(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2006)0739)(1),

–   having regard to Article 93 of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C6-0437/2006),

–   having regard to Rule 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A6-0440/2006),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty;

3.  Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

4.  Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to amend the Commission proposal substantially;

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

Text proposed by the Commission   Amendments by Parliament Amendment 2 ARTICLE 1 Article 4 (Directive 2002/38/EC) Article 1 shall apply until 31 December 2008. Article 1 shall apply until 31 December 2009. The Commission shall adopt any proposal for possible prolongation of the regime in good time before its expiry in order to allow the European Parliament sufficient time within which to express its opinion in accordance with Article 93 of the Treaty.

(1) Not yet published in the OJ.