A5-0325/2000

European Parliament decision approving the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (C5-0570/2000)

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (C5-0570/2000),

-  having regard to its resolution of 16 March 2000 on the drafting of a European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights⁽¹⁾,

-  having regard to its resolution of 13 April 2000 containing its proposals for the Intergovernmental Conference⁽²⁾,

-  having regard to its resolution of 3 October 2000 on the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union⁽³⁾,

-  having regard to Rules 54 and 86 of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A5-0325/2000),

A.  whereas the European Council of Cologne of 3 and 4 June 1999 decided "to establish a Charter of Fundamental Rights in order to make their overriding importance and relevance more visible to the Union's citizens",

B.  whereas the European Council resolved that the Charter "should contain the fundamental rights and freedoms as well as basic procedural rights guaranteed by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and derived from the constitutional traditions common to the Member States, as general principles of Community law; the Charter should also include the fundamental rights that pertain only to the Union's citizens; In drawing up such a Charter account should furthermore be taken of economic and social rights as contained in the European Social Charter and the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers (Article 136 TEC), in so far as they do not merely establish objectives for action by the Union",

C.  whereas the European Council decided that the Convention established to draft the Charter should present a draft document in advance of the European Council of December 2000, and that the European Council "will propose to the European Parliament and the Commission that, together with the Council, they should solemnly proclaim on the basis of the draft document a European Charter of Fundamental Rights",

D.  whereas the European Parliament will address the question of the Charter's legal character at its part-session of 29 and 30 November 2000,

E.  whereas on 2 October 2000 the Convention achieved a wide consensus on a final draft of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Convent 50),

F.  whereas the informal European Council at Biarritz on 13-14 October 2000 accepted as definitive the Convention's final draft of the Charter and invited the Parliament to join with it and the Commission in a solemn proclamation of the Charter,

1.  Considers that the Convention has fulfilled its mandate from the European Council;

2.  Approves the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union as appended hereto;

3.  Instructs its President to proclaim the Charter at the Nice European Council jointly with the President of the Council and the President of the Commission;

4.  Instructs its President to forward this decision to the President of the European Council, the President of the Council, the President of the Commission and the President of the Convention.