MEPs have voted to approve the new European Commission team.

The result was 449 votes in favour to 149 votes against with 82 abstentions.

Parliament President Josep BORRELL said this had been a significant milestone in democracy. Europe needed a strong Commission and a credible Parliament. Whatever the disagreements, he was happy this debate had taken place. Parliament, he said, now looked forward to a new partnership with the Commission, based on mutual respect and confidence, for a more democratic and efficient European Union.

José Manuel BARROSO offered his thanks on behalf of the whole Commission team for the vote of confidence. He said he now bore a huge responsibility. His whole team would work hard to serve the EU and all their fellow EU citizens. "We have a great deal of work to do, and we will now get down to it."

Dutch European Affairs Minister Atzo NICOLAÏ responded for the Presidency of the Council. He congratulated the new Commission and the Parliament. He said European democracy had been strengthened, as had the EU as a whole.

Among the UK members voting, Labour and Liberal Democrat MEPs voted for the Commission. The majority of Conservatives abstained, with a number voting in favour and one against. UKIP, Green, SNP, Plaid Cymru, DUP and Sinn Fein members voted against. The UUP member abstained.

Among the Irish members voting, the Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour MEPs voted in favour, the Sinn Fein MEP was against. Among the Independents, Marian HARKIN (ALDE, IE) voted in favour and Kathy SINNOTT (IND/DEM, IE) abstained.

449 Votes in Favour:

ALDE:  Alvaro, Andrejevs, Attwooll, Birutis, Budreikaitė, Carlshamre, Chatzimarkakis, Davies, Degutis, Deprez, Dičkutė, Drčar Murko, Duff, Duquesne, Gentvilas, Geremek, Guardans Cambó, Hall, Harkin, Hennis-Plasschaert, in 't Veld, Jäätteenmäki, Jensen, Juknevičienė, Kacin, Karim, Klinz, Koch-Mehrin, Krahmer, Kułakowski, Lambsdorff, Lax, Ludford, Lynne, Maaten, Malmström, Manders, Matsakis, Mulder, Newton Dunn, Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Onyszkiewicz, Oviir, Polfer, Prodi, Ries, Samuelsen, Savi, Schuth, Starkevičiūtė, Sterckx, Szent-Iványi, Takkula, Väyrynen, Van Hecke, Wallis, Watson

NA:  Baco, Battilocchio, Belohorská, Bobošíková, Czarnecki Marek Aleksander, Czarnecki Ryszard, De Michelis, Golik, Kozlík, Kuc, Masiel, Rutowicz

EPP-ED: Albertini, Andrikienė, Antoniozzi, Ayuso González, Bachelot-Narquin, Barsi Pataky, Bauer, Beazley, Becsey, Belet, Berend, Böge, Bonsignore, Bowis, Brejc, Brepoels, Březina, Brok, Brunetta, Busuttil, Buzek, Cabrnoch, Carollo, Casa, Caspary, Castiglione, del Castillo Vera, Cederschiöld, Cesa, Chmielewski, Cirino Pomicino, Coelho, Coveney, Daul, De Poli, Dehaene, Demetriou, Descamps, Deß, De Veyrac, Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, Dimitrakopoulos, Dionisi, Dombrovskis, Doorn, Doyle, Duchoň, Duka-Zólyomi, Ebner, Ehler, Elles, Esteves, Eurlings, Fajmon, Fatuzzo, Ferber, Fernández Martín, Florenz, Fontaine, Fraga Estévez, Freitas, Friedrich, Gahler, Gál, Gaľa, Galeote Quecedo, García-Margallo y Marfil, Gargani, Garriga Polledo, Gaubert, Gauzès, Gawronski, Gklavakis, Glattfelder, Goepel, Gomolka, Gräßle, de Grandes Pascual, Graça Moura, Grosch, Grossetête, Guellec, Gutiérrez-Cortines, Gyürk, Handzlik, Harbour, Hatzidakis, Herranz García, Herrero-Tejedor, Hieronymi, Higgins, Hökmark, Hoppenstedt, Hortefeux, Hudacký, Ibrisagic, Itälä, Iturgaiz Angulo, Jackson, Járóka, Jarzembowski, Jeggle, Jordan Cizelj, Kaczmarek, Karas, Kasoulides, Kauppi, Kelam, Klamt, Klaß, Klich, Koch, Konrad, Korhola, Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Kudrycka, Kušķis, Kuźmiuk, Lamassoure, Landsbergis, Langen, Langendries, Laschet, Lauk, Lechner, Lehne, Lewandowski, Liese, López-Istúriz White, Lulling, Lombardo, Maat, McGuinness, Mann Thomas, Mantovani, Marques, Martens, Mathieu, Mato Adrover, Matsis, Mauro, Mavrommatis, Mayer, Mayor Oreja, Méndez de Vigo, Mikolášik, Millán Mon, Mitchell, Montoro Romero, Musotto, Nassauer, Niebler, van Nistelrooij, Novak, Olajos, Olbrycht, Oomen-Ruijten, Őry, Ouzký, Pack, Pálfi, Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Papastamkos, Peterle, Pieper, Pīks, Pinheiro, Piskorski, Pleštinská, Podestà, Podkański, Poettering, Pomés Ruiz, Posselt, Protasiewicz, Purvis, Queiró, Quisthoudt-Rowohl, Rack, Radwan, Reul, Ribeiro e Castro, Roithová, Rudi Ubeda, Rübig, Saïfi, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Samaras, Sartori, Saryusz-Wolski, Schierhuber, Schmitt Ingo, Schnellhardt, Schöpflin, Schröder, Schwab, Seeber, Seeberg, Siekierski, Silva Peneda, Škottová, Sommer, Sonik, Spautz, Šťastný, Stenzel, Strejček, Stubb, Sudre, Surján, Szájer, Tajani, Thyssen, Toubon, Trakatellis, Ulmer, Vakalis, Varela Suanzes-Carpegna, Varvitsiotis, Vatanen, Ventre, Vernola, Vidal-Quadras Roca, Vlasák, Vlasto, Weber Manfred, Weisgerber, Wieland, Wijkman, von Wogau, Wojciechowski, Wortmann-Kool, Wuermeling, Záborská, Zahradil, Zaleski, Zappalà, Zatloukal, Zieleniec, Zvěřina, Zwiefka

PES: Andersson, Assis, Attard-Montalto, Ayala Sender, Badía i Cutchet, Barón Crespo, Beňová, Berger, Borrell Fontelles, Bullmann, van den Burg, Busquin, Calabuig Rull, Capoulas Santos, Carnero González, Casaca, Cashman, Cercas, Christensen, Corbett, Corbey, Correia, Costa António, De Keyser, De Rossa, De Vits, Díez González, Dobolyi, Dührkop Dührkop, Duin, El Khadraoui, Ettl, Falbr, Fazakas, Fernandes, Ford, García Pérez, Gebhardt, Geringer de Oedenberg, Gierek, Gill, Glante, Goebbels, Grabowska, Grech, Hänsch, Harangozó, Haug, Hedh, Hedkvist Petersen, Herczog, Honeyball, Howitt, Jöns, Jørgensen, Kindermann, Kinnock, Kósáné Kovács, Koterec, Krehl, Kreissl-Dörfler, Kristensen, Kuhne, Leichtfried, Leinen, Liberadzki, McAvan, McCarthy, Madeira, Maňka, Mann Erika, Martin David W., Martínez Martínez, Masip Hidalgo, Mastenbroek, Matsouka, Medina Ortega, Miguélez Ramos, Moreno Sánchez, Muscat, Myller, Öger, Paasilinna, Pahor, Paleckis, Piecyk, Pinior, Pleguezuelos Aguilar, Prets, Rapkay, Rasmussen, Riera Madurell, Rosati, Roth-Behrendt, Rothe, Rouček, Sakalas, Salinas García, Sánchez Presedo, Scheele, Schulz, Segelström, Siwiec, Skinner, Sornosa Martínez, Stihler, Stockmann, Swoboda, Szejna, Tabajdi, Tarabella, Tarand, Thomsen, Titley, Valenciano Martínez-Orozco, Van Lancker, Walter, Weiler, Westlund, Whitehead, Wiersma, Wynn, Yañez-Barnuevo García

UEN: Angelilli, Aylward, Berlato, Crowley, Foglietta, Krasts, La Russa, Muscardini, Musumeci, Ó Neachtain, Pavilionis, Poli Bortone, Ryan, Tatarella, Vaidere, Zīle

149 Votes against:

GUE/NGL: Adamou, Agnoletto, Brie, Catania, de Brún, Figueiredo, Flasarová, Guidoni, Henin, Kaufmann, Kohlíček, McDonald, Manolakou, Markov, Maštálka, Meijer, Musacchio, Pafilis, Papadimoulis, Portas, Ransdorf, Remek, Ribeiro, Rizzo, Seppänen, Sjöstedt, Stroz, Svensson, Toussas, Triantaphyllides, Uca, Verges, Wurtz, Zimmer

IND/DEM: Adwent, Batten, Bonde, Booth, Borghezio, Chruszcz, Clark, Coûteaux, Farage, Giertych, Grabowski, Krupa, Louis, Lundgren, Nattrass, Pęk, Piotrowski, Rogalski, Salvini, Speroni, Titford, Tomczak, de Villiers, Whittaker, Wierzejski, Wise, Wohlin, Železný

NA: Allister, Claeys, Dillen, Gollnisch, Kilroy-Silk, Lang, Le Pen Jean-Marie, Le Pen Marine, Le Rachinel, Martin Hans-Peter, Martinez, Mote, Resetarits, Romagnoli, Schenardi, Vanhecke

EPP-ED: Hannan

PES: Arif, Berès, Bösch, Bono, Carlotti, Castex, Cottigny, Désir, Douay, Ferreira Anne, Fruteau, Guy-Quint, Hamon, Hazan, Le Foll, Lienemann, Moscovici, Navarro, Patrie, Peillon, Poignant, Reynaud, Rocard, Roure, Savary, Schapira, Trautmann, Vergnaud, Weber Henri

UEN: Camre

Greens/EFA: Aubert, Auken, Beer, Bennahmias, Breyer, van Buitenen, Buitenweg, Cohn-Bendit, Cramer, Evans Jillian, Frassoni, Graefe zu Baringdorf, de Groen-Kouwenhoven, Hammerstein Mintz, Harms, Hassi, Horáček, Hudghton, Isler Béguin, Joan i Marí, Jonckheer, Kallenbach, Kusstatscher, Lagendijk, Lambert, Lichtenberger, Lucas, Özdemir, Onesta, Romeva i Rueda, Rühle, Schlyter, Schmidt, Schroedter, Smith, Staes, Trüpel, Turmes, Voggenhuber, Ždanoka

82 Abstentions:

ALDE:  Andria, Beaupuy, Bonino, Bourlanges, Cavada, Cocilovo, Cornillet, Costa Paolo, De Sarnez, Fourtou, Gibault, Griesbeck, Laperrouze, Lehideux, Letta, Morillon, Ortuondo Larrea, Pannella, Pistelli, Sbarbati, Toia

IND/DEM: Belder, Blokland, Sinnott

NA: Mölzer

EPP-ED: Ashworth, Atkins, Bradbourn, Bushill-Matthews, Callanan, Chichester, Deva, Dover, Heaton-Harris, Helmer, Jałowiecki, Kirkhope, Nicholson, Parish, Stevenson, Sturdy, Tannock, Van Orden, Villiers

PES: Arnaoutakis, Batzeli, Beglitis, van den Berg, Berlinguer, Berman, Bersani, Bozkurt, Bresso, D'Alema, Estrela, Fava, Ferreira Elisa, Gomes, Gruber, Hutchinson, Lambrinidis, Locatelli, Napoletano, Panzeri, Pittella, Sacconi, Santoro, dos Santos, Sifunakis, Sousa Pinto, Tzampazi, Vincenzi, Xenogiannakopoulou, Zani, Zingaretti

UEN: Bielan, Fotyga, Janowski, Kamiński, Libicki, Roszkowski, Szymański

Commission President-elect José Manuel BARROSO told MEPs they shared with him the ambition of a strong and independent Commission able to drive Europe forward in cooperation with Parliament. He promised to examine Parliament's resolution carefully, but his first reaction was that it could provide a good basis for his Commission's work with Parliament. He was ready for this to be formalised in a revised Framework Agreement, though this must take account of the institutions' respective roles as set out in the treaties.

He said he stood by his commitments on fundamental rights, including the setting up of a special group of Commissioners on the subject.

On the specific points in the resolution, he said he could accept the need to examine closely any criticism offered by Parliament about a particular Commissioner and was ready to stand before the House to explain his decisions in such cases. This would allow for individual accountability before Parliament without affecting the collegiate nature for which the President was responsible. The present treaties, unlike the future constitution, did not give either the Commission President or the Parliament a role in deciding on replacement Commissioners, and he could not guarantee that such Commissioners would not appear before the Council before Parliamentary hearings, but he was able to guarantee that they would not appear officially before Parliament without first having met the relevant parliamentary committee.

He said he had set out in detail the procedures planned to deal with any potential conflict of interest in competition policy. He proposed to implement the measures, and then later review them in the light of experience to see if any improvement were needed.

Mr Barroso told MEPs he would present his five year programme in January, having taken account of Parliament's views as set out in December. He also promised the his Commissioners would give priority to appearing before Parliament. He and Vice-President WALLSTRÖM would maintain close relations with the Conference of Presidents. He was ready to discuss improvements in the agreement relating to announcements of important decisions: where possible the most important matters should be announced during plenary weeks - there might need to be more flexibility about routine issues. He said he was happy to extend the rules on Commission follow up on Parliament's legislative work to other Parliamentary acts. He would also develop a timetable for reviewing the legislation on access to official EU documents, and would inform Parliament of any changes to the Code of Conduct for Commissioners.

Overall, he said the approval exercise had been a healthy one for European democracy. He said at no stage had he criticised Parliament. On the contrary, he had always presented a constructive message, expressing his determination to cooperate with Parliament. Now that all the difficulties had been clarified, guided by the spirit of compromise, the result was broadly satisfactory.

He said the new Commission would work to achieve more economic growth and more employment, to consolidate the European model which reconciled reform with social cohesion. He and his team would devote all their energy to achieving these goals, to make a difference for the men and women of Europe. "We are counting on your support," he told MEPs.

Hans-Gert POETTERING (DE), speaking for the EPP-ED group, stated that the Parliament had just adopted a very important resolution by a great majority. The last few weeks could be described as a "parliamentarisation of the EU." The EU had been strengthened, and the European Parliament was now united to work with the European Commission in a constructive fashion. Nevertheless, he said, Parliament would carry out its democratic duty to exercise control on the Commission. He stated that the Commission "could count on the EPP group as allies." He stated that Commissioner WALLSTRÖM would take on the mantle of working out a new Framework Agreement between the two institutions. He recalled that the resolution adopted by Parliament states that if Parliament votes to withdraw confidence in an individual Member of the Commission, the President of the Commission will consider seriously whether he should request that Member to resign and that the President shall either require the resignation of that Member or justify his refusal to do so before Parliament. He stressed that any new Commissioners would have to come before Parliament in a formal hearing before taking office. He also stated that Commissioners should make it their priority to come before the European Parliament. On the Commission's five-year strategy, he stressed that the Parliament's requests should be taken into account. The EPP-ED group "would give our trust to the new Commission; we will carry out our responsibility of parliamentary scrutiny."

Martin SCHULZ (DE), for the PES group, started off by quoting Willy Brandt "the European Parliament will have to fight for power if it doesn't get any." That is what exactly the European Parliament has done and the institution can "be proud of itself". The Parliament had put itself on an equal footing with the Heads of State and government. Parliament must make full use of this "power gained", but, he said, both the Commission and Parliament had been strengthened. He criticised the system of so-called "blind date appointments" where the Commission President-designate had to accept the nominations of national governments. Sometimes, the Commission President would have to stand up to the national governments and ask them to change their nominations for Commissioners. Mr Barroso, he said, had the right to criticise the Parliament. The European Parliament will carry out its duty of holding the Commission to account in full. "More democracy would lead to more social justice". The Commission should defend the social agenda of the EU.

Graham WATSON (UK), for the ALDE group, said the majority of his group, but not all, would vote in favour of the Commission. Mr Watson stated that he was worried about Mr Barroso's ability to understand the concerns of Parliament following his remarks at the conclusion of the previous day's debate. Mr Watson stated that Mr Barroso had referred to the ability of one political group to veto a specific Commissioner's portfolio and that one particular group had "tied the Mr Barroso's hands". Mr Watson rejected these comments about the ALDE group. He said that Mr Barroso's "hands had already been tied in Rome, Budapest and The Hague." The Parliament, he remarked, would give the Commission its driving licence following the vote and thereafter would expect it to learn the rules of the road. The EU deserved better than a "paper-tiger Parliament" and that's what it is getting. His group, he said, welcomed a new Framework Agreement between Parliament and the Commission. "Good EU government means accountable EU government."

Daniel COHN-BENDIT (DE), for the Greens/EFA group, said "times are changing". In the recent past, there had been a majority against the Commission in this house. The changes made by Mr Barroso were only "half valid". He strongly criticised Ms Kroes and her competition portfolio. She said she could not be independent "given her baggage". He also said that Mr Poettering has said, in front of TV cameras, that he would reject Ms KROES as Competition Commissioner. He called on the Parliament not to vote in favour of the Commission and called those who would join the EPP-ED in voting in favour "tail-end charlies".

Francis WURTZ (FR), for the GUE/NGL group, told Mr Barroso that his Commission would be approved by Parliament, but that this would be a phyrric victory, since the ad-hoc solution adopted would in fact worsen the crisis. The results of the European elections had shown that an absolute majority of Europeans were unhappy with the EU institutions. In response, Mr Barroso, he said, had tried to give the security and justice portfolio to someone pushing an outdated and obscurantist model of society, and he was still pushing forward the neo-liberal approach which most Europeans were unhappy about. Without making any judgement on individuals, his group did not have confidence in the team, and would be voting against.

Nigel FARAGE (UK) spoke for the Independence and Democracy group. He attacked the past record of the Commission team, making a series of accusations against a number of them. Even if the team had been of high quality, he said, his group would still vote against as the Commission was the motor for integration, for legislation which was damaging to businesses and was the embodiment of everything that was wrong in Europe. He spoke of what he called the "breathtaking arrogance" of 20 of the Commissioners who planned, he said, to start implementing the constitution before it had been ratified. Not one of his group would vote in favour, he said.

Brian CROWLEY (IE), for the UEN group, welcomed the commitments made by Mr Barroso and said his group was broadly happy with the text of the resolution. He said it was important to remember that Parliament had lived up to its responsibility in insisting on democratic control over the Commission. It was wrong, however, he said, to use the European Parliament to fight domestic political battles. Europe, he said, should be about defending freedom of speech and thought, even for those we do not agree with. Europe's citizens would not remember the names of the rejected Commissioners: in a few months time they would want to know what the EU had done in Darfur, in the Ivory Coast and to make the Lisbon process work, bringing more jobs and a better quality of life. His group, he said, asked for fair play in return for its support.

Non-attached MEP Jean-Marie LE PEN (FR) said the lesson to be learned from this episode was that Commissioners were obliged to be politically, mentally and religiously correct. The victims had been the constitutional treaty with its guarantees of freedom of speech and thought, Italy, which had given in to the Parliament on its choice of Commissioner and finally the Commission and its President, who was the victim of his own errors of judgement. The European right was proud of its convictions and would have public support in opposing an EU superstate and the entry of Turkey. They would vote against the Commission.

The leaders of the EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups intervened at the end of the debate, rejecting the accusations made by Mr FARAGE. Mr Farage responded that if he were proved wrong, he would withdraw the comments.

In a resolution adopted by 478 in favour to 84 against with 98 abstentions MEPs call for the Framework Agreement between the Commission and the European Parliament (which governs bilateral relations between those two institutions) to be reviewed and updated as soon as possible on the basis of the commitments made on behalf of the new Commission by its President-elect, Mr BARROSO.

In the light of those commitments, Parliament calls for the following points to be included in that agreement:

(a) if Parliament votes to withdraw confidence (subject to political support for such a view, in terms both of substance and of form) in an individual Member of the Commission, the President of the Commission will consider seriously whether he should request that Member to resign; the President shall either require the resignation of that Member or justify his refusal to do so before Parliament;

(b) in the event of a resignation, the replacement Commissioner shall not appear before Parliament or the Council in an official capacity until his or her nomination has been validated by the normal parliamentary procedure (hearing and vote in plenary);

(c) if the President reshuffles the portfolios in the Commission during its term of office, the same procedure shall be applied to the Commissioners affected;

(d) the President of the Commission shall be fully accountable for identifying a conflict of interest which renders a Commissioner unable to perform his or her duties; the President shall likewise be responsible for any subsequent action taken in those circumstances;

(e) the Union's multi-annual work programme shall be drawn up by the Commission on the basis of close cooperation and coordination with the European Parliament and its bodies;

(f) ensuring a Commission presence at plenary sittings and meetings of the European Parliament’s committees shall be a priority for Commissioners; it is agreed that the Commission shall inform the European Parliament immediately, preferably in plenary sitting, of its decisions, proposals and initiatives;

(g) in the context of ongoing dialogue with the European Parliament, the President of the Commission and the Vice-President responsible for interinstitutional relations shall establish, and remain in, regular contact with the Conference of Presidents;

(h) a commitment to follow-up action, if Parliament requests the Commission to submit a legislative proposal pursuant to Article 192 of the Treaty; in any case, the Commission shall regularly inform the European Parliament of the action it intends to take in response to positions adopted by Parliament, particularly if the Commission does not intend to follow them up;

(i) revision of Regulation 1049/01, with a view to defining better rules on the transparency of legislative preparatory work, comitology and the implementation of EU legislation in Member States, and confidential documents;

(j) the code of conduct for Commissioners shall be sent to the European Parliament for its opinion, which shall be taken into account;

(k) the Commission shall take all the necessary steps to ensure that the European Parliament is better informed both about European Union legislation and about international agreements as soon as negotiations are underway;

MEPs welcome the democratic and legal validity of the approval process and the essential contribution it makes to building the good working relationship between the Commission and Parliament that the Union needs. They also welcome the steps taken by President Barroso in presenting his new team on 4 November, while regretting that no significant solution has been found so far on the potential problems concerning conflicts of interests. Parliament therefore requests that steps be taken as a matter of urgency to define in detail the procedures under which the code of conduct will be implemented.

Parliament says it expects that the specific commitments made by President Barroso during the 26 October plenary sitting regarding the active protection and promotion of fundamental rights, equal opportunities and anti-discrimination by his Commission will be fully applied by the new Commission, and that it will closely monitor their application.

MEPs adopted an own initiative report, by 530 votes in favour, 9 against with 20 abstentions, from Proinsias DE ROSSA (PES, IE) as Parliament's official response to the Ombudsman's Annual Report for 2003. MEPs congratulate the Ombudsman on his good work and the good relations he has with the Petitions Committee. They regard the role of the Ombudsman as a key contribution towards a European Union in which decisions are taken "as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizen". They confirm the need for the Ombudsman's statute to be revised to take account of the investigative powers of OLAF and Regulation 1049/2001 on access to documents.

The report also welcomes the creation by the Ombudsman of a network of ombudsmen and other national and local bodies to which complaints are transferred which do not fall within his sphere of competence. Lastly, Parliament believes that a future law on sound administration, which would have a legal basis in the draft Constitution, should be binding on all EU institutions and bodies.

The European Ombudsman was set up by the Maastricht Treaty and the right of EU citizens to send complaints to this office is a key aspect of EU citizenship. The work of the Petitions Committee and the Ombudsman are to a large degree complementary. The Ombudsman's Annual Report indirectly enables the Petitions Committee to have an idea of the impact of its own work and how it is developing. This year's report covers a period in which Jacob SÖDERMAN, the first Ombudsman, was in office up to 31 March 2003, as well as the period under Nikiforos DIAMANDOUROS, who took office in 2003. Around 2,436 complaints were received by the European Ombudsman in 2003, an increase of 10% over 2002.

You can access full results of all of today's votes on the following link:

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/sce/server/servlet/fileViewer.se?file_name=04-11-18fr.doc&folder_name=/psfs13/SCEANCE/PRO/data/fast_access/doc/&content_type=application/msword&save_as=false

In adopting a joint resolution, the House welcomes, following the position adopted by the African Heads of State meeting in Abuja on 12 November 2004, the Security Council's decision to impose an immediate embargo on arms. MEPs pay tribute to the memory of all the victims of recent developments in the situation following the breaking of the cease-fire agreements and express their sympathy to the families of the victims - Ivorian, African and French - of these acts of violence, in particular those committed against women. The House condemns the violence and the acts of xenophobia and pillaging, and calls on the Ivorian Government to put an end to these abuses and to the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators and instigators of such acts. MEPs urge all parties to the conflict to: put an immediate end to military action and other hostile acts, stop targeting and attacking civilians including humanitarian aid workers, irrespective of their ethnicity, nationality or religion, desist from, and take action against, instances of incitement to hatred and violence, recommit to dialogue and negotiations and to respect and implement commitments.

The House welcomes the AU and ECOWAS mandate given to South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the parties to the conflict and the African Union's involvement with a view to finding a political solution to the Ivorian crisis. It expresses its full support to the AU and the Economic Community of West African States, along with the United Nations, in seeking a rapid and lasting solution to the current crisis. Parliament regrets the fact that the current composition of the peacekeeping forces is not sufficiently multinational. The House condemns the destruction of the premises of opposition parties and newspapers and the acts of sabotage against foreign radio transmitters. MEPs call on the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and the representatives of the 'New Forces' to implement the Accra III Agreement and to take all necessary measures in order to restore the rule of law, and to uphold and safeguard respect for human rights. Parliament calls on the Council, with regard to conflict prevention, to fight the underlying causes of the crisis, in particular the economic and social causes, and to support the deployment of African Union peacekeeping forces, in the context of the EDF 'peace facility'. The House calls on the EU and the international community to step up funding for humanitarian aid in Côte d'Ivoire as soon as the conditions allow increased, and desperately needed, operations. Lastly, MEPs call on the Council, in this context, to consider consultations between the EU and Côte d'Ivoire under Articles 9 and 96 of the Cotonou Agreement.

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In adopting a joint resolution with 104 votes in favour, 1 against and 3 abstentions, MEPs reiterate their call for the abolition of the death penalty, call for an immediate moratorium on capital punishment in China and urge the Chinese authorities to immediately commute the death sentence handed down to Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. The House strongly condemns the execution of Lobsang Dhondup on 26 January 2003. MEPs call on the Chief Prosecutor of the Sichuan Provincial People's Procuratorate and the Governor of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government to do their utmost to prevent the execution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. The House urges the authorities to guarantee that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche will not be ill-treated in detention. MEPs ask for an immediate review of the case and call on the Chinese authorities to do all in their power to establish that international human rights and humanitarian law standards are being respected and, in particular, to guarantee internationally recognised legal proceedings for persons arrested. MEPs also call on the European Union and its Member States to urge the Government of the People’s Republic of China to respect the religious rights and freedom of the Tibetan people, and in particular to prevent the execution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and to call for a new and fair trial. Parliament calls on the Commission and the Council to express their concerns about Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's case during the forthcoming EU/China Summit.

MEPs welcome the release of Ngawang Sangdrol and Jigme Sangpo, Tibet's longest-serving prisoners of conscience, and urge the Chinese authorities to continue with prisoner releases. The House calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to step up the ongoing dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama with the aim of reaching a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of Tibet without further delay. Lastly, Parliament reiterates, in this respect, its call to the Council to appoint an EU Special Representative for Tibetan Affairs so as to contribute effectively to the peaceful resolution of this issue.

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(Brussels)  tel.(32-2) 28 41448
e-mail :  rfreedman@europarl.eu.int

MEPs adopted a joint resolution on the situation in Eritrea firmly condemning all human rights abuses in Eritrea and calling on the country's authorities to uphold human rights, to respect the international conventions and to cooperate in full with international human rights organisations and NGOs. The House calls on the Eritrean government to abide by the international human rights conventions. MEPs call for a thorough and independent investigation of the incident at the Adi Abeto military prison on 4 November, where at least a dozen prisoners were reportedly shot dead and call for those responsible to be brought to justice. Parliament wants the Eritrean authorities to immediately release the 11 former members of parliament, in compliance with the ruling of the African Commission on Human Rights of March 2004. MEPs also call on the Eritrean authorities to lift the ban on the country's independent press and to immediately release the 13 independent journalists and all others who have been jailed simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

The House calls on the Eritrean authorities to respect the human rights of all detainees, including the young people arrested on 4 November, and allow them immediate access to their families and lawyers. MEPs stress the importance they attach to fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of association, especially in the political and trade union spheres, and freedom of assembly. The House reiterates its demand for the initiation of an inter-Eritrean political process, bringing together the various party leaders and representatives of civil society with a view to finding a solution to the current crisis and to setting the country on the path to democracy, political pluralism and sustainable development. In this context, MEPs confirm their commitment to supporting the development of Eritrea, as well as peace, stability and cooperation in the region. Finally, MEPs call on the Council and Commission to open the consultation procedure in accordance with Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement in order to stop human rights violations and pave the way for political pluralism.

Press enquiries:
Richard Freedman
(Strasbourg) tel.(33-3) 881 73785
(Brussels)  tel.(32-2) 28 41448
e-mail :  rfreedman@europarl.eu.int