1. Approves the Commission proposal as amended;
2. Asks to be consulted again should the Commission intend to amend its proposal substantially or
replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.
8. Preparation of Nice European Council
B5-0884, 0886, 0890 and 0891/2000
European Parliament resolution on the preparation of the 7-9 December 2000 Nice European
Council, including the common commercial policy (Article 133 of the EC Treaty)
The European Parliament,
Fdash having regard to the Council and Commission statements on the preparation ofthe 7-9 December
2000 Nice European Council,
Fdash having regard to its resolutions of16 March 2000 (1) and 3 October 2000 (2) on the drawing up ofa
Charter ofFundamental Rights ofthe European Union,
Fdash having regard to its resolution of13 April 2000 (3) containing its proposals concerning the IGC,
Fdash having regard to its resolutions of30 November 2000 on progress in implementing the CFSP (4) and
on the Common European Security and Defence Policy after Cologne and Helsinki (5),
A. reiterating its proposal that the EU institutions, the Member States and the candidate countries with
which negotiations have been started should do everything in their power to ensure that Parliamentcan give its assent to the first accession treaties before the European elections in 2004, in order thatthese countries may have the prospect ofparticipating in those elections, and to the subsequent trea-ties during the course ofthe next parliamentary term,
B. whereas the Treaty ofNice will be assessed on:
Fdash how it facilitates the accession of new Member States by contributing to the Union’s efficiency
and effectiveness,
Fdash how successful it is in bringing Europe closer to the citizen,
1. Expresses its deep concern at the current state ofthe IGC negotiations; appeals to the Heads ofState
or Government, recalling the inescapable necessity to reach an agreement at Nice which Fdash in the contextofthe major historical challenge ofenlargement Fdash is capable ofensuring that the democratic legitimacyand efficiency of the Union are enhanced;
Rendering the Union more democratic and efficient
2. Recalls that a general extension ofqualif ied majority voting in the Council is essential, although it
should not apply to constitutional issues; calls, failing agreement on the immediate introduction of quali-fied majority voting in the most controversial fields, for deadlines to be laid down in the Treaty;
(1) ‘Texts Adopted,’ Item 4.
(2) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 10.
(3) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 7.
(4) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 9.
(5) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 10.C 228/162 EN 13.8.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 30 November 2000
3. Reaffirms its attachment to the fundamental democratic principle of extending the codecision proce-
dure to all fields where the qualified majority voting rule is to apply in future or already applies; stressesthat the possible abolition of the cooperation procedure, which is still in force for Economic and MonetaryUnion, must not diminish the role ofthe European Parliament, as Articles 99(5) and 103(2) ofthe ECTreaty must be subject to the codecision procedure; recalls that its assent to appointments must berequired;
4. Considers:
Fdash that the composition and functioning of Parliament, the Council and the Commission should be gov-
erned by an overall agreement Fdash based on the principle ofthe twof old legitimacy ofthe Union Fdashwhich can ensure balance between the institutions and democratic and effective decision-making,
Fdash that the role ofthe Commission as the driving f orce behind integration should be maintained and
enhanced and that the powers ofits President must be strengthened; at all events, the CommissionPresident’s power to dismiss an individual Commissioner should be acknowledged in the Treaty;
Fdash that, as regards the Parliament, a definitive breakdown for EU-27 should be agreed now to apply as of
the 2009 Parliament; that a first step accommodation must be made for the 2004-2009 Parliament inorder to provide some space for new countries coming in before and during the lifetime of thatParliament, accepting the possibility ofa temporary but small excess above the 700 limit during the
last few years of it; emphasises that the method for allocating seats within Parliament must allow the
peoples of the European Union to be fairly represented, even after enlargement;
5. As regards enhanced cooperation, considers it essential Fdash in order to ensure democratic control Fdash
to include in the authorisation procedure for any enhanced cooperation a requirement to obtain Parlia-ment’s assent, to enhance the role ofthe Commission, to abolish ref erral to the European Council and to
set the condition that at least one-third ofMember States must participate;
6. Hopes that agreement can be reached regarding changes to and the adaptation ofArticle 7 ofthe
Amsterdam Treaty, with a view to establishing a detection and warning system which would come intooperation ifany ofthe Member States showed signs ofcontravening the basic principles upon which theUnion is founded, and insists that Parliament, too, should have the right of initiative;
7. Reaffirms its insistence on greater democratic accountability in the EU’s trade policy-making, and
therefore calls on the IGC to consider seriously Parliament’s proposals concerning external negotiatingcompetence in the field of trade in services, intellectual property and investment; Parliament’s assent toimportant international trade agreements; qualified majority voting on Article 133(5); codecision on inter-nal legislation implementing the common commercial policy, and the provision ofregular inf ormation toParliament on international trade negotiations;
Bringing the Union closer to its citizens
8. Calls on the European Council to incorporate in Article 151 ofthe Treaty an explicit ref erence to
sport and recognition ofits specif ic character, in such a way that, through its action, the European Unioncan recognise the specific role of sport as a cultural and economic phenomenon and a force for socialintegration;
9. Calls for the Charter of Fundamental Rights to be incorporated in the Treaty in order to give funda-
mental rights pride ofplace in the Community’s legal order; calls on the European Council, ifMemberStates fail to reach agreement at Nice on incorporating it, to refer to the Charter in Article 6(2) of theTreaty on European Union; considers that, in future, any possible amendment of the Charter should beadopted by means ofa procedure based on the Convention model; urges a strengthening ofthe relationsbetween the Union and the Council ofEurope and their respective Courts by granting the European Unionspecific authority to sign up to the existing European Convention on Human Rights;13.8.2001 EN C 228/163 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 30 November 2000
10. Considers that a satisfactory conclusion of the IGC must be accompanied by a commitment to
encourage broad public debate on the future of Europe and to launching a process aimed at expressingin a clear Constitution the founding principles, the balance among institutions, the competences and thesimplif ication ofthe European Union, as well as, ifstill necessary, the integration ofthe Charter ofFunda-mental Rights; such Constitution should be prepared by a Convention similar to the one that elaboratedthe Fundamental Rights Charter and working according to a precise timetable; the paper on governance tobe submitted by the Commission should also be a part ofthose discussions;
Enlargement
11. Supports the Commission’s enlargement strategy aimed at completing negotiations by 2002 with
the most advanced countries and calls on the Council and the candidate countries to ensure the feasibilityofthe envisaged scenario;
Security and Defence
12. Strongly supports the evolution ofa common European security and def ence policy (CESDP) that
will increase the Union’s free-standing capacity to act for peaceable and humanitarian objectives in a widesphere ofoperations; hopes that the current negotiations between the Member States achieve credible andpractical innovation;
13. Calls, therefore, on the forthcoming European Council to take the political and institutional deci-
sions required to make the CESDP fully operational in 2003 by setting up the definitive CESDP bodies(Political and Security Committee (COPS), Military Committee and Military Staff), by establishing a Councilof Ministers of Defence and by devoting the same effort to achieving the goals they have set regardingcivilian crisis-management, in particular by establishing a rapidly deployable European police force;
Foreign affairs
14. Deeply regrets the f act that such a large number ofpeople on both sides, the majority ofthem
Palestinians, have lost their lives as a result ofthe crisis in the Middle East, and expresses its condolencesto and its solidarity with the families of all the victims;
15. Welcomes the Declaration by the General Affairs Council of 20 November 2000 and calls on the
European Council to do its utmost to relaunch a positive and constructive dialogue between the Israelisand the Palestinians in order to secure an equitable and lasting agreement based on United Nations Secur-
ity Council Resolutions 242 and 338; stresses, in particular, the call for an observer mission in accordance
with the mandate conferred by the Security Council;
16. Calls on the European Council to launch a political and diplomatic initiative with a view to re-
establishing a climate ofmutual trust and considers that the intended participation by the High Represen-tative for the CFSP in the work of the committee responsible for establishing the facts should make amajor contribution to this commitment;
17. Strongly supports the European perspective given by the Council to the countries ofthe Balkans at
the summit in Zagreb;
18. Deplores the fact that excessive bureaucracy and budgetary constraints have created obstacles to the
implementation ofthe cooperation programmes ofthe Euro-Mediterranean process, especially as f ar ascivil society involvement is concerned;
19. Calls on the Council, following also the Marseille Summit, to relaunch the Euro-Mediterranean part-
nership project agreed in Barcelona in November 1995, and takes the view that the lack ofprogress madeis a potential crisis factor in the region and undermines the EU’s political role in leading the efforts aimedat achieving stability in the area;C 228/164 EN 13.8.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 30 November 2000
Food Safety
20. Calls for a ban on animal feed production and farm breeding practices that involve recycling animal
remains to cattle, sheep, goats and any other animals, including poultry and fish, as long as Member Statescannot guarantee the implementation ofexisting EU laws concerning BSE prevention, and as long as theseparation of fallen animals as proposed by the Commission has not come into force;
21. Reiterates its call for the rapid introduction of compulsory testing for BSE in all cattle, sheep and
goats destined for slaughter, starting with all those above 18 months of age, in all Member States in orderto obtain a clear picture ofthe epidemiological situation throughout the EU;
22. Welcomes in this respect the creation ofthe European Food Authority which will be instrumental
in reassuring EU consumers as regards the safety of food in Member States and should strengthen theposition ofthe European f ood industry on the world stage;
Social Agenda
23. Calls on the European Council to adopt an ambitious Social Agenda along the lines ofthe Commis-
sion Communication as already endorsed by the European Parliament, with clear objectives, proposals forspecific instruments and precise deadlines;
*
**
24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the IGC.
9. CFSP
A5-0340/2000
European Parliament resolution on the progress achieved in the implementation of the common
foreign and security policy (C5-0255/2000 /dash 2000/2038 (INI))
The European Parliament,
Fdash having regard to Article 21 ofthe Treaty on European Union and Rules 103(3) and 163 ofits Rules of
Procedure,
Fdash having regard to the Council’s annual report for 1999, submitted to Parliament on 15 May 2000 in
application ofsection H (paragraph 40) ofthe interinstitutional agreement of6 May 1999, on the
main aspects and basic choices of the CFSP, including the financial implications for the general budget
ofthe European Communities (C5-0255/2000) (1),
Fdash having regard to its resolution of5 May 1999 on the role ofthe Union in the world: implementation
ofthe CFSP in 1998 (2),
Fdash having regard to its resolution of5 September 2000 on a common Community diplomacy (3),
Fdash having regard to its resolution of6 September 2000 on the Union’s priorities as regards external
activities (4),
Fdash having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security
and Defence Policy and the opinion of the Committee on Budgets (A5-0340/2000),
(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 279, 1.10.1999, p. 218.
(3) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 4.
(4) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 9.13.8.2001 EN C 228/165 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 30 November 2000