European Parliament resolution on the economic and social consequences of companies restructuring in Europe
Date: 2006-07-06
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: aid to undertakings, business management, business policy, corporate social responsibility, industrial restructuring, labour law, social impact, worker information

13.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 303 E/831

Thursday, 6 July 2006

B. whereas its resolution of 23 June 2005 insisted ‘that the overall compromise on the Statute for Members

of the European Parliament should consist of the following elements:

a) a separate and independent examination of that part of the Statute which falls under secondary law
and of that part which falls under primary law, and approval of both parts in accordance with the
institutional provisions applicable to each of them;

b) with regard to that part which falls under primary law, the Member States are called upon to review
the Protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Communities of 8 April 1965 in
respect of the provisions relating to Members of the European Parliament, taking the Statute approved
on 3 and 4 June 2003 as a model’,

1. Recalls the Council's undertaking to consider Parliament's request for a review of those provisions of
the 1965 Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Communities relating to Members of
the European Parliament, the aim being to reach a conclusion as swiftly as possible; hopes also that, when
the revision is carried out, a clause will be inserted to enable the European Parliament to bring actions
before the Court of Justice of the European Communities for the purpose of safeguarding the privileges and
immunities guaranteed by the Protocol;

2. Confirms that the basis for that revision must be the Statute approved by the European Parliament on
3 and 4 June 2003;

3. Calls on the Council to ensure the appropriate European Parliament involvement in that intergovern-
mental conference;

4.

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

P6_TA(2006)0315

Economic and social consequences of business restructuring in Europe

European Parliament resolution on the economic and social consequences of companies restruc-
turing in Europe

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers 1989 and the related action

programme,

— having regard to Council Directive 75/129/EEC of 17 February 1975 on the approximation of the laws

of the Member States relating to collective redundancies (1),

— having regard to Council Directive 94/45/EC of 22 September 1994 on the establishment of a European
Works Council or a procedure in Community-scale undertakings and Community-scale groups of under-
takings for the purposes of informing and consulting employees (2) (European Works Council Directive),

— having regard to the rapid transformations and economic changes that may affect companies, positively

or negatively, in all the Members States,

(1) OJ L 48, 22.2.1975, p. 29. Directive as last amended by Directive 92/56/EEC (OJ L 245, 26.8.1992, p. 3).
(2) OJ L 254, 30.9.1994, p. 64.

C 303 E/832

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

13.12.2006

Thursday, 6 July 2006

— having regard to its resolutions of 14 March 2006 on relocation in the context of regional develop-
ment (1) and of 15 March 2006 on restructuring and employment (2), and to its numerous earlier resolu-
tions on company restructuring, relocations, mergers and closures, in particular that of 13 March 2003
on the closure of undertakings after receiving EU financial aid (3),

— having regard to Directive 2002/14/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March
framework for informing and consulting employees in the European

2002 establishing a general
Community (4),

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

A. whereas companies should make management decisions that secure the business growth of their enter-
prises, and whereas the restructuring of enterprises should safeguard social and economic progress if the
changes required and address the challenges of fostering the development of a sustainable economy,
combined with a determination to protect social welfare and environment,

B. whereas the Lisbon Strategy is aimed at turning the EU into the world's most competitive and dynamic
knowledge-based economy, capable of sustained economic growth accompanied by the creation of more
and better jobs and greater social cohesion,

C. whereas restructuring must be managed in a socially and environmentally sensitive way, failing which it
may run counter to the Lisbon Strategy, which seeks to promote full employment, the quality of jobs,
social and territorial cohesion and sustainable development,

1. Calls on the Commission, as it has previously done in its resolution of 12 February 2004 on the crisis
in the iron and steel sector (5), to adopt a more decisive strategy to tackle industrial restructuring and its
social impact;

2. Considers that aid from public funds should be linked to long-term agreements by the management of
a company in matters of employment and local development;

3. Asks the Commission, as well as the Member States, to withdraw the subsidies from aid programmes
and to claim the reimbursement of these subsidies from companies that do not respect their obligations;

4. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote a European dialogue on industrial restruc-
turing as well as on structural reforms of the labour market to secure the advantages of globalisation, while
minimising the negative social impact;

5. Reminds the Commission of the importance of a well-functioning European Works Council Directive,
which ensures that informing and consulting workers is properly carried out;

6. Calls on the Commission to ensure that companies respect their social and financial responsibilities, act
in a corporately responsible fashion and are fair to all stakeholders, including local and regional authorities
and the communities where they are based;

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0077.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0088.
(3) OJ C 61 E, 10.3.2004, p. 425.
(4) OJ L 80, 23.3.2002, p. 29.
(5) OJ C 97 E, 22.4.2004, p. 637.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 303 E/833

Thursday, 6 July 2006

7. Calls on the Commission to draw up, without delay, an evaluation of the application of Directive
75/129/EEC and to make proposals for measures to ensure compliance;

8. Welcomes the forthcoming European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which will support workers and
improve the social and educational infrastructure with regard to collective redundancies, and calls on the
Council to adopt a common position as soon as possible after Parliament's first reading and to ensure that it
can apply retrospectively where the effects of current closures carry over to 2007;

9.

Expresses its solidarity with all workers, their families and their communities affected by redundancies;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
the Member States, the European Trade Union Confederation and the Union of

10.
and parliaments of
Employers' and Industrial Confederations of Europe.

P6_TA(2006)0316

Extraordinary rendition

European Parliament resolution on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the trans-
portation and illegal detention of prisoners, adopted midway through the work of the Temporary
Committee (2006/2027(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2005 on presumed use of European countries by the

CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners (1),

— having regard to its decision of 18 January 2006 to set up a temporary committee on the alleged use of

European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners (2),

— having regard to Rule 175 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the interim report of the Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European coun-

tries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners (A6-0213/2006),

A. whereas the main aim of the work of the temporary committee is to establish whether, in the context of
the allegations, the action of the European Union (EU) and its Member States complies with the founding
principles set out in Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and guarantees, in particular, the
protection of fundamental rights as defined, inter alia, by the Convention on the Protection of Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by the Council of Europe on 4 November 1950 (the
‘ECHR’),

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