European Parliament decision of 31 January 2008 on interpretation of Rule 19 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure on the duties of the President

The European Parliament,

-   having regard to the letter of 24 January 2008 from the chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs,

-   having regard to Rule 201 of its Rules of Procedure,

1.  Adopts the following interpretation of Rule 19:"

'Rule 19(1) can be interpreted as meaning that the powers conferred by that Rule include the power to call an end to the excessive use of motions such as points of order, procedural motions, explanations of vote and requests for separate, split or roll-call votes where the President is convinced that these are manifestly intended to cause and will result in a prolonged and serious obstruction of the procedures of the House or the rights of other Members';

2.  Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.

European Parliament legislative resolution of 31 January 2008 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council introducing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia of certain documents as equivalent to their national visas for the purposes of transit through their territories (COM(2007)0508 – C6-0279/2007 – 2007/0185(COD))

P6_TA(2008)0025 A6-0511/2007

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2007)0508),

–   having regard to Articles 251(2) and 62(2) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6-0279/2007),

–   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 (A6-0511/2007),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  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;

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

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 31 January 2008 with a view to the adoption of Decision No .../2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council introducing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania of certain documents as equivalent to their national visas for the purposes of transit through their territories

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position at first reading corresponds to the final legislative act, Decision No 582/2008/EC.)

European Parliament legislative resolution of 31 January 2008 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision N° 896/2006/EC establishing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by the Member States of certain residence permits issued by Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the purpose of transit through their territory (COM(2007)0508 – C6-0280/2007 – 2007/0186(COD))

P6_TA(2008)0026 A6-0509/2007

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2007)0508),

–   having regard to Articles 251(2) and 62(2)(a) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6-0280/2007),

–   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 (A6-0509/2007),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  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;

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

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 31 January 2008 with a view to the adoption of Decision No .../2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 896/2006/EC establishing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by the Member States of certain residence permits issued by Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the purpose of transit through their territory

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position at first reading corresponds to the final legislative act, Decision No 586/2008/EC.)

European Parliament legislative resolution of 31 January 2008 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the submission by Member States of statistics on aquaculture (COM(2006)0864 – C6-0005/2007 – 2006/0286(COD))

P6_TA(2008)0027 A6-0001/2008

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2006)0864),

–   having regard to Articles 251(2) and 285(1) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6-0005/2007),

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

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A6-0001/2008),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  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;

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

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 31 January 2008 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EC) No .../2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the submission by Member States of statistics on aquaculture and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 788/96

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position at first reading corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EC) No .../2008.)

European Parliament legislative resolution of 31 January 2008 on the initiative of the Republic of Austria with a view to adopting a Council decision on the improvement of cooperation between the special intervention units of the Member States of the European Union in crisis situations (15437/2006 – C6-0058/2007 – 2007/0803(CNS))

P6_TA(2008)0028 A6-0507/2007

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the initiative of the Republic of Austria (15437/2006),

–   having regard to Articles 30, 32 and 34(2)(c) of the EU Treaty,

–   having regard to Article 39(1) of the EU Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C6-0058/2007),

–   having regard to Rules 93 and 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0507/2007),

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

2.  Calls on the Council to amend the text accordingly;

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

4.  Calls on the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to amend the initiative of the Republic of Austria substantially;

5.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and the Commission, and the government of the Republic of Austria.

Text proposed by the Republic of Austria   Amendments by Parliament Amendment 1 Recital 4 (4)  No single Member State has all the means, resources and expertise at its disposal to deal effectively with all possible kinds of large scale crisis situations requiring special intervention. It is therefore of crucial importance that each Member State be able to request the assistance of another Member State. (4)  No single Member State has all the means, resources and expertise at its disposal to deal effectively with all possible kinds of specific or large scale crisis situations requiring special intervention. It is therefore of crucial importance that each Member State be able to request the assistance of another Member State. Amendment 2 Recital 5 (5)  This Decision sets out some general rules on liability, including rules on criminal liability, in order to provide a legal framework for circumstances in which Member States concerned agree to request and provide assistance. The availability of this legal framework and of a declaration indicating the competent authorities will allow the Member States to react speedily and gain time in the event a crisis situation arises, (5)   Council Decision 2007/…/JHA on the stepping up of cross-border cooperation, particularly in combating terrorism and cross-border crime ("the Prüm Decision"), and in particular Article 18 thereof, regulates forms of police assistance between Member States in connection with mass gatherings and similar major events, disasters and serious accidents. This Decision does not cover mass gatherings, natural disasters or serious accidents within the meaning of Article 18 of the Prüm Decision, but complements those provisions of the Prüm Decision which provide for forms of police assistance between Member States provided through special intervention units in other situations, namely in crisis situations caused by human factors or terrorist situations presenting a serious direct physical threat to persons, property, infrastructure or institutions, in particular hostage taking, hijacking and similar events. With this in view, each Member State should indicate the competent national authorities from which the other Member States concerned may request assistance or intervention. Amendment 3 Recital 5 a (new) (5a)  The availability of this legal framework and of a compendium indicating the competent authorities will allow the Member States to react speedily and gain time in the event that such a crisis or terrorist situation arises. Moreover, with a view to enhancing the ability of Member States to prevent and respond to such situations, and in particular terrorist incidents, it is essential for the special intervention units to meet regularly and organise joint training sessions, so as to benefit from each other's experiences. Amendment 4 Article 1 This Decision lays down general rules and conditions to allow for special intervention units of one Member State to provide assistance and/or operate on the territory of another Member State (hereinafter referred to as the "requesting Member State") in cases where they have been invited by the latter Member State and have agreed to do so in order to deal with a crisis situation. This Decision lays down general rules and conditions to allow for special intervention units of one Member State (hereinafter referred to as the "addressee Member State") to provide assistance and/or operate on the territory of another Member State (hereinafter referred to as the "requesting Member State") in cases where they have been invited by the latter Member State and have agreed to do so in order to deal with a crisis situation. The practical details and arrangements for implementing this Decision shall be agreed directly between the requesting Member State and the addressee Member State. Amendment 6 Article 2, point 2 2) "crisis situation" shall mean any man-made situation in a Member State presenting a serious direct physical threat to persons or institutions in that Member State, in particular hostage-taking, hijacking and similar incidents. 2) "crisis situation" shall mean any man-made situation in a Member State giving rise to reasonable grounds for believing that a criminal act has been, is being or will be committed, which presents a serious direct physical threat to persons, property, infrastructure or institutions in that Member State, in particular the situations referred to in Article 1(1) of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA of 13 June 2002 on combating terrorism¹. ____________________ ¹ OJ L 164, 22.6.2002, p. 3. Amendment 7 Article 2, point 2 a (new) 2a)"competent authority" shall mean the national authority which may make requests and give authorisations regarding the deployment of the special intervention units. Amendment 8 Article 3, paragraph 1 1.  A Member State may ask to be assisted by a special intervention unit of another Member State with a view to dealing with a crisis situation. A Member State may accept or refuse such a request or may propose a different kind of assistance. 1.   Through a request via the competent authorities setting out the nature of the assistance requested as well as the operational necessity thereof, a Member State may ask to be assisted by a special intervention unit of another Member State with a view to dealing with a crisis situation. The competent authority of the addressee Member State may accept or refuse such a request or may propose a different kind of assistance. Amendment 9 Article 4 General rules on liability Civil and criminal liability 1.  Where, in accordance with this Decision, officers of a Member State operate in the territory of another Member State, the latter Member State shall be liable for any damage caused by them during their operations. Where officers of a Member State operate within the territory of another Member State and/or equipment is used under this Decision, the provisions on civil and criminal liability set out in Articles 21 and 22 of the Prüm Decision shall apply. 2.  By way of derogation from paragraph 1, where the damage results from actions that were contrary to directions given by the requesting Member State or were beyond the limits of the of the relevant officers' powers under their national law, the following rules shall apply: (a) a Member State in whose territory the damage was caused shall make good such damage under the conditions applicable to damage caused by its own officers; (b) a Member State whose officers have caused damage to any person in the territory of another Member State shall reimburse the latter in full any sums it has paid to the victims or persons entitled on their behalf; (c) without prejudice to the exercise of its rights vis-à-vis third parties and with the exception of point (b), each Member State shall refrain in the circumstances provided for in this paragraph from requesting reimbursement of damages it has sustained from another Member State. Amendment 10 Article 5 Article 5 deleted Criminal liability During the operations referred to in Article 3, officers operating in the territory of another Member State shall be regarded as officers of that Member State with respect to offences committed against them or by them. Amendment 11 Article 6 Member States shall ensure that their relevant authorities hold meetings and organise joint training and exercises, whenever necessary, with a view to exchanging experience, expertise and general, practical and technical information about providing assistance in crisis situations. All participating Member States shall ensure that their special intervention units hold meetings and regularly organise joint training courses and exercises, with a view to exchanging experience, expertise and general, practical and technical information about providing assistance in crisis situations. Such meetings, training courses and exercises may be funded under certain financial programmes of the Union and obtain grants financed from the general budget of the European Union. In this context, the Member State holding the Presidency of the EU shall endeavour to ensure that such meetings, training courses and exercises take place. Amendment 12 Article 7 Each Member State shall bear its own costs, unless otherwise agreed between the Member States concerned. The requesting Member State shall bear the operational costs incurred by the addressee Member State's special intervention units in connection with the application of Article 3, including transport and accommodation costs, unless otherwise agreed between the Member States concerned. Amendment 13 Article 8, paragraph 4 a (new) 4a.  Nothing in this Decision shall be construed as permitting the application of these rules governing cooperation among the law enforcement agencies of the Member States to relations with the relevant agencies of third countries in circumvention of the existing rules of national legal systems applicable to international police cooperation.

European Parliament resolution of 31 January 2008 on the European Research Area: New Perspectives (2007/2187(INI))

P6_TA(2008)0029 A6-0005/2008

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission Green Paper of 4 April 2007 entitled The European Research Area: New Perspectives (COM(2007)0161),

–   having regard to the Commission staff working document (SEC(2007)0412) accompanying the abovementioned Commission Green Paper,

–   having regard to Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013)(1) (FP7),

–   having regard to Council Decision 2006/973/EC of 19 December 2006 concerning the specific programme 'People' implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities(2),

–   having regard to its resolution of 24 May 2007 on putting knowledge into practice: a broad based innovation strategy for Europe(3),

–   having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the opinions of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Regional Development (A6-0005/2008),

A.   whereas the European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000, held in Lisbon, endorsed the objective of creating a European Research Area (ERA),

B.   whereas the European Council of 15 and 16 March 2002, held in Barcelona, agreed on a target of increasing total R&D expenditure to 3% of the Union's GDP by 2010 (two-thirds of which should come from the private sector),

C.   whereas FP7 is designed to support the creation of the ERA,

D.   whereas the creation of the ERA should be accompanied by the establishment of the European Area of Higher Education and the European Innovation Area, thus completing the three sides of the so-called knowledge triangle,

E.   whereas the ERA encompasses three main aspects: an internal market for research, where researchers, technology and knowledge can freely circulate, effective coordination at EU level of national and regional research activities, programmes and policies and initiatives implemented and funded at EU level,

F.   whereas greater efforts, particularly as regards coordination, are needed in all dimensions of EU research: people, infrastructure, organisations, funding, knowledge sharing and global cooperation, in order to overcome the fragmentation of research in the EU and realise the EU's potential therein,

G.   whereas job opportunities and working conditions are not such as to encourage young men and women to enter the research sector, which means that valuable human resources are going to waste,

H.   whereas R&D funding in the EU is still far behind the Lisbon objective of 3% of GDP,

I.   whereas a broader view of the creation of the ERA is needed, involving all relevant stakeholders,

J.   whereas women are still under-represented in most areas of science and engineering and in management posts,

K.   whereas the EU's private sector R&D contribution is lagging behind that of its direct competitors,

Creating a single labour market for researchers

1.  Would welcome the common definition of research careers and the establishment of an information system on the employment of researchers and research practices throughout Europe and believes this will help the EU reach the highest levels in research;

2.  Urges the Member States and regions to devise strategies for the development of material and human resources in research and innovation covering, for example, the upgrade and supply of research infrastructures, increased mobility for researchers through greater financial support, local initiatives to attract researchers, the removal of legal, administrative and language barriers, staff exchanges and guaranteed access for all, especially female and young researchers;

3.  Strongly supports the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment as a means of making the ERA more attractive to researchers; calls on the Commission to publicise the degree to which the Charter and Code of Conduct have been implemented in the Member States;

4.  Stresses the need to establish and introduce a single European career path in the field of research and to introduce an integrated information system on job vacancies and training contracts in the research sector in Europe; believes that it is essential to create a single labour market for research workers;

5.  Stresses the importance of making the recruitment and promotion procedures for research workers fully open and transparent; calls on Member States to ensure a better balance between men and women on recruitment and promotion boards;

6.  Regrets that the net transatlantic outflow of R&D investment is still increasing; emphasises the importance of preventing the further outflow of competent European researchers; calls for the adoption of appropriate measures to retain researchers in the EU and to bring them back to the EU, notably by ensuring wide career prospects and attractive working conditions for both men and women;

7.  Endorses the plan to increase the geographical mobility of researchers as well as their inter-sectoral mobility (that is, between universities and research organisations and between academia and the business world) as a means of achieving knowledge sharing and technology transfer; calls, to that effect, on the Commission and the Member States to enrich post-graduate and doctoral curricula by encouraging joint research supervision in different countries and to consider the launching of European postdoctoral fellowships and training schemes building on the highly successful Erasmus programme;

8.  Emphasises that a well-functioning internal market is important for successful development of the ERA and that the free movement of researchers in particular is vital; regrets that obstacles still hamper the mobility of researchers within the EU; calls for measures to improve the free flow of researchers, in particular by lifting all remaining transitional restrictions on the free movement of workers, as well as by improving the EU's research infrastructure; supports the creation of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT);

9.  Considers that access to the EU for researchers should not be impeded by existing national barriers, such as insufficient recognition and portability of acquired social entitlements, tax disadvantages and difficulties in relocating families; urges the Member States to design their national legislation on public law employment in such way that researchers from Member States and third countries have comparable working conditions and are not prevented from taking up research work;

10.  Recalls that one way of making researchers more mobile might be the creation of a research voucher which could be used by researchers in other Member States and hosting institutions and universities, the voucher thus making available additional financial resources for the actual research that attracts foreign researchers; believes that this would not only make it more interesting for research institutions and universities to host researchers from other Member States and to attract the most talented scientists, but would also contribute to the development of centres of excellence by making it possible for the most attractive research programmes and institutions to appeal to more researchers and to improve their financial situation; believes that this extra support for researcher mobility should be additional to current mobility funding schemes and that funding could be allocated from the "Cooperation" and "Capacity" programmes of FP7;

11.  Points to the need to provide support for young researchers in particular, so as to ensure that they continue receiving grants when they change their place of work within the EU;

12.  Believes that the Community regulatory framework on the free movement of researchers within the ERA should be reinforced so as to facilitate the issuance of visas and work permits to nationals of third countries;

13.  Considers it necessary to introduce specific measures to promote greater participation by women in all research activities, with the aim of significantly increasing the proportion of women pursuing research careers;

14.  Believes that the fact that the younger generation is less interested in pursuing an education in science and technology is closely linked to the lack of cooperation between the private sector and the academic sphere; calls, therefore, on the Member States and the Commission to increase their efforts to promote frameworks for collaboration between these two sectors;

15.  Calls for exchanges of experience among the Member States in order to develop a coherent approach to promoting the participation of the disabled in Community-funded research and an increase in the proportion of disabled people embarking on and pursuing research careers;

16.  Considers that public authorities, research bodies and undertakings should promote measures to reconcile professional and private life;

17.  Calls on the Commission to investigate how the teaching of sciences in the EU can be improved at all levels; deplores the lack of human resources in R&D in many Member States, which may be attributed to a declining interest among the younger generation in following scientific curricula and engaging in scientific careers; proposes, therefore, the launching of initiatives which familiarise schoolchildren with laboratory and field research; proposes, in addition, the promotion of active and investigatory methods of teaching, using observation and experimentation, the creation of professor-researcher exchange programmes and the support of innovative training methods by local and regional authorities; considers that rapid developments in science risk creating a gulf between ordinary citizens and scientific and technological research; considers that there is a need to promote and support dialogue between scientists and society at large and that, accordingly, scientists should make the results of their research comprehensible to all and available to all;

18.  Considers that social conditions for researchers should be improved by creating employment opportunities for the partners of researchers and the provision of support in their search for care facilities or schooling for their children;

Developing world-class research infrastructures

19.  Welcomes the progress made in developing research infrastructures with the adoption of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) roadmap; nevertheless believes that provision should be made to include new facilities and infrastructures currently being developed by Member States alongside the infrastructures identified by the ESFRI;

20.  Urges that funding for new, pan-European research infrastructures only be provided if there are no national infrastructures of equal value providing similar access opportunities for researchers from other Member States;

21.  Emphasises the role and importance of the Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) in the European research landscape, alongside the universities and the research funding agencies; calls on the Commission to establish a degree of collaboration with national agencies, universities and RPOs in Europe, in association with regional authorities, before agreeing a common policy and implementation plan;

22.  Calls on the Commission to propose a legal framework to facilitate the creation and operation of major Community research organisations and infrastructures and to consider the involvement of existing European institutions and agreements, such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA), albeit that intergovernmental treaties to implement such organisations should be avoided;

23.  Recommends at the same time that bodies from countries with less dynamic research sectors but appropriate research potential should be fully involved in the process of building the pan-European research infrastructure;

24.  Considers that, in order to ensure long-term operations and continuous improvement, the approval processes for large research infrastructures should cover R&D, information technology and operational funding;

25.  Recognises that the EIT will be an important factor in strengthening the EU's research infrastructure;

26.  Calls upon the Commission to support RPOs, universities and research funding agencies both to increase their capacities and to link their resources in building the ERA, the goal being to reach global leadership in major scientific areas;

Strengthening research institutions

27.  Regrets that figures for expenditure on research and development show that the EU average is only 1.84% of GDP compared with 2.68% in the USA and 3.18 % in Japan, and that expenditure varies from 0.39% in Romania and 0.4% in Cyprus to 3.86% in Sweden; emphasises the importance of increasing the average spending as well as of raising expenditure in some Member States; highlights the importance of better focussing the diverse research and development efforts throughout the Union, especially in order to facilitate the transition towards the digital economy; believes that this is of fundamental importance for the creation of appropriate conditions for the achievement of the knowledge-based economy called for in the Lisbon Strategy;

28.  Acknowledges the importance of the ERA's regional dimension and considers that the development of regional clusters is an important means of achieving critical mass, bringing together universities, research institutions and industry, and creating European centres of excellence; believes that the 'Research Potential' and 'Regions of knowledge' programmes and the Structural Funds promoting the research and innovation potential of the regions should be seen as a key contribution to the objectives of FP7;

29.  Emphasises the importance of national and regional contact points in strengthening the effects of framework programmes and calls for deeper cooperation on their part;

30.  Calls on the Commission to establish a European forum with high-level national representation, including national research councils, entrusted with the mission of identifying, developing and supporting major pan-European research initiatives, as well as a common system of scientific and technical review to better exploit the results of European programmes; believes that it would be beneficial to put in place a reliable system for validating knowledge and methods of analysis, control and certification and to network centres of excellence in the EU;

31.  Calls on the Commission to make sure that networks of excellence and online research communities are fully complementary, by spelling out their objectives, operating rules and funding arrangements;

32.  Calls on the Commission to further promote public procurement to support R&D at EU level by virtue of the more consistent use of public instruments and resources;

33.  Welcomes the initiative for a European Charter for the use of intellectual property from public research institutions and universities, endorsed by the European Council held in Brussels on 21 and 22 June 2007, provided that it leads to a usable set of rules which in particular take account of the needs of developing and transferring scientific knowledge;

34.  Draws attention to the role to be played by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as research bodies; believes it is necessary to strengthen their participation in R&D projects at EU level in line with the objective of earmarking at least 15% of the budget of FP7 for SMEs;

35.  Considers that strong research must be closely linked to innovation; therefore believes that concrete steps towards the creation of a fully integrated European research and innovation area should be envisaged;

Sharing knowledge

36.  Believes that investments in infrastructure, functionality and electronic cross-reference initiatives have enabled major improvements in the dissemination and use of scientific information and that the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities is an example of how opportunities for experimentation with new models have been opened up by the internet; underlines the importance of respecting authors' freedom of choice and intellectual property rights (IPR), ensuring the continuation of quality peer reviews and the trusted secure preservation of refereed work, and encourages stakeholders to work together through pilot projects to evaluate the impact and viability of alternative models, such as the development of Open Access;

37.  Agrees with the "open innovation" concept promoted by the Commission according to which the public and private sectors become full partners and share knowledge, provided that a balanced and fair system is developed between open access to scientific results and a use of such results by the private sector (fair sharing of knowledge); believes that the rule of a fair and equitable financial reward for use of public knowledge by industry should be officially recognised;

38.  Firmly believes that the legal uncertainty and high costs currently prevailing in the field of IPR contribute to the fragmentation of research efforts in Europe; therefore urges the Commission to proceed to an impact assessment of the different legal instruments that can be used to reduce existing barriers to knowledge transfer within the ERA; Or. PL notes that properly registered inventions can be an important source of knowledge and that legislation on IPR protection, including EU patent law, cannot be a barrier to knowledge-sharing; highlights the vital importance of establishing a Community Patent and a high-quality, cost-effective, innovation-friendly judicial system for European patents which respects the competence of the Court of Justice of the European Communities; notes the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on enhancing the patent system in Europe (COM(2007)0165); notes that the resulting legal framework will provide better incentives for private business involvement in research and will strengthen the position of EU innovators at international level;

39.  Calls on the Commission to establish, in collaboration with the Member States, a European forum whereby European and national processes of civil society involvement in the discussion of science, research, and technology can be coordinated;

40.  Considers that, in the context of the ERA, the capacities of Joint Research Centres (JRCs) should be exploited as high-level, independent, neutral, scientific and technical structures providing common expertise to the EU institutions and supporting decision-making processes on key issues (for example, quality of life, food safety, the environment, consumer protection);

41.  Believes that, with a renewed mission supporting and encouraging their activities and focused on optimising the benefits to be derived from their structures, the JRCs could also promote "truly European opportunities" in the field of training and mobility of young researchers;

Optimising research programmes and priorities

42.  Deems it appropriate to implement the principle of the reciprocal opening of national programmes to participants from other Member States since this would be a step towards the exchange of information on existing national programmes and would encourage the evaluation of national research activities by international panels;

43.  Notes that many Member States − especially those with less developed R&D structures − fear brain drain within the EU; calls for measures to prevent that by making national research policies complementary rather then competing, especially in order to promote the coordination of resources and prevent their duplication and dispersion;

44.  Considers it worthwhile to explore potentialities offered by the "variable geometry" mechanism as a suitable way of developing adequate flexibility in the realisation of thematic programmes;

45.  Stresses the need to enhance complementarity between EU and national research funding;

46.  Believes that the financing of the opening up of national research programmes to all researchers in the Member States should start, above all, in the area of fundamental research or so-called "frontier research";

47.  Observes that local and regional authorities should be engaged in creating a research-friendly framework and should make a significant contribution to the realisation of the ERA and that this could be brought about through Community funding programmes such as FP7, but that considerable progress could also be made by means of agreed programmes funded by the Structural Funds; considers, in particular, that the R&D potential of scientifically weaker regions urgently needs to be enhanced through the combined use of Structural and FP7 funds, as well as national and regional investments, in order to efficiently address, among other things, local needs in society-driven research;

48.  Notes that the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy cannot be achieved without a serious increase in the involvement of the private sector in research activities; calls on the Commission to take actions to enhance the incentives for the private sector to invest and participate in research; supports the view that is necessary to develop a European lead in technology-intensive markets supported by stringent standards of IPR protection; holds the view that expanding Public Private Partnerships within well-functioning markets is important to this end;

49.  Urges the Member States to ensure optimal funding of national and regional research activities defined in the operational programmes and to ensure the efficient exchange of good practices and cooperation between regions; notes that examples of good practice that are effective in one region cannot be transferred to other regions without adaptation; emphasises, therefore, the specific nature of assessments carried out at regional level using reliable, transparent and universally accepted indicators;

50.  Stresses the importance of unlocking the research potential of all European regions as a means of raising the competitiveness of European research;

51.  Considers that actions should be taken to update forms and instruments of cooperation and to adapt them to the ERA objectives; recommends that initiatives such as that of European cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research (COST) and the pan-European network for market-oriented, industrial R&D (EUREKA) be developed further;

52.  Recognises the role that the networks of excellence are playing in creating the ERA through durable integration, thus avoiding fragmentation of research efforts, and calls upon the Commission to continue to support successful networks in order to reach this goal;

53.  Emphasises that targeted R&D cooperation could foster important world-wide opportunities for European-led R&D; therefore, urges that national and regional research systems be connected with networks in Europe and beyond, while guaranteeing the coherence of national and regional research programmes and priorities of European interest, such as the EIT in particular, be ensured; in this connection, calls on the Commission to acknowledge the importance of spatial and regional sciences for territorial cohesion, with particular reference to the European Spatial Planning Observation Network 2013 programme; believes that territorial cooperation should be developed as a means of achieving critical mass and preparing for internationalisation; therefore calls on the Member States to remove cross-border administrative barriers that hinder cooperation between knowledge institutions; recommends the open coordination method for comparing best national practices in this field;

54.  Considers that a broader approach to establishing priorities for strategic decisions on public funding is needed and that the European Technology Platforms and Joint Technology Initiatives, among other things, would benefit from greater involvement on the part of public and private organisations, such as universities, RPOs and SMEs, in order to develop long-term strategies;

55.  Emphasises the need to increase R&D investment and boost innovation in Europe; refers in this context to the combination of the European Territorial Agenda and the Lisbon objectives taken up in the strategic guidelines for cohesion policy, both being preconditions for ensuring competitiveness; stresses the need to combine the ERA's top-down approach with the bottom-up approach of regional policy; highlights the need to improve the coordination of research activities and programmes, such as the European Technology Platforms and the "ERA-NET" programme;

56.  Believes that foresight and strategic agendas drawn up by the research community should be taken into consideration when designing work programmes and calls for proposals in FP7;

Opening up to the world: international cooperation in science and technology (S&T)

57.  Considers that R&D cooperation can help to achieve specific Millennium Development Goals and therefore believes that it is important to align EU scientific co-operation policies with EU foreign policy and development aid programmes;

58.  Calls on the Commission to strengthen research cooperation to foster dialogue, peace, security and economic and social development; believes that such cooperation will further enable the EU to address highly relevant issues, such as regional sustainable development, health, food security and climate change;

59.  Calls on the Commission to initiate, implement and support measures to improve the level of participation of scientists from developing countries in international collaborative science and R&D projects and to promote access to existing intellectual property globally; emphasises the importance of attracting researchers from third countries to the EU, particularly from the European neighbourhood countries, inter alia, through swifter transposition of Council Directive 2005/71/EC of 12 October 2005 on a specific procedure for admitting third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research(4), taking full account of the needs of researchers; supports the Commission's proposal for the creation of a blue card system which would be of great value for human resources in S&T not covered by the directive;

60.  Hopes that the ERA, from the point of view of its openness to the world, will favour the outermost regions and the Overseas Countries and Territories in order to make the most of the advantages and riches offered by these European or partner regions, by incorporating them coherently into scientific and technological cooperation actions in the context of networks of excellence;

61.  Considers that the countries neighbouring the EU and countries that are more aligned with the EU's geopolitical priorities, such as those of the Mediterranean basin and Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America, should be encouraged to participate in the ERA through further promotion of scientific and technological cooperation agreements;

62.  Considers that countries that are more aligned with the EU's geo-political priorities, such as those of the Mediterranean basin, should be encouraged to participate in a broader European Research Area that may gradually extend its coordination schemes, knowledge-sharing principles and researcher mobility beyond the strict boundaries of the EU and its associated countries;o

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63.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 1. (2) OJ L 400, 30.12.2006, p. 272. Corrected in OJ L 54, 22.2.2007, p. 91 (3) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2007)0212. (4) OJ L 289, 3.11.2005, p. 15.

European Parliament legislative resolution of 31 January 2008 on the common position adopted by the Council with a view to the adoption of a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 97/67/EC with regard to the full accomplishment of the internal market of Community postal services (13593/6/2007 – C6-0410/2007 – 2006/0196(COD))	P6_TA(2008)0030 A6-0505/2007
CORRIGENDA COR01

(Codecision procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Council common position (13593/6/2007 – C6-0410/2007)(1),

–   having regard to its position at first reading(2) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2006)0594),

–   having regard to Article 251(2) of the EC Treaty,

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

–   having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A6-0505/2007),

1.  Approves the common position;

2.  Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the common position;

3.  Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council pursuant to Article 254(1) of the EC Treaty;

4.  Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to have it published in the Official Journal of the European Union;

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

(1) OJ C 307 E, 18.12.2007, p. 22. (2) Texts adopted, 11.7.2007, P6_TA(2007)0336.

European Parliament resolution of 31 January 2008 on Iran

P6_TA(2008)0031 RC-B6-0046/2008

The European Parliament,

—  having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, notably those concerning the nuclear issue and human rights and in particular the resolutions adopted on 13 October 2005(1) and 17 November 2005(2), its resolution of 15 February 2006 on the confrontation between Iran and the international community(3) and its resolution of 25 October 2007 on Iran(4),

—  having regard to the conclusions of the European Council on Iran and in particular those of 14 December 2007,

—  having regard to the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737/ (2006) and 1747/ (2007) on the Iranian nuclear programme,

—  having regard to the IAEA-Iran work plan agreed between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of 21 August 2007, and aimed at clearing up issues related to Iran's nuclear programme (included in attachment INFCIRC/711 to the IAEA Board of Governors' report (GOV/2007/48) of 30 August 2007 entitled "Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran"),

—  having regard to the IAEA Board of Governors' reports and in particular to the report (GOV/2007/58) of 15 November 2007 entitled "Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions 1737 (2006) and 1747 (2007) in the Islamic Republic of Iran",

—  having regard to the United States 'National Intelligence Estimate' report on Iran's Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities (US INE) published on 3 December 2007 and the statement by the IAEA Director-General, Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, on this issue (press release 2007/22),

—  having regard to UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions 61/176 of 19 December 2006 and 62/168 of 18 December 2007 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in particular the latter,

—  having regard to UNGA resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty,

—  having regard to the second interparliamentary meeting between the European Parliament and the Majlis of the Islamic Republic of Iran held in Tehran on 8-9 December 2007,

–   having regard to the declaration by the Council Presidency on behalf of the EU of 25 January 2008 concerning death sentences in Iran,

—  having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas Article IV of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) states that nothing in that Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all Parties to that Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of that Treaty,

B.   whereas Iran has not so far suspended all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and has not ratified the NPT Additional Protocols as required to do by UNSC resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006) and 1747 (2007) in order to restore confidence in the entirely peaceful nature of its programme,

C.   whereas Dr ElBaradei, in the above-mentioned report of 15 November 2007, noted that progress had been made on the implementation of IAEA safeguards in Iran and that Iran had provided more information on past aspects of its nuclear programme; whereas he nevertheless underscored that more cooperation was needed to explain current activity, including traces of highly enriched uranium that inspectors have found at nuclear sites, and urged Iran to implement the additional protocol at the earliest possible date,

D.   whereas in talks with Dr ElBaradei, in Teheran on 12 January 2008, the Iranian leaders agreed to answer all remaining questions about their country's past nuclear activities within four weeks,

E.   whereas the US NIE established that Iran, having stopped its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, had not restarted it as of mid-2007, notwithstanding the concerns regarding the enrichment of uranium and its potential future use for nuclear weapon; whereas, following the publication of this US NIE, pre-emptive military action against Iran before the end of President Bush's term has been removed as a possibility,

F.   whereas the G8 leaders, during their annual summit held from 6 to 8 June 2007 in Heiligendamm, stressed the importance of developing and implementing a mechanism of multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle as a possible alternative to pursuing national enrichment and reprocessing activities,

On human rights

G.   whereas the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the exercise of civil rights and political freedoms has deteriorated in the last two years, notably since the presidential elections of June 2005, despite the fact that Iran has undertaken to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms under the various international instruments in this field,

H.   whereas the number of executions in Iran, including those of minors, often by public hanging, has dramatically increased in recent years and in particular during the last few months,

I.   whereas there have been confirmed instances of executions, often carried out in public by hanging or stoning, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners, the systematic and arbitrary use of prolonged solitary confinement, clandestine detention, the application of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations, and impunity for human rights violations,

J.   whereas the violent repression against political opponents, human rights defenders, journalists, web loggers, teachers, intellectuals, women, students, trade unionists, and persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities has increased,

K.   whereas minorities such as Azeris, Sufis and Sunnis are increasingly discriminated against and harassed due to their religious or ethnic background and continue to face repression of their cultural and civil rights; whereas members of certain minorities such as Ahwazis, Kurds and Baluchs even face torture and execution,

L.   whereas members of the religious community of the Baha'is cannot exercise their faith, are exposed to severe persecution and deprived of virtually all civil rights (e.g. property rights and access to higher education), and whereas their religious sites are being vandalised,

M.   whereas several activists belonging to the women's rights movement are being or have been prosecuted for their involvement in the 'one million signatures' campaign, which seeks to obtain the repeal of laws that discriminate against women and which plans to submit those one million signatures to the National Parliament (Majlis); whereas Iran is still not a party to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,

N.   whereas hundreds of professors have been removed from their teaching posts under the accusation of being too secular and whereas numerous students have been arrested following protests, such as those participating in the demonstrations for the National University Students' Day on 7 December 2007,

O.   whereas the registration of candidates for the Majlis parliamentary elections in March 2008 ended on 10 January 2008, the Ministry of the Interior will be announcing the decisions from 22 January 2008, and the Guardian Council, which supervises the validity of the elections according to the Constitution, has the right to disqualify candidates,

On EU-Iran relations

P.   whereas the Comprehensive Dialogue between the EU and Iran was suspended by Iran in December 2003 and no meeting within the framework of the EU–Iran Human Rights Dialogue has taken place since June 2004,

Q.   whereas the EU's relations with Iran in recent years have been based on a threefold approach characterised by negotiations on a Trade and Cooperation Agreement, political dialogue and a human rights dialogue, and whereas these three aspects cannot be separated,

On the nuclear issue

1.  Reaffirms that the proliferation risks of the Iranian nuclear programme remain a source of serious concern to the EU and the international community, as expressed very clearly in UNSC Resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), and 1747 (2007); therefore regrets that Iran has still not complied with its international obligations to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities;

2.  Expresses its support for the EU's efforts to find a negotiated long-term solution on the nuclear issue with Iran and underlines the essential role to be played by the IAEA;

3.  Notes the progress made on the implementation of the IAEA-Iran work plan, and repeats its calls on Iran to restore the transparency of its nuclear programme by providing full, clear and credible answers to the IAEA, to resolve all outstanding issues and concerns on this programme, including topics which could have a military dimension, to fully implement the provisions of the Comprehensive Safeguard Agreement including its subsidiary arrangements, and to ratify and implement the Additional Protocol;

4.  Reiterates its full support for the UNSC resolutions adopted under Article 41, Chapter VII of the UN Charter; endorses the above-mentioned European Council conclusions of 14 December 2007; welcomes the agreement reached at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the UNSC permanent members and Germany, as well as the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), at their meeting in Berlin on 22 January 2008 on a new draft resolution on Iran which foresees further measures and the fact that the international community maintains a common approach to the issue;

5.  Reiterates its position that a solution to the present nuclear escalation is possible and that no military action should be taken into consideration; expresses its support for Dr ElBaradei's efforts to solve all outstanding issues with Iran by March 2008; calls on the United States Administration and all other actors involved to renounce all rhetoric on military options and regime change policies against Iran;

6.  Notes the recent findings of the US NIE on the Iranian military and civilian nuclear programme; considers that these findings confirm the EU's policy of a two-track approach to convince Iran diplomatically to comply fully with the IAEA requests to abandon the potential military link to the civilian programme in a credible and controllable way;

7.  Urges Iran, therefore, to enter, without delay, into a new round of negotiations on the future direction of its nuclear programme and to suspend all enrichment-related activities; calls on the United States, following its diplomatic success in the negotiations with North Korea, to participate directly in negotiations with Iran along with the EU, since the United States is in a position to offer additional security guarantees, notably in a multilateral framework under the auspices of the IAEA in Vienna;

8.  Calls for credible multilateral nuclear disarmament steps through strengthening the NPT, and calls on the EU to take the lead in bringing the nuclear disarmament negotiations out of their current deadlock;

9.  Stresses the importance of cooperation with the United States, Russia, China and non-aligned countries in order to consider complementary concepts with a view to achieving a comprehensive agreement with Iran on its nuclear facilities and their use which takes account of Iran's security concerns;

10.  Considers that such a comprehensive agreement should help to achieve a sustainable regional security system comprising India, Pakistan and other nuclear powers, and believes that Iran should assume its responsibilities as a regional player;

11.  Calls on the international community to think seriously about and act urgently on the creation of a new multilateral framework for the utilisation of nuclear energy, guaranteeing supplies of nuclear fuel while minimising the risk of proliferation, as proposed by the IAEA;

On human rights

12.  Expresses its deep concern over the deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran during recent years; appeals to the Iranian authorities to honour their obligations in accordance with international human rights standards and instruments ratified by Iran, by promoting universal values and granting all persons the right to exercise their civil rights and political freedoms, and recalls its above-mentioned resolution of 25 October 2007 on the issue;

13.  Strongly condemns the death sentences and executions in Iran, in particular those imposed or carried out on juvenile offenders and minors, and urges the Iranian authorities to respect the internationally recognised legal safeguards with regard to minors, such as the International Convention on the Rights of the Child;

14.  Is deeply concerned about the dramatic increase in the repression of civil society movements in Iran over the past year; calls on the Iranian authorities to put an end to the harsh repression against women's rights defenders, activists of the 'one million signatures' campaign, student movements, minority rights defenders, intellectuals, teachers, journalists, web loggers and trade unionists - notably Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi - and calls for the release of all those who have been imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their convictions;

15.  Protests vehemently against the execution in Iran on 30 January 2008 at 4 am local time of the Ahwazi activist Zamel Bawi, the 19th Ahwazi activist executed in the last twelve months, and urges the Iranian government to desist from executing the Dutch citizen and human-rights activist Faleh Abdulah al-Mansouri and the UNHCR-registered refugees Rasoul Ali Mazrea and Said Saki, whose resettlement to Norway has been secured, as well as to allow them to proceed to their countries of citizenship or refuge; calls for the release of the Kurdish journalists Abdolvahed "Hiwa" Butimar and Adnan Hassanpour who have been sentenced to death;

16.  Urges the Iranian authorities to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of torture including extremely inhumane executions and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and to uphold due process of law and end impunity for human rights violations; calls on the Iranian authorities to amend urgently the penal code in order to transform the moratorium on stoning into a definitive ban;

17.  Welcomes the above-mentioned UNGA resolution 62/149 calling for a global moratorium to be introduced as a step towards the abolition of the death penalty; calls on Iran to apply the recently adopted resolution on a moratorium on executions;

18.  Urges the Iranian authorities to respect internationally recognised legal safeguards with regard to persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities, recognised or otherwise; strongly condemns the current disrespect for minority rights and calls for minorities to be able to exercise all rights granted by the Iranian Constitution and international law; urges the Iranian authorities to act constitutionally and eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities, including, inter alia, Arabs, Azeris, Baluchs, Kurds, Baha'is, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims; calls in particular for the de facto ban on practising the Baha'i faith to be lifted;

19.  Condemns the repression against political opponents, human rights defenders, journalists, web loggers, teachers, intellectuals, women, students, trade unionists, and persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities; urges the Iranian authorities to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of these citizens, and to release unconditionally all prisoners of conscience;

20.  Calls on the Council and Commission to continue their examination of the human rights situation in Iran and to submit to Parliament in the first half of 2008 a comprehensive report on the matter, including proposals for projects that could be financed in the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;

21.  Expresses its support for all democratic political forces and for civil society, especially for the women's and students' associations which are campaigning non-violently in Iran, despite growing repression, for democracy and human rights;

22.  Expects the Iranian authorities to exercise their responsibility for the screening procedure of candidates for the upcoming national elections in such a way as to guarantee that they will be free and fair;

On EU-Iran relations

23.  Underlines that the possible future conclusion of a Cooperation and Trade Agreement between Iran and the EU depends on a substantial improvement in Iran's human rights situation as well as on Iran's full cooperation with the IAEA and objective guarantees regarding the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme;

24.  Takes note of the decision of the British Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission of 30 November 2007 calling on the UK Home Secretary to remove the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran from the list of proscribed organisations immediately;

25.  Notes the judgment of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities of 12 December 2006(5);

26.  Calls on the Commission to submit a communication on the situation and the perspectives of EU-Iran relations and urges both sides to restart the human rights dialogue, in parallel with the negotiations for a Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which could be concluded if Iran makes the necessary progress in the field of human rights and on the nuclear issue;

27.  Calls on the Commission to establish a delegation in Iran in order to promote dialogue with the authorities and with civil society and to intensify contacts concerning, notably, aid to refugees and the fight against drug trafficking;

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28.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the CFSP, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the Presidents of the UNSC, the UNGA and the UN Human Rights Council, the Director-General of the IAEA, the Head of the State Supreme Court of Iran, and the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(1) OJ C 233 E, 28.9.2006, p. 111. (2) OJ C 280 E, 18.11.2006, p. 468. (3) OJ C 290 E, 29.11.2006, p. 145. (4) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2007)0488. (5) Case T-228/02,[2006] ECR II-4665.

European Parliament resolution of 31 January 2008 on the outcome of the Bali Conference on Climate Change (COP 13 and COP/MOP 3)

P6_TA(2008)0032 B6-0059/2008

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Third Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 3), held in Bali, Indonesia, from 3 to 15 December 2007,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in Valencia, Spain, on 17 November 2007,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions regarding climate change, and in particular that of 15 November 2007 on limiting global climate change to 2 degrees Celsius – the way ahead for the Bali Conference on Climate Change and beyond (COP 13 and COP/MOP 3)(1),

–   having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas the IPCC AR4 affirms that the accelerating pace of climate change is the result of human activity and is already causing severe global effects,

B.   whereas the Bali Action Plan endorses the findings of the IPCC AR4 that global warming is unequivocal, and that delay in reducing emissions significantly constrains opportunities to achieve lower stabilisation levels and increases the risk of more severe climate-change impacts,

C.   whereas many areas in the world have already been affected by the effects of an increase in global average temperatures, and whereas the latest scientific evidence suggests that the EU's agreed long-term goal of limiting warming to +2°C compared to pre-industrial levels may not be sufficient to avoid significant negative effects of climate change,

D.   whereas climate change is a long-term problem and whereas short-term measures alone will not suffice to bring about positive effects on climate; whereas for the climate system it is crucial to ensure that global emissions will peak within the next 10-15 years,

E.   whereas industrialised countries have a major responsibility for the accumulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere; whereas the poorest countries and populations will be hit hardest by a more unstable climate,

F.   whereas a broad international agreement on long-term targets for emission reductions is absolutely essential in order to provide investment certainty for low GHG-emitting technologies as well as energy efficiency and sustainable forestry, and to avoid investments in energy infrastructure which are incompatible with the emissions targets,

1.  Welcomes the decision taken by the Parties at the Bali Conference to launch, within the framework of the UNFCCC, a formal negotiation process for an international climate agreement for the period after 2012 with a view to achieving an agreement and adopting a decision at the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to be held in Copenhagen in 2009;

2.  Expresses its satisfaction that the Bali Action Plan contains a clear timetable, sets the deadline of 2009 for the conclusion of the agreement and indicates the key issues which will be addressed during the negotiations, and believes that it thus provides a good basis for the negotiating process;

3.  Reiterates that such an agreement should build on key principles and mechanisms of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, taking into account common but differentiated responsibilities, and that it should be based on the elements identified in paragraph 2 of its above-mentioned resolution of 15 November 2007;

4.  Considers the overcoming of the rigid distinction between Annex I and non-Annex I countries to be one of the most significant achievements of the Bali Action Plan;

5.  Stresses the constructive and leading role played by the EU at the Bali Conference, which greatly facilitated the breakthrough in the negotiations; supports the continuation of such an active role in the forthcoming negotiations and insists that Parliament must be very closely involved in these negotiations;

6.  Welcomes the recognition by the Parties that IPCC AR4 represents the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of climate change to date, providing an integrated scientific, technical and socio-economic perspective on relevant issues, as well as the encouragement to draw on this information in the development of national policies on climate change;

7.  Regrets that it was not possible to make unambiguous references to science in relation to the necessary reductions of GHG emissions in the Bali Action Plan; welcomes, however, the recognition of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that reductions of GHG emissions in the range of 25-40% compared to 1990 by industrialised countries as a group are required by 2020;

8.  Recalls that industrialised countries, including those that have not yet ratified the Kyoto Protocol, must play a leading role in tackling climate change at world level and commit themselves to reducing their GHG emissions by at least 30% by 2020 and by 60-80% by 2050 compared to 1990;

9.  Welcomes the constructive approach to the negotiations taken by a majority of the developing countries and their commitment to engage in nationally appropriate mitigation actions in the context of sustainable development, supported and enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building, in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner;

10.  Stresses that sustainable economic development is a right for all developing countries; emphasises that the European Union and other industrialised countries must assist the developing countries in the development of sustainable technologies;

11.  Recalls that the credibility and effectiveness of the global efforts cannot be achieved without deeper, measurable, reportable and verifiable commitments by all the parties involved;

12.  Considers that finding an equitable solution is fundamental to the success of international climate policy;

13.  Considers that, as an innovation in comparison to the Kyoto Protocol, the different situation of developing countries should be reflected in the commitments entered into, and that emerging countries should accept limits on their emissions in accordance with their stage of development, the sectoral composition of their economies, their emission reduction potential and their technical and financial capacities;

14.  Considers that there is room for innovation, in relation to the existing Kyoto Protocol mechanisms, in the forms of commitment and the targets set for developing and emerging countries, so as to make such commitments compatible with each country's needs and capabilities, provided that these are measurable, reportable and verifiable;

15.  Welcomes the decision to undertake a programme of work on methodological issues relating to a range of policy approaches and positive incentives that aim at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, taking account in a balanced manner of the multiple functions and benefits of forests for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and local livelihoods; also welcomes the fact that the Parties are encouraged to support capacity building, to provide technical assistance and to make efforts, including pilot projects, to address the drivers of deforestation and the need to support the sustainable utilisation of natural resources;

16.  Welcomes the decision concerning the management of the Adaptation Fund in an effective and transparent manner, which ensures that it will become operational at an early stage of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol;

17.  Welcomes the decision to launch a strategic programme to scale up the level of investment for the development, transfer and deployment of both the mitigation and adaptation technologies to developing countries, as well as the allocation to the Expert Group on Technology Transfer of the task of assessing the gaps in and barriers to the use of, and access to, financial resources;

18.  Is of the opinion that research into, and the development and demonstration of, more efficient and less costly energy technologies should be a high priority; calls for close collaboration between governments, industry, the research community and civil society;

19.  Considers that the next Conference/Meeting of the Parties in Poznan should focus on developing countries, and therefore insists that serious efforts be made to achieve real progress regarding incentives, including market-based instruments, to avoid deforestation and encourage sustainable forestry, the financing of adaptation and improvements in the transfer and deployment of clean technologies in developing countries;

20.  Calls for significant and predictable financial instruments to be developed within the framework of the EU's policies in order to help developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to reduce GHG emissions as well as deforestation and forest degradation; recalls the need for closer critical monitoring of the real impact of existing and future climate-related financial instruments on developing countries; considers that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) should be reformed in order to deliver its full potential during the 2008-2012 commitment period;

21.  Stresses that a "greening" of the EU's development policy and aid is necessary and urgent, and should be implemented without contradicting the EU's environment and climate-change policies; regrets the very slow progress in this area and calls on the EU's leadership to make climate-change mitigation and adaptation key priorities within EU development cooperation policies;

22.  Stresses that, in order to maintain the credibility of the Bali Action Plan, industrialised countries must, as a matter of urgency, enter into climate partnerships with major emerging economies such as China and India with a view to promoting close cooperation on energy policy reform, capacity building, support to investments in energy efficiency and low-carbon technology;

23.  Regrets that it was not possible to include a clear reference to the need to agree on binding emission cuts in aviation and maritime transport; notes that the Bali mandate does not exclude binding measures for aviation and maritime transport; reiterates its call for aviation and maritime transport emissions to be included in international GHG reduction commitments for the post-2012 period under the auspices of the UNFCCC, as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have not proved efficient in dealing with the issue;

24.  Stresses the importance of ensuring that all major sectors involved in international trade are engaged in all worldwide climate commitments and benchmarks, in order to guarantee that the global target for climate change is achieved and to prevent the global distortion of competition;

25.  Calls for an urgent review of EU biofuels policy, with particular emphasis on the life-cycle sustainability of each biofuel in terms of GHG reductions; underlines that developing and implementing biofuel strategies as an energy option should take fully into account for, and safeguard against, any associated negative environmental, social and economic impact; calls on the Commission, therefore, to propose robust standards and clear criteria for biofuel production;

26.  Underlines that Parliament is looking forward to the report by the Commission and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy on the consequences of climate change for international security, as requested by the Presidency conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 21-22 June 2007; stresses that special emphasis must be placed on key areas such as mitigation, adaptation and the mainstreaming of climate change in all policies, as climate change could be a major cause of destabilisation of the poorest countries;

27.  Conscious of the magnitude of the challenge for the upcoming negotiations, insists that climate policy must become a key priority and component in all of the EU's external relations with third countries, regional conventions and economic organisations; furthermore, calls on the four Presidencies (Slovenia, France, the Czech Republic and Sweden) in 2008 and 2009 to keep Parliament informed of their objectives regarding climate policy, and to report regularly, together with the Commission, on progress made in the negotiations;

28.  Urges the Commission to explore, as long as a level playing-field does not exist, possibilities for industry to enhance its economic opportunities by developing an innovative "climate-friendly" industry; calls, therefore, for consideration to be given in the WTO to introducing temporary measures that favour the manufacture and export of climate-friendly products and innovative technology;

29.  Calls for all of its relevant standing and temporary committees and delegations to work closely together on climate change, so as to guarantee a coherent and coordinated approach in all its policies, namely, environmental, industrial, energy and transport, agriculture, research and development and, in particular, trade and investment policy, as well as other initiatives with regard to climate-change targets; calls for climate-change issues to be regularly raised at interparliamentary delegation level and in the context of the Transatlantic Legislative Dialogue;

30.  Recognises that the credibility of EU negotiations relies on the success of Europe's domestic reduction efforts and on the development and transfer of low-carbon technologies to other countries; calls, therefore, for the adoption at all levels – local, national and European – of policies and measures which will ensure that the EU achieves domestic reductions in GHG emissions of at least of 30% from their 1990 level by 2020, provided that other industrialised countries commit themselves to similar GHG emission reductions and that more economically advanced developing countries make a contribution commensurate with their responsibilities and respective capacities; acknowledges the obligation accepted by the EU – irrespective of the conclusion of a global agreement for the period after 2012 – to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20% from their 1990 level by 2020; calls for the adoption of policies and measures that will support the spending of more funds at both national and EU level on R&D and innovation in GHG reduction;

31.  Calls on the EU to use its power and influence, as a major actor in the international arena and as a partner of the developing world, in order to introduce coherent climate-change objectives at international level;

32.  Emphasises the historical responsibility of mainly industrialised countries as foremost producers of GHG emissions, and therefore calls on them to make a greater commitment to avoiding and limiting the natural disasters and social unrest which are bound to follow unless global warming is limited;

33.  Notes the initiative taken by the US administration to convene a further five meetings of the world's major emitters; calls on the Commission and the Member States concerned to make their participation conditional on concrete proposals from the hosts for short-term emission reduction targets which are consistent with the aims and objectives of the UNFCCC; calls for the world's major emitters to coordinate their efforts with those of the UNFCCC;

34.  Notes that the above-mentioned Conference/Meeting of the Parties to be held in Poznan will take place simultaneously with the European Council; calls on the Council to reschedule the European Council in order to enable Heads of State and Heads of Government to attend the COP/MOP and to ensure that the COP/MOP receives the full attention of governments;

35.  Is convinced that, if the above objectives are to be attained, it will be necessary to involve the media, whose role will be vital in creating the necessary mass awareness of the climate changes to come in the short and medium term;

36.  Believes, in line with what was discussed at the Bali Conference with parliamentary representatives from all over the world, that Parliament can and should play an important role as coordinator of a permanent interparliamentary forum on climate change; calls, therefore, on its own relevant bodies to consider this possibility;

37.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Secretariat of the UNFCCC, with the request that it be circulated to all non-EU contracting parties to the UNFCCC and to observers associated with it.

(1) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2007)0537.

European Parliament resolution of 31 January 2008 on an Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential (2007/2106(INI))

P6_TA(2008)0033 A6-0003/2008

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission Communication entitled Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential (COM(2006)0545),

–   having regard to the Commission staff working document (SEC(2006)1173) accompanying the abovementioned Commission Communication,

–   having regard to the impact assessment of the Action Plan (SEC(2006)1174), and the executive summary (SEC(2006)1175),

–   having regard to the Commission Communication entitled An Energy Policy for Europe (COM(2007)0001),

–   having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council of 8 and 9 March 2007 concerning the Council's endorsement of a 'European Council Action Plan (2007-2009) − Energy Policy for Europe' (7224/07),

–   having regard to Council Directive 92/75/EEC of 22 September 1992 on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by household appliances(1),

–   having regard to Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the energy performance of buildings(2),

–   having regard to Directive 2004/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 on the promotion of cogeneration based on a useful heat demand in the internal energy market(3),

–   having regard to Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products(4),

–   having regard to Directive 2006/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on energy end-use efficiency and energy services(5),

–   having regard to Council Decision 2006/1005/EC of 18 December 2006 concerning the conclusion of the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community on the coordination of energy-efficiency labelling programmes for office equipment(6) and to the text of the abovementioned agreement(7),

–   having regard to the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Community energy-efficiency labelling programme for office equipment (COM(2006)0576),

–   having regard to Decision No 1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013)(8) and in particular its Chapter III of Title II thereof, concerning the Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme,

–   having regard to Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013)(9),

–   having regard to Regulation (EC) No 761/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 March 2001 allowing voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)(10),

–   having regard to its resolution of 1 June 2006 on Energy efficiency or doing more with less − Green Paper(11),

–   having regard to its resolution of 14 December 2006 on a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy – Green Paper(12),

–   having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the opinions of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Committee on Regional Development (A6-0003/2008),

A.   whereas chaotic climate change will result if global temperatures rise by more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as is attested to, inter alia, by the May 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; whereas drastic cuts in carbon emissions are necessary by 2015 if the rise in global temperatures is to be kept to no more than two degrees Celsius; whereas using energy more efficiently is the most immediate and most cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions;

B.   whereas energy efficiency has a crucial role to play in reducing the European Union's dependency on energy imports, in tackling the future penury of energy sources and in limiting the effect of energy price shocks;

C.   whereas the impact assessment relating to the Action Plan for Energy Efficiency acknowledged a lack of enforcement capabilities at all policy-making levels within the Commission and estimated that an additional 20 staff would be needed in order to make the Action Plan a success;

D.   whereas Directive 2002/91/EC has been properly transposed by only five Member States;

E.   whereas Directive 2006/32/EC requires Member States to submit a National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) to the Commission by 30 June 2007; whereas by 1 September 2007 the Commission had received only nine NEEAPs, and by 10 January 2008 still only seventeen NEEAPs;

F. or.  PL whereas implementation by the Member States of Directive 2004/8/EC is late and far from perfect;

G.   whereas the European Union is one of the richest and most technologically advanced regions of the world; whereas the European Union has increased its economic output by nearly 40% and average per capita income by a third since 1990;whereas, over the same period, demand for energy and power resources grew by only 11%;

H.   whereas information and communication technologies – if given the right policy signals – could generate additional productivity gains beyond the EU's 20% target; whereas certain technologies such as smart grid technology, intelligent management systems and speckled computing technologies should therefore be the subject of effective policy recommendations;

1.  Welcomes the abovementioned 2006 Action Plan for Energy Efficiency and applauds its objectives and scope;

2.  Considers that a target of improving energy efficiency by over 20% by 2020, in addition to any improvements due to autonomous structural or price effects, is entirely feasible technically and economically, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that this objective as well as the climate change targets are met;

3.  Notes with grave concern that implementation by Member States of existing legislation on energy efficiency is incomplete and behind schedule;

4.  Stresses the need for the energy-efficiency policy to be implemented at all levels of government;

5.  Regrets that implementation by Member States of Directive 2004/8/EC is incomplete and far behind schedule;

6.  Censures the failure to put in place the number of Commission officials needed in order to ensure that both the Action Plan and the energy efficiency legislation on which it builds are implemented fully and promptly;

7.  Deplores the fact that, of 21 Commission actions scheduled in the Action Plan for completion in 2007, only three had been fully implemented by 1 September 2007, while noting that, by 30 October 2007, 16 of those 21 actions were reported by the Commission to be 'well on track'; deplores the severe slippage in the timetable for the adoption of minimum energy performance standards for priority product groups; 

8.  Censures the failure of many Member State governments to prioritise full and prompt transposition of, and compliance with, energy efficiency legislation, despite rhetoric about tackling climate change and reducing EU energy imports;

9.  Urges the Commission to speed up the drafting of the future memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER), which will lay down common guidelines and a common code of conduct, with a view to improving the efficiency of final energy use in all sectors;

10.  Calls for an urgent and frank assessment, in the Commission and in each Member State, of the capacity shortfalls and other barriers which to date have led to inadequate implementation of energy efficiency legislation, and of how these shortfalls and barriers can be overcome;

11.  Notes in particular the widespread lack of simple, immediate information and organisational support on energy efficiency at the point of need, which may arise suddenly (e.g. when a domestic appliance or other equipment breaks down) or be connected with particular events (e.g. moving house); believes that a lack of attention to the practical needs of citizens is undermining many energy efficiency schemes and therefore stresses the importance of practical help and up-front funding;

12.  Emphasises that information and communication technologies (ICTs) should be promoted as a key element in driving forward energy saving in various sectors such as transport, construction, energy and manufacturing; in this context, welcomes the Commission's study to assess the potential contribution of various leading-edge technologies based on ICTs to improving the energy efficiency of the EU economy and reducing green house gas emissions by 2020; urges the Commission to include intelligent management systems in general, and smart grid technologies and embedded systems in particular, in the matters covered by that study;

Equipment and appliances

13.  Welcomes the strategy of adopting minimum energy performance standards and calls on the Commission to establish and apply them by 2008 for air conditioning and all types of television set-top boxes; urges that this be done in conjunction with a dynamic revision of labelling and notes that the CE marking can support the enforcement of minimum energy performance standards; calls on the Member States to devote more resources to market surveillance;

14.  Approves the adding of domestic lighting to the list of priority product groups and stresses the importance of the Commission's keeping to the proposed timetable for the withdrawal of the most inefficient lightbulbs from the market, in line with the European Council conclusions of March 2007;

15.  Notes recent progress in LED lamp technology; calls on the Commission to explore ways of advancing research into LED lamps and of increasing their use;

16.  Urges the Commission to establish timetables for the withdrawal from the market of all the least energy-efficient items of equipment, appliances and other energy-using products, such as patio heaters;

17.  Welcomes the emphasis on stand-by loss reduction and on the increasing availability of products and technologies which ensure that energy-using goods and appliances use energy only when it is actually needed; calls on the Commission to come forward with a 'one watt' stand-by performance requirement and an analysis of the potential energy savings to be made from both minimising and eliminating non-essential stand-by mode consumption, particularly passive stand-by;

18.  Welcomes the signing of a new Energy Star Agreement with the United States establishing common energy efficiency standards for office equipment, and particularly the inclusion in the implementing regulation of a mandatory public procurement provision; urges the Commission to take forward negotiations on extending the scope of EU-US Energy Star cooperation to other products, in line with the commitment made at the EU-US summit of 30 April 2007;

19.  Welcomes the proposal to establish by 2010 minimum performance standards for all other significant energy-using appliances and equipment; calls on the Commission to start with the least energy-efficient products on the market;

20.  Supports the Commission in its efforts to formulate criteria for the eco-labelling of heating and cooling technologies, covering in particular primary energy use, with a view to ensuring that users are guaranteed reliable information on the most effective and environmentally-friendly options available on the market for equipment for the heating and cooling of buildings;

21.  Urges rigorous implementation of the 2006 requirements relating to the installation of smart meters in order to raise consumer awareness of electricity use, to help electricity suppliers manage demand more effectively and to help improve the requirements relating to energy-efficiency statistics;

22.  Calls for the formulation of a standard for intelligent heat meters to be used in central heating systems and remote heating networks with a view to encouraging end users to behave more responsibly ('pay for what you use') and to getting rid of fixed-cost systems, which have the opposite effect;

23.  Takes the view that industrial technologies should ensure that less energy is used in production processes; believes that considerable energy savings could be made by reducing the weight of road vehicles and other means of transport;

Building performance requirements

24.  Urges the Commission to expedite infringement procedures against those Member States which have not properly transposed or fully implemented Directive 2002/91/EC;

25.  Given the long life of buildings, notes the paramount importance of ensuring that new buildings are constructed to the highest energy-efficiency standards possible and that existing buildings are upgraded to contemporary standards; considers that the demolition of energy-inefficient buildings, combined with the construction of new energy-efficient buildings, might sometimes be supported as an alternative to refurbishment;

26.  Calls on the Commission to revise Directive 2002/91/EC so as to include, within the scope of Article 6 from 2009 onwards, all buildings requiring heating or cooling, regardless of their size;

27.  Calls on the Commission, in its review of the performance of boilers, to have regard to the fact that cogeneration (micro combined heat and power) boilers are by far the most efficient, and to set minimum performance requirements for boilers accordingly;

28.  Welcomes the proposal to lay down minimum performance requirements for new and renovated buildings and for building components such as windows and window films;

29.  Calls on the Commission to propose a binding requirement that all new buildings needing to be heated and/or cooled be constructed to passive house or equivalent non-residential standards from 2011 onwards, and a requirement to use passive heating and cooling solutions from 2008;

30.  Calls on the Commission to consider the gradual introduction of district heating and cooling grids for all buildings in order to reduce fossil fuel use in heating and cooling by utilising the losses occurring in the transformation of energy;

31.  Calls on the Commission to consider architectural solutions for passive heating and cooling, such as construction structures with thermal properties, when considering taxation and other measures for promoting energy efficiency;

32.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote district cooling from renewable sources of energy as an efficient alternative to meeting the growing demand for comfort cooling;

33.  Calls on the Commission to create a transparent database, accessible to Union citizens, of national, regional and local measures promoting energy efficiency in buildings, in particular financing measures, in the interests of the exchange of best practices in the EU and of public information and awareness;

Power generation and distribution

34.  Urges Member States to include in their NEEAPs plans to increase high-efficiency cogeneration and to move towards the holistic planning and fostering of electricity, heating and cooling supply and urges the Commission to look unfavourably on NEEAPs which fail to do this; more generally urges the Member States to promote measures to encourage the use of, and remove administrative barriers to, small-scale and micro cogeneration;;

35.  Points out that transport and distribution are among the sources of energy losses and causes of power cuts and stresses the role that microgeneration and decentralised and diversified generation might play in guaranteeing supply security and reducing losses; considers that incentives should be created aimed at improving infrastructure with a view to reducing transmission and distribution losses;

36.  Calls on the Commission to pay greater attention to the heat market, as heat represents the largest share of energy consumption, and to instruments (urban planning, heat mapping, investment incentives) that will allow the recovery of surplus heat from renewable sources through the development of district heating and cooling infrastructures;

37.  Calls on the Commission to monitor closely the implementation of Directive 2004/8/EC and to assess whether support schemes are adequate to harness the national potential for high-efficiency cogeneration;

38.  Draws the Commission's attention to the need for local cooling networks to be introduced as an effective alternative response to the growing demand for comfort cooling and also to the need for a drastic reduction in related CO2 emissions;

39.  Calls on the Commission to extend the scope of existing financial incentives to developments which enable energy produced from renewable sources to be fed into existing networks set up for fossil fuel energy; considers that improving existing networks would significantly increase the efficiency of energy production from renewable sources in a shorter time and for less cost, at the same time helping to increase security of supply as a result of such timely improvements;

Transport

40.  Calls on the Commission to set minimum energy performance requirements for all transport modes, including public transport; stresses the need for an energy-efficient transport policy giving preference to public transport, cycling and walking in urban areas; welcomes the Green Paper on Urban Transport and calls on the Commission to launch an initiative specifically concerning urban transport and the issue of integrating climate protection, energy saving and public health in a sustainable mobility policy for towns and cities; encourages urban authorities in the EU to consider measures to reduce CO2 emissions from cars and from passenger car traffic, for example by means of congestion charges; recalls that binding annual car emissions in respect of all new passenger cars sold contribute to the EU reaching its binding CO2 targets;

41.  Calls for Directive 1999/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions in respect of the marketing of new passenger cars to enable car labelling using a clear multi-class rating system as used in appliance labelling (currently the seven-class A to G scale)(13); proposes that a minimum of 20% of any space devoted to the advertising and marketing of new cars should provide information on fuel efficiency and emissions;

42.  Regrets also that the directive proposed in respect of passenger car taxation, aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in line with the EU's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, has still not been adopted by the Council, and urges its rapid adoption and implementation;

43.  Calls on the Commission to devise a framework strategy to facilitate substantive improvements to the efficiency of urban and suburban public transport, requiring operators of urban and suburban public transport systems to conduct studies and feasibility studies focusing on system-related efficiency and service levels, the strategy in question being geared to adjusting the establishment of horizontal support schemes aimed at developing public transport systems in such a way that those schemes comply with stricter conditions regarding efficiency and consistency;

44.  Welcomes the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking, the aim of which is to produce greener, more environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient aircraft;

Financial arrangements and regional policy

45.  Notes the importance of access to structural funding in the financing of energy efficiency, through bodies such as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and also through private banking schemes;

46.  Calls on the Commission to raise from 3% to a minimum of 5% the proportion of structural and cohesion funding which should be spent on improving the energy efficiency of existing homes, and to require Member States to take full advantage of this opportunity;

47.  Regrets the complexity of much EU funding for energy efficiency, notwithstanding the existence of the Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises Initiative (JEREMIE); notes that the lack of simple and accessible funding constitutes a huge barrier for small businesses and micro-businesses in particular, which do not have the necessary capacity to access complex programmes;

48.  Notes the vital importance of research and development and innovation in the area of energy efficiency; urges Member States, regional authorities, local authorities and NGOs to take advantage of the funding available under the Seventh Framework Programme, the Structural Funds and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme/Intelligent Energy Europe, which are intended to stimulate research into energy efficiency and to promote renewable energy technologies and the development of new modes of energy transport and storage designed to reduce energy losses; urges the Commission to respond generously to calls for funding for research into energy efficiency; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that energy efficiency is given high priority in the sustained efforts that are to be made to maximise the use of EU research and technology development programmes;

49.  Calls for micro businesses to be treated like domestic households and offered very simple financing for energy-efficiency improvements, such as upfront grants;

50.  Calls on the Commission to support state aid rules that are more favourable to energy efficiency measures (such as eco-innovation and productivity improvements); believes that such rules should be simple, practical and transparent, removing barriers to the effective implementation of energy-efficiency measures;

51.  Calls on the Commission, as a matter of the utmost urgency, to put forward proposals for specific measures aimed at achieving greater energy efficiency in the outermost regions, geared to their particular characteristics resulting from the effects of the permanent constraints to which those regions are subject;

52.  Stresses the role of local and regional energy agencies in the effective implementation of energy-efficient measures; calls for the involvement of all agencies (European, national and local) in the formulation and implementation of energy-efficiency action plans;

Taxation

53.  Calls on the Council to encourage the Member States to apply a reduced rate of value added tax on labour, materials and components which improve energy efficiency in buildings; calls on the Council to ensure that the overall tax system reflects, in a coherent way, the aim of improving energy efficiency in buildings;

54.  Encourages Member States to make full use of the possibility of a reduced rate of VAT on labour in the renovation and repair of private dwellings to improve energy efficiency; welcomes the Commission's decision to evaluate the effectiveness of tax credits both for consumers buying the most energy-efficient appliances and for undertakings which produce and promote such equipment;

55.  Notes that taxation falls within the competence of the Member States; notes that taxation measures chosen by Member States may be an element of all NEEAPs; advocates the internalisation of environmental costs;

56.  Calls on all Member States to introduce specific incentives to encourage households, micro-businesses and private landlords to pursue energy-efficiency measures and buy energy-efficient products;

57.  Considers that tax incentives could in certain circumstances be available for the demolition of energy-inefficient buildings, when combined with the construction of new energy-efficient buildings;

Changing behaviour

58.  Points to the major role to be played by the public sector in promoting energy-efficient solutions;

59.  Agrees that education and training programmes relating to energy efficiency have a key role to play, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises; notes that energy education should start at a very early age with the incorporation of related courses within the educational programmes of schools throughout the EU; notes that rolling out innovative techniques for construction and energy management will require a large cadre of appropriately skilled workers; is concerned that Member States have not yet produced adequate training programmes for energy-efficiency related skills; calls for human resource requirements to be regarded as an essential element of NEEAPs;

60.  Encourages regional and local authorities to develop close partnerships with regional energy agencies in order to improve training facilities for energy technicians and professionals working in related sectors; stresses the need for more coordinated networks of local actors in order to disseminate best practices in energy efficiency to less developed regions;

61.  Stresses the role that public procurement, as well as services such as energy audits might play in reducing waste and promoting the improved exploitation of each building's energy potential; urges the Member States and their regional, local and other public authorities to be the first to set an example, not only in administrative buildings but also in other public buildings such as schools, universities and hospitals and in entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services;

62.  Calls on the Commission to increase research into behavioural economics and human decision-making so as to help to tailor future energy-efficiency information campaigns (such as the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign) and thus maximise their benefits;

63.  Agrees that energy efficiency starts at home; calls on the Commission, the Council and its own departments to take the lead by requiring exemplary energy performance standards to be set for all EU institution buildings, as part of a wider audit of energy use by the institutions which should embrace working and travel arrangements, incentives and locations, as well as equipment and procurement;

64.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to organise – on an annual basis – a European Action Day on Energy Efficiency;

65.  Notes that the high-tech sector can play a crucial role in raising consumer awareness and increasing the willingness of consumers to contribute to energy efficiency by offering products that are both energy-efficient and of an improved standard;

66.  Considers that energy service contracts between energy suppliers and consumers are an effective means of increasing the efficiency of heating and cooling installations; calls on the Commission to remove the administrative and legal barriers to the conclusion of such contracts;

Cities

67.  Recognises the importance of exchanging and promoting best urban practices in relation to energy efficiency; suggests that the existing Eurocities forum could be an effective vehicle for doing this;

68.  Urges the Commission and the other EU institutions to work together with the big cities in the EU, favouring budgets for twinning and the exchange of good practices between the major cities;

69.  Welcomes the Covenant of Mayors initiative, bringing together in a permanent network the mayors of 20 to 30 of Europe's largest and most pioneering cities, and calls for further details regarding its establishment; emphasises, however, that the Covenant of Mayors must complement the activities of similar networks which already exist;

The global dimension

70.  Supports the Commission in its proposal to set up the Platform for International Cooperation on Energy Efficiency; calls on the Member States and the Commission to enhance international cooperation in the energy-efficiency field so as to ensure that new regulations and standards do not fragment the global market; calls for these international – bilateral and multilateral – agreements to embrace not only a shared commitment to minimum energy-efficiency performance standards but also the sharing of energy-efficiency technology; notes the strategic imperative of technology diffusion, which requires a public-interest approach to intellectual property rights;

71.  Acknowledges the ongoing work at technical level on shared energy-efficiency standards, particularly with China; is concerned that this work is undermined by the lack of coordination between Member States, giving rise to confusion in third countries; calls for an integrated approach with regard to standards;

72.  Notes the widespread concern that Russia will not be able to meet its domestic and contractual gas demand, and urges the Commission, in the interests of energy security, to commit greater resources to the EU-Russia Energy Efficiency Dialogue, with particular attention being paid to the upgrading of Russian district heating networks and to the utilisation of gas currently flared on oil fields;

73.  Welcomes the Council initiative for an Africa-EU Energy Partnership, and calls for this partnership to prioritise energy-efficient and sustainable growth in Africa;

o
o   o

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

(1) OJ L 297, 13.10.1992, p. 16. Directive as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1). (2) OJ L 1, 4.1.2003, p. 65. (3) OJ L 52, 21.2.2004, p. 50. (4) OJ L 191, 22.7.2005, p. 29. (5) OJ L 114, 27.4.2006, p. 64. (6) OJ L 381, 28.12.2006, p. 24. (7) OJ L 381, 28.12.2006, p. 26. (8) OJ L 310, 9.11.2006, p. 15. (9) OJ L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 1. (10) OJ L 114, 24.4.2001, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1791/2006 (OJ L 363, 20.12.2006, p. 1). (11) OJ C 298 E, 8.12.2006, p. 273. (12) OJ C 317 E, 23.12.2006, p. 876. (13) OJ L 12, 18.1.2000, p. 16.

European Parliament resolution of 31 January 2008 on a policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries (2007/2112(INI))

P6_TA(2008)0034 A6-0495/2007

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament entitled "A policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries" (COM(2007)0136),

–   having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy(1), in particular Article 2 thereof,

–   having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on a Community Action Plan to reduce discards of fish (COM(2002)0656), and to the European Parliament's resolution thereon of 19 June 2003(2),

–   having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2006 on more environmentally friendly fishing methods(3),

–   having regard to the Agreement of 1995 for the implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks,

–   having regard to the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Framework for Community Action in the field of Marine Environmental Policy (Marine Strategy Directive) (COM(2005)0505), and to the position of the European Parliament thereon of 14 November 2006(4),

–   having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries and the opinion of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (A6-0495/2007),

A.   whereas discards are a worldwide problem that have been estimated to account for between 7 million and 27 million tonnes per year, equivalent to one quarter of all fish and other species caught, and whereas there is no estimate available for the EU as a whole, the FAO estimates that discards in the North Sea are 500 000 to 880 000 tonnes,

B.   whereas such extensive discarding harms the environment, inhibits the recovery of depleted stocks and costs the fishing industry time and energy,

C.   whereas Commissioner Borg has described such quantities of discards as "unethical",

D.   whereas the involvement of all fisheries policy stakeholders, particularly from the fishing industry, is an essential condition for defining measures that can contribute to the sustainable management of marine resources,

E.   whereas discarding is a phenomenon that is not only related to the use of a particular gear type (which occurs with most gears, although some gear types such as trawls tend to result in greater discarding than others) but is also influenced by the nature of the fishery concerned, as in the case of European fisheries, almost all of which are multispecies in nature, where the risk of discards is higher; whereas some artisanal fisheries may have lower discard rates since they make greater use of the fish caught and use their knowledge of the fishing grounds to avoid unwanted catch,

F.   whereas fisheries with high discard rates could result in public concern over the environmental impact of fishing, causing reduced public confidence in fish on the market and ultimately affect sales,

G.   whereas discarding is caused by a range of factors, including excessive fishing effort, the current approach to Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas that require discarding of fish for which there is no quota, a mismatch in many fisheries between gear specifications and minimum landing size, high-grading and other commercial practices; whereas traditionally most innovation in fishing gear and practices has aimed to increase catches of fish rather than to fish in a more selective and less environmentally destructive manner,

H.   whereas of the documents signed at international level and containing specific declarations on the need to reduce discards and by-catches, the EU agreed to the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the FAO International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries, the FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, Chapter 17 of the United Nations' Agenda 21, the Rome Consensus on World Fisheries, the Kyoto Declaration on the sustainable contribution of fisheries to food security, the New York Agreement for the implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and United Nations General Assembly resolutions 49/118 of 1994 and 50/25 of 1995, as well as the resolution of the 95th Interparliamentary Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 15 to 20 April 1996, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),

I.   whereas the EU has agreed on a range of commitments within the framework of Regional Fisheries Organisations and the various bilateral and multilateral agreements to which it is party,

1.  Welcomes the Commission's new attempt to stimulate discussion about this serious subject with a view to finally shifting the emphasis of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) so that the practice of discarding is ultimately eliminated;

2.  Welcomes the Commission's proposal as the first attempt to get to the heart of the by-catch problem but stresses the urgency of developing regulations to eliminate this environmentally unsustainable and immoral practice which in extreme cases can account for up to 90% of all fish caught;

3.  Points out that the impact of small-scale fishing on discards is minimal, and therefore calls for greater Community support for the promotion and development of small-scale inshore and artisanal fishing;

4.  Further welcomes the new definition of discards to include non-commercial species of fish and other species, with the implication that these other types of discards also need to be reduced;

5.  Stresses that an EU policy needs to tackle effectively all the different types of by-catch (including, but not exclusively, invertebrates, corals, marine mammals, birds and turtles) and should promote environmentally friendly catching methods which neither compromise marine biodiversity nor cause unnecessary injury to other living organisms;

6.  Notes with concern, however, that very little progress has been made in developing Community plans of action for seabirds and sharks, despite the Commission's committing to these in 1999, and urges the Commission to complete both plans as soon as possible;

7.  Calls on the Commission to take into account the available scientific opinion on albatrosses which, notably in longline fisheries, are currently being killed at a rate that is putting them in danger of extinction;

8.  Considers that one effective action to reduce unwanted by-catches and discards is a reduction in overall fishing effort, since depleted stocks consist mainly of under-sized fish, accompanied by an improvement in selective measures; recognises that reduced fishing pressure would provide significant benefits for the industry by allowing depleted stocks to recover and become more productive as well as saving time and effort in sorting the catch;

9.  Considers that by-catches and discards are a serious ecological and economic problem, since on the one hand they are responsible for the imbalance seen in some ecosystems, and on the other hand they have been identified as the main cause of the depletion of stocks, some of which have a high commercial value, such as cod;

10.  Considers that reducing discards will help in achieving good environmental status, as required under the Marine Strategy Directive;

11.  Considers that programmes to reduce discards must be fully integrated into the Community's overall policy for the sustainable management of fisheries;

12.  Considers that the causes of discards vary from fishery to fishery, depending on both the detailed techniques of fishing and the type of fishery concerned, so solutions will be case-specific as well;

13.  Although discarding as a general practice is unjustifiable, recognises that some species are known to have a high survival rate on release and that derogations from a fishing ban for these as well as endangered and protected species should be authorised provided that adequate scientific justification of their survival potential is given;

14.  Stresses that, if the provisions introduced are to be effective, due and proper use must be made of scientific fishing research relating to EU fisheries and account must be taken of the specific features of individual fisheries in connection with location, marine species diversity and long-established fishing practices;

15.  Congratulates those in the industry who have recently begun programmes to develop more selective fishing gears and practices aimed at reducing discards and encouraging others to contribute to this process by utilising their undoubted expertise in fishing gear to find even more innovative techniques; deplores the attitude of some submissions to the Commission that view measures to reduce discards as "inconvenient";

16.  Highlights the importance of the voluntary reductions in fishing effort that have been made in certain fisheries and calls for mechanisms to be put in place to make it possible for fishermen to be granted financial compensation for this effort;

17.  Welcomes the recent introduction by the Scottish Government, in cooperation with the Scottish fishing industry, of a voluntary system of real-time area closures whereby fishing grounds will be closed for a three-week period in the event of skippers identifying a high abundance of undersized cod; believes that schemes such as this, the first of its kind in Europe, have the potential to contribute to the reduction of discards whilst working with the full cooperation of the fishing industry;

18.  Agrees with the Commission that the classical approach of the CFP to reducing unwanted by-catches, by agreeing in Council to ever more detailed technical measures to prevent discards of juvenile fish with limited involvement of the fishermen, has its limitations and must be complemented by programmes that provide an incentive for fishermen to reduce by-catches and discards while taking account of features specific to each fishery, which would result in better acceptance of the measures by fishermen; considers, however, that it is only by technical modifications to fishing gear and practices that reductions in unwanted by-catches will occur;

19.  Notes that the option which the Commission considers most effective is a discard ban, although such a ban could present some difficulties with respect to enforcement and may require an increase in financial, logistical and human resources;

20.  Considers that high-grading, the practice of discarding good, legal fish for other fish that might find a higher price in the market, should be banned, even though this would be difficult to enforce; considers that installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) on some vessels should be tried to facilitate enforcement;

21.  Notes the fact that, in order for fishermen and other stakeholders to take responsibility and ownership of any policy to eliminate discards, they must have a major role in monitoring and control, as their cooperation and involvement is key to the successful implementation of enforcement measures; points out that examples of cooperation exist in other jurisdictions and should be examined - for instance, Canada and New Zealand have experimented with CCTV on the perimeter of fishing vessels, with the agreement of fishermen, and this video surveillance measure is reported to be very successful in eliminating discards;

22.  Encourages the Commission, the Member States and other stakeholders to consider the use of incentives for the industry to improve its fishing practices ; believes that such incentives could include:

23.  Notes that Council Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 of 21 December 2006 fixing for 2007 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required(5) already contains one example of preferential access for selective gear, with extra days at sea available to Nephrops trawlers using a sorting grid, and agrees that such additional incentives should be considered;

24.  Is convinced that the industry would respond more favourably and with greater effect to a combination of positive and negative incentives, which should be given an opportunity to produce results; considers, further, that a discard ban should be implemented after other types of negative incentives have been tried, including timed series of increases in mesh sizes, closed areas and others;

25.  Stresses the importance of an effective monitoring system once a ban on discarding fish is introduced; points out that gaps in knowledge concerning the quantity of fish discarded impair the quality of estimates of stock size and fish mortality, and make it harder to evaluate measures seeking to prevent the catching of fish which do not meet size criteria; calls on the Commission to continue to develop new monitoring techniques, and draws attention in this connection to the possibilities opened up by electronic log books and the use of CCTV;

26.  Insists that, high-grading, one of the main reasons for discarding, should be made illegal and the devices that enable it, such as onboard sorting grids in pelagic fisheries, should be banned;

27.  Agrees that the most sensible way to proceed is by choosing a number of pilot fisheries, based upon the quantity of discards produced or on the conservation status of the species involved; emphasises the importance of the pilot projects being selected in several zones to represent the geographical variety of Community fisheries; believes that each pilot project must also involve a sufficient number of vessels to cover the diversity of the fishery as well as to ensure good information exchange with others in the fishery; suggests that two possible candidates would be the various beam-trawl fisheries as well as those fisheries that catch and discard cod; recommends that while these pilot projects are proceeding, other fisheries should be evaluated for their discard rate;

28.  Suggests that discard practices that result from the incompatibility of technical rules on minimum landing size (MLS) and mesh sizes be looked at as a matter of priority as these are relatively easy to rectify;

29.  Calls on the Commission to take into account the available scientific opinion on the Baltic cod stocks, where a huge percentage of catches are registered as by-catches;

30.  Proposes the following series of steps for each fishery concerned:

31.  Calls on the Commission to pay particular attention to how measures can be "translated" to apply to EU fleets fishing in the waters of third countries and asks that the use of the most selective fishing gears be made a prerequisite for fishing under Fishing Partnership Agreements (FPAs);

32.  Notes the variety and importance of mixed fisheries in the EU and concludes that targets for the reduction of discards must reflect this variety, so that not all fisheries are required to achieve the same quantitative reduction in discards at the same time, since their original discard levels may differ;

33.  Emphasises that if discard bans are adopted for specific fisheries, then in order to avoid perverse incentives such as creating a market for small fish or fish caught without quotas, such fish should not be marketed directly under any circumstances; considers that the vessels may be compensated for the costs incurred in bringing to shore what they would have discarded; considers, for example, that the fish involved could be used for fishmeal and fishoil production with any company utilising this facility contributing to a regionally organised compensation fund;

34.  Notes that the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) has provisions for the funding of pilot projects for more selective fishing, as well as two gear replacements, and urges Member States to make use of them; calls for more administrative flexibility in the use of EFF money so that promising pilot projects can be implemented rapidly;

35.  Points out that the TAC regulatory system is one of the major causes of discards and that measures must be adopted to prevent compulsory discards of unavoidably - caught species of legal size owing to the lack of a quota for those species;

36.  Recommends that by-catch quotas be incorporated into TACs and that all landed by-catch be counted against quota allocations; should a fishery exceed its by-catch quota it would risk closure, just as an excess of juveniles is suggested to trigger real-time closures; this quota should then be gradually reduced to provide further incentives to improve gear selectivity;

37.  Notes that Member States currently have the right, under Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms(6), to impose stricter technical measures on vessels flying their flag when they fish within EU waters; believes that they should also have flexibility to try new solutions which would be evaluated by the Commission for efficiency and that they should, under certain circumstances, be able to impose more selective technical measures on all vessels fishing within their 12-mile coastal zone;

38.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Regional Advisory Councils, the Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations to which the EU belongs.

(1) OJ L 358, 31.12.2002, p. 59. (2) OJ C 69 E, 19.3.2004, p. 149. (3) OJ C 291 E, 30.11.2006, p. 319. (4) OJ C 314 E, 21.12.2006, p. 86. (5) OJ L 15, 20.1.2007, p. 1. (6) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1.

European Parliament resolution of 31 January 2008 on a European strategy on the Roma

P6_TA(2008)0035 RC-B6-0050/2008

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to Articles 3, 6, 7, 29 and 149 of the EC Treaty, which commit the Member States to ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens,

–   having regard to Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which enables the European Community to take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin,

–   having regard to its resolutions of 28 April 2005 on the situation of the Roma in the European Union(1), 1 June 2006 on the situation of Roma women in the European Union(2) and 15 November 2007 on application of Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of EU citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States(3),

–   having regard to Directives 2000/43/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin and 2000/78/EC establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, and to the framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia,

–   having regard to the Report on Racism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU for 2007, published by the Agency for Fundamental Rights,

–   having regard to the establishment in 2005 of the Decade of Roma Inclusion and a Roma Education Fund by a number of EU Member States, candidate countries and other countries in which the European Union institutions have a significant presence,

–   having regard to Article 4 of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,

–   having regard to the comprehensive Action Plan, adopted by OSCE participating States, including EU Member States and candidate countries, focused on improving the situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE area, in which the States undertake inter alia to reinforce their efforts to ensure that Roma and Sinti people are able to play a full and equal part in our societies, and to eradicate discrimination against them,

–   having regard to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, and to the Statute of the Agency for Fundamental Rights,

–   having regard to the report of the High Level Advisory Group of Experts on the Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market entitled 'Ethnic Minorities on the Labour Market - An Urgent Call for Better Social Inclusion', which was published by the Commission in 2007,

–   having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas the 12 to 15 million Roma living in Europe, some 10 million of whom live in the European Union, suffer racial discrimination and in many cases are subject to severe structural discrimination, poverty and social exclusion, as well as multiple discrimination on the basis of gender, age, disability and sexual orientation; whereas a majority of European Roma became EU citizens after the 2004 and 2007 enlargements, benefiting from the right of EU citizens and their families to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States,

B.   whereas the situation of the European Roma, having historically been part of society in many European countries and having contributed to it, is distinct from that of the European national minorities, justifying specific measures at European level,

C.   whereas Romani EU citizens frequently face racial discrimination in the exercise of their fundamental rights as EU citizens to free movement and establishment,

D.   whereas many Romani individuals and communities who decided to settle in a different Member State from the one of their national citizenship are in a particularly vulnerable position,

E.   whereas there has been a lack of progress in combating racial discrimination against the Roma and in defending their rights to education, employment, health and housing in both Member States and candidate countries,

F.   whereas segregation in education continues to be tolerated across Member States; whereas such discrimination in access to quality education persistently affects the ability of Romani children to develop and enjoy their rights to educational development,

G.   whereas education is a fundamental tool for combating social exclusion, exploitation and crime,

H.   whereas substandard and insanitary living conditions and evidence of ghettoisation exist on a wide scale, with Roma regularly being either victims of forced evictions or prevented from moving out of neighbourhoods,

I.   whereas on average Roma communities face unacceptably high levels of unemployment, so that specific measures are required to facilitate access to jobs; whereas the European labour market, as well as European society as a whole, would greatly benefit from the inclusion of Roma,

J.   whereas the EU offers a variety of mechanisms and tools that can be used to improve the access of Roma to quality education, employment, housing and health, in particular social inclusion and regional and employment policies,

K.   whereas the social inclusion of Romani communities is still a goal to be achieved and EU instruments need to be used to achieve effective and visible change in this area,

L.   whereas it is necessary to ensure the effective participation of Roma in political life, particularly as regards decisions which affect the lives and well-being of Roma,

M.   whereas Anti-Gypsyism or Romaphobia is still widespread in Europe and is promoted and used by extremists, which can culminate in racist attacks, hate speech, physical attacks, unlawful evictions and police harassment,

N.   whereas most Romani women face double discrimination as Roma and as women,

O.   whereas the Romani Holocaust (Porajmos) deserves full recognition commensurate with the gravity of Nazi crimes designed to physically eliminate the Roma of Europe as well as the Jews and other targeted groups,

1.  Condemns utterly and without equivocation all forms of racism and discrimination faced by the Roma and others regarded as 'Gypsies';

2.  Welcomes the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council of 14 December 2007, as follows: 'conscious of the very specific situation faced by the Roma across the Union, invites Member States and the Union to use all means to improve their inclusion' and 'invites the Commission to examine existing policies and instruments and to report to the Council on progress achieved before the end of June 2008';

3.  Considers that the EU and the Member States have a shared responsibility to promote inclusion of the Roma and uphold their fundamental rights as European citizens, and urgently need to increase their efforts to achieve visible results in that area; calls on the Member States and the EU institutions to endorse the necessary measures in order to create the appropriate social and political environment for implementing the inclusion of the Roma;

4.  Urges the new Agency for Fundamental Rights to place anti-Gypsyism among the highest priorities in its work programme;

5.  Reaffirms the important role of the EU in fighting discrimination against the Roma, which is often structural and therefore requires a comprehensive approach at EU level, in particular with regard to the development of common policies, whilst acknowledging that the crucial competences for and the primary investment of political will, time and resources in the protection, implementation of policies, promotion and empowerment of Roma fall within the responsibilities of the Member States;

6.  Urges the Commission to develop a European Framework Strategy on Roma Inclusion aimed at providing policy coherence at EU level as regards the social inclusion of Roma and urges the Commission at the same time to shape a comprehensive Community Action Plan on Roma Inclusion with the task of providing financial support for realising the objective of the European Framework Strategy on Roma Inclusion;

7.  Urges the Commission comprehensively to shape a Community action plan on Roma inclusion, noting that the plan must be drawn up and implemented by the group of Commissioners who have responsibility for the social inclusion of EU citizens through their portfolios on employment, social affairs, equal opportunities, justice, freedom, education, culture and regional policy;

8.  Calls on the Commission to give one of its Members responsibility for coordinating a Roma policy;

9.  Urges the Commission to implement the "Roma-to-Roma" working methodology as an effective tool in dealing with Roma issues and calls on it to promote Roma staff within its structure;

10.  Calls on the Commission to establish a Roma unit to coordinate implementation of a European framework strategy on Roma inclusion, facilitate cooperation between the Member States, coordinate joint actions between Member States and ensure mainstreaming of Roma issues throughout all relevant bodies;

11.  Calls on the Commission to make the impact of private investment in equal opportunity a relevant and accountable factor in the release of EU funding, by obliging those individuals and/or legal persons submitting tenders for EU-financed projects to draw up and implement both an analysis and an action plan on equal opportunity;

12.  Welcomes the initiatives announced by the Commission, including a communication on the revised strategy for the fight against discrimination, the forthcoming green paper concerning the education of pupils who have a migration background or belong to a disadvantaged minority, and the intention to take additional measures to secure enforcement of Directive 2000/43/EC; welcomes, in particular, the proposal to set up a high-level Roma forum as a structure for the development of effective policies to tackle Roma issues;

13.  Urges the Commission to establish an all-European crisis map, measuring and surveying those areas within the EU where communities are hardest hit by poverty and social exclusion;

14.  Urges the Commission to examine opportunities to strengthen anti-discrimination legislation in the area of education, focusing on desegregation, and to report on its findings to Parliament within one year following adoption of this resolution; reiterates that equal access to quality education should be a priority under a European strategy on the Roma; urges the Commission to redouble its efforts to fund and support actions in the Member States which aim to integrate Romani children into mainstream education from an early age; urges the Commission to support programmes fostering positive action for Roma in the fields of secondary and higher education, including vocational training, adult education, life-long learning and university education; urges the Commission to support other programmes providing positive and successful models of desegregation;

15.  Calls on the Member States and the Commission to combat the exploitation of, and forced begging and school absenteeism by, Romani children, as well as the ill-treatment of Romani women;

16.  Urges the Commission to support the integration of Roma in the labour market through measures such as financial support for training and retraining, measures to foster positive action on the labour market, rigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in the field of employment, and measures to promote the self-employment of Roma and small Romani businesses;

17.  Calls on the Commission to consider the possibility of a micro-credit scheme as put forward in the above mentioned report of the High Level Advisory Group to encourage the launching of small businesses and to replace the practice of usury that is crippling many of the disadvantaged communities;

18.  Calls on the Council, Commission and Member States to support systemic national programmes aimed at improving the health situation of the Romani communities, in particular by introducing an adequate vaccination plan for children; urges all Members States to end and adequately remedy without delay the systemic exclusion of certain Romani communities from health care, including but not limited to communities in isolated geographic areas, as well as extreme human rights abuses in the health care system, where these have taken place or are taking place, including racial segregation in health facilities and coercive sterilisation of Romani women;

19.  Urges the Commission to build on existing positive models to support programmes aimed at putting an end to Romani slums, which give rise to severe social, environmental and health risks, in those Member States where they exist and to support other programmes providing positive and successful models of housing for Roma, including Romani migrants;

20.  Urges the Member States to solve the problem of camps, where there are no hygiene or safety standards and where a large number of Romani children die in domestic accidents, particularly fires, caused by the lack of such standards;

21.  Urges the Commission and Council to align EU Roma policy with the Decade of Roma Inclusion and to make use of existing initiatives such as the Roma Education Fund, the OSCE Action Plan and the recommendations of the Council of Europe to heighten the efficacy of their efforts in this area;

22.  Stresses the importance of involving local authorities in ensuring the effective implementation of efforts to promote Roma inclusion and combat discrimination;

23.  Calls on Member States to involve the Roma community at grassroots level with a view to empowering the Romani people to fully benefit from the incentives provided by the EU aimed at promoting their rights and the inclusion of their communities, whether in the field of education, employment or civic participation, given that successful integration involves a bottom-up approach and joint responsibilities; emphasises the importance of developing Roma human resources and professional capacity, with a view to promoting Roma involvement in public administration at all levels, including the EU institutions;

24.  Recalls that all candidate countries committed, in the negotiation and accession process, to improving the inclusion of Roma communities and to promoting their rights to education, employment, healthcare and housing; asks the Commission to make an assessment of the implementation of those commitments and of the current situation of the Roma in all Member States;

25.  Calls on the Commission and the relevant authorities to take the necessary steps to end pig fattening on the site of the former concentration camp in Lety (Czech Republic) and to create a memorial to honour the victims of persecution;

26.  Considers that it should look into different aspects of European policy challenges regarding Roma inclusion in more detail;

27.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and the parliaments of the Member States and the candidate countries, the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

(1) OJ C 45 E, 23.2.2006, p. 129. (2) OJ C 298 E, 8.12.2006, p. 283. (3) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2007)0534.