European Parliament resolution on the accession process of Bulgaria and Romania
Date: 2005-07-07
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Bulgaria, EU Accession Treaty, Member of Parliament, Romania, accession to the European Union, opt-out clause

C 157 E/490

Thursday 7 July 2005

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.7.2006

31.
Expresses concern over the issue of whether post-trade services should come under the category of
services of general interest; urges the Commission to ensure that all players providing the same service are
regulated in the same manner;

Believes that central providers of clearing and settlement services should take full account of the
32.
interests of all users, maximise user consultation and transparency of pricing structures and ensure zero
cross-subsidy between their central services and those offered in competition with other market participants,
especially custodian banks, as is already the case in other industries; believes that users should pay only for
the services they consume and have a clear and unfettered choice about where to purchase banking services
related to their transactions; considers that securities settlement systems settling in commercial bank money
should offer at least a choice as to whether to settle in central bank money;

33.

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

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P6_TA(2005)0302

The accession process of Bulgaria and Romania

European Parliament resolution on the accession process of Bulgaria and Romania

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the accession treaty for Bulgaria and Romania signed on 25 April 2005,

— having regard to the progress achieved by Bulgaria and Romania which made it possible to conclude
the accession negotiations, but also to the need to continue the efforts to remedy the shortcomings
identified in the Commission's 2004 progress report and in Parliament's most recent resolutions both
before and after signature of the accession treaty,

— having regard to the exchange of letters between the President of Parliament and the President of the
Commission on the full involvement of Parliament in any decision to apply any of the safeguard clauses
in the accession treaty,

— having regard to the fact that the ‘acquis’ continues to develop and be modified in the run-up to the
Bulgarian and Romanian accession to the European Union, scheduled for 1 January 2007, or 1 January
2008 should the safeguard clauses in the accession treaty be invoked,

— having regard to the fact that the Council and Commission are allowing observers from Bulgaria and
Romania to participate in parts of their respective internal proceedings, as a minimum safeguard to
enable the two countries to at least be aware of legislative developments affecting them,

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

Stresses once again that it will continue to follow closely the process which will lead to Bulgaria's and
1.
Romania's accession, and calls on the Commission to keep it regularly informed of the extent to which the
Bulgarian and Romanian authorities honour the commitments made in the accession treaty; stresses that its
approval of the accession treaties was given on condition that the Council and Commission fully involve
Parliament in decision-making in the event of the safeguard clauses in the accession treaty being used in the
context of Bulgaria's and Romania's accession;

Emphasises that

2.
the European Parliament welcomed parliamentary observers from the ten new
Member States for the whole period from the signing of the accession treaty to their actual and formal
accession to the Union;

3.
Points out that, although the presence of the observers was limited and restricted in terms of real
influence, this arrangement made it possible for democratically elected parliamentarians from the accession
countries not only to familiarise themselves with European Parliament proceedings, but also to closely
follow the actual adoption of Community legislation;

6.7.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 157 E/491

Thursday 7 July 2005

4.
Stresses that the arrival of the observers from the Bulgarian and Romanian Parliaments, as decided by
the Conference of Presidents, may contribute to the further preparation of a successful accession to the
European Union, and in particular to ensuring that the commitments made during the negotiations are
being met;

5.
Endorses, therefore, the recent decision by the Conference of Presidents, taken on 9 June 2005, to
invite the Parliaments of Bulgaria and Romania to nominate parliamentary observers and to welcome
them from 26 September 2005 until the formal accession of their respective countries;

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

6.
ments and Parliaments of Bulgaria and Romania.

P6_TA(2005)0303

Zimbabwe

The European Parliament,

European Parliament resolution on Zimbabwe

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Zimbabwe, including most recently that of

16 December 2004 (1),

— having regard to Council Common Position 2005/146/CFSP of 21 February 2005 extending Common
Position 2004/161/CFSP renewing restrictive measures against Zimbabwe (2) and Commission Regu-
lation (EC) No 898/2005 of 15 June 2005 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 314/2004 concerning
certain restrictive measures in respect of Zimbabwe (3),

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on 19 May 2005 the Mugabe regime intensified its oppression of the people of Zimbabwe
by the brutal destruction of thousands of homes in Harare, Bulawayo and other urban areas in the
so-called ‘Operation Drive Out Rubbish’, to the extent that over 200 000 people, according to UN
estimates, are now without shelter or livelihood, and whereas many of those that have been evicted
are living on the banks of the Mukluvisi River in conditions conducive to the spread of disease,

B. whereas those loyal to Mugabe had consolidated their power in the flawed parliamentary elections of
31 March 2005, elections which were marred by oppression and intimidation and failed to meet inter-
nationally acceptable democratic standards,

C. whereas G8 leaders are meeting at Gleneagles on 6-8 July 2005 and the British Presidency of the G8
has put assistance to Africa at the top of its agenda; whereas the Live8 campaign has focused additional
attention on the problems of Africa, including the need for good governance,

D. whereas on 24 May 2005 EU Development Ministers agreed to increase EU aid to 0,56 % Gross
National Income by 2010, in order to reach 0,7 % by 2015 in furtherance of the Millennium Devel-
opment Goals; whereas the increase is estimated to amount to an additional EUR 20 billion annually by
2010,

E. whereas aid alone can achieve little in Africa without good governance, the rule of law and respect for
human rights, and the attitude of African governments to developments in Zimbabwe is a key indicator
of their commitment to such values,

F. whereas previously Zimbabwe had a successful economy, exported food to other African countries and
was in a position to assist its weaker neighbours in overcoming their difficulties, but is now a failed
state with millions of its people reliant on food aid from the international community,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0112.
(2) OJ L 49, 22.2.2005, p. 30.
(3) OJ L 153, 16.6.2005, p. 9.