P6_TA(2004)0109

Strategic political orientations

European Parliament resolution on the strategic political orientations of the Barroso Commission

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its decision of 22 July 2004 electing José Manuel Durão Barroso President of the Commission,

- having regard to its decision of 18 November 2004 electing the nominated European Commission [1] for the period 22 November 2004 to 31 October 2009,

- having regard to its resolution of 18 November 2004 on the election of the new Commission [2],

- having regard to the current framework agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the Commission, approved by the Conference of Presidents on 29 June 2000,

- having regard to the commitments made by the Commission on legislative programming and the associated timetable approved by the Conference of Presidents on 30 January 2002,

- having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas it is imperative that at the start of its term of office the new Commission should submit general policy guidelines on which it will base its strategy during the five years ahead and on the basis of which it will draw up its successive annual legislative programmes,

B. whereas the Commission's proposals for 2005-2009 should constitute a real roadmap for future action, enabling the Parliament to monitor, assess and judge progress made and the results achieved in the coming years,

C. whereas the installation of the new Commission is a development of great potential in the process of matching the European Union's policy priorities more closely to those of the citizens of Europe,

1. Believes that the central objectives of the 2004-2009 European Commission should be:

(i) to increase the competitiveness and dynamism of Europe's social-market economy, on the basis of sustainable development,

(ii) to ensure the cohesion and consolidation of Europe, underpinned by the success of enlargement,

(iii) to develop an area of freedom, security and justice, while protecting citizens' fundamental rights,

(iv) to make Europe a stronger and more effective force in building a safer and more prosperous world,

(v) to improve the quality of life of European citizens, and

(vi) to make Europe work better and bring it closer to the citizen;

A more competitive, more cohesive Europe

2. Invites Commission President Barroso to stand by, and deliver on, his key commitment to making Europe's increased competitiveness the top political priority of his term in office; believes that structural economic reform is central to "putting Europe to work", thus maximising the prospects for employment, investment and growth for European citizens;

3. Reiterates its support for the EU's Lisbon strategy as the best way of achieving a competitive European economy, and maintains that sustainable economic development should be the guiding principle for future policy;

4. Stresses, however, that the EU's Lisbon strategy currently addresses too many, often competing, objectives; urges the Commission, in the context of the Kok report and next spring's mid-term review, to invest significant political capital in streamlining and refocusing the Lisbon strategy on the central objective of generating sustainable growth and employment, with a more precise timetable for the achievement of its goals over the next five years;

5. Calls on the Commission to pursue the objective of strengthening and modernising the European model, stressing the interdependence of economic, social and environmental progress;

6. Points out that the visions of a stronger economy and of a better society are complementary, and that Europe's competitiveness strategy for the 21st century should be based on excellence in education, training and research, high-quality public services and infrastructure, social integration, better working conditions, a better work-life balance and a leading role in the world in terms of technologies and environmental standards;

7. Considers that, in light of the critical problem of ageing populations, together with that of intensifying international competition, the Commission should offer stronger leadership in proposing strategies to improve labour markets and encourage Member States to reform pensions;

8. Believes that special attention should be given in the EU's agenda for economic reform to specific further action to complete the single market, notably in the energy, transport, telecommunications and financial services sectors;

9. Calls on the Commission to put in place an internal market policy which gives priority to the interests of consumers and social cohesion; believes that the adoption of social and environmental standards should be encouraged and particular attention paid to the rights of consumers, and that the development of the internal market should not be at odds with citizens' rights to services of general interest that are accessible and of a high quality;

10. Recalls that active participation in the labour market makes a substantial contribution to a decent standard of living, regional development and social cohesion, although investment in education and research, as well as government action in cases of serious market failure, also have a key role to play;

11. Believes that, if Europe is to emerge as a genuinely "knowledge-based" economy and society, higher priority will need to be given by the EU and its Member States to investing in knowledge and skills through better education and life-long learning;

12. Affirms that cohesion is a fundamental principle of the Treaties and of the future European Constitution which strengthens relations between Europe and its regions and reinforces economic, social and territorial cohesion; reaffirms that the financial instruments for achieving the Union's objectives, including cohesion, should be adequately funded;

13. Believes that the Commission should give greater priority to the development of a credible regional policy for all the Member States; believes that the structural and cohesion funds should contribute positively to reducing regional disparities, modernising the European economy, and ensuring regional and social cohesion;

14. Believes firmly that a robust and dynamic economic environment can only be established if the new Commission commits itself to reviewing the Stability and Growth Pact so as to ensure that it combines the role of providing a strong bulwark against fiscal irresponsibility with that of offering the necessary flexibility to ensure that Europe maximises its growth potential without endangering price stability;

An area of freedom, security and justice

15. Believes that the domestic and international fight against terrorism and organised crime — and the structures which sustain them — is critical to building a safer Europe for its citizens; believes that Europe should pursue a stronger common approach to security and an effective, coordinated counter-terrorism policy; stresses the importance in this process of ensuring the right balance between the requirements of law enforcement and the protection of fundamental freedoms and personal data;

16. Believes that the Commission should as a matter of urgency continue work on clearer common definitions of certain serious crimes with a cross-border dimension — notably terrorism, trafficking in drugs and human beings, money laundering, and cyber crime — backed by agreed minimum sentencing rules, where appropriate;

17. Invites the Commission to attach much higher priority to securing closer coordination of the police, judiciary and intelligence agencies of the Member States as a central prerequisite for effective policy in this field; calls for stronger EU measures to enable the freezing of the assets of and the cutting off of funds from individuals involved in terrorism and other serious crimes;

18. Invites the Commission to come forward with further proposals to strengthen Europol and Eurojust, while ensuring full parliamentary accountability and respect for data protection standards;

19. Endorses the need for greater clarity in respect of the right of asylum, for quicker procedures for determining who qualifies for asylum and for the conclusion of readmission agreements with third countries; calls for clearer distinctions between, and differentiated treatment of, asylum seekers, economic migrants and temporary refugees in time of war; believes that the Commission should promote a fair common asylum and immigration policy backed by an active policy of social inclusion and integration; highlights the need for more coherent and consistent visa rules, and for effective partnerships with third countries to reduce illegal immigration at source;

20. Highlights the continuing need for action to strengthen the EU's external borders, backed by the creation of a European corps of border guards;

21. Calls for the establishment of a European Agency for fundamental rights to monitor their application effectively;

22. Asks the Commission to take all necessary action to ensure the adoption of a proper third-pillar data protection instrument which would guarantee the same standards as those already established in other fields by Community law;

23. Believes in the importance of continuing the integrated approach, based on the Community method, in the field of Justice and Home Affairs, as set out in the Tampere and Hague programmes;

A stronger Europe in a safer world

24. Believes that, in the interests of prosperity and peace, it is important that Europe use the next five years to project stability among its neighbours, promote democracy, human rights and good governance around the world, extend international free trade, and encourage sustainable development; believes that the promotion of regional stability and democracy is a distinct added value which the EU can offer to the international community, often with striking success; believes that every effort should me made in this process to give more consistency and coherence to the external actions of the Union;

25. Attaches great importance to the recently launched New Neighbourhood and Wider Europe policies and believes that these new policies can be powerful tools in promoting stability, prosperity, human rights, democracy, good governance and the rule of law in Europe and its immediate neighbourhood, including the Mediterranean; considers that the Northern Dimension of such policies also needs to be given new impetus;

26. Reaffirms its commitment to the continuing enlargement of the Union in accordance with the principles laid down in the Treaties and European Council decisions; stresses the individual merits of the candidate countries in fulfilling the membership criteria;

27. Reaffirms that multilateralism remains the best way to identify and meet threats, achieve global peace and security and, indeed, combat climate change; calls for continuous support, therefore, for the creation and implementation of multilateral instruments by the EU within the framework of the United Nations;

28. Believes that the Commission should continue to recast EU development policy as a vehicle for (i) advancing democracy, human rights and good governance in less advantaged nations, and (ii) achieving economic progress, sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals, in a process underpinned by greater conditionality, coherence and decentralisation of assistance programmes; believes that the EU and its Member States should aim to increase total spending on development aid to 0,7 % of GDP by 2015;

29. Calls upon the transatlantic partners actively to support and strengthen international institutions, to reaffirm the value of international law, and to work together to define a common agenda for reform, particularly of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions, in order to strengthen their effectiveness, credibility and democratic legitimacy;

30. Calls on the Commission to strengthen and adapt to today's challenges its partnership strategies with the present leading global actors, in particular the United States, with which the Commission must create conditions fostering closer cooperation, particularly in:

- the fight against terrorism and the causes of terrorism, while striving for fair globalisation that is respectful of human rights, democracy and sustainable development;

- the revitalisation of the Middle East peace process with a view to the recognition of a viable Palestinian State and a guarantee of Israel's security;

- the successful launch of the new Doha Development Round, believing that any failure could have serious implications for the future credibility of the multilateral free-trade system; and

- the removal of the remaining barriers to transatlantic trade and investment, based on a joint commitment at the 2005 EU-US Summit to completing the transatlantic market by 2015;

A better quality of life

31. Calls on the Commission to work, in the domestic policy field, to increase the quality of life in Europe through policies designed to:

- enable citizens to take full advantage of their freedom to work, study and travel within the EU;

- build a society in which all citizens enjoy equal opportunities, in which the rights and freedoms of the disabled are respected, and in which poverty is reduced;

- enhance air quality in our towns and water quality in our rivers and on our coasts;

- improve food safety and other safeguards for the consumer;

- promote more efficient and self-sufficient energy use, backed by trans-European energy networks and greater security of supply;

- pursue an active transport policy, based on the balanced liberalisation of markets, improvement of infrastructure links and the continued promotion of safety; and

- encourage sustainable farming and fisheries, protect our countryside, rivers and seas, and bring new life to rural and coastal areas;

32. Urges the Commission to redouble its efforts, in particular, to secure global action on climate change, moving to Phase II of the Kyoto Protocol, whilst exploring increased ways of developing market mechanisms for tackling this and other environmental challenges;

33. Invites the Commission to sustain the significant progress that has already been made in reforming the Common Agricultural Policy, whose effect is, and should be, to make the policy more open, efficient, decentralised, market-responsive and consumer- and environment-friendly; calls for continued parallel reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, including the creation of a European Fisheries Fund;

A Europe that works better and is closer to the citizen

34. Invites the Commission to come forward with innovative ideas for giving greater substance to the concept of European citizenship, so that Europe delivers visible benefit to real people in their daily lives;

35. Encourages the Commission to accelerate work in the field of better law-making, with a view to:

(i) simplifying and reducing the volume of existing legislation,

(ii) ensuring that consistent principles are applied in the drafting of new legislation, and

(iii) ecuring agreed procedures between EU institutions for the prior assessment of the likely impact of all substantive legislative proposals;

36. Believes that the EU should focus more than in the past on the effective implementation of existing law; calls on the Commission to take speedier, more consistent action in ensuring the proper transposition and enforcement of EU law in Member States, with more pro-active legal action against being taken against serious offences;

37. Believes that the financial perspectives already proposed by the Commission for the period post-2006 should take proper account of developments since last spring, reflect the new Commission's priorities (in line with this resolution), and run for a financing period in line with the length of the mandates of the Parliament and the Commission;

38. Stresses the need for the Commission to continue its internal reform drive, with a view to turning its administration into a world-class international civil service that uses modern management practices and offers full openness and accountability in the use of public money;

39. Demands that the specific commitments made at the hearings of the Commissioners designate regarding possible conflicts of interest be adhered to and feature in any new code of conduct agreed between the Parliament and the Commission;

40. Underlines the important role of the Commission in communicating to citizens why Europe matters and what Europe is trying to achieve; believes that the Commission should draw up, as a matter of urgency, an appropriate communication and campaign strategy which presents the new Constitution to Europe's citizens in as clear, fair and understandable a way as possible;

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41. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

[1] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0064.

[2] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0063.

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