11. EU/Latin America relations
A5-0336/2001
European Parliament resolution on a global partnership and a common strategyfor relations
between the European Union and Latin America (2000/2249(INI))
The European Parliament,
Xdash having regard toArticles13,14,15,16,17,18,21,23,27and28oftheTreatyonEuropean Union,
Xdash having regard to the Declaration of Rio de Janeiro adopted at the First Summit between the Heads of
State and Government of Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union held in Rio on28/29 June 1999,
Xdash having regard to the Santiago Declaration adopted at the Xth Institutionalised Ministerial Meeting
between the Rio Group and the European Union held in Santiago, Chile on 28March 2001,
Xdash having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment on the follow-up to the first summit between Latin America, the Caribbean and the EuropeanUnion (COM(2000)670),
Xdash having regard to the Final Act of the XVth European Union/Latin America Interparliamentary
Conference, held in Valparaíso, Chile, from 23 to 26April 2001,
Xdash having regard to its resolution of 16January 1997 on the Communication from the Commission to
the Council and the European Parliament on ‘The European Union and Latin America: the presentsituation and prospects for closer partnership 1996-2000’(
1),
Xdash having regard to its resolution of 16January 1997 on the Communication from the Commission to
the Council on the renewal of the San José dialogue between the European Union and CentralAmerica(
2),
Xdash having regard to its resolution of 22 April 1994 on economic and trade relations between the Euro-
pean Union and Latin America(3),
Xdash having regard to its resolution of 22October 1998 on the European response to international econ-
omic instability, with particular reference to the case of Latin America(4),
Xdash having regard toitsresolutionof30November2000ontheprogressachieved intheimplementation
of the common foreign and security policy (C5-0255/2000 Xdash 2000/2038 (INI))(5),
Xdash having regard to its resolution of 1 February 2001 on Plan Colombia and support for the peace
process in Colombia(6),
Xdash having regard to the motion for a resolution by Juan Naranjo Escobar on European Union contribu-
tions to the Puebla-Panama project (B5-0031/2001),
Xdash having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,
Xdash having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security
and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Development and Cooperation and the
Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (A5-0336/2001),
A. whereas the First Summit between the Heads of State and Government of Latin America and the
Caribbean and the European Union, held in Rio de Janeiro on 28/29 June 1999, decided to establisha strategic bi-regional partnership,
(1) OJ C 33, 3.2.1997, p. 86.
(2) OJ C 33, 3.2.1997, p. 91.
(3) OJ C 128, 9.5.1994, p. 443.
(4) OJ C 341, 9.11.1998, p. 135.
(5) OJ C 228, 13.8.2001, p. 165.
(6) OJ C 267, 21.9.2001, p. 75.13.6.2002 EN C140E/569 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
B. whereas,ifthepolitical,economic,environmentalandsocialchallengesstillconfrontingLatinAmerica
are to be surmounted, Europeans and Latin Americans must work together along the same lines andin a climate of mutual respect,
C. whereas, althoughdemocracyhasspreadthroughseveralcountriesintheregioninrecentyears,ithas
not taken hold to the same extent across the board; whereas, in spite of relatively healthy economicgrowth, poverty and inequalities continue to spread; whereas the gradual demise of military regimesthroughout the 1990s has not eased social tensions to any appreciable extent; whereas all of thesefactors could jeopardise the transition to democracy in some of these countries and feed an auth-oritarian backlash,
D. whereas the secondsummit,tobe staged in May 2002,willprovide anexcellent opportunitytoforge
a comprehensive strategy framework that endows the European Union’s foreign policy vis-à-vis LatinAmerica with real substance and structure,
E. whereas launching a common strategy for relations with Latin America constitutes the best political,
legal and institutional means available to the European Union of achieving the strategic bi-regionalpartnership agreed upon in Rio,
F. whereas the added value gained from the launch of the above common strategy would be the adop-
tion of an all-encompassing, consistent, united and independent approach capable of providing con-
stant and structured impetus to the relations between the European Union and Latin America,
G. whereas the new strategy should be built first and foremost on the bilateral and regional aspects of
European Unionpolicy towardsLatin America andtheir respective achievements, andalsoonbroaderpolitical dialogue within the updated and modernised Rio and San José processes,
H. whereas, furthermore, due toitsrolein lending legitimacy tothe different integration processesunder
way in both regions, EU-Latin American parliamentary dialogue constitutes a key aspect of the globalstrategic bi-regional partnership; whereas such dialogue ought to include procedures for consultingand involving citizens,
I. mindfulofthe needtoallotappropriate resources tothe new priorities establishedatthe Rio summit,
J. whereassupportforthepeaceprocessandsocialchangeinColombia,basedontherespectforhuman
rights and social justice and enabling the Colombian people to retain the power to take their owndecisions and their independence, must be one of the main items on the new agenda for politicaldialogue between the two regions,
K. whereastheproposedglobalanti-drugsplanshouldbebackedupwithgenuineeconomicmeasuresas
an alternative to growing drug crops and should seek to preserve the environment,
L. whereas the so-called Puebla-Panama project for a comprehensive programme of infrastructure to
integrate fullythe southofMexico with the CentralAmerican isthmuscouldprove tobeofgeopoliti-cal importance and of great socio-economic significance, but should give due consideration to thepotentially negative impact of a plan of such scope on social structures, on business for small- andmedium-scale producers and on the environment,
M. whereas the aforementioned initiative must take due account of projects geared towards social devel-
opment and the protection of natural resources,
A global outlook for the European Union-Latin America strategic bi-regional partnership
1. Reiterates its support for the launch of the strategic bi-regional partnership agreed upon by the
HeadsofStateandGovernmentofthecountriesoftheEuropeanUnion,LatinAmerica andtheCaribbean,meeting inRioon28and29June1999;noteswithdismaythattimehasalreadybeen wastedbecause nospecific initiatives have been taken to implement agreed cooperation issues;C140E/570 EN13.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
2. Callsonthe European Counciltoadopta commonEUstrategy forLatin America andthe Caribbean
togivesubstanceanddirectiontoEUactioninlaunchingthestrategicbi-regionalpartnershipagreed uponin Rio;
3. Points out that the starting point for the new common strategy and for EUpolicy vis-à-vis Latin
America must be the partnership principle and must therefore enjoy the support of both parties;
4. Believes that the secondsummitofHeadsofState andGovernment, tobe staged in May 2002,is an
ideal setting in which to adopt the aforementioned strategy;
Aims of the common strategy
5. RecommendsthattheaimsofthenewcommonstrategyreflecttheprioritiesagreeduponattheFirst
Summit of Heads of State and Government in Rio and be divided into three main groups as follows:
(a) Aims in the political sphere:
Xdash adopting a broader bi-regional political agenda,
Xdash updating and modernising political dialogue at ministerial level,Xdash modernising parliamentary dialogue and creating an EU-Latin American Transatlantic Assembly,Xdash signing an EU-Latin American peace charter, andXdash launching an EU-Latin American political and security partnership;
(b) Aims in the economic, financial and commercial spheres:
Xdash finalising the series of association agreements under negotiation with Mercosur and Chile,Xdash submitting new negotiating guidelines with a view to concluding association agreements with the
Andean Community and Central America in the medium term,
Xdash maintaining the terms of the Community GSP from which the Andean and Central American
countries benefit in the short and medium term,
Xdash concluding a global interregional partnership agreement to ensure that the substance of the stra-
tegic partnership enjoys institutional back-up and covers all of the countries concerned, and
Xdash setting up an area of shared prosperity by strengthening regional markets;
(c) Aims in the social and cultural spheres:
Xdash implementing a firm and ambitious development cooperation policy covering the social sphere,
culture, education, immigration, justice and home affairs and, above all, the fight against poverty,
Xdash setting up a bi-regional solidarity fund,
Xdash introducing a global anti-drugs plan,
Xdash launching a Euro-Latin-For programme totrain members ofthe judiciary and the police, together
with a Euro-Latin-Lex programme to establish the legal framework required to ensure that drugtrafficking and related offences are suitably prosecuted,
Xdash firmlysupportingtheALISprogrammeandtheinformationsocietyproposedbytheCommission,
and
Xdash establishing a centre for European and Latin American studies (CELAS);
6. Believes that a further basic aim of the new strategy should lie in promoting the principles that
underlie the Union, including human rights, democracy, good governance, transparency and the rule oflaw;13.6.2002 EN C140E/571 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
A broader bi-regional political agenda
7. Calls further for the new common strategy to provide for a broader agenda for bi-regional political
dialogue at the ministerial and parliamentary levels alike that also embraces in particular:
Xdash heightened cooperation in other new areas of foreign policy, such as the ESDP,Xdash conflict prevention,Xdash the threat from terrorism,Xdash reform of the United Nations system,Xdash the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, together with the fight against
impunity,
Xdash good governance,Xdash the fight against poverty,Xdash issues relating to the environment and sustainable development, and the funding thereof,Xdash economic and technological globalisation,Xdash reform of the international financial system,Xdash consultations with regard to the new WTO round,Xdash immigration and justice,Xdash enhanced parliamentary cooperation and a greater role for civil society,Xdash the creation of an EU-Latin American area of peace and stability founded on fundamental principles
such as respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic values, and
Xdash support for the peace process and ongoing social change in Colombiaand in other areas where there
is conflict;
Updating and modernising political dialogue at ministerial level
8. Callsfor the processes linked to the Rio Group and San José process to be updated and modernised,
so as to provide them with fresh impetus in line with the aims and initiatives pursued by the strategy;considersthatbothprocessesshouldadopttheapproachestablishedatthesummitsanddiscussmattersonthe new, broader political agenda;
Creation of an EU-Latin American Transatlantic Assembly
9. Proposes that the existing system of interparliamentary conferences be replaced with an EU-Latin
American Transatlantic Assembly, composedofanequal number ofMembers ofthe European Parliament,the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) and the regional integration parliaments, whose work would beconducted in plenary sittings and in committee, and which would meet once a year;
10. Calls for the new strategy to promote initiatives designed to strengthen the direct legitimacy of
Parlatino and the Andean Parliament through gradual moves within a given period towards the electionof their representatives by direct universal suffrage, whilst of course abiding by the domestic legislation ofeach country;
11. Calls further for support to be provided to the Central-American Parliament (Parlacen) and its
efforts towards regional integration in Central America in the form of specific measures such as backingfor its multiannual programme for bolstering democracy;
Specific initiatives under the new common strategy
Launching an EU-Latin American political partnership and signing an EU-Latin American peace charter
12. Callsonthe European Uniontostrengthen political dialogue onsecurity matterswith the countries
of Latin America at every level, be it bilateral dialogue with individual countries, multilateral dialogue ordialogue within Rio Group and San José process bodies;C140E/572 EN13.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
13. CallsfortheestablishmentofanEU-LatinAmerican strategicandpoliticalpartnership implemented
on the basis of an EU-Latin American peace charter which follows the example of the United NationsCharter and gives concrete expression to political, strategic and security-related proposals of interest toboth regions;
14. Callsforcooperationonsecurity anddefencemattersbetweentheEUMemberStatesandthecoun-
tries of Latin America to feature amongst the issues addressed within the context of the above Charter;
15. Believes that the matters addressed within the context of such cooperation could relate to: uphold-
ingpeaceandsecurityworldwide,withparticularemphasisoncurbsonsmall-boreweapons,disarmament,nuclear non-proliferation, military and technical cooperation with regard to the arms industry and thecontrol of arms exports, security, economic, development and environmental issues; and, in general, anyother matters with a bearing on mutual security and defence interests;
Finalising a new series of association agreements and concluding a global interregional partnership agreement with a
view to putting an EU-Latin American free-trade area in place by 2010
16. Calls for the series of association agreements under negotiation with Mercosur and Chile to be
finalised in the near future, with each concluded on its own merits, and, furthermore, for new negotiatingguidelines to be submitted as soon as possible with a view to concluding association agreements with theAndean Community and Central America in the medium term;
17. Sees the need to maintain the terms of the Community GSP from which the Andean and Central
American countries benefit in the short and medium term;
18. Calls for the conclusion, within a given period, of a single global interregional partnership agree-
menttoensurethatthesubstanceofthestrategicpartnershipenjoysinstitutionalback-upandcoversallofthe countries concerned;
19. Proposes that the aim of the new agreement should ultimately be the bilateral and preferential
liberalisation, on a gradual and reciprocal basis, of the trade in all kinds of goods and services betweenthe two regions, in accordance with WTO rules;
20. Hopes that the above agreement can serve to boost sustainable development, reduce social dispar-
ities and enhance the well-being of the peoples of Latin America;
21. Callsforthevariousnegotiating mandatestoruleoutmakingtheconclusionofthenewassociation
agreements Xdashboththosewith Mercosur andChile andthe proposednew associationagreements with theAndean Community and the countries of Central America Xdash in any way dependent on completion of theWTO round of negotiations, whilst ensuring that, in the final analysis, the free-trade area envisagedbetween the two parties is fully compatible with existing WTO rules;
22. Calls on the Commission and the Council to consult the European Parliament on the guidelines
governingnegotiationsofanykindonagreementswithLatinAmericancountriesbeforetheyareapprovedbytheCouncil;callsontheCommissiontopursueitsworkonpartnershiparrangementswithcivilsociety;
23. Asks that, alongside the importance that they attach to purely economic and trade-related aspects,
the new agreements acknowledge the qualitative importance of political, social (relating to health, edu-cation, training, the rights of women and children, preservation of a sustainable environment and infra-structure projects), cultural, immigration, and economic and development cooperation considerations;
24. ProposesredefiningandestablishinganEU-LatinAmericanfree-tradeareaby2010bymeansofthe
conclusion of the aforementioned global interregional partnership agreement, which, whilst not bypassingthe bilateral agreements already concluded or under negotiation, will provide additional institutional back-up for the substance of the strategic bi-regional partnership agreed upon in Rio and cover all of thecountries concerned;13.6.2002 EN C140E/573 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
25. Recommendsthatthebilateralandinterregionalagreementsalreadyconcludedorundernegotiation
be backed up by a multilateral approach designed to promote regional integration and trade within LatinAmerica itself, the provisions of which could be incorporated into the proposed global interregional part-nership agreement at a later stage;
26. Points to the need, with a view to the development of a competitive industry, for the regular
transfer of technology and knowledge;
Implementing a firm and ambitious development cooperation policy covering the social sphere, culture, education,
immigration, justice and home affairs and, above all, the fight against poverty
27. Calls for the new common strategy to make education, health and culture its priorities and to
provide for targeted measures in support of those Latin American countries which require them, withparticular attention paid to ethnic minorities and indigenous groups;
28. Calls for the ALFA programme for higher education to be expanded and for an assessment to be
made of how students from Latin America could take part in the Erasmus programme; offers further itsfirm support toCommissionactivities and movestopromoteeducation and culture in EU-Latin Americanrelations;
29. Recommends extending to the countries of Latin America those programmes relating to vocational
training, education on new technologies and cultural heritage that may prove beneficial to both parties,taking the EU’s Socrates, Leonardo and Raphael programmes as a framework and working in accordancewiththecooperationprogrammebetween bothparties asestablishedbyEUandLatinAmerican educationministers in Paris on 3 November 2000;
30. Takes the view that the new common strategy must present innovative immigration policies
founded on the respect for, and dignity of, the individual and on the sovereignty of the countries con-cerned;
31. Suggests to the Commission that an immigration observatory be set up with responsibility for
ongoing and thorough monitoring of all issues related to migratory flows between Europe and Latin
America;
32. Calls for the promotion of cooperation on social issues, including gender equality, and for streng-
thened social dialogue;
33. Calls for deeper involvement for civil society (NGOs, immigrants, local communities, undertakings,
associations, universities, trade unions, etc.) as a means of ensuring that society as a whole becomes moreclosely associated with the activities and benefits that ensue from the launch of the new strategy;
34. Supports the launch of an EU-Latin American business forum bringing together representatives
from employer organisations and small, medium-sized and large enterprises in Europe and Latin Americawith the aim of promoting trade and attracting all kinds of investment to both regions;
Creation of a bi-regional solidarity fund
35. Believes that a prime focus of the new commonstrategy shouldlie in giving a major new boostto
EUdevelopment cooperation policy towards Latin America, a key element of which should be the fightagainst poverty and social inequality;
36. Suggests creating a bi-regional solidarity fund, whose activities would be geared towards managing
and financing sectoral programmes focusing initially on health, education and the fight against abjectpoverty in those countries and regions with lower per capita income levels and more acute socialinequal-ities and subsequently on Latin America as a whole;
37. Takestheviewthattheaforementionedfundoughttoenjoyappropriate sectoralbudgetarysupport
andberunbytheCommissioninconjunctionwiththosebodies(EIB,IDB,WorldBank,etc.)andcountrieswhose assistance would further serve to provide the fund with adequate budgetary resources; considersthat the Commissionand the Council must encourage the aforementioned bodies to promote the creationof the fund;C140E/574 EN13.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
Global anti-drugs plan
38. Considers that the new common strategy should pave the way for the establishment of a joint
EU-Latin American global plan to combat drug trafficking and related offences, conceived as a specificand comprehensive strategic project for joint action that employs innovative and effective measures tocounter this scourge adequately by offering genuine economicalternatives tothe people concerned, abidesfully by international and environmental law and applies a system of joint responsibility;
39. Proposes that the global anti-drugs plan provide for the approval and ratification of the UN Con-
vention against Transnational Organised Crime and the protocols thereto, signed in Palermo in December2000; proposes further that priority be given to drug prevention policies and their three distinct stages ofresearch, action and evaluation, with the emphasis placed on policies geared towards bringing down pro-duction and demand and using various international cooperation projects as a means of promoting reha-bilitation programmes for drug addicts;
40. CallsontheEUandLatinAmerica toworktogethermorecloselyinthisfieldundertheglobalanti-
drugs plan, in line with the principle of shared responsibility, and to undertake to refrain from using the
fight against drugs as a pretext for making political or military demands; calls for the provisions of crimi-
nal law to be deal adequately with drug trafficking, money laundering and the illicit trade in chemicalprecursors; considers, moreover, that support should be given to all instruments which focus on theexchange of information and experience in combating drugs;
41. Believes that, in the interests of greater effectiveness, the cooperation and coordination mechanism
on drugs linking the countries of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean could form partof the global plan;
42. Calls for the new common strategy to encompass targeted practical measures to combat drug traf-
ficking,organisedcrimeandthetrafficinsmall-boreweapons,andtoincludeaEuro-Latin-For programmeforthetraining of,andexchanges between, membersofthejudiciary andthepolice, togetherwithaEuro-Latin-Lex programme to promote the approximation of legislation on the effective indictment of suchoffences, whilst fully respecting the sovereignty of the countries concerned;
Support for the ALIS programme and the information society proposed by the Commission
43. Supports the Commission’s proposals to promote the information society and all new electronic
communications systems in EU-Latin American relations, and the proposals relating to the new ALIS pro-gramme in particular; calls also for initiatives to be encouraged to bridge the technological divide separ-ating the two regions and focus on basic education and quality training, with support for procedures
which guarantee the transparency of governmental activities;
44. Calls for the spread of new technologies to be encouraged, so as to provide for easier access, and
greater emphasis on audiovisual programmes aspiring to achieve quality, cultural diversity and the pro-motion of democratic values, whilst guarding against monopolies and guaranteeing the right to accurateand reliable information;
Other specific initiatives under the new common strategy
45. Considers that the new common strategy should make provision for specific initiatives with regard
to democracy, human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, and the rule of law, with aviewtoensuringthatthepublicsector,privatesectorandcivilsocietyworktogethertodefenddemocracy;
46. Takes the view that the new common strategy must include measures to place globalisation at the
service ofhumanbeings,whilstpreserving theculturalheritage ofpeoplesandnarrowingthegapbetweenrich and poor countries;13.6.2002 EN C140E/575 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
47. Suggests that the strategy ought to contain stringent environmental measures whose aim lies in
ratifying and enforcing the terms of the Kyoto Protocol and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, makingheadway towards meeting the objectives of Agenda 21 and of the next World Summit on SustainableDevelopment, in countering the increase in toxic substances, and in providing for the ratification of exist-ing international conventions, in particular the Basel Convention on hazardous chemical products;
48. Emphasisesthatthe Newstrategy shouldcontainmeasures toensure thatthe integration processin
Latin America receives resolute encouragement and momentum and to facilitate economic, commercial,social, regional and bi-regional exchanges in response to the challenges thrown up by globalisation; wel-comes in this regard, the example set by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration as a multi-lateral bank for integration and regional development in Central America;
49. Reiterates its view that the Commission and the Council should make clear their political desire to
solve the problem of debt, which is seriously hampering development efforts in the countries of LatinAmerica and which, if rescheduled, ought to serve to fund projects combining investment and employ-ment, particularly amongst young people; considers that the Council and the Commission must promoteand shape specific initiatives to that end;
50. Calls on the European Union to join with the international financial community in helping to
ensure that the proposed Puebla-Panama project is a success, since besides being a political and legalconcept, market integration is primarily a practical notion;
51. Welcomes the emergency social production programme ‘A Trabajar’ (‘Off to Work’) recently
launched by the new democratic government of Peru with the aim of reducing poverty in the countryandimproving the economicandsocialconditionsofitspeople, andalsofirmlysupportsthe holdingofadonors’ conference in the hope that international cooperation can help provide adequate co-funding toensure the success of the objectives pursued by the programme;
52. Considersitvitalinthe nearfuture toopenwithoutdelayaCommissiondelegationinEcuador, the
onlyAndean country which doesnothave one, in order toenhance the Union’sprofile andactionsin theAndean area and provide firm support for greater regional integration, as one of the mosteffective meansof helping overcome the difficult times being experienced by most countries in the region;
Ways and means of applying the new strategy
53. In order to give a higher profile to the European Union’s actions and initiatives in the region and
make them more effective, calls for increased coordination, cohesion and complementarity between theinstruments and actions of the European Union and the Member States in the region;
54. Requests also that efforts be made to ensure that the European Union’s policy towards Latin
America complements its policies towards other associated countries;
55. Recommends that in implementing the common strategy the European Union institutions and
bodies act with due regard for the competences and procedures laid down in the EUand the EC Treaties;
56. Considers that the Member States should contribute to the objectives of the common strategy by
making appropriate and coordinated use of all the relevant instruments available to them;
57. Considers it vital for the Council, Commission and Member States to adapt all the existing in this
area to the needs of the future strategy and to make full and appropriate use of the various existinginstruments,meansandprogrammes,whilstdrawingupalisttoserveasaguidetotheresourcesavailable
to the Union, the Community and the Member States for applying the common strategy;
58. Considersthat,inordertoimplementthenewcommonstrategy,increasedhumanresourceswillbe
neededintheDirectorateforLatinAmericaoftheCommission’sDirectorate-GeneralforExternalRelationsand in related services;C140E/576 EN13.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001
59. Proposes that a centre for European and Latin American studies (CELAS) be set up, to be funded
initially from existing capacity by the Community budget, the Member States, the countries of LatinAmerica and other possible external donors, but looking to the private sector as its long-term source ofsupport;
Budgetary aspects of the EU-Latin America strategic bi-regional partnership
60. Callsonthe Commissionand the Council toprovide adequate funding toachieve the objectives set
under the present strategy, bearing in mind that Latin America needs opportunities not hand-outs;
61. Calls for the financial provisions applicable to Latin America to be placed on a firmer legal footing
and for this purpose considers it vital to divide the existing financial regulation applying to both Asia and
the countries of Latin America into two separate financial regulations;
62. Calls on the Commission, the Council, the Member States and the countries of Latin America to
help strengthen private enterprise as a key to the success of the actions provided for under the new
strategy and to sustainable development;
63. CallsontheCommission,bearing inmindexisting needs,tosubmitaproposaldesignedtoincrease
the efforts and resources deployed by the EIB in the region, under initiatives such as the action plan for
integration of regional infrastructures in South America or the Puebla-Panama project;
Duration and revision of the new common strategy
64. Requests that the new common strategy remain in force for an initial period of four years and be
extended, revised and adapted by the European Council as often as necessary, on a recommendation fromthe Council, following a report by the European Parliament and after consulting the Latin American part-ners;
65. CallsontheCounciltoreviewandassesstheUnion’sactionunderthefuturestrategyandtoinform
the European Council and the European Parliament at least once a year on the progress made towardsachieving its objectives;
*
**
66. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States and of all the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, theLatin American Parliament, Parlacen, the Andean Parliament and the Mercosur Joint Parliamentary Com-mittee.
12. Arbitraryarrests and the political situation in Laos
B5-0704/2001
European Parliament resolution on the arbitraryarrests and the political situation in Laos
The European Parliament,
Xdash having regard tothe Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic,
Xdash having regard toitsresolutionof15February 2001onthe humanrights situationin theLaoPeople’s
Democractic Republic(1),
(1) OJ C 276, 1.10.2001, p. 281.13.6.2002 EN C140E/577 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday15 November 2001