The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission Communication on the Annual Policy Strategy for 2009 (COM(2008)0072),

–  having regard to the implementation of the current Legislative and Work Programme for 2008 (COM(2007)0640),

–   having regard to its resolution of 24 April 2008 on the Commission Communication on the Annual Policy Strategy for 2009,

–  having regard to the contributions made by Parliament’s committees, which were forwarded to the Commission by the Conference of Presidents,

–  having regard to Rule 33 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas adequate financial resources should be made available to match the political priorities of the Legislative and Work Programme,

B.  whereas the Structured Dialogue with the Commission is an important interinstitutional step both in implementing the current Legislative and Work Programme for 2008 and in drawing up and adopting the Legislative and Work Programme for 2009,

C.  whereas, therefore, it is crucial that the Structured Dialogue should be carried out in good time so that efforts can focus on defining the EU’s key strategic objectives for next few years,

D.  whereas European public policy can and must have a real influence in helping citizens anticipate and react to a rapidly changing society,

E.  whereas 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe, and this achievement has created the conditions for an unprecedented integration of Europe and surely deserves to be remembered at European level, with a special emphasis on its fundamental importance for European history, based on European human rights and democratisation policy,

Cross-cutting priorities

1.  Notes that 24 Member States have already ratified the Lisbon Treaty; underlines that it is of great importance to continue the process of ratifying the Treaty in the remaining Member States which have not yet done so; strongly supports, therefore, the European Council decision to continue with the ratification process despite the Irish rejection of the Treaty on 12 June 2008; is convinced that the Lisbon Treaty offers the necessary instruments to make Europe stronger and to achieve a better European future for all Europeans;

CityplaceLisbon Strategy

2.  Reiterates its full support for and political commitment to a reform-minded Lisbon Strategy, focusing on growth and jobs; stresses the political necessity of placing the citizen at the heart of its concerns and, consequently, of elaborating policies for their benefit;

3.  Believes that it is crucial to achieve the Lisbon Strategy objectives in a manner that is consistent with demographic changes and climate change, as regards especially the forthcoming international negotiations;

4.  Takes the view that economic and monetary stability are a precondition for successful reforms;

Good governance, better regulation and better lawmaking

5.  Strongly believes that 2009 is the year for the implementation and enforcement of EU policies right across the placeUnion;

6.  Calls on the Commission to achieve, in closer collaboration with Member States, maximum transposition and implementation of European legislation by prioritising technical directives, and others with a major impact such as the Services Directive and the Consumer Credit Directive in the Internal Market Scoreboard; considers, in this connection, that the ‘Better Regulation’ programme, and in particular the correct implementation, monitoring and reporting of Community law, should be a priority, especially given that the Commission has a central task in helping Member States to achieve this objective;

7.  Urges the Commission to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens, recalls its support for reaching the goal of a 25 % reduction in administrative burdens by 2012, and urges tangible results; regards this as a key priority, in particular for SMEs, and as an essential contribution to reaching the Lisbon Strategy targets;

8.  Considers that the Commission should undertake vigorous and independently scrutinised impact assessments before bringing forward proposals for new directives;

Comitology

9.  Requests the Commission to submit to Parliament legislative proposals completing the ongoing comitology alignment and calls on the Commission to agree with all institutions;

Budgetary aspects

10.  Expresses its strong objections to the consistent tendency of the Commission and the Council to put forward new political priorities without taking into account the tightness of the current Multi-Annual Financial Framework for 2007-2013, and its deep concern at the constraints in responding efficiently to new priorities and safeguarding existing policies, given the limited availability of appropriations for 2009;

11.  Following the public consultation process awaits the Commission’s proposal by December 2009 at the latest on the mid-term budget review, as stipulated in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2006 and considers this as an opportunity to overcome the shortfalls in some major policy areas for the second part of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework; expects to see an innovative and forward-looking approach which will help Europe face future challenges more effectively, with a budget which acts as a tool, not an obstacle;

12.  Calls on the Commission to work with Member States in improving the quality of national declarations on EU funding (as foreseen by the IIA and the Financial Regulation), including the possible auditing of these declarations by national courts of auditors or by the ECA, and requests an early report on these efforts to establish a usable information tool for Parliament; calls on the Commission to submit to it a proposal on the acceptable risk of error in the various spending areas;

13.  Calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to fight the administrative burdens imposed on public and private actors; to present scoreboards on the results achieved, and to indicate future measures to be taken in this area;

14.  Expects, as a key point for the discharge for the financial year 2007, significant progress on the implementation of the action plan for structural funds, and the new reporting scheme on irregularities and recoveries;

Communicating placeEurope

15.  Supports the culture of subsidiarity as a key political element which should form the basis of a communication campaign by the Commission aimed at regaining citizens’ confidence in placeEurope;

16.  Calls on the Commission to place the citizen at the centre of the European project; urges the Commission to focus its efforts further on the development of an effective communication policy in order to provide citizens with the means to understand the EU better, especially in the year of the European elections; reminds the Commission of its commitment, in the light of the proposed regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001(1) regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, to ensuring greater transparency and access to documents, and calls for rapid progress on other transparency issues, such as beneficiaries of EU funds;

Growth and Jobs

17.  Urges the Commission make strengthening the growth, prosperity and competitiveness of the European Union a political priority;

18.  Strongly believes that without sustainable growth and prosperity there is no social progress; remains convinced that Member States must assume their own responsibilities and competences in accordance with the subsidiarity principle; asks the Commission to present a communication assessing the implementation by Member States of the directive on the coordination of the Member States’ social security systems;

19.  Supports the Commission’s efforts on the reduction of poverty for the next phase of the EU Strategy on Social Inclusion and Social Protection;

Economic and Monetary placeUnion

20.  Calls on the Commission to submit a legislative proposal on the establishment of a European Private Investment Regime that would allow for the cross-border trading of investment products between professional investors;

21.  Believes, in the light of the current financial turmoil, that the major priorities concern measures to overcome the shortcomings highlighted by the current financial crisis:

SMEs

22.  Asks the Commission to submit proposals which help to ensure that SMEs can draw on flexible labour markets, as this is a key requirement for business; stresses the importance of stimulating entrepreneurship and cut cross-border red tape obstacles; calls for easier access at reasonable cost for SMEs to European standards, tax incentives and better financing for SMEs;

Energy Policy

23.  Asks the Commission to verify the state of play in Member States regarding the construction of the TENs Energy; reminds the Commission that the selected projects contribute to the completion of the internal energy market and to security of supply in the EU;

24.  Invites the Commission to provide, as soon as possible, the best and most objective analysis of the possible economic and social implications of the fluctuations in energy prices;

Intellectual Property

25.  Strongly believes that creative ideas resulting in inventions and innovations help to guarantee Europe’s economic strength and technological progress; recognises the need, therefore, for an adequate level of intellectual property rights protection at European and international level;

Innovation and Research

26.  Reiterates its call to the Commission to provide ongoing reporting of the intermediate and final results of the projects financed under the current R&D Framework Programme; calls on the Commission to start the operational implementation of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology, which should help to bridge the innovation gap between the EU and its major competitors through strategic research and education;

Internal Market and civil justice

27.  Stresses that the importance of mutual recognition combined with targeted harmonisation in the internal market must be highlighted, as well as more systematic and integrated monitoring of key goods and services markets, with a view to identifying existing problems; notes the importance of the early adoption of the Construction Products Directive, a challenging opportunity to ensure the proper functioning of the Internal Market in the relevant sector;

28.  Asks the Commission for an update of the Directive on Agricultural and Forestry Tractors, as already requested by Parliament, that will take into account latest developments in the sector and reduce the bureaucratic burden;

29.  Calls for specific legislative proposals concerning the European Authentic Act, the guardianship of adults and e-justice;

30.  Reiterates its call for proposals concerning the Statute for a European Association and for a European Mutual Society;

31.  Expects substantial progress on the Common Frame of Reference for Contract Law;

Transport Policy

32.  Urges that an agreement on the framework for the third maritime safety package be reached before the end of the current parliamentary term;

33.  Insists on the need to implement the trans-European networks as vital instruments to improve interoperability and interconnections between national networks; asks the Commission for regular reports on strategic projects, their progress and their financing;

34.  Urges the Commission to develop and propose, and possibly to revise and implement, a comprehensive passengers’ rights policy ranging from air passengers to long-distance coach passengers;

35.  Welcomes the Commission’s key priorities as regards the transport sector, in particular the envisaged actions for the implementation of traffic management systems like SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research) and ERTMS( European Rail Traffic Management System), which will contribute to a safer and a more efficient European Transport Policy;

Consumer Policy

36.  Believes that new actions by the Commission should take greater account of the capability of citizens to be self-responsible and mature enough to make individual choices; strongly believes that a European open society model is better than a dependency-based one;

37.  Believes that the revision of the consumer acquis should further strengthen consumers’ confidence in the Single Market, therefore, supports easy and effective access to justice, especially through out-of-court dispute settlements, backed up as a last resort by judicial remedies; highlights that much can be done by improving existing redress mechanisms, and stepping up cooperation between Member States;

38.  Considers that the Commission needs to carefully assess the issue of consumer redress, addressing the questions raised in the Lehtinen report, including the question of the legal basis, and to present, as appropriate, a coherent solution at European level, including the possibility of consumers acting together;

39.  Urges the Commission to rigorously monitor the implementation and enforcement of key directives such as the Services Directive, the Modernised Customs Code and the new directives within the scope of the consumer acquis (Timeshare Directive, Consumer Credit Directive);

Climate change and Sustainable placeEurope

Climate Change

40.  Asks the Commission, in the context of its ongoing negotiations with the UNFCCC, to continue to prepare the ground for an ambitious global climate agreement at the COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009; considers that the preparations should also include the promotion of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a template for emissions trading, with a view to linking other emissions trading systems to the EU ETS in the future and driving a competitive international carbon market; the Commission shall inform Parliament of the progress of these preparations;

41.  Asks the Commission to launch the necessary processes aimed at fully taking into account climate-change consequences for all the existing policies and to define on this basis a strategy with a view to preparing efficiently the future of EU environment policy; points out that the European Union needs to continue to demonstrate that economic growth and development can be reconciled in a low-carbon economy; recalls also the need to ensure that environment and climate change objectives are included in all EU policies and financial programmes;

42.  Stresses the need to protect biodiversity as such from human pressure, pollution, soil degradation and climate change and considers it essential to integrate biodiversity into other policy areas such as agriculture and soil use; calls for the setting at European level of clear and measurable targets, so that the situation can be monitored and calls for urgent and concrete action in order to meet the EU objective of halting biodiversity loss by 2010;

43.  Considers it crucial that European research expenditure on renewable energy should be increased in order to improve Europe’s ability to deal with climate change goals as well as to enhance energy security in a future marked by increasing competition for fossil fuels, and asks the Commission to assess the possibilities of creating an efficient internal market for renewable energy;

Environment

44.  Urges the Commission to draft immediately a proposal to stop illegal logging; bearing in mind that the European Union has a clear role to play in stopping illegal logging, being both the main importer and consumer of wood and one of the main aid donors and direct investors;

45.  Reiterates the need for an EU Baltic Sea Strategy; welcomes the report on a Baltic Sea Strategy for the Northern Dimension, calls on the Commission to present an EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and to set up a Community action plan in order to protect the placeBlack Sea from the effects of pollution;

46.  Calls on the Commission to bring forward as soon as possible its proposal on the financing mechanism to ensure the construction and operation by 2015 of up to 12 demonstration plants engaged in commercial power generation with carbon capture and storage; considers this to be of the highest priority and, therefore, calls on the Commission to present its proposals before the end of 2008;

Sustainable placeEurope

47.  Calls on the Commission, before issuing the next annual report on the EGAF, to define clear benchmarks and criteria to evaluate the results achieved in cases where financial assistance was provided from the EGAF;

48.  Asks the Commission to present a communication on the implementation by Member States of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which is one of the key instruments to implement EU strategy on social inclusion, social protection and employment;

Agriculture

49.  Stresses the importance of continuing the reform of the Common Agricultural policy (CAP); regards the Health Check as an important political initiative by the Commission, which should seek to provide the necessary simplification and adjustments for the period 2009-2013, and as an important stepping stone towards the reform of the EU’s Financial Perspective; strongly expects this process to contribute to a vibrant EU agricultural sector, better equipped to meet food security needs against a background of environmental constraints and climate change; calls for due consideration to be given to the outcome of the Doha Development Round;

50.  Urges the Commission to increase resources for education, training networks and exchange programmes for young farmers and to strengthen the policy tools for young farmers in the Rural Development Programme;

Fisheries Policy

51.  Welcomes Commission’s to submit in 2009 a proposal for a reform of the Common Market Organisation (COM) for fisheries and aquaculture products;

52.  Deplores the fact that the Commission has not yet presented a communication on the harmonisation of penalties for serious violations of Community law on fisheries;

53.  Reiterates its call to the Commission to allocate funding to the integrated EU maritime policy and put forward suitable legislative instruments for its implementation; underlines that the preparatory activities relating to the maritime policy should not be funded out of the resources set aside for the Common Fisheries Policy, since these resources are already quite inadequate; moreover, fully supports the temporary specific action aimed at promoting the restructuring of EU fishing fleets affected by the economic crisis;

Cohesion Policy

54.  Considers that, in the light of the mid-term review of the implementation of the Structural Funds, increased financial resources for cohesion policy must be guaranteed in the future in order to deal with the anticipated new challenges, which will have a significant territorial impact; eagerly awaits a number of important communications in 2009 that will be central to the debate on the future reform of cohesion policy;

55.  Asks the Commission, following the adoption of its report on housing and regional policy in May 2007, to undertake two studies in the field of housing: one to show how powers and responsibilities are divided between the national, regional and local levels and laying out the legal framework in EU 27, and another dealing with the cost of and the demand for housing and the property market in general in the Member States;

PUTTING CITIZENS FIRST

Cultural Identity and Diversity

56.  Asks the Commission to provide wider support for programmes and actions by implementing innovative projects in the field of cultural and educational exchange, cultural tourism and sustainable development with full participation of regions and local authorities, like the cultural itineraries of the Council of Europe and encouraging new initiatives taken to emphasise and promote the cultural heritage of the Roms;

57.  Considers that it is essential to ensure appropriate follow up to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and invites the Commission to continue this dialogue; in this connection, calls for the establishment of European forum for intercultural dialogue that will continue intercultural dialogue practices in Europe and with other cultures and religions around the world; encourages the Commission to continue the promotion of the idea of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008;

58.  Stresses the need to bring the ongoing procedure for the adoption of the Erasmus Mundus (2009-2013) programme to a satisfactory and rapid conclusion;

Education

59.  Urges the Commission to issue early in 2009 a communication on university-business dialogue, with a view to improving the competitiveness of European universities, and a Green Paper on cultural and creative industries proposing options to develop the potential of cultural industries for job creation and economic growth; asks the Commission to present a communication on adapting education and training systems to the new skills required by the labour market;

60.

   Calls on the Council and the Commission to review the proposed timetable for the adoption of the Council recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers across placeEurope in order to allow adequate time for the Parliament to give its opinion on the recommendation;

Sport

61.  Asks for political commitments including legal framework, measures and actions, in particular preparatory actions, in order to start the implementation process of the ‘Pierre de Coubertin’ action plan;

Health

62.  Stresses that, as set out in the Treaty of Amsterdam, impact assessments provided by the Commission should always take account of the health impact of proposed Community action; considers that this will contribute to an integrated approach and to the improvement of synergies between health policy and other EU policies; believes that such assessments should be as independent as is compatible with the use of available expertise; urges the Commission to define health indicators in order to ensure that data are comparable and useable at EU, national and international level;

63.  Reiterates firmly that counterfeiting of medicines is a major health threat and an urgent problem of European and International concern, which should be treated as part of a general fight against counterfeit products;

64.  Urges the Commission to present a strategy addressing the challenges posed by a healthy ageing population on the basis of the latest EUROSTAT report;

65.  Welcomes the fact that the Commission has finally put forward its proposal for a directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare services, which is a first important step towards a free European patient area;

66.  Urges the Commission has yet to bring forward a legislative amendment to Directive 2000/54/EC on the protection of workers: exposure to biological agents (Directives 89/391/EEC and 90/679/EEC) to address the risks arising from work with needles and medical sharps;

Equal opportunities, gender mainstreaming and children’s rights

67.  Welcomes the Commission’s proposal regarding the rights of children and their protection; urges the Commission to put forward a strong recommendation aimed at protecting children from the harmful content of some internet sites; notes that the Commission’s strategy regarding gender mainstreaming policy is very general; urges the Commission, therefore, to set out, as a matter of urgency, the proposals for new directives expected this autumn; also urges the Commission to accelerate the creation of a European Alert System for missing children;

Security of citizens

68.  Supports the view that the EU must fight against crime and violence in order to protect citizens, and to this effect calls for more work to be undertaken as regards tackling organised crime, addressing cybercrime in particular; calls for counter-terrorism policies to be defined comprehensively, and urges the Commission to submit a proposal that safeguards and promotes the interests of the victims of terrorism, and to develop proposals to ensure a greater degree of bio-preparedness against terrorism;

Food Safety

69.  Underlines the need to enhance the labelling of food products, especially with regard to the country of origin and/or the place of provenance, and that this should be accompanied by provisions aimed at monitoring the implementation of those requirements; is concerned that rising food prices will regrettably provide a greater opportunity for food fraud, which puts EU citizens at risk and causes legitimate EU food manufacturers to face unfair competition, both from within and externally;

Making the Common Immigration Policy a Reality

Border Protection

70.  Underlines that it is of the utmost importance to speed up the full implementation of the Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the Visa Information System (VIS); also underlines the need to strengthen Frontex, which is dependent on a commitment by Member States to provide personnel and equipment;

Immigration

71.  Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to the development of a common immigration policy, and emphasises that a European pact on migration policy should cover issues linked both to tackling illegal immigration and managing legal immigration;

72.  Welcomes the aim of finalising the Common European Asylum Policy by 2010 and considers that it should be complemented by the EC directive on common standards and procedures in Member States; considers it a priority that Regulation (EC) No http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=Regulation&an_doc=2003&nu_doc=343343/2003 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national (Dublin II Regulation) should be revisited;

placeEurope as a World Partner

European Neighbourhood

73.  Calls on the Commission to review its policy towards country-regionRussiacountry-region, given that, following the EU condemnation of Russia’s military action against country-regionGeorgiacountry-region, relations between placeRussia and the EU have reached a crossroads;

74.  Calls on the Commission to present an assessment of the consequences of the recent conflict for EU energy supplies and to step up efforts to diversify energy forms and sources; expects a strong EU commitment to and reaffirms its support for the Nabucco pipeline and takes the view that this project should be a priority for the European Union with appropriate specific support from the EU budget; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to adopt a genuine common energy policy;

75.  Believes that the revision of the European Security Strategy should refer also to energy (supply) security, climate change and food security;

76.  Calls for a thorough revision of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), in particular as regards the EU’s eastern neighbours; expects the Commission to present its proposals for an upgrading of relations with the eastern neighbours and hopes that the related mid-term review of the external action financial instruments and an increase in financial resources will add real content to the ENP and make it more relevant for the countries concerned;

77.  Calls on the Commission to support the incorporation of a parliamentary dimension into the neighbourhood-east policy through the establishment of a EURO-NEST Assembly, bringing together MEPs and MPs from the neighbourhood-east countries;

78.  Underlines the importance of concluding the accession negotiations with Croatia as soon as possible, also as a signal to the wider Western Balkans region, including Kosovo, that its future lies within the EU, provided it can meet the necessary requirements; notes, however, that the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon is an indispensable precondition for future enlargements;

79.  Welcomes the recent initiative entitled ‘The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean’; calls on the Commission to play a major role in the future of the process and maintain a proper link between the new initiative and the CityplaceBarcelona acquis;

The Wider World

80.  Notes that a new US administration will be in place from January 2009; recalls the critical importance of the EU working closely together with the US on major global challenges such as climate change and energy security; requests that the Commission make it a top priority to contact the incoming US administration as a matter of urgency in order to strengthen the transatlantic partnership in the months ahead;

81.  Stresses the strategic importance of a solution to the Middle East conflict for the stability and well-being of the entire Mediterranean region; reiterates its call for a settlement between Israel and the Palestinian side; considers that, in the context of the diplomatic activity of the Quartet, the European Union, as the biggest aid donor to the Palestinians, can play a major role in the region;

82.  Recalls Parliament’s role in ensuring that the European External Action Service attached to the European Commission is ‘up and running’ when the Lisbon Treaty enters into force, with regard, for example, to nominating EU Ambassadors;

83.  Urges the Commission to participate actively in and to make a coordinated, substantial and visible contribution to a positive outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference;

84.  Calls on the Commission to include in each Country Strategy Paper and other strategy documents a specific strategy on human rights and the situation as regards democracy and to use it as a framework for political dialogue;

85.  Calls on the Commission to mainstream the human rights dialogue and consultation results into projects and programmes, in particular for development aid and technical, trade and financial cooperation;

86.  Calls on the Commission to support the full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty and to support initiatives for the adoption of an international treaty to ban cluster munitions;

Development

87.  Believes that the LWP should also underline the EU role in development cooperation in the world; stresses that the LWP should include a coherent and structural approach for the situation of food insecurity, emphasizing not only short-term food aid but also the need to stimulate agricultural production and agricultural policy in the developing world;

88.  Regrets that the Commission makes no specific reference to its plan of action in 2009 for the implementation of the Joint EU Africa Strategy, the promised Aid for Trade programme, the EPA negotiations, and the impact of climate change on developing countries; reminds the Commission that its ambitions on Policy Coherence for Development should be maintained throughout 2009 and that the latest ODA figures released by the OECD/DAC in 2007 indicate a serious decline in ODA contributions by Member States; believes the Commission should plan redressing this in 2009 to ensure that Europe stays on track to reach the 0.7% GDI by 2015;

89.  Believes that Economic Partnership Agreements with ACP countries should be concluded early on and EPA interim agreements should be changed into full-fledged agreements in 2009, with all ACP Regions; underlines also the importance of concluding the negotiation of the association agreements with Central America, the Andean Community and Mercosur in order to give to the whole Latin American region a full perspective of Association with the EU;

90.  Deeply deplores the lack of coordination of and coherence in the efforts of the major Member States to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, as demonstrated by the fact that they are falling behind in their commitments; underlines, therefore, the need to establish binding national timetables to ensure an increase in real aid as a means of reaching the promised collective targets;

Trade

91.  Underlines the importance of the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round, which is now at a critical stage; is convinced that the costs of failure in the WTO negotiations would be substantial; calls on the Commission to try to put the negotiations back on track with a view to reaching an agreement promoting trade and development;

92.  Urges the Commission consistently to implement EU market access strategies, , in particular for SMEs, to provide better protection for intellectual property and to fight against counterfeiting; in that connection, invites the Commission to conclude the ACTA (Anti‑Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) as soon as possible;

93.  Calls on the Commission to make use of all the legal and political instruments at its disposal in support of a fair and balanced relationship with our trading partners as regards public procurement access for European companies;

94.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43.