RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE OF THE EEA adopted at the second meeting in Helsinki 26 and 27 April 1994

THE EEA JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE,

I. The four freedoms

A. calls on the Member States of the European Union and the EEA/EFTA States to implement the EEA Agreement and its additional package according to the given timetable;

B. calls on the EEA Joint Committee to issue an interim report on the functioning and development of the EEA Agreement;

C. invites the EEA Council to decide on the basis of Article 121 on the compatibility of the Liechtenstein/Swiss regional union with the good functioning of the EEA Agreement;

With regard to free movement of goods

D. invites the EEA Council on the basis of Article 9 (c) of the EEA Agreement to review the rules of origin, with the aim of developing all-European cumulation rules, in order to facilitate and expand trade relations between the European Union, the EFTA and the central and eastern European countries;

E. calls on the EEA Council to harmonize the rules on outward processing of textiles;

F. calls on the Commission of the European Communities to submit proposals for appropriate measures in order to ensure uniform enviroment standards of a high level for motor vehicles in all EEA Member States from 1 January 1995;

G. requests the EEA Joint Committee to give information as to whether the recent decision to introduce minimum prices for imported fish is covered by the EEA Agreement;

H. regrets recent actions to impose barriers on imports of fishery and paper products and calls on the Commission to prevent such barriers in the future;

I. looks favourably upon requests for derogations from provisions on the maximum length and weight of vehicles used domestically primarily for forestry purposes;

J. expresses its concern about the blockade of European borders in northern Greece with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia which disturbs free movement of goods, not only with third countries, but also within the EEA, and awaits with interest the ruling of the European Court of Justice;

With regard to the free movement of persons

K. considers the free movement of workers as a crucial right within the EEA Agreement and urges the European Commission to ensure the immediate implementation of Article 7 (a) of the Treaty on European Union (free movement of persons);

L. stresses the need for efficient implementation of a system of coordination of national social security schemes;

M. underlines that the necessity of effectively implementing the system of mutual recognition of diplomas and calls on the EEA Joint Committee to deal with this matter urgently;

N. calls for action to facilitate access to universities in the EEA by ensuring that students from other EEA countries cannot be charged higher tuition costs and fees than nationals of the country concerned;

O. invites the authorities concerned to undertake measures to promote the free movement of persons by liberalizing border passport controls for citizens in the EEA countries;

With regard to the free movement of capital

P. invites the European Commission to submit proposals for measures to secure efficient cross-border capital transactions and payments.

II. Competition policy

A. underlines the importance to be given to the application of the rules for fair competition on the territory of the EEA and the achievement, without delay, of the harmonization of practices with regard to competition as foreseen by the Agreement;

B. draws the attention of the economic and political authorities of the EEA countries to the necessity to change certain practices. The obligation for notification of projects for State aids must be applied;

C. underlines to the authorities of the European Union the importance of the efforts required by the EFTA countries. These efforts will ensure the success of the EEA Agreement and the possible integration of certain EFTA States into the European Union within a reasonable period of time;

D. stresses the need for both the Commission of the European Communities and the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) to assure a homogeneous application of competition rules in order to avoid 'forum shopping`;

E. welcomes the speediness of the ESA to start its activities after the ratification of the EEA Agreement and underlines the importance of a close coordination of ESA activities with those of the Commission of the European Communities;

F. the successful implementation and application of EEA competition rules depend to a large extent on the level and quality of information given to the economic operators;

G. invites, therefore, the ESA and the Commission of the European Communities to provide an information campaign, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, on practical issues of applied EEA competition law, on State aids and on public procurement. This handbook could be used by the economic operators in the interest of transparency;

H. invites the ESA to work out an inventory of sectoral and regional aid systems applied in the EEA/EFTA States and to submit this inventory to the EEA JPC;

I. asks the ESA and the Commission of the European Communities to investigate the competitive situation in certain sensitive industries like telecommunications, air transport, shipbuilding, interest rates in private banking, retail prices for automobiles, salmon fish farming and to analyse the application of competition law in the field of public procurement. The results of these investigations should be made available to the EEA JPC;

J. expresses the opinion that the competition rules of the EEA should not be interpreted in a manner which would endanger the aims of the alcohol policies for the protection of public health in the Nordic countries;

K. urges the EEA Council to seek a solution to the problems of jurisdiction which have prevented the investigation of a complaint concerning aids to salmon farming.

III. Horizontal policies and flanking measures

A. welcomes the full participation of the social partners of all the EEA Contracting Parties in the Social Dialogue;

B. expresses the firm hope that appropriate modalities of participation for the EEA/EFTA States will soon allow them to be fully associated in the European Union programmes for elderly and handicapped people (Helius II) as well as in the activities of the Dublin Foundation;

C. encourages the social partners at European level to play a positive role in combating unemployment and promoting a more employment-intensive growth pattern;

D. emphasises the importance of developing and promoting equality of opportunity between women and men in employment and labour market policies; as well as in education and training, research and development;

E. supports the formalization of cooperation between the EFTA Consumers Consultative Committee and the EU Consumers Consultative Council within the framework EEA Agreement;

F. invites the Commission of the European Communities and the EFTA Standing Committee to work out jointly a Green Book on European consumer protection in order to evaluate the necessary elements of future EEA legislation in this matter;

G. supports the principle and the introduction of a CO2/energy tax and expects the materialization of broad EEA cooperation in the follow-up to the EU Fifth Enviroment Action Programme and on climate change policy issues;

H. supports the participation of the EEA/EFTA States in the activities of the European Enviroment Agency;

I. emphasizes that the aim of the common enviromental measures within the EEA should be to reach a level of enviroment protection that ensures an ecologically sustainable development;

J. underlines the importance of extending the EEA Agreement in order to include in it the EU Fourth Framework Programme on Research and Development;

K. hopes that a decision be taken soon by the EEA Joint Committee extending the EEA Agreement in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to full participation of the EEA/EFTA States in the programme, to ensure the continuity and consolidation of policy for SMEs;

L. supports the integration of all EFTA/EEA partners in the strategic projects of the audio-visual and telecommunication programmes;

M. expects that the new EU programmes on education will be adopted according to the foreseen time-schedule in order to allow for participation of the EEA/EFTA States;

N. encourages full participation of the EEA/EFTA States in the EU Action Plan for Tourism.