ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
29.

Considers that the concept of pre-commercial procurement is important, but fears that it will be unsuccessful in drawing in SMEs unless it is clearly understood how pre-commercial procurement is to work, particularly in a cross-border context; points out that the key principle of pre-commercial procurement – namely that the public authority does not keep all benefits resulting from the research and development, but that each company retains the ownership rights in respect of the new ideas it generates – ensures legal certainty and the protection of ideas for participating businesses;
EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 212/123

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Special Olympics in the European Union

P6_TA(2009)0347

Declaration of the European Parliament on support for Special Olympics in the European Union

2010/C 212 E/20

The European Parliament,

having regard to Rule 116 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Special Olympics Europe provides sporting and social opportunities for adults and children with intellectual disabilities,

B. whereas Special Olympics programmes are established in every Member State, involving half a million athletes,

C. whereas Special Olympics implement EU policy daily, by promoting sport and volunteerism across borders, by breaking down stereotypes about disability, through public health provision and by including marginalised people in social activities,

D. whereas Special Olympics Europe will host two major upcoming events: in 2010 the Special Olympics European Summer Games will take place in Warsaw, Poland, and in 2011 the Special Olympics World Summer Games will take place in Athens, Greece,

E. whereas the EU financially supported the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland,

1. Considers that the provision of Special Olympics services at local, national and international levels requires significant funding;

2. Notes that Special Olympics Europe is seeking financial assistance from the Commission to help fund the European Summer Games in Warsaw in 2010 and the World Summer Games in Athens in 2011;

3. Acknowledges the benefits for athletes, families and the wider community that will result from these events taking place in Europe;

4. Calls on the Commission to support the Games in Warsaw in 2010 and Athens in 2011;
8.

Urges the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council and the Commission to continue making representations to all of the European Union’s international partners urging them to ratify and implement international conventions banning the use of torture and ill-treatment; calls on the European Union to give the fight against torture and ill-treatment top priority in its human rights policy, in particular through enhanced implementation of the European Union guidelines and all other European Union instruments, such as the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;
2.

Appreciates that, for the period 2007-2013, all the Member States have devoted a significant amount of their total financial allocations to R&D, innovation and development of a knowledge-based economy, resulting in 246 National or Regional Operational Programmes, with around EUR 86 billion allocated to research and innovation, of which EUR 50 billion has already been allocated for core R&D and innovation activities; stresses that, since research and innovation are essential for the improvement of EU competitiveness in the face of global challenges, investments in these fields must continue and regular results-based assessments of progress must be conducted; recommends, therefore, with a view to the next programming period, that the Member States and the Commission allocate sufficient resources from the structural funds for research and innovation, in particular sustainable innovation, and strengthen research capacities; stresses the need to promote and apply successful models in the knowledge triangle to ensure the sustainable development of regional research and strategic frameworks for innovation, in collaboration with enterprises, research centres, universities and public authorities; highlights the potential of knowledge-intensive regional innovative clusters in mobilising regional competitiveness and calls for better coordination of the structural funds and the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development;
30.

Since forests are important for the production of wood, maintaining biodiversity, the prevention of floods, avalanches and erosion, management of groundwater resources and carbon capture, the fact that they are threatened by fire should be an issue of concern to all Member States; therefore calls on the Commission to present and to carry out, together with the Member States, legislative proposals and initiatives in the area of forest protection and fire prevention; considers that forestation and reforestation projects should be supported, with preference given to native species and mixed forests, to encourage biodiversity and greater resistance to fire, storms and disease, as well as the sustained collection and use of residual forest biomass - a renewable energy source; considers that, within the framework of a genuine cooperation in this domain, the regular collection of data, preparation of risk maps, preparation of fire risk management plans, identification of the resources needed and those available in the 27 Member States and coordination at different levels should be carried on;
—

having regard to its previous resolutions on the EU-US PNR data issue, notably its resolutions of 5 May 2010 on the launch of negotiations for passenger name record (PNR) agreements with the United States, Australia and Canada (1), of 13 March 2003 on transfer of personal data by airlines in the case of transatlantic flights (2), of 9 October 2003 on transfer of data by airlines in the case of transatlantic flights: state of negotiations with the USA (3), of 31 March 2004 on the draft Commission decision noting the adequate level of protection provided for personal data contained in the passenger name records (PNRs) transferred to the US Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (4), its recommendation to the Council of 7 September 2006 on the negotiations for an agreement with the United States of America on the use of PNR data to prevent and combat terrorism and transnational crime, including organised crime (5), its resolution of 14 February 2007 on SWIFT, the PNR agreement and the transatlantic dialogue on these issues (6), and its resolution of 12 July 2007 on the PNR Agreement with the United States of America (7),
—

having regard in particular to the conclusions drawn from the visits by Parliament’s ad hoc delegation for Western Sahara in September 2006 and January 2009 which called for the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to be expanded, subject to the agreement of all parties concerned, so as to assign to it competence to monitor respect for human rights in Western Sahara, and which called on the Commission, also or if appropriate, by means of its Delegation in Rabat, to monitor the human rights situation in Western Sahara and regularly send missions there,
26.

Proposes that this ‘CSR clause’ should incorporate: (a) a mutual undertaking by the two parties to promote internationally-agreed CSR instruments in the context of the agreement and their trade relations; (b) incentives to encourage undertakings to enter into CSR commitments negotiated with all their stakeholders, including the trade unions, consumer organisations, local authorities and civil society organisations concerned; (c) the establishment of ‘contact points’ similar to those set up under the auspices of the OECD which would foster the provision of information about CSR and transparency and receive complaints concerning breaches of the principles underpinning CSR, in cooperation with civil society, and transferring these to the competent authorities; (d) a requirement – which takes into account the specific situation and capabilities of SMEs within the scope of the recommendation 2003/361/CE of 6 May 2003 and according to the ‘think small first’ principle– for corporations to publish their CSR balance sheets at least every two or three years; takes the view that this demand will reinforce transparency and reporting and encourage the visibility and credibility of CSR practices by making CSR information available to all stakeholders, including consumers, investors and the wider public in a targeted manner; (e) a requirement for undertakings and groups of undertakings to show due diligence, i.e. a requirement to take measures in advance with a view to identifying and preventing violations of human and environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains, i.e. throughout their sphere of influence; (f) a requirement for companies to commit to free, open and informed prior consultation with local and independent stakeholders before a project that impacts upon a local community commences; (g) a particular focus on the impact of the employment of children and child labour practices;
21.

Calls in particular on the European Commission, with the support of the EMA, to improve the accelerated authorisation procedures for the placing on the market of medicinal products designed to respond to a health crisis - inter alia by making them suitable for different influenza strains varying levels of severity and differences in target groups - in such a way that proper clinical trials are carried out before a pandemic occurs, in order to ensure a full assessment of the risk-benefit balance associated with the use of those medicinal products for the relevant target groups and to come up with corresponding legislative proposals where necessary;
13.

Points out that Russia, as a member of the Council of Europe, has signed up to fully respecting European standards as regards democracy, fundamental and human rights and the rule of law; calls, in this regard, on the Russian authorities to comply with all the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and to implement measures to rectify violations in individual cases, including by ensuring that effective investigations are conducted and by holding the perpetrators accountable, and to adopt general measures to implement the rulings, including by making policy and legal changes to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future;
1.

Expresses its most complete solidarity with the Japanese people and government and presents its sincere condolences to the victims of this threefold disaster, bearing in mind that the human losses and material damage have not yet been fully assessed; welcomes the mobilisation, courage and determination of the Japanese people and of the authorities in response to this disaster;
8.

Calls on the Chinese Government to stop all discriminatory and repressive policies towards the Uyghur and Hui populations, and to respect their fundamental right to freedom of cultural expression, having regard in particular to Tursunjan Hezim, a former history teacher, who, after a secret trial, has been sentenced to seven years in jail, and also other activists who have been sentenced in recent months;
11.

Welcomes the agreement achieved between the representatives of the Governments of Iceland, the Netherlands and the UK on the Icesave issue, notably on guaranteeing the repayment of costs incurred in payment of minimum guarantees to depositors in branches of Landsbanki Islands hf. in the UK and the Netherlands; welcomes the approval by a three-quarters majority of the agreement by the Icelandic Parliament on 17 February 2011; takes note of the decision of the President of Iceland to refer the bill to a referendum and hopes for an end to the infringement procedure which started on 26 May 2010, brought by the EFTA Surveillance Authority against the Government of Iceland;
13.

Points out the importance of a fully operational internal market for energy in order to achieve increased autonomy in energy supply; considers that this could be achieved through a regional clustering approach, as well as through the diversification of energy routes and sources; underlines that Eastern European infrastructure should be enhanced to bring it into line with that of Western Member States; stresses that the internal energy market should contribute to maintaining energy prices affordable for both consumers and businesses; believes that, in order to achieve the EU's climate and energy objectives, a new approach is necessary in terms of applying adequate minimum duty rates on CO2 emissions and on energy content; highlights the need for further energy efficiency plans and measures to significantly increase energy savings; stresses the need to promote smart grids as well as renewable energies and to encourage local and regional authorities to exploit ICTs in their energy efficiency plans; calls for the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of the directives on energy-labelling, eco-design, transports, buildings and infrastructures, in order to ensure and implement a common European framework approach;
3.

Insists that any and all access negotiated for EU-flagged vessels to fish in Mauritanian waters must be based on the principle of surplus stocks as described in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; emphasises, in particular, that there must be a rigorous assessment of all stocks for which access is sought or which are likely to be caught by the EU fleet as a by-catch; stresses that any access granted to the EU must relate to those resources which are unable to be caught by the Mauritanian fleet; emphasises that, should effort reductions be necessary, those third-country (EU and other) fleets causing the most environmental damage must be the first to make reductions;
19.

Regrets the fact that the provisional organisation chart of the EEAS does not include all existing units dealing with crisis response planning and programming, conflict prevention and peacebuilding with the CSDP structures in line with the Madrid agreement; calls in this context first for the organisation of regular meetings of a crisis management board to be composed of the CMPD, the CCPC, the EUMS, the EU SITCEN, the peace-building, conflict prevention, mediation and security policy units, the Chair of the PSC, the geographical desks and other policy departments concerned, placed under the authority of the VP/HR and the executive Secretary-General and with the participation of the Commission humanitarian aid, civil protection and internal security structures according to the circumstances; such meetings would be coordinated by the Managing Director for Crisis Response; calls on the VP/HR and the Commission to equip the board with an efficient alert and emergency system and a large unified operations room, located within the EEAS, so as to enable surveillance to be carried out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, hence avoiding the present operational overlapping, which hardly squares with the need for a proper surveillance and rapid reaction system to deal with crises; considers that regular coordination and exchange should be ensured between this system and the European emergency response centre currently being developed by the Commission to guarantee appropriate synergies while respecting each other’s competencies; secondly, calls for a permanent working structure involving the above-mentioned actors going beyond acute crisis management in order to develop common approaches, in areas such as the rule of law and security sector reform; thirdly, calls for a midterm review of the current arrangements with a view to establishing truly integrated strategic planning and conceptual development in the field of crisis management and peace building for the EEAS;
11.

Believes that all parties, be it in B2B or B2C transactions, should be free to choose or not to choose the OI as an alternative to national or international law (opt-in) and therefore calls on the Commission to clarify the intended relationship of an OI with the Rome -I-Regulation and international conventions including the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG); considers however that further attention is required for ensuring that the OI offers protection to consumers and small businesses given their position as the weaker commercial partner and that any confusion is avoided when making a choice of law; therefore calls on the Commission to complement the OI with the additional information which will explain in a clear, precise and comprehensible language which are the consumer's rights and that they will not be compromised, in order to increase their confidence in the OI and to put them in a position to make an informed choice as to whether they wish to conclude a contract on this alternative basis;
50.

Calls, therefore, on the Commission to ensure that the Schengen acquis is fully respected and that any proposal by the Commission should be dealt with using the European method; recognises the need for smart external borders and the necessity for better management of the external borders and an effective and credible external borders policy; considers that the control of access to EU territory is one of the core functions of an area without internal borders, that border control of the EU’s external border must be continuously improved to respond to new migration and security challenges, and this is why a balanced visa policy must be established; calls in this context on the Commission to complete the establishment of the SIS II system, VIS and Eurodac, as well as the new IT agency; recalls that the effective and integrated management of EU external and internal borders and a Visa policy are closely connected and an essential tool for migration and asylum policy, including mobility and avoiding abuses; regrets that SIS II is still not operational and invites the Commission to step up efforts to put the system in place, and will continue to closely monitor the allocation of the EU budget thereto;
15.

Calls for a fair distribution of CAP funding for the first and second pillars both among Member States and among farmers within a Member State, in which a pragmatic approach should be the fundamental principle for objective criteria; rejects major disparities in the distribution of these funds among Member States; takes the view that this will entail the gradual replacement, following a transitional period, of the system based on outdated historical reference values with support payments which are fair and thus allocated more effectively among countries, among different agriculture sectors and farmers; points out that this also calls for more effective support payments which are better targeted and offer greater incentives in order to help agriculture make a shift towards more sustainable farming systems; in line with the Commission Communication, rejects a uniform flat-rate direct payment for the whole of the EU which would not reflect European diversity; considers that preserving the diversity of farming and production locations in the EU is a central objective and therefore advocates taking account of the specific production conditions in the Member States as far as possible through a more targeted system of direct payments;
34.

Welcomes the decision by the Commission and the High Representative to support the establishment of a European Endowment for Democracy (EED), as a flexible and expert tool to support political actors striving for democratic change in non-democratic countries and countries in transition, in particular within the EU’s eastern and southern neighbourhood; stresses that the future EED should complement the EIDHR and other democratisation tools and external financial instruments already in force, in terms of its objectives and financial and managerial modalities; supports the idea of decentralising ownership of the EU democracy support policy by twinning EU democracy actors with their counterparts in target countries; calls upon the EEAS, the Commission and the incoming Polish presidency to present a clear demarcation of the competences of a future EED in relation to these instruments and frameworks; insists on a right of scrutiny and involvement for the European Parliament in the process of setting up the EED and in its functioning, in the determination of annual objectives, priorities, expected results and financial allocations in broad terms, and in the implementation and monitoring of activities;
15.

Is convinced that Europe has an obligation to make use of its great potential in research, technology and innovation and to contribute to solutions to the global societal challenges, namely: — the demographic changes as an ageing society in Europe, including age related diseases and family policies, a growing world population, neglected diseases, nutrition/food security, urbanisation, mobility, social cohesion and migration, — the transition to sustainable management of scarce resources, including water, land use and soil management, mitigation of climate change, preservation of biodiversity, marine ecosystems and forestry, renewable energies, energy efficiency and energy security, critical raw materials and other biological and physical natural resources, — a strong, stable and equitable economic base, including economic recovery, the enhancement of education and training and of fundamental and applied knowledge in all disciplines from social sciences and humanities, through other domains such as biological and medical sciences and research for the civil security of citizens and infrastructures, to key technologies in order to boost the EU's economy and employment; Believes that the CSF should focus on addressing those societal challenges in a comprehensive way through a balanced set of instruments covering the whole spectrum of education and training, research and innovation activities;
9.

Calls on the African Union to strengthen its cooperation with the ICC in order to promote awareness of, and uphold respect for, human rights throughout Africa; requests that an end be put to impunity for all crimes perpetrated during the war in Sudan, and hopes that President Omar al-Bashir will soon be tried in The Hague as part of the necessary re-establishment of justice, the rule of law and justice for victims;
2.

Calls on the Commission and the Members States to support the work of all organisations and informal networks working for single mothers, especially in countries where there is little or no specific support for single-parents families; this support should not replace welfare state support in protecting single mothers in the Member States, since, in view of the geographical and cultural differences existing between the Member States as regards State support to single mothers, no one model can fit all; calls on the Member-State authorities to include aid programmes for those affected;
11.

Regrets that the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not yet always fully upheld in the European Union, including the right to bodily integrity, the right to private and family life, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to freedom of assembly, the right to non-discrimination, the right to freedom of movement, including the right to free movement for same-sex couples and their families, the right of access to preventive health care, the right to medical treatment and the right to asylum;
6.

Expresses, nonetheless, its deep concern about the fact that in 2010 the EU fell some EUR 15 billion short of its own ODA goal for that year, that it will need practically to double its aid in order to meet its 2015 Millennium target, that it has failed to increase substantially its aid to Africa and the LDCs, in spite of its pledges to do so, and that a number of Member States have shrunk their aid budgets in 2009 and 2010, with further cuts scheduled for 2011 and beyond;