European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation amending Protocol No 9 to the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden as regards the system of ecopoints for heavy goods vehicles transiting through Austria (COM(2000) 862 — C5-0769/2000 — 2000/0361(COD))
Date: 2001-09-05
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Austria, Union transit, carriage of goods, road transport, tradeable emission permit

21.3.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 72 E/159

Wednesday 5 September 2001

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

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism and the
opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Budgetary Control, the Committee on
Legal Affairs and the Internal Market, the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy
and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (A5-0279/2001),

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.

6. System of ecopoints for heavy goods vehicles transiting through Austria ***I

A5-0266/2001

Proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation amending Protocol No 9 to the Act of
Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden as regards the system of ecopoints for heavy goods
vehicles transiting through Austria (COM(2000) 862 (cid:129) C5-0769/2000 (cid:129) 2000/0361(COD))

The proposal was approved.

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council
regulation amending Protocol No 9 to the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden as
transiting through Austria
regards

for heavy goods vehicles

the system of ecopoints

(COM(2000) 862 (cid:129) C5-0769/2000 (cid:129) 2000/0361(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) 862) (1),

(cid:129) having regard to Article 251(2) and Article 71 of the EC Treaty, and also the Act of Accession of
Austria, Finland and Sweden (2), and in particular Article 11(4) of Protocol No 9 thereto, pursuant to
which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C5-0769/2000),

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

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism and the
opinions of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (A5-0266/2001),

1.

Approves the Commission proposal;

Asks the Commission to assess the impact of the ecopoints system on competition between Member

2.
States.

Calls on the Commission to put forward now a coherent transport strategy for the whole Alpine
3.
region to take effect from 2004 which will give due consideration not only to the transport requirements
but also to the environmental requirements of the Alpine region;

(1) OJ C 120 E, 24.4.2001, p. 283.
(2) OJ C 241, 29.8.1994, p. 1.

C 72 E/160

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.3.2002

Wednesday 5 September 2001

4.
Calls on the Commission to retain an upper ceiling on the annual number of journeys until the
ecopoints system expires at the end of 2003, but at the same time to ensure that the number of journeys
is calculated correctly, and to make provision for a more appropriate system of sanctions than the existing
one for cases where the upper ceiling is exceeded;

5.

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

7. Enlargement

B5-0538/2001

European Parliament resolution on the enlargement of the European Union

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the oral question to the Council tabled on 6 July 2001 by the Committee on Foreign

Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (B5-0331/2001),

A. whereas enlargement is the historic task for the European Union in order to fully realise its ambitions

to bring peace and prosperity to the entire continent,

B. whereas the enlargement process will benefit the applicant countries as well as the Member States of
the European Union and both sides should seize this historic opportunity to ensure Europe(cid:146)s long
term stability, security and prosperity,

C. whereas in Gothenburg on 15/16 June 2001 the European Council declared the enlargement process

irreversible,

D. whereas the Irish referendum of 7 June 2001 on the Treaty of Nice has brought an element of uncer-

tainty into the timetable for enlargement,

E. whereas, in order for the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union to be a success, there is a
in particular greater transparency and

need for reforms which go further than the (cid:145)left-overs(cid:146),
approachability for ordinary citizens and an active policy to combat high unemployment;

F. whereas the rejection of the Nice Treaty in the Irish referendum confirms Parliament(cid:146)s long-standing
demands for change in the way the treaties of the Union are modified, because the current procedure
is bound to alienate the citizens of Europe from the historic endeavour of the Union to bring peace,
security and prosperity to the entire continent,

G. whereas Community pre-accession aid must be enabled to benefit candidate countries under the best
possible conditions as regards management, control, transparency and efficiency, and in order for this
to happen appropriate and well-run management and financial control systems are essential, as is the
development of an anti-fraud culture and system,

H. whereas the peoples of the candidate countries are making great efforts in the process of reassessing

their complex post-war history and the Cold War,

I. whereas, in view of the far-reaching changes accompanying the preparations for accession, the dignity
of the peoples of the candidate countries must never be wounded by insensitive demands from the EU,

J. whereas the efforts of the candidate countries to find an equitable method of resolving property

restitution issues are to be welcomed,