution of 21 February 1997 on European Union humanitarian aid and the role of ECHO, and on the Commission communication to the Council and European Parliament on linking relief, rehabilitation and development (2), › having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure, › having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Development and Cooperation and the Committee on Budgets (A4-0393/97), A. whereas the Union has declared that it is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, and this declaration should find practical expression in the internal policy of the Union, in the common development policy and the common foreign and security policy (CFSP), B. whereas following the outcome of Amsterdam a troika comprising the Council President, the CFSP High Representative/Council Secretary-General and the Commission will be set up for the CFSP and the Commission will be fully involved in the CFSP’s tasks, C. whereas with the international recognition of human rights, reference is increasingly being made to human rights and democracy in international relations also; whereas the Community’s human rights policy has duly expanded in scope and the activities, funding and operators in this area have accordingly increased, D. whereas the European Union has created new priorities in its human rights policy by introducing the consolidation of democratic processes and conflict prevention, E. whereas the Vienna human rights conference endorsed the indivisibility and universality of human rights and the right to development as an integral component of fundamental human rights, F. whereas the Council introduced áconditional’ development aid by decision of November 1991, in contrast to its previous policy of unconditional development aid, G. whereas the rehabilitation phase of development cooperation is tied to the introduction of democratic processes and programmes include measures to restore civil society and the rule of law, H. whereas the Union as a whole is required to be consistent in its foreign policy measures and the Council and Commission share that responsibility, and whereas foreign policy measures must be not only consistent but efficient and transparent as well, I. whereas, with its most recent proposal for a Council Regulation on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms (COM(97)0357), the Commission is putting forward a single legal basis designed to bring about a greater degree of coherence and efficiency in the implementation of policy and measures in support of human rights and democracy, J. whereas in view of the European Union’s substantial financial contributions to the implementation of democracy and human rights projects and election support and observation, the conspicuousness of European Union funding particularly needs improving, (1) OJ C 200, 30. 6. 1997, p. 256. (2) OJ C 85, 17. 3. 1997, p. 181. C 14/404 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 K. convinced that the European Union should coordinate the implementation of its human rights policy measures as closely as possible with international organizations (e. g. the Council of European Unionropean Unionrope, OSCE) in order to achieve broad synergies and multiplier effects, L. whereas to implement an effective foreign policy, which includes the promotion of human rights and democracy, the European Union must provide itself with suitable decision-making structures and instruments, M. whereas Parliament needs to have procedures and instruments that will enable it to ensure that, in accordance with its resolutions and recommendations, a consistent policy is pursued in human rights issues, including an effective capacity to monitor action taken in response to its opinions, N. convinced that the variety of proposals put forward in Parliament’s resolutions and recommendations points to Parliament’s wish for transparency, control, analysis and supervision, O. whereas enforcement of the human rights approach depends on the clarity and constancy with which concepts are defined and the consistency with which the instruments are applied, P. convinced that assessment of and reporting on the human rights situation in third countries are essential requirements with regard to the guarantees and sanctions policy and conflict prevention, Q. whereas the divided decision-making and administrative structure on which European Union foreign, development and trade policy is based leads to breakdowns in coordination, and tensions on the issue of responsibility, R. having regard to its efforts to counter the fragmentation of budget funds for human rights and democracy projects; whereas the Commission strategy is lacking, and responsibility divided, for their use, S. whereas the internal coordinating body for Commission departments concerned with human rights and democracy is a mirror image of the fragmentation of responsibilities, T. whereas the procedures for project allocation are slow-moving and difficult to survey, and lead to considerable delays in payment, U. whereas the Commission’s method of reporting on project assessment and the continuity of projects is › despite progress › still difficult to survey and incomplete and often provides information at a very late stage, which affects transparency and Parliament’s monitoring ability, V. whereas the Commission does not yet have its own, comprehensive appraisal system for the human rights and democracy programmes, and whereas an initial assessment report on the PHARE and TACIS democracy programmes was submitted to the first conference on the assessment of the programmes held on 2 and 3 October 1997 in Brussels, W. whereas the annual memorandum on the human rights activities of the Council and the Member States in the framework of the CFSP should be more detailed and presented each year at a fixed date, X. whereas although the participation of non-governmental organizations in project implementation has steadily expanded, the system of cooperation has also become more difficult to survey as a result, Y. whereas the creation of ECHO has decisively helped to improve the coordination, effectiveness and conspicuousness of European Union measures in the field of humanitarian aid, Z. favouring the consistency, transparency, efficiency, credibility and conspicuousness of European Union human rights policy and its measures to promote respect for human rights and democracy, 1. Calls for regular reporting by the Council and Commission on the situation of human rights and democracy, European Union positions, their follow-up, and on relevant measures in third countries in the form of constantly updated country reports; Takes the view that annual report must not take the place of the Annual Memorandum of the Council 2. and Member States in the area of human rights, which could be expanded; Calls for the European Union delegations to be more closely involved in both political monitoring 3. and reporting and in the supervision of projects and the assessment of programmes; 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/405 Friday 19 December 1997 4. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to do justice to the need for an adequate European Union monitoring mechanism as part of conflict prevention by incorporating the observation of human rights throughout the world in the tasks of the early warning unit and, in particular, to set up facilities for assessing the human rights situation in third countries with which the Union has concluded agreements incorporating human rights clauses; 5. Recommends restructuring of the Commission’s decision-making and administrative structure, with the introduction of a single structure to cover the area of human rights and democratization, in order to improve coordination and facilitate dialogue with the European Parliament, the Council, international organizations and NGOs; 6. Therefore repeats its call for a single Vice-President/Commissioner for external relations to be appointed, at the investiture of the new Commission if not before, under whose responsibility close coordination of all Commissioners and Directorates-General involved in external relations, the coordination of programme and project management and policy on guarantees and sanctions would be assured; 7. Wonders whether it might not be desirable to set up a European Agency for Human Rights and Democratizationí as an over-arching coordinating structure, possibly modelled on ECHO, under the responsibility of a Commissioner for Human Rights and Democracy, which would not only administer programmes and projects but would also coordinate the guarantees and sanctions policy; 8. Calls for precautions to be taken straight away to define a common strategy to spend the financial resources for human rights projects to ensure that human rights considerations play a significant and clear role in formulating foreign policy; 9. Calls for precautions to be taken straight away to make the management of the relevant programmes and projects more efficient in the framework of a common administrative structure for all directorates- general dealing with external relations, making it a priority to coordinate resources and tasks, to simplify procedures and financial management and to mobilize all available funds as efficiently as possible; 10. Notes, in this connection, that the Commission, through the forthcoming establishment of the SCOOP service (joint cooperation service), intends to reorganize the administrative procedures for dealing with all external aid; 11. Further recommends to the Commission improving cooperation with NGOs, which would include standardizing application procedure and partnership contracts, and incorporating NGDOs operating in the field of human rights and democracy in a structure comparable to the NGDO Liaison Committee; 12. Supports, as stated in paragraph 5, the creation of a common internal administrative structure, recalling that, during the budgetary procedure for 1998, it decided to set up an interinstitutional consultative working party consisting of representatives of the European Parliament and of the Commission, which would be required to deliver an opinion on the annual work programme; 13. Calls for a still stronger concentration of the funds for human rights and democracy by entering them in Chapter B7-70 of the budget, while giving special consideration to the thematic approach; in this connection, welcomes the further consolidation of appropriations in the 1998 budget, inter alia for human rights and democracy in the countries of southern Africa; 14. Requests that coordination might be improved by means of cooperation agreements with international and regional organizations, in particular the OSCE and the Council of Europe, in view of the latterís considerable experience in the assessment of trends on human rights issues, thus avoiding duplication of work and achieving a consistent approach; 15. Considers that there is a need for its own parliamentary bodies dealing with human rights and democracy issues to be more effectively coordinated, including the preparation of election observation; 16. Regards more efficient coordination between the institutions and the international organizations in the case of election support and observation as being indispensable, in order to safeguard the efficiency, productivity and conspicuousness of the action taken; accordingly welcomes the consolidating approach in the 1998 budget; C 14/406 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 17. Points out in this connection that it has just stipulated, during the budgetary procedure for 1998, that the implementation of the appropriations for support for, and supervision of, electoral processes (Article B7-709) will be conditional on the prior adoption by the three institutions of joint measures and of procedures governing representation in the context of special missions for electoral supervision and/or post-electoral measures; 18. Proposes, in addition, creating a European network for human rights and democratizationí within the Commission for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and organizing relevant information for electronic transmission via the Internet and coordinating the operations carried out by individual Member States with those of the European Union; 19. Demands, in the interest of making European Union human rights policy both transparent and conspicuous, that the network provide the institutions, and particularly Parliament, within the institutional decision-making and cooperation framework but also in cooperation with all partners in the fields of human rights and democracy, with a quicker, fuller and constantly updated information exchange, which should concentrate on: › › › the principles and instruments of European Union human rights policy, the situation of human rights and democracy in third countries, the use of all relevant funding and the full assessment of programmes and projects, including prior effectiveness analysis and programme continuity, and identifying partners involved in implementa- tion, › expert aid for the NGOs and NGDOs, › the activity reports of all establishments funded by the European Union; 20. Wishes the network to come under the Commission’s responsibility and a working party comprising representatives of the Commission and Parliament to receive the mandate for organizing the information; 21. Wishes to make it possible, through the network, to carry out an annual impact assessment on the human rights situation that will meet the need for systematic assessment of European Union human rights policy and the use of resources; 22. Proposes that this network should be funded from budget chapters European initiative for democracy and the protection of human rightsí (B7-70) and Community measures to support NGOsí (B7-60), if necessary also drawing on appropriations for EU information policy (B3-3), the placing of appropriations in the budget to be decided during the annual budgetary procedure in accordance with the needs identified by the Commission and Parliament; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the 23. governments and parliaments of the Member States. 2. Benchmarking A4-0387/97 Resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on benchmarking › instrument available to economic actors and public authorities implementation of an (COM(97)0153 › C4-0387/97) The European Parliament, › having regard to the Commission communication, COM(97)0153 › C4-0387/97, › having regard to its resolution of 9 April 1997 on the Commission communication on benchmarking the competitiveness of European industry (COM(96)0463 › C4-0622/96) (1), (1) OJ C 132, 28. 4. 1997, p. 106. 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/407 Friday 19 December 1997 › having regard to its resolution of 29 June 1995 on the Commission communication on an industrial competitiveness policy for the European Union (COM(94)0319 › C4-0140/94) (1), › having regard to its resolution of 9 March 1994 on the White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment (COM(93)0700 › C3-0509/93) (2), › having regard to the conclusions of the Dublin European Council and the Amsterdam European Council, › having regard to the conclusions of the Industry Councils of 14 November 1996 and 24 April 1997, › having regard to the reports of the Competitiveness Advisory Group, › having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy (A4-0387/97), A. whereas benchmarking at three levels (firms, sectors and business environment) can support the development of an employment strategy for the European Union and its Member States, enhance overall economic competitiveness and contribute to economic convergence by closing gaps in productivity and reducing economic inequality, B. whereas the Commission communication on benchmarking the competitiveness of European industry and Parliamentís abovementioned resolution of 9 April 1997on this communication identified comparative weaknesses in the performance of the European Union economy, which are the result of many factors (costs, productivity, macroeconomic framework conditions) adversely affecting the European economy as a whole and the causes of which must be combated, C. whereas structural unemployment in the European Union is increasing regularly; whereas at the end of each recession residual unemployment levels are higher than those at the beginning, D. whereas benchmarking can only succeed through an inclusive partnership approach involving all social partners, especially trade unions, SMEs and representatives of business and public authorities, which must make every effort to establish a favourable business climate, 1. Welcomes the Commission communication on benchmarking › implementation of an instrument available to economic actors and public authorities; 2. Welcomes the Commissionís observations that benchmarking and in particular measures to implement the changes shown by benchmarking to be necessary to improve competitiveness are not one-off exercises limited in time, but must be viewed as permanent and on-going; 3. Welcomes the Commissionís intention to establish a European network of expertise for enterprises to ensure the availability of coherent, trustworthy and equivalent services, especially for SMEs, throughout the European Union; 4. Welcomes the Commissionís commitment to annual budgeting or multi-annual programme support for benchmarking, whichever action proves most suitable in the light of experience gained; 5. Welcomes the Commissionís announcement of a high-level group on benchmarking, composed of industrialists, representatives of Chambers of Commerce and business organizations, trade unions, consumers and the civil society; stresses the importance for the high-level group to use the highest-quality statistical information available, and draws attention to the potential of Eurostat in this respect; (1) OJ C 183, 17. 7. 95, p. 26. (2) OJ C 91, 28. 3. 94, p. 124. C 14/408 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 6. Believes that the full added value of benchmarking to the European Union will be best realized if the particular needs of SMEs are taken into account as a priority and calls in particular for SMEs to be directly involved in the high-level group through participants specifically representing them, and also in the establishment of the European network of benchmarking expertise; 7. Asks to be directly involved with the work of the high-level group through the granting of observer status to a small number of its Members, and asks once again to be invited to participate in the annual tripartite benchmark assessment visits to Japan and the United States of America organized by the Commission; 8. Considers that particular attention should be given to the benchmarking of competitiveness with regard to the business environment, since this forms the basis for the creation of a favourable economic, social and legislative climate to ensure business competitiveness, generate investment and stimulate economic activity; 9. Calls on all Member States to make every effort to participate fully in the initiatives launched by the Commission, in particular the pilot project programme which must be developed further to integrate benchmarking into European competitiveness policies; 10. Rejects any narrow definition of industrial competitiveness benchmarking focused solely on wage-price competition, as there is no evidence to link European Union losses in manufacturing market share to labour costs; 11. Calls for a specific amendment to the Development of Human Resourcesí benchmarking pilot project to give much higher priority to the quality of managerial skills and training in the European Union, given that cost differentials between European firms and their Japanese and American counterparts are frequently due to operational inefficiencies and not labour market inefficiencies; calls also for high priority to be given to the interface between education and training on the one hand and the workplace on the other, as this is an area where the EU is clearly lagging behind other leading world economies; believes that this should be done firmly within the context of lifelong learning; Calls on the Commission to introduce an extra pilot project which will investigate why certain 12. European Union sectors, such as food, drink, tobacco and furniture all outperform their Japanese and American counterparts for industrial added value, and why a number of European Union Member States outperform Japan and the United States of America in terms of job creation; 13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to explore the possible benefits of benchmarking through the implementation of best practice on the employment market (cost of labour, adaptability of workforce, investment in human resources), which will contribute to its flexibility, and in the area of health and safety in the workplace, factors which enhance efficiency, output and productivity gains; Calls on the Commission to investigate the possibility of an additional benchmarking pilot project 14. on infrastructure investment in the European Union; 15. Calls on the Commission to report back on the results of the pilot projects to the European Parliament and, building upon these pilot projects, propose a work programme with a specific timetable and covering specific subjects for the future work on benchmarking, draw up an annual report on developments in the area of benchmarking and set out the action which must be taken by the Member States or as part of Community policy in the light of the results obtained from benchmarking; 16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council. 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/409 Friday 19 December 1997 3. Expenditure under CFSP A4-0339/97 Resolution on Opinion No 1/97 of the Court of Auditors of the European Communities on the conditions governing the implementation of expenditure under the common foreign and security policy (C4-0220/97) The European Parliament, › having regard to Opinion No 1/97 of the Court of Auditors of the European Communities on the conditions governing the implementation of expenditure under the common foreign and security policy (C4-0220/97), › having regard to Article 188c(4) of the EC Treaty, › having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 July 1997 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on provisions regarding financing of the common foreign and security policy, › having regard to its resolution of 26 October 1994 on the financing of the CFSP (1), › having regard to its resolution of 13 December 1996 on Special Report No 2/96 of the Court of Auditors concerning the accounts of the Administrator and the European Union Administration, Mostar (EUAM) (2), › having regard to its resolution of 10 April 1997 containing the comments which form part of the Decision giving discharge to the Commission in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 1995 (3), › having regard to its resolution of 12 June 1997 on progress in implementing the common foreign and security policy (January to December 1996) (4), › having regard to its resolution of 26 June 1997 on the meeting of the European Council on 16 and 17 June 1997 in Amsterdam (5), › having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A4-0339/97), A. whereas the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) of the European Union has so far fallen far short of the objectives assigned to it in the Treaty on European Union and whereas citizens of the Union have the impression that the Union is not really capable of action in the field of foreign and security policy, B. whereas one of the prime objectives of the recent Intergovernmental Conference was to change this and to reform the CFSP in the light of experience to date, C. whereas the Amsterdam Treaty represents progress on some issues but not a thorough reform of the CFSP and whereas there is even a risk that decision-making procedures may become yet more complicated in future, D. whereas the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 July 1997 regarding financing of the CFSP disregarded questions concerning the implementation and supervision of joint actions, E. whereas the Court of Auditorsí opinion very clearly identifies and analyses the weaknesses and shortcomings in the implementation of joint actions under the CFSP hitherto, F. having regard to the Court of Auditorsí finding that the six-monthly rotation in the Council Presidency renders continuous political management and supervision of joint actions complicated and cumbersome and that this structural defect cannot be remedied by ad hoc working parties of officials from the Member States, (1) OJ C 323, 21. 11. 1994, p. 72. (2) OJ C 20, 20. 1. 1997, p. 405. (3) OJ L 162, 19. 6. 1997, p. 32. (4) OJ C 200, 30. 6. 1997, p. 148. (5) OJ C 222, 21. 7. 1997, p. 17. C 14/410 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 G. whereas, while it was agreed at Amsterdam that in future the Presidency should be assisted by the Secretary-General of the Council, who is to exercise the function of High Representative for the common foreign and security policy, responsibility for the implementation of joint actions is still to remain with the Council Presidency and the role and status of the High Representative are not clearly defined, H. having regard to the Court of Auditorsí finding that the greatest difficulties with joint actions have hitherto as a rule arisen during the initial phase and that vital decisions affecting the future course of events often had to be taken in situations in which essential information was still lacking, I. whereas it was agreed at Amsterdam that a new policy planning and early warning unit should be established in the General Secretariat of the Council, to which the Member States, the Commission and WEU should also contribute staff; whereas, however, the Treaty does not vest in the unit any power to prepare or implement joint actions, J. having regard to the Court of Auditorsí finding that the Commission often has not been promptly or sufficiently involved in decision-making procedures, although in practice it has had to assume all functions relating to the practical management of joint actions, K. whereas although it was reaffirmed at Amsterdam that the Commission is to be fully associated in representing the Union in CFSP matters and in the implementation of joint actions, the Commissionís role was not spelt out beyond this, L. having regard to the Court of Auditorsí finding that there were failures and shortcomings in the administration of joint actions within the Commission as well as elsewhere, and that they were due mainly to the unclear allocation of competencies and inadequate staffing, M. whereas it was agreed at Amsterdam that it was desirable that in future a Vice-President should be responsible for external relations at the Commission, a change which would entail a reorganization of the Commission services, N. having regard to the Court of Auditorsí finding that a total of ECU 266 540 000 was made available for the CFSP in the years 1993-1996, of which 242 390 000 › more than 90% › came from the budget of the Union and 24 150 000 in the form of contributions from the Member States, O. having regard to the Court of Auditorsí finding that in some cases there were substantial delays in making available financial resources › not only contributions from the Member States but also funds from the Unionís budget › and that these unnecessarily hampered and impeded the implementation of joint actions, P. whereas the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 July 1997 regarding financing of the CFSP will in future prevent delays such as have hitherto arisen from budgetary and administrative procedures for transferring funds from the reserve to operational budget headings, Q. whereas, however, the Interinstitutional Agreement still does not solve two problems which the Court of Auditors identified as critical, namely the lack of resources available for the preparation and initiation of joint actions and the question of the inadequate participation of the Commission at the preparatory stage, R. whereas it is laid down in point G of the Interinstitutional Agreement that the CFSP chapter of the budget could be divided into articles concerning observation of elections and participation in democratic transition processes, EU envoys, prevention of conflicts/peace and security processes, financial assistance to disarmament processes, contributions to international conferences and urgent actions, S. whereas this does not resolve the problem identified by the Court of Auditors that in many cases the objectives of the CFSP coincide with Community tasks in the field of development cooperation, which in the worst case can lead to poor or even non-existent coordination between measures funded from the CFSP and measures funded from non-CFSP resources, T. whereas even at Amsterdam the fundamental structural flaw that the CFSP is intended to be determined through intergovernmental cooperation but funded from the Community budget was not eliminated, 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/411 Friday 19 December 1997 U. whereas therefore the Commission will continue to be hampered in its efforts to implement the budget under its own responsibility, and whereas there is a danger that it may be confined to a purely financial, administrative and book-keeping role, V. whereas Parliament has a responsibility to the citizens of the EU to ensure that their money is used economically and sensibly and therefore, when carrying out its supervisory duties as laid down in the Treaties, must not confine itself to a purely accounts-based audit, as this would undermine its right to hold the Commission accountable for the implementation of the budget under the discharge procedure, W. whereas the Council does not participate in the normal procedures in which all parties can be questioned about the reports of the Court of Auditors, and hence seeks to avoid being criticized or called to account by Parliament and the public, X. whereas Parliament, in paragraph 7 of its Decision of 10 April 1997 giving discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 1995 › Sections IV › Court of Justice, V › Court of Auditors, VI › Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions (1), instructed its Committee on Budgetary Control to set up an appropriate procedure, commencing with the discharge procedure for the financial year 1996, for considering implementation of the budget in Section II (Council), Y. Whereas care must at all events be taken to ensure that the second attempt to establish an effective CFSP does not, like the first, become bogged down in a tangle of bureaucratic obstacles and administrative rivalries, 1. Observes that the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 July 1997 could contribute to a more rapid provision of funds for joint actions, but that this does not mean that the difficulties of demarcation between CFSP actions and measures falling within the sphere of competence of Community policies or the difficulties of implementation and supervision of joint actions which have been identified by the Court of Auditors have been resolved; Calls on the Commission to propose to Parliament and the Council clear criteria for decision-making 2. with a view to determining in which cases a measure should be financed from the CFSP budget chapter and in which cases other budget chapters should be used; Recommends further development of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 July 1997, with the aim 3. of arriving at a modus vivendi concerning the implementation and supervision of joint actions, which should ensure that: (a) in future the Commission is fully involved in and consulted on the planning and preparation of joint actions from the outset, (b) cooperation between the Council Presidency and the Commission in implementing joint actions abides by clear operational rules in order to ensure continuity and effectiveness in the administration and monitoring of the actions; one minimum requirement is that the Commission should not be hampered in carrying out its duty to implement the budget under its own responsibility, (c) CFSP envoys can, when necessary, be questioned by the appropriate committee of Parliament on the implementation of expenditure, (d) statements of accounts and consolidated accounts are drawn up for each joint action, providing an insight not only into the total Community funds invested but also into the contributions of the Member States and other donors; 4. Welcomes the fact that the Commission can now itself contract CFSP envoys directly, and calls on the Council to agree to a salary table to be proposed by the Commission in order in future to obviate the need to undertake arduous searches for appropriate ad hoc solutions to the problem of payment of envoys; 5. Recommends that the Member States establish a CFSP staff reserve which can be rapidly mobilized for joint actions and set up a preparatory group under the overall control of the Commission, to prepare procedures, on the basis of previous experience, particularly of observing elections and deployment of envoys, which can ensure that, once joint actions have been decided on, they proceed as quickly and smoothly as possible from the organizational and financial points of view; (1) OJ C 132, 28. 4. 1997, p. 149. C 14/412 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 Observes that, in connection with the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 July 1997, certain 6. procedural questions of a technical nature need to be clarified, particularly: (a) that the Interinstitutional Agreement has not in any way altered the existing rules on the implementation of the budget, based on the Financial Regulation, nor is there any need for such alterations; (b) that › in addition to the Council and the Council Presidency › the Commission, which under the terms of the Treaty is the institution of the Union responsible for implementing the budget, participates fully in all procedures laid down by the Agreement for the consultation and information of Parliament; 7. Calls on the Court of Auditors to have its Opinion published in the Official Journal of the European Communities and to submit a special report on the implementation of CFSP expenditure no later than two years after the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the parliaments 8. of the Member States. 4. Interim trade agreement with Uzbekistan * A4-0304/97 Legislative resolution embodying Parliamentís opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion by the European Community of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part (COM(96)0466 › 10521/96 › C4-0082/97 › 96/0236(ACC)) (Consultation procedure) The European Parliament, › having regard to the proposal for a Council Decision, COM(96)0466 › 96/0236(ACC), › having regard to Article 113, in conjunction with Article 228(2), first sentence, of the EC Treaty, › having regard to the draft Interim Agreement initialled by the Commission, COM(96)0466, › having been consulted by the Council (10521/96 › C4-0082/97), › having regard to Rule 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure, › having regard to the report of the Committee on External Economic Relations and the opinions of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the Committee on Budgets (A4-0304/97), 1. Approves the conclusion of the agreement; Instructs its President to forward this opinion to the Council and Commission and the governments 2. and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 19. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 14/413 Friday 19 December 1997 ATTENDANCE REGISTER 19 December 1997 The following signed: díAboville, Adam, Aelvoet, Ahlqvist, Aldo, Amadeo, Anastassopoulos, Angelilli, Aparicio Sa·nchez, Argyros, Arroni, Bardong, Barthet-Mayer, Berger, Bertens, Berthu, van Bladel, Blokland, Blot, Boogerd-Quaak, Botz, Bourlanges, de Bre·mond díArs, Breyer, Brinkhorst, Buffetaut, Cabezo·n Alonso, Cars, Christodoulou, Colajanni, Colombo Svevo, Correia, Cot, Cottigny, Crawley, Cunha, Cunningham, Cushnahan, van Dam, Daskalaki, De Coene, De Melo, Deprez, D ·ez de Rivera Icaza, van Dijk, Dillen, Donnelly Brendan Patrick, Dupuis, Dury, Eisma, Elchlepp, Ettl, Fabra Valle·s, Fabre-Aubrespy, Falconer, Fe·ret, Ferna·ndez-Albor, Fitzsimons, Flemming, Fontaine, Garosci, Garriga Polledo, Gebhardt, Gillis, Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado, Goepel, Goerens, Go¤rlach, Gomolka, Gonza·lez A· lvarez, Graenitz, Graziani, Grosch, Gu¤nther, Guinebertie‘re, Gutie·rrez D ·az, von Habsburg, Ha¤nsch, Hager, Hallam, Happart, Hardstaff, Hatzidakis, Haug, Hawlicek, Heinisch, Hindley, Hoff, Hory, Hughes, Hume, Imaz San Miguel, Imbeni, Iversen, Izquierdo Collado, Jo¤ns, Kaklamanis, Karamanou, Katiforis, Kellett-Bowman, Keppelhoff-Wiechert, Kerr, Kestelijn-Sierens, Kindermann, Klaß, Kokkola, Konrad, Kronberger, Kuckelkorn, Kuhn, Lage, Lalumie‘re, Lambraki, Lambrias, Langen, Langenhagen, Lannoye, Larive, de Lassus Saint Genie‘s, Lenz, Lindeperg, Lindholm, Lindqvist, Lulling, Macartney, McCartin, Malangre·, Mann Erika, Mann Thomas, Martens, Martin David W. , Martin Philippe-Armand, Martinez, Medina Ortega, Menrad, Miller, Miranda de Lage, Mohamed Ali, Mombaur, Moniz, Moorhouse, Mosiek-Urbahn, Mulder, Mutin, Myller, Napoletano, Nicholson, Nordmann, Novo, Novo Belenguer, Oddy, Ojala, Olsson, Paasio, Pack, Perry, Peter, Pettinari, Pinel, Poettering, Pollack, Porto, Posselt, Provan, Puerta, Rapkay, Raschhofer, Rehder, Robles Piquer, de Rose, Rothley, Ru¤big, Ryyna¤nen, Samland, Sandbæk, Santini, Scha¤fer, Schlechter, Schleicher, Schmidbauer, Scho¤rling, Schro¤der, Schroedter, Schulz, Schwaiger, Sichrovsky, Siso· Cruellas, Sjo¤stedt, Skinner, Smith, Sonneveld, Souchet, Stenmarck, Striby, Sturdy, Tannert, Tatarella, Telka¤mper, Theato, Theonas, Theorin, Thors, Thyssen, Tillich, Tindemans, Titley, Torres Couto, Trakatellis, Truscott, Vanhecke, Varela Suanzes-Carpegna, Vecchi, van Velzen W. G. , Verwaerde, Viola, Voggenhuber, Walter, Watts, Weber, Weiler, Wemheuer, White, Wiebenga, Wieland, Wijsenbeek, Willockx, Wilson, von Wogau, Wynn, Zimmermann. C 14/414 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 1. 98 Friday 19 December 1997 (+) = For (›) = Against (O) = Abstention ANNEX Result of roll-call votes 1. Wiersma report A4-0304/97 Legislative resolution (+) ELDR: Eisma, Lindqvist, Ryyna¤nen GUE/NGL: Gonza·lez A· lvarez, Gutierrez Diaz, Mohamed Ali, Novo, Puerta, Sjo¤stedt, Theonas I-EDN: Blokland, van Dam NI: Hager, Sichrovsky PPE: de Bre·mond díArs, Christodoulou, Colombo Svevo, Deprez, Donnelly Brendan, Fabra Valle·s, Ferna·ndez-Albor, Garriga Polledo, Gillis, von Habsburg, Imaz San Miguel, Kellett-Bowman, Langen, Lulling, Martens, Perry, Posselt, Provan, Stenmarck, Sturdy, Thyssen, Tindemans, Varela Suanzes-Carpegna PSE: Ahlqvist, Aparicio Sa·nchez, Botz, Correia, Cunningham, De Coene, Elchlepp, Gebhardt, Hallam, Hardstaff, Imbeni, Iversen, Jo¤ns, Karamanou, Mann Erika, Medina Ortega, Miranda de Lage, Paasio, Pollack, Schmidbauer, Schulz, Skinner, Theorin, Titley, Watts, Wemheuer, Wynn, Zimmermann UPE: van Bladel, Daskalaki, Kaklamanis V: Aelvoet, van Dijk, Lindholm (O)