European Parliament resolution on the failure to consult Parliament in connection with the TEN Quick Start projects
Date: 2004-02-26
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Council of the European Union, European Parliament, conflict of powers, interinstitutional relations (EU), trans-European network, transport network

23.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 98 E/161

Thursday 26 February 2004

30. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative for an annual Environment Policy Review which will also
contribute to the preparation of Spring European Councils, expresses its concerns, however, over the
proposal on ‘a new approach to implementation’, and reminds the Council that compliance with Com-
munity legislation and the appropriate transposition thereof in accordance with the subsidiarity principle
are an essential part of the EU’s sustainable development strategy;

31.
Calls on the Commission to organise a stakeholder conference on the effectiveness of the Göteborg
Sustainable Development Strategy, so as to be able to take stock of the experience gained, and to enable
the new Commission to adopt an ambitious strategy for its mandate;

32.
Calls on the European Council to ensure that the EU budget is used to promote sustainability and
therefore to carry out Sustainability Impact Assessments on all EU expenditure, including the Common
Agricultural Policy, the Structural Funds, and the research programmes in an open and transparent
manner;

33.
Stresses that the EU must ensure that the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg
commitments are taken into account in its own activities, and further reiterates its demand for the Euro-
pean Council to report back on the implementation of the Johannesburg process in the context of its
Spring synthesis report;

34.
Supports the aims of the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition for the promotion of renewable
energies; calls on the Commission to initiate the adoption of a calendar for ambitious renewable energy
targets within the Coalition;

Final considerations

35.
Invites the 2004 Spring European Council to engage in a real dialogue with the European Parlia-
ment to relaunch the Lisbon strategy and therefore calls for the European Parliament’s role in preparing
the annual Spring European Council to be defined;

36.
Emphasises the need to involve fully the European Parliament so that the open coordination
method has greater democratic legitimacy and so that the Lisbon follow-up is not purely intergovernmen-
tal;

*

*

*

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

37.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

P5_TA(2004)0115

Failure to consult Parliament in connection with the TEN Quick Start projects

European Parliament resolution on the failure to consult Parliament in connection with the TEN
Quick Start projects

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 42(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

Disapproves of the Council’s having developed a so-called Quick Start Programme on trans-European

1.
transport priority projects without consulting the European Parliament;

C 98 E/162

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

23.4.2004

Thursday 26 February 2004

2.
Recalls in the strongest terms that the determination of priority projects in Annex III of Decision
No 1692/96/EC of 23 July 1996 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community guidelines
for the development of the trans-European transport network (1) is governed solely by the codecision
procedure between Parliament and the Council in accordance with Article 251 of the Treaty;

3.
Stresses that any arbitrary setting of priorities with regard to priority projects listed in Annex III is
inadmissible and that the timing or funding of the individual projects within Annex III depends solely on
the prescribed criteria, such as each project’s state of maturity in planning, funding and construction terms;

Demands that it be regularly informed about the progress of these projects relating to Annex III as

4.
well as their financing;

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

5.
ments of the Member States.

(1) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996, p. 1. Decision as amended by Decision No 1346/2001/EC (OJ L 185, 6.7.2001, p. 1).

P5_TA(2004)0116

Preparatory report on the broad economic guidelines

European Parliament resolution on the situation of the European economy, report on the broad
guidelines for economic policies (2003/2135(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of 23/24 March 2000,
the Gothenborg European Council of 15/16 June 2001 and the Barcelona European Council of
15/16 March 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission Recommendation on the Broad Guidelines of the Economic Policies

of the Member States and the Community (for the 2003-2005 period), (COM(2003) 170),

(cid:1) having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Brussels European Councils of 20/21 March and of

16/17 October 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to the Communication from the Commission ‘A European Initiative for Growth, Invest-
to the European Council,

ing in Networks and Knowledge for Growth and Jobs’ Final Report
(COM(2003) 690),

(cid:1) having regard to the conclusions of the Council for Economic and Financial Affairs of 25 November

2003,

(cid:1) having regard to the hearing on the Report of an Independent High-Level Study Group established on
the initiative of the President of the Commission and chaired by André Sapir in the Economic and
Monetary Committee on 4 November 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to the Final report of the Centre for European Policy Studies of 27 November 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to the Economic Forecasts Autumn 2003 (1),

(cid:1) having regard to the Communication from the Commission ‘Investing in research: an action plan for

Europe’ (COM(2003) 226),

(1) To be published as European Economy No 5/2003.