European Parliament resolution on EU Mediterranean policy
29. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 378/71 Thursday 30 March 2000 4. Considers that the demands made by the US for an indefinite suspension of the EU Regulation are totally unacceptable and will entail an unsustainable situation in the EU exposing people to noise levels which endanger their health and quality of life; Considers that the densely populated areas of the EU pose specific problems, with around 20 % of 5. the Union’s population suffering from noise levels that scientists and health experts consider to be unac- ceptable (1), with an increasing share represented by air traffic noise; 6. Welcomes the progress being made within CAEP (Committee on Aviation Environment Protection) in the ICAO, towards a new standard on noise and strategy for phasing out the noisiest aircraft and calls on the Member States and the US to accelerate the progress towards a successful agreement at the fifth meeting of CAEP; 7. Will only consider a limited review of Regulation (EC) No 925/1999 concerning the provisions for aeroplanes registered in third countries before these provisions enter into force in April 2002, on the condition that the US administration makes a written, binding commitment, including a timetable not exceeding the end of 2001, to attain world-wide standards similar to or more stringent than those laid down in the said Regulation; Underlines its unwillingness to consider a further postponement of Regulation (EC) No 925/1999 8. concerning the provisions for aeroplanes registered in a Member State; Asks the US to withdraw its action under Article 84 of the Chicago Convention on International 9. Civil Aviation pending a global agreement and urges the US not to resort to other retaliatory measures, but instead to take a constructive approach in negotiating high global standards within the ICAO in part- nership with the EU; 10. Calls on the Member States, with the support of the Commission, to coordinate their efforts within the ICAO in order to get the best possible outcome for EU environmental objectives on aircraft noise standards; 11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the govern- ments and parliaments of the Member States as well as to the US Administration, Senate and House of Representatives. (1) Green Paper on Future Noise Policy (COM(1996) 540). 4. Mediterranean policy B5-0297, 0298, 0300, 0303 and 0304/2000 European Parliament resolution on Mediterranean policy The European Parliament, ; having regard to Articles 17, 18, 21 and 22 of the EU Treaty, ; having regard to its resolution of 11 October 1995 on the Mediterranean policy of the European Union with a view to the Barcelona Conference (1), ; having regard to its resolution of 14 December 1995 on the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Bar- celona (2), ; having regard to its resolution of 13 March 1997 on the joint report by the Presidency of the Council and the Commission on Mediterranean policy (3), (1) OJ C 287, 30. 10. 1995, p. 121. (2) OJ C 17, 22. 1. 1996, p. 178. (3) OJ C 115, 14. 4. 1997, p. 159. C 378/72 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 12. 2000 Thursday 30 March 2000 ; having regard to its resolution of 11 March 1999 on the Commission Communication entitled ‘the role of the European Union in the peace process and future assistance to the Middle East’ (1) and its recom- mendation to the Council on the Union’s Mediterranean policy (2), ; having regard to the Barcelona Declaration and work programme of 28 November 1995 adopted at the Barcelona Conference, ; having regard to the conclusions of the Malta Conference of 15 and 16 April 1997, ; having regard to the conclusions of the Palermo Conference of 3 and 4 June 1998, ; having regard to the conclusions of the Stuttgart Conference of 15 and 16 April 1999, ; having regard to the conclusions of the civic forums held in Malta, Naples and Stuttgart, A. having regard to the strategic importance of the Mediterranean for the European Union and the con- sequent need for a genuine Mediterranean policy capable of sustaining peaceful stability and economic and social development, B. whereas the Barcelona process has been slow to bear fruit, the reasons for this delay being both technical (cumbersome administrative procedures and mechanisms for giving effect to the programme) and political (difficulties in the Middle East peace process, the Balkans crisis and crisis in the European institutions); whereas the building of a Euro-Mediterranean area cannot be based exclusively on the creation of a free-trade area, C. whereas the Third Ministerial Conference in Stuttgart consolidated what had been achieved in Palermo and defined a practical programme of working methods, emphasising among other things the need for a draft Stability Charter, currently in preparation, D. noting the successes achieved previously with the signing of five association agreements, but con- cerned at the long delays in ratifying these agreements on the part of the Member States, which delay their entry into force, the difficulties which have arisen in the negotiations concerning the other agreements and the lack of flexibility in the negotiating mandate given to the Commission by the Council, E. whereas the bilateral approach based on association agreements may mean that the economies of the Mediterranean Partners are increasingly shaped by their trade with the European Union, while failing to develop south-south trade, particularly at the sub-regional level, F. expressing its surprise that the Commission has so far failed to put forward for discussion any model multilateral agreement, G. whereas the association agreements recommend the initiation of a political dialogue based on mutual understanding and respect and aimed at encouraging democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law and good governance, H. having regard to the importance of Euro-Mediterranean civil society in achieving the objectives set out in the Barcelona Declaration; welcoming also the constructive stance adopted by the NGOs forum which regularly meets on the fringes of the official interministerial meetings, I. J. having regard to the role played by the European Union in the Middle East peace process and the economic programme running in parallel with it, and stressing the political duty to give the greatest possible visibility to the European contribution to peace and stability in this neighbouring region, recognising the right of all Mediterranean Partners to take part in the Barcelona process, provided they undertake to respect the principles on which it is based, the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other obligations deriving from international law, and in particular from the regional and international instruments to which they are parties, (1) OJ C 175, 21. 6. 1999, p. 282. (2) OJ C 175, 21. 6. 1999, p. 286. 29. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 378/73 Thursday 30 March 2000 K. pointing out that the human rights aspects of the Barcelona process are still woefully deficient and that the situation in many countries shows no sign of improvement, L. whereas, furthermore, the political changes that have taken place in the Maghreb countries offer con- ditions which are favourable to the Barcelona process, M. having regard to the need for the European Union to pay attention to the conflicts in the region and to state its willingness to support any efforts at mediation, N. having regard to the low level of investment, particularly private investment, in the Mediterranean despite the fact that it is generally agreed that the region has great potential, O. having regard to the need for substantial Community support to accompany the efforts being made by each of the Mediterranean Partners to achieve economic transition and lessen the social impact of the opening of the markets and to foster regional and sub-regional integration in the Mediterranean, P. whereas, against this background, revenue from the conversion of the foreign debt should be rein- vested primarily in joint development policies with the Mediterranean Partners, Q. whereas in the Euro-Mediterranean region the development of the social and economic area must be accompanied by a planning policy aimed at balanced, sustainable, integrated spatial development of the Euro-Mediterranean territory, R. firmly convinced that the second Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum should be held in the next few months in order to relaunch and develop the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, 1. Calls on the Council and the Commission to relaunch the Euro-Mediterranean partnership agreed in Barcelona in November 1995 and considers that the lack of progress made is a potential crisis factor in the region and undermines the EU’s political role in leading the efforts aimed at achieving stability in the area; 2. Calls on the parties to speed up the process of negotiation of the Charter for Stability and Security and believes that cooperation on security matters cannot be separated from economic and trade develop- ments; urges all parties, in this respect, to pay special attention to conflict prevention policies and non- military means of crisis management; 3. Calls on the Council and Commission to provide appropriations for the European Union’s Mediterra- nean policy such as will restore the correct balance between funding for the Central and Eastern European countries and that for the Mediterranean Partners, as decided by the Cannes European Council (ratio of 5 to 3,5); 4. Calls on the Council and the Commission to return to the all-embracing approach defined in Barce- lona, taking account of certain hitherto neglected priorities, with a view to economic transition and struc- tural adjustment: ; support for investment, ; support for decentralised cooperation, ; support for a policy of joint migration management, ; support for employment; Calls on the Council and Commission to step up political, economic and financial support for the 5. integration of the sub-regional zones, starting with the Maghreb and the Middle East, by establishing sub- regional association agreements, providing funding the regional programmes implemented in the frame- work of Euro-Mediterranean partnership at a more significant level than that currently assigned under the MEDA programme; 6. Calls on the Council and Commission to set up, in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean part- nership, a programme of interregional and transnational cooperation aimed at achieving complementarity and economic and social integration and carried out via effective financial synergies and coordination between the Interreg and MEDA programmes; C 378/74 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 12. 2000 Thursday 30 March 2000 7. In this respect calls for annual financial reports to be presented by the Commission to Parliament which should take into account a clear audit line and the value for money achieved by these programmes; calls furthermore for the formulation of appropriate exit strategies at the end of the programme periods; 8. Reiterates its call to the Council, the Member States and the Commission to act promptly within the relevant international organisations to establish effective measures to reduce/convert the Mediterranean Partners’ foreign debt; 9. Calls on the Council and Commission to create an attractive environment for investors by providing technical assistance with harmonising Mediterranean investment law similar to that offered to the Central and Eastern European countries; Calls on the Council and Commission to ensure that decentralised cooperation is established, 10. enabling the players in civil society on the two shores of the Mediterranean to meet and design projects together, by supporting the new programmes, particularly those within MEDA, and strengthening the MEDA Democracy, Euromed Heritage and Euromed Audiovisual programmes, together with the sub-regio- nal training programmes for journalists; Calls on the Commission to ensure that priority is given in the current year to projects involving 11. women’s rights and equal opportunities in establishing the MEDA-democracy programme; 12. Calls on all the countries participating in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership to promote the con- clusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements with a view to guaranteeing Mediterranean migrants respect for their political, economic, social and cultural rights; 13. Calls on the Council and the Commission to support initiatives which enable immigrants to parti- cipate in joint development, i. e. support for micro-projects, training and investment in the country of origin; 14. Deplores the lack of respect of the human rights clause in the Euro-Mediterranean agreements and calls on the Commission to assume its responsibility as regards invoking respect of the clause and raising the issue of respect for human rights in both multilateral and bilateral talks; Calls on the Council and the Commission to issue an annual report on human rights in the coun- 15. tries participating in the Barcelona process as a basis for the further development of bilateral relations; Calls on the Council and Member States to adapt visa policy for journalists, artists, sportsmen and 16. ; women, businesspeople and students so that the question of visas will not be a stumbling block to human exchanges between European and Mediterranean civil societies; Calls on the Commission to support the holding of civil forums which bring together non-govern- 17. mental organisations and the socio-economic partners with a view to promoting active participation in the Barcelona process by civil society in the countries concerned; 18. Calls on the Council and the Commission to relaunch the Euro-Mediterranean partnership also by designing a new generation of programmes with a view to avoiding the current fragmentation and disper- sal, and to ensure better political coordination and more effective use of resources; 19. Calls on the Council and Commission to initiate in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean part- nership a joint process of reflection aimed at a coordination of Mediterranean agricultural policies bearing in mind the reform of the CAP and the multifunctional dimension of the agricultural industry; favours the convening of a Euro-Mediterranean conference on agriculture with participation by representatives of the institutions, members of the agri-foodstuffs industry and representatives of farmers’ and consumers’ orga- nisations; 20. Calls on the Commission and Council to promote a regional programme on the Euro-Mediterranean ‘social area’ and to foster increased cooperation in the areas of the environment, tourism, sport and health, inter alia by an optimisation of cultural heritage, local development and dialogue between cultures and creeds; 29. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 378/75 Thursday 30 March 2000 21. Welcomes the decision to hold the second meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum in Lisbon; 22. Welcomes the decision by the French Presidency to hold a new Euro-Mediterranean Conference on 14 November 2000; 23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Govern- ments and Parliaments of the Member States and of the Mediterranean Partners which are signatories to the Barcelona Declaration. 5. Asylum-seekers and migrants A5-0057/2000 European Parliament resolution on asylum-seekers and migrants % action plans for countries of origin or transit. High Level Working Group (C5-0159/1999 % C5-0160/1999 % C5-0161/1999 % C5-0162/1999 % C5-0163/1999 % C5-0164/1999 % C5-0165/1999 % C4-0133/1999 % 1999/ 2096(COS)) The European Parliament, ; having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, with particular reference to Arti- cles 3(1)(d), 13 and 14 and Title IV thereof, and the Treaty on European Union, with particular refer- ence to Articles 2 and 6 and Title VI thereof, ; having regard to the terms of reference of the High Level Working Group on Asylum and Migration: preparation of action plans for the most important countries of origin and transit of asylum-seekers and migrants (C4-0133/1999), ; having regard to the action plans for Sri-Lanka (C5-0160/1999), Somalia (C5-0161/1999), Afghani- stan (C5-0162/1999), Iraq (C5-0163/1999) and Morocco (C5-0164/1999), and the interim report on Albania (C5-0165/1999), ; having regard to the action plan of the Council and the Commission on how best to implement the provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam on an area of freedom, security and justice (1), ; having regard to the conclusions of the Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999, with particular reference to conclusions 2, 3, 4 and 8 and 11 to 27, ; having regard to its previous resolutions on immigration and asylum, with particular reference to the resolutions of 21 September 1995 (2) and 13 April 1999 (3), ; having regard to the report of the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy and the Committee on Budgets (A5-0057/2000), A. whereas, despite the fact that the Treaty of Amsterdam has required immigration and asylum policies to be brought within the Community sphere, the Council has continued to show a marked tendency to use the intergovernmental procedure under the third pillar for these matters, appearing to reflect the lack of concern for transparency that has been criticised time and again in the past and whereas this tendency is also reflected in the Council’s decision to set up a High Level Group not subject to democratic control, B. whereas the integrated, cross-pillar approach which the Member States have adopted to the issue of immigration and asylum, particularly in connection with their relations with countries of origin and transit is not, in itself, contrary to the Treaties and may produce positive results, (1) OJ C 19, 23. 1. 1999, p. 1. (2) OJ C 269, 16. 10. 1995, p. 156. (3) OJ C 219. 30. 7. 1999, p. 73