European Parliament resolution on the OSCE
C 296/126 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 10. 2000 Wednesday 15 December 1999 10. Invites its ad-hoc delegation monitoring the elections to the Duma on 19 December 1999 to take this opportunity to use its influence with the Russian authorities and in particular the Duma parliamentar- ians to contribute to a swift political solution of the conflict and to convey the message that Russia’s current way of dealing with the Chechen problem is unacceptable to any democratic country; 11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Russian State Duma and the Federal Council and the authorities in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. 24. OSCE summit in Istanbul B5-0315, 0320, 0321, 0322 and 0324/1999 European Parliament resolution on the OSCE The European Parliament, + having regard to the Final Declaration of the OSCE at the Istanbul Summit on 19 November 1999, + having regard to the adoption of the European Security Charter on 19 November 1999, + having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Kosovo and in Central Asia, + having regard to its previous resolutions on the OSCE, EU conflict prevention and the European Civil Peace Corps, + having regard to the two OSCE reports on the situation of human rights in Kosovo issued in Vienna and Pristina on 6 December 1999, A. B. recognising the importance of the role of the OSCE for achieving democratic and peaceful develop- ment in Europe, underlining the importance of the adoption of the European Security Charter in strengthening security and stability in Europe, C. welcoming the decision to establish a taskforce to develop Rapid Expert Assistant and Cooperation Teams (REACT) to enable the OSCE to respond quickly to demands for civilian assistance, and hoping that the taskforce will soon come up with more details concerning its implementation, particularly as regards its cost, staffing requirements, and commitments on the part of OSCE participating states, D. concerned by continuing instability in Kosovo, in particular concerning minorities, E. F. G. H. I. preoccupied by the lack of democracy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the difficulties encountered in the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, recognising the important role played by neighbouring countries which function as stabilising factors in the Balkans, concerned by the increase in international terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime and drug and arms trafficking in Central Asia with very negative consequences in the Caucasus, sharing the OSCE’s concerns about finding a peaceful settlement to the Trans-Dniestrian problem as well as other crises, underlining the need for the OSCE to work with other organisations and institutions with coordinated approaches in order to avoid duplication, 18. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 296/127 1. Welcomes the results of the Istanbul Summit and the OSCE’s efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts peacefully and underlines its full support for the OSCE, whose drive for peace and democracy cannot be underestimated; Wednesday 15 December 1999 2. Welcomes the fact that all 54 OSCE members have signed the European Security Charter formalising existing norms about security cooperation and observance of human rights and reinforcing OSCE capacity to send civilian help to crises; 3. Points out that the new security charter, intended to prevent wars before they break out, stipulates that conflicts with regional implications can no longer be regarded as the internal affairs of a single coun- try and that the OSCE carries a special responsibility to uphold this principle; 4. Welcomes the invitation to the chairman of the OSCE to visit the North Caucasus region on 14/15 December 1999 and urges the Russian government to allow this mission to enter Chechnya itself with a view to alleviating the plight of the refugees and contributing to a political solution to the crisis; 5. Welcomes the revision of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, updating the original 1990 arms control pact, which aims to create more transparency by opening it to new members and urges all CFE parties to ratify the revised Treaty without delay; Underlines the fact that this pact stipulates that a state may not deploy forces in another state with- 6. out the host country’s consent; 7. Supports strongly the OSCE Mission in Kosovo for its efforts to promote and protect human rights and establish respect for the rule of law and reiterates its appeal to all parties to contribute towards peace and democracy in Kosovo, including the establishment of a legitimate government and full respect for the rule of law, human rights and minority rights; 8. Calls on all parties concerned to make full use of the possibilities offered by the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe and to transform the promising basis laid down at the Cologne Summit into reality, respecting their individual financial, political and moral commitments, and insists that the people of the FRY be allowed to embrace democracy and respect for human rights; Hails the recent thaw in relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the 9. disputed Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan, and encourages the OSCE to play a more significant role in the search for a solution; hopes that conflicting oil interests will not further complicate the security situation; 10. Insists on the need for further efforts by all parties concerned to reach a final settlement for the Trans-Dniestrian conflict, such as the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldova by the end of 2002, the willingness of the Republic of Moldova assisted by the OSCE to facilitate the settlement process and a commitment by Russia to dismantle two of its four bases in Georgia by mid-2001; 11. Praises the work done by the OSCE representation in Belarus in promoting democratic institutions and compliance with OSCE commitments, thus facilitating a resolution of the constitutional controversy in the country; stresses that only a genuine political dialogue in Belarus can pave the way for free and demo- cratic elections and offers its help to foster such a dialogue, which would include opposition politicians who have gone into exile; Calls on the OSCE to invite the EU High Representative for the CFSP and the EU Commissioner for 12. External Relations to relevant meetings of the OSCE Permanent Council in order to enhance the conver- gence and coherence of OSCE and EU operations and facilitate the development of common projects; 13. Calls upon the OSCE members to reconcile aspirations with financial resources; C 296/128 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 10. 2000 Wednesday 15 December 1999 Fully supports the ongoing activities of the OSCE Commissioner for minorities and welcomes the 14. extension of his mandate; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretary-Gen- 15. eral of the OSCE and the Secretary-General of the United Nations. 25. Climate change B5-0314/1999 European Parliament resolution on climate change: follow-up to the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (Bonn, 25 October to 5 November 1999) The European Parliament, + having regard to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of December 1997 (1), + having regard to its earlier resolutions relating to climate change, as set out in the preamble to its resolution of 17 September 1998 on climate change in the run-up to Buenos Aires (November 1998) (2) and to its resolution of 7 October 1999 on climate change: preparing for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol (3), + having regard to the conclusions of the Environment Councils of 24/25 June 1999 and 12 October 1999, + having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia- ment entitled ‘Preparing for Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol’ (COM(1999) 230), + having regard to the fifth Conference of the Parties (COP5) to the United Nations Framework Conven- tion on Climate Change held in Bonn from 25 October to 5 November 1999, + having regard to the statements made by the Council and the Commission to Parliament on 6 October and 15 December 1999, A. whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate models predict further tem- perature increases of about 2 °C by the year 2010 compared with 1990 levels; whereas, if further temperature increases are to be limited to 1,5 °C by 2100 and 0,1 per decade, and sea-levels are to rise no more than 2 cm per decade, industrialised countries need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35 % between 1990 and 2010 (4), B. whereas the human dimension of vulnerability to climate change is being frequently, and tragically, underlined, as illustrated most recently by the devastating cyclone in India and the flooding in parts of France in November 1999; whereas the disruptive changes experienced in many parts of the world are consistent with many of the anticipated impacts of climate change including persistent alteration of regional weather patterns, frequent tropical storms, more widespread occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, desertification, decreased productivity in fisheries and agriculture, extensive coastal erosion and flooding of low-lying land which may well lead to large-scale demographic migra- tions, (1) FCCC/CP/1997/L. 7/Add1. (2) OJ C 313, 12. 10. 1998, p. 169. (3) See ‘Texts adopted’ of that sitting, Item 9. (4) EEA report: Environment in the European Union at the turn of the century