A4-0087/98

Resolution on the Commission proposals for Council Decisions on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions contained in the accession partnerships (COM(98)0053 - C4-0130/98)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposals for Council Decisions on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions contained in the accession partnerships with Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia (COM(98)0053 - C4-0130/98),

- having regard to its resolution of 4 December 1997 on the Communication from the Commission 'Agenda 2000 - for a stronger and wider Union' ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 3(a).)),

- having regard to its opinion of 11 March 1998 on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) on assistance to the applicant countries in central and eastern Europe in the framework of the pre-accession strategy ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 1(a).)),

- having regard to the report of its Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy (A4-0087/98),

A. whereas the accession partnerships are a cornerstone of the pre-accession strategy given that they will help the applicant countries to satisfy the political and economic conditions laid down by the Copenhagen European Council,

B. whereas financial aid, as an integration incentive for political, economic and social reform processes, should safeguard stability in Europe,

C. whereas the assistance to be provided by the Union should be organized within a single framework for each country, since this will enable the financial resources available to be administered more efficiently,

D. whereas priorities as concerns the political criteria in the short term are lacking for many of the countries, despite the fact that problems with human and civil rights persist in all the applicant countries, including the ones that are judged by the Commission to meet both the political and economic criteria in the medium term,

E. whereas the partnerships cannot be fully implemented unless the partners respect democratic principles, the rule of law, human rights, and protection of minorities; and whereas a partnership would have to be suspended if the country concerned failed to make continuous progress towards the fulfilment of any one of the above conditions,

F. whereas, given the great political significance of the instruments in question, Parliament should be fully briefed on the manner of giving effect to the individual partnerships and any measure seeking to alter them, including financial, economic, or budgetary control measures,

G. aware of the necessity to exercise proper parliamentary control on the main aspects of the accession process, both by the European Parliament and by the parliaments of the applicant states, and underlining that the EU is expected to function as a model in this respect for the parliaments of the CEECs;

H. whereas the accession partnerships appear to have been drawn up according to a general blueprint and consequently do not adequately match the circumstances and specific needs of the different countries,

I. whereas a more decentralized management of structural funding and interventions will be necessary in order to tailor the level of investments to local and regional needs, to use structural measures more cost-effectively, more efficiently and with more sustainable results and to increase the absorptive capacity of the applicant states,

1. Regrets that the Commission and Council have refused formally to consult Parliament and hence, even though Parliament is the body that will be called upon to give its assent once the accession negotiations have been concluded, have debarred it from delivering a legislative opinion on the draft Decisions;

2. Asks to be formally invited to give its opinion in future, before any decision entailing a possible change to the accession partnerships is taken which affects the general principles, priorities and conditions, and undertakes to express its views within a period of six weeks;

3. Regrets the fact that some of the points to which it drew attention in its abovementioned resolution of 4 December 1997 are included among the objectives to be attained in the medium term, although the measures in question are a matter of high political priority (especially the measures relating to the rule of law and the workings of the democratic system, such as respect for the Constitution, the rights of the opposition and civil liberties, equal access to public services, the fight against corruption, police accountability, guarantees regarding the independence of the judiciary and the media), and asks the Commission to revise the various partnership agreements on this point in order to ensure that the applicant Member States make every effort to attain acceptable levels as regards their respect for the rule of law and democracy in the short-term;

4. Calls for abolition of the death penalty to be inserted in the short-term objectives for all applicant countries concerned;

5. Calls on the Commission to develop a strategy for human rights in each country and set clear targets, both short and medium-term, within the framework of its strategy;

6. Regrets in addition that a great many points described in Parliament's abovementioned resolution of 4 December 1997 as essential or indeed a sine qua non, including for example more efficient public services, are not specifically mentioned in the accession partnerships;

7. Considers that to ensure compliance with the acquis communautaire, particular attention should be devoted to the workings of the legal system in the applicant countries, with particular regard to the revision of the civil and penal codes and the provision of new training courses for magistrates and barristers;

8. Asks the Commission to introduce, where appropriate, as a short-term priority the creation of conditions to make the abolishment of visa requirements feasible;

9. Asks the Commission that financial means will, where necessary, also be available for sectors which are of urgent interest to the people, as for instance public health care;

10. Stresses the need to establish efficient border management and control at external borders of the applicant countries;

11. Underlines that the development and implementation of a fair policy regarding minorities should be a short-term as well as a medium-term objective;

12. Calls for a new priority setting in the short term in the field of 'institution building' so as to strengthen regional and local authorities as well as to involve the population affected and the two sides of industry in the allocation of structural funding;

13. Is aware of the great variety as to the economic conditions which characterise the applicant countries and calls upon the Commission to give proper attention to the comments from the Parliament;

14. Points out that most of the projected measures will demand a very considerable legislative and administrative effort on the part of the applicant countries and the timetable laid down by the Commission will therefore be difficult to meet;

15. Notes that, after 'Agenda 2000' was published, most of the applicant countries unveiled action plans setting out all of the measures to be taken to satisfy the Commission's observations; calls upon the Commission to take account of the reactions elicited from those countries in developing the accession partnerships;

16. Takes the view that the accession partnerships should enhance cross-border cooperation in all sectors, especially at the external frontiers of the Union, thereby demonstrating to public opinion the aims and benefits of enlargement;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the applicant countries.