(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2006)0401)(1),

–   having regard to Article 251(2) and Articles 62(2)(a) and 66 of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6-0253/2006),

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

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0135/2007),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Approves the annexed declaration;

3.  Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend the proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

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

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position at first reading corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EC) No 863/2007.)

Statement by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission

The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission stress that in a situation of urgent and exceptional pressure at the external borders requiring the intervention of a Rapid Border Intervention Team, and possible insufficiency of financial means in the budget of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) to do so, all possibilities to ensure funding should be explored. The Commission will verify with extreme urgency whether funds could possibly be redeployed. In the event of a decision of the budgetary authority becoming necessary, the Commission will initiate a procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Regulation, namely Articles 23 and 24, in order to secure a timely decision of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the means of providing for additional funding for FRONTEX to deploy a Rapid Border Intervention Team. The budgetary authority commits itself to act as quickly as possible, taking into account the urgency.