Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 1 December 2005 - Brussels

7. Financing instrument for development cooperation and economic cooperation

– Before the vote

  Gay Mitchell (PPE-DE), rapporteur. – Mr President, the proposal before us seeks to merge economic objectives with development objectives. It seeks to remove codecision, for which Parliament fought for 20 years, by taking 16 regulations away and replacing them with one regulation that writes Parliament out of the script. A strong and unanimous approach by the Development Committee, supported by three other committees, has seen some sense prevail.

We can now seek to amend this proposal by referring it back to the Development Committee, and I very much appreciate the work done by the Presidency and those in the Commission who proposed a new draft.

In Irish one would say Bi Ullamh, which means be ready, be vigilant. Parliament is not a rubber stamp, it has the power of codecision. That is a principle. It is not a product for sale. 37 Members of my Committee have signed a recommendation, on my own advice, to refer this proposal back for amendment. I hope the House will agree to that.

  Hannes Swoboda (PSE). – (DE) Mr President, I would like to give this proposal my wholehearted support. It is not acceptable that the Commission should propose that we should lose powers, and so I endorse the proposal that this be referred back to committee.

(Parliament approved the request for referral back to committee)