European Parliament resolution on preparations for the COP-MOP meetings on biological diversity and biosafety in Curitiba, Brazil
Date: 2006-03-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: biodiversity, development policy, environmental protection, food safety, health control, public health

30.11.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 291 E/411

Thursday, 16 March 2006

Reaffirms the need for strengthened consultation, cooperation and coordination between the EU and

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the UN, in particular the new HRC;

13.
Reaffirms the need for a coordinated, concerted and well prepared approach on the part of the EU
prior to, during and after the HRC sessions so as to ensure an efficient and effective contribution to its
proceedings;

Considers it appropriate, following Parliament's practice of participating in the annual sessions of the

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UNCHR, to continue sending a delegation to attend relevant sessions of the HRC;

62nd session of the UNCHR

Takes note of the decision to make the 62nd session of the UNCHR a transitional, procedural,

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shortened session;

16.
Considers, nevertheless, that these modalities should not prevent the UNCHR from carrying out its
protection mandate and that all activities of the UNCHR in standard- setting should be duly adopted or
otherwise followed-up;

17.
Calls, therefore, on members of the Commission on Human Rights to ensure that the work of special
procedures mandated at the last session, such as the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation with
representatives of United Nations human rights bodies, is presented, acknowledged and fully debated, and
that those mandates that come to an end, such as the mandate of the UN Secretary-General's Special Repre-
sentative on Human Rights Defenders, are renewed; stresses that the ability of human rights defenders to
address the Commission and take part in the debates must be maintained;

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Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the governments
18.
and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the President of
the 60th General Assembly and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

P6_TA(2006)0098

Preparations for the COP-MOP meetings on biological diversity and biosafety
(Curitiba, Brazil)

European Parliament resolution on preparations for the COP-MOP meetings on biological diversity
and biosafety in Curitiba, Brazil

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the 8th Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

(CBD) to be held from 20 to 31 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil,

— having regard to the 3rd Meeting of Parties (MOP3) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (BSP) being

held from 13 to 17 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil,

— having regard to the conclusions of the Göteborg European Council of 15 and 16 June 2001,

— having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

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Thursday, 16 March 2006

A. whereas the CBD is the largest global agreement on the protection of biodiversity, addressing the conser-
vation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use
of genetic resources, and whereas it has been signed by 188 parties, including the 25 EU Member States
and the European Community,

B. whereas the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety sets common minimum standards for trans-boundary

movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) and has been ratified by 131 countries,

C. whereas biological diversity, including genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, constitutes the fabric of
life and is the very foundation of human health, quality of life and prosperity, and has an inherent value
in itself,

D. whereas there is a direct link between the conservation of biological diversity and the provision of
ecosystem services, such as food production, water purification, nutrient circulation and climate regu-
lation; whereas human consumption of natural resources, the destruction of habitats, climate change, the
overexploitation of wild species and the unsustainable and illegal trade in wild fauna and flora are
increasing in intensity and already put ecosystem services under severe stress,

E. whereas Parties to the CBD, by Decision CBD VI/26, and, independently, Parties at the Johannesburg
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 agreed to reduce the rate of biodiversity
loss significantly by 2010,

F. whereas the European Community has committed itself to halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010,

G. whereas UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/59/25 of 17 November 2004 calls for urgent action to
‘consider on a case-by-case basis and on a scientific basis, including the application of the precautionary
approach, the interim prohibition of destructive fishing practices, including bottom trawling that has
adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, hydrothermal vents and cold
water corals located beyond national
jurisdiction, until such time as appropriate conservation and
management measures have been adopted in accordance with international law’,

H. whereas the recent UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2005)
underscores the dramatic loss of the world's last ancient forests, estimating forest loss at more than
13 million hectares per year globally,

I. whereas at COP8 parties are expected to take stock of the commitments made in the work programme
on forest biological diversity, CBD Decisions VI/22 and VII/28, regarding the sustainable use and
consumption of and trade in biological resources, as well as forest law enforcement and governance and
action against illegal logging,

J. whereas CBD Decision V/5, section III, taken by COP5 in 2000, lays down a moratorium on the field-
testing and marketing of V-GURT technology (Varietal Genetic Use Restriction Technologies) designed to
prevent, by means of sterility-inducing gene constructs, farm-saved seeds from germinating,

K. whereas the use of genetic engineering to produce sterile seeds would force farmers to purchase new
seed each season and could therefore threaten food security, in particular in developing countries, and
whereas such genes could contaminate non-GM crops as a result of cross-fertilisation and accidental
mixing,

1.
Is deeply concerned at the continued loss of biodiversity and at the European Union's ever increasing
ecological footprint, which extends the impact on biodiversity well beyond the borders of the European
Union;

2. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to show leadership and conviction by
agreeing to and facilitating concrete measures for the protection of biodiversity, both domestically and inter-
nationally;

3. Considers that the requirements of the global moratorium on the field-testing and marketing of V-
inter alia, the ecological and socioeconomic impact and any adverse
GURT technology with regard to,
impact on biological diversity, food security and human health, have not been met;

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Thursday, 16 March 2006

4. Urges the European Commission and the Member States to:

— set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound global targets for the review of the 2010

biodiversity target;

— build on and accelerate implementation of the recent CBD decisions on forest biological diversity and

protected areas;

— allocate additional resources and develop new international financing mechanisms to establish a global
network of protected areas by 2010 on land, and by 2012 at sea, with special emphasis on large intact
ecosystems, which are vital to the protection of the world's biodiversity;

— develop strong measures to ensure sustainable use and consumption of and trade in biodiversity
resources, improve forest law enforcement and governance, and combat illegal logging and the related
trade, taking into account the recommendations contained in Parliament's resolution of 7 July 2005 on
speeding up implementation of the EU action plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade
(FLEGT) (1);

— make use of the FLEGT initiative and other similar regional processes to enhance the implementation of

the CBD objectives and contribute to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);

— protect marine biodiversity from destructive practices affecting vulnerable marine ecosystems, insist on
the consideration on a scientific basis, including the application of the precautionary approach, of the
interim prohibition of destructive fishing practices, including bottom trawling, that has adverse impacts
on vulnerable marine ecosystems until such time as appropriate conservation and management measures
have been adopted in accordance with international law, and stress the need to strengthen, as appro-
priate, the conservation powers of existing Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and
establish new RFMOs where needed;

— develop a legally binding instrument to ensure fair and equitable access and benefit sharing (ABS) in

respect of genetic resources within an agreed time-frame;

— ensure the full and effective participation of local communities and indigenous peoples in implementing

the CBD work programme;

— reject any proposals to undermine the moratorium on the field-testing and marketing of so-called termi-
nator technologies set by CBD Decision V/5 through a ‘case-by-case’ assessment or approval of Genetic
Use Restriction Technologies;

— defend robustly an EU policy to require that no open-air growing of crops involving Genetic Use Restric-
tion Technologies can be permitted until thorough research on ecological and socio-economic impacts
and on any adverse effects for biodiversity, food security and human health has been carried out in a
transparent manner;

— ensure that biodiversity indicators are developed, since effective implementation is hampered by a lack of
coherent information on the effectiveness of measures already taken, and by the difficulty of presenting
information on the state of biodiversity; and

— insist that agreement is reached on a robust regime of requirements for the documentation accompa-
nying shipments of LMOs, so that the legality of imported LMOs can be determined in the country of
destination and the importing party can establish adequate traceability and monitor unintended releases
into the environment and the use and consumption of LMOs in processed food and feed;

5. Urges, in addition, the European Commission and the Member States to speed up progress towards
meeting the Community's target of halting the loss of biodiversity, including by integrating the CBD objec-
tives into EU development and aid policy, notably into the forthcoming EU Country and Regional Strategy
Papers, and drastically improving the implementation of the EU's Habitats (2) and Birds (3) Directives and the
related Natura 2000 network;

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0300.
(2) Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ

L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7).

(3) Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1).

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

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the CBD and the BSP.

P6_TA(2006)0099

Human rights in Moldova and in Transnistria in particular

European Parliament resolution on human rights in Moldova, and in Transnistria in particular

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on Moldova, in particular that of 18 December 2003 (1), that
of 24 February 2005 (2) on the parliamentary elections in Moldova and that of 28 April 2005 on the
Annual Report on Human Rights in the World (2004) and the EU's policy on the matter (3),

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

tion Committee meeting of 6 and 7 October 2005,

— having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Moldova and the European Union

(EU), which was signed on 28 November 1994 and entered into force on 1 July 1998,

— having regard to the statements of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

1999 Summit in Istanbul and the 2002 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Oporto,

— having regard to the Action Plan for Moldova adopted by the seventh EU-Moldova Cooperation Council

meeting on 22 February 2005,

— having regard to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report on the parliamentary elec-
tions of 6 March 2005, which elections complied in general with most of the commitments made to the
OSCE with the standards laid down by the Council of Europe and other international bodies for demo-
cratic elections despite the shortcomings identified regarding campaign conditions and access to the
media,

— having regard to Council Decision 2006/96/CFSP implementing Common Position 2004/179/CFSP
concerning restrictive measures against the leadership of the Transnistrian region of Moldova (4) and
Council Common Position 2006/95/CFSP (5) renewing these restrictive measures for a further period of
12 months,

— having regard to the interim resolution adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
on 1 March 2006 concerning the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of 8 July
2004 in the case of Ilaşcu and others against Moldova and the Russian Federation,

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

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

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

(1) OJ C 91 E, 15.4.2004, p. 692.
(2) OJ C 304 E, 1.12.2005, p. 398.
(3) OJ C 45 E, 23.2.2006, p. 107.
(4) OJ L 44, 15.2.2006, p. 32.
(5) OJ L 44, 15.2.2006, p. 31.