B4-0685, 0686, 0687, 0688, 0689, 0690 and 0691/98

Resolution on the outcome of the meeting of the European Council in Cardiff on 15-16 June 1998

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the conclusions of the meeting of the European Council in Cardiff on 15-16 June 1998,

1. Notes the decision of the Heads of State or Government to embark on institutional reform in the broad sense in order to pave the way for rapid enlargement in keeping with the wishes expressed by Parliament;

2. Reiterates that it is willing to help prepare the reforms, for which a detailed timetable must be drawn up;

3. Reaffirms its commitment to bring Europe closer to citizens; points to the consequent need for greater integration in the spheres of the CFSP, home affairs and justice;

4. Takes note of the holding of an informal summit during the Austrian Presidency in October 1998 to review ways of making the EU more vital and more accessible to people, more efficient and better prepared for enlargement; in this context, asks the European Council to focus on enhancing democratic legitimacy and defining subsidiarity as a dimension of European integration;

Economic policy

5. Welcomes the fact that the Cardiff European Council, in bringing forward the process decided in Luxembourg, considered the national employment plans, thus contributing to speeding up the process through their implementation; calls on the Member States urgently to improve and to implement the national employment plans and the measures contained in them;

6. Notes the orientations to guide the European Council's future work on employment which should include the strengthening of action on equal opportunities, but asks nevertheless that these orientations be translated into specific proposals for action;

7. Calls on the Commission and the Council to work in parallel in developing both the employment and the macro-economic guidelines, in order to transform the expected sustained growth into jobs;

8. Welcomes the fact that the social partners were invited to an exchange of views with the troika on the eve of the European Council and welcomes the intention of the Austrian Presidency to organize in November 1998 a seminar with the social partners to explore further ways of improving social dialogue;

9. Notes that the Commission's draft recommendation on the broad economic policy guidelines was watered down even before it was submitted to the European Council and no longer includes recommendations for each individual country, even though closer coordination of Member States' economic policies is required in the context of the smooth functioning of Economic and Monetary Union;

Enlargement/Agenda 2000

10. Notes that the Cardiff European Council has simply proposed an outline timetable for the Agenda 2000 proposals on developing the reform of the CAP, the Structural and Cohesion Funds and future financing, and calls in this connection for the Vienna European Council in December 1998 to reach an overall political agreement on these issues, thereby enabling the completion of the legislative procedures on all aspects of Agenda 2000 in good time before the next European elections;

Environment

11. With regard to the report prepared by the Commission on the integration of environment and sustainability into other policies as an overall topic, asks the Council to request the Commission to propose binding legislation on the integration of environment and sustainability and on consumer protection in the form of a framework Directive, and that progress in this field should be further evaluated and appropriate decisions taken at the Vienna European Council in December 1998;

Justice and Home Affairs

12. Takes note of the Council's intention to develop a new drugs strategy for 2000-2004 and urges the Council to inform and consult Parliament about this and any other initiative it may take in future with third countries in the field of Justice and Home Affairs;

13. Regrets that, against all justified expectations, Europol will not be operational from 1 July 1998 since this requires not only the Convention but also the Protocol to be fully ratified; regrets once again the absence of any progress on the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and on parliamentary scrutiny concerning the Europol Convention;

External issues

14. Calls on the Council and the Member States to do their utmost to bring about the creation of a credible, effective and independent International Criminal Court at the diplomatic conference that opened in Rome on 15 June 1998;

15. Notes the overall conclusions of the EU/US Summit of 18 May 1998, in particular the developments concerning the Helms Burton/D¨Amato Acts, while regretting the shortcomings of the compromise reached on this issue; reiterates its strong opposition to extra-territorial laws of this nature and calls for consolidation of the European common position on this matter;

16. Commends the common decision set down in the Declaration adopted at the Cardiff European Council on Kosovo and the European Council's promotion of a full range of options allowing for a strong and rapid response to the developing situation in close coordination with other international organizations;

17. Applauds the efforts undertaken in the Middle East by the British Presidency and the United States to persuade all the parties concerned to support the American proposals put forward at the recent meetings in London;

18. Invites the Council to reply positively and rapidly to the new South African trade proposals, by itself improving the trading offer vis-à-vis South Africa to allow a rapid and fair conclusion of negotiations;

Other issues

19. Very warmly welcomes the conclusions of the European Council concerning the peace process in Ireland and keenly hopes that that process can continue to evolve in the right direction, thanks in particular to the provision of appropriate financial resources and solidarity on the part of European countries;

20. Urges the Council to support fully a common statute for MEPs as provided for in the Amsterdam Treaty; in the meantime, commits itself to establishing a system whereby all allowances for MEPs reflect actual costs;

21. Is disappointed that, following the recent ruling of the Court of Justice on legal bases for the authorization of expenditure by the Commission, the Council and the Commission did not take a decision on the legal bases required to implement the EU's priority programmes and projects which qualify for funding under these programmes and which have a particularly positive impact among the people of Europe; calls on the Council to agree, within the framework of the trialogue, on intermediate measures in order to guarantee the financing of vital projects;

22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the parliaments of the Member States.