European Parliament resolution on improving EU-US relations in the framework of a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement (2005/2056(INI))
Date: 2006-06-01
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: United States, cooperation policy, democracy, fight against crime, human rights, international security

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Points out that there is no alternative to bilateral negotiations and that unilateral actions could under-

8.
mine efforts to reach a lasting and comprehensive settlement;

9.
Reiterates its condemnation of, and calls for an immediate halt to, the continuing extension of settle-
ments, in particular in East Jerusalem, and the building of the wall beyond the 1967 borders, which is
contrary to international law and is an obstacle to the restoration of a climate of dialogue;

10.
Calls on all parties concerned to fully implement the Roadmap and calls on the Quartet to encourage
negotiations for a fair and lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East, leading to a firm and final
peace agreement as laid out in the Roadmap;

Supports the constructive attitude of the Commission and Council within the Quartet in setting the

11.
conditions for a future engagement with the Palestinian Authority;

12.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Represen-
tative for CFSP, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President of the Palestinian
Authority, the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Israeli Knesset and government, the governments of the
US and the Russian Federation and the UN Secretary-General.

P6_TA(2006)0238

EU-USA Transatlantic Partnership Agreement

European Parliament resolution on improving EU-US relations in the framework of a Transatlantic
Partnership Agreement (2005/2056(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Transatlantic Declaration on EC-US Relations of 1990 and the New Transatlantic

Agenda of 1995,

— having regard to the Conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 December 2004 and
in particular to the sections entitled ‘An international order based on effective multilateralism’ and
‘Working with partners’,

— having regard to the statements made after the meeting of European Union Heads of State and Govern-

ment and the President of the United States on 22 February 2005 in Brussels,

— having regard to the outcome of the EU-US Summit held on 20 June 2005 in Washington DC,

— having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2005 on transatlantic relations (1) as well as to its previous
resolutions of 17 May 2001 (2), 13 December 2001 (3), 15 May 2002 (4) and 19 June 2003 (5), to its
recommendation of 10 March 2004 to the Council on the Guantánamo detainees' right to a fair
trial (6), to its resolution of 16 February 2006 on Guantánamo (7) and to its resolutions of 22 April
2004 (8) and 13 January 2005 (9),

— having regard to US Congress Draft House Resolution 77 on Transatlantic Relations presented on

9 February 2005,

— having regard to the Commission Communication of 18 May 2005 entitled ‘A stronger EU-US Partner-

ship and a more open market for the 21st century’ (COM(2005)0196),

(1) OJ C 124 E, 25.5.2006, p. 556.
(2) OJ C 34 E, 7.2.2002, p. 359.
(3) OJ C 177 E, 25.7.2002, p. 288.
(4) OJ C 180 E, 31.7.2003, p. 392.
(5) OJ C 69 E, 19.3.2004, p. 124.
(6) OJ C 102 E, 28.4.2004, p. 640.
(7) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0070.
(8) OJ C 104 E, 30.4.2004, p. 1043.
(9) OJ C 247 E, 6.10.2005, p. 151.

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— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on

Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Legal Affairs (A6-0173/2006),

A. whereas the Transatlantic Partnership is a cornerstone of the external action of the Union,

B. whereas the Transatlantic Partnership is founded on shared values such as freedom, democracy, human
rights and the rule of law, as well as supporting sustainable economies and sustainable development;
whereas such values continue to play a key role in any future consideration of the fundamentals of the
Transatlantic Partnership; and whereas the USA needs to be called upon to adopt the values promoted
and upheld by the EU, such as prohibition of the death penalty and defence of the International
Criminal Court,

C. whereas it is necessary, regardless of a partially divergent interpretation of the currently existing global
risks and threats, to advance freedom and democracy in the world and to address the challenges which
they pose, such as international security, the eradication of poverty, promotion of development, the
need for disarmament efforts worldwide, protection of human rights, confronting global health risks,
environmental issues and energy security, combating international terrorism and organised crime, and
the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

D. whereas it is in the interests of both partners to confront in unison common threats and challenges on
the basis of existing international treaties and the effective work of international institutions, and in
particular the UN system in accordance with the UN Charter,

E. whereas, bearing in mind the responsibility of both partners for the state of international order, it is
essential that their partnership be founded on a stable, sustainable and load-bearing base for coop-
eration,

F. whereas, in the fight against international terrorism, it is necessary to stress the importance of fully
respecting international law and treaties regarding human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to
recognise the importance of discussing the appropriateness of and need for new and more tailored
solutions in international law, capable of better responding to the challenge of international terrorism,
and new legal means of combating the threat of terrorism, while fully respecting the aforementioned
rights and freedoms,

G. whereas, as the European Security Strategy makes clear, the Transatlantic Partnership and NATO are

very important for collective security,

H. whereas EU institutions, Member States, the United Nations and the general public have repeatedly
called for the immediate closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, urging that all prisoners
should be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and tried as quickly as possible
at a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal,

I. whereas the EU and US constitute the world's largest bilateral partnership in terms of trade (some
EUR 600 000 million in goods and services in 2003) and investment (some EUR 1400 000 million
by 2003), with as many as 14 million jobs in the EU and US dependent on transatlantic commercial
ties (according to the Commission),

J. whereas, in the context of the strong economic interdependence deriving from the abovementioned
ties, the Lisbon Agenda should be perceived as an endeavour to make Europe a highly competitive
and knowledge-based economy which in turn benefits the Transatlantic Partnership by enhancing the
growth of common markets,

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K. whereas the United States continues to impose, on a non-reciprocal basis, a visa requirement on citizens
of ten EU Member States, including nine of the ten Member States which joined the European Union
on 1 May 2004, thereby hampering transatlantic ties, perpetuating inequality among EU citizens and
implying a lack of trust in the European Union's own visa arrangements,

L. whereas both partners are currently the major donors of assistance to the Middle East and the Medi-
terranean region, with some EUR 3 000 million being provided annually in grants and loans from the
EU and some USD 2 200 million from the United States, whereas the peaceful development of demo-
cratic societies in the Middle East that respect human rights and guarantee political pluralism should be
the central strategic aim of the foreign policy of both the European Union and the United States, and
whereas this assistance should be better coordinated and focused on conflict resolution, the promotion
of democracy and sustainable development,

M. whereas the Austrian Presidency has underlined the need for greater involvement of parliamentary
representatives and representatives of European and American civil society in the Transatlantic Partner-
ship,

General framework of the EU-US Partnership

1.
Stresses the need to update the fundamental basis of the Transatlantic Partnership by replacing the
existing New Transatlantic Agenda with a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement to take effect from 2007; is
convinced that it is only by means of such an agreement that the transatlantic relationship can be anchored
in a firm institutionalised structure, enabling the partners to pursue their common objectives in a more
consistent and stable manner;
is of the view that only such an agreement would allow comprehensive
restructuring and harmonising of the diverse and uncoordinated initiatives presently under way, and that it
would also encourage other international actors to assume the vital principles of democracy, human rights
and the rule of law;

2.
In this respect, urges the partners to initiate at all levels a comprehensive evaluation of the shortcom-
ings, failures and achievements of the New Transatlantic Agenda with regard, in particular, to the priority
actions included in the Joint EU/US Action Plan, so as to build the Transatlantic Partnership on a more
defined and concrete basis;

Underlines equally the urgent need for the forthcoming EU-US Summit in June 2006 to fix without
3.
further delay the goal of completing the Transatlantic Market by 2015, without impediment, as repeatedly
proposed by Parliament, by the US Congress and by leading politicians, academics and business stake-
holders;

Is of the opinion that the realisation of such far-reaching initiatives, especially with regard to the
4.
deepening of EU-US economic relations,
is absolutely necessary; emphasises the need for transatlantic
relations to have a direct impact on achieving objectives inherent in EU-US global and bilateral interests
and values;

5.
Considers therefore that the eight joint declarations adopted at the EU-US Summit in Washington DC
on 20 June 2005, as well as other common actions which may follow, would be better integrated and more
effectively pursued under the umbrella of the proposed Transatlantic Partnership Agreement;

6.
Regrets for the same reason that the Commission Communication of 18 May 2005, whilst moving in
the right direction, did not show the necessary conviction and determination to push further ahead and fix
the final goal of enhancing the Transatlantic Partnership by concluding a Transatlantic Partnership Agree-
ment as the appropriate institutional and political framework; calls, therefore, on the Commission to draw
up another Communication, stressing the need to push ahead with the matter;

Political dimension of the proposed Transatlantic Partnership Agreement: building up a ‘community of
action’ for global and regional cooperation

7.
Reiterates the view that the Transatlantic Partnership Agreement should expand the existing agenda in
the political, economic and security fields, seeking a ‘community of action’ for global and regional coop-
eration in all those areas where the common interests and values of both partners are at stake; welcomes in

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this regard the eight joint declarations resulting from the last Washington Summit, which specify the most
pressing challenges for both partners; also welcomes the discussions at the First Regulatory Cooperation
Forum (26 January 2006) and within the First Intellectual Property Working Group (26 January 2006),
and looks forward to their follow-up in three months, but considers that more concrete action, such as
the setting-up of informal dialogues between EU and US experts in the areas concerned, with a view to
formulating achievable short and medium-term measures to tackle those challenges, would be desirable;

8.
Recommends also the promotion of a common approach to relations with other major geopolitical
actors including China, India, Japan, Latin America and Russia, the revival of negotiated arms control and
disarmament agreements at multilateral and bilateral levels and a more active joint commitment to reform
of the United Nations and its Security Council;

Urges that China, Russia and Ukraine be prioritised for actions with regard to EU-US collaboration and

9.
coordination of technical assistance and enforcement training;

Is of the view that the support for the United Nations system contained in the Declaration on the
10.
60th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter will strengthen universal democratic values worldwide
only if the terms of the Declaration and UN Security Council resolutions are consistently applied when
addressing the multifaceted threats and challenges on the ground; in this regard, shares the view that the
spread of transparent, accountable and representative government, the rule of law and respect for human
rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are strategic priorities and moral necess-
ities for the partners and as such must form a distinctive characteristic of the partnership;

11.
Encourages the partners to engage in further common action regarding obligations deriving from
international treaties which lay the foundations of an effective multilateral framework in fundamental policy
areas for both partners' global responsibilities, such as those relating to the International Criminal Court, the
Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, the Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention against Torture and other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, human rights and fundamental freedoms including
the elimination of the death penalty, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, combating organised
crime and smuggling, extradition, torture, illegal detention and rendition, asylum, visas, emigration, data
protection, etc.; urges the partners to ratify all relevant international treaties and to overcome current dif-
ferences in analysis, diagnosis and policy approach towards a global system based on good governance and
the rule of law;

Regrets that the US Administration remains so reluctant to enter into any meaningful international
12.
partnership on climate change, but notes as a modest step forward, that it is now willing, as agreed at the
December 2005 Montreal Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli-
mate Change, to engage in a thorough forward-looking dialogue; welcomes initiatives by US legislators to
set up mandatory domestic schemes for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the US and the
growing emphasis on fighting climate change demonstrated by key actors in American society, such as
state governments, mayors, civil society organisations and the business community;

13.
Recommends that a common strategy be developed to ensure security of energy and raw material
supplies, based firstly on a multilateral policy agreed by all major consumers and secondly on the principle
of diversity in supply, production and transportation;

14.
Encourages closer cooperation, within the Contact Group, on the final status of Kosovo, with respect
for the resolutions of the UN Security Council and decisions of the European Union, with the aim of
consolidating peace, security and stability in the broader region of the Balkans;

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15.
Encourages the partners to reinforce their common efforts to promote peace, prosperity and progress
in the Middle East on the basis of the successive initiatives undertaken by the Quartet in accordance with
the Road Map, ensuring at each stage a regular, strong joint Quartet presence and dialogue at a high level;
stresses the importance of a common approach towards the newly elected Palestinian Authority, insisting on
the principles of non-violence, recognition of the state of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and
obligations, including the Road Map; calls on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to avoid unilateral actions
which could prejudice final status issues; urges the Palestinian Authority to do its utmost to prevent acts of
terrorism and Israel to stop settlement expansion and the building-up of the barrier on Palestinian soil; is of
the view that commitment by the newly elected Palestinian Authority to the above-mentioned principles
outlined by the Quartet on 30 January 2006 is essential in order to achieve the final aim of two democratic
states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security; supports the recent decision of the
Quartet to endorse a temporary international mechanism ensuring direct aid to the Palestinian people;

16.
Recommends that all necessary steps be taken to strengthen Lebanon's stability by supporting that
country's institutions and its democratic governance; to that end, is of the view that Lebanon's own deci-
sion–making should not be overridden by the actions of the transatlantic partners or of any other outside
actor;

17.
Supports the determination of the partners to work with the Iraqi authorities, the UN and relevant
regional actors in order to help Iraq achieve peace, stability and democracy following the constitutional and
legislative elections; expresses its profound concern at the continuing violations of human rights;

18.
Underlines the need for the partners to work closely on the Iran nuclear issue and to maintain a
coherent policy towards the region as a whole, focusing on the Iranian people, its government and the
democratic opposition; asks the United States to participate in the negotiations with Iran; fully supports
the statement by the President of the UN Security Council on 29 March 2006 and the call on Iran to take
the steps required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors for suspension of
all enrichment-related and for verification by the IAEA of reprocessing activities, including research and
development; shares the view that these steps will contribute to a diplomatic, negotiated solution guaran-
teeing that Iran's nuclear programme is for exclusively peaceful purposes; fully supports the conclusions of
the meeting held in Berlin on 30 March 2006 and its urgent call on Iran to address international concerns
through a diplomatic solution, but recalls that negotiations have already lasted three years, cannot be never-
ending and cannot simply lead to an appeasement policy; is of the view that further measures should be
envisaged by the United Nations Security Council;

Recommends that Iran's legitimate security interests be taken into account by a comprehensive

19.
regional security system backed by the strong commitment of the transatlantic partners;

20.
Calls for concerted action vis-à-vis China with regard, in particular, to the urgency of finding ways to
promote democracy in that country, defuse tension in cross-straits relations, enhance the participation of
Taiwan in world fora and facilitate the dialogue between the Beijing authorities and the Dalai Lama in order
to make concrete progress on the question of Tibet;

Supports the measures proposed with a view to working together for the promotion of peace, sta-
21.
bility, prosperity and good governance in Africa, as well as the efforts being made in the framework of
different international fora, such as the G8/African Union Action Plan, the EU-African Peace Facility or the
US Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative; proposes however that priority be given to achieving the UN
Millennium Development Goals by 2015 by effectively increasing the partners' development assistance in
Africa, in particular in the fields of education and health, and by supporting the efforts of international aid
funds to eradicate poverty completely; expects African governments to deliver their side of the bargain
through a commitment to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights as well as to the fight
against corruption;

22.
Is of the view that the European Union and the United States should give policy priority to the
substantial reduction of poverty and should reaffirm their commitment to achieving the UN Millennium
Development Goals by 2015 and their previously expressed commitment to devote 0,7 % of their GDP to
development assistance by 2020 at the latest;

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EU-US security and defence matters

Underlines the importance of NATO's role together with the European Union's foreign and security
23.
policy and the fact that NATO remains a crucial guarantor of transatlantic stability and security; reiterates
that it is in the interests of the partners to strengthen both NATO and EU capabilities and that NATO in
particular should develop its potential as a forum for political debate in a true partnership of equals, with a
sensible balance being struck between the instruments of prevention, crisis management and military capa-
bility; recommends, to that end, the development of the existing relationship on security matters between
NATO and the European Union, while respecting the independent nature of both organisations; underlines
that all military intervention should in principle be mandated by the UN, in accordance with its Charter;

24. Welcomes the recent US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, which does not
contain ‘Buy American’ provisions for the procurement of refuelling tankers for the US Air Force; recog-
nises, however, that it remains difficult for European defence firms to penetrate the United States defence
market and to acquire United States defence-related technology due to the absence of a genuine transatlantic
‘two-way street’
in the defence industrial sector; believes, therefore, that the European Defence Agency
should recommend that national defence procurement agencies in the EU make more European purchases
in order to strategically reinforce the European defence industrial and technological base in certain sectors
and in order to rebalance transatlantic industrial cooperation in the defence sector;

Urges further discussion on joint rapid reaction (including crisis management in all its forms) to
interests of

25.
sudden and unexpected political changes in countries in which the shared values and vital
both partners could be affected;

Underlines the importance of increasing the military capabilities of Europe, for the sake of inter-
26.
national security and with a view to establishing better partnership relations between the European Union
and the United States in political and military terms;

27. Welcomes the commitment by both partners, highlighting the important role played by the UN
Security Council and other UN institutions in seeking an effective global response to the key threats to
international peace and security posed by the proliferation of WMDs and their delivery systems; as well as
the irresponsible export and proliferation of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons;
to that end, stresses the need for the continuation of work on strengthening the non-proliferation regime
and that efforts must be made to work decisively towards the universalisation of the related treaties and
conventions, in particular the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, as well as adherence to
the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, implementation of the UN Programme of
Action on small arms and light weapons and conclusion of the International Arms Trade Treaty; encourages
the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty;

Recommends intensification of the work on a new instrument of international law which would
28.
adequately define the phenomenon of terrorism as well as effective and legal methods of combating it by
international society that are in full accord with human rights and fundamental freedoms;

29.
Encourages the European Union and the United States to continue cooperation towards a compre-
hensive system of international agreements on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in order to
jointly reinforce the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a key element in preventing the spread of nuclear
weapons, regrets that a common position in this regard was not achieved at the NPT Review Conference in
2005, and proposes that the utmost be done to promote full
implementation of UN Security Council
Resolution 1540 (2004);
is of the view that strengthening the IAEA as well as the Global Partnership
Initiative are central elements in the partners' joint strategy; endorses in this connection the proposal of
the IAEA for the multilateralisation of uranium enrichment; further stresses that the nuclear-weapon states
amongst the transatlantic partners should work harder to comply with Article VI of the NPT;

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30.
Urges the parties to redouble their efforts to ensure that the final deadline for the destruction of
chemical weapons, scheduled for 2012, as provided for in the Chemical Weapons Convention, will be met,
and calls in particular for a strengthening of the verification system of the Organisation for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons and sufficient financial resources for the work of that organisation; reminds the
parties of their responsibility for ensuring a successful conclusion to the Sixth Review Conference of the
Biological Weapons Convention to be held at the end of 2006 and calls upon them to advocate the adop-
tion of a compliance-monitoring Protocol to the Convention;

31.
Shares the view that fighting terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as well
as the uncontrolled proliferation of conventional arms remain the greatest security challenges for both
partners; stresses, therefore, the need for both partners to reinforce their collaboration in this field and to
support the role that the UN must play in combating both challenges;

32.
Strongly regrets, therefore, the mistrust due to suspected violation of human rights and international
law involved in the so-called extraordinary renditions in Europe; in this connection, refers to the formal
inquiries by the Council of Europe pursuant to Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights
and by the European Parliament's temporary committee referred to in its resolution of 15 December
2005 (1) and established by its decision of 18 January 2006 (2); calls on all parties involved, including the
United States, to cooperate fully with the temporary committee;

33.
Underlines the need for the partners to act at all times in full respect of international law, the UN
Charter and the principles of democracy and to ensure that their national legislation and mechanisms in this
matter comply with international human rights law and, in particular, with the UN Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; is of the view that any joint
or unilateral activity which does not fully respect international law would weaken the way in which western
societies are perceived, making them vulnerable and less credible in their fight against terrorism and the
quest for peace, stability and democracy;

34.
Stresses the need to put an end to the current legal limbo in which the detainees held in Camp Delta,
Guantánamo Bay Naval Base have been placed since their arrival there, to guarantee them immediate access
to justice and to ensure that those charged with war crimes receive a fair trial in accordance with inter-
national humanitarian law and in full compliance with international human rights instruments; stresses that
this issue should be on the agenda at the next EU-US Summit; reiterates its call for the immediate closure of
the Guantánamo detention centre;

35.
Regrets that, in the past, the US Defense Department has not authorised the visit by the Ad Hoc
Working Group of the EP/NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation that was requested at the beginning of
2004; is of the view that this visit has in the meantime become more essential than ever and proposes to
re-submit the request;

36.
Invites those Member States that have not yet ratified the 2003 EU-US extradition and mutual assist-
ance treaties to speed up the ratification process; considers that, in order to enhance judicial and police
cooperation in penal matters, attention should be paid to the transposition (on the EU side) of the EU-
USA mutual legal assistance and extradition agreements;

37.
Believes that the visa requirements currently applying to citizens of one of the old Member States and
nine of the new Member States amount to unjustified discrimination between the citizens from old and new
Member States; therefore urges the US to extend the Visa Waiver Program to cover all EU citizens so that
they all receive equal, open and fair treatment without delay;

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0529.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0012.

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Considers that the ‘Trusted Person’ initiative is a voluntary initiative; notes, however, that it could
38.
raise data-protection difficulties for the EU, in particular for citizens travelling to the USA on business or for
tourism; states that as far as data protection is concerned, a proper follow-up to the recent judgment of the
Court of Justice of the European Communities in the Passenger Name Records case (1) and a joint strategy for
countering spam, ‘spyware’ and ‘malware’ should be ensured while strengthening bilateral cooperation on
enforcement and cooperating with all relevant parties to raise awareness among third countries about the
need to tackle spam;

39.
Stresses the need for increased cooperation on a Border Security Initiative so as to develop a specific
enforcement initiative to help build networks among border security agencies, facilitate the sharing and
concrete application of effective border enforcement techniques and the sharing of information and lessons
learned and provide measurable results showing the extent to which counterfeiting has been reduced
through enforcement;

Suggests that cooperation in combating money laundering, the financing of terrorism, tax evasion,
40.
corruption and other malpractices be developed further within the framework of the implementation of the
Financial Action Task Force recommendations and other appropriate cooperation frameworks;

41.
Calls on the US to lay down effective procedures enabling persons to challenge their inclusion in the
list of terror suspects compiled by the US, have their names deleted from the list once it has been proven
that they are innocent and ensure that those bearing the same name (or a similar name) as persons on the
list are not adversely affected as a result;

42.
Calls for operational cooperation in the fight against terrorism based on equivalence and reciprocity
(particularly as regards the establishment of common watch-lists) and in measures to combat organised
crime, drug trafficking and corruption, and for the exchange of DNA data via Europol, cyber-security and
the development and application of cyber-crime policy, covering issues relating to the importance of indus-
try/government cooperation, the protection of critical
information infrastructure, use of the internet by
terrorists, identity theft, the admissibility of electronic evidence and combating online child pornography;

43.
Recalls, however, that any cooperation between the EU and the US should always be conducted in
full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to a fair trial, and that, before
anyone is extradited to the US, guarantees should be obtained from the US that he or she will not receive
the death penalty; calls on the transatlantic partners to respect the principle of reciprocity in judicial and
police cooperation between them;

44.
Considers that the US authorities, the Member States, the Community institutions and the Council of
Europe should cooperate with its Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the
CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners;

Economic and commercial dimension of the partnership and completion of the Transatlantic Market by
2015

45.
Is of the view that the transatlantic economic partnership should be enhanced within the framework
of the proposed Transatlantic Partnership Agreement and should be complemented by a Transatlantic Avi-
ation Agreement, rather than pursued in the present cumbersome and sometimes contradictory way;

(1)

Judgment of 30 May 2006 in Joined Cases C-317/04 Parliament v Council and C-318/04 Parliament v Commission.

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46.
Calls on the Austrian Presidency to increase efforts to implement the Declaration on Enhancing
Transatlantic Economic Integration agreed at the 2005 EU-US Summit by establishing the high-level fora
on regulatory cooperation and on innovation, as well as by launching a joint EU-US study to identify
remaining barriers to transatlantic trade and investment, and to assess potential benefits of completing the
Transatlantic Market; with this in mind, proposes the establishment of a roadmap outlining a specific course
of action and setting target dates for its completion; in this regard, welcomes the decision taken at the first
informal EU-US economic ministerial meeting in November 2005 to establish a working group in order to
guarantee better protection of intellectual property rights, focusing on improved border enforcement coop-
eration, public-private partnership and coordinated technical assistance to third countries;

47.

Refers to its resolution of 1 June 2006 on EU-US transatlantic economic relations (1);

48.
Urges that the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue and the Transatlantic Environmental Dialogue be
revitalised to develop ‘best practices’ which advance consumer health, safety and environmental protection,
thus facilitating a more sustainable transatlantic market;

49.
Calls on the leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to reinvigorate transatlantic economic cooperation
by establishing early warning systems to operate at an earlier stage in the regulatory and legislative pro-
cesses, at the point of problem specification and solution identification;

50.
Condemns the extraterritorial approach that typifies much of the United States' foreign policy and
foreign economic/commercial policy, as exemplified by the Helms-Burton Law, the Torricelli Law and Sec-
tion 301 of the US Trade Act;

Institutional framework of the partnership

51.
Recalls that, although the main obstacles affecting the partnership over recent years have been dif-
ferences concerning substance rather than differences of an institutional nature, no lasting achievements are
feasible without institutions which are prepared to push for progress; underlines, for that reason, the
importance of a stable institutional framework ensuring regular executive coordination and consultation;
reiterates therefore the need to strengthen the parliamentary dimension of the Transatlantic Partnership by
transforming the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD) into a transatlantic assembly scheduling legis-
lators' summits in the run-up to EU-US summits; takes the view, moreover, that the idea of launching
new, jointly-funded programmes for exchanges between legislative staffers needs to be considered;

52.
Supports, therefore, the Austrian Presidency's proposal to involve parliamentary representatives and
representatives from European and American civil society more fully in the day-to-day running of the
partnership; takes the view that the President of Parliament and the US Congress leadership should partici-
pate at the next Summit to show that the partnership enjoys the active support and involvement of elected
representatives;

53. Welcomes the inclusion of representatives from six additional EP Committees in the TLD and sup-
ports current efforts to establish an early-warning system within Parliament; is of the view that at, the latest,
the EP budget for 2007 should establish a permanent post in Washington DC, so that both Parliament and
the TLD may maintain permanent contact with the US House of Representatives and Senate;

54. Welcomes the 2005 roadmap endorsed by the EU-US summit in June 2005 and in particular the
creation of the High-Level Regulatory Cooperation Forum to facilitate regulatory dialogue;

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0239.

8.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 298 E/235

Thursday 1 June 2006

Insists that the stakeholders and legislators should be actively involved in the dialogue mechanisms

55.
on regulatory cooperation;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments

56.
and parliaments of the Member States and the President and Congress of the United States of America.

*

*

*

P6_TA(2006)0239

EU-US economic relations

European Parliament resolution on EU-US transatlantic economic relations (2005/2082(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Transatlantic Declaration on EC-US relations of 1990, the New Transatlantic
Agenda (NTA) of 3 December 1995 (1) and the Transatlantic Economic Partnership (TEP) of 18 May
1998 (2),

— having regard to the Commission Communication of 11 March 1998 entitled ‘The New Transatlantic

Marketplace’ (NTM) (COM(1998)0125),

— having regard to the Bonn Declaration of 21 June 1999 (3) and, in particular, to its sections on ‘Promot-

ing Prosperity and Development in a Rapidly Changing World’ and ‘Improving Early Warning’,

— having regard to the ‘Positive Economic Agenda’ of 2 May 2002 (4),

— having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2005 on transatlantic relations (5) as well as to its previous
resolutions of 17 May 2001 (6), 13 December 2001 (7), 15 May 2002 (8) and 19 June 2003 (9), and to its
resolutions of 22 April 2004 (10) and 13 January 2005 (11),

— having regard to the Commission Communication of 20 March 2001 entitled ‘Reinforcing the Trans-

atlantic Relationship: Focusing on Strategy and Delivering Results’ (COM(2001)0154),

— having regard to the Commission Communication of 18 May 2005 entitled ‘A stronger EU-US Partner-

ship and a more open market for the 21st century’ (COM(2005)0196),

— having regard to the 2004 Declaration on ‘Strengthening Our Economic Partnership’ (12),

— having regard to the outcome of the EU-US Summit held on 20 June 2005 in Washington DC and, in
particular to its Economic Initiative: ‘The European Union and the United States Initiative to enhance
Transatlantic Economic Integration and Growth’,

— having regard to the Joint EU-US Work Programme for the implementation of the above-mentioned
Economic Initiative adopted at the informal EU-US Economic Ministerial Meeting of 30 November
2005,

JO C 124 E, 25.5.2006, p. 556.

Joint statement adopted at the EU-US Summit in London.

(1) Signed at the EU-US Summit in Madrid.
(2)
(3) Signed at the EU-US Summit in Bonn.
(4) Agreed at the EU-US Summit in Washington.
(5)
(6) OJ C 34 E, 7.2.2002, p. 359.
(7) OJ C 177 E, 25.7.2002, p. 288.
(8) OJ C 180 E, 31.7.2003, p. 392.
(9) OJ C 69 E, 19.3.2004, p. 124.
(10) OJ C 104 E, 30.4.2004, p. 1043.
(11) OJ C 247 E, 6.10.2005, p. 151.
(12) Signed at the EU-US Summit in Shannon, 25-26 June 2004.