2. Presentation of the programme of the Austrian Presidency (debate)
Council statement: Presentation of the programme of the Austrian Presidency
Wolfgang Schüssel (President-in-Office of the Council) made the statement.
José Manuel Barroso (President of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke: Hans-Gert Poettering, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Martin Schulz, on behalf of the PSE Group, Graham Watson, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Francis Wurtz, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Roger Knapman, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Cristiana Muscardini, on behalf of the UEN Group, Hans-Peter Martin, Non-attached Member, Othmar Karas, Hannes Swoboda, Karin Resetarits, Johannes Voggenhuber, Kartika Tamara Liotard, Mario Borghezio, Konrad Szymański, Andreas Mölzer, Timothy Kirkhope, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and Silvana Koch-Mehrin.
IN THE CHAIR: Jacek Emil SARYUSZ-WOLSKI Vice-President
The following spoke: Sepp Kusstatscher, Tobias Pflüger, Georgios Karatzaferis, Guntars Krasts, Sergej Kozlík, Jaime Mayor Oreja, Maria Berger, Anne E. Jensen, Patrick Louis, Jana Bobošíková, Antonio Tajani, Ralf Walter, Lena Ek, Françoise Grossetête, Csaba Sándor Tabajdi, Andrew Duff, João de Deus Pinheiro and Nicola Zingaretti.
IN THE CHAIR: Josep BORRELL FONTELLES President
The following spoke: Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Etelka Barsi-Pataky, Bernard Poignant, Bronisław Geremek, Gunnar Hökmark, Monika Beňová, Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Josef Zieleniec, Marianne Thyssen, Jacek Emil Saryusz-Wolski, Ursula Stenzel, Wolfgang Schüssel and José Manuel Barroso.
The debate closed.
IN THE CHAIR: Mario MAURO Vice-President
Richard Howitt voiced his objection to the fact that a press conference to be held by the IND/DEM Group that afternoon was entitled 'Parliamentary autism'. He asked that the title be withdrawn immediately. Eija-Riitta Korhola then objected to the titles of the motions for resolution on homophobia.
3. Membership of Parliament
Joachim Wuermeling had given notice in writing of his resignation as Member of Parliament, with effect from 19.12.2005.
Pursuant to Rule 4(1) and (7), Parliament established the vacancy and informed the Member State concerned thereof.
4. Voting time
Details of voting (amendments, separate and split votes, etc.) appear in the 'Results of votes' annex to the Minutes.
4.1. The Financial Perspective (vote)
Motion for a resolution tabled under Rule 54 by the Committee on Budgets, on the European Council’s position on the Financial Perspective and the renewal of the Interinstitutional Agreement 2007-2013 (B6-0049/2006)
Proposal for a decision tabled under Rule 176 by the Conference of Presidents, on setting up a Committee of Inquiry into the collapse of the Equitable Life Assurance Society (B6-0050/2006)
- Heide Rühle, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, who moved an oral amendment to amendment 1, which was incorporated.
4.3. Temporary Committee on extraordinary rendition (vote)
Proposal for a decision tabled under Rule 175 by the Conference of Presidents, on setting up a Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners (B6-0051/2006)
- Ewa Klamt, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, rejected the GUE/NGL Group's request to move the second indent of paragraph 1(a) to the end of that point;
- Francis Wurtz, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, who requested an electronic check on the vote on amendment 1. The President did not agree to his request.
4.4. Measures against persons suspected of involvement in the assassination of Rafiq Hariri * * (Rule 131) (vote)
Report on the proposal for a Council regulation imposing specific restrictive measures against certain persons suspected of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri [COM(2005)0614 - 15098/2005 - C6-0434/2005 - 2005/0234(CNS)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Jean-Marie Cavada (A6-0003/2006)
(Simple majority)
(Voting record: 'Results of votes', Item 4)
COMMISSION PROPOSAL, AMENDMENTS and DRAFT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION
4.5. Management of waste from extractive industries ***III (vote)
Report of Parliament's delegation to the Conciliation Committee on the common draft directive, approved by the Conciliation Committee, of the European Parliament and of the Council on the management of waste from the extractive industries and amending Directive 2004/35/EC [PE-CONS 3665/2005 - C6-0405/2005 - 2003/0107(COD)] Rapporteur: Jonas Sjöstedt (A6-0001/2006)
Report of Parliament's delegation to the Conciliation Committee on the common draft directive, approved by the Conciliation Committee, of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the management of bathing water quality and regarding Directive 76/160/EEC [PE-CONS 3659/2005 - C6 0373/2005 - 2002/0254(COD)] Rapporteur: Jules Maaten (A6-0415/2005)
4.7. Application of the Århus Convention to EC institutions and bodies ***II (vote)
Recommendation for second reading on the common position adopted by the Council with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of the provisions of the Åarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies [06273/2/2005 - C6-0297/2005 - 2003/0242(COD)] - Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Eija-Riitta Korhola (A6-0381/2005)
Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on market access to port services [COM(2004)0654 - C6-0147/2004 - 2004/0240(COD)] - Committee on Transport and Tourism. Rapporteur: Georg Jarzembowski (A6-0410/2005)
(Simple majority)
(Voting record: 'Results of votes', Item 8)
COMMISSION PROPOSAL
Paolo Costa, on behalf of the ALDE Group, requested that the report be referred back to committee under Rule 168(2).
The following spoke on the request: Martin Schulz, on behalf of the PSE Group, and Jens-Peter Bonde, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group.
Parliament rejected the request by roll-call vote (132 for, 523 against, 19 abstentions).
Willi Piecyk spoke on the voting procedure.
As amendments to reject it had been adopted, the Commission proposal was thus rejected.
The matter was referred back to the committee responsible under Rule 52(3).
Jacques Barrot (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke following the rejection of the proposal.
Report on the environmental aspects of sustainable development [2005/2051(INI)] - Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Anne Ferreira (A6-0383/2005)
Corrections to votes appear on the 'Séance en direct' website under 'Votes'/'Results of votes'/ 'Roll-call votes'. They are published in hard copy in the 'Result of roll-call votes' annex.
The electronic version on Europarl will be regularly updated for a maximum of two weeks after the day of the vote concerned.
After the two-week deadline has passed, the list of corrections to votes will be finalised so that it can be translated and published in the Official Journal.
(The sitting was suspended at 13.20 and resumed at 15.00.)
IN THE CHAIR: Josep BORRELL FONTELLES President
7. Approval of Minutes of previous sitting
Martine Roure had informed the Presidency that she had been present but that her name was not on the attendance register.
The Minutes of the previous sitting were approved.
8. The period of reflection: structure, subjects and context for an assessment of the debate on the EU (debate)
Report on the period of reflection: the structure, subjects and context for an assessment of the debate on the European Union [2005/2146(INI)] - Committee on Constitutional Affairs. Co-rapporteurs: Johannes Voggenhuber and Andrew Duff (A6-0414/2005)
Andrew Duff and Johannes Voggenhuber (co-rapporteurs) introduced the report.
The following spoke: Hans Winkler (President-in-Office of the Council) and Margot Wallström (Vice-President of the Commission).
The following spoke: Elmar Brok (draftsman of the opinion of the AFET Committee), Hannes Swoboda (draftsman of the opinion of the ITRE Committee), Paolo Costa (draftsman of the opinion of the TRAN Committee), Vladimír Železný (draftsman of the opinion of the REGI Committee), Willem Schuth (draftsman of the opinion of the AGRI Committee), Maria Berger (draftsman of the opinion of the JURI Committee), Jean-Marie Cavada (draftsman of the opinion of the LIBE Committee), Edit Bauer (draftsman of the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Alexander Stubb, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Richard Corbett, on behalf of the PSE Group, Bronisław Geremek, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Monica Frassoni, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Francis Wurtz, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, and Jens-Peter Bonde, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group.
IN THE CHAIR: Manuel António dos SANTOS Vice-President
The following spoke: Brian Crowley, on behalf of the UEN Group, James Hugh Allister, Non-attached Member, Jean-Luc Dehaene, Carlos Carnero González, Ignasi Guardans Cambó, Bernat Joan i Marí (who spoke Catalan. The President pointed out to him that as Catalan was not yet an official language, no interpretation was provided in the Chamber and his speech would not be transcribed in the Verbatim Report of Proceedings), Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann, Bastiaan Belder, Irena Belohorská, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, Jo Leinen, Jules Maaten, Roger Knapman, Jan Tadeusz Masiel, József Szájer, Pierre Moscovici, Nils Lundgren, Daniel Hannan, Genowefa Grabowska, Maria da Assunção Esteves, Pasqualina Napoletano, Panayiotis Demetriou, Stavros Lambrinidis, Reinhard Rack, Hans Winkler and Margot Wallström.
On behalf of Parliament, the President welcomed Mr Paavo Lipponen, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, to the distinguished visitors' gallery.
10. Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia
Hans Winkler (President-in-Office of the Council) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Member of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Charles Tannock, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Reino Paasilinna, on behalf of the PSE Group, Cecilia Malmström, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Bart Staes, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Jonas Sjöstedt, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Michał Tomasz Kamiński, on behalf of the UEN Group, Luca Romagnoli, Non-attached Member, Tunne Kelam, Richard Howitt, Milan Horáček, Aloyzas Sakalas, Józef Pinior, Hans Winkler and Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Motions for resolutions to wind up the debate tabled pursuant to Rule 103(2):
- Michał Tomasz Kamiński and Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, on behalf of the UEN Group, on Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (B6-0028/2006);
- Jan Marinus Wiersma, Reino Paasilinna, Richard Howitt and Csaba Sándor Tabajdi, on behalf of the PSE Group, on Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (B6-0029/2006);
- Cecilia Malmström, on behalf of the ALDE Group, on Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (B6-0032/2006);
- Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit, Milan Horáček, Tatjana Ždanoka, Marie Anne Isler Béguin, Hélène Flautre and Bart Staes, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, on Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (B6-0037/2006);
- Charles Tannock, Bogdan Klich and Ari Vatanen, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, on the situation in Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (B6-0041/2006);
- Francis Wurtz, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, on Chechnya after the elections and civil society in Russia (B6-0044/2006).
IN THE CHAIR: Sylvia-Yvonne KAUFMANN Vice-President
11. Question Time (Council)
Parliament considered a number of questions to the Council (B6-0676/2005).
The President reminded the House that a new procedure for Council Question Time had been agreed with the Council and that Members had been notified of this on 9 December 2005.
Under the new system, Question Time would be split into two parts. During the first part, the minister responsible for general affairs would answer four priority questions chosen by the President. During the second part, the Secretary of State responsible for Foreign Affairs would answer nine questions relating to foreign affairs.
Hans Winkler (President-in-Office of the Council) clarified certain aspects of the new procedure.
Part one
Question 1 (Liam Aylward): Climate change.
Hans Winkler (President-in-Office of the Council) answered the question and supplementaries by Liam Aylward, Paul Rübig and Richard Seeber.
Question 2 had been withdrawn.
Question 3 (Ursula Stenzel): Coordination between organisations (EU, Council of Europe and OSCE) and human rights compliance in the fight against terrorism.
Hans Winkler answered the question and supplementaries by Ursula Stenzel, David Martin and Reinhard Rack.
Question 4 (Diamanto Manolakou): Illegal abduction and arrest of Pakistanis living in Greece.
Hans Winkler answered the question and supplementaries by Athanasios Pafilis (deputising for the author) and Dimitrios Papadimoulis.
Part two
Question 5 (Manuel Medina Ortega): Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Conference.
Hans Winkler answered the question and supplementaries by Manuel Medina Ortega and David Martin.
Question 6 (Bernd Posselt): Status of Kosovo.
Question 7 (Dimitrios Papadimoulis): Settlement of the status of Kosovo.
Question 8 (Othmar Karas): West Balkans / Kosovo.
Hans Winkler answered the questions and supplementaries by Bernd Posselt, Dimitrios Papadimoulis and Othmar Karas.
Question 9 (John Bowis): Persecution and harassment of Christians.
Hans Winkler answered the question and supplementaries by John Bowis, Paul Rübig, James Hugh Allister and Bernd Posselt.
Question 10 would not be taken as the subject to which it referred was already on the agenda of the part-session.
Question 11 (Inger Segelström): Colombia.
Hans Winkler answered the question and supplementaries by Inger Segelström and Paul Rübig.
Question 12 lapsed as its author was absent.
Question 13 (Athanasios Pafilis): Attempt to condemn communism.
Hans Winkler answered the question and supplementaries by Athanasios Pafilis and Paul Rübig.
Questions which had not been answered for lack of time would receive written answers (see annex to the Verbatim Report of Proceedings).
Council Question Time closed.
(The sitting was suspended at 18.55 and resumed at 21.00.)
IN THE CHAIR: Antonios TRAKATELLIS Vice-President
12. European Neighbourhood Policy (debate)
Report on the European Neighbourhood Policy [2004/2166(INI)] - Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Charles Tannock (A6-0399/2005)
Charles Tannock introduced the report.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Member of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke: Elmar Brok, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Pasqualina Napoletano, on behalf of the PSE Group, Paavo Väyrynen, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Marie Anne Isler Béguin, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Erik Meijer, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Bastiaan Belder, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Konrad Szymański, on behalf of the UEN Group, Ryszard Czarnecki, Non-attached Member, Paweł Bartłomiej Piskorski, Pierre Schapira, Diana Wallis, Chairwoman of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee, Cem Özdemir, Esko Seppänen, Gerard Batten, Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Frank Vanhecke, Francisco José Millán Mon, Panagiotis Beglitis, Cecilia Malmström, Hélène Flautre, Irena Belohorská, Anna Ibrisagic, Ana Maria Gomes, Jana Bobošíková, Alojz Peterle, Marianne Mikko, Christopher Beazley, Ioannis Varvitsiotis, Józef Pinior, Libor Rouček, Jana Hybášková, Bernd Posselt, Bogusław Sonik, Simon Busuttil, Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Christopher Beazley, who put a question that Benita Ferrero-Waldner answered.
13. Implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises (debate)
Report on implementing the European Charter for Small Enterprises [2005/2123(INI)] - Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. Rapporteur: Dominique Vlasto (A6-0405/2005)
Dominique Vlasto introduced the report.
Günter Verheugen (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke: Katerina Batzeli (draftsman of the opinion of the ECON Committee), Philip Bushill-Matthews (draftsman of the opinion of the EMPL Committee), Paul Rübig, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Pia Elda Locatelli, on behalf of the PSE Group, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Ilda Figueiredo, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Gerard Batten, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Guntars Krasts, on behalf of the UEN Group, Pilar del Castillo Vera, Reino Paasilinna, Jean Marie Beaupuy, Thomas Mann, Brigitte Douay, Šarūnas Birutis and Edit Herczog.
14. Standards of conduct of Members (Amendment of the Rules of Procedure) (debate)
Report on the amendments to be made to the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure relating to standards of good conduct for Members of the European Parliament [2005/2075(REG)] - Committee on Constitutional Affairs. Rapporteur: Gérard Onesta (A6-0413/2005)
Gérard Onesta introduced the report.
The following spoke: Ingo Friedrich, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Richard Corbett, on behalf of the PSE Group, Ignasi Guardans Cambó, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Erik Meijer, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Gerard Batten, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo and Rainer Wieland.