European Parliament resolution on the World Social Forum and the World Economic Forum
Date: 2005-02-24
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: debt reduction, globalisation, international meeting, international trade, poverty

C 304 E/396

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

1.12.2005

Thursday 24 February 2005

89.
Requests the Commission, as already envisaged in 2003, to submit a formal proposal for a legal basis
for the so-called ‘Info-points/Carrefours’, as well as for the new generation of conventions between the
Commission and Member States and of programmes for grants after 2006;

Calls on the Commission to inform Parliament as soon as possible on the state of implementation of
90.
its own internal reform process, launched by the previous Commission, as well as on its continuing plans
for pursuing and completing such reform;

Fight against fraud

Emphasises the importance of including ‘fraud-proofing’ measures in all relevant legislative texts and,
91.
in this light, expects the revision of the OLAF regulation to be completed in a way that enhances its
independent status; urges the Commission to adopt a pro-active approach to encouraging whistle-blowers
to come forward;

Insists that the complete and successful implementation of the new accounting system must remain a

92.
priority during the year ahead;

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

93.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

*

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P6_TA(2005)0054

World Social Forum, World Economic Forum

European Parliament resolution on the World Social Forum and the World Economic Forum

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolution of 12 February 2003 on the World Economic and Social Fora (Davos

and Porto Alegre) (1),

— having regard to the 2005 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre and World Economic Forum in Davos,

— having regard to the 2005 G7 Meeting in London,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the 2005 World Economic Forum has been addressing issues of global importance, including
China, climate change, the global economy, Islam, poverty, weapons of mass destruction, the Middle
East, world trade, US leadership, Europe, global governance and equitable globalisation,

B. whereas the 2005 World Social Forum has also focused on global issues, including peace, the fight

against poverty, health, education, trade, agriculture and human rights,

C. whereas the World Economic Forum and the World Social Forum address the process of globalisation,
which is a consequence of heterogeneous and not always planned progress in different areas such as
market development, communication technologies, reduction of transport costs, expansion of free mar-
ket economies and international agreements such as those of the WTO, the IMF and others,

D. whereas globalisation presents a real opportunity for growth and higher living standards throughout the
world, but does not imply homogenisation, so that cultural and linguistic diversity remain essential to a
full human existence,

(1) OJ C 43 E, 19.2.2004, p. 242.

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E. whereas the 2005 World Economic Forum has set out action priorities for 2005, including the adop-
tion of technology to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, the creation of a fund to accelerate
financial aid to the poorest nations and the removal of trade barriers that deprive developing countries
of the dividends of global economic growth,

F. whereas the Doha development round of the WTO negotiations is approaching a crucial stage; whereas

freer and fairer trade would increase growth worldwide and create more and better jobs,

1.
Believes that globalisation must be accompanied by greater efforts to reduce poverty; welcomes the G7
compromise to launch a debt relief programme for poor countries; recognises debt cancellation as a
measure for fighting poverty in countries progressing towards democracy, respect for human rights and
the rule of law, and a sustainable economy; rejects however, an unconditional cancellation of debt for
countries that do not prioritise these issues;

2. Welcomes the action priorities set out by the 2005 World Economic Forum and asks the Council,
Commission, and Member States to develop and support initiatives that contribute to the implementation of
these priorities; notes that the lack of implementation of action priorities has been highlighted in the annual
report of the World Economic Forum's Global Governance Initiative;

Believes that the World Social Forum should also set out action priorities which can be implemented,

3.
instead of merely issuing 352 proposals accepted by panels as has been the case this year;

4.
Notes the increasing presence of Chinese and Indian business leaders at the World Economic Forum,
which brings home the necessity of improving Europe's competitiveness through implementation of the
Lisbon modernising agenda, and of developing closer relationships with the EU's trading partners in Asia
and South America as well as with the US in order to complete the transatlantic market by 2015 and to
replace the New Transatlantic Agenda with a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement to be implemented from
2007;

5. Welcomes the commitment of several European leaders at Davos to the revival of the European econ-
omy; welcomes in this context the Lisbon midterm review report by the Commission and urges individual
Member States to shoulder their responsibility for making the revised Lisbon Agenda a success;

Considers that in order to support long-term sustainable global growth the US must commit itself to

6.
fiscal consolidation while Europe and Japan must accelerate the process of structural reform;

7. Welcomes the World Economic Forum's Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and the sig-
ning by 62 companies of the support statement on the Partnering Against Corruption Principles for
Countering Bribery (PACI Principles), thereby underlining the importance attached by the corporate sector
to the fight against corruption and bribery;

8. Welcomes the selection of 29 companies as 2005's Technology Pioneers by the World Economic
Forum as part of its Technology Pioneers programme, which enables companies involved in the devel-
opment of potential life-changing technological innovation to be fully integrated into Forum activities;

9.
Reaffirms its commitment to the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Devel-
opment Goals; welcomes the emphasis placed by both Fora on making world trade fairer and freer; urges
the negotiators at the WTO to take this advice seriously; also points out the beneficial effect that the
dismantling of trade barriers would have on the recovery of regions hit by the tsunami; underlines the
positive impact which the liberalisation of agricultural trade would have on developing countries;

10.
Considers globalisation a key element in promoting competitiveness and growth within the EU and
in developing countries; underlines the importance of the multilateral approach to trade policy, especially
for the developing and least-developed countries, whose interests are best served in a multilateral frame-

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work, and the multilateral governance needed to ensure a free and fair trade system worldwide; therefore
supports the WTO as the principal forum for the management of globalisation, through trade opening and
the strengthening of multilateral rules, and the pursuit of sustainable development;

11.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.

P6_TA(2005)0055

Elections in Moldova

European Parliament resolution on the parliamentary elections in Moldova

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Moldova, in particular its resolution of

18 December 2003 (1),

— having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Moldova and the EU which was

signed on 28 November 1994 and entered into force on 1 July 1998,

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 12 May 2004 on the European Neigh-

bourhood Policy (COM(2004)0373),

— having regard to the Final Statement and Recommendations of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Coop-

eration Committee of 11 June 2003,

— having regard to the Action Plan for Moldova, which was submitted to the EU-Moldova Cooperation

Council, meeting on 22 February 2005, for approval,

— having regard to the declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union of 9 February

2005 concerning the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova,

— having regard to the Needs Assessment Mission Report drawn up by the OSCE's Office for Democratic

Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) for the parliamentary elections in Moldova,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the European Neighbourhood Policy recognises Moldova's European aspirations and the
importance of Moldova as a country with deep historical, cultural and economic links to the Member
States,

B. whereas within the framework of this European Neighbourhood Policy an Action Plan has been pre-
pared, which includes proposals aimed at encouraging the political and institutional reforms which will
enable Moldova to integrate progressively in EU policies and programmes,

C. whereas a genuine and balanced partnership can only be developed on the basis of shared common
values with regard, in particular, to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human and civil rights,

D. whereas Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin declared on 11 December 2004 that his country has

‘no choice’ but to move without further delay towards integration with Europe,

E. whereas parliamentary elections will take place in Moldova on 6 March 2005,

(1) OJ C 91 E, 15.4.2004, p. 692.