MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
20.10.2008
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Mieczysław Edmund Janowski, Ewa Tomaszewska, Adam Bielan, Brian Crowley and Ryszard Czarnecki
on behalf of the UEN Group
on the European Council meeting of 15 and 16 October 2008
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0543/2008
B6‑0550/2008
European Parliament resolution on the European Council meeting of 15 and 16 October 2008
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Presidency Conclusions following the European Council meeting of 15 and 16 October 2008,
– having regard to the European Council report and the Commission statement on the European Council meeting of 15 and 16 October 2008,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the present world economic and financial situation is causing many difficulties for SMEs in obtaining credit, as well as increasing job losses and poverty among citizens,
B. whereas a wide variety of players are involved in this crisis, and whereas for coordination and speedy answers are required,
C. whereas citizens' mistrust of the banking and financial system could easily change into bitterness and resentment also vis-à-vis the European political system and its institutions, which failed to predict the scale of the crisis,
D whereas the fight against climate change is a major issue and objective for the European Union and should be dealt with using a comprehensive and flexible approach at international level,
On the economic crisis
1. Welcomes the prompt reactions of the EU Presidency to the crisis and the adoption of the EU guidelines by the finance ministers as a first important and coordinated step in reassuring the financial markets; welcomes the conclusions of the European Council ratifying the measures proposed by the Eurogroup and stresses the need to coordinate the efforts of the Members States at European level so that competition is not distorted;
2. Considers that the G7 Summit failed to provide suitably creative answers, listing a series of things to do without any long-term proposals; takes the view that, in this context, coordination at EU level should be a priority;
3. Welcomes the coordinated action undertaken by the ECB and other central banks outside the eurozone in terms of liquidity provision;
4. Stresses the need for comprehensive and coordinated responsibilities at global, European and national level in order to restore financial markets by returning them to liquidity in the short term, and for an appropriate crisis prevention mechanism to be developed in the long term;
5. Welcomes the recent ECB decision to decrease the interest rate within the eurozone;
6. Welcomes the high-level group set up by the Commission in order to look at the right architecture to ensure that financial markets are suited to the realities of the single market and that supervisors can work together to meet the challenge of cross-border banks;
7. Considers it essential that part of the rescue plan worked out by Member States should go to families and SMEs, and not only to bankers, and be used to protect the deposits of all individual savers;
8. Calls on the Commission to use its power of initiative to propose measures to strengthen the EU regulatory and supervisory framework and crisis management at EU level;
On the placeCityLisbon Treaty
9. Welcomes the Irish Government's response during this Summit to return in December with a view to defining the elements of a solution and a common path to be followed with regard to the Treaty of Lisbon; acknowledges the Irish Government's presentation of the analysis of the results of the referendum; considers the establishment of a specific Oireachtas subcommittee in the Irish Parliament, to report in November on the specific issues that need to be addressed, to be an important step forward in the process of finding a solution;
On energy and climate change
10. Welcomes the decision made concerning the completion of the domestic energy package by the end of the parliamentary term;
11. Acknowledges the fact that an agreement concerning the actual separation of networks (effective unbundling) has been reached, but stresses that only an agreement on fair competition conditions (level playing field) and on the third-country clause can guarantee the smooth functioning of the European energy market;
12. Stresses also that the agreement on the energy package is necessary in order to guarantee the European Union energy effectiveness and reliable energy supplies in the short term, not least in view of EU concerns regarding the EU-Russia dialogue;
13. Undertakes to cooperate closely with the Council and the Commission to find an effective and workable agreement on the climate change and energy package; encourages the Council and the Commission nonetheless to take serious account of the risks of 'carbon leakage', in order to protect European industrial sectors as well as employees and consumers, especially in a period of financial market crisis, and recalls that it is crucial for EU industry that the necessary flexibility measures be introduced for the sectors most exposed to relocation and loss of competitiveness;
14. Considers this essential in order to provide the EU with the necessary credibility to take a leading role at international level with a view to the negotiations at the Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15) on a post-2012 agreement;
15. Considers that in order to achieve a global and effective outcome in the fight against climate change it is essential to seriously involve all international players, in particular the industrialised countries;
16. Calls on the Commission to take into account each Member State's specific situation, in particular those with coal-based based economies and sectors, and stresses that the Commission should take into account the different Member States' levels of economic development;
On energy security
17. Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue efforts in further elaborating a common energy policy which, inter alia, caters for the need for diversification of energy sources, given the fact that some energy supplying countries use energy as a political weapon targeted at EU Member States;
18. Calls on the Council and the Commission to exclude the construction of the Nordstream pipeline from the list of strategic EU projects, given the risk of growing dependence on Russian gas once the project has been implemented and in view of the cost and environmental hazards and the conclusions of the Libicki report adopted by Parliament;
19. Calls on the Commission to speed up efforts to pursue the construction of the Nabucco pipeline, as the most serious alternative to the projects undertaken in cooperation with Russia, which are all potentially increasing the economic and political dependence of the EU Member States on Russia;
On immigration and asylum
20. Welcomes the adoption of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum put forward by the Presidency, with its focus on better management of migration; expects the EU to implement the pact with a view to achieving a comprehensive European policy on immigration and asylum;
On PlaceNamecountry-regionRussiaPlaceName, placecountry-regionGeorgia and eastern policy
21. Stresses that the European Union must be the major participant in the settlement of the Russia-Georgia conflict, on the basis of a strict and firm position;
22. Stresses that the Georgian crisis has major implications for the whole region, for the European Union itself and for energy security in placeEurope;
23. Calls on the Commission to consider postponing the EU-Russia Summit until such time as PlaceNameplacecountry-regionRussia fulfils its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and Russian forces withdraw to the positions held prior to 7 August 2008;
24. Reiterates its call for the postponement of meetings to negotiate the Partnership Agreement with PlaceNameplacecountry-regionRussia until the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory;
25. Calls on the European Council and the Commission to revise policy towards PlaceNamecountry-regionRussia, particularly since the PlaceNamecountry-regionRussian Federation has announced plans to maintain 7 600 soldiers in Abkhazia and placeSouth Ossetia;
26. Emphasises that the European Union monitoring mission is currently unable to ensure security in Georgia and that the zones adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain outside its control; points out that systematic harassment of Georgian civilians continues there, including the burning of homes in more than a half dozen ethnic Georgian villages in and around South Ossetia, incidents of looting by armed men, and physical threats which force ethnic Georgians to leave their villages;
27. Stresses that the only policy which might be successful is one based on an exchange approach, considers, in this context, that the lifting of the ban on the main Belarusian leaders travelling to the territory of the EU, including President Alexander Lukashenko, was too premature a decision, based solely on assumptions;
28. Calls on the Council and Commission to launch a genuine dialogue with the Belarusian authorities that is based on a conditional and gradual approach, with benchmarks, timetables, revision clauses and adequate financial means;
29. Urges Belarusian authorities to respect basic human rights and freedoms by:
- •ensuring an independent and free media;
- •removing all difficulties that prevent NGOs from registering properly;
- •improving the treatment of national minorities, to include recognition of the legitimately elected Union of Poles led by Angelika Borys;
30. Emphasises the importance of enhancing EU relations with Balkan and eastern neighbours and calls on the Council and Commission to take the steps necessary to ensure closer cooperation so that we may offer clear membership prospects to our partners in the Balkans and Eastern Europe;
31. Welcomes the Council conclusions on the European Neighbourhood Policy, its eastern dimension and efforts to achieve economic modernisation and democratisation; stresses the need to work out a common EU position towards Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Caucus region as a whole;
32. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, and to the parliaments of the Member States.