European Parliament resolution on the state of the transatlantic dialogue
Date: 2001-05-17
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU relations, United States, climate change, economic relations, international cooperation, international security, summit meeting, trade relations

7.2.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 34 E/359

Thursday 17 May 2001

7. State of the transatlantic dialogue

B5-0345, 0347, 0348 and 0353/2001

European Parliament resolution on the state of the transatlantic dialogue

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication, Reinforcing the Transatlantic Relationship: Focus-

ing on strategy and delivery results (COM(2001) 154),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolutions of 18 November 1999 on the EU approach to the WTO Millenium
Round (1) and 15 December 1999 on the Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organi-
sation in Seattle (2),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 15 December 1999 on climate change: follow-up to the Fifth Con-

ference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (Bonn, 25 October to 5 November 1999) (3),

(cid:129) having regard to the EU-US agreement in principle to resolve the dispute over trade in bananas,

A. whereas Europe and the USA have a common and vital interest in the continued spread of democracy,
modern governance, open societies and markets, sustainable economies, human rights and the rule of
law throughout the world,

B. whereas US-European cooperation, including that within the Atlantic Alliance, has been decisive in

preserving the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region,

C. whereas Europe and the US have an increasing stake in each other(cid:146)s economic performance and social

development,

D. whereas US-European cooperation should be a major contributing factor to successful management of
issues of a global nature, such as in the field of trade, the environment, the fight against organised
crime and against poverty in developing countries,

E. whereas the Summit of the Americas in Quebec in April 2001 on the establishment of a Free Trade
Area of the Americas by 2005 could have important consequences for the traditional trade relation-
ships between the EU and the Americas and whereas in this context, the Summit made, for the first
time ever, a commitment to democracy, political stability, human rights and labour and environmental
standards,

F. whereas the European Parliament reaffirms the need to deepen transatlantic political dialogue, regards
as a positive signal the presence of President Bush at the Gothenburg Summit, and insists that the
transatlantic agenda should develop new and more sophisticated mechanisms to identify and manage
areas of disagreement,

G. whereas the EU and the US have taken decisions through the Transatlantic Declaration of November
1990 and the New Transatlantic Agenda of December 1995 to build a new framework for transatlan-
tic cooperation, including twice-yearly EU-US summit meetings,

H. whereas the House of Representatives and the European Parliament have developed, since January
1999, a Transatlantic Legislators(cid:146) Dialogue, building on the existing interparliamentary delegation
which has met bi-annually since 1972,

I.

noting that the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) has held regular meetings attended by repre-
sentatives of Europe(cid:146)s highest bodies, whereas other transatlantic dialogues such as the Transatlantic

(1) OJ C 189, 7.7.2000, p. 213.
(2) OJ C 296, 18.10.2000, p. 121.
(3) OJ C 296, 18.10.2000, p. 128.

C 34 E/360

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

7.2.2002

Thursday 17 May 2001

Consumer Dialogue (TACD), the Transatlantic Labour Dialogue (TALD) and, above all, the Transatlan-
tic Environment Dialogue (TAED) have suspended their activities because the US government has not
been able to provide its share of the finances necessary for running these dialogues,

Reaffirms its commitment to the values which underlie the transatlantic community:

1.
democracy and human rights;

freedom,

2.
Notes that the EU-US relationship has broadened considerably in the past decade since the fall of the
Berlin Wall, as witnessed by the massive growth in the economic and political exchanges across the Atlan-
tic, assisted in part by the globalisation of the economy;

3.
Believes that it is necessary to deepen transatlantic political dialogue to match this expanding agenda,
building a broader, more transparent partnership, including mechanisms for agreeing and acting on shared
priorities; insists that the central task of transatlantic dialogue must be to define the terms of the strategic
partnership between the United States and Europe, on a basis of equality, addressing the roles of each in
global and regional affairs, the commitment of both to multilateralism and a rule-based international
system, and the contributions which the EU and the USA will make to shaping equitable burden-sharing
e.g. in the economic, social, security, humanitarian, environmental and diplomatic fields;

Insists that close cooperation between the United States and the European Union is essential not only
4.
to both US and European interests, but also to global interests in tackling issues such as the fight against
poverty, safeguarding the environment, global trade, cultural and information diversity, the digital divide
and organised crime;

5.
Notes, in this context, the Commission(cid:146)s timely communication to the Council and Parliament on a
new impulse for EU-US relations, focusing on strategy and delivering results; welcomes its analysis of the
current state of the relationship but believes, at first sight, that the solutions proposed with regard to
limiting the number of summits, the choice of priority issues and the inclusion of policy-makers in an
institutional framework are insufficient to match the requirements of the developing transatlantic partner-
ship;

Calls on the President-in-Office of the Council and the Commission President to work out a common
6.
agenda with the US President at the next EU-US summit in Gothenburg in June to demonstrate clear
progress in the updating of the New Transatlantic Agenda in order to ensure a more effective management
of EU-US relations by the end of 2004, by which date the mandates of both the US President and the
Commission President will be coming to an end;

7.
Asks the Commission President and the President-in-Office of the Council to present as a matter of
course to the Parliament the EU(cid:146)s position on each upcoming EU-US summit meeting and to report back
to it on the results obtained;

Recommends that

8.
the number of EU-US summits per year should be maintained or possibly
increased in view of the accumulation of issues on the Transatlantic Agenda, but that when issues are
prioritised during any particular year, the number of such priorities should be strictly limited;

9.
Acknowledges the importance of the Transatlantic Legislators(cid:146) Dialogue between Congress and the
European Parliament, but believes that further initiatives should be taken to enhance the links between
these institutions and review the resources necessary for these activities; in this context, draws attention to
the conclusions of the Houston Declaration of 26-28 June 1998 on US Congress (cid:129) European Parliament
cooperation, and recommends specifically that:

(cid:129) Members of the European Parliament and the US Congress should be associated with all future EU-US

summit meetings,

(cid:129) this association should consist of a formal session with the Senior Level Group prior to each summit,

and of attendance at a portion of each summit as observers,

(cid:129) consideration should be given to how the existing interparliamentary exchange might be transformed

into a de facto (cid:145)transatlantic assembly(cid:146);

7.2.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 34 E/361

Thursday 17 May 2001

Economic relations

10.
Emphasises that global security and stability are best promoted by a strong commitment of leading
nations to multilateralism in international relations and within international organisations (UN, IMF, World
Bank); regrets that some of the new US Administration(cid:146)s early actions have raised doubts about the
strength of its commitment to multilateralism; invites the USA to confirm that commitment, including
by settling its debts and making its financial contributions to UN bodies;

11.
Regrets the trade disputes which bedevil relations between the EU and the USA and calls for their
early resolution; recognises, however, that the trade affected by these disputes is a very small fraction of
total trade;

12.
Considers, as regards bilateral economic relations between the EU and the US, that the emphasis
should be on working together closely and effectively in order to manage potentially divisive trade dis-
putes; welcomes the understanding reached on 11 April 2001 for resolving the long-running dispute over
bananas;

13.
Believes that the impact of WTO Disputes Panel findings on sensitive areas of domestic policy on
either side of the Atlantic (cid:129) including, for example, tax law, food safety and consumer sovereignty (cid:129)
demonstrates the need both for reform of WTO rules and procedures and for the EU and USA to devote
greater efforts to achieving, where possible, diplomatic and negotiated solutions to problems of transatlan-
tic trade;

Asks the EU and the US to develop common positions ahead of the international fora, especially on
14.
international transport issues such as aviation and shipping, with a view to harmonising regulations in the
areas of safety, environmental protection, competition and anti-trust law;

Considers that the common interest in a rule-based trade system points to the urgent need for the
15.
EU and the US to agree on a Fourth WTO ministerial meeting in Qatar in November 2001, which would
be favourable to all parties and take into account the needs of developing countries, particularly in the area
of sustainable development, and which must address in particular the issues of third-world development,
environmental and social standards, as well as transparency and democracy in the world trade system;

16.
Underlines the importance of strengthening the democratic accountability of the WTO and reiter-
ates its proposal for a parliamentary dimension; invites the US Congress to take part in the preparation of
the parliamentary meeting to be held in parallel with the WTO meeting in Qatar in November 2001;

17. Welcomes the decision taken jointly by the European Parliament delegation to Seattle in 1999 and
the agricultural caucus of the American Congress to pursue their regular exchanges of views on agricul-
tural issues;

Security and defence matters

18.
Is convinced that cooperation within the Atlantic Alliance continues to be of decisive importance
for security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region and welcomes in principle the Alliance(cid:146)s readiness to
accept new members;

Insists that the further development of the ESDP, which includes the European Rapid Reaction

19.
Force, should strengthen NATO(cid:146)s capabilities and European defence;

20.
Is concerned that the USA(cid:146)s MDS proposals could lead to a new arms race, which would reduce
rather than enhance global security; stresses the necessity for the US to consult all countries concerned
prior to developing a missile defence system; furthermore underlines the necessity for the US not to with-
draw unilaterally from the ABM Treaty;

C 34 E/362

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

7.2.2002

Thursday 17 May 2001

Climate change

21.
Deplores the US Administration(cid:146)s unilateral announcement in March 2001 that the USA would not
implement the Kyoto Protocol; recalls that the United States is the world(cid:146)s biggest polluter and single
biggest contributor to climate change and that an overwhelming consensus of international scientific
opinion has identified climate change as the gravest environmental threat facing the world;

22.
Calls on President George W. Bush(cid:146)s Administration to reaffirm the commitments made by the USA
under the Kyoto Protocol and on the USA to abandon its isolationist position with regard to the global
challenge of climate change;

Legal issues

Calls on the USA to ratify the Treaty on the establishment of an International Criminal Court, and

23.
to take no action which would prejudice its ratification by other countries;

Considers it necessary, in the context of the transatlantic dialogue, to call on the various States of

24.
the USA where the death penalty exists to abolish it;

The (cid:145)Echelon(cid:146) system

25.
Regrets the conduct of the US State and Trade Departments, which have refused to hold important
talks on which an agreement in principle had been given at preparatory meetings, and their unreadiness to
meet the delegation from Parliament(cid:146)s temporary committee on the Echelon system, when it visited Wash-
ington last week; considers that this both gives the impression and provides evidence of a lack of will-
ingness to engage in dialogue and a lack of the trust which should guide relations between the European
Union and its American partners, especially on such a delicate issue; welcomes, however, the spirit of
openness and availability shown by the US Congress towards the European Parliament(cid:146)s delegation;

*

*

*

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and to the Presi-

26.
dent and Congress of the United States of America.

8. Safe and sustainable pensions

A5-0147/2001

European Parliament resolution on the Commission communication on The Future Evolution of
Social Protection from a Long-Term Point of View: Safe and Sustainable Pensions (COM(2000) 622
(cid:129) C5-0011/2001 (cid:129) 2001/2003(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication (COM(2000) 622 (cid:129) C5-0011/2001),

(cid:129) having regard to the progress report from the High-Level Working Party on Social Protection on the

above communication from the Commission (14055/00) of 30 November 2000,

(cid:129) having regard to the progress report from the Economic Policy Committee on the impact of ageing

populations on public pension systems (12791/00) of 26 October 2000,

(cid:129) having regard to the conclusions of the Santa Maria da Feira, Lisbon and Nice European Councils of

19/20 June 2000, 23/24 March 2000 and 7-10 December 2000,