6. Macao
B5-0328, 0355, 0358, 0388, 0389 and 0391/1999
European Parliament resolution on Macao
The European Parliament
Fdash havingregardtotheCommissioncommunicationtotheCouncilon‘TheEuropeanUnionandMacao:
Beyond2000’(COM(1999)484),
Fdash having regard to its resolution of 12 June 1997 on the Commissioncommunication on a long-term
policyforChina-Europe relations(1),
A. whereas Macao was the first point of permanent contact established by Europe with the Far East, as
earlyasthemid-sixteenthcentury,
B. whereasMacaoisasymbolofalmostfivecenturiesofpeacefulcoexistencebetweenthecivilisationsof
EuropeandChina,aswellasbeing synonymouswiththepromotionofChina’sexternaltrade,
C. whereastheEuropeanUnionandMacaosharethesamevaluesandsimilarlegalconceptsasanatural
legacyoftheculturalinfluencestemmingfromthePortuguesepresence overthelastfourcenturies,
D. whereas on20December 1999the administrationofthe territory ofMacao willbetransferred from
PortugaltothePeople’sRepublic ofChina,
E. whereas the JointPortuguese-Chinese Declarationof1987andtheBasic Law of1993guarantee that
afterthetransferofsovereignty theexisting socialandeconomicsystemofMacaoanditswayoflifewillremainunaltered,
F. whereas over the period ofPortuguese administrationofMacao the territory developed at a constant
rhythm and whereas the European Union can and must play a crucial role in the future in encoura-gingstabilityandprogressinwhatisshortlytobecometheSpecialAdministrativeRegion ofMacao,
G. whereastheJointPortuguese-ChineseDeclarationof1987andtheBasicLawlaydownthatthefuture
Special Administrative Region of Macao, to be created on 20 December 1999, will enjoy a highdegree of autonomy in all its spheres of responsibility (except external relations and defence), andthat it will have independent executive, legislative and judicial powers, to be exercised by its owninhabitantswithoutinterference fromthecentralauthorities ofthePeople’sRepublic ofChina,
H. welcoming the provisions of the Joint Portuguese-Chinese Declaration and the Basic Law concerning
the promotion and defence of the rights and freedoms of the people of Macao, while nonetheless
noting that the effective preservation of those rights and freedoms, under the principle ’one country,
twosystems’,mustbeensuredbyconstantrespectfortheruleoflawonthepartofthefutureExecu-tiveoftheSpecialAdministrativeRegion ofMacao,
I. convinced,inthisconnection,thatthefutureExecutiveoftheSpecialAdministrativeRegionofMacao
will have every intention of preparing the reports which it should draw up under the terms of theInternational Pact on Civil and Political Rights and the International Pact on Economic, Social andCulturalRights,whosecontinuingvalidityinMacaohasbeenguaranteed,andnotingtheundertakingoftheGovernmentofthePeople’sRepublicofChinatosubmitthosereportstotheUN’sCommissiononHumanRightsanditsCommissiononEconomic,SocialandCulturalRights,
J. firmly believing that protecting, safeguarding and deepening the framework which has been estab-
lished in Macao and which stems from the laborious consultation process between Portugal and thePeople’sRepublicofChinaoverthelast12yearsareconditionaluponmaintainingandincreasingthestability and prosperity of the territory (the future Special Administrative Region) and contribute sig-nificantlytomaintainingbalanceintheregionasawhole,
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Thursday 16 December 1999
K. having regard to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Macao
whichhasbeeninforcesince1993,theintentionsofeachpartytotheagreement,thevariouscoop-eration programmes introduced in key sectors and the fact that Macao (a territory with strong eco-nomic potential of its own and a major gateway to every part of a particularly dynamic region) willcontinuetobeanautonomouscustomsterritory againstabackgroundinwhich theEuropean UnionisMacao’ssecond-largesttradingpartnerandthird-largestinvestor,
L. believing that the Portuguese presence in Macao and the strong links existing between the EU and
Macao will enable it to serve as a natural platform for access by the Union to the region, as well as
reinforcing Macao’srolewithintheregionofwhichitispart,
1. Notes the terms of the 1987 Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of the Macao
SpecialAdministrativeRegion(SAR)anddrawsattentiontotherelevantguaranteesconcerningtheauton-
omyoftheSAR,thepreservationofthelegalsystembasedontheprinciplesofconstitutionalgovernment,
the upholding anddevelopmentofthe human rights andbasic freedomsofthe people andthe continua-tion of Macao’s social and economic systems, way of life and cultural identity in accordance with theprinciple of ‘one country, two systems,’ and the safeguarding and further strengthening of the stabilityandprosperityoftheterritory;
2. Welcomes the Commission communication to the Council on ‘The European Union and Macao:
Beyond2000’,takesduenoteofitscontentandendorsesallofitsconclusions,andapplaudsinparticularthe Commission’sproposaltopublish,fromtheyear 2000onwards,anannualreportonEU-Macao rela-tionsandtoregardMacaoasoneofthemaintopicsofthepoliticaldialoguebetweentheEuropeanUnionandthePeople’sRepublic ofChina;
3. CallsontheCommissionandCounciltousealltheinstrumentsattheirdisposalFdashpoliticaldialogue,
trade, investment, cooperation and cultural relations Fdash tohelp Macao preserve its autonomyand its wayof life and identity, which the Joint Portuguese-Chinese Declaration has undertaken to defend, with par-ticularreferencetoconstitutionalgovernment,theupholdingofhumanrightsandbasicfreedoms(includ-ingculturaltoleranceandfreedomofreligionandworship)andthegenuineautonomyoftheSARanditsconstituent bodies(within boththe Executive andthe SAR’s ownindependent legislative and judicial sys-tems),thepreservationofwhichisinseparablefromtheprincipleof‘onecountry,twosystems’,andurgestheEuropean Uniontokeepaclosewatchtoensurethefullimplementationoftheseprovisions;
4. IsconvincedthatthepreservationofMacao’sparticularcultureandofitspeople’sidentity,whichthe
EUmustencourage, isacornerstoneofitsautonomyandfutureprosperity;
5. Welcomes the fact that the Joint Portuguese-Chinese Declaration guarantees the continuity of the
existing legal system,based onthe legislative structures of mainland Europe and the principle of the ruleoflaw,togetherwiththeexistence ofanindependentjudiciary, includingthefinalcourtofappeal;
6. Welcomes the continuation, after the transfer of powers, of the EU-Macao Trade and Cooperation
Agreement of1993,which providesapermanent frameworkfordirect dialogue between the Macao SARand the European Union, in particular thanks to the preservation of the structures created by that agree-ment,includingtheannualJointCommittee;
7. Calls on the EU and its Member States to develop closer economic and trade relations with Macao,
makinggooduseofthepotentialofapromisingeconomy,asalreadymanifestedbytheterritoryoverthe
periodoftransitionbetweenthePortugueseadministrationandthatofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,andaswillbethecaseinthefuture;stressesthefactorsofeconomicandfinancialautonomyandthefactthatMacaoisaseparate customsterritory;
8. UrgestheEUtosupporttheinternationalautonomyoftheMacaoSAR,bynegotiatingdirectlywith
Macao asaninternational partner inthe areas ofitsautonomy,promotingMacao’sparticipation ininter-nationalorganisationsandforumsinlinewithitsstatus,andkeeping aclosewatchonthe application ofinternationalinstrumentstoMacao;18.10.2000 EN C296/191 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities
Thursday 16 December 1999
9. In this context calls on the Chinese National People’s Congress to ratify the UN Covenant on Civil
andPoliticalRightssignedbyChinain1998;
10. Urges the Commissionto find ways to strengthen and consolidateMacao civil society and to pro-
moteandfurtherdevelopthemultipartysystemanddemocraticinstitutions;
11. UrgesalltheMemberStatestoexemptpassportholdersoftheMacaoSARfromvisarequirements,
since this would make a significant contribution to the preservation of Macao’s way of life and would
strengthen and facilitate economic and other contacts, as well as testifying to the Union’s confidence inMacao’sfuture;
12. Expresses its commitment to regularly monitoring developments in Macao after 20 December
1999, on the basis of close exchange of information and interinstitutional cooperation, analysing and
debating the regular reports to be submitted and evaluating developments in the area of rights, freedoms
and guarantees and all aspects of current circumstances related to Macao, in the context of the changingshape of international relations as regards the Far East and the new prospects being opened up in thatregion in all the abovementioned spheres, and also any new circumstances that may arise from China’sentryintotheWTOandthequalitative evolutionand/oralterationofitsrelationswiththeUS;
13. UrgesthemembersofitsdelegationforrelationswiththePeople’sRepublicofChina,inparticular,
tobeawareoftheissuesraisedintheforegoingparagraphsatalltimeswhencarryingouttheirduties,andtoensure, whenever appropriate andnecessary, thatassessmentandmonitoringofthese issues formpartoftheagendaoftherelevantinterparliamentarymeetings;
14. Isconvincedthatitisnecessarytosetupitsowncontactandinterrelationship group, withaview
tothepermanentmonitoringofdevelopmentsinMacao;
15. Instructsits President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission,the governments
of the Member States, the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of theSpecialAdministrative RegionofMacao.
7. Revision of the financial perspective
A5-0103/1999
European Parliament resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of
the Council concerning the revision of the financial perspective annexed to the Interinstitutional
Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure(SEC(1999) 1647 )dash C5-0322/1999) and on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliamentand of the Council concerning the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument (paragraph 24 of theInterinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the bud-
getary procedure) (SEC(1999) 1647 )dash C5-0314/1999)
The European Parliament,
Fdash having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and
improvementofthebudgetary procedure(
1),
Fdash having regard totheproposalsfromtheCommissiontothebudgetary authority(SEC(1999)1647Fdash
C5-0322/1999andC5-0314/1999),
Fdash havingregard totheoutcomeoftheTrialogue of18November1999,Fdash havingregard totheresultsoftheconciliationmeetingof25November1999withtheCouncil,
Fdash having regard to the deliberations of the extraordinary meeting of the Committee on Budgets of
1December1999,
Fdash havingregard tothereportoftheCommitteeonBudgets(A5-0103/1999),
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Thursday 16 December 1999