(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2008)0172),

–   having regard to Article 181a of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C6-0182/2008),

–   having regard to its resolution of 20 February 2008 on an EU Strategy for Central Asia(1),

–   having regard to the EU Strategy for a new partnership with Central Asia adopted by the European Council on 21-22 June 2007,

–   having regard to case C-155/07, European Parliament v Council of the European Union, pending before the Court of Justice of the European Communities,

–   having regard to Rule 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets and the opinion of the Committee on International Trade (A6-0317/2008),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty;

3.  Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

4.  Asks the Council to consult the Parliament again if it intends to amend the Commission proposal substantially;

5.  Asks the Commission to withdraw its proposal, should Decision 2006/1016/EC currently pending before the Court of Justice of the European Communities be annulled;

6.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

Text proposed by the Commission   Amendment Amendment 1 Proposal for a decision Recital 3 a (new) (3a)  There is an acknowledged need for EIB lending in Central Asia to focus on energy supply and energy transport projects which also serve EU energy interests. Amendment 2 Proposal for a decision Recital 3 b (new) (3b)  Regarding energy supply and transport projects, EIB financing operations in Central Asia should be consistent with and support the EU policy objectives of diversification of energy sources and the Kyoto requirements, and of enhancement of environmental protection. Amendment 3 Proposal for a decision Recital 3 c (new) (3c)  All EIB financing operations in Central Asia should be consistent with and support EU external policies, including specific regional objectives, and should contribute to the general objective of developing and consolidating democracy and the rule of law, the objective of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the observance of international environmental agreements to which the European Community or its Member States are parties. Amendment 4 Proposal for a decision Recital 3 d (new) (3d)  The EIB should ensure that individual projects are subject to a Sustainability Impact Assessment carried out independently of the project sponsors and the EIB. Amendment 5 Proposal for a decision Recital 4 The macro-economic conditions prevailing in the Central Asian countries, and in particular the situation of external finances and debt sustainability, have improved in the recent years as a result of strong economic growth and prudent macroeconomic policies, and they should therefore be allowed access to financing from the EIB. The macro-economic conditions prevailing in the Central Asian countries, and in particular the situation of external finances and debt sustainability, have improved in the recent years as a result of strong economic growth and prudent macroeconomic policies, and they should therefore be allowed access to financing from the EIB. There should nevertheless be pre-conditions for their eligibility for EIB loans: these countries must show clear progress in establishing the rule of law, freedom of speech and the media and freedom of NGOs, and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals as specified in the EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreements.They should not be subject to EU sanctions for human rights violations and they should have made real progress in terms of the human rights situation as required by the European Parliament's resolution of 20 February 2008 on an EU Strategy for Central Asia1. ___________________ 1 Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2008)0059. Amendment 6 Proposal for a decision Recital 5 a (new) (5a)  Lending activities should support the EU's policy objective of promoting stability in the region. Amendment 10 Proposal for a decision Article 1 Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are eligible for EIB financing under Community guarantee in accordance with Council Decision 2006/1016/EC. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are eligible for EIB financing under Community guarantee in accordance with Council Decision 2006/1016/EC. Uzbekistan will become eligible as soon as the EU sanctions against the country are lifted. Amendment 7 Proposal for a decision Article 1 a (new) Article 1a The guarantee agreement between the Commission and the EIB, as foreseen in Article 8 of Council Decision 2006/1016/EC, shall lay down the detailed provisions and procedures relating to the Community guarantee and shall contain conditions with clear benchmarks regarding respect for human rights. Amendment 8 Proposal for a decision Article 1 b (new) Article 1b On the basis of the information received from the EIB, the Commission shall produce an assessment and a report, on an annual basis, to be forwarded to the European Parliament and the Council, on the EIB financing operations carried out under this Decision. The report should include an assessment of the contribution of EIB financing operations to the achievement of the external policy objectives of the EU, and especially the contribution to the general objective of developing and consolidating democracy and the rule of law, the objective of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the observance of international environmental agreements to which the European Community or its Member States are parties. Amendment 9 Proposal for a decision Article 1 c (new) Article 1c The EIB shall ensure that framework agreements between the Bank and the countries concerned are made available to the public and that adequate and timely objective information is made available to enable them to play a full part in the decision-making process.

(1) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2008)0059.