MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

18.4.2007

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Joseph Daul, Ignacio Salafranca, Elmar Brok, Charles Tannock, Bogdan Klich, Georgios Papastamkos, Robert Sturdy, Alexander Radwan, John Bowis, Georg Jarzembowski and Malcolm Harbour
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on the forthcoming EU-US Summit in Washington DC on 30 April 2007

B6‑0156/2007

European Parliament resolution on the forthcoming EU-US Summit in Washington DC on 30 April 2007

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on transatlantic relations, in particular its two resolutions of 1 June 2006 on improving EU-US relations in the framework of a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement and on EU-US transatlantic economic relations,

–  having regard to Rule 103 (2) of its Rule of Procedure,

A.  whereas the Transatlantic Partnership is a cornerstone of the external policy of the Union, based on shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law,

B.  whereas the transatlantic market is the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, providing employment for up to 14 000 000 people in the EU and the US and generating roughly € 2.79 trillion (2005); whereas, accounting for about 57% of the world gross domestic product and for 40% of world trade, the relationship remains the twin engine of the world economy,

C.   whereas given their role in the world economy the transatlantic partners share responsibility for the state of global governance and for solutions to global challenges,

D.  whereas the global political and economic order is currently undergoing major changes, giving rise to significant political and economic challenges and posing serious security, social and environmental threats,

E.  whereas a strong and functioning partnership between the EU and the US is a vital tool for shaping global development in the interests of common values and on the basis of effective multilateralism and international law; whereas strong and consistent political leadership is required to enable the partners to reach this goal,

F.   whereas Parliament repeatedly called for a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement to replace the 1995 New Transatlantic Agenda and to open the way to establishment of a transatlantic market by 2015,

G.  whereas the Senate of the United States supported this initiative in its resolution of 9 December 2006, urging the leadership of the United States and the European Union to agree to a target date of 2015 for completing the transatlantic market,

1.   Strongly supports the initiative by the President of the European Council, Angela Merkel, to launch a New Transatlantic Economic Partnership that would strengthen the position of both partners in global competition and enable them to better use the potential of their economies, without doing any harm to the multilateral trade negotiations including the Doha Round;

2.   Reiterates the need to bring this economic initiative under a new framework agreement to provide an appropriate institutional and political foundation for pursuing common political and economic objectives and for jointly countering the challenges of the 21st century;

3.  Is convinced that it is only by means of such an agreement that the transatlantic relationship can be anchored in a firm institutionalised structure of regular executive coordination and consultation enabling the partners to pursue their common objectives in a more consistent and stable manner;

4.  Calls upon the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission and the United States of America to use the opportunity of the April 2007 EU-US Summit to initiate the negotiation of a new Transatlantic Partnership Agreement and to jointly commit themselves to a binding roadmap for achieving a barrier-free transatlantic market by 2015;

5.  Advocates the participation of the US Congress and the European Parliament in this process; calls upon the EU-US Summit to support the parliamentary dimension of the partnership and to involve the legislators more closely in the dialogue between the EU and US executives;

6.  Takes the view that the roadmap to reach a transatlantic market by 2015 should contain a binding timetable with specific and measurable mid-term goals, in particular with regard to regulatory cooperation, investment, intellectual property rights, innovation, public procurement, and the relation between trade and security;

7.  Recommends that the EU-US High-Level Regulatory Forum is strengthened by nominating as permanent members the heads of relevant regulatory authorities;

8.  Stresses the need to launch a joint study of existing obstacles to creating a transatlantic market, including a cost-benefit and sector-by-sector analysis of their removal;

9.  Strongly encourages partners to commit themselves to avoid excessive public deficits which amongst others exacerbate external imbalances, further encourages achieving a level of Euro-dollar exchange rate that helps promoting economic integration; stresses the importance of building a stable economic basis for achieving a transatlantic market;

10.  Encourages the US Administration, the EU Presidency and the Commission to sign the Air Transport Agreement of 2 March 2007 between the US Administration and the EU Commission at the Summit as the first stage agreement for the new cooperation between the US and the EU in the very important Transatlantic Aviation Area; hopes that the US will soon ratify this agreement and encourages both sides to start the negotiations for the second stage agreement as soon as possible;

11.  Calls on the US and all other countries which apply entry visas to selected EU Member States to immediately lift the visa regime and to treat all citizens of EU Member States equally; regrets the inclusion of an additional "information sharing clause" (a PNR clause) in the proposed changes to the US Visa Waiver Program;

12.  Urges the leaders of the EU and the US to commit themselves to bring the WTO Doha Round to a successful conclusion without delay, also referring to the Green Box in agriculture, reinforcing a common strategy on cross-compliance, bio-fuels, animal welfare, animal health and avian flu, and underlining the importance of the EU-US wine agreement;

13.  Calls on both partners to strengthen their cooperation on energy and energy security, to strive for establishment of a stable and predictable global energy market based on market rules and to seek to include provisions governing energy trade in WTO regulations;

14.  Strongly encourages both partners to agree on a joint approach on climate change with the overall aim of limiting global warming through fair contributions to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by developed and developing countries, an effective system of carbon emissions trading and the promotion of new technologies;

15.  Expects the Summit to prepare the ground for a G8 Summit agreement in June for launching a post-Kyoto emissions regime that would involve the US and key emerging economies like China, Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia;

16.   Is disappointed that at the meeting of the G8 environment ministers held in Germany in March, the United States refused to budge over greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, the creation of a global carbon trading system and financial aid to help developing countries protect the climate and the environment in general;

17.   Calls for climate change to be regularly raised at interparliamentary delegation level and in the context of the Transatlantic Legislative Dialogue;

18.  Strongly welcomes the improved climate of EU-US relations on an equal basis; believes that this positive backdrop offers serious opportunities for the EU and US to work closely together on a wide range of policy challenges of common concern; notably in the common approach to the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus region, Central Asia, the Middle East, Afghanistan, the Mediterranean and Africa;

19.  Believes that fighting terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remain the greatest security challenges for both partners; stresses therefore the need for both sides to reinforce their collaboration in this field and to support the role the UN must play in combating both challenges;

20.  Believes that it is necessary to define with the US a common and shared framework to safeguard the guarantees that are needed in the special EU-US partnership in the fight against terrorism, which could also deal with all aspects concerning the free movement of persons between the EU and the US; considers that, in this perspective, contacts should be strengthened between Parliament and Congress;

21.  Believes that the EU and the US are fundamental and loyal allies in the fight against terrorism, which is why there is a common interest in reaching a satisfactory agreement on dossiers relating to sharing personal data like PNR or the SWIFT affair; believes that the sharing of personal data must take place on a proper legal basis, linked to clear rules and conditions, and must be covered by adequate protection of the privacy and civil liberties of individual citizens;

22.  Welcomes the close cooperation between the EU and the US on the Iranian nuclear issue and encourages both partners to continue cooperation in strengthening the IAEA and establishing a comprehensive system of international agreements on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in order to jointly reinforce the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a key element in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons;

23.  Reiterates the view that NATO, which remains an important tie between Europe and the US and a guarantor of European security, should develop its potential as a transatlantic forum for political debate in a true partnership of equals; recommends to this end a closer security relationship between NATO and the EU, in particular in view of the situation in Kosovo where the EU will take over from UNMiK while some 16 000 NATO troops remain; believes that a stronger EU-US partnership will complement rather than undermine this relationship;

24.  Calls upon the US to redouble its efforts to consult and explain its planned missile defence system within NATO in order to allow the Alliance and Europe to remain united, resist foreign pressure and steer clear of disagreement in different areas of security; stresses the importance of pursuing consultations on the system within the NATO-Russia Council; stresses that the US system should be coordinated and interoperable with NATO's Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (TBMD) system;

25.  Stresses its commitment to continue contributing to the strength and stability of the Transatlantic Partnership through its engagement in the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue; supports the effort to establish a legislative early-warning system between the European Parliament and the US Congress;

Financial Services

26.   Asks the Commission to present a strategy for a common and consistent EU position, defended by all Member States, in the regulation of financial services;

27.   Renews its request to the Commission[1], to investigate, as a matter of urgency, the fact that EU companies and sectors with operations in the US not covered by the Safe Harbour agreement may currently be forced to make personal data available to US authorities, in particular US branches of European banks, insurance companies, social security institutions and providers of telecoms services;

28.   Asks the Commission to ensure equivalent rights of ownership (e.g. of stock exchanges, financial and related institutions) in each others' territory for EU and US nationals and enterprises; asks the Commission what it intends to do with regard to the Hedge Funds, bearing in mind that the US is preparing proposals thereto;

29.   Asks the Commission to guarantee that all business activities, and in particular the transatlantic merger and/or purchase of stock exchanges and other financial institutions, will not, directly or indirectly, lead to US law, supervisory arrangements and rulebooks being imposed within the EU, as in the case of sanctions against the European tourism industry and more recently after the purchase of European banks;

Biodiversity and Health

30.   Welcomes the Potsdam Initiative agreed (17.03.2007) by the G8+5 (China, India, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil), which is aimed at helping to curb the massive loss of biodiversity by 2010; encourages the G8+5 to urgently implement the adopted initiative and to provide funding to protect the oceans, to support research and to improve monitoring of species threatened by extinction;

31.   Is concerned about the intention of the US Congress to authorise parallel imports of medicines from the EU Member States, that may create obstacles to the EU patients' supply and  favour counterfeiting of medicines; asks the EU, therefore, to raise this issue at the forthcoming Summit;

32.  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.

• [1]  European Parliament resolution on SWIFT, the PNR agreement and the transatlantic dialogue on these issues, P6_TA-PROV(2007)0039