Proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 on the harmonisation of technical requirements and administrative procedures in the field of civil aviation (COM(2000) 121 - C5-0170/2000 - 2000/0069(COD) )

P5_TA(2001)0028 A5-0393/2000

The proposal was amended as follows:

Text proposed by the Commission (1)   Amendments by Parliament (Amendment 1) Recital 4a (new) (4a) Flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements are essential for safety in aviation. Regulation No 3922/91 should, therefore, contain provisions on flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements. (Amendment 2) Recital 5    (5) Provisions concerning the Committee procedure should be amended to take account of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission.    (5) Provisions concerning the Committee procedure should be amended to take account of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission. In the Committee procedure, when dealing with questions concerning safety, the representatives of airlines, flight crew and cabin crew should be consulted, if possible, and, in any event, informed in a timely manner. (Amendment 3) ARTICLE 1 (5) Article 11(1) (Regulation (EEC) 3922/91)    1. The Commission, following the procedure referred to in Article 12(2), shall make the amendments necessitated by scientific and technical progress to the common technical requirements and administrative procedures listed in the Annexes.    1. The Commission, in cooperation with the relevant EU bodies , following the procedure referred to in Article 12(2), shall make the amendments necessitated by scientific and technical progress to the common technical requirements and administrative procedures listed in the Annexes. (Amendment 4) ARTICLE 2, FIRST PARAGRAPH This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities. This Regulation shall enter into force on the sixtieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities. (Amendment 5) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart B, OPS 1.085, (c) (4)    (4) If he is in any doubt of being able to accomplish his assigned duties; or    (4) If applicable medical requirements are not fulfilled, or, if he is in any doubt of being able to accomplish his assigned duties; or (Amendment 6) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart B, OPS 1.125, (ba) (new)    (ba) Each operating cabin crew member shall, on each flight, carry a valid certificate of professional competence with the training attestation appropriate to the aeroplane type or variant to be operated. (Amendment 7) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart O, OPS 1.988 An operator shall ensure that all crew members, other than flight crew members, assigned by the operator to duties in the passenger compartment of an aeroplane comply with the requirements of this Subpart and the applicable safety rules except for additional crew members solely assigned to non-safety related duties.    (a) For the purposes of this Subpart and all other applicable requirements, “cabin crew member” shall mean a crew member, other than a flight crew member, who performs, in the interests of safety of passengers, duties assigned by the operator or the commander of the aeroplane.    (b) An operator shall ensure that:    1. All cabin crew members, assigned by the operator to duties in the passenger compartment of an aeroplane comply with the requirements of this Subpart and the applicable safety rules;    2. All operating cabin crew members wear the operator's uniform and are clearly identifiable to the passengers. The requirements of this Subpart are not applicable to child minders/escorts, entertainers, ground engineers, medical personnel, secretaries or security staff who are assigned by an operator to duties in the passenger compartment of an aeroplane. (Amendment 9) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart O, OPS 1.1000 (c)    (c) Where required by OPS 1.990 to carry more than one cabin crew member, an operator shall not appoint a person to the post of senior cabin crew member unless that person has at least one year's experience as an operating cabin crew member and has completed an appropriate course.    (c) Where required by OPS 1.990 to carry more than one cabin crew member, an operator shall not appoint a person to the post of senior cabin crew member unless that person has at least one year's experience as an operating cabin crew member and has completed an appropriate course covering at least the following .    1. Pre-flight briefing:    (i) operating as a crew,    (ii) allocation of cabin crew stations and responsibilities,    (iii) consideration of the particular flight, including aeroplane type, equipment, area and type of operation and categories of passengers with particular attention to the disabled, infants and stretcher cases,    2. Cooperation within the crew:    (i) discipline, responsibilities and chain of command,    (ii) importance of coordination and communication,    (iii) pilot incapacitation,    3. Review of operator's requirements and legal requirements:    (i) passenger safety briefing, safety cards,    (ii) securing of galleys,    (iii) stowage of cabin baggage,    (iv) electronic equipment,    (v) procedures when fuelling with passengers on board,    (vi) turbulence,    (vii) documentation,    4. Human factors and crew resource management,    5. Accident and incident reporting, and    6. Flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements. (Amendment 10) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart O, OPS 1.1000a (new) OPS 1.1000a One cabin crew member operations Where an aeroplane is operated with one single required cabin crew member, the operator shall ensure that the cabin crew member has at least 6 months of experience as an operating cabin crew member and has completed an appropriate course covering at least the following:    1. responsibility to the commander for the conduct of cabin safety and emergency procedure(s) specified in the Operations Manual,    2. importance of coordination and communication with the flight crew,    3. management of unruly passengers,    4. review of operator's requirements and legal requirements,    5. documentation,    6. accident and incident reporting, and    7. flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements (Amendment 11) ANNEX Annex III Subpart O, OPS 1.1005 An operator shall ensure that each cabin crew member successfully completes initial training, approved by the Authority, in accordance with the applicable requirements and holds an attestation of professional competence describing the training successfully undertaken by a cabin crew member. An operator shall ensure that each cabin crew member has successfully completed initial training, approved by the Authority, in accordance with the applicable requirements, before undertaking conversion training, and holds a certificate of professional competence describing the training successfully undertaken by the cabin crew member. (Amendment 12) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart P, Heading A, 7.1 The scheme developed by the operator in accordance with existing national requirements. The scheme developed by the operator in accordance with existing national and European requirements. (Amendment 13) ANNEX Annex III, Subpart Q (new) SUBPART Q FLIGHT AND DUTY TIME LIMITATIONS AND REST REQUIREMENTS FOR FLIGHT CREW AND CABIN CREW An operator shall draw up a schedule for crew members laying down flight and duty time limitations and rest periods.

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 on the harmonisation of technical requirements and administrative procedures in the field of civil aviation (COM(2000) 121 - C5-0170/2000 - 2000/0069(COD) )

P5_TA(2001)0028 A5-0393/2000

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2000) 121 (2) ),

-  having regard to Article 251(2) and Article 80(2) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C5-0170/2000 ),

-  having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism and the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (A5-0393/2000 ),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Calls on the Commission, should the representatives of the airlines and the employees reach an agreement on flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements for flight crew and cabin crew by 1 May 2001, to make a proposal on the basis of that agreement to modify this Regulation;

3.  Calls on the Commission, should the representatives of the airlines and the employees be unable to reach an agreement on flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements by 1 May 2001, to come forward with a proposal setting out the flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements for flight crew and cabin crew, by 1 July 2001;

4.  Asks to be consulted again should the Commission intend to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

5.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

(1) OJ C 311 E, 31.10.2000, p. 13. (2) OJ C 311 E, 31.10.2000, p. 13.

European Parliament resolution on Bangladesh

P5_TA(2001)0029 B5-0048/2001

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the new EC-Bangladesh Cooperation Agreement,

-  having regard to its position of 17 January 2001 on the proposal for a Council decision concerning the conclusion of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and the People's Republic of Bangladesh(1) ,

-  having regard to its resolution of 20 November 1997 on the situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts(2) ,

-  having regard to the oral question to the Commission tabled on 20 October 2000 by the Committee on Development and Cooperation (B5-0004/2001 ),

A.  whereas respect for human rights is an absolute condition for any cooperation between the EU and Bangladesh; whereas the government in Bangladesh must therefore do its utmost to ensure the implementation of measures to safeguard human rights, including action against discrimination on grounds of gender, ethnic origin, religion, etc.; whereas the Commission must ensure that the human rights situation in Bangladesh is monitored and that the European Parliament is kept informed of it,

B.  whereas the new agreement is an affirmation of the good relations between the European Union and Bangladesh and provides a framework for further expansion,

C.  noting that while Bangladesh remains a least developed country (LDC) there has been encouraging economic growth, a decline in the birth rate, an increase in the level of literacy, a growing number of women participating in elections and a move from autocratic rule to democratic government in the past decade,

D.  considering the various catastrophes which have frequently ravaged the country,

E.  concerned at the recent increase in political violence in Bangladesh and deterioration of the situation as regards law and order, with widespread reports of police brutality,

F.  concerned at the lack of dialogue between the government and the main opposition party, which has led to a boycott by the latter of parliamentary sessions and has deprived the country of an effective and responsible parliamentary opposition,

G.  aware that a general election will take place before November 2001,

H.  recalling that the previous general election in June 1996 was monitored by the EU which noted certain abuses but concluded that it was "conducted substantially in accordance with the rules, and the people of Bangladesh were able to exercise their democratic choice",

I.  noting the invitations from both the government and opposition to the EU to send election monitors to the next general election,

J.  recalling its efforts over a number of years to ensure protection for the tribal peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,

1.  Calls on the main political parties in Bangladesh to overcome their longstanding differences and cooperate to make the parliamentary system work, providing the country with the basis for the protection of human rights, the rule of law, good governance and democratic freedoms;

2.  Calls on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that preparations for the forthcoming election, in particular the appointment of election commissioners and of the returning officers, and the compilation of the electoral register, are carried out in an objective fashion, if possible in collaboration with the opposition;

3.  Calls on the opposition to resume attendance at parliamentary sessions and to refrain from potentially violent extra-parliamentary activities such as the instigation of hartals or general strikes;

4.  Calls on the government to encourage the opposition's resumption of responsible full parliamentary activity by refraining from any provocative actions aimed at persecuting or intimidating their politicians and activists from non-governmental parties;

5.  Expects the caretaker government, which will be formed upon the resignation of the present government and will remain in office for a period of three months leading up to the general elections, to carry out election preparations in a neutral and effective manner;

6.  Calls on all political parties to use the period before the forthcoming general election to engage in responsible political debate, explaining their policies for the advancement of Bangladesh and refraining from any potentially violent or disruptive activity;

7.  Considers that it would be appropriate in the light of the potentially unstable political situation and of its deepening relationship with Bangladesh, shown by the new Cooperation Agreement, for the EU to send a mission to monitor the forthcoming general election, and calls on the Council and the Commission to decide on this in the near future;

8.  Believes for the same reason, and recalling that MEPs were present in Bangladesh as observers in elections in both 1991 and 1996, that the European Parliament should send a delegation as observers to the next election;

9.  Expresses concern about the existence of various pressures aimed at undermining the country's longstanding secular traditions, and calls on the Bangladesh government to ensure that organisations and individuals undertaking efforts to protect the country's secular culture can work without fear of repression;

10.  Supports, in line with its resolution of 21 April 1994(3) , the efforts being made by the Bangladesh government to bring before an international court Golam Asam and other leading politicians responsible for war crimes committed during the country's independence war in 1971;

11.  Welcomes the fact that the new Cooperation Agreement will provide for a deepened political dialogue, taking full account of the clause on human rights and democratic freedoms, as well as encouraging expansion of trade and investment, the continuation of humanitarian aid and the intensification of development activities;

12.  Calls in particular for projects to be developed which involve women both in respect of education and other relevant projects which may help involve women in communal life and in local government;

13.  Notes that Bangladesh's poverty is accompanied by problems arising from flooding and erosion resulting in homelessness and loss of life, an educational system which does not yet ensure full literacy or enable the country's youth to realise their full potential;

14.  Expresses its strong concern over the arsenic poisoning of Bangladesh's drinking water provided through tube wells which might affect up to 80 million people, over half of the country's population, and which has been classified by the WHO as "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history"; calls on the government of Bangladesh to do everything within its power to speed up the provision of arsenic-free water supply to the affected communities and to declare an immediate moratorium on the drilling of new tube wells;

15.  Calls on the government of Bangladesh to take decisive steps for the improvement of the situation of the landless population, and in particular to put the provisions of the "land manual" of 1987 into practice which foresees the handing out of 1 acre of land to landless men and 1 acre of land to landless women thus respecting the right of women to have access to land;

16.  Recalls in this context the delicate geological and environmental equilibrium of the Bramaputra delta which has already led Bangladeshi governments in the past to become cautious towards high technology solutions proposed by international donors, e.g. the World Bank or the European Union, in order to solve problems like malnutrition or floods, such as the now abandoned Flood Action Plan;

17.  Is therefore worried at information that the government of Bangladesh will reportedly sign an agreement for construction of a first nuclear reactor in the country;

18.  Welcomes the great improvements Bangladesh has made over recent years towards reducing the devastating effects of the regularly occurring floods, in particular the loss of lives, in stressing disaster preparedness and the capacity to live with the floods;

19.  In the interest of countries like Bangladesh, calls on the European Union to take a firm stand and the lead in the negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to halt climate change at the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and to strengthen assistance to the developing countries;

20.  Draws attention to the fact that international companies have started to exploit Bangladesh's natural gas reserves and calls on the European Union to support the Bangladesh government in its attempt to exploit these resources in the best interests of its population, giving priority to the country's domestic needs before embarking on exports;

21.  Regrets that the International Jute Organisation which was established in 1984 under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ceased operating in April 2000 due to a lack of political support and funding; urgently appeals to the Commission and the EU Member States to do everything in their power to revive the organisation in view of the fact that an estimated 30 million people in Bangladesh, which is the main jute producer, are directly or indirectly dependent on the product and considering that diversified jute could make an important future environmentally-friendly fibre;

22.  Welcomes the Commission's proposal of 20 September 2000 to allow duty-free access for all products from least-developed countries except arms to the European market which will hopefully have a positive effect on Bangladesh's imports into the European Union;

23.  Calls on the government of Bangladesh to do everything within its power to further improve the precarious and unhealthy working conditions of the labour force, in particular in the garment sector, which represents two thirds of the country's exports and where 85% of the workforce are women, a sector where the violation of trade union freedom through harassment and dismissal of workers found to be union members remains a tradition;

24.  Welcomes the efforts in Bangladesh in recent years to combat child labour; insists however that much progress still lies ahead;

25.  Welcomes the references made in the Cooperation Agreement to the principles of the UN Charter and different Declarations on human rights; supports in this context the possibility of Bangladesh taking measures to bar the imports of genetically engineered seeds and food items, in accordance with the Biosafety Protocol;

26.  Supports the right of Bangladesh to adopt a sui generis system for intellectual property rights, such as the draft sui generis law proposed by the OAU-Committee, that limits the scope for biopiracy (with reference to Art. 27, 3 of the WTO TRIPS Agreement);

27.  Calls on the government of Bangladesh to facilitate the activity of the smaller NGOs by using less restrictive registration, regulation and security clearance procedures;

28.  Stresses the need to promote a balanced and democratic NGO sector, by direct support for small initiatives at grass roots level;

29.  Considers that while micro-credit remains an important means of empowerment the time has come to supply the process and the system with micro-financing in order to create the foundation for agri-based micro-industry at the grass roots level;

30.  Calls on the government of Bangladesh and the Commission, in close cooperation with other donors, to develop and fund projects for the sustainable development of the country, inter alia:

31.  Notes that there are often serious delays in the disbursement of funds supposedly available for development projects in Bangladesh and that in some cases earmarked funds are not disbursed at all; believes that factors contributing to this problem include lack of sufficient human resources on the spot, especially as regards development experts, lengthy procedures, complexity of the decision-making process in the Commission services responsible, and an excess of caution in actually making money available;

32.  Believes that the lack of human resources also creates difficulties for the supervision and monitoring of projects;

33.  Considers that the current reform of the Commission must ensure that these problems are removed, improving both staffing levels and procedures;

34.  Calls on the government of Bangladesh to establish the previously planned Bangladesh National Human Rights Commission, endowed with adequate powers and sufficient staff to perform its functions effectively and properly, before the end of its present term;

35.  Draws attention to the persisting lack of any overall settlement of the problem of refugees, in particular the remaining Rohingya from Burma (Myanmar), and the Biharis which has continued unresolved for over thirty years;

36.  Notes that whilst there have been some positive developments since the signing of a Peace Agreement in December 1997 between the government of Bangladesh and the Mukhti Bahini of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, there remains much to be done and the process of implementation should be greatly accelerated;

37.  Calls for an immediate effective start to the work of the Land Commission which will decide on land rights disputes between the tribals and the Bengali settlers, and for it to be endowed with adequate resources to pursue this extremely difficult task rapidly;

38.  Calls for major reinforcement of the powers of the appointed interim Regional Council, and for arrangements for the election of a Regional Council to be made before the present government's term of office expires; considers it important that the withdrawal of security forces provided for in the Peace Agreement should be completed before then;

39.  Calls for projects to be devised in collaboration with the parliamentary opposition to provide for the full resettlement of tribal refugees and displaced persons and their rehabilitation within the Chittagong Hill Tracts, for the possible resettlement of the 400 000 Bengali settlers outside the Chittagong Hill Tracts, pursuant to the outcome of the deliberations of the Land Commission, and for the sustainable development of the area in a way which preserves the culture of the tribal peoples; considers that EU funding for such projects should be conditional upon substantial progress being made in the implementation of the peace agreement;

40.  Encourages the government of Bangladesh to further intensify endeavours for a closer regional economic and trade cooperation within the framework of SAARC;

41.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the government of Bangladesh.

(1) Texts Adopted, Item 6. (2) OJ C 371, 8.12.1997, p. 213 (3) OJ C 128, 9.5.1994, p. 310.

European Parliament resolution on the EU human rights priorities and recommendations for the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva

P5_TA(2001)0030 RC-B5-0040/2001

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the EU Treaty and its provisions on human rights,

-  having regard to Regulations (EC) Nos 975/1999 and 976/1999 of 29 April 1999 on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms under Articles 179 and 308 of the EC Treaty, which provide a legal basis for all human rights and democratisation activities of the EU under Chapter B7-70 of the Budget,

-  having regard to the 57th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, which will take place in Geneva from 19 March to 27 April 2001,

-  having regard to its earlier resolutions on the UN Commission on Human Rights adopted on 27 March 1996(1) , 20 February 1997(2) , 23 October 1997(3) , 19 February 1998(4) , 11 March 1999(5) and 16 March 2000(6) ,

A.  whereas the promotion and the defence of human rights is a high priority for EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and one of the fundamental principles of the Union;

B.  whereas the EU, in its Declaration on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated that its policies in the field of human rights must be 'continued and, when necessary, strengthened and improved',

C.  whereas all 15 EU Member States subscribed to the obligation to "respect and ensure respect for" international humanitarian law when they ratified the four Geneva conventions, as complemented by the additional protocols of 1977,

D.  whereas the European Parliament has the ambition to strongly influence the human rights strategy and the human rights priorities of the EU, with regard to thematic issues as well as concerning specific regions or countries,

E.  whereas the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has shown an impartial and consistent commitment to safeguarding and promoting respect for human rights of all individuals and groups worldwide,

F.  whereas the UN Commission on Human Rights is the main forum of debate on human rights within the UN system, and whereas human rights violations in specific countries are a legitimate matter of concern for it,

G.  whereas a negative human rights situation is often caused and/or exacerbated by the absence of democracy and inefficient and corrupt government structures,

H.  whereas - for a considerable number of States - the gap is widening between human rights instruments they signed and ratified and the treatment they inflict upon their citizens,

I.  welcoming the growing number of people's demands for freedom and democracy throughout the world, but deploring the persistence of flagrant violations of human rights in many countries,

J.  whereas a permanent and constructive dialogue with the representatives of civil society, NGOs, grass-roots organisations, in particular human rights organisations, is fundamental for effective action in favour of the promotion and defence of human rights around the world,

1.  Reaffirms that respecting, promoting and safeguarding human rights is the 'acquis éthique' of the EU and one of the cornerstones of European cooperation;

2.  Welcomes the fact that more and more countries sign and ratify human rights conventions, but regrets the growing gap between the legal situation and daily practice in some countries; stresses the need for full implementation of such conventions as well as effective inspection and control mechanisms;

3.  Calls on the Council and the Member States to work for the universal ratification of the main human rights instruments available to countries, in particular the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Convention against Torture, and calls on all governments, as a matter of urgency, to ratify those conventions without reservation and to implement them;

4.  Calls on the Member States to appeal to all UN members to sign and ratify the treaty setting up the International Criminal Court;

5.  Calls on the Council and the Member States to reaffirm their commitment to the abolition of the death penalty and welcomes the diplomatic efforts undertaken by the EU and its Member States in favour of a universal moratorium on capital punishment and its definitive abolition; calls on the EU, to this end, to renew its pressure on the UN to obtain a declaration by the General Assembly in favour of a universal moratorium and the abolition of the death penalty;

6.  Calls for immediate measures to be taken to protect homosexual persons from the degrading and inhuman treatment to which they are still subjected in certain parts of the world;

7.  Calls on the EU to continue firm action against all forms of trafficking of human beings, especially trafficking of women and abuse of children and minors; requests the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCHR) to organise a special workshop to examine violence against children;

8.  Calls upon the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to fully support the adoption of a resolution endorsing the Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, urging all states concerned to put an end to recruitment and/or deployment of any person under the age of 18 years for the purpose of taking part in armed conflict;

9.  Welcomes the entry into force of the 182nd ILO Convention on child labour and asks the Council to urge all states to ratify this Convention as soon as possible;

10.  Requests the EU to fully support prompt action on complex issues such as protection of refugees and asylum seekers in accordance with the 4th Geneva Convention;

11.  Calls on the EU to support the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCHR) and the other international organisations and NGOs in the fight against repression of the independent media, journalists and writers, to urge all states to end censorship, to protect the right of access to official information, and to stop the restriction on access to modern information technology;

12.  Proposes that its President make the necessary arrangements to send an EP Delegation to participate in the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Commission;

13.  Calls upon the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to give its full support to the drafting of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance;

14.  Condemns the continued and severe violation of human rights in Tibet and the ongoing discrimination practised against Tibetan people by the authorities of the People's Republic of China on the basis of race or ethnic origin, or religious, cultural or political beliefs;

15.  Calls on the Council to discourage countries represented in the UN Commission on Human Rights from voting in favour of a no-action motion on China and to express its concern at the widespread human rights violations in China;

16.  Urges the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to condemn the systematic discrimination and constant repression, particularly against women, by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan;

17.  Calls upon the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to support the adoption of a resolution expressing concern about gross and systematic human rights violations in Saudi Arabia;

18.  Urges the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to support the adoption of a resolution condemning the torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners and ethnic minorities in Burma (Myanmar), calling on the Rangoon government to unconditionally release all political prisoners and to allow freedom of movement for Ms Aung San Suu Kyi;

19.  Calls on the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to support the adoption of a resolution on Indonesia, urging the Indonesian authorities to promote a durable peace in Timor, Aceh, the Moluccas Islands and Irian Jaya-Papua, to restore human rights in these regions and to ensure that all parties guilty of human rights violations will be punished;

20.  Calls on Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to support the full investigation of systematic and gross human rights abuses in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, especially as regards war crimes and crimes against humanity;

21.  Calls on the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to support the adoption of a resolution on the deepening human rights violations and humanitarian crisis in Colombia;

22.  Calls on the Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights to support the adoption of a resolution expressing its concern at the violation of the principles of humanitarian law by Russia in connection with its military campaign in Chechnya;

23.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the applicant countries, the UNCHR, and the governments of other countries named in this resolution.

(1) OJ C 117, 22.4.1996, p. 13. (2) OJ C 85, 17.3.1997, p. 143. (3) OJ C 339, 10.11.1997, p. 154. (4) OJ C 80, 16.3.1998, p. 237. (5) OJ C 175, 21.6.1999, p. 254. (6) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p. 335.

European Parliament resolution on the Commission communication to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the "Priorities in EU road safety - Progress report and ranking of actions" (COM(2000) 125 - C5-0248/2000 - 2000/2136(COS) )

P5_TA(2001)0031 A5-0381/2000

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the Commission communication (COM(2000) 125 - C5-0248/2000 ),

-  having regard to the Commission's proposal for a Council directive relating to the maximum permitted alcohol concentration for vehicle drivers (COM(1988) 707 (1) ),

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on road safety and in particular its resolution of 11 March 1998 on promoting road safety in the EU- the programme for 1997-2001(2) ,

-  having regard to the Council's resolution of 26 June 2000 on improvement of road safety,

-  having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (A5-0381/2000 ),

A.  whereas 95% of all traffic accidents occur on the road; whereas it is totally unacceptable that more than 42 000 deaths and over 1,7 million injuries are caused annually by road crashes across the European Union, of which several thousand give rise to severe disability, and whereas it is vital to attempt to contain this situation,

B.  whereas inadequate road safety must be viewed as a major public health problem given the number of deaths and injuries due to road accidents which cause serious physical, psychological and material harm to the victims, their families and society as a whole,

C.  whereas in the EU in the last decade the number of serious and fatal accidents has decreased, but this trend appears to be flattening out; whereas, also, road traffic is expected to increase substantially in the next few years, and that is one reason for stepping up action,

D.  whereas road accidents are the most common cause of death amongst children and young people and in fact amongst all EU citizens under the age of 45, which has a devastating impact, not only on families, but also on society as a whole,

E.  whereas the most vulnerable groups of road users, such as the young and the elderly, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as motorcyclists, run the greatest risks; whereas the separation between motorised traffic, on the one hand, and pedestrians and cyclists, on the other hand, reduces these accident risks,

F.  whereas the particularly serious accidents which have occurred in road tunnels in recent years, for example in the Mont Blanc tunnel and the Tauern tunnel in Austria, have made it necessary to rethink active and passive safety measures from top to bottom, the aim being to ensure that users will be able to pass without fear through the road tunnels in operation and those under construction,

G.  whereas the main problems on which road safety strategies should be focused are common to all Member States; whereas there are significant differences between the Member States in the number of road deaths and therefore major improvements can be obtained by progressively reducing the disparities and bringing all Member States up to the standards of those with the best results; whereas there are significant differences in the number of fatalities between road transport and other transport modes and the road sector must approach the same level of safety as other transport modes,

H.  whereas the EU has explicit Treaty obligations to act on road safety with exclusive powers for ensuring a high level of protection in car and motorcycle technical standards (Article 95), powers to act in any other area of road safety where the EU can add value over and above the efforts of Member States (Article 71) and established powers in several areas since the 1980s, such as seat-belt use in cars and driver licensing,

I.  whereas the adoption, by the EU, of measures to increase transport safety is an explicit objective of the common transport policy and must be incorporated as a fully-fledged element of transport policy in the common policy on sustainable mobility,

J.  whereas the most precise estimations of the total socio-economic costs of road accidents in the EU (including estimates for under-reporting of non-fatal accidents) exceed EUR 160 billion annually, which is almost 2 % of GDP; whereas attributing an economic cost to road fatalities and damages shows that the cost of preventing accidents is far less than the economic cost of crashes, and therefore additional resources, both in terms of staff and budget, are fully justified at local, national and EU level,

K.  whereas such a policy might require major investment to plan and build a safe traffic system; but whereas low-cost road engineering measures, such as safety barriers, may be implemented quickly and, like the production and promotion of EU technical guidelines based on best practices, may significantly improve traffic safety; whereas, however, the safety barriers must meet the specific safety requirements of motorcyclists,

L.  whereas road accidents are caused by failures in the traffic system as a whole; whereas such systems must be designed to take account of the needs, mistakes and vulnerabilities of road-users and the infrastructures for which planners are responsible,

M.  whereas improving road safety is the joint responsibility of the EU and the national, regional and local authorities with responsibility for the planning, operation and use of traffic systems; whereas the motor vehicle industry, transport and insurance companies and, in particular, road-users themselves, also have a special responsibility for improving road safety,

N.  whereas an efficient road-safety policy requires strong political leadership at all levels, from local authorities to the EU,

O.  whereas the detrimental effects of excessive and inappropriate speed on road safety are universally acknowledged,

P.  whereas alcohol is responsible for at least 20% of serious traffic injuries and 9 000 road deaths every year in the EU,

Q.  whereas it is a known fact that, in the same way as alcohol, the taking of medicines and drugs is the cause of countless accidents,

R.  whereas effective action on vehicle safety, and car fronts which are less dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, should be the priority in the European Union since this is an area of exclusive competence and has the potential to greatly reduce the number of accidents in every Member State,

S.  whereas strategic planning for road safety with numerical targets is essential to increase political attention and to provide a focus for effective activity by all those who can take action and whereas the case for setting numerical targets is the same whether it be at EU, national, regional or local level,

T.  whereas, although the first and second action programmes have resulted in many useful measures, those taken to date have been mainly ad hoc and not in keeping with the scale and importance of the road safety problem,

1.  Affirms that improving safety for all modes of transport, as well as providing the necessary financial resources for this purpose, must be one of the main priorities of transport policy;

2.  Regrets that so few of the measures proposed in the second road-safety action programme have been implemented and that the priority list was submitted with very little of the programme left to run;

3.  Considers that all the following measures should be considered as priorities in the very little time remaining:

4.  Believes that an EU recommendation on blood alcohol limits is not the appropriate response to the need to reduce the considerable differences between the Member States in this field and takes this opportunity to reconfirm Parliament's support for the existing proposal for a maximum common limit of 0.5 parts per thousand; calls on the Member States to enforce compliance of the blood alcohol limits more strictly and reconfirms the need for provisions for the standardisation of apparatus for testing alcohol levels; considers that research and development of alcohol interlock devices should also be promoted;

5.  Emphasises the need for the Commission to take a decision on the mandatory fitting of daytime running lights to motorcycles and cars;

6.  Believes that no single death on the European roads can be justified and that therefore the long-term objective must be that no European citizens should be killed or seriously injured in the road transport system; notes that the risk of being killed and injured is much higher in the road transport system than in other transport modes, and considers therefore that the new action programme must ensure the same level of safety in road transport as in other transport modes; believes that work should start as soon as possible on a longer-term new road-safety action programme for the years 2002-2010 with clearly defined goals;

7.  Emphasises that the Commission, in accordance with the abovementioned resolution adopted by Parliament on 11 March 1998, should, for the next road-safety programme 2002-2010, set a common aspirational fatality reduction target which is challenging but achievable and which takes into account existing national targets to 2010 and the added value of measures to be taken at EU level; considers that, in case there is a revision of Member States' targets and programmes, such an EU target could be revised mid-term during the programme; believes that this target should be adjusted at the time of the enlargement of the Union;

8.  Believes that the next road-safety programme for the years 2002-2010 should clearly define the main priorities and employ a systematic approach to the problem of road safety and use all strategies: accident prevention, injury prevention and post-impact care; considers that the programme should identify not only measures which fall within the exclusive competence of the EU, but also those which will add value to what can be achieved by individual Member States; further requests the Commission to submit every three years an evaluation report on the extent to which the main goals have been achieved;

9.  Calls on the Commission to take up the question of working conditions for professional drivers, and to address in the new programme issues such as cumulative driving fatigue, working time, alcohol and drugs; believes that current legislation on driving time and rest periods is not sufficient to guarantee drivers acceptable working hours; points out that monitoring and application of the law must also be improved and harmonised within the EU;

10.  Believes that harmonisation should be pursued with a view to promoting rules governing the building and operation of tunnels and to make existing tunnels safe in order to protect road users, not least by means of information campaigns and warning systems to enable help to be provided quickly and by means of tighter regulations on the classification of dangerous substances moving through tunnels;

11.  Believes that the Member States and the applicant countries should set up national road-safety programmes with strategies for achieving their objectives; considers that the Commission should coordinate, report and publish the achievements of the Member States every year;

12.  Believes that the next road-safety programme should address the main road-safety issues common to all Member States which comprise: excess and inappropriate speed, excess alcohol or any other substances that may impair driving ability, the high accident risk of young, novice drivers, education from an early age in road-user behaviour, training, non-use of protective equipment such as seat belts and crash helmets, too many untreated high-risk accident spots, insufficient crash protection provided by vehicles and infrastructure;

13.  Takes the view that, in addition to developing and improving infrastructure and vehicle safety, the safety-conscious behaviour of road-users, particularly driving behaviour, must be improved; therefore proposes that measures and campaigns should be stepped up at all levels in this regard; proposes that such measures should target those groups which are particularly prone to accidents on the roads;

14.  Believes that, among the measures taken to reduce the effects of accidents, top priority at Community level should be given to the promotion of the use of helmets by motorcyclists, as is already done for the use of seat belts and child restraint systems; believes therefore that the information and promotion campaign aimed at young motorcyclists in Europe should be accompanied by a recommendation to the Member States that national laws should make the wearing of helmets compulsory for motorcyclists regardless of their age and the type of vehicle involved;

15.  Considers that an EU road-safety policy must also include rescue, care and rehabilitation measures and guidelines to improve medical assistance to victims and provide better assistance in legal and social issues to victims and their families;

16.  Considers that non-compliance with speed limits is such a widespread problem that stricter action is called for in order to improve road safety; asks the Commission to examine what kind of controls and substantial sanctions would lead to significantly better compliance with speed limits; believes that, based on this analysis, the Commission should make concrete recommendations to Member States as part of the new action programme;

17.  Emphasises that experience and skill make for safer drivers; further notes that there are 10 000 EU deaths in the 15-24 year-old age group and invites the Commission, in its forthcoming proposal on driving licences, to emphasize the need for high quality education throughout the Union and to consider a scheme involving stepwise education and increased demands on novice drivers with new licences;

18.  Recalls its previous resolutions in which it called for the EU to require a mandatory safety audit and safety impact assessment on all EU-funded transport infrastructure;

19.  Supports the Commission's recommendation to encourage Member States and regional and local authorities to calculate and monitor expenditure on road-safety measures, in order to compare it with savings from avoided fatalities, and also to increase their investment in this field; furthermore, believes that the EU should set an example with its transport safety budget line;

20.  Invites those Member States which are party to the Schengen Convention to complete the work already initiated aimed at drawing up a cooperation agreement on proceedings for road-traffic offences and the enforcement of penalties imposed in respect thereof;

21.  Believes that road-safety policy must be seen in the context of the overall policy on sustainable mobility, implying more integrated use of all transport modes and promotion of more environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as rail, inland waterways, short sea shipping and combined transport, as well as the promotion of public passenger transport, in order to reduce the impact of road transport; takes the view that it is also necessary to consider environmental aspects in the EU road-safety policy debate, assessing the effects of noise and air pollution generated by road traffic on public health and the urban environment, and adapting road-safety policy to these findings;

22.  Invites the car manufacturers to design vehicles with safety equipment as standard;

23.  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 of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 25, 31.1.1989, p. 9. (2) OJ C 104, 6.4.1998, p. 139.

European Parliament resolution on the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee on the progress of the implementation of the action programme of the communication on intermodality and intermodal freight transport in the European Union (COM(1997) 243 of 29 May 1997) (COM(1999) 519 - C5-0084/2000 - 2000/2052(COS) )

P5_TA(2001)0032 A5-0358/2000

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the communication from the Commission (COM(1999) 519 -C5-0084/2000 ),

-  having regard to the Commission White Paper entitled "Fair payment for infrastructure use: a phased approach to a common transport infrastructure charging framework in the EU" (COM(1998) 466 ),

-  having regard to the recent communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee entitled "The Development of Short Sea Shipping in Europe: A dynamic alternative in a sustainable transport chain - Second two-yearly progress report" (COM(1999) 317 ),

-  having regard to the work under way at the European Parliament on this matter,

-  having regard to the current proposals for the liberalisation of the railway sector,

-  having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (A5-0358/2000 ),

A.  whereas intermodality, namely the use of at least two different modes in an integrated manner in a door-to-door transport chain, is fundamental to ensuring a more rational use of the means of transport available and involves integrating the operations and management of the various transport modes by using them in sequence and on the basis of units of transport, that is to say without the need to divide up, alter or handle the goods that they carry,

B.  whereas the development of a multimodal transport system is of vital importance for the whole European Union and neighbouring areas to ensure the efficient, viable and sustainable transport of goods and thus the competitive potential of the European processing and distribution industry in an increasingly competitive world market,

C.  whereas intermodality contrasts sharply with multimodality - the combined use of different carriers,

D.  whereas, at present, intermodal transport of load units in the EU remains limited, and is estimated to account for no more than 8% of total tonne-kilometres,

E.  whereas there will be a disproportionate increase in the volume of freight traffic in the European Union in the next few years as a result of the growing use of e-commerce and enlargement of the European Union,

F.  whereas enlargement of the European Union will make transport routes longer, which may impact favourably on the development of intermodal transport if the requisite legal, technical and operating conditions are created,

G.  whereas, as matters stand, the technical nature of intermodal transport makes it costly in comparison with unimodal transport; whereas the high friction costs resulting both from inadequate infrastructure and inefficiency in the management and information spheres are clearly affecting the operational capacity and competitiveness of intermodality,

H.  whereas the competitive disadvantages of intermodal transport arise partly from the tax advantage enjoyed by road transport, which is why it is necessary to press ahead with introduction of the "polluter pays" principle, in the form of comparable charges for the use of all transport modes,

I.  whereas, at present, a change of transport mode involves a change of system rather than a mere technical transfer, as a result of the bottlenecks in the intermodal system which are preventing it from being fully operational and used more widely,

J.  whereas intermodality helps improve the quality and efficiency of its allied services; whereas the demand for intermodal transport across Europe is set to grow,

K.  whereas the overall efficiency of the system is achieved by means of an integrated system of transport services and logistics designed to ensure that information is exchanged in real time and the consignment delivered directly to the end user,

L.  whereas the development of short sea shipping can be a way of improving the integration of logistical systems and finding solutions to general European transport problems,

M.  whereas the various component parts of the system should be optimised in respect of infrastructure and hardware (carriers, load units and telecommunications) and of services and regulatory and contractual conditions through greater cooperation between the various modes of transport, in order to increase the added value derived from the utilisation thereof,

N.  whereas the handling of loads (intermodal transport units - ITUs) requires investment to identify and allot suitably equipped areas, reutilise logistical rail platforms which have generally been discarded, employ specialised machinery for handling ITUs, build rolling stock and specialised carriers, and train staff, so as to bring down friction costs,

O.  whereas intermodality constitutes a key factor in sustainable mobility, since it is more environmentally friendly than road transport and allows for better use of existing infrastructure, notably the railways,

P.  whereas new technologies and the impact, in terms of efficiency, of telematic applications on the sector can provide opportunities to guarantee seamless transport flows, security and integrity at the various stages of the intermodal chain, particularly as regards the tracking, tracing and supervision of cargo, automatic access control and management of equipment, and integrated freight information management,

Q.  whereas Regulation (EEC) No 1107/70 on aid to combined transport(1) should be updated to take account of the developments in, and increasing liberalisation of, transport sectors over the past thirty years,

R.  whereas intermodality is a key factor in restoring a balance between the various transport systems,

1.  Emphasises the need to develop a trans-European transport network designed to act as a multimodal infrastructure network capable of combining and integrating the various modes of transport with the aim of utilising the most environmentally friendly and efficient mode for each component, with a view to developing further the internal market, freight mobility and real competition, as well as strengthening economic and social cohesion;

2.  Calls on the Commission to bear in mind the legal, technical and operating conditions of intermodal transport in the accession negotiations, decisions on the allocation of ISPA resources, etc., and to ensure the highest possible proportion of intermodal transport in freight traffic with the candidate countries;

3.  Stresses that intermodality is fundamental to sustainable mobility and that, by increasing transport efficiency, it helps achieve a better and more accessible service, greater security, more environmentally friendly transport, a reduction in pollution, less congestion in large urban areas and on the roads, and the full use of human potential;

4.  Calls on the Commission to keep up its efforts to achieve the same conditions of competition for the various modes of transport by common charging rules for the allocation of infrastructure and external costs to transport users; at the same time calls on the Member States to aim for an equally high tax burden on all modes of transport;

5.  Calls for the definition, within the development plan for the Community area, of a European master plan for intermodal facilities making it possible to mobilise and direct public and private investment to appropriate strategic sites in order to limit the growth of long-distance heavy goods vehicle traffic and the resulting environmental damage, particularly in countries of transit;

6.  Congratulates the Commission on the setting-up of the Transport Intermodality Task Force, and calls on it to pursue efforts to establish intermodality as a concept;

7.  Hopes in this connection that regular inventories of the development of intermodal equipment and traffic will be drawn up and forwarded to the European Parliament and the Council;

8.  Welcomes the extension of the Pilot Actions in Combined Transport (PACT) programme, which is helping improve the competitiveness of combined transport in terms of switching the carriage of goods by road to other more environmentally friendly transport modes; calls for the new PACT-Programme also to support project promoters and projects in the countries with which the European Union is conducting accession negotiations;

9.  Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to ensure that attention is also paid to intermodal transport infrastructure in plans for the use of the Structural Funds and NOPs;

10.  Welcomes the fact that Switzerland is continuing its policy of developing the rail network in the Alpine region, paying attention to intermodality in the context of relations with the European Union, and notes, with concern, the delay in the completion of the trans-European rail network through the Alps (the Brenner and Turin-Lyon) and in the planning out of possible new rail routes in the Alps (Aosta-Martigny) in order to help reduce the volume of heavy traffic in transit through the Alps;

11.  Calls on the Commission and the European Investment Bank to ensure that intermodal investment projects are adequately represented within cofinancing initiatives relating to the trans-European transport networks (TEN-T), above all where they provide for investments in technologies for setting-up and management;

12.  Calls on the Commission to concentrate ISPA resources to a great extent on the railways so as to maintain at least in part the previously very strong position of the central and eastern European railways in freight transport;

13.  Calls on the Commission to support cooperation between the national bodies responsible for intermodal transport with the aim of gathering information, identifying best practices and furthering market acceptance of innovation, by encouraging operators in the sector to make full use of the findings of research projects and involving them in the formulation of initiatives aimed at achieving the aims of the action programme;

14.  Welcomes the Commission plan to cofinance the INTERACT initiative aimed at setting up an open European network of universities and research institutes which will help develop a comprehensive database on European research in the intermodal freight transport sector;

15.  Calls on the Commission to switch the emphasis in the forthcoming sixth framework research programme more towards the intermodal capability of transport networks;

16.  Calls on the Member States to set up round tables on intermodality with operators and users in the sector with a view to establishing an informal network to detect shortcomings in the sector, identify possible solutions and provide for the training of specialist staff;

17.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote cooperation projects between small and medium-sized haulage businesses and rail and shipping enterprises, and to provide for incentives and benefits for transport undertakings which take part in an intermodal chain;

18.  Hopes that a working group composed of road, port and railway companies and operators will be set up to consider the conditions and standards required to ensure a better level of intermodal interoperability of equipment;

19.  Hopes that the recent Commission proposals on liberalisation of the railway sector will serve to create conditions conducive to investment in that sector, so as to enable it to take part in intermodal transport in the future rather than remain the weak link in the chain; in this context urges the railway companies to deal with the problems in their sector;

20.  Underlines the importance of the new technologies which the information society offers and the need to develop and install integrated information and management systems and standardised administrative procedures such as the EDI (Electronic Data Interchange);

21.  Calls on the Council to reach a decision on the introduction of the GALILEO satellite navigation system as this advanced technology is a key technology for intermodal transport;

22.  Supports the establishment of an electronic market for intermodal freight transport, which allows transport users to choose the best possible itinerary for goods and order their preferred services online, thereby making the market transparent and opening up opportunities for new operators;

23.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the establishment of firms specialising in intermodal services (e.g. value-added services), as such firms are the key to actually getting intermodal information and transport services onto the market;

24.  Points out that priority should be given to developing trans-European rail freight corridors operating in an intermodal environment;

25.  Considers that short sea shipping is an environmentally friendly and safe alternative to road transport and therefore believes it is essential to increase the proportion of freight transport accounted for by short sea shipping; calls on the national governments to take the requisite measures to encourage the use of short sea shipping, for instance by providing investment support to short sea shipping projects which can demonstrate the importance of short sea shipping in effective intermodal transport systems and by removing all barriers; calls on the Commission to grant start-up aid from the existing European funds to promote short sea shipping and to frame the planned combined transport support measures in such a way that they can apply easily to short sea shipping;

26.  Hopes therefore that, within the framework of a general incentive programme for the use of intermodal transport chains by the creation of new interports, support measures will be directed at ports in peripheral areas in order to provide them with appropriate and competitive structures;

27.  Stresses the need to give priority to the requirements and conditions common to the peripheral regions and islands, as well as those regions whose development is lagging behind and which are suffering from serious structural shortcomings, particularly in the trans-European networks sector;

28.  Stresses that efficient and sustainable management of goods collection and distribution at the poles of intermodal transport operations is an essential aspect of the whole intermodal transport system which needs special consideration, especially when it affects large or congested urban areas;

29.  Calls on the Member States and the Commission to set up a single, transparent scheme for intermodal transport, which is easy to enforce, in order to facilitate and encourage this transport system;

30.  Hopes that the candidate countries will be involved in establishing the Union's policies, priorities and initiatives on the development of intermodality;

31.  Calls on the Commission to devote particular attention to drafting regulations on intermodal door-to-door liability and developing a corresponding transport document;

32.  Calls on the Commission to draw up a programme on the lines of the earlier KAROLUS programme for international exchanges of officials from different transport modes, with the aim of increasing employees" mutual understanding of intermodality and cross-border operations;

33.  Calls on the bodies responsible in the Member States and the candidate countries to include intermodal transport in the syllabuses of those undergoing professional or further training in the transport or freight forwarding sectors;

34.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European Investment Bank and the governments of the Member States.

(1) OJ L 130, 15.6.1970, p. 1.

European Parliament resolution on transport infrastructure charging (2000/2030(INI))

P5_TA(2001)0033 A5-0345/2000

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the Commission's Green Paper entitled "Towards fair and efficient pricing in transport policy - options for internalising the external costs of transport in the European Union'(COM(1995) 691 ) and its resolution of 30 January 1997(1) thereon,

-  having regard to the High Level Group on transport infrastructure charging (HLG) final reports of 2 June 1988 on pricing principles and 26 May 1999 on estimating transport costs,

-  having regard to the Commission's White Paper entitled "Fair Payment for Infrastructure Use: A phased approach to a common transport infrastructure charging framework in the EU" (COM(1998) 466 ) and its resolution of 15 April 1999(2) thereon,

-  having regard to the HLG final report on options for charging directly for transport infrastructure operating costs of 9 September 1999,

-  having regard to Petition 656/1999, on fair prices for goods transport - heavy traffic levy for Europe,

-  having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (A5-0345/2000 ),

A.  whereas the present system of taxation and charging for access to and the use of transport infrastructure varies substantially according to Member State and the mode of transport concerned,

B.  whereas in the Member States duties and taxes for the use of transport infrastructure are often levied without reference to the infrastructure cost, and whereas the revenues from taxing transport services and the use of transport infrastructure are predominantly used as an instrument of general fiscal policy,

C.  whereas the differing tariff and fiscal structures in the Member States favour some transport modes and operators at the expense of others,

D.  whereas a new transport infrastructure charging methodology should be based primarily upon a more efficient structuring of prices and not upon an overall increase in transport prices; whereas the implementation of a fair system of transport pricing should be done gradually in order to avoid economic shocks and make a contribution to improving economic efficiency,

E.  whereas the establishment of a methodology for charging the costs of transport infrastructure to its users is required, inter alia, in order to eliminate distortion of competition between businesses and certain modes of transport,

F.  whereas both internal and external costs arising from the use of transport infrastructure need explicit recognition,

G.  whereas the use of transport infrastructure can generate both external costs and benefits,

H.  whereas there are varying levels of external costs (e.g. safety, environmental) generated by the transport sector which still need to be more clearly quantified in a future methodology for infrastructure charging,

I.  whereas at present there are uncertainties concerning the estimation of transport costs and revenues, as well as in cost allocation; whereas before adopting a methodology for transport infrastructure charging, the Commission should provide reliable data, drawing in particular on the work of the High Level Group, using the new information and communication technologies, as well as on the basis of studies and pilot projects in the field of telematics for transport, while also taking account of the impact of such charging,

J.  whereas the modal distribution of mobility depends on local, national and Community policies for the supply of services and infrastructure,

K.  whereas the application of the "user pays” and the "polluter pays” principles to charging for the use of transport infrastructure make it possible to modulate tariffs according to their environmental impact, while respecting access on equal terms to mobility and having regard to the need to avoid " double charging ",

L.  whereas methods for reducing external costs should be promoted by disseminating best practices,

M.  whereas it must be recognised that access to transport infrastructure and services varies considerably across the territory of the Community, and is often particularly limited for those resident in remote rural and island areas,

N.  whereas transport modes generating fewer external costs will be capable of competing with the other transport modes only if they provide high levels of service quality and supply capacity ensuring market access and, where necessary, by means of a series of measures of a regulatory and investment support nature, designed to encourage modernisation and greater interoperability,

O.  whereas the development of combined transport can make a sustainable contribution to reducing external transport costs, and whereas it should therefore benefit from a charging system that will safeguard the investment required for its rapid development,

P.  whereas the current enlargement process will appreciably increase the need to improve European infrastructure networks as a matter of urgency, giving priority to modes that best respect the environment,

1.  Considers that transport users should pay for the quantifiable components of transport costs arising from the use, the quality and the safety of infrastructure and that all users should as a priority be charged for the resulting transport infrastructure costs (for construction, maintenance, expansion and improvement);

2.  Considers that a comprehensive system of transport infrastructure charging should be based on cost estimations as accurately as possible and is an issue which needs further analysis to generalise best practices with regards, inter alia, to criteria for full recovery charging, common cost/benefit analysis procedures, attribution of responsibilities and allocation of revenues;

3.  Takes the view that the new transport infrastructure charging system must be designed to avoid a net increase in taxation in the economy as a whole and must also pursue the aim of phasing out distortions of competition between Member States and thus creating fair conditions for transport operators; considers, furthermore, that it should take into account the possible distortions of competition created by implementation of charging measures only at EU level;

4.  Calls on the Commission to submit as soon as possible a general methodology to make this new approach to transport infrastructure charging easily understandable and attractive to users and the public; stresses that such methodology needs a gradual and step-wise implementation based on transparency and sufficient information;

5.  Takes the view that the overall cost of transport infrastructure should be charged to users by means of a combination of taxation and fares, bearing in mind also the need to avoid dual taxation; recognises, nevertheless, that some of these costs are already charged to users;

6.  Points out that taxes raised from transport operators (motor vehicle and oil taxes, as well as a proportion of general taxation) are not being levied fairly and are not always used sufficiently in some countries for maintaining and improving transport infrastructures;

7.  Underlines that the methodology for transport infrastructure charging to be proposed has to show signs of pricing proportionate to the use being made of the infrastructure concerned, the cost it imposes on society as a whole, the ability-to-pay principle and the need to sustain remote, rural and island communities, as well as the particular needs of disabled people;

8.  Recognises that such methodology for transport infrastructure charging should move in the direction of environmental sustainability, while preserving and enforcing the right to mobility of all citizens and accessibility of transport services with a public-service interest;

9.  Considers that the new methodology for transport infrastructure charging should be dynamic and flexible enough to provide incentives for new technological improvements; calls also on the Commission to look into the impact of such methodology on the choice of transport mode and demand for transport;

10.  Takes the view that external costs of transport, as well as costs from the use of infrastructure, should be covered in accordance with the methodology to be defined by the Commission in a common, practicable and comprehensive way, provided that this is done for all sectors of the industry in order to avoid distortions of competition among the different modes of transport;

11.  Considers that Member States or the appropriate regional and local authorities should decide how to implement a system of transport infrastructure charging, taking into account that the costs of environmental damage by transport can only be charged to transport operators if they are objectively identified;

12.  Recalls that the component of external costs relating to accidents is in some Member States already covered by private industry, respectively through the insurance industry;

13.  Considers that the allocation of infrastructure construction and maintenance costs as a component of fares can meet the need to involve private capital in the construction of infrastructure, using, inter alia, the Design, Build, Finance and Operate principle (DBFO); considers that, where public financial support is needed for the provision of infrastructure, it should be provided in a transparent way;

14.  Takes the view that exemptions could be made from charging users, with consequent recourse to general taxation, in cases where there are social benefits, for example to tackle problems in peripheral areas or to prevent social exclusion; considers that this is a decision for national, regional and local authorities to determine;

15.  Points out that, in the development of the methodology for transport infrastructure charging, it should be considered that any surplus revenue over infrastructure construction and maintenance costs could be used for reducing external costs within the mode of transport from which they arise or in other modes in a way which helps to attain the objective of a sustainable transport sector;

16.  Points out that the viability of mechanisms for transferring resources in a socially and economically efficient way towards more environmentally sustainable transport sectors depends crucially on the existence of a level playing field between transport modes with viable alternatives for users;

17.  Draws attention to the gradual liberalisation of transport modes currently taking place, for example in rail transport, and to the need to take measures of a regulatory and investment support nature designed to encourage modernisation and greater interoperability of the networks concerned and to increase the quality of services;

18.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and the Governments of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 55, 24.2.1997, p. 41 (2) OJ C 219, 30.7.1999, p. 460

European Parliament resolution on the Commission report on the implementation of Council Recommendation 96/694 of 2 December 1996 on the balanced participation of women and men in the decision-making process (COM(2000) 120 - C5-0210/2000 - 2000/2117(COS) )

P5_TA(2001)0034 A5-0373/2000

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the Commission report (COM(2000) 120 - C5-0210/2000 ),

-  having regard to Council Recommendation 96/694/EC,

-  having regard to Articles 2, 3(2), 13, 137(1) and 141(4) of the EC Treaty,

-  having regard to its resolutions based on reports from the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities since 1984 and especially its resolution of 2 March 2000(1) on women in decision-making,

-  having regard to the final declaration of the UN Conference in Mexico in 1975,

-  having regard to the Vienna Conference on human rights and the Platform for Action following the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing on 15 September 1995,

-  having regard to the Council Resolution of 27 March 1995(2) on balanced participation of women and men in decision-making,

-  having regard to the ministerial declaration of 17 April 1999 in Paris on women and men in power,

-  having regard to its resolution of 11 February 1994(3) and its opinion of 24 May 1996(4) on women's representation in decision-making based on reports from its Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities,

-  having regard to the work done by the European Network "Women in Decision-Making” during the years 1992-1996,

-  having regard to the European Third and Fourth Action Programmes (1991-2000) for equal opportunities between men and women,

-  having regard to the final document of the UN Conference "Beijing + 5" in New York, June 2000,

-  having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0373/2000 ),

A.  whereas women's rights are an integral part of human rights,

B.  whereas women make up at least half of the electorate in almost all countries and have attained the right to vote and hold office in almost all UN Member States, but continue to be seriously under-represented as candidates for public office,

C.  whereas it is important not only to increase women's participation in decision-making processes but also to widen their role in society,

D.  whereas women must cope with the dual burden of, on the one hand, attending to their family tasks and responsibilities and, on the other, of pursuing their professional careers,

E.  whereas inequality between women and men, and the prevailing gender roles are rooted in obsolete structures and traditional attitudes,

F.  whereas it is admitted that the under-representation of women in decision-making bodies represents an important obstacle to the democratic development of the European Union, to its cohesion and globally to its competitiveness,

G.  whereas the proportion of women in decision-making positions within European industry and the trade union movement is alarmingly low, which undoubtedly contributes towards inequality on the employment market,

H.  whereas the need to promote women's participation in the decision-making process as a condition for democracy has been fully recognised both at national and European level,

I.  whereas public and private institutions should set realistic targets for correcting gender imbalances, and support equality of opportunities for men and women,

J.  whereas this inequality and discrimination both in politics and in the public and private institutions persists, despite the numerous political statements, declarations and commitments made at national, European and international level,

K.  whereas the Amsterdam Treaty provided the legal basis and allows for positive actions and horizontal gender-mainstreaming measures in order to continue the fight against inequalities in all policy fields,

L.  whereas women's salaries continue to be lower than men's for work of equal value,

M.  whereas women's representation in elected political assemblies has proved to be positively influenced by the electoral system of proportional representation as compared to the majority system,

N.  whereas, at European level, the balanced participation of women and men in positions of power and centres of decision-making is regarded as a matter of democratic principle and is included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights,

O.  whereas the representation of women in the political sphere has progressed modestly since the 1999 European elections; whereas, however, women are still under-represented in both the administrative and the political decision-making spheres of the EU institutions,

P.  whereas the example of the European Parliament, where female representation among its Members has increased steadily and, since the last elections, accounts for almost 30%, should be welcomed,

Q.  whereas the full establishment of democracy presupposes collaboration and joint decision-making by the two sexes in all spheres, on an equal and mutually supportive basis,

R.  whereas women's equal participation in decision-making is not only a demand for justice or democracy but also a necessary condition for women's interests, gender-specific concerns and experiences to be taken into account,

S.  whereas women could participate more in public life if the burden of work and parental responsibilities were more fairly shared between women and men,

T.  whereas the consideration of women's different set of principles, ideas, values and experience can contribute to redefining political priorities, placing new items on the political agenda and provide new perspectives on mainstream political issues,

1.  Reiterates Council Recommendation 96/694/EC of 2 December 1996 concerning the necessity of establishing integrated action to fight unequal gender-representation in the EU institutions and in every decision-making body, and the invitation to establish an integrated and specific European strategy and common approach to achieve such a result;

2.  Reiterates its abovementioned resolutions of 11 February 1994 and 2 March 2000 and its opinion of 24 May 1996;

3.  Reiterates the need for a comprehensive, integrated EU strategy and positive measures for the promotion of gender-balanced participation in democratic institutions and in all decision-making centres;

4.  Reiterates the need to mobilise all those involved in economic and social life so as to achieve an equal share of responsibility between men and women in the public and private domains and in economic, political and family life;

5.  Reiterates the importance of achieving the goal of equal participation of men and women in the decision-making process so as to strengthen democracy, by taking account of the interests of the whole of society, and promote its proper functioning;

6.  Calls for the promotion and systematic collection and publication of comparable statistics at national and European level and the harmonisation of the Member States' research methods to give a clearer picture of male/female representation in decision-making, since dissemination of these statistics contributes to developing awareness of gender issues and helps progress;

7.  Calls for the promotion of a gender balance in all policy fields and all committees at EU, national and international level, whereby the representation of either gender should not fall below 40%;

8.  Reiterates the importance of tackling gender stereotypes at a very young age, and for both girls and boys to have the opportunity, throughout education, of discussing gender roles; reiterates also the importance of women being trained in leadership and decision-making, public speaking and self-assertion; also stresses the need to undertake awareness campaigns and encourage women's participation in the political arena;

9.  Stresses the need to involve men in working towards greater equality, since equality in decision-making can only be achieved by both sexes cooperating;

10.  Emphasises the need to establish common structures and strategies for enforcing equal opportunities (e.g. Ministry for Equal Opportunities);

11.  Reiterates the importance of there being more women in decision-making positions in companies and trade unions; therefore calls on European industry and the trade union movement to take an active part in supporting women who want to make a career in these fields, and to combat stereotyping at work;

12.  Calls for the creation of a European Network to promote women in decision-making and a network of national committees on equal opportunities;

13.  Calls on the governments, especially those of countries where women's participation in decision-making bodies is lower than 30%, to review the differential impact of electoral systems on the political representation of women in elected bodies and to consider the adjustment or reform of these systems and, if needed, take legislative measures or encourage political parties to introduce quota systems, such as the zipper system, and/or take other measures so as to promote a balance in participation;

14.  Stresses the need to review parties" structures and procedures to remove all barriers that directly or indirectly discriminate against the participation of women;

15.  Recognises that countries with transitional economies and a fledgling democratic culture, such as many of the applicant countries, require particular attention and support owing to the disproportionately negative impact of the transitional process on women's lives;

16.  Calls on the governments and the EU institutions to take due account of gender balance when appointing representatives and setting up international organisations or mediation and negotiating committees, particularly in peace processes or the settlement of conflicts;

17.  Points to the absolute necessity to take appropriate measures to reconcile family and professional life for men and women, through flexible management of working time and improved care provision for children and other dependants;

18.  Calls on both sides of industry to promote the participation of women in their structures and in senior positions of responsibility;

19.  Calls on the Member States to propose at the next IGC amendments to the Treaty which promote gender balance in the EU institutions and all decision-making bodies;

20.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the other EU institutions, and the government and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 346, 4.12.2000, p. 82. (2) OJ C 168, 4.7.1995, p. 3. (3) OJ C 61, 28.2.1994, p. 248. (4) OJ C 166, 10.6.1996, p. 269.

European Parliament resolution on the Commission communication on the state of the Competitiveness of the EU forest-based and related industries (COM(1999) 457 - C5-0306/2000 - 2000/2159 (COS) )

P5_TA(2001)0035 A5-0384/2000

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the Commission Communication (COM (1999) 457 - C5-0306/2000 ),

-  having regard to Article 157 of the EC Treaty which lays down that the Community and the Member States shall ensure that the conditions necessary for the competitiveness of the Community's industry exist,

-  having regard to the Conclusions of the Industry Council of 9 November 1999 on the State of the Competitiveness of the EU Forest-based and Related Industries, in which it is recognised that the approach is broader than a traditional sectoral one(1) ,

-  having regard to the Commission Communication entitled "a Forestry Strategy for the EU" (COM (1998) 649) and to the Council Resolution of 15 December 1998 on the same subject which, in response to a request from the European Parliament, sets out a strategy focusing mainly on forests and forestry and referring to the more detailed analysis of the forest-based industries in the Commission Communication(2) ,

-  having regard to its resolution of 30 January 1997 on the European Union's Forestry Strategy(3) ,

-  having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee of 24 April 1997 on "The situation and problems of forestry in the European Union and potential for developing forest policies" (4) ,

-  having regard to the opinion of the Committee of Regions of 19 November 1997 on "Management, use and protection of forests in the EU" (5) ,

-  having regard to the moves towards the conclusion of an International Convention on Forests within the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF),

-  having regard to the Kyoto Protocol and the results of the post-Kyoto conferences, the most recent of which was held in The Hague on 13-24 November 2000,

-  having regard to the Commission Green Paper on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Within the European Union,

-  having regard to the Proposal for a Council Decision on a Multiannual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (2001-2005) (COM(2000) 256 )(6) and to the document entitled “Towards Enterprise Europe: A work programme for enterprise policy 2000-2005”,

-  having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A5-0384/2000 ),

A.  whereas the EU Forest-based and Related Industries (FB-IND) comprise five sectors: woodworking, pulp and paper production, paper and board processing, packaging and, for the time being, printing and publishing,

B.  whereas the EU FB-IND are also the focus of, and mutually interdependent on, a Forest Industries Cluster (FIC) as defined in the Commission Communication, and whereas the cluster industries cover sector-specific machinery and equipment, process control systems, furniture and wooden construction elements for building purposes, and consulting services for the FB-IND,

C.  whereas the EU FB-IND are facing intense cost competition within global markets, and whereas, despite their steady growth, the FB-IND are characterised by marked cyclical fluctuations, variable earnings and overcapacity,

D.  whereas the FIC comprises industries that differ from each other: paper consumption growth is strongly correlated to general economic development; the pulp and paper industries are capital-intensive and energy-intensive; woodworking, printing and publishing are more labour-intensive; while traditional printing and advertisement-dependent publishing are being transformed into information and knowledge industries with scientific, technical and medical journals already producing 30% of their journals in electronic format,

E.   whereas, since forestry is an integral part of the FB-IND as forests provide raw material for the industry, forestry can be regarded as the first stage of a forest-based industry chain; whereas two thirds of EU forests are owned by 12 million private forest owners, who have a personal or family interest in sustainable forestry, who have sustainably managed their forests from one generation to the next and to whom the profitability of forestry is a prerequisite for sustainable forest management; and whereas this ownership structure should be seen as a positive competitiveness factor for the industry,

F.  whereas content generated through traditional publishing can be reorganised, repackaged, and used in different forms, and whereas many publishers think of themselves as content creators rather than as paper-based publishers,

G.  whereas the Commission communication pays insufficient attention to publishing and its main competitiveness factors,

H.  whereas the print and electronic media complement each other, even though information, and not wood, is the basic commodity of the information economy,

I.  whereas the forests are among the most important renewable resources that Europe has, and whereas the forest strategy must be based on the recognition of the diversity of European forests, their multi-functional nature and the need for ecological, economic and social sustainability,

J.  whereas European forests are growing faster than they are harvested, resulting in a potential for increased utilisation of the European forest resources for production purposes bearing in mind the ecological limitations as well as the economic, technical and socio-economic restrictions,

K.  whereas the forest is a renewable source of raw material that provides wood fibres for the production of timber products, pulp and paper, as well as energy, and whereas it can be economically viable to produce renewable energy with raw materials that cannot be used for other purposes,

L.  whereas bioenergy (including non-wood crops) is currently the second largest solar-derived commercial renewable energy source after hydropower, perhaps even the largest if non-commercial consumption is taken into account; whereas the Commission White Paper on renewable energies aims at doubling the share of renewable energy sources to 12% by 2010; and whereas the contribution of wood energy production is expected to triple,

M.  whereas the coordination of national forestry policies must be based on respect for the principle of subsidiarity, respecting local biodiversity and traditional landscape, and whereas the Treaties make no provision for a specific Community forestry policy,

N.  whereas responsibility for forestry policy lies with the Member States; whereas, however, pursuant to the principle of subsidiarity and the concept of shared responsibility, the Community can contribute positively to the implementation of sustainable forest management,

O.  whereas environmental management schemes, such as EMAS and ISO 14001, are well suited to the EU FB-IND, because of the industry's capital-intensive nature and since a great number of its products are primarily traded between businesses, and whereas the Community Eco-Label Award Scheme has not proved successful in the paper products sector,

P.  whereas forestry and forest-based commercial activities fall within the open sector of the economy and whereas aspects related to forestry are not managed within the common agricultural policy (CAP),

Q.  whereas an international convention on the protection and sustainable management of forests may prove necessary, providing the necessary financial aid and technical assistance to support the efforts of the countries concerned to conserve and manage their forests sustainably while respecting the rights and needs of the native and indigenous peoples who should be involved in the planning of forestry projects from the outset and should benefit from forestry development programmes,

R.  whereas the coordination of the Member States" research efforts already takes place within the context of COST (European cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research), whereas this cooperation has been useful, has eliminated much duplication and has targeted research sensibly towards topical research issues,

1.  Welcomes this important initiative in which the Commission takes an approach broader than traditional sectoral approaches, which indicates a new thinking on industrial policy although it does not take sufficient account of the special features of the various sectors;

2.  Recalls that peat is commonly used as a wood substitute both as a fuel in combined heat and power production (CHP) and as a fertiliser, and that peatlands are afforested to produce timber as a raw material for the FB-IND, and requests that the peat industries should also be included in the FIC;

3.  Recalls the Lisbon statements, in which the EU was set the objective of becoming the world's most competitive and dynamic economy, and calls for this objective also to be put into practice in the forestry sector;

4.  Stresses that the forest-based industry can and should become a model sector in the field of sustainable development because its activities are based on renewable natural resources, that it contributes effectively to the binding of carbon in forests and wood products and that, with effective management of the product cycle, it also operates in an environmentally sustainable way;

5.  Notes that its abovementioned resolution on the forest strategy of the European Union states that forests are the most important renewable resource that Europe has, that the commercial utilisation of forests should be a priority of EU forest strategy, which should be integrated with the use of forests for other purposes, and that the forest strategy must be based on the recognition of the diversity of European forests, their multi-functional nature and the need for ecological, economic and social sustainability; urges the Commission to actively implement this strategy;

6.  Urges the Commission to strengthen its internal coordination in dealing with matters relating to the forestry sector without delay in accordance with the Council's forestry strategy, by giving overall responsibility to the Directorate-General for Agriculture and ensuring that it has sufficient staff resources for this sector;

7.  Calls on the Commission to strengthen co-ordination and coherence within the sectoral Community policies having an impact on the forestry sector and on FB-IND, in order to improve the competitiveness of the EU FB-IND;

8.  Stresses the importance in regional policy of SMEs working in forestry and forest-based industries, particularly as employers in rural areas, and recommends that the Commission investigate the available Community regional policy tools for increasing the opportunities in the forest-based industries to create employment in thinly-populated areas as cost-effectively as possible;

9.  Reminds the Commission that forestry, which forms the first part of the wood chain, must be sustainable and profitable in order to contribute positively to the competitiveness of the forest-based and related industries and sustainable development;

10.  Recalls that the essence of a newspaper, a magazine, a book or a directory is not only paper but content as well and that the content-providing industries of the FIC have the greatest growth potentials;

11.  Notes that there is a multitude of small and medium-sized FB-IND enterprises, especially within the woodworking, printing and publishing sectors, which make a strong positive contribution to employment especially within rural areas;

12.  Calls on the Commission, when preparing the national targets for the renewable energy resources, not to omit national data on availability of wood;

13.  Calls on the Commission to recognise and take into account that, within the context of the e-Europe initiative, the EU FB-IND are among the key industrial sectors which are particularly well-positioned to use opportunities provided by information technology for their forest management, wood procurement, industrial processes, products and trading methods;

14.  Urges the Commission to bring about without delay efficient internal coordination in dealing with matters relating to the forest sector in accordance with the Council's abovementioned resolution on the EU's forest strategy, and to ensure that it has sufficient resources for this sector;

15.  Recommends that the Community should work towards ensuring that the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is launched as soon as possible and works efficiently to ensure that global minimum criteria for sustainable forests management are established, in order to prevent actors within competing regions from taking unfair advantage of inferior standards;

16.  Encourages the Commission to pay particular attention to the possibility of providing financial assistance to meet the needs of the EU Forest Industry Cluster (FIC), especially in connection with full scale demonstration and testing, in drafting the successor to the EU Fifth R&D Framework Programme; stresses that the Research and Development Framework Programme must take comprehensive account of the whole timber production chain;

17.  Encourages the Commission to examine the possibility of supporting EU and Member States' research projects which aim to use forest raw materials in a variety of new ways, in particular in the production of extremely valuable raw materials, e.g. for medical purposes;

18.  Encourages the Commission to allocate resources to research into new ways of using wood as a renewable and environmentally friendly resource and material;

19.  Notes that the oceans as well as the forests are major sinks and storages of carbon dioxide as they reduce and store carbon from the atmosphere, and that the capacity of forest soils to absorb carbon is even greater than that of trees;

20.  Notes that in calculating the amount of carbon sequestered in forests, changes in the present growing stock of forests should also be taken into account, not only changes in the forms of land use after the year 1990, because this would mean that most of the public and private forests available for wood supply would not be calculated as an offset to greenhouse gas emissions;

21.  Notes that wood and paper products, in particular the more durable products, play a significant role in climate change, through the extension of the carbon sink effects to forests;

22.  Calls on the Community, in its negotiations at global level and in its own policy-making, to pay attention to the significant role of forests and wooden products in binding and storing carbon; urges the Community, in the global negotiations on the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, to promote sustainable forest management and the increased use of wood and wood-based products especially when discussing the definitions in Article 3(3) and (4) of the Protocol;

23.  Notes that, as Europe does not possess great afforestation potential, there is no alternative in the long run to implementing the Kyoto Protocol if an absolute reduction of emissions is to be achieved;

24.  Recalls that the EU FB-IND are the largest industrial users of wood-based bioenergy in the Community, and that the Commission has, in its proposal on the promotion of renewable energy resources, proposed that the use of renewable energy resources for electricity production be considerably increased within the Member States;

25.  Recalls that combined heat and power production (CHP) is an efficient means of utilising fuels and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and that the taxation of energy products should not make CHP uneconomical;

26.  Recommends that the Commission explore ways of reviewing the manner in which Directive 75/442/EEC on waste, as amended by 91/156/EEC , is applied to EU FB-IND products, by-products, residues and process wastes, in order to overcome obstacles caused by the aforementioned Directive to the environmentally and economically sound recovery of EU FB-IND products, by-products, residues and process wastes;

27.  Considers it important that the Community improve waste management through a comprehensive approach including cost-effective recycling, energy recovery and innovative solutions for final disposal by finding the best means and waste disposal form (liquid, gaseous or solid) to reduce emissions effectively. The paper collected for recycling should not be included in the legal definition of waste;

28.  Recalls that recovered paper contributes to the reduction of household and commercial waste going into landfills and hence of methane emissions, and recommends that it be left to the pulp and paper industry to decide how to manage the production and use of recycled fibres;

29.  Recalls that labour unions are often concerned at the undervaluing of skill investments compared with hardware investments, that life-long learning is one of the prerequisites for sustainable competitiveness, and that higher wages may be associated with higher productivity, and that the scarce availability of skilled labour may in the very near future become a serious threat to the prosperity of the EU FB-IND;

30.  Recalls that people who create, process, and distribute knowledge are the primary assets of firms in knowledge industries and asks the Commission to examine carefully where, within its own services, the future development of the publishing industry would be best looked after;

31.  Calls on the Commission and Member States to create a balanced legal framework for copyright rules;

32.  Encourages the Commission to continue its efforts to harmonise stringent copyright rules in the European Union in order to protect European content, thus contributing to protection for content owners by adequate harmonisation of intellectual property right rules in an information society without borders;

33.  Considers that, since the mass media are the backbone of an open and democratic society in the same way as literacy and cultural diversity, there is a universal need for new skills in the use of information technology and its new applications and solutions, given that media competence will soon be as important as reading and writing;

34.  Considers that there is an urgent need to improve and reduce the costs of telecommunication services within the internal market, because trans-border connection costs are highly disadvantageous for European enterprises in the information and knowledge industries;

35.  Recalls that the factors affecting European publishing competitiveness include liberalisation of the postal market, VAT harmonisation, copyright and piracy problems, multi-media convergence and e-commerce;

36.  Calls on the Commission to ensure that the European publishing industry can benefit from competitive paper prices;

37.  Recalls that publishers rely on postal services for delivery of publications sold by subscription, and that the directives on postal services have a marked impact on the competitiveness of the publishing sector; requests the Commission to pay more attention to publishing within the DG responsible for businesses, and possibly to organise a hearing with the content-providing industry;

38.  Recalls the excellent properties of wood as a construction material and urges the Community to promote its use;

39.  Recalls the importance of the rapid and correct implementation of the Construction Products Directive;

40.  Requests that the specific problems of the forestry sector be taken into account in the Union´s general trade policies and in all trade negotiations;

41.  Recalls that Parliament has requested the Commission to submit an effective action plan to combat environmental and social dumping in relation to imports of timber into the EU, and in view of the importance of the elimination of barriers to trade for European woodworking products, requests the Commission in all negotiations to strive for fair trade with respect to tariff and non-tariff barriers and to work towards the harmonisation of international standards, certification and tests, as well as their mutual recognition;

42.  Recalls that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe applying for EU membership must develop sustainable forestry and forest-based industries, and that any EU aid must not lead to a distortion in the conditions of competition in forestry and the timber market;

43.  Considers that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have a great deal of potential in the timber-processing and related industries; also considers that the EU must consider the social consequences of the relocation of business to countries of Central and Eastern Europe, e.g. by developing plans for the retraining of workers or by encouraging a shift towards new products and/or services;

44.  Calls on the Community to implement these measures effectively;

45.  Considers that matters relating to forest and forest-based industries should be included, in accordance with the subsidiarity principle, in elementary and vocational school curricula providing information about different vocational training and retraining possibilities, thus contributing to life-long learning;

46.  Considers that a forest-based industry forum is an important channel for disseminating information about the operating conditions of the forest-based industry, but also urges the Community to draw up a campaign to promote the use of timber and timber products and to cooperate with international organisations such as the FAO so as to ensure that initiatives to improve the operating conditions and raise the profile of the forestry sector complement each other as effectively as possible;

47.  Supports the active role of the advisory committee on the forest-based industries and stresses the need for cooperation between it and the Commission's other advisory committees working in the forestry sector;

48.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and the parliaments of the Member States.

(1) 12516/99 (Presse 330) p. 8, Brussels 9.11.1999. (2) OJ C 56, 26.2.1999, p 1 (3) OJ C 55, 24.2.1997, p. 22 (4) OJ C 206, 7.7.1997, p. 128 (5) OJ C 64, 27.2.1998, p. 25 (6) OJ C 311, 31.10.2000, p. 180.

European Parliament resolution on the trial of Khmer Rouge members in Cambodia

P5_TA(2001)0036 RC-B5-0055/2001

The European Parliament,

A.  having regard to the need to try all leaders of Democratic Kampuchea responsible for the deaths of some 2 million Cambodians under the 1975-1979 "killing fields" regime,

B.  having regard to the agreement adopted in July 2000 between the UN and the Cambodian government for the purpose of setting up a special Tribunal composed of Cambodian and foreign judges to try those responsible for Cambodian deaths between 1975 and 1979,

C.  convinced that the democratic process in Cambodia, the stability of the new institutions and the rehabilitation of civil society can only become a reality if those responsible for this genocide are obliged to face a court,

D.  having regard to the amnesty law exonerating from their crimes all Khmer Rouge members who rallied to the regime,

E.  whereas those chiefly responsible continue to live out an untroubled life in the country in regions bordering on Thailand,

F.  whereas only two such persons are today in prison, Ta Mok, who had supplanted Pol Pot within the Khmer Rouge movement in 1997 by having him sentenced to life imprisonment, before being captured in March 1999, and Kang Kek Leu, former director of the Tuol Sleng torture centre,

1.  Commemorates with profound sadness the victims of the horrifying genocide that engulfed Cambodia;

2.  Welcomes the fact that on 2 January 2001 the National Assembly of Cambodia, followed on 15 January 2001 by the Senate, passed unanimously a draft law on the Khmer Rouge trial;

3.  Welcomes the fact that the Tribunal to be held in Phnom Penh will include both Cambodian and foreign judges and prosecutors, and will focus on crimes committed by Khmer Rouge leaders from April 1975 to January 1979;

4.  Calls on the Constitutional Council to approve this draft law as quickly as possible before it is signed into law by King Sihanouk;

5.  Calls on the Cambodian Government, once the law is passed, to meet again with UN officials to sign a cooperation agreement and start the trial process;

6.  Hopes that the trials will begin as soon as possible, and not later than the end of the year; hopes also that they will not be confined to the two individuals responsible currently imprisoned;

7.  Recalls that the transparency and impartiality of the judicial system as well as international judicial cooperation and respect for democratic principles are essential elements for the renewal of EU/Cambodia relations;

8.  Welcomes the ending of the culture of impunity from which dictatorial regimes guilty of violating human rights have too often benefited;

9.  Draws attention to the extensive EU assistance to Cambodia, amounting to nearly USD 786 million between 1992 and 1998, and including EUR 67.1 million for the European Programme for the Rehabilitation of Cambodia;

10.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN and ASEAN, and to the Government and Parliament of Cambodia.

European Parliament resolution on the visa regime imposed by the Russian Federation on Georgia

P5_TA(2001)0037 RC-B5-0056/2001

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Georgia and Russia, and in particular its resolution of 13 December 2000(1) ,

-  having regard to the declaration of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee of 9 May 2000,

-  having regard to the statement by the United Nations Security Council of 14 November 2000,

-  having regard to the statement by the Presidency of the European Union of 23 November 2000,

-  having regard to the statement by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Georgia on 7 December 2000,

A.  noting with deep concern the continued failure to achieve a comprehensive political settlement of the internal conflicts in Georgia, in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia,

B.  recognising that unresolved conflicts in the Caucasian region impede economic development and political stability in Georgia as well as in the whole region,

C.  whereas all parties to, and mediators in, the conflicts in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia should intensify the efforts to find a political solution to the conflicts with full respect for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity,

D.  stressing the importance of security guarantees to those refugees and internally displaced persons who exercise their unconditional right to return to their homes,

E.  regretting the situation whereby the territories of the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia are de facto outside the jurisdiction of Georgian law, and the principles of democracy, human rights and rule of law which Georgia has adhered to as a full member of the Council of Europe are not fully respected in these break-away territories,

F.  expressing in this context its concern about the security situation in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia and in particular the security of international aid workers and personnel of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG),

G.  welcoming the efforts of the European Commission to contribute to increasing confidence between the parties in the conflicts, in particular through the Rehabilitation Programme in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and the planned rehabilitation of the Inguri hydro power plant on the border with Abkhazia,

H.  supporting all initiatives aiming at consolidating friendly and constructive neighbourly relations and regional cooperation in the Caucasian region,

I.  whereas a further rapprochement between Georgia and the European Union could make an effective contribution to the political and economic development of the country and to the stability of the entire region of the Caucasus,

J.  recalling the OSCE Istanbul Declaration of 1999 regarding conventional forces in Europe and the agreement reached on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Georgia,

K.  noting with deep concern the unilateral imposition of a visa regime on Georgia by the Russian Federation which took effect on 5 December 2000, which will make the development of friendly neighbourly relations more difficult, hamper economic relations and complicate the lives of Georgian citizens living in the territory of the Russian Federation and of those Georgian citizens living in Georgia itself, who are dependent for their survival on the earnings of their relatives working in the Russian Federation,

1.  Recalls that the imposition of visas which respect international law is a matter for the sovereignty of a state, but regards the plans to exempt residents of the secessionist Georgian regions of South Ossetia/Tskhinvali and Abkhazia from the visa regime imposed on Georgian citizens as a challenge to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia which the Government of the Russian Federation officially supports, and calls on the government of the Russian Federation to reconsider these plans as they would amount to de facto annexation of these indisputably Georgian territories;

2.  Urges the government of the Russia Federation to suspend the implementation of the visa regime with Georgia given the difficulties it causes to ordinary citizens;

3.  Recalls that a decision on unilateral introduction of a simplified procedure for border-crossing for residents of South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia by the Russian Federation would compromise its role as a mediator in the conflicts;

4.  Calls on all parties to refrain from unnecessary retaliatory actions which might aggravate the precarious situation and to display the necessary political will to achieve early substantial results in the negotiations, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia;

5.  Calls on the Russian Federation as a matter of urgency to respect the commitment it made at the OSCE in Istanbul in 1999 to withdraw its troops from Georgian territory;

6.  Lends its support to the UN-led peace process in Abkhazia and to the efforts by the OSCE to increase dialogue and direct contacts between the parties to the conflict in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia;

7.  Calls on the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to support actively all efforts to bring about a political settlement to the conflicts in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia, and looks forward to the report of the Swedish Presidency to the 3rd Meeting of the European Union - Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee to be held in Brussels, and asks it to submit proposals for a further rapprochement between Georgia and the European Union;

8.  Urges the Council, in this regard, to take into account the possibility of appointing a Special Envoy for the Caucasus in order to increase the visibility of the EU in the region and facilitate the dialogue between all parties to the ongoing conflicts

9.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the OSCE and the Government and Parliament of Georgia and of the Russian Federation.

(1) Texts Adopted, Item 11.

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Turkish prisons

P5_TA(2001)0038 RC-B5-0059/2001

The European Parliament,

A.  whereas Turkey is a signatory to the European Human Rights Convention and to international conventions against torture and on political, civil, social and cultural rights,

B.  whereas reports indicate that some 1000 prisoners have been involved in hunger strikes in protest, among other things, against transfer to the new F-type prisons now under construction,

C.  whereas Operation Return to Life, which the security forces launched on 19 December 2000 against hunger strikers in twenty prisons, has resulted in the death of at least 31 prisoners and two members of the security forces and has left more than 130 people seriously wounded,

D.  whereas the Turkish authorities have recognised the need for prison reform, both in the interests of the prisoners themselves and to re-establish the authorities' rule over prison wards where groups of prisoners had taken control,

E.  whereas prison reform is an indispensable feature of Turkey's responsibilities as a candidate for membership of the European Union,

1.  Deplores the recent violence in Turkish prisons and shares in the grief of the victims' families and condemns any excessive use of force by the security forces in interventions in the prison system; calls on the Turkish Government and Parliament to set up an independent committee of inquiry;

2.  Urges the Turkish authorities to take immediate and appropriate non-violent measures to avert further tragedies;

3.  Supports the demands that the prisoners be examined professionally by independent doctors designated by the medical profession;

4.  Urges the Turkish authorities to build a new social and political consensus on prison reform based on peaceable methods, respect for human rights and international best practice;

5.  Welcomes the invitations by the Turkish authorities to the Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe to visit Turkish prisons and urges early completion and publication of the report by the President of the Committee following visits in December 2000 and January 2001;

6.  Calls on the Turkish Government to allow a delegation of Members of the European Parliament to visit the prisons to which transfers have been made;

7.  Notes that these events attest to the urgency of continuing work on the reform of the Penal Code and of implementing without delay the reforms needed to improve the prison and judicial systems;

8.  Regrets the selective character of the recent clemency law and urges that major steps be taken towards the release of political prisoners;

9.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Government of Turkey, the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the Council of Europe.

European Parliament resolution on Algeria

P5_TA(2001)0039 B5-0066/2001

The European Parliament,

A.  appalled by the latest massacres in Algeria, in which terrorists did not hesitate to murder children,

B.  whereas, in spite of President Bouteflika's efforts, the "civil concord" campaign has not succeeded in eradicating violence in Algeria,

C.  whereas international human rights organisations report that thousands of people have gone missing since 1992 and no practical action has been taken to shed light on these disappearances,

D.  whereas the issue of de facto impunity is a major problem for the full restoration of the rule of law in Algeria,

E.  whereas the risk of instability in the Maghreb countries is bound to affect the safety of citizens of those countries and the security of European countries,

1.  Expresses its sympathy and solidarity with the Algerian people;

2.  Condemns in the strongest terms the killings, massacres and disappearances to which civilians regularly fall victim in Algeria; calls on the Algerian authorities to spare no effort to carry out the necessary investigations and bring to justice those responsible for these crimes;

3.  Calls on any Algerian political and religious leaders who may have some power or influence over the people behind the massacres to undertake to do their utmost to end the violence in Algeria;

4.  Calls on the Algerian Government to step up the dialogue with all political, democratic and civil society movements that reject the use of violence, so as to permit restoration of the rule of law and respect for human rights;

5.  Calls on the Algerian authorities to cooperate fully with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances;

6.  Is deeply concerned at the difficulties that a number of Algerian citizens threatened by the terrorist groups are continuing to encounter in obtaining a temporary right of asylum in a Member State, and draws attention to the fact that the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights makes a new approach possible in this area; but at the same time underlines the need for greater vigilance in granting political asylum to Algerian nationals, when it appears that they are using such hospitality to organise operational home bases for the terrorist movements;

7.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Algerian Government and Parliament.

European Parliament resolution on the ratification of the Rome Treaty to establish the Permanent International Criminal Court

P5_TA(2001)0040 RC-B5-0060/2001

The European Parliament,

A.  whereas on 17 July 1998 the Statute of the Permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) to judge war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity was adopted in Rome by 120 votes to 7 with 19 abstentions,

B.  whereas, for the first time, a court with international jurisdiction can independently judge the people responsible for the above crimes,

C.  mindful that during the last century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity,

D.  determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,

E.  considering the interest and determination the European Parliament has demonstrated in following this issue, including the adoption of strong positions on essential elements of the Statute before the Diplomatic Conference, which were eventually incorporated in the final text of the Rome ICC Statute,

F.  welcoming the fact that 139 governments have signed the Rome Treaty and 27 have ratified it, but noting that at least 60 ratifications are needed for the Treaty to enter into force and for the Court to be set up,

G.  whereas on 30 June 2000 the UN Preparatory Commission adopted by consensus the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and the Elements of Crimes of the Court, as mandated by the Diplomatic Conference,

H.  whereas the UN Preparatory Commission has been mandated by the Diplomatic Conference to finalise the Relationship Agreement with the UN, the Financial Regulations and Rules, the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities, the Definition on Aggression, the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of State Parties, the first year's Budget of the Court, and the Headquarters Agreement,

1.  Congratulates the 27 States that have already ratified the Rome Treaty, including eight EU Member States: Italy, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Germany, Austria and Finland;

2.  Urges the Member States of the EU and the candidate countries that have not yet ratified the Rome Treaty to do so as soon as possible, without opting out of the provisions on war crimes, pursuant to Article 124 of the Treaty;

3.  Welcomes US President Bill Clinton's signing of the Treaty on 31 December 2000, as well as the recent signing by the Yugoslav Federation on 19 December 2000, and calls on both Parliaments to ratify the Treaty;

4.  Asks EU Member States to take action in all appropriate fora to maintain and protect the integrity of the Rome ICC Statute, rejecting any proposal for amendment that would weaken the fairness, effectiveness or impartiality of the future ICC;

5.  Urges all other states to ratify the Treaty as soon as possible in order to reach the minimum level of 60 ratifications before the end of 2001 so that the Court can begin to function;

6.  Calls upon all states to continue to support the work of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and former Yugoslavia;

7.  Calls on the Council to set the ratification of the Treaty of Rome regarding the International Criminal Court as a priority of its action for the year 2001, especially in the perspective of its bilateral relations;

8.  Notes with satisfaction the financial contribution of the EU and Member States to the trust fund established by the UN to assist participation in ongoing negotiations relating to the ICC by the least developed countries and international NGO campaigns in support of the prompt and effective entry into force of the Rome ICC Statute, and invites the EU and Member States to continue and intensify this effort;

9.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the candidate countries and the UN Secretary-General.

European Parliament resolution on the earthquake in El Salvador

P5_TA(2001)0041 RC-B5-0068/2001

The European Parliament,

A.  having regard to the scale of the disaster caused by an earthquake in Central America, in particular in the Republic of El Salvador, which has led to an enormous number of deaths, people reported missing, wounded, displaced and a great deal of material damage,

1.  Expresses its sympathy with the families of the victims and shares the grief of the people of El Salvador and Central America at the vast scale of the tragedy;

2.  Shares the distress and despair of the population of El Salvador who, after managing to achieve peaceful and democratic coexistence and before having recovered from the effects of Hurricane Mitch, once again sees its hopes of economic and social development dashed;

3.  Welcomes the spontaneous and rapid reaction on the part of the international community and civilian organisations and calls on the Member States of the European Union to implement as soon as possible the necessary mechanisms to alleviate as far as possible the sufferings of the populations affected;

4.  Congratulates the Commission on its prompt initial response to the disaster and asks it, in collaboration with the Salvadorian authorities, to provide enough humanitarian aid to help meet the needs of the victims;

5.  Calls on the Commission, once the scale of the disaster has been ascertained, and as a joint response on behalf of the European Union, to draw up a plan for the reconstruction of the region focused on tangible objectives, allocating the resources needed to make it effective and ensure maximum efficiency and swift execution;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the Republic of El Salvador, the National Legislative Assembly, Parlacen, the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

Initiative of the French Republic with a view to adopting a Council Regulation on freedom of movement with a long-stay visa (9667/2000 - C5-0374/2000 - 2000/0810(CNS) )

P5_TA(2001)0042 A5-0388/2000

The initiative was amended as follows:

Text proposed by the French Republic(1)   Amendments by Parliament (Amendment 1) First citation Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 62(2)(b)(ii) and 63(3)(a) thereof, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 62(3) thereof, (Amendment 2) Recital 2a (new) (2a) Steps should be taken to ensure that third-country nationals who are holders of national long-stay visas issued by a Member State, pending the issue of their residence permits, are not penalised in terms of their freedom of movement as a consequence of the unjustifiably cumbersome nature of the administrative procedures in force in the Member States as regards the issuing of residence permits. (Amendment 3) Recital 3    (3) Steps should be taken to facilitate the free movement of holders of national long-stay visas pending the issue of their residence permits, by stipulating that such visas, which currently enable their holders to transit only once through the territories of the other Member States in order to reach the territory of the State which issued the visa, are concurrently valid as uniform short-stay visas , provided that the applicants fulfil the conditions of entry and residence laid down in the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1990.    (3) Steps should therefore be taken to facilitate the free movement of holders of national long-stay visas pending the issue of their residence permits, by stipulating that such visas, which currently enable their holders to transit only once through the territories of the other Member States in order to reach the territory of the State which issued the visa, have the same validity as residence permits in terms of freedom of movement , provided that the applicants fulfil the conditions of entry referred to in Article 5(1)(a), (c) and (e) of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 signed at Schengen on 19 June 1990 and do not appear on the national lists of alerts of the Member States concerned . (Amendment 4) Recital 4    (4) This measure is a first step in the harmonisation of the conditions for the issue of national long-stay visas .    (4) This measure seeks to facilitate freedom of movement for third-country nationals on the territories of the Member States for a maximum period of three months . (Amendment 5) Article 1 Article 18 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement shall be replaced by the following : In Article 21 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement the following new paragraph 2a is added: 'Article 18 Visas for stays exceeding three months shall be national visas issued by one of the Member States in accordance with its national law. For three months as from their initial date of validity such visas shall be valid concurrently as uniform short-stay visas, provided that their holders fulfil the entry conditions referred to in Article 5(1)(a), (c), (d) and (e). Otherwise, such visas shall merely enable their holders to transit through the territories of the other Member States in order to reach the territory of the Member State which issued the visa, unless the holders do not fulfil the entry conditions referred to in Article 5(1)(a), (d) and (e) or are on the national list of alerts of the Member State through whose territory they seek to transit.' '2a. Paragraph 1 shall also apply to aliens who are holders of long-stay visas issued by a Member State pending the issue of their residence permits.' (Amendment 6) Article 2 Section 2.2 of Part I of the Common Consular Instructions on Visas shall be replaced by the following: Section 2.2 of Part I of the Common Consular Instructions on Visas shall be replaced by the following: '2.2. Long-stay visas '2.2. Long-stay visas Visas for visits exceeding three months shall be national visas issued by one of the Member States in accordance with its national legislation. Visas for visits exceeding three months shall be national visas issued by one of the Member States in accordance with its national legislation. However, such visas shall, for three months from their initial date of validity, be valid concurrently as uniform short-stay visas, provided that their holders fulfil the entry conditions referred to in Article 5(1)(a), (c), (d) and (e) of the Convention and reproduced in Part IV of these Instructions. Otherwise, such visas shall merely enable their holders to transit through the territories of the other Contracting Parties in order to reach the territory of the Member State which issued the visa, unless the holders do not fulfil the entry conditions referred to in Article 5(1)(a), (d) and (e) or are on the national list of alerts of the Member State through whose territory they seek to transit .' However, they shall be valid as uniform transit visas authorising their holders to reach the territory of the Member State which issued the visa, on the understanding that the period of transit may not exceed five days from the date of entry, unless the holders do not fulfil the entry conditions or are reported as persons not to be permitted entry by the Member States through whose territory they seek to transit (see Annex 4). Once they are registered on the territory of the Member State which issued the visa, persons who are holders of long-stay visas pending the issue of their residence permits shall enjoy, in terms of freedom of movement, the same rights as those guaranteed to holders of residence permits .'

European Parliament legislative resolution on the initiative of the French Republic with a view to adopting a Council Regulation on freedom of movement with a long-stay visa (9667/2000 - C5-0374/2000 - 2000/0810(CNS) )

P5_TA(2001)0042 A5-0388/2000

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the initiative of the French Republic (9667/2000)(2) ,

-  having regard to Articles 62(2)(b)(ii) and 63(3)(a) of the EC Treaty,

-  having been consulted by the Council pursuant to Article 67 of the EC Treaty (C5-0374/2000 ),

-  having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

-  having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market on the proposed legal basis,

-  having regard to the report of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Petitions (A5-0388/2000 ),

1.  Approves the initiative of the French Republic as amended;

2.  Calls on the Council to notify Parliament should it intend to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

3.  Asks to be consulted again should the Council intend to make substantial modifications to the initiative of the French Republic;

4.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the Government of the French Republic.

(1) OJ C 200, 13.7.2000, p. 4. (2) OJ C 200, 13.7.2000, p. 4.