European Parliament resolution on the European Council meeting of 15-16 June 2001 in Göteborg
Date: 2001-07-04
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU relations, European Council, European Union, United States, foreign policy, summit meeting, sustainable development

C 65 E/154

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.3.2002

Wednesday 4 July 2001

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council
regulation on the implementation of the Internet Top Level Domain (cid:145).EU(cid:146) (COM(2000) 827 (cid:129)
C5-0715/2000 (cid:129) 2000/0328(COD))

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission proposal

to the European Parliament and the Council

(COM(2000) 827) (1),

(cid:129) having regard to Article 251(2) and Article 156 of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission

submitted the proposal to Parliament (C5-0715/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and

the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (A5-0226/2001),

1.

Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

Asks to be consulted again should the Commission intend to amend the proposal substantially or

2.
replace it with another text;

3.

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

(1) OJ C 96 E, 27.3.2001, p. 333.

12. European Council meeting of 15/16 June 2001 in G(cid:246)teborg

B5-0474, 0475, 0476 and 0477/2001

European Parliament resolution on the European Council meeting of 15/16 June 2001 in G(cid:246)teborg

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the European Council report and Commission statement on the outcome of the

European Council meeting on 15/16 June 2001 in G(cid:246)teborg,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 13 June 2001 on the preparation of the European Council on

15/16 June 2001 in G(cid:246)teborg (1),

(cid:129) having regard to the conclusions of the European Council meetings in Cardiff (June 1998), Helsinki

(December 1999), Lisbon (March 2000) and Stockholm (March 2001),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 31 May 2001 on the Treaty of Nice and the future of the European

Union (2),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 17 May 2001 on the situation in the Middle East (3),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2001 on developing the various capabilities in conflict

prevention and civil crisis management (4),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 17 May 2001 on the state of the Transatlantic Dialogue (5),

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 4.
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 4.
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 6.
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 4.
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 7.

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Wednesday 4 July 2001

I.

The Future of Europe

Enlargement

1. Welcomes the new commitment given to the negotiations by the Council(cid:146)s statement that the
enlargement process is irreversible; calls on the Commission and the governments of the Member States
and the candidate countries to do everything in their power to ensure that the prospect of citizens of the
candidate countries participating in the 2004 European elections becomes a reality;

Asks the Commission and the Council to examine every possible option in order not to endanger the

2.
timetable for enlargement;

Ireland

3. With regard to the Irish referendum, reiterates its view that the European Council must accept full
responsibility not only for the drafting of the Treaty but also for its ratification; welcomes the European
Council(cid:146)s willingness to contribute in every way possible to helping the Irish government find a way
forward and meet the concerns of the Irish people;

Urges the European Council to concede that the exclusively intergovernmental and closed method of

4.
treaty reform contributed directly to the negative verdict of the Irish people;

5.

Hopes the Irish government will meet the deadline for ratification of the Treaty by the end of 2002;

The future of the Union

6.
Regrets the European Council(cid:146)s proposal for (cid:145)the possible creation of an open forum in order to
prepare the next IGC, and demands that a properly constituted Convention representing Member States(cid:146)
governments and parliaments, the European Parliament and the Commission is established by the Laeken
European Council in December;

7.
Expects the Belgian Presidency to make an ambitious and detailed proposal along these lines, which
should be adopted at the European Council at Laeken in order for the Convention to start its work, and to
make constitutional proposals to serve as the basis for the work of the IGC;

Expresses its concern that the Council was not able to agree and adopt draft rules on a statute for

8.
European political parties;

Circumstances of the Summit

9.
Deeply deplores the acts of violence and provocation committed at the European Council at G(cid:246)te-
borg by organised groups and specialised commandos representing a small percentage of the demon-
strators present; considers this behaviour totally unacceptable in a democratic society which attaches
great importance to the maintenance of the principle of freedom of expression and the right to demon-
strate publicly and peacefully; expresses its solidarity with all citizens affected by the violence, as well as
with the Swedish authorities;

II. Sustainable Development

10. Welcomes the importance given by the Swedish Presidency to the issue of sustainable development;
emphasises that no sustainable development strategy will be effective and efficient without full information
and participation of all citizens; notes with regret that the European Council has managed to agree on
general principles for a sustainable development strategy but has failed to take decisions on concrete
actions;

11.
Reiterates that the Prodi document on sustainable development contained a series of interesting
ideas and measures; welcomes statements by the Commission that these proposals will continue to be its
basis for further work; urges the Belgian Presidency to further specify, at Laeken, concrete actions and
quantified targets for sustainable development in time for the 2002 European Council in Barcelona;

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12.
Urges the Council to implement fully the decisions taken in G(cid:246)teborg, particularly as regards the
addition of a third, environmental dimension to the Lisbon strategy, and the implementation of headline
objectives and measures in the Sixth Environmental Action Programme, which must be the environmental
cornerstone of the EU(cid:146)s sustainable development strategy;

Calls to be fully involved in the preparation of, and the follow-up to, this process, together with the

13.
different stakeholders in the European Union and in the candidate countries.

14.
Stresses that sustainable development is a matter of solidarity between the regions and populations
of Europe and the world; calls therefore on the Council and the Commission to prepare fully the EU
strategy for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg in 2002, in
which the European Union should develop real political leadership;

15. Welcomes the confirmation of the EU(cid:146)s commitments to the Kyoto process and urges the Council
and the Commission to take all necessary steps to prepare for rapid ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by
the Union and its Member States and to take the concrete measures necessary for its implementation;

16. Welcomes the commitment contained in the European Council Conclusions to addressing threats to
public health and believes that, in terms of winning public confidence and support, the issue of food safety
is of particular importance; in that context, agrees that it is essential that the Council and Parliament
rapidly agree on the final adoption of the regulation on the European Food Safety Authority and of food
law;

Emphasises that there is an urgent need for a revision of the common agricultural policy and the
17.
common fisheries policy with a view to sustainable development, and demands a clear timetable for these
reforms;

18. Welcomes the support given to measures to ensure sustainable transport and to improved trans-
parency in prices, and calls for the priorities identified for the revision of the guidelines for the trans-
European transport networks to be integrated into all EU proposals on transport;

19. Welcomes, with respect to development, the renewed commitment to reaching the UN target for
official development assistance of 0,7 % of GDP, an objective which Member States have not met in the
past;

III. Follow-up to the Stockholm European Council

20. Welcomes the integration of elements of the Union(cid:146)s sustainable development policy into the Broad
Economic Policy Guidelines; stresses that further efforts should be made to incorporate in this policy field
a few additional policy targets which are not covered by the guidelines and the proposed policy recom-
mendations;

21.
Considers that implementation of these recommendations is an essential element in enabling the
euro to establish itself as a stable currency, and in improving competitive pressures in the European
economy;

22.
Underlines the challenges posed by recent developments in the economic outlook for the European
economy, with the emergence of inflationary pressures and the downgrading of earlier growth forecasts;
stresses in consequence the need for further, innovative measures, on both the supply and the demand
fronts, to remove bottlenecks in labour and product markets and increase investment in education, quality
of life, social inclusion and environmental protection;

23.
Considers that the economic and social dimensions of the Lisbon strategy must include the sustain-
able development strategy ((cid:145)mainstreaming)(cid:146) and calls for the development of a strong analytical basis
which will allow for future actions;

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24. Welcomes the fact that the European Council has adopted Parliament(cid:146)s three basic framework prin-
ciples for securing the long-term sustainability of pension systems: safeguarding the capacity of systems to
meet their social objectives, maintaining their financial sustainability and meeting the changing needs of
society; expects to be involved in the process and points out that creating more and better jobs will rein-
force the sustainability of social protection systems;

25. Welcomes the further negotiations on the tax package; stresses the importance of fixing a deadline
for a final agreement on the tax package as a whole; insists therefore on the further acceleration of the
negotiations with third countries;

26.
Calls on the Council to speed up the formal adoption of the common position on the directive on
informing and consulting employees in the EU; stresses the need for a set of effective sanctions for non-
compliance;

Regrets that the European Council once more failed in its intention to make progress on the Single

27.
European Sky;

IV. Transatlantic Relations

28.
Applauds the renewed commitment to ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in spite of the US withdrawal,
but remains severely disappointed by the unilateral, non-cooperative position adopted by the United States
on such a global issue; calls for continued diplomatic efforts to ensure that the USA plays a full part in
international efforts to combat climate change and that all the parties to the Protocol honour their under-
takings on this subject;

29.
Is hopeful that the identification of five strategic themes ranging from addressing security challenges
to promoting economic development and a multilateral trading system will make transatlantic relations
more coherent and focused over the next few years; emphasises the need for the USA and EU to work
together towards a common definition of their roles and responsibilities in their strategic global partner-
ship;

30. Welcomes the successful conclusion of the long-standing banana dispute between the USA and the
EU, and hopes that other outstanding trade disputes can be resolved in a similar manner;

31.
Notes the preliminary WTO ruling that the Foreign Sales Corporations (FSC) Act violates world
trade rules, and hopes that the US will prove its commitment to international trade arbitration by modify-
ing the relevant legislation in order to avoid a transatlantic trade dispute before the definitive ruling is
handed down;

Regrets that the death penalty continues to be used in 38 jurisdictions in the United States, having a
32.
disproportionate effect on the poor and minority groups; notes that an alarming number of citizens have
been erroneously incarcerated and sentenced to death and that the death sentence has also been imposed
on juvenile and mentally retarded offenders; calls therefore upon the United States and its constituent
States to comply with international standards and place a moratorium on all executions;

V. External Relations

On European security and defence policy

33.
Shares the Council(cid:146)s view that progress has been made in developing the EU(cid:146)s capabilities, structures
and procedures in the field of conflict prevention and crisis management, especially with regard to the
development of a permanent and effective relationship with NATO, but calls for more efforts to be made
to reach an agreement permitting permanent EU access to NATO assets and capabilities; reminds the
Member States of their commitment to restructuring their defence budgets to the level needed to reach
the ambitious objectives of the ESDP and reaffirms its belief that a parliamentary dimension for the ESDP
must be ensured;

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34.
Believes that the development of the European security and defence policy strengthens the Union(cid:146)s
capacity to contribute to international peace and security in accordance with the principles of the UN
Charter;

35. Welcomes the declaration of the European Council on the prevention of the proliferation of ballistic
missiles and reiterates its grave concern about the US missile defence system initiative;

36.
Stresses the need for the USA to consult its European partners and all countries concerned, as
announced during the discussion with the US President in G(cid:246)teborg; reaffirms, nevertheless, its position
that multilateral negotiations and dialogue should precede any new developments regarding the ABM
Treaty;

On the Middle East

37.
Calls on the EU and its Member States to support the development of a parallel path to be pursued
with all the relevant actors in the region in order to implement the recommendations and proposals of the
Sharm el-Sheik fact-finding mission ((cid:145)Mitchell Report(cid:146));

38. Welcomes the report on the Middle East presented to the Council by EU High Representative for
the CFSP, Javier Solana; is convinced that his recent efforts, in cooperation with EU Special Representative,
Miguel `ngel Moratinos, have enhanced the visibility of the EU, and notes that these activities have given
the role of the Union a higher profile;

39.
Calls on the EU High Representative for the CFSP to prepare, in accordance with the guidelines
included in the conclusions of the G(cid:246)teborg Summit, a general plan based on political perspectives and
recommendations for the Middle East region in order to contribute, once the crisis is over, to rebuilding
confidence in peace and cooperation between the parties;

Reiterates its call for the deployment of an international observer mission in the Occupied Terri-

40.
tories and urges Member States to launch in this respect a relevant initiative within the UN;

On FYROM

Regrets the lack of substantial progress in the negotiations between the parties on constitutional

41.
reforms and the draft peace plan;

42.
Condemns any recourse to violence and emphasises its continuing strong support for the FYROM
government for the process of inter-ethnic dialogue; calls on all democratic forces in FYROM, in neigh-
bouring countries and in the international community to unite against extremism;

43.
Calls on the High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, and Fran(cid:231)ois LØotard, the Represen-
tative of the EU resident in Skopje, to spearhead diplomatic action to reach an agreement between the
FYROM government and its ethnic Albanian minority in order to end the crisis in FYROM and avert the
risk of descent into civil war;

44.
Underlines the need to maintain FYROM as a State in which all citizens enjoy equal rights and to
prevent a regression towards division based upon ethnicity and is convinced that a solution to the crisis
can only be built on the basis of an institutional reform programme agreed by all political parties demo-
cratically elected to the FYROM parliament;

45.
Supports NATO(cid:146)s readiness to help facilitate the disarming of extremists of Albanian origin (U˙K
and others), in accordance with President Traijkovski (cid:145)s peace plan, and its intention not to allow itself to
be drawn into a full-scale (cid:146)peace-keeping(cid:146) role, as it was in Bosnia and Kosovo;

Supports the determination of the Council to link further financial aid to FYROM to tangible pro-

46.
gress in the negotiations between the parties;

On the European Conference

47. Welcomes the decision of the European Council to invite Moldova and Ukraine to the European
Conference under the Belgian Presidency as a positive response to the European ambitions of both coun-
tries, and takes the view that these countries(cid:146) participation in the structures of pan-European cooperation

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will contribute to the stability and peace of the continent; emphasises once again that full and complete
respect for basic human rights and respect for the rule of law should be considered as a fundamental
requirement for any country participating in the process of European integration;

Wednesday 4 July 2001

*

*

*

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Council, the Commis-

48.
sion and the parliaments of the Member States.

13. ECB Report

A5-0225/2001

European Parliament resolution on the 2000 Annual Report of the European Central Bank
(C5-0187/2001 (cid:129) 2001/2090(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Annual Report 2000 of the European Central Bank (C5-0187/2001),

(cid:129) having regard to Article 113 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to Article 15 of the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the Euro-

pean Central Bank,

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 40 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 2 April 1998 on democratic accountability in the third stage of

EMU (1),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 27 October 1999 on the 1998 Annual Report of the European

Central Bank (C4-0211/1999) (2),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2000 on the 1999Annual Report of the European Central

Bank (C5-0195/2000 (cid:129) 2000/2118(COS)) (3),

(cid:129) having regard to its motion for a resolution on the adoption of an initiative as a gesture of solidarity
on the occasion of the entry into circulation of the single European currency, the euro (B5-0029/
2001), tabled by Sartori, Agag Longo, Banotti, Bourlanges, Cox, De Clercq, Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado,
Hermange, Karas, Korhola, Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Martens, Poettering, Quisthoudt-Rowohl, Ribeiro
e Castro, Santer, Smet, Stenzel and Van Velzen,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A5-0225/2001),

A. whereas the ECB has fulfilled its mandate, given that the failure of meeting the 2 % inflation target is
mainly due to exogenous and extraordinary factors such as the increase of energy prices and the
financial consequences of BSE and foot-and-mouth disease,

B. whereas, pursuant to Article 105 of the EC Treaty, the ECB(cid:146)s primary objective is to maintain price
stability and whereas its contribution to growth and employment lies first and foremost in the achiev-
ement of that objective,

C. whereas the mandate of the ECB is primarily focused on safeguarding internal price stability and

therefore distinct from the mandate of other central banks,

(1) OJ C 138, 4.5.1998, p. 177.
(2) OJ C 154, 5.6.2000, p. 60.
(3) OJ C 121, 24.4.2001, p. 456.