European Parliament resolution on the US Senate's rejection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
Date: 1999-10-28
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: United States, international agreement, nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear test, nuclear weapon, ratification of an agreement

5.6.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 154/141

Thursday 28 October 1999

11.
Is of the opinion that large companies which seek to limit employment for specific reasons should
do so within the framework of a medium- or long-term corporate industrial strategy that justifies the
decision and provides for appropriate social measures;

Calls for worker representatives to be included in consultations concerning restructuring and in the

12.
preparation and, where appropriate, the organisation thereof;

Points out that, at European level, consultation with worker representatives is provided for only in
13.
the case of collective redundancies and therefore calls on the Council to adopt the directive concerning the
information and consultation of workers;

14.
Calls on the Commission to draw up urgently an evaluation of the application of the directive on
collective redundancies and company closures and to make proposals for effective sanctions, in the event
of non-observance, and to propose improvements to the directive to make it more effective in protecting
jobs and defending employees; also calls on the Commission so to reform Community legislation and its
directives that the issues referred to in this resolution are taken into consideration;

15.
Recalls that Council Directive 98/0059/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the approximation of the
laws of the Member States relating to collective redundancies and Council Directive 94/0045/EC of 22 Sep-
tember 1994 concerning the creation of works councils or procedures for informing and consulting work-
ers in Community-scale undertakings or groups of undertakings must be respected;

16.
Insists that the Commission should expedite its review of Directive 94/0045/EC, in particular to
strengthen information and consultation so that it takes place before decision-making, during the planning
stage, so as to ensure that information and consultation are effective and that influence can be exercised;
calls, furthermore, for the directive to be completed in order to speed up the rate of installation of these
Works Councils and to give them the capacity to operate autonomously;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments

17.
and parliaments of the Member States and the representatives of the two sides of industry.

9. Nuclear test ban treaty

B5-0198, 0200, 0202 and 0203/1999

European Parliament resolution on the US Senate’s rejection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT)

The European Parliament,

2 having regard to the final declaration unanimously adopted at the CTB Conference in Vienna on

8 October 1999,

2 having regard to the decision of the US Senate on 13 October 1999 to reject the CTBT,

2 having regard to the declarations made by the UN Secretary-General, by the Tampere European Coun-
cil and by various heads of state and government, including the US President, concerning this decision
of the US Senate,

2 having regard to its earlier resolutions on nuclear disarmament, nuclear proliferation and nuclear test-
ing, including its resolution of 19 November 1998 on the New Agenda Coalition on Nuclear Disarma-
ment (1),

(1)

OJ C 379, 7.12.1998, p. 261

C 154/142

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

5.6.2000

Thursday 28 October 1999

A. whereas the United States Senate has voted down the global treaty banning nuclear tests, designed to

halt the spread of nuclear weapons,

B. whereas it is the first time the US Senate has rejected a nuclear arms control pact,

C. whereas in the US (as well as in Europe) numerous polls have shown that there is overwhelming

public support for ending nuclear testing,

D. whereas the CTBT has already been signed by more than 150 countries, but cannot come into force

until it is ratified by all 44 countries judged to have nuclear capability,

E.

F.

noting that apart from the US, seventeen other states have not yet ratified the CTBT, amongst them
the Russian Federation, China, Iran, Israel, India, Pakistan and the People’s Republic of Korea,

emphasising that the decision by the US Senate not to ratify the CTBT may have serious consequences
as at the time of the renewal of the Non-Proliferation Treaty for an indefinite period the prospect of
the entry into force of the CTBT played a crucial role,

G. noting that the Treaty rejection was made despite an open letter in the ‘New York Times’ on 8 October
1999 in which French President Chirac, British Prime Minister Blair and German Chancellor Schroeder
together called on the USA to ratify the CTBT;

1.
Strongly criticises the US Senate’s irresponsible attitude with its vote on 13 October 1999 to reject
ratification of the CTBT; welcomes, however, the declaration by President Clinton that the US will in the
meantime continue its policy of not conducting any nuclear testing;

2.
Reminds the US Senate and the international community that such non-ratification could have ser-
ious consequences for the fragile worldwide system of treaties against the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and therefore for world security; for that reason, remains convinced that the CTBT is strongly
in the interest of all states as an essential barrier to the proliferation of nuclear weapons;

Calls upon all states that have not yet signed the Treaty to sign it without delay and in the meantime

3.
to refrain from acts that would defeat its object and purpose;

Furthermore, urges all those states which have yet to ratify to do so rapidly, in particular those

4.
seventeen states whose ratification is necessary to bring the Treaty into force;

Above all, and most importantly, urges the US Senate to re-examine the matter with a view to

5.
obtaining US ratification of the CTBT without delay;

6.
Calls on the Presidency of the Council to ensure that these issues are raised during the forthcoming
EU-US Summit, stressing EU support for the ABM Treaty and the CTBT, and further calls on the Com-
mission and Council to raise CTBT ratification at all future bilateral meetings with US counterparts until
the Treaty is ratified;

Calls on the EU, its Member States and the applicant countries to take up the challenge of adopting a

7.
leadership role in all issues of nuclear disarmament;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of

8.
the Member States, the US Government and the US Senate.