particularrulesapplicableintheUnitedKingdomtomembers
of CEPOL’s organs, its Director, employees and members oftheirfamiliesshallbelaiddowninaheadquartersagreement
betweenCEPOLandtheUnitedKingdomafterobtainingthe
unanimousapprovalofthegoverningboard.rulesapplicableintheUnitedKingdomtomembersofCEPOL’s
organs,itsDirector,employeesandmembersoftheirfamiliesshall be laid down in a headquarters agreement between
CEPOLandtheUnitedKingdomafterobtainingtheunanimous
approvalofthegoverningboard.
P5_TA(2004)0290
AppointmentofamemberoftheECBExecutiveBoard*
European Parliament decision on the draft recommendation of the Council concerning theappointment ofMrJoséManuelGonzález-PáramoasamemberoftheExecutiveBoardofthe
EuropeanCentralBank(6315/2004/dashC5-0176/2004/dash2004/0808(CNS))
TheEuropeanParliament,
/dash havingregardtotheCouncil’srecommendationof30March2004(6315/2004),/dash havingregardtoArticle112(2)(b)oftheECTreatypursuanttowhichtheCouncilconsultedParlia-
ment(C5-0176/2004),
/dash havingregardtoRule36ofitsRulesofProcedure,
/dash havingregardtothereportoftheCommitteeonEconomicandMonetaryAffairs(A5-0273/2004),
1. DeliversafavourableopinionontheappointmentofMrJoséManuelGonzález-Páramoasamember
oftheExecutiveBoardoftheEuropeanCentralBank;
2. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisdecisiontothePresidentoftheCouncil,forforwardingtothe
governmentsoftheMemberStates.
P5_TA(2004)0291
ImpactofCommunityregulations
EuropeanParliamentresolutiononassessmentoftheimpactofCommunitylegislationandthe
consultationprocedures2003/2079(INI))
TheEuropeanParliament ,
/dash having regard to the Commission communication of 5June 2002 on impact assessment
(COM(2002)276),
/dash havingregardtotheCommissioncommunicationof5June2002ontheActionplan‘Simplifyingand
improvingtheregulatoryenvironment’(COM(2002)278),
/dash havingregardtotheinterinstitutionalagreementof16December2003onbetterlaw-makingcon-
cludedbetweentheEuropeanParliament,theCouncilandtheCommission(1),
/dash havingregardtoRule163ofitsRulesofProcedure,
/dash havingregardtothereportoftheCommitteeonLegalAffairsandtheInternalMarket(A5-0221/
2004),
(1) OJC321,31.12.2003,p.1.C104E/146 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Tuesday20April2004
TEXTPROPOSED
BYTHEUNITEDKINGDOMAMENDMENTS
BYPARLIAMENT
A. whereasitismuchmorecostlyandcomplicatedtosimplifyandimprovelegislationsubsequenttoan
event,ratherthantomapouttheconsequencesoflegislationclearlyfromtheoutsetand,thus,takingthemintoaccountwhendrawinguplegislation,
B. whereaseffectivedemocraticaccountabilityisonlypossibleifParliamenthassufficientinformationon
theconsequencesoflegislationonsocial,economicandenvironmentalaspects,
C. whereaslegislativetextsandtheirexplanatorymemorandadofrequentlyprovideinformationonthe
intendedpolicyobjectives,butincludenoinsightintothecostsinvolvedinimplementingandapply-ingthelegislation;whereassuchinsightcanresultinasavingofbillionsofeurosinthecostsincurredbybusinessesandindividuals,incomplyingwiththeirstatutorydutytosupplyinformationtogovern-ments, implementing agencies and others, namely, complying with the so-called ‘administrative
burden’; whereas reducing the administrative burden means making a significant contribution to
employmentinEuropeandtheLisbonobjectives,
D. whereastheaforementionedinterinstitutionalagreementaccordsanimportantroletoimpactassess-
mentinimprovingthequalityoflegislation;whereas,onthispoint,theagreementneedsfleshingoutingreaterdetail,
E. whereasimpactassessmentshouldnotbelimitedtoquantitativeelementssuchasthecostofthe
measures,butshouldalsotakeaccountofqualitativefactors,suchastheneedforthemeasures,socialrequirements,andthesafety,healthandpersonaldevelopmentofindividuals,
1. Notesthatthemethodusedatpresent,namelyimpactnotes,hassuppliednoinformationthathas
beenhelpfulinassessingtheconsequencesandcostsofproposedCommunitylegislation;accordingly,welcomestheCommission’sinitiativetoadoptasystematicimpactassessmentapproachofnewlegislation;
2. Definesimpactassessmentasastraightforwardmappingoutoftheconsequencesonsocial,econ-
omicandenvironmentalaspects,aswellasamappingoutofthepolicyalternativesthatareavailabletothelegislatorinthatscenario;
3. Pointsoutthatimpactassessmentisameansbywhichtoimprovelegislation;considersthatan
impactassessmentisinnowayasubstituteforthedemocraticdecision-makingprocess;notes,further,that experience in countries where impact assessment is carried out demonstrates that it results inimprovedlegislationandsimplifiesparliamentaryscrutiny;
4. ProposestoallowimpactassessmenttobecarriedoutoninitiativesthattheCommissionpresentsin
itsannualpolicystrategyoritsworkprogrammeandonParliamentandCouncilamendmentswhichwillhaveasubstantialimpactonsocial,economicandenvironmentalaspects;
5. Proposesthefollowingproceduretothatend:
(a) anylegislativeproposalbytheCommissionshouldbeaccompaniedbyaglobalestimateofthecosts
ofsuchlegislationonsocial,economicandenvironmentalaspects.Theestimatewillbedrawnupbytheofficialsresponsible,inconsultationwithanauditreportingdirectlytothePresidentoftheCom-mission;
(b) theglobalcostestimatewillbemonitoredbytheaudit;
(c) the Commission,CouncilandParliamentwilllaydown,inthe contextofimplementationofthe
aforementionedinterinstitutionalagreement,acostthresholdabovewhichanextendedimpactassess-mentshouldbecarriedout;
(d) ifitisestablishedthatalegislativeproposalexceedsthethreshold,theCommissionofficialsrespon-
siblewillassesstheimpactoftheproposedlegislationonsocial,economicandenvironmentalaspects,togetherwiththepolicyalternativesavailabletothelegislatorinthatscenario.Theprocessmustbemonitoredbytheaudit;theresultoftheinvestigationwillbereportedwiththelegislativeproposal;30.4.2004EN C104E/147 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Tuesday20April2004
(e) theresultsofcostassessmentsandimpactassessmentswillbeaddedtotheproposalandpublishedin
acentralplaceaccessibletoall;
(f) theCommissionwillonlysendParliamentproposalsaccompaniedbyacostassessmentandanimpact
assessment;
(g) amendmentsbyParliamentthatwillhaveanimpactonsocial,economicandenvironmentalaspects
willbesubmittedforcostassessmenttoanauditsetupwithwhateverreasonablemeansParliamenthasatitsdisposal.Ifittranspiresthattheamendmentexceedsthecostthresholdreferredtoinpara-graph(c),theauditwillcarryoutanimpactassessmentontheamendment.Theresultsofthecostassessmentandtheimpactassessmentwillbemadeavailabletotheparliamentarycommitteerespon-sibleandalsopublishedintheplacereferredtoinparagraph(e);
(h) theCouncilwillfollowacomparableprocedure,asdescribedinsubparagraph(g)andwillsetupan
auditintheCouncilSecretariat;
6. Pointsoutthattheproposedprocedurecomplieswithpracticalexperienceincountrieswhereimpact
assessmenthasbeencarriedoutforsomeconsiderabletime;
7. PointsoutfurtherthataCommunityimpactassessmentonlymakessenseiftheCommission,Coun-
cilandParliamentoperateinaccordancewiththesamesystemandwiththesamestandards;urgestheCommissionandCouncilaccordinglytoextendtheinterinstitutionalconsultationprocedurewiththeaimofreachingagreementbeforetheendoftheyearontheprocedureproposedinparagraph5;
8. Withtheaimoflimitingthecostsoftheimpactassessmentsystem,callsontheCommissionand
Counciltodevelop,jointlywithParliament,commoncriteriaforquantifyingtheexpenditurethatlegis-
lativeproposalsgenerate,bothintheEUasawholeandwithintheMemberStates;
9. TakesnoteoftheaforementionedCommissioncommunicationontheActionplan‘Simplifyingand
improvingtheregulatoryenvironment’;noteswithsatisfactionthattheCommissionismakingprogresswiththesimplificationofCommunitylegislation;voicesthehopethattheproblemsthattheCommissionhasidentifiedcanbeputrightinfuture;pointsoutthatsimplificationaftertheeventcouldhavebeenavoidedbytheconsistentapplicationofaproperimpactassessmentbeforehand;
10. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncilandtheCommission.
P5_TA(2004)0292
Equalopportunitiesforthedisabled
EuropeanParliamentlegislativeresolutionontheCommunicationfromtheCommissiontothe
Council,theEuropeanParliament,theEuropeanEconomicandSocialCommitteeandtheCom-
mitteeoftheRegions/dashEqualopportunitiesforpeoplewithdisabilities:AEuropeanActionPlan
(COM(2003)650/dashC5-0039/2004/dash2004/2004(INI))
TheEuropeanParliament ,
/dash havingregardtotheCommissioncommunication(COM(2003)650),/dash havingregardtotheCommissioncommunicationsonequalityofopportunityforpeoplewithdis-
abilities (COM(1996)406) and ‘Towards a barrier-free Europe for people with disabilities’(COM(2000)284),
/dash havingregardtoArticle13oftheTreatyofAmsterdamandDeclarationNo22annexedtothefinal
actofthattreaty,
/dash havingregardtotheCharterofFundamentalRightsoftheEuropeanUnionandinparticularArti-
cles21and26thereof,C104E/148 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Tuesday20April2004