MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
5.1.2005
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Konrad Szymański and Brian Crowley
on behalf of the UEN Group
on transatlantic relations
B6‑0026/2005
European Parliament resolution on transatlantic relations
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Transatlantic Declaration on EU-US relations of 1990 and the New Transatlantic Agenda of 1995 (NTA),
– having regard to the European Council declaration on Transatlantic Relations annexed to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council meeting in Brussels on 12-13 December 2003,
– having regard to its resolutions of 17 May 2001 on the state of the transatlantic dialogue[1]; of 13 December 2001 on EU judicial cooperation with the United States in combating terrorism[2]; of 15 May 2002 on Reinforcing the Transatlantic Relationship: Focusing on Strategy and Delivering Results[3]; and of 19 June 2003 on a Renewed Transatlantic Relationship for the Third Millennium[4],
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the European Union and the United States share the same values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights,
B. whereas cooperation between the European countries and the United States in the field of security is the cornerstone of stability in the Euro-Atlantic area,
C. whereas economic cooperation between the European Union and the United States based on free-market principles is producing strong and sustained economic growth to the mutual benefit of our citizens and the wider world,
D. whereas the European Union and the United States - the most successful democracies and the biggest economies in the world - have the obligation to promote peace, democracy and stability in the world,
1. Welcomes the announcement by the last EU-US summit concerning the development of a forward-looking strategy to enhance partnership and eliminate barriers in transatlantic economic relationships;
2. Welcomes the progress on the financial markets regulatory dialogue and the new initiatives regarding economic cooperation between Europe and the United States proposed during the previous EU-US summit, such as identifying the four priority areas in the framework of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue - cooperation in the areas of: open trade and security; intellectual property rights and the fight against counterfeiting; capital markets and international accounting standards; and the Doha Development Round - as key elements of the agenda for enhancing the economic relationships between Europe and the United States;
3. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Government of the United States to make a major effort to complete construction of the transatlantic market by 2015;
4. Calls on the transatlantic partners to work closely to advance multilateral trade liberalisation and strengthen rules as embodied in the WTO Doha Development Agenda negotiations in order to make progress on the core areas;
5. Believes that cooperation with the United States in the field of security has proved an efficient tool for guaranteeing peace and stability in the countries of Europe and for resolving serious problems such as the conflict in the Western Balkans;
6. Expresses the conviction that building the Common Foreign and Security Policy should be understood as complementary to and not competitive with the existing instruments of transatlantic cooperation;
7. Underlines the need for closer cooperation between Europe and the United States in order to prevent terrorist attacks and combat terrorism;
8. Points out that the transatlantic agenda must also embrace such issues as poverty, disease, and instability which overwhelm much of Africa and Asia;
9. Reiterates its call to build the transatlantic 'community of action' comprising the following fields of dialogue and cooperation: strengthening international cooperation, preventing future military conflicts, encouraging peace, security, democracy and development in the extended Middle East, the fight against terrorism, curbing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, and fighting AIDS and infectious diseases;
10. Reiterates its proposal for the establishment of an institutional structure for ongoing transatlantic political dialogue, building on the evolving Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD) between Members of the European Parliament and the US Congress, with the ultimate aim of establishing an EU-US Transatlantic Assembly; in this respect, welcomes the visit of President Bush to the European institutions in February 2005;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Parliaments of the Member States, and the President and Congress of the United States of America.