European Parliament resolution on a renewed transatlantic relationship for the third millennium
Date: 2003-06-19
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU relations, European security, NATO, United States, common commercial policy, common foreign and security policy, common security and defence policy, economic relations, international affairs, trade relations

C 69 E/124

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

19.3.2004

Thursday 19 June 2003

P5_TA(2003)0290

Staff Regulations of officials and other servants of the European Communities *

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending the
Staff Regulations of officials and the Conditions of Employment of other servants of the European
Communities (COM(2002) 213 (cid:1) C5-0262/2002 (cid:1) 2002/0100(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2002) 213) (1),

(cid:1) having regard to Article 283 of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament

(C5-0262/2002),

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market and the
opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Budgetary Control and the Committee on
Constitutional Affairs (A5-0069/2003),

1.

Approves the Commission proposal as amended during its sitting of 27 March 2003 (2);

Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC

2.
Treaty;

Calls on the Commission, in line with the undertakings given, to present a revised proposal given

3.
that the Council wishes to alter the present proposal substantially;

Calls on the Council to consult Parliament again given that it wishes to amend the Commission

4.
proposal substantially, in particular in regard to the pension scheme;

5.

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

(1) OJ C 291 E, 26.11.2002, p. 33.
(2) P5_TA(2003)0125.

P5_TA(2003)0291

Renewed transatlantic relationship for the third millennium

European Parliament resolution on a renewed transatlantic relationship for the third millennium

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Transatlantic Declaration on EU-US relations of 1990 and the New Transatlantic

Agenda of 1995 (NTA),

(cid:1) having regard to Articles 11 and 12 of the Treaty on European Union, which impose on the Member
States a binding requirement to enhance and develop their mutual political solidarity, and Title V
thereof, which sets out provisions governing the common foreign and security policy,

19.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 69 E/125

Thursday 19 June 2003

(cid:1) having regard to the Conclusions and Plan of Action of the Extraordinary European Council meeting
held in Brussels on 21 September 2001 and the Declaration by the Heads of State and Government of
the European Union and the President of the Commission on the attacks of 11 September 2001 and
the fight against terrorism made at the informal European Council in Ghent on 19 October 2001,

(cid:1) having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council meeting in Brussels on 20 and

21 March 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 15 May 2002 on the Commission Communication to the Council

on Reinforcing the Transatlantic Relationship: Focusing on Strategy and Delivering Results (1),

(cid:1) having regard to the Road Map to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
agreed by the Quartet on 20 December 2002 and published on 30 April 2003, and to its recommen-
dation of 13 December 2001 on the crisis in the Middle East and the role of the European Union in
the region (2), as well as to its resolution of 7 February 2002 on the situation in the Middle East (3),

(cid:1) having regard to the ministerial meeting of

the North Atlantic Council and to the NATO-EU

ministerial meeting held in Madrid on 3 June 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolutions of 25 October 2001 on the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference (4)

and of 13 December 2001 on the WTO meeting in Qatar (5),

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 10 April 2003 on the new European security and defence architec-

ture (cid:1) priorities and deficiencies (6),

(cid:1) having regard to its recommendation of 3 June 2003 to the Council on the EU-USA agreements on

judicial cooperation in criminal matters and extradition (7),

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 37(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.

reaffirming its commitment to the democratic values which are the foundation of both the transatlan-
tic community and solidarity: freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights,

B. whereas balanced EU-US relations are important to global peace and stability based on international
law and to strengthening international institutions in order to provide a multilateral framework and
improve global governance,

C. whereas a number of high-ranking US politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties, as

well as Europeans, have emphasised the importance of revitalising good transatlantic relations,

D.

stressing, in this regard, the positive results achieved in the field of external action when a common
approach and effective action are developed, e.g. in the Balkans and finally now also in respect of the
Middle East peace process, and regretting that in recent years the potential differences between the EU
and the US have grown to encompass trade, economic and environmental issues, increasing diver-
gences in foreign policy, and differing attitudes regarding the balance between security and liberty,
how to ensure protection of human rights, and, particularly, the International Criminal Court,

E. whereas security is an all-encompassing collective concept that cannot be tailored only to the interests

and exigencies of one country,

F. whereas the inability of the Member States to follow up the common position arrived at by the Greek
Presidency with regard to the Iraq conflict, despite the overwhelming non-belligerent will of European
public opinion, has ruthlessly exposed the EU’s shortcomings,

(1) P5_TA(2002)0243.
(2) OJ C 177 E, 25.7.2002, p. 277.
(3) OJ C 284 E, 21.11.2002, p. 312.
(4) OJ C 112 E, 9.5.2002, p. 321.
(5) OJ C 177 E, 25.7.2002, p. 290.
(6) P5_TA(2003)0188.
(7) P5_TA(2003)0239.

C 69 E/126

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

19.3.2004

Thursday 19 June 2003

G. pointing out that international treaties are the basic elements upon which the foundation of a multi-

lateral framework and a renewed transatlantic partnership must be laid down,

H. whereas, in economic terms, Europe and the USA are the two most closely linked regions in the world
and already a large proportion of bilateral trade takes place free of any restrictions, but major excep-
tions, such as non-tariff trade barriers, remain,

I. whereas the EU and the USA should strengthen their relations through new accords on condition that
such agreements fully respect international standards on protection of human rights and civil liberties,

J. whereas a new common framework could be created in economic and trade policy (cid:1) without
endangering the multilateral institutions (cid:1) both in order to solve disputes and to further common
interests,

K. whereas by acting together Europe and the United States could develop solutions to global challenges
such as the environment, migration, development, terrorism, international crime and social and ethnic
conflicts,

L.

recalling the substantive implications for the EU-US partnership deriving from the terrorist attacks of
11 September 2001 on the United States,

M. whereas greater involvement of legislators on both sides of the Atlantic is a fundamental prerequisite

for enhancing the whole transatlantic process,

1.

Stresses that a strong Europe is a precondition for a well-balanced partnership based on equality;

2.
Asks therefore for a comprehensive European Strategy which includes a long-term strategic focus for
the Transatlantic partnership, given that the issue-by-issue approach can only be successful if an overall
framework is embedded in this strategy and that the experiences of the last decade show that under the
existing mechanisms new questions arise faster than old ones are solved;

3.
Urges an effective reshaping of a genuine and well-balanced in-depth dialogue with the United States
with a view to reinvigorating the transatlantic community of values and developing action better suited to
today’s world situation based on respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter;

Underlines the importance of a dialogue between two equal partners and including political,

4.
economic, defence and security cooperation as a fundamental basis of the transatlantic relationship;

Underlines that the current EU enlargement will give greater significance to cooperation between the

5.
EU and the USA;

Stresses that the EU will only be recognised as a partner if it can accompany its economic strength
6.
with a real CFSP and that this requires the extension of QMV (qualified majority voting) in the Council to
services in external trade and the field of the Foreign and Security Policy, the establishment of a European
common diplomatic service, enhanced cooperation in defence policy and stronger and more efficient use
of military capabilities;

Priority for political issues following the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Reiterates its recommendation to make the pursuit of common global interests (spread of democracy,
7.
modern governance, peace building and conflict prevention, open societies and markets, sustainable
economies, freedom of expression, fundamental human rights and respect for the rule of law around the
world) the central defining political purpose of the transatlantic partnership;

8.
Expresses concern that the EU-US partnership could be undermined, on the one hand, by the
apparently growing influence of those neo-conservative currents in US politics which emphasise unilateral,
and often military, solutions to global problems at the expense of the traditions of more than 50 years of
US internationalism and multilateralism, and, on the other, by the political and the military weakness of
the EU and most of its Member States;

19.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 69 E/127

Thursday 19 June 2003

terrorism firmly using all effective means against

9.
Recommends continuing to build a long-term transatlantic collaborative framework and an Action
Plan for the Fight against Terrorism, as indicated in its resolution of 24 October 2002 (1), to combat inter-
national
terrorist groups or individuals and their
networks in order to defend the democratic system and the rule of law and protect fundamental rights
and freedoms, not only by military means but, above all, by a civilian approach in the framework of
conflict prevention and by addressing the roots of the tremendous political, social, economic and environ-
mental problems of today’s world;

Stresses that the fight against terrorism cannot be waged at the expense of basic shared values such
10.
as respect for human rights and civil liberties; consequently insists that transatlantic agreements on police
and judicial cooperation must ensure a fair trial for all European citizens and full respect for data
protection in the context of both police cooperation and requests for air passenger information;

11.
Suggests that the partnership continue to be shifted progressively from a transatlantic community
of values to an effective transatlantic community of action by developing a collaborative strategy and
action in respect of issues such as: post-conflict cooperation and nation-building in Afghanistan and Iraq;
relations with the Arab world; the Middle East peace process; North Korea; infectious diseases; nuclear
proliferation;

12. Welcomes in particular common action designed to achieve a sustainable peace in the Middle East
in the framework of the Quartet as the best way of relaunching the transatlantic relationship in practical
terms;

13.
Believes, in this regard, that the EU and NATO and others, preferably under the umbrella of the UN,
could contribute to guaranteeing on the ground and in security terms the results of the Final Treaty to be
agreed by the parties in the last phase of the road map, provided that the parties in conflict and the other
members of the Quartet so wish;

Reiterates its commitment to providing an adequate financial contribution to securing the imple-

14.
mentation of the road map;

Calls upon the transatlantic partnership actively to support and strengthen the international
15.
institutions and to reaffirm the value of international
law; calls upon all partners to avoid unilateral
approaches and to revert to multilateralism and to the United Nations framework in order to develop
global governance;

16.
Regrets that the US has not acceded, or does not fully adhere, to major international instruments of
international human and humanitarian law such as those protecting the rights of the child, abolishing the
death penalty, and safeguarding the treatment of prisoners of war in the wake of the recent conflicts; in
particular, urges the US to accede to the Statute of the International Criminal Court; invites the US to
cooperate with the EU with a view to advancing effectively in the urgently needed reforms of the United
Nations in order to reinforce the UN’s position as the moral authority of the world community;

17.
Underlines the importance of working closely together with the USA to secure a successful outcome
of the DDA Round (DOHA Development Round), taking into account the interests of the developing
countries;

Boosting economic and trade relations by signing a EU-US Framework Treaty including the completion
of the transatlantic market

Gives its full support to the ongoing transatlantic partnership, which should be developed further in

18.
order to enhance mutual understanding and seek joint solutions to global issues;

to the implementing agreement between the
19. Welcomes the conclusion of
Department of Energy of the USA and the European Commission for non-nuclear energy scientific and
technological cooperation relating to cooperation in the area of fuel cells on 16 June 2003, which should
improve the chances of finding a long-term solution to the world’s energy and transport problems;

the Amendment

(1) P5_TA(2002)0518.

C 69 E/128

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

19.3.2004

Thursday 19 June 2003

20.
Underlines that EU-USA relations need a project aimed at enhancing not only the political
discussion within, but also the economic and social elements of, the partnership and that a proposal for
a EU-US Framework Treaty including the completion of a transatlantic market could be such a project;

21.
Recommends, therefore, a continuous initiative designed to accelerate the implementation of WTO
rulings which, in the context of a renewed partnership, and as a long-term objective, could lead to the
completion of a transatlantic market which would help to achieve the free movement of goods, capital,
services and persons, taking full account of EU social and environmental legislation and the interests of the
developing world;

22.
Recommends pursuing the approximation of business and market conditions in the Atlantic zone
by developing joint action at least in the following areas: financial services and capital markets; aviation;
the digital economy; competition policy; the ethical dimension of trade; the performance of regulatory
systems;

23. Whilst welcoming recent commitments made at Monterrey and in respect of the UN Global Fund
against AIDS, TB and Malaria, calls on the transatlantic partners to substantially increase development aid
and strategies to meet the 0,7 per cent UN target and UN Millennium Development Targets; calls,
furthermore, for an absolute commitment to meeting the just demands of developing countries in the
current WTO negotiations,
including a joint commitment to ending agricultural protectionism against
developing-country producers;

Underlines that adopting a similar approach to major global challenges such as global warming
24.
(i.e. by ratifying and implementing the minimum standards of the Kyoto Protocol) and global
justice
(i.e. the functioning of the International Criminal Court) requires sustained dialogue between the trans-
atlantic partners;

25.
Calls on the transatlantic partners to jointly re-assess EU and US development aid and humanitarian
assistance strategies and instruments (including the Bretton Woods institutions), focusing in particular on
performance and complementarity;

Agrees with the Commission that the US complaint to the WTO about the EU’s authorisation

26.
procedures for GMOs is legally unwarranted, economically unfounded and politically unhelpful;

EU-US security and defence matters

27.
Reiterates that NATO remains not only a fundamental guarantee of Euro-Atlantic stability and
security, but also the essential framework for coalition operations; underlines that it is in the interest of
the transatlantic partnership and the word’s stability to strengthen both NATO’s capabilities and European
defence;

28.
Believes that a stronger Europe is important to the further development of NATO and that
enhancing the CFSP and the ESDP is the best way of strengthening NATO in accordance with the Prague
Summit of November 2002;

29.
Reaffirms its request for a European Security Strategy to be developed which would define the
Union’s values and interests in the field of promoting world-wide stability, conflict prevention and crisis
management, and set out the Union’s approach to making the world a safer place;

30.
Underlines that the European Security Strategy should take into account the US national security
strategy, paying particular attention to the Union’s position on issues which the U.S. seems to interpret
differently, the two major points being the legitimacy of the use of military force in the absence of a UN
mandate and the concept of preemptive strikes; considers that a broad consensus should be possible in the
field of fighting terrorism in the framework of the global coalition set up after the terrorist attacks of
11 September 2001; considers that the promotion of democracy and the rule of law should be a common
objective;

19.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 69 E/129

31.
Urges the EU and the US again to seek to ensure the revival of institutionalised or negotiated arms
control at multilateral level within the UN system and at bilateral level, in order to prevent a new arms
race, and to support regional and global action to prevent the proliferation not only of weapons of mass
destruction but also of small arms and light weapons;

Thursday 19 June 2003

A renewed institutional framework

Underlines that only the wider involvement at all levels of the Congress, the European Parliament
32.
and national parliaments will make it possible truly to enhance the whole process; considers therefore that
the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue (TLD) should be fully activated, that an early-warning system should
immediately be put in place between the two sides, and that the existing interparliamentary exchange
should be gradually transformed into a de facto ‘Transatlantic Assembly’;

Reaffirms that the annual EU-US Summit should be restructured in order to provide strategic

33.
direction and impetus to the transatlantic agenda, also actively involving civil society in the process;

Considers that the EU must support (cid:1) including financially (cid:1) exchanges between young people,
34.
particularly students and researchers, from relevant parts of society in order to guarantee that mutual
understanding between partners can grow and to avoid relations being driven by a lack of understanding
and knowledge on both sides;

*

*

*

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

35.
the Member States and the President and Congress of the United States of America.

P5_TA(2003)0292

Community immigration policy

European Parliament resolution on the Commission communication to the Council and the
European Parliament on an open method of coordination for the Community immigration policy
(COM(2001) 387 (cid:1) C5-0337/2002 (cid:1) 2002/2181(COS)) and on the Commission communication to
the Council and the European Parliament on integrating migration issues in the European Union’s
relations with third countries (COM(2002) 703 (cid:1) C5-0233/2003 (cid:1) 2002/2181(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission communication (COM(2001) 387 (cid:1) C5-0337/2002),

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission Communication (COM(2002) 703 (cid:1) C5-0233/2003),

(cid:1) having regard to Article 13 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:1) having regard to the Amsterdam Treaty, which confers on the Community powers and responsibilities

in the spheres of immigration and asylum, and to Article 63 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:1) having regard to the conclusions of the Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999,

(cid:1) having regard to the conclusions of the Laeken European Council of 14 and 15 December 2001 and

the Seville European Council of 21 and 22 June 2002,

(cid:1) having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, with particular reference

to Articles 18, 21 and 22 thereof,