P6_TA(2005)0320
Progress ***I
European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parlia-
ment and of the Council on a Community programme for employment and social solidarity —
Progress (COM(2004)0488 —C6-0092/2004 —2004/0158(COD))
(Codecision procedure: first reading)
The European Parliament ,
—having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2004)
0488) (1),
—having regard to Article 251(2) and Articles 13(2), 129 and 137(2) (a) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to
which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6-0092/2004),
—having regard to Rule 51 of its Rules of Procedure,
—having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinions of
the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Com-mittee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A6-0199/2005),
1. Approves the Commission proposal as amended;
2. Points out that the appropriations indicated in the legislative proposal beyond 2006 are subject to the
decision on the next multiannual financial framework;
3. Calls on the Commission, once the next multiannual financial framework is adopted, to present, if
appropriate, a proposal to adjust the financial reference amount of the programme;
4. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend the proposal
substantially or replace it with another text;
5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.
(1) Not yet published in OJ.
P6_TC1-COD(2004)0158
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 6 September 2005 with a view to
the adoption of Decision No …/2005/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing
a Community programme for employment and social solidarity —Progress
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 13(2), 129 and
137(2) (a)thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),
(1)OJ C …17.8.2006 EN C 193 E/99 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (1),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (2),
Whereas:
(1) The Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000 declared the promotion of employment and
social inclusion an integral part of the overall strategy of the Union in pursuing its strategic goal for the
next decade of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world,capable of sustainable economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It setambitious objectives and targets for the EU which aimed to recreate the conditions for full employment,
improve quality and productivity at work, andpromote social cohesion and an inclusive labour mar-
ket.
(2) In line with the Commission's express intention of consolidating and rationalising EU funding instru-
ments, this Decision should establish a single and streamlined programme ( ‘the Programme ’)providing
for the continuation and development of the activities launched on the basis of Council Decision
2000/750/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a Community action programme to combat dis-
crimination (2001 to 2006) (
3),Council Decision 2001/51/EC of 20 December 2000 establishing a
Programme relating to the Community framework strategy on gender equality (2001-2005) (4) and
European Parliament and Council Decisions No50/2002/EC of 7 December 2001 establishing a pro-
gramme of Community action to encourage cooperation between Member States to combat socialexclusion (
5),N o 1145/2002/EC of 10 June 2002 on Community incentive measures in the field of
employment (6),and No 848/2004/ ΕC of 29 April 2004 establishing a Community action pro-
gramme to promote organisations active at European level in the field of equality between menand women (
7),as well as those activities undertaken at Community level in relation to working con-
ditions.
(3) The Extraordinary European Council on Employment in Luxembourg in 1997 launched the European
Employment Strategy (EES) to coordinate Member States' employment policies on the basis of com-
monly-agreed employment guidelines and recommendations. The European Employment Strategy is
now the most important instrument for implementation of the employment and labour market
objectives of the Lisbon Strategy.
(4) The Lisbon European Council concluded that the number of people living below the poverty line and in
social exclusion in the Union was unacceptable and therefore deemed it necessary to take steps to
make decisive progress in the eradication of poverty by setting adequate objectives. Such objectives were
agreed atthe Nice European Council of 7, 8 and 9 December 2000. It wasfurther agreed that policies
for combating social exclusion should be based on theopen method of coordination ,combining
national action plans and a Commission initiative for cooperation.
(5) Demographic change represents a major long-term challenge to the ability of social protection systems
to deliver reasonable pensions and high-quality health and long-term care which are accessible to all
and can be funded in the long term. It is important to promote policies that can achieve both
adequate social protection and the sustainability of social protection systems. The Council has
decided that cooperation on social protection should be based on the open method of coordination.
(6) Attention should be drawn to the specific situation of immigrants in this context and to the import-
ance of taking action to transform the undeclared, and often precarious, work carried out bymigrants into regular employment, so that they are able to enjoy the same social protection, benefitsand working conditions as legal workers.
(1)OJ C 164, 5.7.2005, p. 48.
(2)Position of the European Parliament of 6 September 2005.
(3) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 23.
(4) OJ L 17, 19.11.2001, p. 22.
(5) OJ L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 170, 29.6.2002, p. 1.
(7)OJ L 157, 30.4.2004, p. 18. Corrected in OJ L 195, 2.6.2004, p. 7.C 193 E/100 EN 17.8.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
(7) Ensuring minimum standards and the constant improvement of working conditions in the EU isa
central feature of European social policy and an important overall objective of the European Union.
The Community has an important role to play in supporting and complementing the activities of the
Member States in the fields of workers' health and safety, working conditions, including the need to
reconcile work and family life, protection of workers where their employment contract is terminated,
information , participation and consultation of workers, representation and collective defence of the
interests of workers and employers.
(8) Non-discrimination is a fundamental principle of the European Union. Article 13 of the Treaty provides
for action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability,age or sexual orientation. Non-discrimination is also enshrined in Article 21 of the Charter of Fun-
damental Rights of the European Union. The specific features of the diverse forms of discriminationshould be accommodated , and appropriate action developed in parallel to prevent and combat dis-
crimination on one or more grounds . Therefore, when considering the accessibility to, and results of,
the Programme, the particular needs of people with disabilities should be taken into account in terms
ofensuring their full and equal access to the activities funded by the Programme andtheresults and
evaluation of those activities, including by the compensation of additional costs incurred by them.Experience gained over many years of combating certain forms of discrimination, including dis-crimination based on sex, may be useful in combating other forms of discrimination.
(9) On the basis of Article 13 of the Treaty, the Council has adopted the following directives: Directive
2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irre-
spective of racial or ethnic origin (
1),which prohibits discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin in,
inter alia, employment, vocational training, education, goods and services and social protection; Direc-
tive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in
employment and occupation (2),which prohibits discrimination in employment and occupation on
the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation , and Directive 2004/113/EC
of 13 December 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in
the access to and supply of goods and services (3).
(10) Pursuant to Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty ,equal treatment for women and men is a fundamental
principle of Community law ,and the directives and other acts adopted on the basis of this principle
have played a major part in improving the situation of women in the Community . Experience of action
at Community level has shown that promoting gender equality in EU policies and combating discrimi-nation in practice call for a combination of instruments, including legislation, funding tools and main-
streaming, designed to reinforce one another. In line with the principle of gender mainstreaming,
equality between women and men should be taken into account in all sections and activities of the
Programme .
(11) The involvement of non-governmental organisations active at regional, national and EU levels is
central to the successful implementation of the Programme's general objectives, and they shouldtherefore play a major role, through relevant EU networks, in devising, implementing and moni-
toring the Programme.
(12) Since the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States
because of the need for exchange of information at EU-level and the Community-wide disseminationof good practice ,andsince therefore these objectives can, by reason of the multilateral dimension of
the Community actions and measures, be better achieved at Community level, the Community mayadopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. Inaccordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Decision does not go
beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives.
(1) OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22.
(2) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16.
(3)OJ L 373, 21.12.2004, p. 37.17.8.2006 EN C 193 E/101 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
(13) This Decision establishes a financial framework for the entire duration of the Programme w h i c hi st ob e
the principal point of reference for the budgetary authority, within the meaning of point 33 of theInterinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and the
Commission on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure (
1).
(14) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision should be adopted in accordance with
Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of imple-
menting powers conferred on the Commission (2),
HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS
Article 1
Establishment of the Programme
This Decision establishes the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity, named Pro-
gress, to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employmentand social affairs area and ,thereby ;in the context of the Lisbon Strategy to contribute to achieving the
objectives of the social agenda (2006-2010) (
3).The Programme shall run from 1 January 2007 to
31 December 2013.
Article 2
General objectives of the Programme
The present Programme pursues the following general objectives:
1) to improve the knowledge and understanding of the situation prevailing in the Member States (and in
other participating countries) through analysis, evaluation and close monitoring of policies ;
2) to support the development of statistical tools and methods and common indicators where possible
broken down by gender and age group in the areas covered by the Programme;
3) to support and monitor the implementation of Community law and policy objectives in the Member
States and assess their effectiveness and impact , in particular as regards the creation of more and
better jobs ;
4) to promote networking, mutual learning, identification and dissemination of good practice and inno-
vative approaches at regional, national and transnational levels;
5) to enhance the awareness of stakeholders and the general public ofEU policies and objectives pursued
under each of its five sections ;
6) to boost the capacity of key EU networks to promote ,support and further develop EU policies and
political objectives and to promote the views of their member organisations; such networks andorganisations must be demonstrably independent organisations and as such free to operate across abroad range of areas which impact on the concerns of their members.
The principle of gender mainstreaming must be taken into account in all Programme sections and activ-
ities.
The results achieved in the Programme sections and activities shall be disseminated to those involved and
to the public as appropriate. The Commission shall also provide the necessary links to the EuropeanParliament, the relevant non-governmental organisations and the social partners at EU level and conductregular exchanges of views with them.
(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
(3)Commission Communication on the Social Agenda (COM(2005)0033).C 193 E/102 EN 17.8.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Article 3
Structure of the Programme
The Programme shall be divided into the following 5 sections:
(1) Employment(2) Social protection and inclusion(3) Working conditions(4) Antidiscrimination and diversity
(5) Gender equality
Article 4
SECTION 1: Employment
Activities under Section 1 shall support the implementation of the European Employment Strategy by:
1) improving the understanding of the employment situation and its prospects , in particular through analy-
sis and studies ,and the development of statistics and common indicators;
2) monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the European Employment Guidelines and their
impact and analysing the interaction between the EES, general economic and social policy and other
policy areas;
3) organising exchanges on policies , good practice and innovative approaches, and promoting mutual
learning in the context of the EES;
4) raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about employment challenges ,
policies, and the implementation of national action plans, including among regional and local actors,
thesocial partners and other stakeholders;
5) attaching particular importance to positive measures to encourage both equal treatment and oppor-
tunities for women and men and the fight against discrimination in access to employment, voca-tional training and advancement.
Article 5
SECTION 2: Social protection and inclusion
Activities under Section 2 shall support the implementation of the open method of coordination in the field
of social protection and inclusion by:
1) improving the understanding of social exclusion and poverty issues, social protection and inclusion
policies, in particular through analysis and studies and the development of statistics and common indi-
cators;
2) monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the open method of coordination in the field of social
protection and inclusion ,and analysing the interaction between this method and other policy areas and
its impact at national and Community level ;
3) organising exchanges on policies , good practice and innovative approaches, and promoting mutual
learning in the context of the social protection and inclusion strategy;
4) raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and
policy issues raised in the context of the EU coordination process in the field of social protection andsocial inclusion, including among non-governmental organisations , regional and local actors and other
stakeholders;
5) developing the capacity of key EU networks to support and further develop EU policy goals and stra-
tegies in the field of social protection and social integration .17.8.2006 EN C 193 E/103 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Article 6
SECTION 3: Working conditions
Activities under Section 3 shall , taking due account of the principle of gender mainstreaming, support the
improvement of the working environment and working conditions ,including health and safety at work and
the reconciliation of work and family life, by:
1) improving the understanding of the situation in relation to working conditions, in particular through
analysis and studies and the development of statistics and quantitative and qualitative indicators
broken down by gender and age group , as well as assessing the effectiveness and impact of existing
legislation, policies and practices;
2) supporting the implementation of EU labour law through effective monitoring, the holding of seminars
for those working in the field ,thedevelopment of guidelines and networking amongst specialised
bodies , including the social partners ;
3) initiating preventive actions and fostering health and safety at work;
4) raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate , including discussion between
the social partners, about the key challenges and policy issues in relation to social security, working
conditions and the quality of employment, including the importance of reconciling work and family
life;
5) raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting discussion on the general question of
illegal employment in order to ensure that the issues of health and safety and working conditionswhich affect migrants and EU citizens alike will be dealt with and the relevant rules met.
Article 7
SECTION 4: Antidiscrimination and diversity
Activities under Section 4 shall support the effective implementation of the principle of non-discrimination
and promote its mainstreaming in allEU policies by:
1) improving the understanding of the situation in relation to discrimination and action taken to combat
it,in particular through analysis and studies and the development of statistics and indicators ,as well as
assessing the effectiveness and impact of existing legislation, policies and practices ;
2) supporting the implementation of EU anti-discrimination legislation through effective monitoring, the
holding of seminars for those working in the field and networking amongst specialised bodies dealing
with anti-discrimination;
3) raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and
policy issues in relation to discrimination and the mainstreaming of anti-discrimination in EU policies,including among non-governmental organisations active in the field of anti-discrimination, regionaland local actors, the social partners and other stakeholders;
4) developing the capacity of key EU networks to promote and further develop EU policy goals and stra-
tegies in the field of combating discrimination; such EU networks must also include smaller EUnetworks including specialised and impairment specific disability non-governmental organisations;such networks and organisations must be demonstrably independent organisations and as such freeto operate across a broad range of areas which impact on the concerns of their members.C 193 E/104 EN 17.8.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Article 8
SECTION 5: Gender equality
Activities under Section 5 shall support the effective implementation of the principle of gender equality and
promote gender mainstreaming in allEU policies by:
1) improving the understanding of the situation in relation to gender issues and gender mainstreaming, in
particular through analysis and studies and the development of statistics and indicators, as well asassessing the impact of existing legislation, policies and practices;
2) supporting the implementation of EU gender equality legislation through effective monitoring, the hold-
ing of seminars for those working in the field and networking amongst specialised equality bodies;
3) raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and
policy issues in relation to gender equality , including the reconciliation of work and family life, and
horizontal gender mainstreaming;
4) developing the capacity of key EU networks to support and further develop EU policy goals and stra-
tegies on gender equality .
Article 9
Types of activities
1. The Programme shall finance the following types of activities , which may also be implemented across
borders :
(a) Analytical activities
—Collection, development and dissemination of data and statistics
—Development and dissemination of common methodologies and indicators/benchmarks
—Carrying-out of studies, analysis and surveys and dissemination of their results
—Carrying-out of evaluations and impact assessments and dissemination of their results
—Elaboration and publication of guides and reports
—Publication and dissemination of information and educational material via the Internet or other
media
(b) Mutual learning, awareness and dissemination activities
—Organisation of exchanges on policies, good practice and innovative approaches, and promotion
of mutual learning at regional, national, transnational and EU level
—Identification of best practices and organisation of peer review by means of meetings/workshops/
seminars at EU , transnational or national level
—Organisation of Presidency conferences/seminars
—Organisation of conferences/seminars in support of the development and implementation of Com-
munity law and policy objectives
—Organisation of an annual forum for all interested parties to evaluate progress in achieving the
social agenda and on implementation of the individual sections of the Programme, includingpresentation of results and dialogue on future priorities
—Organisation of media campaigns and events
—Compilation and publication of materials to disseminate information as well as results of the Pro-
gramme
—Organisation of exchanges between persons active at local level in the EU, as a means of pro-
moting the direct exchange of experiences and awareness of specific national circumstances17.8.2006 EN C 193 E/105 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
(c) Support formain actors
— Contribution totherunning costs of key EU networks
—Organisation of working groups of national officials to monitor the implementation of EU law
—Funding of training seminars addressed to those working in the field , key officials and other
relevant actors, including representatives of non-governmental organisations and the social
partners
—Networking among specialised bodies at EU level
—Funding of experts' networks
—Funding of EU level observatories
—Exchange of personnel between national administrations
—Cooperation with international institutions
—Cooperation between institutions and local national actors
2. The types ofactivities provided for in paragraph (1), point ( (b) should have a strong European dimension, be
ofan appropriate scale to ensure realadded-value at EU level and be carried out by regional or local auth-
orities, specialised bodies provided for in Community lawor actors which are considered to be amongst the
keyplayers in their area.
3. The types of activities should contribute to the areas listed in Article 3, intended to achieve the
objectives of the social agenda under the Lisbon Strategy.
4. The Programme shall not finance any activities in the preparation and implementation of European
Years.
Article 10
Access to the Programme
1. Access to this Programme shall be open to all public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions, in
particular:
—Member States;
— Employment services and employment agencies;
—Local and regional authorities;
—Specialised bodies provided for in Community law ;
—Social partners;
—Non-governmental organisations organised at regional, national or EU level;
—Universities and research institutes;
—Experts in evaluation;
—National statistical offices;
—Media.
2. The Commission may also directly participate in theProgramme in so far as activities under Article 9 (1),
points (a) and (b)are concerned.
3. Full access to the activities and results of the Programme shall be given to disabled people. Their
particular needs shall be taken into account and additional costs incurred by them in meeting theiraccess needs shall be compensated.C 193 E/106 EN 17.8.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Article 11
Method of application for support
The types of activities referred to in Article 9 may be financed by:
—a service contract following a call for tenders, in which case the Eurostat procedures shall apply in respect of
cooperation with national Statistical Offices, or
— partial support, following a call for proposals, in which case, the EU co-financing may not exceed, as a
general rule, 90 % of the total expenditure incurred by the recipient. Any financial support in excess of
this ceiling may only be granted inexceptional circumstances and after close scrutiny.
In addition, activities referred to in Article 9(1) , point (b) may be granted financial support upon application by ,f o r
example, Member States.
Article 12
Implementing provisions
Allmeasures necessary for the implementation of this Decision, in particular those relating to the follow-
ing matters ,shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 13(2):
(a) the general guidelines for the implementation of the Programme ;
(b) the annual work programme for the implementation of the Programme , divided up into separate sec-
tions ;
(c) the financial support to be granted by the Community;
(d) the annual budget;
(e) the procedures for selecting the activities to be supported by the Community and the draft list of
activities eligible for such support submitted by the Commission;
(f) criteria for evaluating the Programme, including criteria relating to the cost-benefit ratio and rules
for disseminating and passing on the results.
Article 13
Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee , divided into five subcommittees corresponding to
the five sections of the Programme.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply,
having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.
3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 14
Cooperation with other committees
1. The Commission shall establish the necessary links with the Social Protection Committee and the
Employment Committee in order to ensure that they are regularly and appropriately informed about the
implementation of activities referred to in this Decision.
2. The Commission shall also inform the other relevant committees of the action taken under the five
sections of the Programme.
3. Where appropriate, the Commission shall establish regular and structured cooperation between the
Committee referred to in Article 13 and the monitoring committees established for other relevant policies,
instruments and actions.17.8.2006 EN C 193 E/107 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Article 15
Consistency and complementarity
1. The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member States, ensure overall consistency with other
Union and Community policies, instruments and actions, in particular by establishing appropriate mech-anisms to coordinate the activities of the Programme with relevant activities relating to research, justice and
home affairs, culture, education, training and youth policy, and in the fields of enlargement and the Com-
munity's external relations , and with regional policy and general economic policy .Special attention should
be given to the possible synergies between the present Programme and those in the field of education and
training.
2. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure consistency and complementarity between activ-
itiesunder the Programme and other relevant Union and Community activities , in particular under the Struc-
tural Funds, especially the European Social Fund , and shall take care to avoid overlap .
3. The Commission shall ensure consistency and complementarity between activities under the Pro-
gramme, its other activities and those of other relevant European agencies, particularly the activities ofthe European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the European Agencyfor Safety and Health at Work, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, theEuropean Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia and the future European Gender Institute, andshall take care to avoid overlap.
4. The Commission shall ensure that expenditures covered byand charged totheProgramme is charged to
any other Community financial instrument.
5. The Commission shall keep the Committee referred to in Article 13 regularly informed of other Com-
munity activities under the Lisbon strategy that contributes to achieving the objectives of the social agenda.
6. Member States shall make all possible efforts to ensure consistency and complementarity between
activities under the Programme and those carried out at national, regional and local levels.
Article 16
Participation of third countries
The Programme shall be open to the participation of:
—the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions established in the EEA Agreement;
—the candidate countries associated to the European Union , as well as the western Balkan countries
included in the stabilisation and association process.
Article 17
Financing
1. The indicative financial framework for implementing this Community Programme is set at
EUR 854,2 million for the period of 7 years as from 1 January 2007.C 193 E/108 EN 17.8.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
2. The financial breakdown between the different sections shall respect the following lower limits:
Section 1 Employment 21 %
Section 2 Social protection and inclusion 30 %
Section 3 Working conditions 8 %
Section 4 Antidiscrimination and diversity 23 %
Section 5 Gender equality 12 %
3. A maximum of 2 % of the financial envelope shall be attributed to the implementation of the Pro-
gramme, to cover, for example, the expenditure related to the functioning of the Committee referred to in
Article 13 or the evaluations required under Article 19.
4. The annual appropriations and the allocation of the appropriations to the individual sections of the
Programme shall be authorised by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective .The
allocation of the annual appropriations to the individual sections shall be set out in appropriate fashionin the Budget.
5. The Commission may have recourse to technical and/or administrative assistance, to the mutual bene-
fit of the Commission and of the beneficiaries, as well as to support expenditure.
Article 18
Protection of the Communities' financial interests
1. The Commission shall ensure that, when actions financed under the present decision are implemented,
the financial interests of the Community are protected by the application of preventive measures againstfraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, by effective checks and by the recovery of the amountsunduly paid and, if irregularities are detected, by effective, proportional and dissuasive penalties, in accord-ance with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 (
1),Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 (2),
and Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).
2. For Community actions financed under this Decision, the notion of irregularity referred to in Article 1,
paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 shall mean any infringement of a provision of Com-munity law or any breach of a contractual obligation resulting from an act or omission by an economicoperator, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the general budget of the European Commun-
ities or budgets managed by them, by an unjustified item of expenditure.
3. Contracts and agreements ,as well as agreements with participating third countries resulting from this
Decision, shall provide in particular for supervision and financial control by the Commission (or any repre-
sentative authorised by it) and audits by the Court of Auditors, including, if necessary, on-the-spot audits .
Article 19
Monitoring and evaluation
1. In order to ensure regular monitoring of the Programme and allow for any necessary reorientations,
annual activity reports shall be drawn up by the Commission and transmitted to the Committee referred to
in Article 13 and to the European Parliament .
2. The various sections of the Programme shall also be the subject of a mid-term evaluation, which will
provide an overview of the Programme as a whole in order to measure the progress made towards meeting the
objectives of the Programme and its EU added value. This evaluation may be supplemented by on-going
evaluations. These shall be carried out by the Commission with the assistance of external experts. Whenavailable, their results shall be reported in the activity reports referred to in paragraph 1 and transmitted to
the European Parliament .
(1)OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1.
(2)OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2.
(3)OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1.17.8.2006 EN C 193 E/109 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005
3. The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions:
(a) by 31 December 2010 an interim report evaluating the results achieved and the qualitative and
quantitative aspects of implementing the Programme,
(b) in the context of proposals for the next financial perspectives, by 31 December 2011 a communi-
cation on continuing the Programme, and
(c) by 31 December 2015, with the assistance of external experts, an ex-post evaluation report to
measure the impact of the Programme objectives and its EU added value.
4. The Commission shall ensure that, as part of the monitoring and evaluation process, assessment is
undertaken of the extent to which measures have been taken to ensure accessibility for disabled people tothe activities and the results of the Programme.
Article 20
Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official
Journal of the European Union.
Done at …,o n …
For the European Parliament
The PresidentFor the Council
The President
P6_TA(2005)0321
Textiles and clothing after 2005
European Parliament resolution on textiles and clothing after 2005 (2004/2265(INI))
The European Parliament ,
—having regard to the Commission communication of 13 October 2004 entitled ‘Textiles and clothing
after 2005 —Recommendations of the High Level Group for textiles and clothing ’(COM(2004)0668),
—having regard to the Commission Notice on the application of Article 10a of Council Regulation (EEC)
No 3030/93 concerning a textiles-specific safeguard clause (1),
—having regard to the Commission communication of 29 October 2003 on ‘The future of the textiles
and clothing sector in the enlarged European Union ’(COM(2003)0649),
—having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2002 entitled ‘Industrial Policy in an
Enlarged Europe ’(COM(2002)0714),
—having regard to the Commission communication on a ‘Plan of action to increase the competitiveness
of the European textile and clothing industry ’(COM(1997)0454 —C4-0626/1997),
—having regard to the Commission report entitled ‘The impact of the internal market on the employment
of women in the textile and clothing industries ’(2),
(1) OJ C 101, 27.4.2005, p. 2.
(2) Social Europe, Supplement 2/91.C 193 E/110 EN 17.8.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Tuesday 6 September 2005