European Parliament resolution on the Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation in Seattle
18. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 296/121 European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council regulation (Euratom, EC) concerning the provision of assistance to economic reform and recovery in the New Independent States and Mongolia (COM(1998) 753 & C5-0038/1999 & 1998/0368(CNS)) Wednesday 15 December 1999 (Consultation procedure) The European Parliament, having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(1998) 753) (1) having been consulted by the Council pursuant to Article 308 of the EC Treaty and Article 203 of the Euratom Treaty (C5-0038/1999), having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure, having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Trade, Research and Energy and the opi- nions of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the Committee on Bud- gets (A5-0081/1999), 1. Approves the Commission proposal as amended; Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC 2. Treaty and Article 119, second paragraph, of the Euratom Treaty; Calls on the Council to notify Parliament should it intend to depart from the text approved by Parlia- 3. ment; Calls for the conciliation procedure to be initiated should the Council intend to depart from the text 4. approved by Parliament; Asks to be consulted again should the Council intend to amend the Commission proposal substan- 5. tially; 6. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission. (1) OJ C 37, 11. 2. 1999, p. 8. 21. WTO Millennium round B5-0317, 0318 and 0319/1999 European Parliament resolution on the Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisa- tion in Seattle The European Parliament, having regard to its resolution of 18 November 1999 (1), having regard to the outcome of the Third WTO Ministerial Conference of 30 November to 3 Decem- ber 1999 in Seattle, 1. Regrets that the WTO member states could not reach an agreement on an agenda for a new com- prehensive round of trade talks, thereby demonstrating once again the difficulty of finding solutions to the imperative need to adress the process of globalisation; hopes that a new cycle of wide-ranging talks in the WTO can be launched in the not too distant future; Regrets that the WTO talks were in large measure overshadowed by domestic political debates of 2. some of its leading members; (1) See ‘Texts Adopted’ of that sitting, Item 3. C 296/122 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 10. 2000 Wednesday 15 December 1999 3. Stresses the importance of multilateral trade talks for the benefit of all countries and peoples as an instrument in the service of sustainable development and, especially, for welfare, prosperity, growth, employment and the eradication of poverty in the world; therefore believes that social aspects, the envir- onment and food safety, accompanied, where necessary, by sufficient development resources, must be adressed in the course of any future trade negotiation; 4. Understands the fears that the process of globalisation arouses in society; therefore supports the resolution, based on a proposal made by its delegation and adopted by parlamentarians of WTO member states present in Seattle, calling for a parliamentary standing body in order to ensure transparency and democratic accountability and bridge the gap between the citizens and the institution in future WTO deliberations; 5. Calls on the Council and Commission to deepen and widen bilateral trade relations with countries or blocs sharing the same trade strategy as the European Union, without in any way undermining the multi- lateral system; in this connection, reiterates its commitment to fighting poverty, and therefore attaches particular importance to conclusion of the Agreement with the ACP countries; Asks the Commission to pay particular attention to the linkages between trade and development; 6. underlines that special efforts, in particular opening markets for the products of developing countries, have to be made to facilitate the active involvement of developing countries in future trade talks; 7. Expresses its satisfaction with, and recognition of, the cooperation offered by the Commission to the European Parliament Delegation in Seattle; underlines the need for a common approach and a joint nego- tiating strategy of the institutions; 8. Calls on the WTO Secretary-General to submit suggestions for new ways of organising trade talks with 135 member states in order to avoid political debates being hampered by procedural and organisa- tional shortcomings; Insists that the Commission submit the conclusion of any final multilateral deal and any agreement 9. of accession of an important member to the WTO to Parliament for its assent; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments 10. and parliaments of the Member States and the Secretary-General of the WTO. 22. Labelling of foodstuffs produced using GMOs B5-0313/1999 European Parliament resolution on the follow-up to Parliament’s opinion on Genetically Modified Food Labelling The European Parliament, having regard to Directive 79/112/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relat- ing to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs, having regard to Directive 90/220/EEC on the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into the Environment, having regard to its opinion of 14 May 1998 (1) on the proposal for a Council regulation concerning the compulsory indication on the labelling of certain foodstuffs produced from genetically modified organisms of particulars other than those provided for in Directive 79/112/EEC (COM(1998) 99 C4-0227/1998 1998/0811(CNS)), having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1139/98 on the compulsory labelling of certain specified geneti- cally modified foods and food ingredients, (1) OJ C 167, 1. 6. 1998, p. 187