Resolution on the situation in Kosovo and the reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

P5_TA(1999)0003 RC-B5-0007/1999

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia,

-  having regard to the conclusions of the Presidency of the European Council in Cologne on 3 and 4 June 1999,

-  having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999), the full withdrawal of all Serb security forces, the end of NATO's air campaign, as well as the development of the Kosovo International Security Force (KFOR) and the setting up of the UNMIK (UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo),

-  having regard to the Military Technical Agreement between KFOR and the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, agreed on 9 June 1999,

-  having regard to the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe signed by the Council on 10 June 1999,

-  having regard to the "Western-Balkans" chapter, as stated in the conclusions of the EU General Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 21-22 June 1999,

-  having regard to the report of the United Nations Inter-Agency Needs Assessment Mission (16-27 May 1999) and the IMF/World Bank reports on the economic consequences of the Kosovo crisis,

-  having regard to the Commission's announced intention of setting up a European Agency for Reconstruction in Kosovo,

A.  noting with deep satisfaction that close cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, the USA and the Russian Federation has made it possible to reach an agreement, putting an end to the conflict concerning Kosovo,

B.  aware of the immense human suffering that was caused by this conflict, especially as regards the brutality of the process of ethnic cleansing against the population of Kosovo, resulting in the brutal destruction of human lives and property and hundreds of thousands of people being forced to leave their homes,

C.  recalling its resolutions of 14 April 1999(1) on the results of the Berlin Summit and the Financial perspective and 6 May 1999(2) on the Financial Perspective; whereas the Commission should present in accordance with the declaration on heading 4 of the interinstitutional agreement of 6 May 1999, on the basis of the estimated requirements for the Balkans and especially for Kosovo, a draft programme with the necessary proposals in the budget framework together with a proposal for the revision of the financial perspective;

1.   Considers that the reconstruction of Kosovo, as well as the development of a comprehensive EU policy, together with an extended Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe would make the Region part of "the European Peace in the Balkans area" and should therefore be considered as an absolute priority for the EU;

2.   Calls on all parties to cooperate fully with KFOR in the implementation of UNSCR 1244 (1999) and therefore to cease all ethnic violence from whatever quarter;

3.   Calls on the KLA to honour the commitments it has made to NATO and therefore to comply with the international community's demands to work together with all residents of Kosovo for the future of this region and the creation of a democratic, multi-ethnic Kosovo;

4.   Urges the Council to apply the necessary pressure so that KFOR makes full use of its mandate to disarm all the military and paramilitary groups, with regard in particular to the KLA, and to set up gradually joint police units;

5.   Calls on the Commission and the Council to come forward with the necessary proposals to provide for substantial financial and other aid to assist the safe return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes in Kosovo;

6.   Recognises the urgent need to bring to justice the perpetrators of atrocities, ethnic cleansing and genocide in order to rebuild in the region the common sense of rule of law, respect for human rights and order and justice for the victims, and thereby to establish the basis for interethnic reconciliation;

7.   Calls on the Council and the Member States to give their cooperation to the investigations being carried out by the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia and furthermore to use all suitable means to bring the main criminals, including Mr Milosevic, before the Tribunal in The Hague, in accordance with the arrest warrant issued on 24 May 1999;

8.   Calls on all parties concerned in the region to set up a special enquiry commission to investigate with a view to identification the bodies found in dozens of mass graves in order to help relieve the sorrow of relatives and honour the victims;

9.   Welcomes the proposal by the Commission and the Council to start up the process of economic and social reconstruction in Kosovo, and urges them to put the necessary proposals as soon as possible to the European Parliament for a rapid decision; therefore calls on the EU and other donors to provide the funds needed for the reconstruction of Kosovo, while seeking to avoid doing it exclusively by reallocating from funds to other recipients of foreign aid;

10.   Asks the Council and the Member States to play their part in implementing as soon as possible all the relevant measures according to the political settlement as stated in the Peace Plan for Kosovo, and to make available the necessary financial resources, with the utmost priority being given to the reconstruction of Kosovo and the return of those who have fled the Province and to the Kosovar prisoners who have been taken to Serbia;

11.   Notes the importance of the role being undertaken by the European Union in the rebuilding of Kosovo; expresses concern about the multiplicity of international agencies involved in this extensive task; calls for a hearing to be organised in the early autumn jointly by its Foreign Affairs and Budgets committees to suggest how the funds being proposed for the reconstruction of Kosovo should best be used;

12.   Urges the Commission and the Council to ensure, in cooperation with the other donors, close coordination of all support efforts to Kosovo and the other countries in the region, in order to make the joint support for the region as effective and efficient as possible; therefore rejects the Council's decision to locate the seat of the Reconstruction agency for Kosovo in Thessaloniki (Greece);

13.   Gives full support to the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAFR) to be set up in Kosovo but believes that, bearing in mind what happened in Bosnia-Herzegovina, its structure must be decentralized and flexible in order to improve its effectiveness, encourage the involvement of local firms and facilitate the growth of a self-sustainable and self-centered economy; underlines, in this respect, that all the procedures must be transparent and that adequate measures must be taken to avoid the mismanagement of financial resources;

14.   Stresses the urgent need to establish structures for temporary administration, together with the inhabitants of Kosovo, in the towns and villages, and for an international police force and judicial organisation for Kosovo;

15.   Welcomes the decision by the UN Secretary-General to appoint an EU citizen as civil administrator for Kosovo, and urges all European institutions to collaborate closely with Bernard Kouchner in the accomplishment of his duties;

16.   Underlines the importance of the presence of Mr Ibrahim Rugova in Kosovo, and calls on the ethnic Albanian leaderships to put an end to the debilitating divisions among themselves in order to achieve the establishment of stable, civil democracy in Kosovo with a view to general reconciliation and future new free elections in the province;

17.   Believes that no reconstruction aid should be given to Serbia as long as Mr Milosevic remains in power, except for humanitarian aid, but calls for creative ways of supporting the political forces seeking to bring Yugoslavia into the community of democratic nations;

18.   Stresses the importance of launching actions in favour of democratisation in all the countries of the region, including FRY, especially at the local level, by developing cooperation between local authorities; wishes to make clear once again to the Government of Yugoslavia that the lifting of EU sanctions is directly linked to compliance with UN resolutions, including full cooperation with the International War Crime Tribunal;

19.   Calls on the Council to reiterate its support for the democratic government of Montenegro and its President, Mr Djukanovic; underlines the legal position of Montenegro as a sovereign republic within the Yugoslav Federation, and demands that the Serb authorities and the army of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia respect the autonomy of Montenegro;

20.   Calls on the Council and the Commission to provide compensation for the economic and financial losses suffered because of the Kosovo war by the surrounding states, FYROM, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and to take account of the special needs of Montenegro;

21.   Urges the Commission and the Council furthermore to fully involve the countries of the region in all aspects of the preparation and implementation of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe; calls on them to present rapidly to the European Parliament a proposal for a common strategy for Eastern Europe in order to strengthen relations between the European Union and the countries of South-Eastern Europe and between the countries of the region;

22.   Believes that the recent crisis also demonstrates the importance of speeding up preparations for the enlargement of the Union;

23.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN, the UN Interim Civil Administration in Kosovo, the President and Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Kosovo Transitional Council and the governments of Albania, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.

(1) Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 23. (2) Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 17(e).

Resolution on the death sentence on Mr Öcalan and the future of the Kurdish question in Turkey

P5_TA(1999)0004 RC-B5-0006/1999

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on Turkey and the Kurdish question, in particular its resolutions of 25 February 1999(1) and 6 May 1999(2) ,

-  having regard to the report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of the ad hoc Committee to ensure the presence of the Assembly at the trial of Abdullah Öcalan of 21 June 1999,

-  having regard to the statement by the EU Presidency of 29 June 1999,

A.  whereas the Court in Ankara has condemned Mr Öcalan to death,

B.  whereas an appeal has been lodged by Mr Öcalan's defence lawyers, and whereas, if this fails, the Turkish Grand National Assembly would have to enact a law for the sentence to be carried out,

C.  whereas Turkey has observed a de facto moratorium on capital punishment since 1984, and whereas Turkish Government Ministers have stated in recent months that Turkey should abolish the death penalty,

D.  whereas a draft law, aimed at reforming the penal code and abolishing capital punishment in peace-time, is currently before the Judicial Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly,

E.  whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's ad hoc Committee noted that the presence of a military judge in the State Security Court entailed a violation of the right to a fair trial and that a death sentence would be a serious matter of concern to the Parliamentary Assembly,

F.  whereas all States applying to join the EU must fulfil the Copenhagen Criteria, which require achievement of 'stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights, respect for and promotion of minorities', and whereas Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe and has signed the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Convention against Torture,

G.  whereas the fundamental rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey are not respected,

H.  whereas the PKK has also used violence and terrorism as instruments of political action,

I.  whereas the Chairman of the Human Rights Association, Mr Akin Birdal, and the publisher Mr Muzaffer Ilhan Erdost have been imprisoned pursuant to Article 8 of the anti-terrorism law,

1.   Condemns Mr Öcalan's sentence and reiterates its firm opposition to the use of the death penalty;

2.   Calls on the Turkish authorities not to carry out the death sentence;

3.   Expects the Supreme Court of Appeal to reverse the verdict against Mr Öcalan as a violation of Turkey's international legal commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights;

4.   Urges the Turkish Grand National Assembly to transform the current de facto moratorium on executions into a formal abolition of the death penalty in Turkey;

5.   Reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to provide guarantees for the fair treatment of Mr Öcalan;

6.   Doubts the fairness of the trial against Mr Öcalan because of the procedure used by the State Security Court and emphasises that the trial of Mr Öcalan involved a military judge for most of its duration and that many Turkish citizens, Kurds and others, are in jail as a result of trials involving military judges;

7.   Welcomes the steps which have been taken to bring the way that Turkish institutions operate into line with common European practice, such as the recent revision of the Turkish Constitution regarding the composition of the Turkish State Security Courts;

8.   Calls on Turkey to comply with any decision on the sentence against Mr Öcalan taken by the European Court of Human Rights;

9.   Believes that the execution of Mr Öcalan would have considerable implications for security and stability in Europe and would be damaging for the process of integrating Turkey into the EU;

10.   Calls on the Turkish Government to address the causes of the conflict in Turkey by finding a solution which recognises the political, social and cultural rights of the Kurdish people and takes the view that, in this connection, the requisite democratic reforms must be carried out;

11.   Calls also on the PKK to put an end to violence and terrorism and to cooperate in the search for peace in Turkey;

12.   Reiterates its call on the Council and the Member States to take all the measures required to assist in the promotion of a political solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey;

13.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Turkish Government, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

(1) OJ C 153, 1.6.1999, p. 39. (2) Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 26(b).

Resolution on the appointment of Mr Martin Bangemann to a post in the private sector with the "Telefonica" company

P5_TA(1999)0005 RC-B5-0003/1999

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to Article 213 of the EC Treaty,

-  having regard to the Code of Conduct on standards in public life announced by the Commission on 17 July 1999,

-  having regard to the solemn undertaking given by Martin Bangemann on entering his duties as Commissioner responsible for industrial affairs and information and telecommunications technologies that, both during and after his term of office, he would respect the obligations arising therefrom and in particular his duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after he ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits,

-  having regard to the statements made by the Commission and Council to Parliament on 21 July 1999,

-  having regard to the remarks on lack of personal responsibility in the first report of the Committee of Independent Experts,

A.  whereas on 1 July 1999, Commissioner Martin Bangemann announced his intention to resign so that he could immediately take up a post in the telecommunications industry on the Board of Directors of the Spanish Telefonica company; whereas his conduct is to be deplored especially when seen against the background of the crisis that the institutions of the Union have recently experienced,

B.  whereas Mr Bangemann had extensive official dealings with companies in the telecommunications sector during his period of office,

C.  whereas there is great public disquiet over the failings of the Santer Commission to respect standards in public life, and great public concern over public officials who on leaving office take positions in companies with which they have had official dealings; whereas the public interest needs to be protected,

D.  whereas the Commission should be at the forefront of maintaining and respecting standards in public life,

1.   Condemns the action taken by Mr Bangemann in taking up a post in a part of the private sector where he had primary responsibility for Commission policy, without respecting the need for a "cooling-off period" after leaving office; calls on Mr Bangemann to reverse his decision to take up a post with Telefonica;

2.   Calls on all other outgoing members of the Santer Commission to respect voluntarily the new Code of Conduct;

3.   Calls on the Prodi Commission to ensure that the provisions of the Code of Conduct it announced on 17 July 1999, in particular with regard to the declaration of financial interests, the prohibition on accepting payments from third parties, the provisions on accepting private sector posts after leaving office, and the establishment of a Committee on Standards in Public Life are enforced strictly and with the utmost rigour;

4.   Calls on the Commission and Council to ensure that Article 213 of the EC Treaty is strictly complied with and enforced in relation to Mr Bangemann; in this respect gives its full support to the Council decision to refer to the European Court of Justice the case of Mr Bangemann who should have been led, by the duty of discretion deriving from his responsibilities, to refuse the duties he has agreed to exercise in 'Telefónica' and, clearly, not to apply for a post involving a sphere of activities covered by his portfolio as Commissioner, in particular the question of the suspension of the pension rights of Mr Bangemann during the period of his employment with Telefonica;

5.   Insists that Mr Bangemann be deprived of his pension entitlements and of any other benefits deriving from his office of Commissioner;

6.   Calls upon the next Intergovernmental Conference to consider revising Article 213 to ensure that the provisions on Commissioners taking up posts after they have ceased to hold office are made more clear and precise and correspond to the highest possible standards in public life;

7.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council and the governments of the Member States.

Resolution on contamination by dioxins of foodstuffs in Belgium

P5_TA(1999)0006 RC-B5-0002/1999

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to Commission Decisions 1999/363/EC and 1999/389/EC of 3 June 1999 on protective measures with regard to contamination by dioxins of certain animal products intended for human or animal consumption and Commission Decision 1999/368/EC of 4 June 1999 on protective measures with regard to contamination by dioxins of products intended for human or animal consumption derived from bovine animals and pigs,

-  having regard to the Commissio decisions of 11 June 1999 on protective measures with regard to contamination by dioxins of certain animal products intended for human or animal consumption and amending Decisions 1999/363/EC and 1999/389/EC and the decision on protective measures with regard to contamination by dioxins of products intended for human or animal consumption derived from bovine animals and pigs and revoking Decision 1999/368/EC,

-  having regard to Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market, amended by Directive 92/118/EEC ,

-  having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market, amended by Directive 92/118/EEC ,

-  having regard to the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive amending Directive 95/53/EC fixing the principles governing the organisation of official inspections in the field of animal nutrition (COM(98)0602 ),

-  having regard to the statements by the members of the Commission responsible for agriculture and the environment made at the hearings on 16 and 17 June 1999 organised by the relevant committees of the European Parliament,

-  having regard to the Council and Commission statements of 22 July 1999,

A.  having regard to the most recent case of contamination by dioxins of poultry products in Belgium and in general to the repeated serious scandals associated with foodstuffs which are proliferating in the Member States of the Community,

B.  whereas dioxins are amongst the most toxic substances known to man; whereas they are known human carcinogens and potent endocrine disrupters which are persistent and accumulate in the food chain due to their bioaccumulative nature,

C.  whereas preventive health and consumer protection must have absolute priority in all measures regarding food safety and whereas thiswas not applied by the Belgian authorities in office at the time, thereby favouring commercial and trade interests;

D.  whereas the European Union must observe the provisions of Article 152 of the Treaty with regard to health policy and Article 153 with regard to consumer protection and whereas in this connection the Commission reacted promptly with the adoption of protective measures with regard to the contamination by dioxins of certain animal products intended for human or animal consumption,

E.  having regard to the right of all citizens to obtain wholesome foodstuffs which do not place their health at risk,

F.  having regard to the increasing concern of consumers with regard to the foodstuffs available on the market; whereas the confidence of these consumers has already been shaken by the BSE crisis and the uncertainty with regard to possible health risks which could be caused by products which contain genetically modified organisms, by the excessive use of pesticides in agriculture and by animal feedingstuffs which contain antibiotics or have excessive amounts of additives,

G.  whereas the threat to humans and animals from excessive levels of dioxins in foodstuffs has been caused by contaminated feedingstuffs but whereas it has its origins in incorrect manufacturing and criminal conduct and whereas the number and the amount of toxic substances arising from production and transport are increasing constantly, entering the food chain at many different levels without being detected as such,

H.  having regard to the economic and financial consequences which this type of scandal has without exception for producers, traders and the whole farming and food industry in the Union,

I.  whereas bioaccumulation and concentration of certain toxins is especially high in meat and milk products which form an important part of the average European diet; whereas EU legislation lacks the necessary framework and means to reduce these toxins at source,

J.  whereas animal feedingstuffs are suspected of being among the main sources of diminishing food safety, as the recycling of animal fats, slaughter offal and many other organic waste products has proved to have led to various forms of fraud and misuse and to unacceptable accumulation of toxins,

1.   Calls on the Commission forthwith to draw up foodstuffs legislation to protect the health of European consumers, reviewing existing legal provisions and how they function and making the necessary amendments;

2.   Is of the opinion that the dioxin scandal is yet another illustration of the need for an EU quality label to reassure consumers about the quality and safety of food on sale in the Member States as set out in its resolution of 9 October 1998(1) ; regrets that this parliamentary initiative has not been followed by any proposed legislation from the Commission;

3.   Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the scientific committee, to lay down minimum quality standards for feedingstuffs and products intended for animal feed and to draw up a list of banned substances which have the potential to endanger human health;

4.   Underlines that the present Community control system for feedingstuffs is inadequate; is of the opinion that the Commission's control competences need to be enhanced in order to undertake the appropriate controls when and where they are considered necessary;

5.   Confirms the need for the European Union to have a common system for the monitoring and control of foodstuffs in every Member State;

6.   Calls on the Commission to strengthen the routine checks on feedingstuffs and to submit to Parliament a report on the results of the examination of the national monitoring programmes, which should have been submitted by the Member States by 1 October 1998 and demands particularly an improved system for monitoring the by-product flow in food processing;

7.   Reiterates its support for the long-standing Commission proposal on reform of Directive 95/53/EC (COM(98)0602 ) fixing the principles governing the organisation of official inspections in the field of animal nutrition to allow EU inspectors to carry out spot checks for contaminated animal feed whenever they wish and not just in emergency cases as is currently the situation; calls therefore on the Council to finally adopt the necessary legislation;

8.   Calls, on the basis of the amended Article 22 of Directive 95/53/EC containing basic rules for the implementation of official feedingstuffs checks, in addition for the immediate submission of the specific Community-wide monitoring programmes which have been announced;

9.   Calls on the Commission to submit proposals with regard to clear declarations on feedingstuffs;

10.   Calls on the Commission and the Council to enhance research and to establish reliable testing methods for identification of toxic substances found in the environment and the food chain;

11.   Reminds Member States of their obligations to undertake comprehensive inspections and hygiene controls; calls on them to enhance transparency by making the inspection reports speedily available to the public; expects Member States to re-examine their control capacities and increase the number of specialized staff if necessary;

12.   Calls on the Commission to make an inquiry about practices of Member States which allow the mixture of highly polluted food with non-polluted food in order to reach an average pollution below the allowed maximum residue values and to put an end to those practices;

13.   Calls on the Commission to support the production of natural and organic foodstuffs and natural feedingstuffs;

14.   Regrets the lack of transparency and care shown by the Belgian government in office at the time with regard to the crisis involving contamination by dioxins of certain animal products intended for human or animal consumption, in particular given the fact that a lesson should have been learned from the earlier BSE crisis;

15.   Is also worried about the possible long-term effects on European agricultural exports; notes the large number of countries which had imposed temporary bans on imports of meat and dairy products from the EU; points out that these measures affected not only Belgium but had wide repercussions on the whole of the European Union and its agricultural trading pattern;

16.   Calls on the Commission to present in a detailed report exactly what measures were taken to protect consumers by Belgium and by other Member States with similar problems and what measures the Member States concerned have adopted and implemented;

17.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 328, 26.10.1998, p. 232.