JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
17.5.2006
- –Astrid Lulling and Bernd Posselt, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
- –Pasqualina Napoletano and Martine Roure, on behalf of the PSE Group
- –Graham Watson, Alexander Lambsdorff and Cecilia Malmström, on behalf of the ALDE Group
- –Raül Romeva i Rueda and Eva Lichtenberger, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
- –Bastiaan Belder, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group
- –Cristiana Muscardini, Konrad Szymański and Roberts Zīle, on behalf of the UEN Group
- –ALDE (B6‑0284/2006)
- –Verts/ALE (B6‑0285/2006)
European Parliament resolution on Taiwan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2002 calling for observer status for Taiwan at the May 2002 annual meeting of the World Health Assembly in Geneva,
– having regard to its resolution of 15 May 2003 calling for observer status for Taiwan at the 56th World Health Assembly (WHA),
– having regard to its report of 5 September 2002 on the Commission Communication on Europe and Asia: A Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnerships, recognising the need to cooperate closely with Asia in multilateral organisations, for example in combating HIV/AIDS in the region through the WHO, and taking the view, therefore, that all democracies in Asia, including Taiwan, should be able to participate in the WHO,
– having regard to its resolution of 7 July 2005 on relations between the EU, China and Taiwan and security in the Far East,
– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. having regard to the necessity of direct and unobstructed participation in international health cooperation networks, forums and programmes for all parts of the world, especially with today’s greater potential for the cross-border spread of various infectious diseases (e.g. avian influenza, SARS),
B. whereas the World Health Organisation has allowed observers to participate in its activities,
C. whereas the Commission has also already declared itself in favour of enhancing contacts between Taiwan and the WHO, insofar as WHO rules permit; whereas, furthermore, the Commission is interested in finding a ‘practical solution’ together with the Member States,
D. whereas the greatest risk of an influenza pandemic emanates from Asian countries, where a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strain has been spreading for two years despite continued efforts by competent authorities to contain the disease,
E. whereas infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and SARS are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide,
F. whereas the occurrence of a pandemic outside the EU would also entail a serious health threat to the citizens of the EU,
G. whereas Taiwan is excluded from UN protection if an epidemic broke out on the island, which means that there would be no coordinated cooperation with Taiwan, although this is considered essential since Taiwan is one of the most important international hubs in the Western Pacific as well as an important staging area for millions of migratory birds,
H. whereas the health care system of Taiwan is one of the best and most advanced in the region and the Taiwanese authorities wish to let their specialists participate in the World Health Organisation's preparatory meetings of experts on the avian flu situation,
1. Insists on better representation of Taiwan in international organisations and takes the view that it is unfair to continue to exclude more than twenty million people from the world community;
2. Calls on the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to immediately include the Taiwan Centre for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) as a participant in the WHO Global Outbreak and Alert Response Network (GOARN), to ensure the rapid exchange of relevant information on a regional and global basis;
3. Calls on the Director General of the WHO and all its Member States to ensure that Taiwan has direct access to and can attend all technical meetings of the WHO which are relevant to the maintenance and improvement of public health in Taiwan and the rest of the world and, in addition, to allow Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the technical activities and events of the relevant Regional Office of the WHO;
4. Calls on the People's Republic of China to consider the possibility of observer status for Taiwan within the World Health Organisation or at least in the World Health Assembly as its most important decision-making body, in order to protect the health of the people of Taiwan, of international representatives and foreign employees on the island, and of the entire population of the globe;
5. Reiterates its call on the Commission and the Member States to support Taiwan's application for observer status in the WHO;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the accession countries, the Government and Parliament of the People's Republic of China, the authorities of Taiwan, the Secretary General of the UN and the Director-General of the WHO.