19. Points out that such decisions may actually weaken the EU's negotiating position on market access in
WTO negotiations;
20. Emphasises that this decision should not serve as a precedent for other sectors, such as rice;21. Rejects any moves to impose export quotas and tariffs on EU agricultural production;22. Demands that third country operators be subjected to the same stringent controls as EU producers;
23. Calls on the Commission to undertake a stock-taking exercise of possible supply management and
food security measures which could avoid further extreme volatility of feed and food prices and unsustain-
able competition between food and fuel production;
Global food insecurity
24. Is mindful that reduced world food stocks have a serious and particular impact on low-income food-
deficit countries in the developing world, with the total cereal imports bill for these countries forecast toincrease considerably to an all-time high of USD 28 billion in 2007/2008, up approximately 14 % from lastyear's already high level;
25. Notes that, overall, developing countries will spend a record USD 52 billion on cereal imports in
2007/2008;
26. Calls on the Commission to analyse carefully the effects of supply shortages of cereals and oil seeds
on the most vulnerable food producers and consumers in the EU and third countries, including proposalsfor instruments and measures to prevent disruptions of food supply and the inflationary effects of furtherprice increases;
27. Calls on the Commission to undertake an in-depth analysis of world market trends, including the
increased demand for food in developing countries, in order to consider, as part of the CAP Health Check,the creation of permanent mechanisms to guarantee an adequate market supply in future;
28. Calls on the Commission to take all necessary measures to guarantee a sustainable agriculture which
is able to contribute to significant reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions and guarantee food sovereigntyfor the Member States;
*
**
29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
P6_TA(2007)0481
Special Measure 2007 for Iraq
European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2007 on the draft Commission decision establishing
a Special Measure 2007 for Iraq
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (1),
(1) OJ L 378, 27.12.2006, p. 41.C 263 E/624 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
Thursday 25 October 2007
— having regard to the draft Commission decision establishing a Special Measure 2007 for Iraq
(CMT-2007-2245),
— having regard to the opinion delivered on 8 October 2007 by the committee referred to in
Article 35(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the DCI management
committee ’),
— having regard to Article 8 of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the proce-
dures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (1),
— having regard to Rule 81 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, on 8 October 2007, the DCI management committee voted in favour of a draft Commission
decision establishing a Special Measure for Iraq for 2007 (CMT-2007-2245),
B. whereas, pursuant to Article 7(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC and point 1 of the Agreement between the
European Parliament and the Commission on procedures for implementing Council Decision1999/468/EC (
2) the European Parliament received the draft implementing measure submitted to the
DCI management committee and the results of voting,
C. whereas Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 stipulates that ‘the primary and overarching
objective of cooperation under this Regulation shall be the eradication of poverty in partner countriesand regions in the context of sustainable development ’,
D. whereas Article 2(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 stipulates that ‘measures referred to in
Article 1(1) (
3) shall be designed so as to fulfil the criteria for Official Development Assistance (ODA)
established by the [Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperationand Development (OECD/DAC)] ’,
E. whereas, in its Reporting Directives for the Creditor Reporting System of 2002 (DCD/DAC(2002)21),
the OECD/DAC defined ODA as financial flows to countries on its list of ODA recipients for which,inter alia, ‘each transaction is administered with the promotion of the economic development and
welfare of developing countries as its main objective ’,
F. whereas Article 23(1) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 stipulate respectively that
(Article 23(1)) ‘in the event of unforeseen and duly justified needs or circumstances related to natural
disasters, civil strife or crises, and which cannot be funded under Regulation (EC) No 1717/2006 orRegulation (EC) No 1257/96, the Commission shall adopt special measures not provided for in thestrategy papers or multiannual indicative programmes (hereinafter referred to as “special measures ”)’,
that ‘special measures may also be used to fund measures to ease the transition from emergency aid
to long-term development operations including those to better prepare people to deal with recurringcrises ’, and that (Article 23(3)) ‘where the cost of such measures exceeds EUR 10 million, the Commis-
sion shall adopt them under the management procedure referred to in Article 35(2) ’,
1. Takes the view that, in the draft Special Measure for Iraq for 2007, the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) are not clearly presented as a main priority; considers that this is not in compliance withArticle 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 as the pursuit of the MDGs is established therein as one ofthe overarching principles of cooperation under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI);
(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. Decision as amended by Decision 2006/512/EC (OJ L 200, 22.7.2006, p. 11).
(2) Agreement between the European Parliament and the Commission on procedures for implementing Council Decision
1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred onthe Commission (OJ L 256, 10.10.2000, p. 19).
(
3) Article 1(1): The Community shall finance measures aimed at supporting cooperation with developing countries, territories and
regions ( …).16.10.2008 EN C 263 E/625 Official Journal of the European Union
Thursday 25 October 2007
2. Takes the view that, in the draft Special Measure for Iraq for 2007, the Commission exceeds the
implementing powers laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 by selecting as one of the areas ofintervention a ‘Feasibility Study for the Akkas Gas Field ’, the overall objective of which is ‘to study the
conditions for exploration of the Akkas Gas Field in western Iraq in view of linking its output to the Syriangas pipeline network ’, and further ‘to integrate this project if possible in the workings of the Euro-Arab
Mashreq Gas Market Project ’; points out that ‘the study will take into consideration the future interest of
the Mashreq neighbours and of the EU in integrating the output of the wells into the Euro-Mashreq gasmarket ’, and that ‘this integration will open a large potential market for the Akkas fields' production and
allow a first integration of the Iraq natural gas with the regional and European market ’, and therefore
considers that this objective is not in compliance with Article 2(1) and (4) of Regulation (EC)No 1905/2006, in that the primary objective of the proposed Special Measures is not the eradication ofpoverty and in that the stated objectives do not fulfil the criteria for ODA established by the OECD/DAC;
3. Calls on the Commission to withdraw or amend its draft decision establishing Special Measure for
Iraq, and to submit to the DCI management committee a new draft decision fully complying with theprovisions of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006;
4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the representatives of
the Member States in the DCI management committee, and to the parliaments and governments of theMember States.
P6_TA(2007)0482
EU-Serbia relations
European Parliament recommendation to the Council of 25 October 2007 on relations between the
European Union and Serbia (2007/2126(INI))
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to the proposal for a recommendation to the Council by Jelko Kacin on behalf of the
ALDE Group on relations between the European Union and Serbia (B6-0202/2007),
— having regard to its resolution of 29 September 2005 on the defence of multi-ethnicity in Vojvodina (1),
— having regard to the report of 2 March 2005 on the fact-finding mission by its ad hoc delegation to
Vojvodina and Belgrade,
— having regard to the establishment of the Republic of Serbia as the successor to the State Union of
Serbia and Montenegro following a referendum in Montenegro on 21 May 2006 in which indepen-dence was favoured,
— having regard to the new Serbian constitution adopted by popular referendum on 28-29 October
2006,
— having regard to the Commission's 2006 Progress Report on Serbia of 8 November 2006
(SEC(2006)1389),
(1) OJ C 227 E, 21.9.2006, p. 620.C 263 E/626 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
Thursday 25 October 2007