Index 
Texts adopted
Thursday, 7 April 2011 - Strasbourg
Vaccination against bluetongue ***I
 Situation in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen
 Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
 2010 progress report on Iceland
 2010 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
 Côte d'Ivoire
 Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy – Eastern Dimension
 Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy – Southern Dimension
 Use of sexual violence in conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East
 EIB annual report for 2009
 The case of Ai WeiWei in China
 Ban on the elections for the Tibetan government in exile in Nepal
 Zimbabwe

Vaccination against bluetongue ***I
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Resolution
Consolidated text
European Parliament legislative resolution of 7 April 2011 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/75/EC as regards vaccination against bluetongue (COM(2010)0666 – 05499/2011 – C7-0032/2011 – 2010/0326(COD))
P7_TA(2011)0147A7-0121/2011

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2010)0666),

–  having regard to the Council letter of 26 January 2011, in which the Council considered that the legal basis should be modified and requested the European Parliament to adopt its position on the Commission proposal on the basis of Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (05499/2011 - C7-0032/2011),

–  having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 15 March 2011(1),

–  having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs on the requested change of legal basis,

–  having regard to Rules 55 and 37 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A7-0121/2011),

1.  Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;

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

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

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 7 April 2011 with a view to the adoption of Directive 2011/.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/75/EC as regards vaccination against bluetongue

P7_TC1-COD(2010)0326


THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(2),

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(3),

Whereas:

(1)  Council Directive 2000/75/EC of 20 November 2000 laying down specific provisions for the control and eradication of bluetongue(4) lays down control rules and measures to combat and eradicate bluetongue, including rules on the establishment of protection and surveillance zones and the use of vaccines against bluetongue.

(2)  In the past, only sporadic incursions of certain serotypes of the bluetongue virus have been recorded in the Union. Those incursions mainly occurred in the southern parts of the Union. However, since the adoption of Directive 2000/75/EC, and particularly since the introduction into the Union of bluetongue virus serotypes 1 and 8 in the years 2006 and 2007, the bluetongue virus has become more widespread in the Union, with the potential to become endemic in certain areas. It has therefore become difficult to control the spread of that virus.

(3)  The rules on vaccination against bluetongue laid down in Directive 2000/75/EC are based on experience of the use of so-called ‘modified live vaccines’, or ‘live attenuated vaccines’, that were the only vaccines available when that Directive was adopted. The use of those vaccines may lead to an undesired local circulation of the vaccine virus also in unvaccinated animals.

(4)  In recent years, as a result of new technology, ‘inactivated vaccines’ against bluetongue have become available which do not pose that risk to unvaccinated animals. The extensive use of such vaccines during the vaccination campaign in the years 2008 and 2009 has led to a significant improvement in the disease situation. It is now widely accepted that vaccination with inactivated vaccines is the preferred tool for the control of bluetongue and for the prevention of clinical disease in the Union.

(5)  In order to ensure better control of the spread of the bluetongue virus and to reduce the burden on the agricultural sector posed by that disease, it is appropriate to amend the current rules on vaccination laid down in Directive 2000/75/EC in order to take account of the recent technological developments in vaccine production.

(6)  In order to enable the vaccination season 2011 to benefit from the new rules, this Directive should enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(7)  The amendments provided for in this Directive should make the rules on vaccination more flexible and also take into account the fact that inactivated vaccines that can also be successfully used outside areas subjected to animal movement restrictions are now available.

(8)  In addition, and provided that appropriate precautionary measures are taken, the use of live attenuated vaccines should not be excluded, as their use might still be necessary under certain circumstances, such as following the introduction of a new bluetongue virus serotype against which inactivated vaccines may not be available.

(9)  Directive 2000/75/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

Directive 2000/75/EC is hereby amended as follows:

(1)  In Article 2, the following point is added:"

   (j) “live attenuated vaccines”: vaccines which are produced by adapting bluetongue virus field isolates through serial passages in tissue culture or in embryonated hens' eggs.
"

(2)  Article 5 is replaced by the following:"

Article 5

1.  The competent authority of a Member State may decide to allow the use of vaccines against bluetongue provided that:

   (a) such decision is based on the result of a specific risk assessment carried out by the competent authority;
   (b) the Commission is informed before such vaccination is carried out.

2.  Whenever live attenuated vaccines are used, Member States shall ensure that the competent authority demarcates:

   (a) a protection zone, consisting of at least the vaccination area;
   (b) a surveillance zone, consisting of a part of the Union territory with a depth of at least 50 kilometres extending beyond the limits of the protection zone.

"

(3)  In Article 6(1), point (d) is replaced by the following:"

   (d) implement the measures adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 20(2), in particular with regard to the introduction of any vaccination programme or other, alternative measures;
"

(4)  In Article 8(2), point (b) is replaced by the following:"

(b)  The surveillance zone shall consist of a part of the Union territory with a depth of at least 50 kilometres extending beyond the limits of the protection zone and in which no vaccination against bluetongue with live attenuated vaccines has been carried out during the previous 12 months.

"

(5)  In Article 10, point 2 is replaced by the following:"

   2. any vaccination against bluetongue using live attenuated vaccines is prohibited in the surveillance zone.
"

Article 2

1.  Member States shall adopt and publish, by 30 June 2011 at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall communicate immediately to the Commission the text of those provisions and a correlation table between them and this Directive.

They shall apply those provisions from 1 July 2011 at the latest.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

2.  Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

Article 3

This Directive shall enter into force on the ▌ day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 4

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Done at,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President

(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal.
(2) Opinion of 15 March 2011 (not yet published in the Official Journal).
(3) Position of the European Parliament of 7 April 2011.
(4) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 74.


Situation in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the situation in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen
P7_TA(2011)0148RC-B7-0249/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria and Yemen,

–  having regard to its resolution on European Union relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council of 24 March 2011(1),

–  having regard to its resolution containing the European Parliament's recommendation to the Council on the conclusion of a Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Syrian Arab Republic, of the other part, of 26 October 2006(2),

–  having regard to the statement by European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek on the deadly attack against protesters in Syria of 23 March 2011,

–  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

–  having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966, to which Bahrain, Syria and Yemen are parties,

–  having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 1975, to which Bahrain, Syria and Yemen are parties,

–  having regard to the conclusions of the European Council of 24 and 25 March 2011,

–  having regard to the Council conclusions on Bahrain and on Yemen of 21 March 2011,

–  having regard to the statements of the High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission on Bahrain of 10, 15 and 17 March 2011, on Syria of 18, 22, 24 and 26 March 2011 and on Yemen of 10, 12 and 18 March 2011 and of 5 April 2011,

–  having regard to the Joint Communication by the High Representative and the Commission on ‘A Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean’ of 8 March 2011,

–  having regard to the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders of 2004 as updated in 2008,

–  having regard to Rule 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas, following similar developments in other Arab countries, demonstrators in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen have expressed legitimate democratic aspirations and strong popular demand for political, economic and social reforms aimed at achieving genuine democracy, fighting corruption and nepotism, ensuring respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, reducing social inequalities and creating better economic and social conditions,

B.  whereas the respective governments have reacted by increasing violent repression, declaring a state of emergency and applying counterterrorism laws to justify serious crimes, including extrajudicial killings, abductions and disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture and unfair trials,

C.  whereas the excessive use of force against protestors by security forces in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen has resulted in serious loss of life, injuries and imprisonments, and violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which these countries are parties,

D.  whereas demonstrations in Syria began in the southern city of Daraa before spreading across the country; whereas the Syrian authorities have repressed demonstrations using live bullets to disperse peaceful gatherings, arrested hundreds of civilians and mobilised pro-regime demonstrators in Damascus and other cities; whereas the Syrian Government resigned on 29 March 2011 and Mr Adel Safar has been appointed to form a new government; whereas the speech given by President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Parliament on 30 March 2011 failed to meet expectations and satisfy hopes for significant reforms,

E.  whereas Syria has been under emergency law since 1963; whereas the emergency law is effectively limiting citizens in the exercise of their civil and political rights while allowing ongoing control by the Syrian authorities over the judicial system,

F.  whereas Syria's government has made a number of public statements committing it to freedom of expression and political participation (the lifting of the emergency law, the abolition of Article 8 of the Syrian Constitution, which states that the Ba'ath Party leads the state and society, solution of the problems caused by the 1962 census in al-Hasaka governorate, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Kurds being deprived of their passports and registered as foreigners) but has failed to deliver tangible progress on these issues; whereas the prominent Syrian human rights activist and government critic Haitham al-Maleh was released from jail in March 2011 and has called on the international community to exert pressure on the Syrian regime to respect its international obligations with regard to human rights,

G.  whereas the Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Syrian Arab Republic, of the other part, has still to be signed; whereas the signing of this Agreement has been delayed at Syria's request since October 2009; whereas respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms constitutes an essential part of this Agreement,

H.  whereas demonstrations started in Bahrain on 14 February 2011, the demonstrators calling for political reforms such as a constitutional monarchy and an elected government as well as an end to corruption and to the marginalisation of Shiites, who represent over 60% of the population; whereas the situation in Bahrain remains tense, with between 50 and 100 people reported missing over the past week; whereas, according to reports, medical personnel, human rights defenders and political activists have been detained in Bahrain and hospital wards have been taken over by security forces,

I.  whereas, at the request of the Government of Bahrain, Gulf Cooperation Council security forces from Saudi Arabia, United Emirates and Kuwait have been deployed in Bahrain,

J.  whereas millions of citizens have been demonstrating largely peacefully in Yemen since January 2011 and close to one hundred people have allegedly been killed, mainly by the security forces using live ammunition to fire on crowds, while hundreds have been wounded; whereas in Yemen ambulances taking wounded anti-government protesters to hospital were hindered by security forces,

K.  whereas President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been ruling the country for 32 years, has promised to step down in Yemen; whereas, however, the President has not taken any serious steps to fulfil his promises of a peaceful democratic transition so far,

L.  whereas members of the Gulf Cooperation Council have decided to invite Yemeni government and opposition representatives to talks in Riyadh to resolve the impasse on some specific issues,

M.  whereas Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East, with widespread malnutrition, dwindling oil reserves, a growing population, weak central government, growing water shortages and little investment in the country's economy; whereas there is serious concern for the disintegration of the Yemeni state, a fragile truce having been in force since February with the Shiite rebels in the North, a secessionist movement existing in the South and many al-Qaeda fighters reportedly using Yemen as a base,

N.  whereas in Bahrain and in Yemen a state of emergency has recently been declared; whereas the declaration of a state of emergency in any country does not absolve the nation's government of its essential obligation to uphold the rule of law and its international human rights commitments,

1.  Strongly condemns the violent repression by security forces of peaceful demonstrators in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen, and extends its condolences to the families of the victims; expresses its solidarity with the people in those countries, applauds their courage and determination, and strongly supports their legitimate democratic aspirations;

2.  Urges the authorities of Bahrain, Syria and Yemen to refrain from the use of violence against protestors and to respect their right to freedom of assembly and expression; condemns the interference by the authorities in Bahrain and Yemen in the provision of medical treatment and the denial and limiting of access to health facilities; stresses that those responsible for the loss of life and injuries caused should be held accountable and brought to justice; calls on the authorities to immediately release all political prisoners, human rights defenders and journalists and all those detained in relation to their peaceful activities in the context of the protests;

3.  States that the use of violence by a state against its own population must have direct repercussions on its bilateral relations with the European Union; reminds the EU High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission that the EU can use numerous tools to deter such actions, such as asset freezes, travel bans etc.; recalls however that the people at large should never be affected by such a review of bilateral relations;

4.  Calls on the European Union and its Member States to take into full consideration recent and ongoing events and further developments in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen in bilateral relations with these countries, including the suspension of further negotiations over the signing of the still pending Association Agreement between the EU and Syria; is of the opinion that the conclusion of such an agreement should depend on the capacity of the Syrian authorities to carry out the expected democratic reforms in tangible form;

5.  Calls on the European Union and its Member States to support calls for independent investigations into the attacks against protestors in those countries, with special regard to an independent investigation to be carried out by the United Nations (UN) or the International Criminal Court into the attack on protestors on 18 March 2011 in Sana'a, Yemen, where 54 people were killed and more than 300 were injured; calls on the EU to immediately take the lead in convening a Special Session of the HRC to address abuses committed in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen during the crackdown on demonstrations and repression of dissent;

6.  Calls on the governments of Bahrain, Syria and Yemen to engage in an open and meaningful political process and dialogue without delay or preconditions, with the participation of all democratic political forces and civil society, aimed at paving the way for genuine democracy, the lifting of the state of emergency and the implementation of real, ambitious and significant political, economic and social reforms, which are essential for long-term stability and development;

7.  Calls on the Bahraini, Syrian and Yemeni authorities to respect their international commitments to human rights and fundamental freedoms; calls on the authorities in those countries to immediately lift the state of emergency, immediately release all political prisoners, human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful demonstrators, enshrine freedom of expression and of association in law and in practice, step up measures to fight corruption, guarantee equal rights for minorities, ensure access to means of communication, such as the internet and mobile telephony, and ensure access to independent media;

8.  Takes note of the resignation of the Government of Syria on 29 March 2011, but believes that this will not be enough to counter the growing frustrations of the Syrian people; calls on President Bashar al-Assad to put an end to the policy of repression of political opposition and human rights defenders, to genuinely lift the state of emergency that has been in place since 1963, to promote the process of democratic transition in Syria and to establish a concrete agenda for political, economic and social reforms;

9.  Calls on the Government of Bahrain and other parties to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue without delay or preconditions, in order to bring about reforms; welcomes the UN Secretary-General's announcement that the UN stands ready to provide support to nationally-led efforts, if requested to do so;

10.  Expresses its concern at the presence of foreign troops under the GCC banner in Bahrain; calls on the GCC to use its resources as a regional collective player to act constructively and mediate in the interests of peaceful reforms in Bahrain;

11.  Calls on President Saleh of Yemen to take concrete steps towards the implementation of his pledge to ‘transfer power peacefully through constitutional institutions’; calls on all parties, including the opposition, to act responsibly, to engage in an open and constructive dialogue without delay, in order to achieve an orderly political transition, and to include all parties and movements representing the Yemeni people in this dialogue;

12.  Expresses its grave concern over the level of poverty and unemployment and the growing political and economic instability in Yemen; insists that the delivery on the ground of the pledges from the donor conference 2006 must be accelerated; additionally calls on the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council to make a particular effort to provide financial and technical support as soon as President Saleh is ready to give way to a democratically established government;

13.  Calls on the European Union and its Member States to support the peaceful democratic aspirations of people in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen, to review their policies towards those countries, to respect the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and to stand ready to assist, in case of a serious commitment by national authorities, in the implementation of concrete political, economic and social reform agendas in those countries;

14.  Calls on the Commission to make full and effective use of the existing support given through the ENPI, EIDHR and IfS, and to urgently draw up concrete proposals on how future EU financial assistance can better assist the countries and civil societies in the Middle East and in the Gulf in their transition towards democracy and respect for human rights;

15.  Stresses the commitments by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commission in the Joint Communication on a Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity within the Southern Mediterranean to further support democratic transformation and civil society in response to the current historic developments in the region; calls for EU assistance to democratic processes in the Mediterranean and Gulf regions to ensure full participation of all citizens – particularly women, who have played a crucial role in the demands for democratic change – in political life;

16.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Government and Parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Yemen.

(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0109.
(2) OJ C 313 E, 20.12.2006, p. 436.


Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
P7_TA(2011)0149RC-B7-0228/2011

The European Parliament,

–  whereas in 1971 the UN recognised the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as the ‘poorest and weakest segment’ of the international community,

–  having regard to the criteria established by the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) to identify LDCs,

–  having regard to the Paris Declaration for the Least Developed Countries adopted in September 1990,

–  having regard to the UN Secretary-General's report on ‘Implementation of the Programme of Action for the LDCs for the decade 2001-2010’ (A/65/80),

–  having regard to the results of the UN High-Level Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) held in September 2010,

–  having regard to the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) for the LDCs adopted at the Third UN Conference on the LDCs (LDC-III) held in Brussels in May 2001,

–  having regard to the decision taken in 2008 by the UN General Assembly to convene the Fourth UN Conference on the LDCs (LDC-IV),

–  whereas LDC-IV will assess the results of the BPoA as it comes to an end and propose new actions (2011-2020) designed to encourage the sharing of best practices and lessons learnt and identify policy decisions and challenges that the LDCs will face in the next decade and the action required,

–  having regard to the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development,

–  having regard to the MDG of reducing poverty by half by 2015,

–  having regard to Rule 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas 48 countries are currently classified as LDCs, 33 in Africa, 14 in Asia and one in Latin America; whereas 16 of these countries are landlocked and 12 are small islands,

B.  whereas 75% of the 800 milion habitants of the LDCs live on less than USD 2 per day, whereas since the establishment of this category by the UN in 1971 the number of LDCs has risen from 25 to 48, and whereas only Botswana in 1994, Cape Verde in 2007 and the Maldives in January 2011 have graduated from LDC status,

C.  whereas the average Human Development Index rating for the LDCs rose only from 0,34 to 0,39 between 2000 and 2010; whereas on average the LDCs are on track to achieve only two out of seven MDGs,

D.  whereas since LDC-III and the adoption of the BPoA some positive steps have been taken, for example the ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) initiative and the increases in Official Development Assistance (ODA), which doubled between 2000 and 2008, and direct foreign investment, which rose from USD 6 to USD 33 billions, enabling 19 countries to achieve a growth rate of 3%,

E.  whereas the LDC-IV recommendation can only be achieved if crucial issues affecting LDCs, such as policy coherence between trade and development, agriculture, fisheries, investment and climate change, are properly addressed and important topics, such as governance and the fight against corruption, in particular the concept of the ‘governance contract’ (incorporating in particular a social threshold) between partner and donor countries, and human capacity-building, are put on the agenda,

F.  whereas LDC-IV will reaffirm the global commitment to the partnership to address the needs of the LDCs; whereas the ongoing preparations for LDC-IV include national consultations, regional meetings and conferences involving a broad spectrum of stakeholders, such as parliamentarians, civil society and the private sector,

G.  whereas support for sustainable development implies support for health, education and training, the promotion of democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, which are essential components of the EU's development policy,

H.  whereas, in addition to the existing structural challenges, the situation in the LDCs has been exacerbated by the recent global financial, food, climate change and energy crises,

I.  whereas, although agriculture forms the basis of many LDC economies and provides up to 90% of jobs, food security is threatened,

J.  whereas there can be no significant development without a significant role for States on the basis of an improved capacity to engage in economic development, wealth creation and the fair redistribution of wealth, private-public partnerships and properly planned foreign investment fully respecting ILO core labour standards and environmental protection principles; whereas the State must assume its responsibility for providing stability and a legal framework,

K.  whereas each LDC needs to identify priorities and solutions appropriate to its national context, based on the democratic participation of the people in decision-making,

L.  whereas the success of the Istanbul conference depends on concrete results (e.g. governance contract, social threshold, debt alleviation, development aid, innovative financing) and the quality of the participants' input,

1.  Considers that LDC-IV should be result-oriented, on the basis of clear indicators and the objective of reducing the number of LDCs by half by 2020, combined with efficient and transparent monitoring and follow-up mechanisms;

2.  Stresses that EU aid to LDCs should be geared primarily to wealth creation and the development of a market economy, which are basic prerequisites for poverty eradication;

3.  Calls for priority to be given to economic growth as a key element for development and overall poverty reduction in LDCs;

4.  Believes that LDC-IV should focus on Policy Coherence for Development as an important factor for policy shift, at national and international level; calls, therefore, for policy-making in all areas – such as trade, fisheries, the environment, agriculture, climate change, energy, investment and finance – to support the development needs of LDCs in order to fight poverty and guarantee decent incomes and livelihoods;

5.  Urges the EU to honour its commitments in terms of market access and debt alleviation; reaffirms the importance of reaching the ODA target of 0.15 to 0.20% of GNI for the LDCs, mobilising, for this purpose, domestic resources and, as a complementary measure, innovative financing mechanisms;

6.  Recalls the objective of graduation from the LDC category, and draws attention to the framework set by the MDG Summit in September 2010 with a view to speeding up poverty eradication, creating sustainable economic development aimed at improving the living standards of the LDCs' population, establishing good governance and fostering capacity-building;

7.  Stresses the need for new measures to integrate the LDCs into the global economy and improve their access to EU markets; calls on the Commission to increase its trade-related assistance to help the poorest countries deal with the competition resulting from market liberalisation;

8.  Recalls that peace and security are vital to the effectiveness of development policies and that the EU should coordinate its approach more closely in order to address stability issues in the LDCs and support efforts to acquire the capacities to build peaceful, democratic and inclusive states;

9.  Recalls the need to give priority to food security, agriculture, infrastructure, capacity-building, inclusive economic growth, access to technologies and human and social development in the LDCs;

10.  Calls for the establishment of fair and equitable trade rules and the implementation of integrated policies across a wide range of economic, social and environmental issues in order to foster sustainable development;

11.  Recalls the need to take effective measures on price volatility and transparency and on better regulated financial markets in order to protect the LDCs and reduce their vulnerability;

12.  Recalls the need to contribute to developing national tax systems and good governance in tax matters, and calls on the UN to establish adequate mechanisms in this regard;

13.  Urges the EU and Member States to discuss the implementation of innovative development financing mechanisms at the LDC IV such as a financial transaction tax; stresses that ODA commitments and innovative financing mechanisms must be seen as essential and complementary in the fight against poverty;

14.  Urges the UN and the EU seriously to address at LDC-IV the adverse impact of farmland acquisition, such as the expropriation of small farmers and the unsustainable use of land and water;

15.  Recalls that the long-term goal of development cooperation must be to create the conditions for sustainable economic development and fair redistribution of wealth; therefore stresses the need to identify the LDCs' needs and strategies, to diversify trade by enhancing fair prices for LDC production and to address supply-side constraints to increase the LDCs' trading capacity and ability to attract investment which respects ILO core labour standards and protection of the environment;

16.  Is aware that EBA has not fully achieved its original objectives and, therefore, that the quality and the volume of trade from LDCs to the EU market has remained below expectations, in particular because of a lack of adequate trade-related and port infrastructure; advocates the development of such infrastructure, which remains the key to increasing trade capacities;

17.  Underlines the need to enhance aid effectiveness for development, in line with the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda;

18.  Emphasises the role played by the European Parliament and its decisive role in approving the EU development budget; is therefore convinced that Parliament should be more closely involved in preparing EU development strategy; considers it essential, furthermore, for a reporting-back mechanism to be put in place;

19.  Considers that the adoption of the new US ‘Conflict Minerals’ Law is a huge step forward in combating the illegal mining of and trading in minerals in Africa, which fuels civil war and conflicts; takes the view that the UN should put forward a similar proposal to ensure the traceability of imported minerals on the world market;

20.  Calls for a climate-change risk assessment of the relevant aspects of development policy planning and decision-making, including trade, agriculture and food security, and calls for the outcome of this assessment to be used to formulate clear guidelines for development cooperation policy;

21.  Expresses its concern at the mounting likelihood of environmental disasters causing massive migrations and making emergency aid to help this new category of displaced persons essential;

22.  Stresses the importance of regional cooperation and integration, and calls for the strengthening of regional frameworks which primarily enable smaller countries to obtain resources, know-how and expertise;

23.  Stresses that the lack of progress as regards the management of public finances still disqualifies most of these countries from receiving budget support, an essential factor in each country's capacity-building process;

24.  Stresses the importance for the LDCs of the development of trilateral cooperation, in particular with emerging countries, with a view to pushing forward in the direction of comprehensive cooperation to achieve mutual benefits and common development;

25.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.


2010 progress report on Iceland
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the 2010 progress report on Iceland
P7_TA(2011)0150B7-0226/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2010 adding Iceland to the list of countries eligible for EU pre-accession aid to help applicant countries come into line with the body of European law,

–  having regard to the Commission's Opinion of 24 February 2010 on Iceland's application for membership of the European Union (SEC(2010)0153),

–  having regard to the decision of the European Council of 17 June 2010 to open accession negotiations with Iceland,

–  having regard to the General EU Position and the General Position of the Government of Iceland adopted at the ministerial meeting opening the Intergovernmental Conference on the Accession of Iceland to the European Union on 27 July 2010,

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council entitled ‘Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2010-2011’ (COM(2010)0660) and to the Iceland 2010 Progress Report adopted on 9 November 2010,

–  having regard to its resolution of 26 November 2009 on the enlargement strategy 2009 concerning the countries of the Western Balkans, Iceland and Turkey(1),

–  having regard to its resolution of 7 July 2010 on Iceland's application for membership of the European Union(2),

–  having regard to the recommendations of the first meeting of the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee, adopted in October 2010,

–  having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas Iceland fulfils the Copenhagen criteria, and accession negotiations with Iceland were opened on 27 July 2010 after approval by the Council,

B.  whereas the screening process started on 15 November 2010 and is planned to last until 17 June 2011,

C.  whereas, as underlined by the renewed consensus on enlargement, each country's progress towards membership of the European Union is a merit-based one,

D.  whereas Iceland is already cooperating closely with the EU as a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), the Schengen Agreements and the Dublin Regulation, and, as such, has already adopted a significant part of the acquis,

E.  whereas Iceland contributes to European cohesion and solidarity through the Financial Mechanism under the EEA and cooperates with the EU in peacekeeping and crisis management operations,

1.  Welcomes the launch of the accession negotiations with Iceland in July 2010; considers it essential to create the conditions to complete the accession process with Iceland and ensure that its accession will be a success;

Political criteria

2.  Welcomes the prospect of having as a new EU member a country with a strong democratic tradition and civic culture; underlines that Iceland's accession to the EU will further enhance the Union's role as a world-wide promoter and defender of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

3.  Commends Iceland for its good record in safeguarding human rights and ensuring a high level of cooperation with international mechanisms for the protection of human rights;

4.  Supports the ongoing work to strengthen the legislative environment with regard to freedom of expression and access to information; welcomes, in this respect, the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, enabling both Iceland and the EU to position themselves strongly as regards legal protection of the freedoms of expression and information;

5.  Welcomes the establishment of the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee in October 2010 and is convinced that this forum will contribute to enhancing cooperation between the Althingi and the European Parliament during the accession process;

6.  Strongly encourages the Icelandic authorities to harmonise EU citizens' rights concerning their right to vote in local elections in Iceland;

7.  Notes the good progress in strengthening the independence of the judiciary and welcomes the measures taken by the Icelandic authorities in May 2010 to address the predominance given to the Minister of Justice in judicial appointments, as well as the amendments brought to the Judiciary Act that strengthen the independence of the judiciary, while emphasising the need for a thorough implementation of these measures;

8.  Welcomes the work done by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, as well as the report of the Special Investigation Commission established in December 2008 by the Icelandic Parliament to investigate and analyse the processes leading to the collapse of the banking system, and the progress that has been made in addressing the political, institutional and administrative consequences of the collapse of the Icelandic banking system, while noting that the implementation of its recommendations is still under way and needs to be pursued with relentless efforts;

Economic criteria

9.  Welcomes Iceland's generally satisfactory track record in implementing its EEA obligations and in its ability to withstand competitive pressure and market forces within the EU;

10.  Notes, however, that the last EFTA scoreboard report showed that Iceland's transposition deficit increased slightly and that at 1,3% it remained above the 1% interim target, although the transposition delay was reduced;

11.  Welcomes the agreement achieved between the representatives of the Governments of Iceland, the Netherlands and the UK on the Icesave issue, notably on guaranteeing the repayment of costs incurred in payment of minimum guarantees to depositors in branches of Landsbanki Islands hf. in the UK and the Netherlands; welcomes the approval by a three-quarters majority of the agreement by the Icelandic Parliament on 17 February 2011; takes note of the decision of the President of Iceland to refer the bill to a referendum and hopes for an end to the infringement procedure which started on 26 May 2010, brought by the EFTA Surveillance Authority against the Government of Iceland;

12.  Welcomes the fact that the institutional shortcomings in the financial sector have been addressed and that progress has been made in strengthening bank regulatory and supervisory practices, in particular with regard to the powers of the Financial Supervisory Authority;

13.  Welcomes the presentation by Iceland to the European Commission of its first Pre-Accession Economic Programme as an important step in the pre-accession phase and hopes that the annual bilateral economic dialogue that has been announced will consolidate the cooperation between the two parties;

14.  Encourages the Icelandic authorities to continue on the path of devising a strategy for the liberalisation of capital controls, which is an important requirement for the country's accession to the EU;

15.  Welcomes the recent positive fourth review of the IMF stand-by programme which outlines important developments of fiscal and economic consolidation in Iceland, as well as the fact that after shrinking for seven consecutive quarters, the Icelandic economy has exited recession, and the real gross domestic product registered a growth of 1,2% in the July-September 2010 period from the previous quarter;

16.  Welcomes policies to further diversify Iceland's economy as a necessary step for the country's long-term economic well-being; encourages the Icelandic authorities to further develop the tourism business which is regarded as a promising longer-term growth sector and has overall shown an increasing share in production and employment;

17.  Takes note of Iceland's position on joining the euro zone, an ambition that can be achieved after it becomes a member of the EU and once all the necessary conditions have been met;

18.  Is concerned about Iceland's high level of unemployment and particularly youth unemployment, as well as the drop in investments and internal consumption following the economic and financial crisis, although noting signs of improvement in some of these areas; notes that the low-cost, green energy and green energy-technology that Iceland produces could be a more important factor in rebooting the economy;

19.  Commends Iceland for its high rates of investment in education, research and development and its support and involvement in the Lisbon strategy, including adopting an Iceland 2020 strategy which emphasises the importance of education, research and development and outlines measurable targets;

Capacity to adopt the obligations of membership

20.  Notes that Iceland, as an EEA member, is well advanced as regards the requirements of 10 of the negotiating chapters and partly fulfils the requirements of 11 of the negotiating chapters; emphasises that the fulfilment of Iceland's obligations under the EEA Agreement are important requirements in the accession negotiations;

21.  Calls on Iceland to enhance the preparations for alignment with the EU acquis, in particular in areas not covered by the EEA, and to ensure its implementation and enforcement by the date of accession;

22.  Calls on Iceland to prepare for its participation in the EU's agricultural and rural development policy, and in particular to enhance the efforts to put in place the administrative structures necessary to implement these policies by the date of accession; stresses, nevertheless, the peculiarity of Iceland's ecosystem and encourages the Commission and the Icelandic authorities to find a mutually satisfactory agreement, taking into account the unique characteristics of Iceland's environment;

23.  Taking account of the fact that the common fisheries policy is currently being revised, and that the acquis may be modified before Iceland's accession, calls on Iceland and the EU to approach this chapter of the negotiations in a constructive way with a view to a mutually satisfactory solution for the sustainable management and exploitation of fisheries resources;

24.  Notes Iceland's good track record for managing its fisheries resources in a sustainable way and based on scientific assessments;

25.  Calls on the Icelandic authorities to adapt its legislation according to the internal market acquis regarding the right of establishment, freedom to provide services and free movement of capital in the fisheries production and processing sectors;

26.  Calls on Iceland to continue the constructive talks with the EU and Norway, aimed at reaching a resolution of the mackerel dispute based on realistic proposals which safeguard the future of the stock, protect and maintain jobs in the pelagic fishery and ensure a long-term, sustainable fishery;

27.  Notes that Iceland can bring a valuable contribution to EU policies due to its experience in the field of renewable energies, particularly as regards the utilisation of geothermal energy, protection of the environment and measures to deal with climate change;

28.  Notes, however, that serious divergences remain between the EU and Iceland on issues related to the management of marine life, notably on whale hunting; points out that the ban on whaling is part of the EU acquis and calls for broader discussions on the matter of the abolition of whale hunting and of trade in whale products;

29.  Takes note of the fact that Iceland is a non-military state and does not produce arms; welcomes Iceland's continued support for civilian CSDP operations and its alignment with most declarations and decisions in the area of CFSP;

30.  Welcomes Iceland's foreign policy tradition anchored in international law, human rights, gender equality and development cooperation, and its security policy concept based on civilian values;

Regional cooperation

31.  Considers that Iceland's accession to the EU would enhance the Union's prospects of playing a more active and constructive role in Northern Europe and in the Arctic, contributing to multilateral governance and sustainable policy solutions in the region; regards positively Iceland's participation in the Nordic Council as well as in the EU's Northern Dimension Policy, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Arctic Council, which is the main multilateral forum for cooperation in the Arctic; believes that Iceland's accession to the EU would further anchor the European presence in the Arctic Council;

32.  Highlights the need for a more effective and coordinated Arctic policy of the European Union and expresses the view that Iceland's accession to the EU would reinforce the North Atlantic dimension of the Union's external policies;

Public opinion and support for enlargement

33.  Encourages the Icelandic authorities to broaden the public debate about EU accession, taking into account the need for a firm commitment in order to have successful negotiations; commends Iceland for the establishment of the public website eu.mfa.is and welcomes the growing and more balanced discussions in the Icelandic media on the pros and cons of EU membership;

34.  Calls on the Commission to provide material and technical support, if requested to do so by the Icelandic authorities, in order to help them improve transparency and accountability in relation to the accession process and to contribute to organising a thorough and extensive country-wide campaign based on clear, accurate and fact-based information on the implications of EU membership, so that Icelandic citizens can make an informed choice in the future referendum on accession;

35.  Hopes that, beyond different political points of view, an informed public opinion can also positively influence the Icelandic authorities' engagement towards EU membership;

36.  Is of the view that it is crucial to give EU citizens clear and comprehensive fact-based information on the implications of Iceland's accession; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make efforts to that end, and considers it to be equally important to listen to and address citizens' concerns and questions and to respond to their views and interests;

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37.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President of the Althingi and the Government of Iceland.

(1) OJ C 285 E, 21.10.2010, p. 47.
(2) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0278.


2010 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the 2010 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
P7_TA(2011)0151B7-0225/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the European Council decision of 16 December 2005 to grant the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia the status of candidate country for EU membership and to the Presidency Conclusions issued following the European Councils of 15 and 16 June 2006 and 14 and 15 December 2006,

–  having regard to UNSC Resolutions 845 (1993) and 817 (1993), and to the 1995 Interim Accord between the Hellenic Republic and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,

–  having regard to the Commission's 2010 Progress Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (SEC(2010)1332) and the Commission Communication of 9 November 2010 entitled ‘Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2010-2011’ (COM(2010)0660),

–  having regard to its resolution of 10 February 2010 on the 2009 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(1),

–  having regard to the recommendations of the EU – former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee of 30 November 2010,

–  having regard to Council Decision 2008/212/EC of 18 February 2008 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(2),

–  having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs and Foreign Affairs Councils of 13 and 14 December 2010,

–  having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the process of EU enlargement is a powerful driver for peace, stability and reconciliation in the region,

B.  whereas in 2005 the European Council granted candidate status to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but has failed ever since to set a date for the opening of negotiations, in spite of the substantial progress made by that country on its path towards the EU; whereas bilateral issues should not represent and be used as an obstacle in the accession process, although they should be settled before membership; whereas continuation of the accession process would contribute to the stability of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and would further strengthen inter-ethnic dialogue,

C.  whereas intensifying economic dialogue and cooperation with the enlargement countries enables the EU to focus together on overcoming the economic crisis and contributes to the Union's global competitiveness,

D.  whereas the 2010 enlargement strategy highlights as priorities the reform of public administration and the judiciary, the fight against organised crime and corruption, and the dialogue among political actors,

E.  whereas the EU operates comprehensive approval procedures that ensure new members are admitted only when they have met all requirements, and only with the active consent of the EU institutions and of the EU Member States,

F.  whereas freedom of expression and the independence of the media remain a concern in most of the enlargement countries,

Political developments

1.  Shares the assessment by the Commission's 2010 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and regrets that the Council has not taken a decision on the opening of accession negotiations, as recommended by the Commission for a second year in a row and in line with previous Parliament resolutions; recalls its previous recommendation to the Council to start the negotiations immediately;

2.  Notes the recent political developments leading to the early elections; calls on all political parties to play an active and constructive role in the process of preparing the elections; emphasises that free and fair elections conducted on the basis of full transparency and in line with international standards are an important element of a consolidated democracy; calls on all political parties actively to participate in the elections; is concerned at the current political situation and appeals to all political leaders to seek consensus on the basis of democratic institutions;

3.  Points out that bilateral issues need to be resolved by the parties concerned in a good neighbourly spirit and taking overall EU interests into account; appeals to all the key players and parties concerned to step up their efforts and to demonstrate responsibility and determination for solving all outstanding issues which are not only hindering the accession process of the candidate country, and the EU's own policy in the region, but could also have repercussions on inter-ethnic relations, regional stability and economic development;

4.  Congratulates the country on the 10th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which remains the cornerstone of inter-ethnic relations in the country, and calls on the government and all state institutions to use the this landmark anniversary as a means to encourage the continuous fostering of inter-ethnic cooperation and trust; is, however, concerned by growing inter-ethnic tensions over the construction on the site of the Kale fortress in Skopje; appeals to all political and religious leaders and media outlets to act responsibly, refraining from any actions which could increase inter-ethnic tensions; notes with concern the risk of a growing isolationist mentality, which could develop as a substitute policy in the absence of a tangible EU perspective;

5.  Calls on the government to foster a comprehensive dialogue between the ethnic communities, to take due account of the sensitivities of all the communities and minorities in its decisions, such as the urban plan for ‘Skopje 2014’, and to avoid acts and initiatives aimed at strengthening the national identity at the expense of other communities; draws attention to the need for effective functioning of the parliamentary committee on inter-ethnic relations in the integration of the minorities in the legislative process and emphasises that additional efforts are necessary to take forward the decentralisation process in line with the Ohrid Framework Agreement;

6.  Regrets that the UN mediation efforts to solve the name dispute have not yielded concrete results;

Democracy, the rule of law and human rights

7.  Recalls that a healthy political culture is the foundation of democracy; calls on the opposition parties to end the boycott of the national parliament and resume the political dialogue within institutions; considers that it is the responsibility of the government and opposition to ensure immediate and open dialogue on all the existing challenges which the country is facing; points out that political instability could affect the European integration process, which should be a common shared priority for all the components of society; welcomes the adoption of the amendments to the rules of procedure of the parliament, allowing for stronger engagement by the opposition in its work; is, however, concerned that there is insufficient dialogue between the government and opposition parties and a general climate of distrust and confrontation; urges both sides to foster a climate of trust and to show strong commitment to using the new parliamentary rules of procedure in order to strengthen the political dialogue and constructive cooperation in the legislative process and in parliamentary scrutiny of the government's activities;

8.  Welcomes the political will to complete the long overdue announcement of names of agents affiliated to the former Yugoslav secret services as a major step toward breaking with the old Communist era; however, notes insufficient progress with the full enforcement of the relevant laws; urges the government to complete the lustration process without delay, avoiding using it selectively for political purposes, such as political self-legitimation or the defamation of political opponents;

9.  Pays tribute to the excellent work of the outgoing EU Special Representative/Head of EU Delegation; condemns the inappropriate attacks by politicians of the governing party on EU representatives and regrets that the government has not unequivocally and publicly dissociated itself from such insults; considers these incidents to be extremely detrimental to the country's image;

10.  Draws attention to the need to improve the electoral legislation in order to bring it into line with the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission's recommendations set out in the report on the presidential and local elections of 2009;

11.  Reiterates that free and independent media are a necessary precondition for the development of a stable democracy; notes the existence of a wide variety and mix of public and private media outlets in the country; expresses concern, however, at the politicisation of the media and interference in their work; is worried about the economic dependence and the concentration of political power of the media, which often result in a lack of editorial independence and in poor standards of journalism; is concerned at a considerable deterioration in media freedom in the country, as shown by the significant drop (from 34th to 68th position) in the Reporters Without Borders' 2010 press ranking; notes the fact that the Ministry of Interior posted on its home page a call to citizens to denounce ‘non-objective’ press reports, calls on journalists to uphold high professional standards in their work, distance themselves from political influences and establish professional associations for journalists, while at the same time urging the authorities responsible to strengthen the independence and freedom of the media, applying equal standards to all of them and improving the transparency of their ownership;

12.  Welcomes the numerous laws passed for judicial reform and calls for further intensive efforts in the reform of the judiciary, in order to ensure its professionalism, efficiency and independence from political pressures; to this end, underlines that the existing legal framework needs to be implemented swiftly and effectively; is concerned at the continuous role of the Ministry of Justice in the Judicial Council and at the criticism of the Constitutional Court by the government and parliamentarians, which create the risk of subjecting the judiciary to political interference; nevertheless, notes with satisfaction that, in spite of these disagreements, all court rulings have been implemented; welcomes the efforts to increase the efficiency and transparency of the court system, in particular the decreasing backlog of cases in most of the courts; equally, welcomes the entry into force of the law on legal aid;

13.  Welcomes the continued efforts in the fight against corruption, manifested amongst other things by implementation of the second round of GRECO recommendations and the entry into force of the amendments to the Criminal Code; encourages the authorities to continue implementing legislation to combat corruption and improving the independence, efficiency and resources of the judiciary; however, recalls that corruption remains prevalent and calls for further intensive efforts to eradicate it; stresses the urgency of effective and impartial enforcement of anti-corruption legislation, in particular on the financing of political parties and on conflicts of interest; draws attention to the importance of ensuring that the court system functions free of political interference; welcomes the efforts to increase the efficiency and transparency of the court system; stresses the need to build up an enforcement record for prosecutions and convictions against which progress can be measured; calls for the unification of jurisprudence in order to ensure a predictable judicial system and public trust;

14.  Calls on the Commission to prepare, with its next Progress Report, an assessment of the impact and results achieved from the allocation of EU funds to reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption; calls on the Commission to provide the Council and Parliament with a more detailed assessment of the efficiency of anti-corruption measures taken by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the case of public procurement and fraud, and to present it together with the next Progress Report;

15.  Recognises the efforts made in public administration reform but calls for further efforts in the field, which continues to be politicised and lacks capacities and professionalism; welcomes the government's adoption of a National Strategy for Public Administration Reform and the creation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement's subcommittee on public administration reform; is concerned at the non-transparent and ad hoc process of converting temporary posts into permanent ones, entailing further politicisation of the administration; calls for the development of a clear human resources strategy, defining the needs of administration in terms of capacities and skills and its implementation through merit-based recruitment and career development; welcomes the increased recruitment of non-majority communities but underlines that it should be carried out on the basis of assessment of needs in the administration, in order to ensure that the skills of new employees match the job requirements;

16.  Commends the continuing progress in the field of decentralisation; notes, however, that adequate budgets should accompany the transfer of responsibilities to lower authorities;

17.  Welcomes the progress achieved as regards reform of the prison system; however, remains seriously concerned at the degrading conditions in some prisons, in particular overcrowding and an inadequate healthcare system; emphasises the need to respect the principle that persons in detention should be subject to appropriate treatment, in according with the UN principles;

18.  Welcomes the adoption of the law on the 2011 population and household census, emphasises the need for adequate preparation and operational organisation in order to conduct an accurate census; calls on the government to allocate appropriate funds for its organisation and stresses the importance of de-politicising the issue in order to have an unbiased census with the widest possible participation;

19.  Underlines the utmost significance of ensuring that the education system supports ethnic integration; to this end, welcomes the strategy of integrated education and calls for its swift implementation, amongst other things by phasing out segregation on ethnic lines and increasing the learning of all the official languages in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; calls on the government to improve the process for consulting the different communities and to cooperate with them closely in implementation of the strategy;

20.  Identifies a lack of progress in the joint celebration of historic events shared with neighbouring EU Member States with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of history and good neighbourly relations, as stressed by the previous report; urges the introduction of school textbooks free of ideological interpretations of history;

21.  Is seriously concerned at the situation of the Roma community, which continues to face dire living conditions and discrimination in access to the labour market, healthcare and social services; underlines particularly the difficult situation of Roma girls and women, who continue to suffer from double discrimination, based on both ethnicity and gender; calls on the government for a stronger commitment to implementing the Roma strategy and the action plan for the Roma Decade; in this regard, welcomes the government's activities aiming at political integration of the Roma, including having a minister of Roma ethnicity in charge of issues pertaining to the Roma community; commends the government for convening a meeting on the subject of Roma integration while holding the Presidency of the Council of Europe;

22.  Welcomes the adoption of the anti-discrimination law as a vital step to combat discriminatory practices, which are still widespread, and calls for its swift and effective implementation; however, regrets that, contrary to European legislation, sexual orientation has been omitted from the law as a ground for discrimination; calls for the swift alignment of national provisions in this field with the acquis and for strengthening of the monitoring mechanisms, and emphasises that this is a prerequisite for accession; is concerned at the course taken by the selection procedure for members of the Commission for protection against discrimination; regrets that no representative from civil society has been appointed to the Commission; calls for further efforts to be made concerning the rights of women, to increase their participation in the labour market and in political and business decision-making and to protect women and children from domestic violence;

23.  Calls for more efforts in the field of gender equality and women's rights; encourages the authorities to fully implement the Law on Equal Opportunities between men and women and to ensure that the national action plan for gender equality becomes more consistent; welcomes the adoption of the strategy in the fight against domestic violence; calls for the implementation of a victim support system; urges the government and the non-governmental sector to promote greater awareness of these issues;

24.  Condemns recent cases of intimidation and direct attacks on civil society organisations and personal defamation of their leading activists; welcomes the mechanisms for consulting civil society organisations introduced by the government but is concerned that there is no systematic and transparent mechanism for consulting civil society on national development policies, legislation, programmes or other strategic documents; stresses the need to involve civil society organisations in the policy-making process in an unselective manner in order to stimulate effective public debate and include stakeholders in the accession process of the country; stresses the crucial role of civil society in contributing to enhanced regional cooperation on social and political aspects; commends the adoption of the new Law on Citizen's Associations and urges the authorities to implement the provisions on ‘public benefit’ organisations by securing funding schemes as soon as possible;

25.  Notes with satisfaction that IPA assistance works well in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; encourages both its government and the Commission to simplify the administration procedure for IPA funding, with the aim of making it more accessible to smaller and non-centralised civil organisations, trade unions and other beneficiaries;

26.  Emphasises that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has ratified the eight core labour rights conventions of the ILO; is concerned that only modest progress has been made in the field of labour rights and trade unions; calls on the authorities to further strengthen labour and trade union rights, in this regard also encourages the government to secure sufficient administrative capacity for the proper implementation and enforcement of the labour law; points to the important role of the social dialogue and encourages the government to step up its ambitions in and establish an all-inclusive social dialogue with relevant partners;

27.  Underlines the importance of preserving and maintaining the cultural heritage, which is a pillar of European values and principles; notes with regret that numerous cemeteries, fresco inscriptions and artefacts, which belong to the Bulgarian cultural heritage, have been totally abandoned and ruined;

28.  Welcomes the progress of the country towards a functioning market economy and a broad consensus on fundamental aspects of the country's economic policy; commends the government for maintaining macroeconomic stability, despite the negative impact of the global financial crisis, and notes the good prospects for economic growth in upcoming years;

Socio-economic developments

29.  Is concerned at the persistent and very high unemployment, in particular among young people, which is common to many of the countries in the region; calls on the government to swiftly implement more efficient measures for improving public investment, focused on employment policies and employment of the labour force in high-quality, stable and decent jobs; calls on the Commission to assist the authorities with increased assistance from the IPA;

30.  Notes the improvement in the business climate as a consequence of the economic reforms undertaken over the past years and stresses the need for continuous structural reform in the country; notes at the same time that foreign investment has further decreased from an already low level, and that the situation was worsened by the global financial crisis; calls on the state agencies responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to strengthen their efforts to attract potential foreign investors;

31.  Congratulates the government on the effective and smooth implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU; to this end, welcomes the recent government decision to abolish the customs tariffs on over a hundred different products as a step towards full trade liberalisation with the EU; hopes that these changes will increase the competitiveness of domestic producers, thereby stimulating greater economic growth; considers this development to be an important milestone demonstrating the country's efforts to withstand the increased competition that it will face once it becomes EU member;

32.  Emphasises the need to apply the principles of good governance in budgetary spending by improving free access to public information, consulting stakeholders in the budgetary procedure and establishing a reporting mechanism, thereby assuming accountability for the money spent; recalls that non-transparent budget spending leads to social exclusion and conflict, and questions the legitimacy of some national campaigns;

33.  Welcomes the recent adoption of the Energy Act with the purpose of liberalising the country's electricity market, which is in line with the relevant European directives;

34.  Stresses the importance of developing an efficient and reliable public transport system both inside the country and at regional level (including the Sofia-Skopje-Tirana railway link); to this end, reiterates its appeal to the authorities to invest in the maintenance and upgrading of the railway network as a viable alternative to the road system; regrets the government's decision to decrease investment in the annual railway infrastructure programme and calls on the Commission to provide the necessary technical and financial assistance within the framework of the IPA;

35.  Calls on the authorities of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to re-open the cross-border line for pedestrians and cyclists between Staro Konjarevo and Gabrene, in order to improve the section of the Iron Curtain trail between Strumica and Petric;

36.  Welcomes the adoption of the national strategy for sustainable development, but calls for more effort to implement legislation in the field of the environment and to provide adequate funds to this end; in particular, draws attention to the challenges in the areas of water quality, waste management and nature protection; calls for closer cooperation on transboundary environmental issues, based on the EU standards; in this regard, reiterates its call for effective monitoring of the quality and level of the water in the border lakes Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran, as well as in the river Vardar; welcomes the initiative of the trilateral Prespa Lake Euro-region involving the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece and Albania; calls on the government to extend the successful experience of the Ohrid waste water collector system to the other lakes in the region; furthermore, welcomes the progress achieved in the construction of a waste-water treatment plant in Gevgelia;

37.  Expresses deep concern over the soil pollution in the town of Veles, which the World Health Organisation has declared a dangerous place to live; calls on the government to address this issue and take adequate measures to protect public health in this area; invites the Commission to consider whether IPA funds could be used in this particular case;

Regional issues

38.  Commends the country on its continuous stabilising role in the region; whilst highlighting its participation in EU civilian and military missions, nevertheless reminds the government of its obligation to adhere to the CFSP Common Positions, especially those referring to restrictive measures, notably as regards the particular case of Zimbabwe;

39.  Welcomes the recent decision taken by the authorities of Serbia and of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to abolish the need for international passports for citizens travelling between the two states, with the purpose of establishing joint control of their shared border;

40.  Strongly regrets the fact that the name dispute with Greece continues to block the country's road to EU accession, and recalls its recommendation to the Council to start the accession negotiations immediately; underlines the importance of good neighbourly relations and of understanding the sensitivities of neighbouring countries in this process; calls on the governments concerned to avoid gestures, controversial actions and statements which could have negative effects and could strain good neighbourly relations; notes the intensified dialogue between the two Prime Ministers and encourages them to show political wisdom and a willingness to compromise and to swiftly find a solution satisfactory to both sides;

41.  Recalls that, in accordance with the General Affairs Council conclusions of 14 December 2010, maintaining good neighbourly relations, including a negotiated and mutually accepted solution to the name issue, under the auspices of the UN, is essential;

42.  Calls upon the Commission and the Council to start developing a generally applicable arbitration mechanism aimed at solving bilateral issues between enlargement countries, between Member States and enlargement countries and between Member States;

43.  Notes with concern the use of historical arguments in the current debate, including the phenomenon of so-called ‘antiquisation’, which threatens to increase tensions with neighbour countries and create new internal divisions;

44.  Invites the High Representative and the Commissioner responsible for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy to facilitate an agreement on the name issue and offer political guidance, with full respect for the ongoing process of negotiations and the provisions of the UN Charter; considers that finding a mutually acceptable solution as quickly as possible is a test case for the post-Lisbon common foreign policy, and for the Union's ability to solve long-standing international controversies on its borders;

45.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to honour their commitments towards third countries and reward the progress and reform efforts of the countries that meet the requirements of the Union; notes that, otherwise, these countries' readiness to reform may decrease;

46.  Takes the view that a further prolongation of the status quo regarding the name issue and other open questions with the neighbouring countries could undermine not only the stability of the country and region but also the credibility of the enlargement policy, and therefore calls upon all the parties concerned to show goodwill, solidarity and responsibility in resolving the outstanding issues; in this regard calls on the authorities in the country to advance the initiative of establishing joint expert committees on history and education with Bulgaria and Greece;

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47.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the government and parliament of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

(1) OJ C 341 E ,16.12.2010, p. 54.
(2) OJ L 80, 19.3.2008, p. 32.


Côte d'Ivoire
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire
P7_TA(2011)0152RC-B7-0256/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Côte d'Ivoire, in particular that of 16 December 2010(1),

–  having regard to the Bamako Declaration of 3 November 2000 on Democracy, Human Rights and Freedoms in the Francophone World,

–  having regard to the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Côte d'Ivoire, in particular Resolutions 1946 and 1951(2010) and 1967, 1968 and 1975(2011),

–  having regard to the statements made by the VP/HR, Baroness Catherine Ashton, on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, in particular those of 3, 10, 12 and 19 March and 1 April 2011,

–  having regard to the conclusions on Côte d'Ivoire adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council at its 3065th meeting, on 31 January 2011,

–  having regard to EU Council Decision 2011/18/CFSP and to Council Regulation (EU) No 25/2011 of 14 January 2011 imposing an asset freeze and designating additional persons and entities subject to restrictive measures in Côte d'Ivoire,

–  having regard to the decision adopted at Addis Ababa on 10 March 2011 by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU),

–  having regard to the UN Security Council statements on Côte d'Ivoire of 3 and 11 March 2011,

–  having regard to the Joint Statement issued by the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 18 March 2011 condemning the violence and human rights violations in Côte d'Ivoire,

–  having regard to the statement made by its President, Jerzy Buzek, on 18 March 2011 calling for an end to all violence against civilians in Côte d'Ivoire,

–  having regard to the resolution on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire adopted on 25 March 2011 in Abuja by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS,

–  having regard to the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution of 25 March 2011 establishing an international commission of inquiry to investigate human rights violations in Côte d'Ivoire since the presidential election,

–  having regard to Rule 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas, over the past four months, Côte d'Ivoire has been plunged into a deep political crisis stemming from the refusal by incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish power to the legitimate President Alassane Ouattara, despite the fact that the latter won the November 2010 presidential poll and has been recognised as the victor by the international community, following validation of the results by the United Nations,

B.  whereas all diplomatic efforts to devise a peaceful solution to the post-election political deadlock, including those of the AU, ECOWAS and the President of South Africa, have been unsuccessful,

C.  whereas since mid-February fighting has intensified both in the capital and in the west of the country, with alarming reports indicating the increasing use of heavy artillery against civilians,

D.  whereas in recent days the Republican Forces of President Ouattara have launched a vast offensive aimed at establishing his authority, and have taken control of several important areas, including the political capital, Yamoussoukro, and San Pedro, a key port for cocoa exports; whereas the pro-Ouattara forces have now entered Abidjan, which has led to intense fighting with the forces loyal to the ex-President,

E.  whereas according to UN sources hundreds of lives have been lost in Côte d'Ivoire since December 2010; whereas the actual number of casualties is likely to be much higher, as the violence taking place in the interior of the country is not always reported in the press,

F.  whereas attacks intentionally directed against UN peacekeepers and institutions constitute war crimes; whereas the UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI) has constantly been the target of threats and attacks by pro-Gbagbo security forces, while the ex-President has employed inflammatory rhetoric inciting people to violence against the UN forces and foreigners present in Côte d'Ivoire; whereas several UN peacekeepers have been seriously injured or even killed,

G.  whereas atrocities have been committed in Côte d'Ivoire, including cases of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and the excessive and indiscriminate use of force against civilians, which amount to crimes against humanity,

H.  whereas in the declaration submitted by its government on 18 April 2003 pursuant to Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, Côte d'Ivoire accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed on its territory after 19 September 2002; whereas Côte d'Ivoire remains under preliminary investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC,

I.  whereas respect for the rule of law has continued to deteriorate in Côte d'Ivoire, with increasing restrictions being placed on freedom of speech, expression and the media,

J.  whereas the economic situation in Côte d'Ivoire has seriously deteriorated in the last four months as Laurent Gbagbo has carried out illegal nationalisations in the banking and cocoa sectors and arbitrary expropriations of money and private property; whereas the IMF recently warned of the serious negative economic consequences of the current situation in Côte d'Ivoire for the whole West African region,

K.  whereas owing to the climate of terror prevailing in the country an estimated 1 million people have been displaced, both internally and to neighbouring countries such as Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Mali and Guinea,

L.  whereas on 17 March 2011 the Commission increased the EU's humanitarian assistance to Côte d'Ivoire fivefold,

M.  whereas UNSC Resolution 1975(2011), which was adopted unanimously, urges Mr Gbagbo to step aside immediately and calls for an immediate end to violence against civilians, while imposing targeted financial and travel-related sanctions against Mr Gbagbo, his wife and three associates,

1.  Condemns the attempts by ex-President Gbagbo and his supporters violently to usurp the will of the Ivorian people; reiterates its call on Mr Gbagbo to step down and immediately hand over power to Alassane Ouattara; welcomes, in that connection, the adoption of Resolution 1975(2011), in which the UN Security Council made its strongest statement since the beginning of the post-electoral crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, calling on Mr Gbagbo to step aside immediately;

2.  Deplores the fact that no diplomatic solution, including those advocated by the AU, has been found and that violence and armed confrontation have been a feature of the post-electoral crisis;

3.  Commends the call by West African women for a peaceful resolution of the political conflict in Côte d'Ivoire and for the perpetrators of violence against ordinary people in the country to be brought to justice; deplores the fact that insufficient efforts have been made by women's organisations and religious and community leaders to build up internal pressure and promote mediation in search of a peaceful resolution to the political deadlock in the country;

4.  Recalls that the sole source of democratic legitimacy is universal suffrage and that the election of Alassane Ouattara reflects the sovereign will of the Ivorian people; urges all Ivorian institutions, including the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FDSCI), to yield without delay to the authority of the democratically elected President Ouattara and his government;

5.  Condemns in the strongest possible terms the escalation of violence in Côte d'Ivoire, in particular the use of heavy weapons against civilians, and the ensuing considerable loss of life; expresses its deepest solidarity with all innocent victims of injustice and violence in Côte d'Ivoire and with their families; stresses that violence against civilians, including women, children and internationally displaced persons, will not be tolerated and must cease immediately;

6.  Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law reportedly perpetrated against civilians, including extrajudicial killings and acts of sexual violence; notes that according to the UNSC these acts may amount to crimes against humanity; expresses its firm opposition to any use of the media to incite hatred; calls for the lifting of all restrictions placed on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression; condemns the abduction of four people, including two EU citizens, from a hotel in Abidjan located in a neighbourhood controlled by pro-Gbagbo forces, and calls for their immediate release;

7.  Insists that there can be no impunity and that no efforts should be spared in order to identify and bring to justice, including at international level, all those responsible for crimes against the civilian population; welcomes, in that connection, the establishment of a commission of inquiry by the UN Human Rights Council; notes that the UNSC has indicated that the ICC will decide whether it has jurisdiction over the situation in Côte d'Ivoire; calls on all actors in Côte d'Ivoire to cooperate with these bodies so that justice can be done; calls on the EU to provide all necessary support to these inquiries;

8.  Firmly condemns the acts of intimidation and obstruction directed against ONUCI and the EU;

9.  Welcomes the additional targeted sanctions, comprising a visa ban and an asset freeze, imposed by the UNSC, the AU and the Council of the European Union on all persons and entities that oppose the legitimate President's authority, and the decisions taken by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which have refused to deal with the illegitimate government; stresses that these sanctions are to remain in place until the return of legitimate authorities to power;

10.  Welcomes the fact that UNSC Resolution 1975(2011) recalled the authorisation given to ONUCI to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians, including in order to prevent further use of heavy weapons, and expressed the UNSC's full support for such action; calls, in that connection, for a swift and significant strengthening of ONUCI capacities in order to ensure effective protection of civilians in Côte d'Ivoire;

11.  Notes that, in accordance with its mandate, ONUCI has already taken action in Abidjan in order to stop the use of heavy weapons and protect civilians and UN personnel, with the assistance of the French Force ‘Licorne’, at the request of the UN Secretary-General;

12.  Commends and supports the mediation efforts conducted under the auspices of the AU and ECOWAS with a view to preventing confrontation, and reiterates its calls to all political forces in Côte d'Ivoire to demonstrate their commitment to a peaceful democratic political transition and thus avoid further bloodshed; expresses its support for the AU plan for an overall peaceful solution to the crisis, and stresses that all African countries must show unity and act in a concerted way, so that peace can be restored in Côte d'Ivoire;

13.  Calls on President Ouattara to facilitate peace and national reconciliation, whilst recalling that that there is no statute of limitations for war crimes and crimes against humanity;

14.  Is deeply concerned at the worsening humanitarian situation in Côte d'Ivoire and neighbouring countries, especially Liberia; calls on all actors in Côte d'Ivoire to ensure safe and unhindered access to all parts of the the country for humanitarian organisations on the ground; welcomes the commitment given by the EU, as expressed by Commissioner Georgieva, to help resolve the humanitarian crisis;

15.  Emphasises the need for swift international political action to address the humanitarian situation in Côte d'Ivoire and prevent a new migration crisis in the region, calls on the Commission and the Member States to coordinate their efforts with other international donors; calls on the international community to honour the pledges of humanitarian aid in order to respond to the urgent needs of the population of Côte d'Ivoire and its neighbouring countries;

16.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, the ONUCI, the institutions of the African Union, ECOWAS, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the governments of the Member States and the President-elect of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr Alassane Ouattara.

(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0492.


Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy – Eastern Dimension
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy - Eastern Dimension
P7_TA(2011)0153B7-0198/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the conclusions of the Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers meeting of 13 December 2010,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions of 19 January 2006 on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)(1), 15 November 2007 on strengthening the ENP(2), 6 July 2006 on the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)(3), 5 June 2008 on the annual report from the Council to the European Parliament on the main aspects and basic choices of the CFSP(4), 19 February 2009 on the review of the ENPI(5), 17 January 2008 on a Black Sea Regional Policy Approach(6) and 20 January 2011 on an EU Strategy for the Black Sea(7),

–  having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2010 on the Need for an EU Strategy for the South Caucasus(8),

–  having regard to the development of the ENP since 2004, and in particular to the Commission's progress reports on its implementation,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as to the recommendations of the parliamentary cooperation committees for those countries, with the exception of Belarus,

–  having regard to paragraph 41 of the above resolution of 15 November 2007, which calls for the setting-up of an EU-Neighbourhood East Parliamentary Assembly (EURONEST),

–  having regard to the Action Plans adopted jointly with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova, and to the Association Agenda with Ukraine,

–  having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 26 July 2010 on the ENP,

–  having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit of 7 May 2009,

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 12 May 2010 entitled ‘Taking Stock of the European Neighbourhood Policy (COM(2010)0207),

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 3 December 2008 on Eastern Partnership (COM(2008)0823),

–  having regard to the Commission communications of 5 December 2007 entitled ‘A Strong European Neighbourhood Policy’(COM(2007)0774), 4 December 2006 on strengthening the ENP (COM(2006)0726), 12 May 2004 entitled ‘European Neighbourhood Policy - Strategy Paper’(COM(2004)0373) and 11 March 2003 entitled ‘Wider Europe - Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours’(COM(2003)0104),

–  having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument(9),

–  having regard to the European Court of Auditors Special Report No 13/2010, entitled ‘Is the new European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument successfully launched and achieving results in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia)?’,

–  having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the Lisbon Treaty has created the conditions required for the EU to improve the effectiveness and coherence of its relations with all actors and partners, particularly its neighbours,

B.  whereas under Article 8 of the Treaty on European Union the Union must develop a special relationship with neighbouring countries, aiming to establish an area of prosperity and good neighbourliness, founded on the values of the Union and characterised by close and peaceful relations based on cooperation,

C.  whereas, since it was launched, the ENP has led to a strengthening of relations with partner countries and brought some tangible benefits; whereas challenges still remain and the focus should now be on implementation, with clearly defined priorities for action, clear benchmarking and performance-based differentiation,

D.  whereas the Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a meaningful political framework for deepening relations with and among partner countries, based on principles of shared ownership and responsibility, as well as conditionality; whereas strengthened relations require an enhanced joint commitment and tangible progress towards good governance and democratic standards,

E.  whereas the EaP focuses on four thematic cooperation platforms, namely: democracy, good governance and stability; economic integration and convergence with EU policies; environment, climate change and energy security; and contacts between people,

F.  whereas cooperation within the framework of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly seeks to bring positive effects by serving as a platform for exchanging views, finding common positions on global challenges of our times with respect to democracy, politics, economics, energy security and social affairs, and strengthening ties between the countries of the region and the EU and among the EaP countries themselves,

G.  whereas the EU should promote and significantly strengthen a bottom-up approach, increasing its economic support to civil societies and promoting freedom of the press and freedom of assembly in order to sustain the democratisation processes, which are a precondition for long-term stabilisation,

H.  whereas unresolved regional conflicts in the EU's neighbourhood undermine the sustainable economic, social and political development of the countries concerned and present a serious obstacle to regional cooperation, stability and security; whereas they are also a serious impediment to the development of the ENP's full potential and priorities; whereas these conflicts are undermining the development of a genuine and effective multilateral dimension to the ENP; whereas the role that civil society could play in the countries concerned continues to be underestimated,

I.  whereas the recent demonstrations by people in Belarus, Tunisia and Egypt against repressive regimes clearly expressed their legitimate aspirations to democracy,

J.  whereas the EU's and Member States' policy of supporting and cooperating with undemocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt failed and should prove a lesson learned for EU relations with Belarus, and whereas the EU's overall ENP policy should be value-based,

K.  whereas the ENPI has helped to simplify the financing of the ENP; whereas the process of designing its successor instrument should reflect the conclusions of the ENP strategic review and should involve wide-ranging consultations,

ENP review – General

1.  Welcomes the progress in relations between the EU and neighbouring countries within the ENP and reaffirms the values, principles and commitments upon which the ENP has been built, which include democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, a market economy, sustainable development and good governance; considers that the ENP is still a framework of strategic importance for deepening and strengthening relations with our closest partners so as to support their political, social and economic reforms, and underlines the importance of maintaining the principle of joint ownership in the design and implementation of programmes and actions;

2.  Welcomes the ongoing review of the ENP and stresses that this process should lead to a further enhancement of the EU's ties with neighbouring countries and that, while the aspirations and goals of those countries may differ, all of them have the potential to be the closest of political allies for the EU;

3.  Notes that the two dimensions (southern and eastern) of the ENP should be perceived as integral parts of the same priority policy; stresses the need for flexibility and to differentiate our approach more vis-à-vis individual partners and spend better;

4.  Emphasises that the strategic review of the ENP should reflect an increased political commitment from all partners and should strengthen performance-based differentiation based on clearly defined benchmarks;

5.  Considers it particularly worthwhile to continuously evaluate and assess not only the results that have been achieved to date through the programmes implemented but also the adequacy of the resources used within the framework of the partnership; is of the opinion that this procedure will provide an opportunity to correct any deficiencies and unfortunate choices in the future;

6.  Stresses the need to acknowledge the changes brought by the Lisbon Treaty, in particular the reinforced role of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the appointment of a Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy and new powers for the European Parliament, in order to give greater coherence to EU foreign policy and to increase the efficiency and legitimacy of its external dimension and action; expects the Member States not to undertake bilateral initiatives with ENP countries that could undermine the effectiveness of the EU action;

7.  Calls on the EEAS and the EU delegations around the world to contribute greatly to ensuring that human rights and political principles are more strongly integrated into the analysis of the political situation in third countries and fed into possible ‘transformation’ policies via aid projects;

ENP-East

8.  Welcomes the launch of the EaP as a political framework for the advancement of the eastern dimension of the ENP, which seeks to deepen and strengthen the relations between the EU and its eastern neighbours, furthering political association, economic integration and legislative approximation while supporting political and socio-economic reforms in the partner countries; calls on the Council, the Commission and the EEAS to devise clear benchmarks for monitoring such reforms, noting that the benchmarks should take into consideration the specificities of each partner, including its specific goals and potential; calls on the Council, the Commission and the EEAS to involve Parliament in devising these benchmarks; stresses that economic reforms must go hand-in-hand with political reforms and that good governance can only be achieved through an open and transparent decision-making process based on democratic institutions;

9.  Underlines the importance of further promoting stability and multilateral confidence building in the framework of the EaP, as agreed in the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit;

10.  Stresses that a European perspective including Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union could constitute a driving force for reforms in these countries and further strengthen their commitment to shared values and principles such as democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and good governance;

11.  Recalls that the shared fundamental values – including democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, independence of the judiciary, combating corruption, upholding media freedoms and promoting NGOs – which are the basis upon which the ENP and the EaP have been established should remain the main yardstick against which to evaluate the performance of our partner countries; calls, to this end, on all ENP partners to take concrete steps in this direction; encourages, therefore, the Commission and the EEAS to take a more ambitious approach to implementing the annual action programmes in this field;

12.  Notes that, since the ENP's launch in 2004, mixed results have been recorded, with positive developments concerning human rights and democratisation in some partner countries and some negative developments in others, particularly in Belarus;

13.  Notes that Belarus remains the only eastern partner country with limited participation in the ENP and EaP bilateral track and that its further engagement in these programmes will depend on its readiness to adhere to commonly shared values and basic principles; considers that the recent developments in Belarus were an affront to the EU's vision of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law; welcomes the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on Belarus of 31 January 2011; calls on the EU to take all necessary steps to fully implement these conclusions, including by attempting to engage ordinary Belarusians in the idea of reform by cutting the red tape and cost involved in obtaining Schengen visas and by facilitating people-to-people contacts; calls in this respect on Member States to make use of all of the flexibility available within the EU visa code when issuing Schengen visas; urges the Commission and other donors to support the development of democratically oriented political parties in Belarus and the creation of larger NGOs and civil-society organisations, as well as to support community and civic initiatives in the Belarusian regions;

14.  Stresses that in a number of countries the legal framework for and conduct of elections have not been consistent with international standards; insists on the importance of free and fair elections in line with international standards and commitments;

15.  Stresses that combating corruption, in particular in the judiciary and the police, should be a top priority for the EU in the development of its relations with the eastern partners and that this should be reflected in the comprehensive institution-building framework; stresses, as well, the importance of stepping up the fight against international organised crime networks and calls for increased police and judicial cooperation with EU agencies;

16.  Underlines the importance of complementing the EU's bilateral relations with EaP countries with a multilateral dimension by increasing the number of activities and initiatives included in the thematic platforms, paying particular attention to strengthening cross-border projects, stepping up people-to-people programmes, developing incentives for regional cooperation and further enhancing the active dialogue with civil society in order to promote the necessary establishment of open non-governmental institutions and strengthen social cohesion; notes, however, that the bilateral dimension remains prominent, and calls for a clearer and more rigorous differentiation and conditionality, where ambition and commitments are followed by implementation and real progress is followed by concrete steps towards a European perspective; firmly believes that the intensification of ties with the best-performing partners will have a positive effect on the others and could enhance multilateral cooperation;

17.  Urges the European Council and the Commission to ensure that the visa liberalisation offer made to Eastern Partnership countries is, in terms of its timetable and content, at least as generous as those proposed to other countries with which they share a border, so as to avoid creating incentives to grant foreign passports to citizens of Eastern Partnership countries, which – as in the case of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova – may have the effect of destabilising those countries, and may thus be contrary to the security and interests of the EU itself;

18.  Stresses the importance of further fostering regional cooperation in the Black Sea space and enhancing EU policies towards the Black Sea region, in particular by launching a fully-fledged EU Strategy for the Black Sea and ensuring that there are the necessary financial and human resources for its effective implementation; highlights the complementarity between EU Black Sea policies and the EaP, and calls on the Commission and the EEAS to make positive use of the differing approaches of the two initiatives and to clarify, at all levels, how this substantial degree of complementarity is to be put to good use;

19.  Encourages the countries in the region to cooperate more closely with each other and to engage in an enhanced and prolonged dialogue, at all relevant levels, regarding areas such as freedom, security and justice, and in particular border management, migration and asylum, the fight against organised crime, trafficking in human beings, illegal immigration, terrorism, money laundering and drugs trafficking, as well as police and judicial cooperation; recalls that good-neighbourly relations are one of the most important preconditions for progress by ENP countries towards EU membership;

20.  Stresses that there are still serious problems in numerous countries as regards freedom of expression, especially in the media, and freedom of association and assembly, and that the space available to civil society actors and human rights defenders remains unreasonably restricted;

21.  Welcomes the active role of civil society organisations in promoting the values on which the ENP is founded, notably human rights, freedom of the media and democratisation; stresses that this role, together with involvement in implementation and monitoring of projects under ENPI and ENP Action Plans, needs to be further supported through the allocation of financial and institutional support to them; welcomes the active involvement of civil society organisations, particularly those from partner countries, in the Civil Society Forum; encourages the Civil Society Forum to become involved in official platform meetings and thematic working groups of the EaP;

22.  Considers it necessary to make a thorough assessment of the credibility of all civil society organisations which are involved in this process, in order to ensure the legitimacy and efficiency of our actions;

23.  Underlines the importance of local authorities in the democratic development of our partner countries and urges the Commission actively to support them with a view to strengthening local democracy and local governance; encourages the expansion of twinning programmes between local authorities in EU and partner countries and the establishment of the Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Local and Regional Assembly;

24.  Emphasises the importance of trade unions and social dialogue as part of the democratic development of the eastern partners; stresses that trade union rights are limited and calls on the eastern partners to further enhance labour and trade union rights; recommends stepping up social dialogue and the consultation of social partners;

25.  Emphasises the importance of freedom of expression and of free and independent media, including on the internet, for the development of democracies and as a means of promoting exchanges and communication between societies in the region and between those societies and the EU; encourages the EU to continue funding Belsat, Radyo Racyja and the European Radio for Belarus, as well as to support the creation and consolidation of other media outlets, including through financial contributions, inter alia as a way of promoting direct channels of communication between societies; stresses the need to withdraw assistance from state-controlled and -owned media, such as those in Belarus;

26.  Recalls its view that the Association Agreements are an important tool for stimulating reform and should include concrete conditions, timetables and performance benchmarks and be accompanied by a regular monitoring process in order to efficiently deepen the bilateral relationship with the EU in a holistic way and to enhance coherence between all of the components of such agreements, i.e. the political, economic, social and cultural components and the human rights obligations; stresses that the Comprehensive Institution-Building Programmes should be launched as swiftly as possible; emphasises that, bearing in mind the ambitious nature of the Association Agreements and their crucial importance for the future of the EaP, the EU should support these countries through the provision of technical and financial assistance, so as to empower them to fulfil the implementation commitments; reminds the Commission of its responsibility to keep Parliament and the relevant rapporteurs duly informed of the negotiating mandates for the Association Agreements and of the negotiations themselves;

27.  Welcomes the work of the High-Level EU Advisory Group in Armenia and the launch of a similar group in Moldova; invites the VP/HR and the Commission to discuss the possibility of offering such assistance to other eastern partners;

28.  Considers that closer economic integration can be a powerful agent for social and political change; emphasises that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs) with the EU must only be established once the necessary conditions are fulfilled; stresses that these remain one of the key EaP incentives for the partner countries and a strong incentive for reform, provided that their social and environmental impact is fully assessed in due course; recognises that, in turn, the concept of the DCFTA should be adapted to the changing circumstances of the individual eastern partner countries;

29.  Underlines the importance of increased bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation among ENP partners, as this would result in tangible benefits for citizens, would improve the political climate in the region and would contribute to the economic development of the partner countries; encourages, therefore, the establishment of free trade areas between the partner countries;

30.  Notes the growing economic presence of China in the Eastern Partnership countries;

31.  Stresses the importance of supporting the mobility of citizens, maintaining people-to-people contacts and managing migration flows, particularly through visa facilitation and readmission agreements, with a view to gradually moving towards full visa liberalisation, provided that all relevant conditions are fully met; invites the EU to actively and speedily pursue negotiations to this end, while at the same time ensuring better implementation of the visa facilitation agreements; recommends that bilateral agreements should include provisions on the updating of national migration laws in ENP countries; insists that the implementation of such agreements and policies, in particular the provision of asylum, must be fully in line with international obligations and commitments and with EU standards, especially in the human rights field;

32.  Stresses, furthermore, the fact that visa liberalisation can be used as a strong incentive to promote democratisation and human rights reforms in the partner countries, as well as a means of acknowledging concrete steps taken towards political association and economic integration with the EU within the ENP framework;

33.  Proposes that the Commission should publish an annual evaluation report concerning the European readmission agreements;

34.  Believes enhanced cooperation to be necessary between the ENP countries and FRONTEX;

35.  Urges the Commission to pay particular attention to the mobility of students, academics, researchers and businessmen by ensuring that sufficient resources are available and by strengthening and broadening existing scholarship programmes; stresses, in this connection, the importance of developing within the EaP new projects focusing on more structured cooperation in the field of higher education and research that promotes university exchanges and public-private partnerships in the field of research; welcomes the establishment of mobility partnerships with Moldova and Georgia and encourages the conclusion of such partnerships with other eastern partners as part of the EU's Global Approach to Migration; considers, in this connection, that the flexibilities existing within the Schengen Visa Code should be better used and applied in order to facilitate the mobility of these groups;

36.  Reaffirms its strong support for the EU-funded project involving the provision of scholarships to the College of Europe for university graduates from the ENP and the EU; believes that this will make is possible to train future discussion partners in EU and neighbouring countries – i.e. personnel for EU-ENP-related jobs – who are fully and professionally acquainted with the substance and spirit of EU policies, laws and institutions;

37.  Emphasises the importance of sectoral cooperation, given the growing level of interdependence, particularly in areas such as energy security, environment and climate change, education, information technology, research, transport, social development and inclusion, employment and job creation and health cooperation; stresses that enhanced sectoral cooperation could foster synergies between EU and ENP internal policies; considers, in this context, that more partner countries should be encouraged to conclude protocols with the EU on participation in Community programmes and agencies; welcomes, in this connection, the accession of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to the Energy Community;

38.  Considers it necessary to step up energy cooperation, energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy, which will constitute key objectives of the cooperation arrangements with the ENP partners; emphasises the strategic significance of the Nabucco project and of its swift implementation, as well as of liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation under the AGRI project;

39.  Underlines the need to provide an adequate level of EU funding for cooperation with the neighbourhood and reiterates the value of the ENPI as the ENP financing instrument, which needs to evolve in such a way as to respond more flexibly to the different needs of the neighbouring countries and regions, ensure that there is a direct linkage between the ENP policy objectives and ENPI programming and reflect the performance-based character of the future ENP; emphasises, however, the need to ensure greater flexibility and crisis-responsiveness, as well as better-targeted assistance, aimed in particular at civil society and local levels, ensuring a bottom-up approach and making sure that the financial assistance is not subject to unjustified state interference; underscores the value of monitoring the management and implementation of the various programmes under the ENPI and emphasises that a fundamental criterion for the funding of projects must be their added value for local economic development, taking into account the actual cost of, and the real contribution made by, each project; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to conduct early consultations with Parliament and the civil society stakeholders during the upcoming drafting of the successor instrument;

40.  Calls for more funding to be provided under, and better use to be made of, the Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in order to strengthen civil society's capacity to promote human rights and democratic reform, as well as under the Non-State Actors Instrument supporting small-scale local development activities to be implemented by civil society organisations, in particular in Belarus;

41.  Stresses the importance of maintaining appropriate levels of financing, and is encouraged by the improved coordination of the work carried out by international financial institutions and other donors with a view to improving efficiency and generating synergies; stresses that the EU should also contribute to better use of existing resources by partner countries through a stronger focus on practical cooperation, so as to better empower those countries' institutions to implement the reforms and meet the commitments stemming from the various agreements concluded with the EU; points out that the direct link between performance and financial assistance (e.g. the Governance Facility within the ENPI) needs to be enhanced, especially in the area of democracy, human rights and the rule of law;

42.  Considers that budget support could be discussed as a useful option that could provide real incentives in the future; believes, however, that it should be based on the differentiation principle and should be subject to conditionality, including the adherence of beneficiary countries to shared values and principles, effective budgetary management and control procedures, low levels of corruption, and the ability to use such support in a transparent, effective and accountable manner;

43.  Insists that there should be a sizeable increase in the heading 4 ceiling within the overall budget, in particular for the ENPI, given that, despite there having been some progress over the last few years in promoting enhanced cooperation and progressive economic integration between the European Union and the partner countries, more needs to be done as new challenges and areas for cooperation emerge;

44.  Calls on the Commission to increase financial support, albeit not at the expense of funding for the Union for the Mediterranean, for the eastern component of the ENP, in order to fulfil the objectives and secure effective implementation of the EaP;

45.  Points out that, although aid can act as a lever for ENP countries, it is not enough to guarantee sustainable and lasting development; calls, therefore, on ENP countries to strengthen and mobilise their domestic resources, actively involve the private sector, local governments and civil society in the ENP agenda and ensure greater ownership of ENP projects;

46.  Notes that strengthening the Youth dimension of the Eastern Partnership represents a major investment in the future of EU-Eastern Neighbourhood relations, with great potential for the years to come, and in the democratisation of those partners and the harmonisation of their legislation with European standards; reiterates that the additional EUR 1 000 000 allocated to the ENPI for 2011 within the EU budget for 2011 should be spent by the Commission on strengthening the Youth dimension of the Eastern partnership by providing:

   (a) small grants to be awarded through calls for proposals issued by the Commission or an EU delegation and addressed to EU and EaP countries' youth organisations, for common projects;
   (b) scholarships for students from ENP-East countries;

47.  Welcomes the outcome of the donor conference held on 2 February 2011 for Belarus, with some EUR 87 million to be spent on supporting human rights spokespersons and strengthening trade unions, research centres and students organisations;

48.  Notes the EU's stronger engagement in security issues in the Eastern Neighbourhood with the establishment of the EUBAM in Moldova and the EUMM in Georgia; calls on the VP/HR and the EEAS to step up their involvement in finding a solution to the protracted conflicts in Transnistria and the South Caucasus based on the principles of international law – in particular non-use of force, self-determination and territorial integrity – through more active policy stances, more active participation and a more prominent role in permanent and ad hoc conflict resolution structures, including already existing negotiating formats, particularly those of the OSCE;

49.  Calls on the VP/HR and the EEAS to develop more confidence-building measures and programmes, including the launching of new missions and public communication strategies and the consideration of pragmatic initiatives and innovative approaches such as informal contacts and consultations with the societies of the breakaway territories, while conserving the EU's non-recognition policy, in order to support civic culture and community dialogue; underlines the importance of strengthening the principle of good neighbourly relations, as well as developing regional cooperation through the ENP, the EaP and the negotiations on Association Agreements; considers that the EU Special Representatives (EUSRs) still have a significant role to play, particularly where their mandate has a regional dimension, such as in the South Caucasus; considers that more and better measures should be implemented with a view to solving the protracted conflicts in the region, which are hindering the multilateral dimension;

50.  Draws attention, in this regard, to the fact that the lack of any progress as regards the resolution of the unsolved conflicts in the South Caucasus has hindered the development of all kinds of cooperation in the region, except for the Regional Environment Centre (REC), and consequently weakened the ENP; takes the view that it is of the utmost importance to identify areas of cooperation in which to involve the three countries with regard, in particular, to the dialogue between civil societies, youth organisations and independent media organs as well as economic interaction and calls on the EEAS to make every effort also to engage the Russian Federation and Turkey in this initiative;

51.  Believes that, in order to reduce the workload of EU delegations to these countries and to enhance the EU's involvement in internationally negotiated solutions to protracted conflicts, the appointment of EUSRs can be a useful tool, particularly in the case of Transnistria and the South Caucasus; emphasises that the work of the EUSRs should be coordinated by the VP/HR;

52.  Expresses concern at the fact that forcibly displaced persons (both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)) are still being denied their rights, including the right to return, property rights and the right to personal security, as a result of armed conflicts in the territories of the partner countries; calls on all parties to unambiguously and unconditionally recognise these rights and the need for their prompt realisation and for a prompt solution to this problem that complies with the principles of international law; calls, in this respect, on the Commission and the EU Member States to continue and step up the provision of EU assistance and financial support to those EaP countries dealing with this situation, in particular by helping to renovate and construct necessary buildings and roads, water and electricity supply infrastructure, hospitals and schools;

Role of the European Parliament

53.  Stresses the key importance of the European Parliament in fostering political debate and in enhancing freedom and democracy in the neighbouring partner countries, including through parliamentary election observation missions; underlines its commitment to increasing coherence among its bodies, strengthening its relations with civil society and the effectiveness of the work of its bodies, including through better use of its delegations to interparliamentary bodies;

54.  Reaffirms its strong support for the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly, highlighting that body's role in deepening democracy and democratic institutions and as the parliamentary dimension of the Eastern Partnership; considers that the Assembly will make a useful contribution to the implementation of the strengthened ENP and will confer added value on all the parties interested in reinforcing cooperation, solidarity and mutual trust and promoting best practices; states that Belarusian parliamentarians are welcome to join the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly, but only when the Belarusian Parliament is democratically elected and recognised as such by the European Union;

55.  Stresses the role of the European Parliament in all phases and areas of the development of the ENP, both in the making of strategic choices and in scrutinising ENP implementation, and reiterates its commitment to continuing to exercise the right of parliamentary scrutiny of implementation of the ENP, including by holding regular debates with the Commission on the application of the ENPI; regrets, however, the limited consultation and access to documents during the drafting of relevant programming documents; calls for Parliament to be granted access to the negotiating mandates for all international agreements under negotiation with the ENP partner countries, in accordance with Article 218(10) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which states that Parliament shall be immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedure;

56.  Welcomes the Council's decision to convene a second Eastern Partnership Summit during the second half of 2011; calls, in this regard, on EU Member States to make use of this opportunity to take stock of the progress made and to further revise the strategic guidance for the EaP so that it may continue to deliver substantial results in the future;

o
o   o

57.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Committee of the Regions, the governments and the national parliaments of the ENP countries, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

(1) OJ C 287 E, 24.11.2006, p. 312.
(2) OJ C 282 E, 6.11.2008, p. 443.
(3) OJ C 303 E, 13.12.2006, p. 760.
(4) OJ C 285 E, 26.11.2009, p. 11.
(5) OJ C 76 E, 25.3.2010, p. 83.
(6) OJ C 41 E, 19.2.2009, p. 64.
(7) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0025.
(8) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0193.
(9) OJ L 310, 9.11.2006, p. 1.


Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy – Southern Dimension
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy - Southern Dimension
P7_TA(2011)0154B7-0199/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the development of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) since 2004, and in particular to the Commission's progress reports on its implementation,

–  having regard to the Action Plans adopted jointly with Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and Tunisia,

–  having regard to the Commission Communications of 11 March 2003 on Wider Europe - Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours (COM(2003)0104), of 12 May 2004 on European Neighbourhood Policy - Strategy Paper (COM(2004)0373), of 4 December 2006 on Strengthening the ENP (COM(2006)0726), of 5 December 2007 on A Strong European Neighbourhood Policy (COM(2007)0774), and of 12 May 2010 on Taking Stock of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) (COM(2010)0207),

–  having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on a partnership for democracy and shared prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean of 8 March 2011(COM(2011)0200),

–  having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on the ENP of 26 July 2010,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions of 19 January 2006 on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)(1), of 6 July 2006 on the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)(2), of 15 November 2007 on strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy(3), of 19 February 2009 on the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean(4), of 19 February 2009 on the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument(5), of 20 May 2010 on the Union for the Mediterranean(6), and of 9 September 2010 on the situation of the Jordan River, with special regard to the Lower Jordan River area(7),

–  having regard to its resolutions of 3 February 2011 on the situation in Tunisia(8), of 17 February 2011 on the situation in Egypt(9) and of 10 March 2011 on the Southern Neighbourhood, and Libya in particular, including humanitarian aspects(10),

–  having regard to the conclusions of the EU-Morocco Association Council of 13 October 2008, which granted advanced status to Morocco,

–  having regard to the conclusions of the EU-Jordan Association Council of 26 October 2010, which granted advanced status to Jordan,

–  having regard to the approval of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean by the Brussels European Council of 13 and 14 March 2008,

–  having regard to the Commission Communication of 20 May 2008 on ‘The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)’(COM(2008)0319),

–  having regard to the final statement issued at the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean held in Marseille on 3 and 4 November 2008,

–  having regard to the Declaration of the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean, held in Paris on 13 July 2008,

–  having regard to the Barcelona Declaration establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Partnership adopted at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held on 27 and 28 November 1995,

–  having regard to the statements issued by the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) at its meetings in Paris (12 July 2008), Cairo (20 November 2009), Rabat (22 January 2010), Palermo (18 June 2010) and Rome (12 November 2010),

–  having regard to the recommendation of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) adopted in Amman on 13 October 2008 and forwarded to the First Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean,

–  having regard to the recommendations adopted by the committees of the PA-UfM at its sixth plenary session, held in Amman on 13 and 14 March 2010,

–  having regard to the conclusions of the inaugural meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) held in Barcelona on 21 January 2010,

–  having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)(11),

–  having regard to its recommendation to the Council of 13 December 2010 on the negotiations on the EU-Libya Framework Agreement ,

–  having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas respect for and the promotion of democracy and human rights, and specifically women's rights, the rule of law, the strengthening of security, democratic stability, prosperity, the fair distribution of income, wealth and chances in society and, therefore, the fight against corruption and the promotion of good governance, are founding principles and aims of the European Union and must constitute common values shared with ENP partner countries and become key objectives of the ENP,

B.  whereas the ENP review should take account of the demonstrations calling for freedom, democracy and reforms in several countries in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood, as they illustrated the strong desire among the people for genuine change and better living conditions in the region,

C.  whereas, largely motivated by the uneven distribution of wealth and economic growth and the lack of freedoms, civil unrest, stemming from the general dissatisfaction of the population with the regimes in power, has grown throughout the whole region,

D.   whereas the effects of the economic and financial crisis have come on top of the already existing political, economic and social challenges in the partner countries, particularly in relation to the problem of unemployment and the rising of prices, which has led to the uprisings in the region,

E.  whereas the events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, and other countries calling for democratic reforms require the EU to make appropriate changes to the ENP in order to support effectively the process of political, economic and social reform while unequivocally condemning the use of force in repressing peaceful demonstrations,

F.  whereas since its launch in 2004 the ENP has proven ineffective in meeting its human rights and democracy objectives and has been unable to bring about the necessary political, social and institutional reforms; whereas in its relations with the region the EU has neglected dialogue with civil societies and democratic forces on the southern shore of the Mediterranean; whereas shortcomings and challenges remain, and the focus should now be on implementation in an effort to act together with partners who are truly representative of civil society and critical institutions vital to democracy-building, with clearly defined priorities for action, clear benchmarks and differentiation based on performance and achievements,

G.  whereas there are significant economic, social and demographic asymmetries between the European States and the States from the ENP South, which call for responses in the shared interests of all the partners,

H.  whereas the EU needs to define more precisely its strategic goals and priorities in its partnership with its eastern and southern neighbours and should attach due importance to related items on its political agenda, also in its budgetary planning,

I.  whereas the ENP should include more ambitious and efficient instruments to encourage and support political, economic and social reforms in the EU's neighbourhood,

J.  whereas the Lisbon Treaty has created the conditions for the EU to improve the efficiency and coherence of its policies and functioning, particularly in the sphere of external relations through the creation of the post of Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and the European External Action Service (EEAS), and whereas the VP/HR should ensure that the EU's voice is heard on the international stage,

K.  whereas Articles 3 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union further develop the objectives of the Union's foreign policy and put the promotion of human rights, and, more specifically, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, at the centre of the Union's external action,

L.  whereas, in accordance with Article 8 of the Treaty on European Union, the Union must develop a special relationship with neighbouring countries, with the aim of establishing an area of prosperity and good neighbourliness, founded on the values of the Union and characterised by close and peaceful relations based on cooperation,

M.  whereas unresolved conflicts and violations of international human rights law represent an impediment to the fulfilment of the ENP, hampering economic, social and political development and regional cooperation, stability and security,

N.  whereas the quest for short-term stability has often taken precedence over the values of democracy, social justice and human rights in the EU's relations with its southern neighbours in recent years,

O.  whereas the EU should pursue a bottom-up approach, increasing its support for institution-building, civil society and the will to start democratisation processes, in particular the participation of women, and socio-economic developments, which are preconditions for long-term stabilisation,

P.  whereas respect for human rights, and in particular women's human rights, democracy and the rule of law, including the fight against torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and opposition to the death penalty, are fundamental EU principles,

Q.  whereas the UfM is currently on hold, in particular following the postponement sine die of the its Second Summit of Heads of State or Government and ministerial meetings and the resignation of its Secretary-General; whereas the regional context in which the UfM is taking shape is one which is marked by territorial conflicts, political crises and an increase in social tension and which has been overtaken by the popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, all of which are hampering the operation of the UfM's institutions and the start of the major regional integration projects identified by the UfM Heads of State and Government at the Paris Summit in July 2008 and by the UfM Ministers of Foreign Affairs at their meeting in Marseille on 3 and 4 November 2008; whereas the UfM, which was supposed to enhance EU policy in the region, has proved ineffective in allaying the growing mistrust and meeting the basic needs of the peoples concerned,

R.  having regard to the opportunity offered by the establishment of the UfM to strengthen complementarity between bilateral policies, on the one hand, and regional policies, on the other, in order to achieve more effectively the goals of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation,

S.  whereas other global actors, and the BRIC countries in particular, have been further strengthening their economic presence and political influence in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood,

T.  whereas the effects of the political, economic, social and financial crisis have added to the existing political, economic and social challenges facing the ENP southern countries; whereas the cost of reforms relating to convergence with the acquis and adaptation in line with progressively closer economic and social relations is an additional challenge in the EU' southern neighbours; whereas in some countries these factors have contributed greatly to civil unrest and demands for democratisation and reforms,

U.  whereas the issue of water management, and particularly the fair distribution of water in keeping with the needs of all the people living in the region, is of the utmost importance for lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,

V.  whereas demographic trends show that over the next 20 years population levels in the EU Member States will be stable, but with an increasingly aged population, and the ENP southern countries will see an increase in their populations, and a particular increase in the working-age bracket; whereas economic growth and job creation in these countries might not be able to keep pace with the forecast increase in population, especially as some countries are already facing very high rates of unemployment, and even higher levels of youth unemployment,

W.  whereas corruption in the ENP southern countries remains a serious concern, involving large sections of society and state institutions,

X.  whereas the ENPI has contributed to simplifying the financing of the ENP; whereas the process of developing its successor instrument should reflect the recent developments in the region, and, especially, the legitimate democratic aspirations of the population, and the conclusions of the ENP Strategic Review and be carried out on the basis of consultations with all stakeholders, in particular local actors,

ENP Review – General

1.  Reaffirms the values, principles and commitments upon which the ENP has been built, which include democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and respect for women's rights, good governance, the market economy and sustainable development, and reiterates that the ENP has to become a valid framework for the deepening and strengthening of relations with our closest partners so as encourage and to support their political, social and economic reforms, which are designed to establish and consolidate democracy, progress and social and economic opportunities for all; emphasises the importance of maintaining the principles of shared responsibility and joint ownership in the conception and implementation of ENP programmes; considers that since its launch in 2004 the ENP, as a single policy framework and through its performance-driven differentiation and tailor-made assistance, has brought tangible benefits both for ENP partners and the EU;

2.  Recalls, in the light of current events in the southern Mediterranean, particularly in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, and other countries calling for democratic reforms, the ENP's failure to promote and safeguard human rights in third countries; urges the EU to draw lessons from those events and to revise its democracy and human rights support policy so as to create an implementation mechanism for the human rights clause included in all agreements with third countries; insists that the review of the ENP must prioritise criteria relating to the independence of the judiciary, respect for fundamental freedoms, pluralism and freedom of the press and the fight against corruption; calls for better coordination with the Union's other policies vis-à-vis those countries;

3.  Calls on the EU to lend strong support to the process of political and economic reform in the region, by using all existing instruments in the framework of the ENP and, wherever necessary, by adopting new ones in order to assist in the most effective way possible the process of democratic transition, with a focus on respect for fundamental freedoms, good governance, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, thus responding to the needs and expectations of the peoples of our southern neighbours;

4.  Emphasises the need to increase the funds allocated to the ENP in the post-2013 multiannual financial framework (MFF), giving priority, in the light of recent events, to the southern dimension of the ENP ; considers that the new MFF should take into account the specific characteristics and the needs of each country;

5.  Stresses that a concrete offer of a closer political partnership and economic integration must be made to the EU's neighbouring countries, based on the principles of openness, joint ownership and conditionality; calls for that offer to be tailored to the differing needs of specific countries and regions, so as to give the most advanced partners a faster path towards compliance with EU standards and values;

6.  Calls for an increased focus on cooperation with civil society organisations, as these have been the main driving forces behind the popular uprisings throughout the region;

7.  Emphasises the need to provide an adequate level of EU funding for cooperation with the neighbourhood, and reiterates the value of the ENPI as the main financing instrument of the ENP, one which should evolve so as to respond more flexibly to the differing needs of the neighbouring countries and regions, guarantee direct linkage between ENP policy objectives and ENPI programming, and reflect the performance-based nature of the future ENP; emphasises, however, the need to provide better-targeted assistance, particularly aimed at civil society and local communities, in keeping with the bottom-up approach; underscores the value of monitoring the management and implementation of the various ENPI programmes;

8.  Stresses that all the necessary measures, including adequate financial, human and technical resources, must be in place to guarantee that the EU can respond appropriately in the event of any mass migratory movement, in accordance with Article 80 TFEU;

9.  Emphasises that the Strategic Review of the ENP should properly address the policy's shortcomings and advocate an increased political commitment on the part of all partners, at the same time strengthening the performance-based differentiation, on the basis of clearly defined benchmarks; calls for the review also to pay close attention to the urgent need to develop the multilateral dimension, in an effort to establish enhanced, continuous and substantive political dialogue with partner countries;

10.  Regards as particularly important continuous assessments not only of the results that have been achieved to date through the programmes implemented, but also of the adequacy of the resources employed within the framework of the partnership; takes the view that this procedure will provide an opportunity to correct any shortcomings and incorrect choices in the future;

11.  Calls on the Council and Commission to review the ENP for southern neighbours with the aim of providing the resources and the assistance needed for a genuine democratic transition and laying the basis for far-reaching political, social and institutional reforms; insists that the review of the neighbourhood policy must prioritise criteria relating to the independence of the judiciary, respect for fundamental freedoms, including freedom of media, and the fight against corruption;

12.  Acknowledges and stresses the difference between ‘the European neighbours’ - countries which can formally join the EU after fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, and ‘the neighbours of Europe’ - states which cannot join the EU owing to their geographical position;

13.  Takes the view that it is therefore a matter of the utmost importance and urgency to rethink and overhaul the EU strategy towards the Mediterranean and that this new strategy should enhance political dialogue and support for all democratic and social forces, including civil society actors; calls on the Council, in that connection, to define a set of political criteria that ENP countries must fulfil in order to be granted ‘advanced status’;

14.  Stresses the need to acknowledge and exploit the changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, in particular the strengthened role of the VP/HR, the creation of the EEAS and Parliament's new powers, in order to lend greater coherence to the EU's foreign policy and to increase the efficiency and legitimacy of its external dimension and action; considers that only if the Council and the Commission are able to draw lessons from past and current events and carry out a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the shortcomings of the present ENP will the EU be in a position to develop a credible and effective policy towards its Mediterranean partners;

15.  Stresses the importance of a partnership between the EU and the southern neighbouring countries, and emphasises that this close cooperation is in the interests of both sides;

16.  Considers that the EU should learn from the recent events in the Southern Neighbourhood and that the ENP should be reviewed in this light, with the aim of establishing a partnership with societies, and not only with States;

Southern Dimension

17.  Highlights the importance of setting up a task force, involving Parliament, in response to the calls for monitoring of the democratic transition processes made by actors for democratic change, in particular as regards free and democratic elections and institution-building, including an independent judiciary;

18.  Strongly supports, in the light of recent developments in the region, the legitimate democratic aspirations expressed by people in several countries in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood, and calls on the authorities in those countries to bring about as quickly as possible a peaceful transition to genuine democracy; emphasises that the Strategic Review of the ENP must fully take into consideration and reflect these developments;

19.  Calls, in this context, for the EU to provide significant support for democratic transformation in its southern neighbours, in partnership with the societies concerned, by mobilising, reviewing and adapting existing instruments aimed at fostering political, economic and social reform; calls, in this respect, on the Council and the Commission to make short-term transitional financial support mechanisms, including loans, available to those countries expressing a need for them as a result of swift democratic changes and an extraordinary fall in liquidity; calls in addition on the Commission to review as quickly as possible Tunisia and Egypt's National Indicative Programmes for the period 2011-2013 in order to take into account the new, urgent needs of those partners in terms of democracy-building;

20.  Stresses the importance of stepping up political dialogue with the EU's southern neighbours; emphasises once again that the strengthening of democracy, the rule of law, good governance, the fight against corruption and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are essential elements of this dialogue; stresses, in that connection, the importance of respect for freedom of conscience, religion and thought, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the media, freedom of association, women's rights and gender equality, the protection of minorities, and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation;

21.  Notes that advanced status has already been granted to or is currently being negotiated with some partner countries; stresses the importance of taking a more transparent and coherent approach towards this differentiation, in order to create a substantive process that delivers, and of clear benchmarks being established in order to avoid the application of double standards regarding the criteria which must be fulfilled in order for advanced status to be granted;

22.  Emphasises the need to adapt the Copenhagen criteria to the requirements linked to the granting of advanced status; calls on the Commission to be sure to grant third countries advanced status when they fulfil those criteria;

23.  Stresses that the fight against corruption, in particular in the judiciary and the police, should be a top priority for the EU in the development of its relations with its southern partners;

24.  Insists on being consulted at all stages of the process of granting advanced status to partner countries and of the drafting of the ENP Action Plans, in keeping with its new role under the Lisbon Treaty; calls on the Council and the EEAS to involve Parliament in the advanced-status decision-making process by developing a clear consultation mechanism to be used at all stages of the negotiations, including as regards the criteria to be fulfilled and the setting of the priorities and guidelines included in the Action Plans;

25.  Stresses that an effective partnership between the EU and its southern neighbours can only be based on synergy between the interlinked bilateral and multilateral dimensions of this cooperation process, and therefore deplores the fact that the ENP does not take sufficient account of the need to strengthen the multilateral dimension;

26.  Pays tribute to the courage of the people in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya who have made a stand in order to demand democracy and freedom, and calls on all the EU institutions to offer their fullest support to the democratic transition process in those countries;

27.  Deplores the loss of human life during the peaceful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and calls on the authorities to investigate the incidents in question properly and to bring those responsible to justice;

28.  Believes that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the root of political tensions in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean region as a whole;

29.  Calls on the VP/HR to engage actively in conflict resolution and confidence-building in the region, ensuring that the EU has an active role as a player and not only a payer, in particular in the central Middle East peace process and also the Western Sahara conflict; believes that conflict resolution holds the key to political, economic and social developments in the region and to the progress of the ENP regional dimension and its multilateral forms of cooperation, such as the UfM; notes that finding a comprehensive solution, in accordance with international law, to the various conflicts, and the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular, in the EU's southern neighbourhood is crucial to the full success of the ENP;

30.  Believes that intercultural dialogue within the Mediterranean region is crucial to enhancing mutual understanding, solidarity, tolerance and the well-being of its peoples; expects the review to give consideration to developing instruments for this purpose;

31.  Is deeply concerned at the continued postponement sine die of the second Summit of Heads and State and Government of the UfM and of UfM ministerial meetings, which is sending out a negative message to the region's peoples and institutions; considers that the resignation of its Secretary-General highlights the need to clarify the nature of the UfM's procedures and institutions; points out that political tensions and regional conflicts in the Mediterranean region should not hamper concrete progress towards sectoral and multilateral cooperation, and that it is by carrying out major integration projects and through open political dialogue that the UfM can contribute to the development of a climate of trust conducive to the achievement of the common objectives of justice and security, in a spirit of solidarity and peace;

32.  Deplores the inadequate funding allocated to the UfM and the very low degree of commitment shown by the Member States on both shores of the Mediterranean; deplores the EU's undefined approach to Mediterranean policy and calls on the EU to develop a long-term strategic vision for the development and stabilisation of the region; insists on the need to make the Euro-Mediterranean integration process a political priority on the European agenda;

33.  Is convinced that the UfM should be relaunched to take account of the new developments in the region; takes the view that this new UfM should promote sound economic, social and democratic development and create a strong and common basis for a close relationship between the EU and its southern neighbours; believes this new community would also open up new prospects for a sustainable peace in the Middle East, one embedded in the various societies in the region and not only contingent on the fragile political will of its authoritarian leaders;

34.  Notes that the review should address the UfM's failure to meet expectations and assess challenges ahead, and consider new ways of strengthening the bilateral instruments under the ENP; believes, in that connection, that more resources should be devoted to areas where tangible progress can be achieved;

35.  Is concerned at the lack of progress on the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area; calls for concerted negotiations to be conducted once the requirements for deep and comprehensive free trade areas intended to form the basis of a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area have been met, taking due account of the socio-economic realities of each of the partner countries and provided that the social and environmental impact of these agreements is properly assessed in good time; deplores the fact that no real progress has been made by the various actors in creating the necessary conditions; encourages, also, the development of South-South bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation which would bring tangible benefits for the citizens of the countries involved and improve the political climate in the region;

36.  Emphasises the need to target the most important specific issues in each of the countries concerned, but reiterates that the socio-economic situation, especially of younger generations, must be a particular focus of the ENP;

37.  Believes that enhanced sub-regional cooperation among Member States and ENP countries with specific shared interests, values and concerns could create a positive dynamic for the whole Mediterranean area; encourages the Member States to explore the potential of variable geometry as a pattern of cooperation and emphasises that the future ENP should facilitate and promote this approach, in particular through its regional funding budget;

38.  Believes that in the context of policy on the Southern Neighbourhood the problem of irregular immigration has to be addressed; calls on the Council and the Commission to monitor the implementation of the agreements with all the southern neighbouring countries and of existing bilateral agreements between the EU Member States and all the regional actors as regard the issues of immigration and, particularly, readmission;

39.  Deplores the asymmetrical approach adopted by the EU towards its eastern and southern neighbours in the area of mobility and visa policy; advocates, with regard to mobility, the facilitation of visa procedures for ENP southern countries – especially for students, researchers and businessmen - and the adoption of a Euro-Mediterranean partnership for mobility; stresses the important role that some ENP countries can play in managing migration flows; emphasises that cooperation on the management of migration flows must be fully consistent with EU values and international legal obligations; insists that readmission agreements with partners countries should be envisaged only for irregular immigrants, thus excluding those who declare themselves asylum seekers, refugees or persons in need of protection, and reiterates that the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ applies to any persons who are at risk of the death penalty, inhumane treatment or torture; calls for closer cooperation to halt the trafficking of human beings and for improvements to the conditions in which migrant workers live, both in the EU and in the ENP southern countries;

40.  Calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS and the Commission to place at the top of the agenda for their talks with ENP southern countries the EU's political priorities of death penalty abolition, respect for human rights, including women's human rights, and respect for fundamental freedoms, including freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of association and the media, respect for the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, the fight against torture and cruel and inhumane treatment, the fight against impunity and the ratification of a number of international legal instruments, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees;

41.  Calls, in the context of the revision of the agreements with ENP southern countries, for renewed attention to be paid to full respect for freedom of religion, in particular for all religious minorities, in the countries involved; emphasises that freedom of religion includes the freedom, either alone or in community with others, in public and in private, to manifest one's faith in worship, teaching, practice and observance and that such freedom must also include the right to change one's religion;

42.  Stresses that the EU's contractual relations with all the ENP countries incorporate arrangements for a regular forum to address human rights issues, in the form of subcommittees on human rights; calls on the EEAS to make full use of these arrangements and involve existing subcommittees in any negotiations, to press for them to be made more effective and result-oriented, and to guarantee the involvement of civil society organisations and human rights defenders; recommends that the status of the informal EU-Israel working group on human rights be upgraded to that of a normal subcommittee; calls on the EEAS also to participate in structured cooperation between the COHOMs and Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights;

43.  Calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS and the Commission actively to pursue the promotion and protection of freedom of communication and access to information, including on the internet;

44.  Calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS and the Commission to strengthen the role of civil society organisations, in particular human rights organisations and women's organisations, in policy monitoring and the programming and implementation of assistance through a dedicated capacity-building facility; in that connection, highlights the need to empower women, and calls on the EEAS and the Commission systematically to analyse the gender impact of their projects and programmes and to advocate that women rights and gender equality should be taken into account in the revision of constitutions, penal codes, family law and other civil laws and in the human rights dialogues carried on with ENP partner countries; insists that the VP/HR, the EEAS and the Commission should not strengthen relations between third countries and EU if the countries concerned do not involve civil society organisations sufficiently in their policies; notes that civil society organisations are the EU's most faithful and powerful allies in promoting democratic values, good governance and human rights in partner countries; calls for the increased involvement of regional and local authorities and of professional organisations and the social partners in EU cooperation with its southern neighbours; calls on the Council and the Commission to further strengthen and make more effective use of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in this regard;

45.  Emphasises the need to implement gender mainstreaming and to support specific actions so as to achieve an effective and systematic gender-equality approach in the ENP countries; urges governments and civil society to increase women's social inclusion, fight female illiteracy and promote women's employment so as to ensure a meaningful presence of women at all levels;

46.  Stresses the importance of structured cooperation in the field of higher education and research in order to foster mutual recognition of qualifications and education systems, with a view, in particular, to increasing mobility for students, researchers and teachers, backed up by measures to combat the ‘brain drain’; welcomes, in that connection, the assistance provided by the Tempus programme for higher education and the exchanges organised under ERASMUS Mundus Action 2, and the creation of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), which is established as a Euro-Mediterranean network of universities on both shores;

47.  Emphasises the important role local authorities play in the democratic development of our partner countries, and encourages the expansion of twinning programmes between local authorities in EU and partner countries;

48.  Emphasises the importance of trade unions and social dialogue as part of the democratic development of the southern partners; encourages those countries to strengthen labour and trade union rights; points out the important role social dialogue can play in addressing socio-economic challenges in the region;

49.  Insists on the importance of bringing investment, training, research and innovation closer together, with special attention being paid to training tailored to job market needs in order to address the socio-economic challenges in the region; calls for particular attention to be focused on women and disadvantaged groups, such as young people; stresses, at the same time, the vital importance of lending further support to local development projects so as to contribute to the revitalisation of the most vulnerable cities and regions;

50.  Stresses that a properly functioning, efficient, safe and secure multi-modal transport system is a precondition for economic growth and development, fostering trade and integration between the European Union and its southern Mediterranean partners; calls on the Commission to submit a mid-term assessment of the Regional Transport Action Plan (2007-2013) for the Mediterranean and to take the outcome into consideration in any future transport action plan;

51.  Believes that sustainable development should be a cross-cutting criterion in the ENP review, with the emphasis being placed on improving environmental protection, developing the region's abundant renewable energy potential, and promoting policies and projects which foster better use of scarce water resources;

52.  Reiterates its call on the Council, the Commission and the EU Member States to encourage and support a comprehensive plan to rectify the devastation of the Jordan River and to continue to provide financial and technical support for the rehabilitation of the river, and the Lower Jordan River in particular, also in the framework of the UfM;

53.  Emphasises the high potential of cooperation in the field of energy and of sources of renewable energy, such as wind, solar and wave power; supports the coordinated implementation of the Mediterranean Solar Plan and industrial initiatives, which should be aimed at meeting the primary needs of the partner countries, and the adoption of a Euro-Mediterranean energy efficiency strategy; stresses the importance of promoting trans-Euro-Mediterranean interconnections in the electricity, gas and oil sectors in order to improve energy supply security through the establishment of a smart grid linking the entire Euro-Mediterranean region;

54.  Recalls the importance of agriculture which favours local farmers, rural development, food security and food sovereignty, of adapting to climate change, and of access to water, and rational water use, and to energy; recommends that agricultural cooperation should be set as an ENP priority, in support of the Euro-Mediterranean roadmap for agriculture and as a means of stabilising food prices at national, regional and global levels;

55.  Reiterates its call for the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Civil Protection Force, given that the increase in the scale and number of natural disasters makes the allocation of appropriate resources essential and that such an initiative would strengthen solidarity among Euro-Mediterranean peoples;

56.  Underlines the importance of stronger cooperation with multilateral regional organisations from the South, most notably the Arab League, as well as the African Union, with a view to successfully addressing the challenges in the areas mentioned above; calls on the Commission to consider a new structured dialogue with these fora during the review of the ENP;

57.  Reiterates the value of the ENPI as the financing instrument for the ENP; emphasises, however, the need to provide more flexibility and ensure that assistance is targeted more effectively, particularly at civil society and local communities, in keeping with the bottom-up approach; calls, further, for a comprehensive efficiency analysis of the ENPI with the aim of making better use of the available financial instruments and funds in the context of the EU's relations with its southern neighbours and ensuring that development aid and assistance is used properly in beneficiary countries; regards the transparency of funding and the inclusion of anti-corruption mechanisms in the financing instruments as vital; underscores the value of monitoring the management and implementation of the various ENPI programmes; stresses the importance of strengthening cross-border projects, stepping up people-to-people programmes and developing incentives for regional cooperation; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to consult Parliament and civil society stakeholders at an early stage in the forthcoming preparation of the successor instrument;

58.  Calls on the Council to adopt the legislative proposal to amend Article 23 of the ENPI regulation presented by the Commission in May 2008 and adopted by Parliament on 8 July 2008, which would make it possible to re-invest funds returned following past operations and thus provide the EU with a much-needed tool to alleviate the impact of the current financial crisis on the real economy and the impact of the substantial increases in food prices on the neighbourhood region, in particular the Southern Neighbourhood;

59.  Stresses that the ENPI is not the only instrument available to finance programmes and actions under the ENP, and insists, therefore, on the need for a coherent approach based on using all financial instruments; calls, therefore, on the EEAS and the Commission to provide a clear overview of the money allocated per beneficiary country, including a breakdown per instrument;

60.  Emphasises the need to increase the funds allocated to the southern dimension of the ENP in the EU's forthcoming MFF for the period from 2014 to 2020 in order to ensure that funding matches political ambitions and to implement the provisions on advanced status without affecting the other priorities of the ENP; insists on the need to comply with the agreement reached following the statement made by the Commission to COREPER in 2006, which earmarks two-thirds of ENPI funding for the southern countries and one-third to the eastern countries, in accordance with demographic weighting;

61.  Emphasises, however, that any increase in the funds allocated should be based on an accurate assessment of needs and consistent with an increase in the effectiveness of the programmes implemented, tailored and prioritised according to the requirements of each beneficiary country;

62.  Welcomes the work carried out by the EIB's Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) and emphasises the need for more synergies with other international financial institutions also active in the region, and proposes once again the setting-up of a Euro-Mediterranean co-development financial institution, of which the EIB would remain the main shareholder; supports the raising of the EIB guarantee ceiling in order to enable the EIB to maintain the intensity of its operations in the region in coming years; invites the EBRD to change its statutes in order also to participate in this financial assistance process;

Role of the European Parliament

63.  Stresses the key role of the European Parliament in ensuring that Europe's stability and prosperity are closely linked to democratic governance and economic and social progress in its ENP southern neighbours and in promoting political debate, fully-fledged freedoms, democratic reforms and the rule of law in its neighbouring partner countries, especially through the inter-parliamentary delegations and the PA-UfM;

64.  Reiterates its commitment to continue exercising the right of parliamentary scrutiny over the implementation of the ENP, also by holding regular debates with the Commission on the application of the ENPI; welcomes the broad consultation by the Commission and the EEAS on the ENP review, and hopes that the Commission and the EEAS will also guarantee that Parliament is fully and systematically consulted on the preparation of relevant documents, such as ENP Action Plans; furthermore, calls for Parliament to be granted access to the negotiating mandates for all international agreements in the process of being concluded with the ENP partner countries, in accordance with Article 218(10) TFEU, which states that Parliament must be immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedure;

o
o   o

65.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the ENP countries and the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean.

(1) OJ C 287 E, 24.11.2006, p. 312.
(2) OJ C 303 E, 13.12.2006, p. 760.
(3) OJ C 282 E, 6.11.2008, p. 443.
(4) OJ C 76 E, 25.3.2010, p. 76.
(5) OJ C 76 E, 25.3.2010, p. 83.
(6) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0192.
(7) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0314.
(8) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0038.
(9) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0064.
(10) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0095.
(11) OJ L 310, 9.11.2006, p. 1.


Use of sexual violence in conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the use of sexual violence in conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East
P7_TA(2011)0155RC-B7-0244/2011

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2008 on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and rape as a war crime(1),

–   having regard to its resolution of 26 November 2009 on the elimination of violence against women(2),

–   having regard to its resolution of 25 November 2010 on the 10th Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security(3),

–   having regard to its resolution of 17 February 2011 on the situation in Egypt(4),

–   having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2011 on the Southern Neighbourhood, and Libya in particular(5),

–   having regard to the declaration by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November 2010,

   having regard to the declaration by the VP/HR, Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union on International Women Day, 8 March 2011,

–  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948,

–  having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) on women, peace and security, and UN Security Council Resolution 1888 (2009) on sexual violence against women and children in situations of armed conflict,

–  having regard to the appointment in March 2010 of a Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and the new UN Gender Entity (UN Women),

–  having regard to the EU guidelines on violence and discrimination against women and girls and the EU guidelines on children and armed conflict,

–  having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 10 December 1984, and to UN General Assembly Declaration 3318 on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict of 14 December 1974, in particular paragraph 4 thereof, which calls for effective measures against persecution, torture, violence and degrading treatment of women,

–  having regard to the provisions of the UN legal instruments in the sphere of human rights, in particular those concerning women's rights, such as the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees,

–  having regard to other UN instruments on violence against women, such as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of 25 June 1993 adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights (A/CONF. 157/23) and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women of 20 December 1993 (A/RES/48/104),

–  having regard to the UN General Assembly resolutions of 12 December 1997 entitled ‘Crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women’ (A/RES/52/86), of 18 December 2002 entitled ‘Working towards the elimination of crimes against women committed in the name of honour’ (A/RES/57/179), and of 22 December 2003 entitled ‘Elimination of domestic violence against women’ (A/RES/58/147),

–  having regard to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women of 15 September 1995 and to Parliament's resolutions of 18 May 2000 on the follow-up to the Beijing Action Platform(6), 10 March 2005 on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women - Platform for Action (Beijing+10)(7) and 25 February 2010 on Beijing +15 – UN Platform for Action for Gender Equality(8),

–  having regard to the UN General Assembly resolution of 19 December 2006 entitled ‘Intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women’ (A/RES/61/143), and to UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on women, peace and security,

–  having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted in 1998, and particularly Articles 7 and 8 thereof, which define rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and forced sterilisation or any form of sexual violence as crimes against humanity and war crimes and equate them with a form of torture and a serious war crime, whether or not such acts are systematically perpetrated during international or internal conflicts,

–  having regard to Rule 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas women have actively participated in the uprisings for more democracy, rights and freedoms in North Africa and the Middle East,

B.  whereas the incumbent regimes in Libya and Egypt have resorted to sexual assaults as part of the conflict surrounding these revolutions, targeting women and, in particular, making them vulnerable,

C.  whereas sexual violence appears to be being used as a way of intimidating and degrading women, including in refugee camps, and whereas the power vacuum that has emerged can lead to deterioration of the rights of women and girls,

D.  whereas a Libyan woman, Iman al-Obeidi, who told reporters in a Tripoli hotel about being gang-raped and abused by soldiers was detained on 26 March 2011 in an unknown location and is now being sued for defamation by the men she is accusing of rape,

E.  whereas in Egypt female protestors claim they were subjected to ‘virginity tests’ by the military, having been rounded up in the Tahrir Square on 9 March 2011 and subsequently subjected to torture and rape, while the ‘virginity tests’ were performed and photographed in the presence of male soldiers; whereas some Egyptian women will be tried before military courts for failing ‘virginity tests’, and some have been threatened with prostitutions charges,

F.  whereas, when part of a widespread and systematic practice, rape and sexual slavery are recognised under the Geneva Convention as crimes against humanity and war crimes that should be tried before the International Criminal Court (ICC); whereas rape is now also recognised as an element of the crime of genocide when committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a targeted group; whereas the EU should support efforts being aimed at ending impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence against women and children,

G.  whereas it has been proven that armed conflict has a disproportionate and unique impact on women; whereas the roles of women in peace building and conflict prevention should be strengthened, and women and children in war and conflict regions provided with better protection, through participation, prevention and protection,

H.  whereas the implementation of the commitments of UN Security Council Resolutions 1820, 1888, 1889 and 1325 is a common concern and a shared responsibility of each and every UN member state, be it conflict-affected, donor or other; whereas attention should be drawn in this respect to the adoption in December 2008 of EU guidelines on violence against women and girls and EU guidelines on children and armed conflict and combating all forms of discrimination against them, which send out the clear political signal that these are priorities for the Union,

1.  Calls on the Commission and the Member State governments to strongly oppose the use of sexual assaults on, and intimidation and targeting of, women in Libya and Egypt;

2.  Strongly condemns forced ‘virginity tests’ inflicted by the Egyptian army on women protesters arrested in Tahrir Square and considers this practice as unacceptable, as it amounts to a form of torture; calls on Egypt's Supreme Military Council to take immediate measures to stop this degrading treatment and to ensure that all security and army forces are clearly instructed that torture and other ill-treatment, including forced ‘virginity tests’, cannot be tolerated and will be fully investigated;

3.  Calls on the Egyptian authorities to take urgent steps to end torture, investigate all cases of abuses against peaceful demonstrators, and stop prosecuting civilians before military tribunals; is particularly concerned by reports from human rights organisations stating that minors have been arrested and sentenced by military tribunals;

4.  Recommends that an independent inquiry be established in order to hold the perpetrators accountable, with particular reference to crimes within the meaning of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court committed by Muammar Gaddafi; considers that those found responsible for such acts must be brought to justice and that the women who reported such abuses must be protected from reprisals;

5.  Stresses that everyone should be able to express their views on the democratic future of their country without being detained, tortured or subjected to degrading and discriminatory treatment;

6.  Strongly believes that the changes taking place in North Africa and the Middle East must contribute towards the ending of discrimination against women and their full participation in society on equal terms with men and in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW);

7.  Stresses the need to ensure women's rights in general in the new democratic and legal structures of these societies;

8.  Emphasises that the role of women in the revolutions and the democratisation processes should be acknowledged, while highlighting the specific threats they face and the need to support and defend their rights;

9.  Calls on the EU Member States actively to promote in the long term, both politically and financially, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the establishment at European level of the control institutions and mechanisms provided for therein, and on the United Nations to ensure implementation of the resolution at all international levels;

10.  Stresses that there is a need to prioritise human rights in European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) measures as an integral part of the democratisation process, and underlines the need to share EU experience on equality policy and on the fight against gender violence;

11.  Emphasises the need to implement the principle of the equality of men and women and to support specific actions with a view to achieving an effective and systematic equality approach in the ENP countries; urges governments and civil society to increase women's social inclusion, including the fight against illiteracy and the promotion of employment, and their financial independence, so as to ensure a meaningful presence of women at all levels; stresses that equality must become an integral part of the democratisation process and that, moreover, education for women and girls should be a priority and should include raising awareness of their rights;

12.  Calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS and the Commission to place at the top of the agenda for their talks with ENP southern countries the EU's political priorities of death penalty abolition, respect for human rights – including women's human rights – and fundamental freedoms, and the ratification of a number of international legal instruments including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees;

13.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

(1) OJ C 41 E, 19.2.2009, p. 83.
(2) OJ C 285 E, 21.10.2010, p. 53.
(3) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0439.
(4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0064.
(5) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0095.
(6) OJ C 59, 23.2.2001, p. 258.
(7) OJ C 320 E, 15.12.2005, p. 247.
(8) OJ C 348 E, 21.12.2010, p. 11.


EIB annual report for 2009
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the 2009 Annual Report of the European Investment Bank (2010/2248(INI))
P7_TA(2011)0156A7-0073/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the EIB Group's 2009 Annual Report (Activity and Corporate Responsibility Report, Financial Report and Statistical Report),

–  having regard to its resolution of 6 May 2010 on the European Investment Bank's annual report for 2008(1),

–  having regard to its resolution of 25 March 2009 on the 2007 Annual Reports of the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development(2),

–  having regard to its resolution of 16 June 2010 on EU 2020(3),

–  having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A7-0073/2011),

The new Statute of the EIB

1.  Welcomes the changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, allowing more flexibility in EIB financing, including: equity participations as a complement to the ordinary activities of the Bank; the possibility to establish subsidiaries and other entities, to regulate the so-called special activities and to provide wider technical assistance services; and the strengthening of the Audit Committee;

2.  Recalls the changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, clarifying the objectives of EIB financing in third countries, which must support the overarching principles governing EU interaction with the wider world as stated in Article 3(5) TEU and under the guarantee must support the aims of EU external actions set out in Article 21 TEU;

3.  Is aware of the request by some Member States for the EIB to take on more risk in its financing operations but draws attention to the fact that this should not endanger the EIB's AAA rating, a key factor in enabling it to provide its loans under the best conditions;

4.  Recalls that the EIB's aim is to support the EU's policy objectives and that it is accountable to the Court of Auditors, OLAF and the EU Member States, as well as, on a voluntary basis, to the European Parliament;

5.  Recommends, however, considering the suggestion that prudential regulatory supervision should be introduced concerning the quality of the EIB's financial situation, the precise measurement of its results and compliance with the rules of sound business practice;

6.  Proposes that this regulatory supervision:

   be exercised by the European Central Bank on the basis of Article 127(6) TFEU;
   or, failing that and on the basis of a voluntary approach by the EIB, be carried out by the European Banking Authority with or without the participation of one or more national regulators, or by an independent auditor;

7.  Calls on the Commission to provide Parliament, by 30 November 2011, with a legal analysis of the possible options for prudential supervision of the EIB;

8.  Proposes that the Commission, in conjunction with the EIB (in view of the quality of the latter's human resources and its experience in financing major infrastructure), engage in a process of strategic analysis of investment funding, without ruling out any possible scenario, including subsidies, the release of sums subscribed to the EIB's capital by the Member States, EU subscriptions to the EIB's capital, loans, innovative instruments, financial engineering tailored to long-term projects which are not immediately profitable, the development of guarantee systems, the creation of an investment section within the EU budget, financial consortia of European, national and local authorities, and public-private partnerships;

9.  Recalls, nevertheless, its warnings and concern about the fact that some of the EIB's management of EU programmes and funds has been excluded from the discharge procedure, thereby generating special requirements for coordination between the Commission and the EIB and making it difficult to gain an overview of the results obtained; stands by its demand that the EIB submit full information on outcomes: objectives set and achieved, reasons for any shortcomings and results of assessments carried out; calls on the Commission to provide detailed information on coordination procedures with the EIB and their effectiveness;

10.  Calls on the Commission to obtain a statement from the EIB concerning activities with major multiplier effects which are guaranteed by the EU budget;

11.  Stresses that, as at the end of 2009, EU budget guarantees for loans granted by the EIB amounted to EUR 19,2 billion; emphasises that this is a significant amount for the EU budget, and awaits a detailed explanation of the risks involved; takes the view that the EIB should also explain how the loan interest generated by means of these substantial guarantees is used;

12.  Requests a detailed explanation of the administration fees received from the EU budget by the EIB;

13.  Reiterates its proposal for the European Union to be able to become a member of the EIB;

EIB financing in the EU
The global financial crisis and its implications for the EIB

14.  Welcomes the Bank's focus on the three areas where the crisis has hit Europe hardest, namely small and medium-sized enterprises, convergence regions and climate action;

15.  Recognises the critical role the EIB plays in supporting SMEs, particularly in times of financial crisis and economic downturn, and calls on it to facilitate the interplay of its global loan scheme with Structural Fund grants;

16.  Points out the importance of SMEs to the European economy and therefore welcomes the increase of EIB financing to SMEs over 2008 to 2010, totalling the amount of EUR 30,8 billion, and recognises that this amount exceeds the annual target amount of EUR 7.5 billion for this period; welcomes the setting-up of the European Progress Microfinance Facility in March 2010 with some EUR 200 million of funding from the Commission and the Bank; underlines, however, the difficulties faced by SMEs in trying to obtain credit and, in this respect, calls on the EIB to continue enhancing transparency in its lending through financial intermediaries; to this effect, calls for the establishment of clear financing conditions and stricter lending effectiveness criteria for its financial intermediaries; calls for an obligation for the EIB to report annually on its lending to SMEs, including an evaluation of the accessibility and effectiveness thereof and of the measures directed towards achieving a greater penetration rate;

17.  Recommends that the EIB's role be more focused, selective, effective and result-oriented; takes the view that in reaching small and medium-sized enterprises, it should especially partner transparent and accountable financial intermediaries linked to the local economy; considers that with regard to lending to SMEs, the EIB should actively disclose information through its website, in particular the amount disbursed, the number of allocations made so far, and the regions and sectors of industry to which disbursements have been made; takes the view that information on the conditions that the financial intermediary should fulfil should also be supplied;

18.  Welcomes the fact that access by the EIB to ECB liquidity via the Luxembourg Central Bank has been agreed with a view to facilitating the EIB's lending programmes and liquidity management;

19.  Notes that the convergence objective of the EU Cohesion Policy is a core target for the EIB; stresses the added value of the EIB joint actions with the Commission in the area of technical assistance (JASPERS), which provide additional support and leverage to Structural Fund intervention;

20.  Encourages the EIB to further provide regions covered by the Convergence Objective with the technical assistance and cofinancing that they need in order to be able to take up a larger portion of the funds available to them, especially for projects in priority sectors, such as the transport infrastructure sector, and other growth- and employment-enhancing projects and projects forming part of the Europe 2020 Strategy, in accordance with high social, transparency and environmental standards;

21.  Calls on the EIB to bring its operations fully into line with an EU objective of a swift transition to a low-carbon economy and to adopt a plan for the phase-out of fossil fuel lending, including its lending for coal-fired power plants, and for the redoubling of efforts to increase the transfer of renewable-energy and energy-efficient technologies;

22.  Expresses its concern about the persistent lack of transparency regarding the way in which ‘global loans’ are allocated and monitored in terms of tax governance, and therefore considers it necessary to ensure that recipients of loans do not avail themselves of tax havens or use other tax evasion practices;

23.  Calls for greater coherence between the activities of the EIB and the EIF, notably in order to gear the orientation of the EIF more closely to the Europe 2020 objectives, and asks, in this respect, for the division of labour between the entities and the use of their respective balance sheets to be optimised;

24.  Welcomes the decision of the EIB Group to cooperate more closely with the Commission in the framework of cohesion policy with regard to the three joint initiatives JESSICA, JEREMIE and JASMINE, which are aimed at making cohesion policy more efficient and effective as well as strengthening the leverage function of the Structural Funds; recognises that the above cooperation has proven useful and beneficial, in particular in the context of the economic crisis;

EIB financing after 2013

25.  Takes the view that the time has come for strategic long-term investment in Europe to be substantially increased, with a particular focus on key areas of European infrastructure and cohesion; asks, in this connection, that:

   the Bank's activities be more transparent to Parliament,
   the EIB be clearly accountable to Parliament,
   financial instruments be used in a targeted manner;

26.  Encourages the EIB to develop its post-2013 Operational Strategy in line with the Europe 2020 strategy;

27.  Believes that the Europe 2020 Strategy takes an interesting and positive approach to financial instruments; in order to reinforce their efficiency, asks the EIB and the Commission to bear in mind the following objectives: simplifying procedures and maximising multiplier factors and the EIB Group's catalytic effect in order to attract public- and private-sector investors;

28.  Invites the EIB to continue to give joint initiatives with the Commission a major role in the context of its collaboration with the Commission, particularly as regards cohesion policy; recognises the role that these initiatives have as catalysts for further development, inter alia with regard to the preparation of the next programming period post-2013;

29.  Encourages the EIB to state a ranking of priorities in its investment projects, using methodologies like cost-benefit analysis to achieve the highest possible multiplication effect on GDP;

30.  Supports high-quality investment stakeholders such as the EIB, particularly in view of its expertise in the use of innovative instruments such as the Structured Finance Facility, the Risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) and the European Clean Transport Facility (ECTF);

31.  Encourages the extension of the blending of EU grants with EIB loans as a means of increasing the leverage of available resources, provided that the new financial instruments are smart, integrated and flexible;

32.  Considers that the extensive experience in creating and using financial instruments during the present programming period should permit both the Commission and the EIB to go beyond the current scope and use of these instruments and to innovate by extending the range of products offered;

33.  Is of the opinion that clear and separate objectives and legal frameworks are needed for bonds issued by the EIB for its own financing, as well as for future ‘project bonds’;

34.  Points to the fact that the EIB is financing itself by successfully issuing common bonds backed by all EU Member States;

35.  Welcomes the idea of ‘project bonds’ aimed at enhancing the credit rating of bonds issued by companies themselves within the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy and used to finance European transport, energy and IT infrastructures and the greening of the economy; believes that such project bond issuance would impact positively on the availability of capital for growth- and job-enhancing sustainable investments complementing national and Cohesion Fund investment; considers that this instrument should enhance the credit rating of selected projects and attract private financing to complement national and Cohesion Fund investment;

36.  Asks the Commission and the EIB therefore to present concrete proposals to create ‘project bonds’; stresses that Parliament must be fully involved in establishing such instruments and asks for thought to be given to the use of the EU budget in the next Multiannual Financial Framework as first loss-capped risk buffer, with the EIB as subordinate financer;

37.  Believes that there is a clear need for additional support by the EIB in the following areas: SMEs, midcaps and infrastructure and other key growth- and employment-enhancing projects as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy;

38.  Urges the EIB to invest in freight transport in the European railway sector as well as in other Trans-European Networks of freight transport with a focus on the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Baltic Sea ports, in order to link them definitively to European markets;

39.  Urges the EIB to provide more support for the building of the TEN-T network, with the aim of generating a leverage effect for more investment, from both the public and the private sector; considers that, here too, ‘project bonds’ can act as a complementary investment instrument alongside the budget in the TEN-T fund; urges that future investment be concentrated on cross-border sections of the TEN-T network in order to optimise the European added value generated;

40.  Urges the EIB to invest in the Nabucco gas pipeline and other important TEN-E projects that will allow future EU energy demand to be met, diversifying Europe's pool of supplier countries, improving the EU's policy mix and helping to meet the Union's environmental commitments;

EIB financing outside the EU
The EIB's role in accession countries

41.  Takes the view that, as part of its activities in the accession countries, the EIB should increase its focus on energy efficiency measures, renewable energy and environmental infrastructure, TENs and TEN-Es, and PPPs, in accordance with high social, transparency and environmental standards, and that, in line with EU climate objectives, it should prioritise sustainable modes of transport, in particular rail;

42.  Takes the view that the EIB should provide technical assistance to accession countries, as is provided for in the new Article 18 of the Bank's Statute;

The EIB's role in development

43.  Welcomes the Lisbon Treaty amendment to Article 209 EC (read in conjunction with Article 208 EC), which provides that the EIB shall contribute, under the terms laid down in its Statute, to the implementation of the measures necessary to further the objectives of the Community's development cooperation policy;

44.  Recalls that the EIB's financing strategy and operations should contribute to the general principles guiding the EU's external action, as referred to in Article 21 TEU, to the objective of developing and consolidating democracy and the rule of law, to the objective of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and to the observance of the international environmental agreements to which the European Union or its Member States are parties; recalls that the EIB must ensure compliance with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, at all the relevant stages in each project;

45.  Welcomes the conclusion of the Steering Committee of Wise Persons (SCWP) that thought should be given to developing an ‘EU Platform for External Cooperation and Development’; however, urges the EIB and other European institutions to carefully address the feasibility of this new approach and its implications in the long run for the effectiveness of overall EU external action to avoid overall development policies and objectives being diluted by setting up instruments with no preliminary assessment of the goals and priorities they will serve;

46.  Welcomes the proposed new decision that would strengthen the capacity of the EIB to support EU development objectives, replace regional objectives with horizontal high-level objectives and develop operational guidelines for each region under the external mandate; recalls the need for setting clear priorities, including renewable energy, urban infrastructure, development of municipalities, and locally owned financial institutions;

47.  Recommends the following steps to strengthen the EIB's role in development:

   the allocation of a greater number of dedicated and specialist staff with expertise in development issues and developing countries, as well as an increase in the local presence of staff in third countries,
   increasing the share of the participation of local actors in the projects,
   additional dedicated capital in the area of projects targeting development,
   the allocation of more grants,
   exploring the possibility of grouping the EIB's activities in third countries together under a single separate entity;

48.  Recommends that the EIB focus on investing in renewable energy projects in developing countries, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa;

Cooperation between the EIB and international, regional and national financial institutions

49.  Recognises that the cooperation between the EIB and MDBs, RDBs, European bilateral development agencies and public and private financial institutions from developing countries should be increased in support of EU policies;

50.  Believes that greater cooperation under the same conditions and based on reciprocity with regional and national financial institutions is necessary in order to ensure a more effective use of resources and the targeting of specific local needs;

51.  Encourages the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding currently being negotiated between the EIB, the EBRD and the Commission with a view to strengthening cooperation in all common countries of operation outside the EU with the dual aim of making their lending policies coherent with each other and with EU policy objectives such as social cohesion and environmental protection;

Offshore financial centres

52.  Calls on the EIB to establish clear financing conditions for financial intermediaries and to report on the progress made in terms of transparency and increased accountability, in particular when it comes to lending through financial intermediaries; considers that the EIB should update and make stricter its policy on offshore financial centres, going beyond the existing level playing field of OECD lists and taking into account all jurisdictions that might allow tax avoidance and evasion;

53.  Is of the opinion that relying on the OECD's list of offshore financial centres is not sufficient and that all internationally recognised lists should apply until the EU has established its own list; considers, however, that the EIB should perform its own independent assessment and monitoring of relevant non-cooperative jurisdictions, and regularly make public its results, which would complement analyses from international and EU Reference Lists;

54.  Is of the opinion that the EIB must not participate in any operation implemented through a non-cooperative jurisdiction, as identified by the OECD, the FATF and other relevant international organisations, as well as its own independent assessment and monitoring;

55.  Is of the opinion that EIB should apply its updated and published policy on NCJ/OFC in a very strict manner in order to ensure that its financing operations do not contribute to any form of tax evasion or money laundering;

56.  Asks the EIB to include in its Annual Report to the EP details concerning the implementation of its policy on offshore financial centres, in particular by reporting the number of applications turned down due to non-compliance and the number of relocations requested and implemented in order to be in compliance;

57.  Calls on the EIB to further enhance a proactive and timely disclosure of project information, including its own assessments of the environmental, social, human rights and development impacts of the project, monitoring reports and ex-post evaluation reports;

o
o   o

58.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank Group, all regional development banks, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 81 E, 15.3.2011, p. 135.
(2) OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 147.
(3) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0223.


The case of Ai WeiWei in China
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the case of Ai Weiwei
P7_TA(2011)0157RC-B7-0274/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions in the current parliamentary term on human rights violations in China,

–  having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas a wave of calls on the internet for a Chinese ‘Jasmine Revolution’ (inspired by political developments in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya) has resulted in a series of actions and a widespread crackdown on human rights activists and dissidents by the Chinese authorities,

B.  whereas the internationally renowned artist and critic of the regime, Ai Weiwei, has not been seen since he was detained while passing through security checks at Beijing airport on Sunday, 3 April 2011,

C.  whereas, in addition to his detention, his studio was reportedly raided by the police, who confiscated several items,

D.  whereas Ai Weiwei was recently prevented from travelling to Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and held under house arrest after the opening of his sunflower seeds exhibit in London, and his studio in Shanghai was ransacked,

E.  whereas Ai Weiwei is widely known outside China, but is prevented from exhibiting as an artist in China, although his work has become known a result of his co-design of the ‘Bird's Nest’ Olympic stadium,

F.  whereas Ai Weiwei achieved national and international prominence by publishing the names of the child victims of the Sichuan earthquake and was subsequently beaten up by persons unknown, leading to his hospitalisation in Germany,

G.  whereas Ai Weiwei is one of the most prominent signatories of Charter 08, a petition that urges China to press ahead with political reform and the protection of human rights,

1.  Condemns the unjustifiable and unacceptable detention of the critic of the regime and internationally renowned artist, Ai Weiwei;

2.  Calls for Ai Weiwei's immediate and unconditional release and expresses its solidarity with his peaceful actions and initiatives in favour of democratic reforms and the protection of human rights;

3.  Emphasises that the police have refused to provide the wife of Ai Weiwei with information regarding the reason for his detention;

4.  Stresses that Ai Weiwei's detention is characteristic of the widespread recent crackdown on human rights activists and dissidents in China, with numerous arrests, excessive prison sentences, increased personal surveillance and increased repressive restrictions on foreign reporters;

5.  Calls on the VP/HR, Catherine Ashton, to continue to raise the issue of human rights violations at the very highest level in her contacts with the Chinese authorities, - including the recent sentencing of Liu Xianbin to 10 years and Liu Xiaobo to 11 years as well as, for example, the cases of Liu Xia, Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, Liu Xianbin, Hu Jia, Tang Jitian, Jiang Tianyong, Teng Biao, Liu Shihui, Tang Jingling, Li Tiantian, Ran Yunfei, Ding Mao and Chen Wei, noting also with concern the repressive conditions under which their spouses and families are living - and report back on those cases to the European Parliament after the upcoming high-level political dialogue between the EU and China, which the VP/HR will participate in;

6.  Notes that China's human rights record remains a matter for serious concern; emphasises the need to make a comprehensive assessment of the EU-China human rights dialogue, including the EU-China legal seminar on human rights, in order to judge the methodology applied and the progress achieved;

7.  Calls on its Delegation for Relations with the People's Republic of China to raise and thoroughly address the question of human rights violations with regard, in particular, to the cases listed in this resolution at the next inter-parliamentary meeting;

8.  Calls on the VP/HR to rethink that dialogue in order to make it effective and result-oriented, and to take all necessary steps for the swift organisation of the next human rights dialogue, in the course of which those cases and other human rights violations referred to in the European Parliament's resolutions will be raised;

9.  Recalls that China has been under a single party since 1949, and in this context of recent political development, and in view of the deteriorating human rights situation in China, states that political parties in the EU should reconsider their relationships;

10.  Takes the view that the development of EU-China relations must go hand in hand with the development of a genuine, fruitful and effective political dialogue and that respect for human rights should be an integral part of the new framework agreement which is now being negotiated with China;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, the Commission, and the President, Prime Minister and People's National Assembly of the People's Republic of China.


Ban on the elections for the Tibetan government in exile in Nepal
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on the ban of the elections for the Tibetan government in exile in Nepal
P7_TA(2011)0158RC-B7-0263/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its resolution of 17 June 2010 on Nepal(1) and its resolution of 26 October 2006 on Tibet(2),

–  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

–  having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966,

–  having regard to the statement of 29 May 2010 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the political situation in Nepal,

–  having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas the occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China prevents the Tibetans from electing their representatives in the territory of Tibet democratically,

B.  whereas more than 82 000 exiled Tibetans across the world were invited to vote on 20 March 2011 to elect the new Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) of the Tibetan government in exile,

C.  whereas several thousand Tibetans in Nepal did not get permission to vote from the Nepalese authorities in Kathmandu, under increasing pressure from the Chinese Government,

D.  whereas already during an earlier round of voting in Nepal on 3 October 2010, Kathmandu police confiscated ballot boxes and shut down the Tibetan community voting sites,

E.  whereas on 10 March 2011 the Dalai Lama announced that he would formally relinquish his political leadership role in the Tibetan exile government which is based in Dharamsala, India, in order to strengthen the democratic structure of the Tibetan movement on the eve of elections to choose a new generation of Tibetan political leaders,

F.  whereas the Government of Nepal has claimed that demonstrations by Tibetans violate its ‘One China’ policy, has reiterated its commitment not to allow ‘anti-Beijing activities’ on its soil and has thus imposed a blanket ban on the movement of groups of Tibetans in an attempt to appease the Chinese authorities,

G.  whereas the Nepali authorities, particularly the police, have repeatedly been reported as violating basic human rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and association of Tibetans in exile in Nepal; whereas these rights are guaranteed for all persons in Nepal by international human rights conventions to which Nepal is party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

H.  whereas the overall situation of many refugees in Nepal, in particular the Tibetans, gives cause for concern,

I.  whereas the EU reaffirmed its commitment to support democratic and participatory governance in the EU's external relations by the adoption of its Council conclusions on Democracy Support in the EU's External Relations on 17 November 2009,

1.  Underlines the right to participate in democratic elections as a fundamental right of all citizens that must be upheld, protected and guaranteed in every democratic state;

2.  Calls on the Government of Nepal to uphold the democratic rights of the Tibetan people, who are conducting a unique internal election process which has existed since 1960, to organise and to participate in democratic elections;

3.  Emphasises the importance of peaceful democratic elections to the strengthening and preservation of the Tibetan identity both inside and outside the territory of Tibet;

4.  Urges the Nepali authorities to respect the rights of Tibetans in Nepal to freedom of expression, assembly and association as guaranteed for all persons in Nepal by international human rights conventions to which Nepal is a party;

5.  Calls on the authorities to refrain from preventive arrests and restrictions on demonstrations and freedom of speech that deny the right to legitimate peaceful expression and assembly during all activities undertaken by the Tibetan community in the country and urges the Government of Nepal to include such rights and to ensure religious freedom within Nepal's new constitution, due to be enacted by 28 May 2011;

6.  Calls on the Nepalese authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations and their own domestic laws in their treatment of the Tibetan community and urges the government to resist the strong pressure exerted by the Chinese Government to silence the Tibetan community in Nepal using restrictions which are not only unjustified but also illegal under domestic and international law;

7.  Considers that the continuation of the full implementation of the ‘Gentlemen's Agreement’ on the Tibetan refugees by the Nepali authorities is essential for maintaining contact between the UNHCR and Tibetan communities;

8.  Calls on the European External Action Service through its delegation in Kathmandu to closely monitor the political situation in Nepal, especially the treatment of the Tibetan refugees and respect for their constitutionally and internationally enshrined rights, and urges the EU High Representative to address the concerns about the actions taken by the Nepalese Government to block the Tibetan elections, with the Nepalese and Chinese authorities;

9.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Government of Nepal and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0245.
(2) OJ C 313 E, 20.12.2006, p. 463.


Zimbabwe
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European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2011 on Zimbabwe
P7_TA(2011)0159RC-B7-0265/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its numerous previous resolutions on Zimbabwe, most recently that of 21 October 2010 on forced evictions in Zimbabwe(1),

–  having regard to Council Decision 2011/101/CFSP(2) of 15 February 2011 renewing until 20 February 2012 the restrictive measures against Zimbabwe imposed under Common Position 2004/161/CFSP(3), and to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1226/2008(4) of 8 December 2008 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 314/2004 concerning certain restrictive measures in respect of Zimbabwe,

–  having regard to the Declaration on Zimbabwe made by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on 15 February 2011,

–  having regard to the Livingstone Communiqué of 31 March 2011 of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of the Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation,

–  having regard to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that created the Zimbabwean Government of National Unity (GNU) in February 2009,

–  having regard to the African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights, which Zimbabwe has ratified,

–  having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas there has been a marked increase in intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and disappearances of political opponents of Zanu-PF over the last few months, with many MDC members, several MDC MPs, and key members of the MDC leadership, such as Energy Minister Elton Mangoma, co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone and ousted Speaker of the Zimbabwean Parliament Lovemore Moyo, being targeted,

B.  whereas Zimbabwe's Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has himself confirmed that President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party have failed to live up to the terms of the 2009 GPA and that they are violently intimidating MDC-T and MDC-M members of the GNU,

C.  whereas in the past two years the GNU has struggled to bring stability to the country and has failed to pave the way for a democratic transition through credible elections, due to deliberate Zanu-PF obstruction; whereas the already appalling political, economic and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe has considerably deteriorated since December 2010,

D.  whereas the Zimbabwean security services recently raided the offices of several NGOs (Human Rights NGO Forum, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition) as well as the MDC's headquarters, seized NGO documentation and arbitrarily detained NGO and MDC party staff for questioning, only to release the detainees without charge,

E.  whereas Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, two leaders of the civil society organisation Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), as well as Abel Chikomo, director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, and other human rights defenders, have faced systematic police harassment,

F.  whereas on 19 February 2011, 46 civil society activists were arrested by the security services on charges of treason for organising a public viewing of a video showing the recent popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East; whereas, while they were in custody, some of these activists were beaten, tortured and kept in solitary confinement,

G.  whereas the MDC's right to hold political rallies has been curtailed by the Zimbabwean security services, whilst Zanu-PF remains free to hold political rallies, which is in direct contravention of the Zimbabwean Constitution,

H.  whereas Zanu-PF is currently engaged in a violent national campaign to force Zimbabwean citizens to sign a petition calling for the withdrawal of international restrictive measures in place against key members of the Mugabe clique; notes that those who have refused to sign the petition have been brutally beaten or arrested,

I.  whereas the EU's ‘restrictive measures’ are specifically targeted against 163 key members of the exploitative Mugabe regime and those that have helped sustain it and do not impact on the people of Zimbabwe more widely, or the Zimbabwean economy,

J.  whereas the EU, the USA, Australia and Canada continue to share concerns about the human rights situation in the Chiadzwa (Marange) diamond fields, in particular relating to human rights abuses by members of the Zimbabwean security services, and are accordingly reluctant to grant Kimberley Process certification to Chiadzwa-mined diamonds,

K.  whereas Zimbabwe remains impoverished after years of economic mismanagement by the Mugabe regime and continues to receive extensive humanitarian and other aid, both from the EU and from the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Denmark, as well as the USA, Australia and Norway, all of which provides for the most basic needs of a large proportion of the Zimbabwean population,

L.  whereas Zimbabwe's Prime Minister has urged the EU not to accept the credentials of Margaret Muchada, Zimbabwe's Ambassador-designate to the EU, as her unilateral nomination by President Mugabe violates the Zimbabwean Constitution and the terms of the GPA,

1.  Demands an immediate end to all politically motivated harassment, arrests and violence by the Zimbabwean state security services and militias either directly controlled by, or loyal to, Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party; stresses that those responsible for such abuses and violations must be held accountable;

2.  Insists that the Zimbabwean people should be given freedom of expression and of assembly, that all intimidation of politicians and civil society activists (in particular human rights activists) should cease, and that every elected representative, irrespective of political persuasion, as well as NGOs, political activists, the press and ordinary citizens should be able freely to express their opinions without fear of violent persecution, arbitrary imprisonment or torture;

3.  Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily arrested, in particular MDC officials and followers; condemns all conditions of arrest and detention contrary to international human rights conventions;

4.  Urges the Council, Commission and Member States to actively engage with the AU and the SADC, in particular South Africa, so as to ensure that intimidation and violence do not take place in connection with future elections in Zimbabwe; is of the view, however, that an early election would not resolve outstanding political and economic reform issues; considers that any elections must be based on international norms, including respect for human rights, freedom of expression and movement, with an immediate end to harassment and detention of individuals based on their political views;

5.  Welcomes the SADC Troika's Livingstone Communiqué of 31 March 2011 and urges the SADC to take a lead in ensuring that the communiqué's recommendations are fully implemented by all parties in Zimbabwe, with a view to holding free and fair elections in the country;

6.  Calls on all Zimbabwe's political parties to reach an agreement on a roadmap towards holding free and fair internationally monitored elections in Zimbabwe;

7.  Urges all of Zimbabwe's political parties to fully re-engage with the ongoing constitutional reform process, with a view to having a new Zimbabwean Constitution, acceptable to the people of Zimbabwe, in place prior to the next elections;

8.  Welcomes the recent renewal (in February 2011) of the EU's list of banned individuals and entities with links to the Mugabe regime; emphasises that these restrictive measures are aimed solely at the Zimbabwean kleptocracy and will in no way impact on the Zimbabwean people as a whole;

9.  Urges the EU to keep its restrictive measures against individuals and entities with links to the Mugabe regime in place until there is real evidence of change for the better in Zimbabwe; calls on the Council and Commission and the Member States to take steps to explain this reality in Zimbabwe and internationally and to be more active in winning support for a rapid change to real democracy and economic progress in the country;

10.  Calls on the EU to refuse to accept any Zimbabwean Ambassador to the EU who is not nominated on the basis of due constitutional process and in compliance with the GPA;

11.  Insists that the Zimbabwean authorities should honour their Kimberley Process obligations, fully demilitarise the Marange diamond fields and introduce transparency as regards the proceeds of diamond production;

12.  Applauds the EU and those Member States and other countries that continue to provide funding in direct support of the Zimbabwean people; emphasising the need to ensure that such support continues to be channelled through bona fide NGOs, is well targeted and properly accounted for, avoiding government agencies;

13.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments of the G8 countries, the governments and parliaments of Zimbabwe and South Africa, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Chairmen of the Commission and Executive Council of the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the Secretary-General and governments of the SADC and the SADC Parliamentary Forum.

(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0388.
(2) OJ L 42, 16.2.2011, p. 6.
(3) OJ L 50, 20.2.2004, p. 66.
(4) OJ L 331, 10.12.2008, p. 11.

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