MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Commission Work Programme for 2011
8.12.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Martin Schulz, Hannes Swoboda on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0688/2010
B7‑0688/2010
European Parliament resolution on the Commission Work Programme for 2011
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Commission Communication on its Work Programme 2011 (COM(2010)623),
– having regard to the contributions made by Parliament’s committees, which have been forwarded to the Commission by the Conference of Presidents,
– having regard to the report to the President of the European Commission by Professor Mario Monti ‘A new strategy for the Single Market’,
– having regard to the Commission Communication ‘Towards a Single Market Act’ (COM(2010)608),
– having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2010 on delivering a single market to consumers and citizens (P7_TA-PROV(2010)0186),
– having regard to its resolution of 20 October 2010 on improving the economic governance and stability framework of the Union, in particular in the euro area (P7_TA-PROV(2010)0377),
– having regard to its resolution of 20 October 2010 on the financial, economic and social crisis: recommendations concerning measures and initiatives to be taken (mid-term report) (P7_TA-PROV(2010)0376),
– having regard to Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
– having regard to the UN High level Plenary meeting on the Millennium Development Goals of 20-22 September 2010 and the conclusions thereof,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the European Union is still suffering gravely from the aftershocks of the 2008 financial sector crisis, in the form of mass unemployment, a fragile economic recovery, fiscal problems, cuts in public services and attacks by financial markets on some Member States,
B. whereas a full recovery requires a common European strategy for sustainable growth and employment creation, backed by the necessary powers and resources,
C. whereas it is also essential to reduce Europe's vulnerability to the vagaries of the financial markets, by strengthening European and global economic governance and by completing an ambitious reform of financial sector regulation and supervision,
D. whereas the defence of fundamental rights for all, non-discrimination and equality before the law are essential principles of the European Union, which must be a cornerstone of the legislative and work programme and must be respected in all areas of EU activity, including criminal and civil law, migration, the single market and labour law,
E. whereas Human Rights and Democracy are at the core of the EU identity and remain a top priority of the EU external relations policy,
F. whereas the Lisbon Treaty reaffirms that the European Union’s external action, of which trade is an integral part, should be conducted in accordance with all the EU’s objectives, including its social, environmental and development objectives ; whereas greater policy coherence between external and internal policies must be a priority, in particular to ensure that trade policy is coordinated with the industrial and agriculture policies of the EU, to effectively favour economic growth and job creation,
Introductory and General
1. Notes the Commission's 2011 work programme and welcomes many of the proposals, but believes that the programme as a whole does not sufficiently reflect the momentous events which have overtaken Europe since 2008, nor the hopes and expectations of Europe's citizens;
2. Deplores that the work programme does not put greater emphasis on the seven million job losses caused by the financial crisis and ensuing recession, and on the risk that much of this unemployment will persist for years; considers this one of the core challenges for the EU in 2011 and beyond; therefore calls on the Commission to spell out its detailed response to the risk of persistent unemployment and to indicate how its initiatives and proposals will create sufficient decent jobs to meet the challenge;
3. Believes that the dramatic economic, social and fiscal consequences of the financial sector crisis of 2008 revealed weaknesses and imbalances in the European economic model, which call for a radical reform and re-orientation of economic governance and financial sector regulation, and a more central place for the citizen and the social dimension in the European project;
4. Further believes that these objectives, together with the global challenges of the 21st century, require a strengthening of European cooperation and solidarity, the focussing of European activity in those areas where the Union brings added value and contributes to greater effectiveness in the use of public resources, and a financial framework which enables the Union to accomplish in full the tasks with which it is charged;
5. Therefore welcomes the important place of the EU budget in the work programme and the Commission's recognition that Europe needs a new budget as a powerful tool for delivery of common EU objectives, but insists that the Commission must also rapidly bring forward proposals to revise the current financial framework, and elaborate significant proposals for establishing new own resources without which it will be impossible to implement in full its work programme, particularly to meet gaps in funding for key programmes and to provide the means to discharge the EU's new responsibilities under the Lisbon Treaty and the EU 2020 Strategy;
6. Welcomes the priority given to the reform of European economic governance and insists that such reform must take full account of the Parliament's position as set out in its Resolutions of 20 October 2010, and must have as its purpose the furtherance of the Union's economic and social objectives, as set out in Article 3 of the Lisbon Treaty; recalls that EP and Council as the two arms of the budgetary authority should be equally involved in any mobilisation of the European Financial Stability Mechanism, whose budgetary consequences are still to be clarified;
7. Emphasises the need to complete the reform of financial regulation, to strengthen the transparency, stability and accountability of the financial sector, while guaranteeing that financial services' market serves the real economy; to ensure that the taxpayer is never again called upon to bear the costs of bailing out the banks; to discourage speculation and asset price bubbles; encourage a rebalancing of the economy; and to promote a financial sector at the service of Europe's citizens and businesses;
8. In that regard calls for a higher level of ambition, in view of the widespread agreement among economists that the reforms carried out thus far have not fully addressed the problems of the financial sector; calls on the Commission to consult widely through a transparent process including all stakeholders on the need for further reform, beyond the proposals in its Work Programme, and to report to the Parliament by the end of 2011;
9. Recalls that the Monti Report on the Single Market, commissioned by Commission President Barroso, found that ‘the single market is seen by many Europeans with suspicion, fear and sometimes open hostility’; calls on the Commission to meet the Parliament's request in its resolution of 20 May 2010 on Delivering a single market to consumers and citizens, for a holistic approach which has at its centre the interests of citizens, workers and small businesses;
10. Regrets that in the work programme as a whole the social dimension remains marginalised, while the Commission remains in thrall to the economic model of the last thirty years, which has failed to deliver the prosperity, stability and social inclusion which are the stated objectives of the Union; and which was finally discredited by the financial meltdown of 2008;
11. Emphasises the need for an ambitious European industrial and cohesion policy in order to strengthen the real economy, improve convergence and achieve a shift towards a smarter and more sustainable European economy conducive to more and better jobs;
12. Recalls that the Commission's Communication on the EU Budget Review emphasised the key role of Cohesion policy in promoting solidarity and real economic convergence and in achieving the EU 2020 objectives of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth. Regrets therefore that the 2011 working programme omits any reference to this important policy instrument;
13. Regrets the confusion between the multiplication of initiatives: single market act, communications on industrial policy and on energy infrastructure priorities for 2020 and beyond, the Commission work programme, the EU 2020 flagships... calls for more consistency and better governance;
14. 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. Emphasises that legislative proposals have to be accompanied by comprehensive communication strategies explaining their added value to the European citizens. In that context specific attention should be paid to communicating the benefits of the citizens' initiative as a powerful agenda-setting instrument which can ensure that the EU institutions address the concrete problems of citizens;
Strengthening economic governance and the European semester
15. Notes the call in the Communication for rapid legislative progress on the Commission's proposals on economic governance; believes that this should be attainable, provided that all institutions work together in a spirit of compromise and that the Parliament's own position on economic governance, as adopted by a huge majority at its October II Plenary session, will be substantially reflected in the legislative package;
16. Stresses the need for a European economic governance directed towards sound fiscal policy aiming at higher growth with full and decent employment; believes the governance package should be complemented with legislation creating a permanent crisis management mechanism and with initial steps towards the mutual issuance of a part of sovereign debt and the introduction of Eurobonds; and asks for commitments from the Commission to that effect;
17. Insists that the European Semester should be used to strengthen budgetary coordination and synergies between EU and national budgets in order to achieve the overall political aims of the EU; regrets the lack of concrete proposals so far in that respect;
18. Regrets that the proposals for the European Semester and the governance package provide little opportunity for European democratic scrutiny and insists on strong parliamentary involvement in both;
19. Expresses concerns regarding the articulation between the European semester, the Integrated Employment Guidelines and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines;
Inclusive growth
20. Welcomes the inclusion of flagship initiatives in the field of employment and social affairs, namely an agenda for new skills for new jobs and the platform on poverty, but regrets that there are very few legislative proposals;
21. Believes that inclusive growth can only be built on a foundation of equal treatment for all workers within the workplace and a level playing field for all businesses. Regrets that the work programme does not include a revision of the Posting of Workers Directive to guarantee these principles; and insists that the legislative proposal on implementation, as foreseen in the Communication on the Single Market Act, must clarify the exercise of fundamental social rights;
22. Also regrets that the proposals on migration are not sufficient to ensure equal treatment and protection of workers from third countries and to prevent abuses by companies recruiting cheap labour that reinforces social dumping; recalls here the European Parliament position opposing the application of the country of origin principle in labour and social law and arrangements;
23. Calls on the Commission to present a new proposal on the Working Time Directive which includes both the issue of the opt-out and on-call; underlines that a proposal on one or the other is unacceptable;
24. Calls on the Commission to heed the views of the social partners in the area of pensions and to ensure that the white book reflects the expectations of both sides of the industry including the strengthening of the first pillar;
25. Welcomes the reform of the EURES job portal making information and job advice to young workers more accessible, but regrets that this proposal is postponed to 2012, while young people need it today;
26. Welcomes the EU framework for national policies on the Roma but demands that it includes legislative initiatives on social inclusion and non-discrimination;
27. Notes the proposal on work-life balance and would warmly welcome a proposal on paternity leave;
28. Regrets that the Commission is not proposing a legislative initiative on restructuring to stamp out abuses and protect Europe's industrial base;
29. Underlines that proposals on public procurement must strengthen the European Social Model, including the improvement of living and working conditions;
30. In order to make legislation more effective at EU level, stresses the importance of social impact assessment for all EU legislation and calls for no further delay in opening infringement procedures against Member States which do not respect EU legislation, in particular in the field of working time in road transport;
31. Regrets that the Commission programme makes no reference to gender issues; calls for a Directive to tackle Europe's 17.4% gender pay gap, as promised in 2008 and a Directive on the eradication of violence against women, in line with the demands in its resolutions of November 2009 and February 2010;
32. Urges the Commission to take the position of women into account in its Platform against Poverty, noting that 17% of women in Europe live in poverty, while in 16 Member States the risk of extreme poverty is far greater among women;
33. Regrets that the Communication says nothing about public health and health inequalities; calls upon the Commission to develop a clear strategy to tackle growing health inequalities and to speed up adoption of legislative proposals on health and food safety;
Financial regulation: completing the reform
34. Welcomes the proposed legislative follow-up to the Green paper on Corporate Governance in financial institutions and believes that it should be a strategic initiative, since better corporate governance will be crucial in avoiding repetitions of the 2008 financial crisis and in creating a financial sector geared to serving the real economy and the citizen;
35. Welcomes the Commission's proposals on investor protection, access to basic banking services and responsible mortgage practices; welcomes also the legislative initiative on crisis resolution in the banking sector, which must be coordinated with competition policy rules in order to achieve a comprehensive and binding framework for crisis management, covering both private and public actors and avoiding extensive use of taxpayers' money;
36. Welcomes the proposed revision of the Regulation on Credit rating Agencies, which should also address the lack of competition in the industry. Asks the Commission to act on its recent request, in the BERES report on the financial, economic and social crisis (A7-02672010), to examine options for an independent European credit rating agency, stronger involvement of independent public entities in the issuing of ratings and the specificities of the sovereign debt ratings;
37. Regrets that financial sector taxation is not among the strategic initiatives for 2011 and that the Commission is delaying the necessary preparatory work already requested by the EP in its Resolution of March 2010;
38. Underlines the need to curb speculation and ensure that the financial sector contributes fully to the costs of the crisis;
39. Recalls its call for financial innovation favourable to long term investment and the need to have a better match between savings and investment in the EU;
Smart growth
40. Welcomes the proposals on the Digital Agenda, but repeats its call for the Commission to present a comprehensive action plan, with timetable and targets, to deliver fast and tangible results on net neutrality and a single market for online content and services, in the interests of an open and prosperous digital society, and to overcome the digital divide;
41. Regrets that the work programme does not include the mid-term review of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development nor the assessment of the European Research Area (ERA);
42. Asks the Commission to come forward rapidly with proposals on Innovation Partnerships on raw materials and smart cities;
Sustainable growth
43. Regrets that the Communication on the new Industrial Policy for Europe will not be followed by legislative proposals, in particular to achieve the desired shift towards a low carbon and sustainable economy;
44. Reiterates its support for the Commission's efforts towards an effective climate change policy; recalls the need to ensure that environment and climate change objectives are included in all EU policies and are reflected in the appropriate budget headings;
45. Stresses the importance of speeding up and closely monitoring implementation of EU environmental legislation to achieve the goals of the 6th Environment Action Programme; urges the Commission to assess rigorously the results of this Programme and to progress in the development of the 7th Environment Action Programme;
Tapping the potential of the Single Market
46. Calls on the Commission for more ambitious proposals for transforming the single market into a genuinely social market which would win the trust of Europe's citizens, workers, small businesses and consumers; therefore calls on the Commission to insert a social clause in all single market legislation in line with Article 9 TFEU and Parliament's resolution of 20 October 2010 on the financial, economic and social crisis;
47. Calls on the Commission to ensure a consistent approach between the legal instrument on European contract law and the Consumer Rights Directive;
48. Regrets the Commission's failure to meet Parliament's request, in its Resolution of October 2010 on the economic crisis, for a legislative proposal to bring legal certainty to Services of General Economic Interest and Social Services of General Interest, despite changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty specifically to create a new legal base for that purpose;
49. Reiterates its call for a legislative proposal to ensure an affordable, expedient and accessible Europe-wide collective redress system;
50. Underlines the need for an efficient legal framework for product safety in the EU; supports the review of the General Product Safety Directive and calls on the Commission to review the CE marking system to ensure that CE marking could be considered as a safety mark by consumers;
51. Welcomes the legislative proposal for a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base and the proposed Communication on VAT. Believes that a mandatory CCTB is essential to the creation of a genuine single market and to reducing the anti-labour bias in the tax system identified in the Monti report and avoiding tax evasion, double taxation and unfair tax competition; Condemns bilateral negotiations with Switzerland and urges the Commission to take an initiative vis-à-vis the Council to enable the EU to negotiate on the automatic exchange of information. Insists that the planned initiatives on CCTB and VAT must be compatible with the proposal on new own resources for the EU budget to be presented by the Commission by June 2011;
Citizens' Agenda
52. Is deeply concerned that there are no concrete proposals on fundamental rights or the horizontal non-discrimination directive, and that the issue of non-discrimination is not even mentioned; calls on the Commission to act swiftly to unblock the non-discrimination Directive;
53. Supports the proposal for a Communication on enhanced intra-EU solidarity in the field of asylum, but regrets the absence of legislative proposals on asylum, bearing in mind that the Union should have a common asylum policy in place by 2012;
54. Regrets that there are no substantive proposals on migration. Recalls that the correct functioning of the proposed Entry/Exit System will depend on the success of VIS and SIS II, although SIS II is not yet fully operational;
55. Welcomes the proposal on the rights of victims of crime and, above all, on the right to legal assistance and legal aid, but regrets that this is the only measure foreseen; calls for a clear timetable for the remaining measures of the procedural rights roadmap and for the Commission to urgently consider a proposal for a Directive on the prevention of violence against women;
56. Welcomes the new comprehensive legal framework for data protection, provided that it means reviewing and recasting of Directive 95/46 and the Framework Decision for data protection in the third pillar;
57. Welcomes the Proposals on matrimonial property rights, and on the property consequences of the separation of couples from other types of unions, but asks the Commission in order to achieve common standards for EU citizens across Member States to consider speeding up the revision of the acquis in the field of civil and criminal law and report to the Parliament;
58. Welcomes the proposal for a Regulation on EU hotlines for missing children but notes that the work programme contains few initiatives to protect children under the promotion of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child and the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
59. Welcomes the proposal on confiscation and recovery of criminal assets but reiterates its insistence that the proposal should cover the social re-use of these funds;
60. Calls for clear evidence on the necessity and proportionality of an EU Passenger Name Records system;
61. Urges the Commission to come forward rapidly with ambitious proposals for judicial training and to consult the European Parliament on its plans;
62. Calls on the Commission to consider seriously all options in its 2010 Green Paper on a legal instrument on European Contract law;
63. Calls on the Commission to assess the viability of the territoriality principle in the digital world;
64. Calls on the Commission to review Directive 2001/29/EC on copyright in the information society;
65. Regrets that the Commission has not yet met the European Parliament recommendations on the Stockholm Programme (November 2009) dealing with the Freedom, Security and Justice Area and notably:
· Formal Revision (following the co decision procedure) of the Fundamental Rights Agency Regulation by fully associating the European Parliament in the definition of the Multiannual Programme of the Agency;
· The submission of a new legislative proposal dealing with freezing assets of terrorist organisations (Art. 75 of the TFUE - a Council Decision has been recently brought to the Court by the European Parliament);
66. Regrets the delay of the Commission in undertaking legislative proposals in the area of the ‘Lisbonisation’ of the current ‘acquis’ in Police and Judicial cooperation in penal matters, which is a Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs priority. The delay is regrettable as the Commission postpones the judicial and parliamentary control which follows from the revision of Europol and Eurojust and form the definition of the Parliamentary control in the Freedom, Security and Justice Area;
Europe in the World
67. Calls on the Commission to keep up the momentum for the enlargement process and assist Croatia in meeting all outstanding closing benchmarks in the final stage of Croatia's accession negotiations, in particular in the field of judiciary and fundamental rights; asks the Commission to report back to the Parliament in the first quarter of 2011 on the progress achieved in the relevant Chapter 23;
68. Calls on the Commission to keep the Parliament fully informed during its preparation of the opinion on Serbia's application for EU membership;
69. Calls on the Commission to strongly encourage Turkey to work on a new civilian constitution after the general elections in 2011, with a particular emphasis on the strengthening of fundamental rights and individual freedoms;
70. Considers it urgent that Turkey fulfils its obligation of full non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement; calls on the Commission to support efforts to achieve progress in intercommunal talks on Cyprus and normalisation of bilateral relations between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus;
71. Calls on the Commission to make every effort to increase effectiveness in the implementation of the IPA program and to ensure that the co-decided appropriations for this programme are not jeopardized;
72. Calls on the Commission to finalise the review of the ENP with the aim of ensuring better coherence between policy objectives and financial instruments; human rights and democracy conditionality should be strengthened in its relations with the neighbours;
73. Notes that the Union for the Mediterranean is characterized by increasing institutionalization and aims to focus on concrete projects; expresses concern for the current deadlock of the UFM due to the political situation in the region and invites the Commission to adjust the existing instruments to the changing environment;
74. Points out that, even if the political, economic and social situation in the countries concerned remains diverse, the upgrading of relations between the EU and ENP partner countries by adopting a series of bilateral agreements in several sectors must be based on a coherent approach in order to avoid double standards;
75. Requests the HR/VP of the Commission to appoint a Special Representative on Human Rights; reiterates its call to establish a human rights and democracy structure at EEAS headquarters level (specific directorate general for Human Rights) as well as the systematic appointment in each of the Union Delegations of a Human Rights officer (focal point);
76. Calls on the Commission to provide a yearly report on EU progress towards achieving the MDGs by 2015 and to introduce measures obliging Member States to fulfil their commitments to 0.7% GNI to ODA and to monitor such undertakings;
77. Urges the Commission to strengthen co-operation in relation to climate change, toxic waste and water management and promote better donor co-ordination in the area of technical assistance;
78. Welcomes the Green Paper on the future of EU development policy; insists that a total commitment to achieving the MDGs must be at the core of this paper - paying particular attention to policy coherence for development, innovative financing mechanisms and the strengthening of financing of EU development policies;
79. Stresses that in the context of the ongoing negotiations on EPAs, there should be renewed focus on the development dimension; emphasises that additional funds are necessary to finance accompanying measures in order to compensate the impact of the EPAs on developing countries;
80. Welcomes the proposal for a revision of the Council regulation concerning humanitarian aid; calls on the Commission to place special emphasis on access to vulnerable populations and security of aid workers as well as strengthening of links between relief, rehabilitation and development, which are essential for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid;
81. Asks the Commission to bring forward a legislative initiative along the lines of the new US ‘Conflict Minerals’ Law in order to reinforce transparency and good governance in the extractive industry sector in developing countries; calls on the Commission to step up the fight against corruption in such countries which undermines human rights and good governance;
82. Recalls that multilateralism must remain the EU's first priority, and demands that on-going and new trade negotiations should respect the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries; firmly believes that an effective and reformed multilateral trade framework is needed to build a more balanced and fair economic system as part of a new global governance at the service of development and of the eradication of poverty;
83. Recalls that any clause on the free movement of workers in any bilateral agreement concluded by the EU should be based on equal treatment of workers;
84. Calls on the Commission to include and to reinforce in all trade agreements the principle of non-negotiable human rights and social and environmental clauses and sanctions for failure to respect such clauses, inter alia with regard to discrimination based on political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights, women's rights and children, the rule of law and guarantees of fundamental freedoms, the fight against impunity and violence, sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and towards people living with HIV/AIDS; stresses that these clauses should be subject to close monitoring, and to a dispute settlement mechanism which allows for sanctions or temporary suspension of certain trade benefits provided for under the agreement, in the event of an aggravated breach of these standards; urges the Commission that ILO Core Labour Standards must become a binding element of all free trade agreements concluded by the EU with third countries; request the setting up of benchmarks in order to monitor progress in the field of Human Rights;
85. Calls for a CSR clause to be included in international trade agreements signed by the EU. This includes an obligation of reporting and transparency for corporations and of due diligence for undertakings and groups of undertakings, investigations in case of proven breaches of CSR commitments and better access to the courts for victims of the actions of corporations;
86. Calls for a single representation of the Eurozone in the international financial institutions and the G20;
A modern budget
87. Warmly welcomes the idea of the Commission to present jointly in June 2011 a proposal for a new EU own resources system and its proposal for a new structure of EU expenditures for the years 2014 onwards (new MFF); strongly believes that these two issues are interlinked, should be decided at the same time, and cannot be further postponed; asks the Commission to put pressure on the Council to avoid delays in finding an agreement while fully respecting the provisions of the Treaty, particularly article 312.5: stresses that any delay in agreeing on the new budgetary framework would hinder the achievement of EU political objectives, particularly in respect of Cohesion policy;
88. Reiterates its calls that any EU own resources system should be fair, clear, transparent and fiscally neutral for EU citizens; emphasises that the current system relying for 85 % on national budget contributions is unsustainable; believes that the Commission's proposals should respect EU Treaty provisions, in particular Art. 311, and should be the object of an open inter-institutional debate at European level with a strong involvement of national parliaments;
89. Urges the European Commission, while respecting article 311 of the treaty, to study in detail the scope for using part of the revenue from a Financial Transactions Tax and/or from a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax system as a source of EU own resources, while not neglecting other possible sources;
Smart regulation
90. Calls on the Commission to advance its efforts regarding ex ante assessments and ex post assessments while safeguarding health and safety standards for workers and environmental standards;
Education, culture and youth
91. Reminds the Commission of the EU2020 strategy's targets for education and training in the interests of boosting employment, supporting life long learning and enabling young people in particular to find jobs; to meet these targets, it should focus its actions on how to give adequate financial support to young people, and on facilitating the transition from study and training to employment, regrets that the work programme lacks ambition in this direction;
92. Welcomes the Commission's initiatives seeking to enhance mobility; and calls on the Commission to ensure that it follows through with the Communication on early childhood education, linked to the Youth on the Move flagship initiative, stressing the need for financial assistance to all young people to promote social inclusion;
93. Welcomes the proposed Communication on the cultural and creative industries and stresses the importance of this sector to the economy. The Communication should include proposals to promote creative studies, attract investment and provide funding for artists, to establish networks with businesses and improve mobility;
94. Regrets that the EU's new competence in sport will not result in a sports programme 2012 - 2013. Urges the Commission to ensure that the forthcoming Communication on sport will pave the way for an appropriate sports policy and a fully-funded programme for 2014-2020;
Agriculture
95. Regrets that the Commission's work programme for 2011 says little about the revision of the Common Agricultural Policy; calls for the CAP reform to reshape fundamentally the CAP and enforce a strong common agricultural policy to tackle new challenges, based on legitimacy, effectiveness and fairness;
96. Therefore calls for proposals based on an integrated payment scheme using new criteria, a regulatory system for the management of risks and aid for structural measures and competitiveness. The reformed CAP should be coherent with EU development policy; encourage sustainable agricultural production and animal welfare; respond to the challenges of climate change, depletion of resources, water pollution and soil erosion; ensure a social dimension and work with regional policy to create jobs in rural areas;
Maritime affairs and fisheries
97. Welcomes the intention to produce legislative proposals on the Common Fisheries Policy reform, to ensure sustainability of resources and of livelihoods;
98. Calls on the Commission also to continue its work on long-term fish conservation, to pursue an Integrated Maritime Policy, to develop maritime spatial planning and to pursue the goals of the EU 2020 strategy regarding smart and sustainable growth in the marine economy, ensuring to that end a more effective cooperation between DG Mare and DG Transport, with a clearer and more efficient division of tasks;
Transport
99. Calls on the Commission to deliver on the specific commitments made in the Commission Work Programme for 2010, and insists that the White Paper on the Future of Transport must lead to implementation of a comprehensive EU transport policy, with binding deadlines for action by the Commission;
100. In particular, urges the Commission to promptly present the calendar and respective roadmaps listing concrete policy and legislative measures to implement the expected results of the forthcoming TEN‑T policy review, as well as the adopted Road Safety Plan, the Action Plan on Urban Mobility and the initiatives on transport logistics of the previous legislature;
101. Regrets that the Commission has not presented a proposal for the internalisation of external costs in the Maritime Sector as promised for many years, and calls on the Commission continue to press for an international agreement in the IMO forum to be achieved within a reasonable period of time, failing which the Commission should take the initiative in the matter;
102. Recalls that the forthcoming proposal for an Airport Package should have as its main objectives the improvement of conditions for workers, stimulating fair competition across the sector, and guaranteeing a consistently high level of passenger rights;
103. Calls for the promotion of Tourism in conjunction with the Transport sector. Also calls for more effective cooperation of the MOVE and MARE Directorates-General of the Commission, including a more efficient and clear division of tasks;
104. Considers that social issues in the transport field are still neglected;
Cohesion Policy
105. Recalls that the EU2020 strategy and cohesion policy are fundamentally linked, and that the need to accommodate additional priorities or objectives should not result in less resources for cohesion. Considers, in particular, that greater cohesion is essential to Europe's long-term economic and social well-being;
106. Calls on the Commission to present the cohesion policy regulations for the next programming period in good time for the European Parliament's contributions and their swift adoption, to enable the timely implementation of cohesion programmes;
Energy
107. Calls on the Commission to present a proposal on the revision of the Energy Taxation Directive, in line with the promises made by Commissioner Oettinger during his hearing at the European Parliament;
108. Regrets that the recent proposal by the Commission on energy is nearly silent on EU storage capacities and on green jobs;
109. Calls on the Commission to present a proposal on the energy efficiency of existing buildings, which is essential to meeting the EU's CO2 reduction targets;
110. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Commission and the Council of Ministers.