Brussels, 26/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - In addition to the debates and resolutions on which EUROPE has already reported, the European Parliament expressed its views at its most recent plenary session on a number of other reports and resolutions.
1. Agriculture. Adopting the report by Finnish Liberal Mikko Pesälä, Parliament approved amendment of the 1999 regulation on the common organisation of the market for milk and milk products. This modification will transfer responsibility for amending the list of products eligible for export refunds from the Council to the Commission, as is already the case for cereals, sugar, rice and eggs.
2. Internal market. Adopting the report by Piia-Noora Kauppi (EPP/ED, Finland), Parliament amended under the codecision procedure the Council's common position on electronic currency and prudential supervision of issuers. It wishes to limit exemptions from application of the future directive to prevent the ECB's efforts to promote monetary stability from being compromised. Parliament also demands that the issuer be required to reimburse the face value to the bearer of electronic currency requesting payment. Commissioner Frits Bolkestein voiced his support for the Council's common position and rejected the EP's amendments. Parliament also approved, without amendment, the Council's common position on access to the activity of credit institutions.
3. Financial services. With its adoption of the report by José Garcia Margallo (EPP, Spain), Parliament lent its support to the European Commission's proposals for opening the financial services market over the next five years. It rejected the idea of linking this liberalisation to progress in the area of tax harmonisation, particularly savings taxation. Parliament nonetheless observed that minimum taxation standards would help create optimal conditions on the financial services market. It insisted on the abolition of tax disparities likely to distort competition.
4. Financial system. Adopting the report by German Christian Democrat Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Parliament approved Finland's initiative for adoption of a Council decision on practical arrangements for cooperation between financial inspection units charged with combating money laundering. The initiative will organise information sharing between Member States. The EP requested that the decision be extended to efforts to combat fraud, corruption and other illegal activities affecting the EU's financial interests and that the Commission be involved. It also insisted that personal data protection must be based on the 1995 directive and the relevant Council of Europe convention. Parliament expressed the view that the level of data protection established in the Finnish proposal, namely the level used by the financial unit requesting information pursuant to its national law, is unacceptable.
5. Regional policy. With adoption of a resolution on the principle of the additionality of European Structural Fund resources (in relation to national financing), the European Parliament asked the Commission to keep it regularly informed on measures taken to check compliance with this principle and to indicate those Member States not respecting the principle during the current programming period, within three months of detection of such a violation. Parliament also encouraged the Commission and Member States to develop more effective partnerships and closer internal coordination to reduce administrative formalities to a minimum.
6. Agriculture. Adopting the report by Portuguese Socialist Paulo Casaca, Parliament approved, with two amendments, modification of the 1997 regulation on controls on EAGGF-Guarantee spending, providing financial support for Member States to help them boost controls. Parliament called for the Commission's administrative and related personnel spending to be included in the total amount allocated to this system to avoid hidden expenditure exceeding the limit approved by the budgetary authority.
7. Income taxes and social security payments. Following its rapporteur Gorka Knörr Borras (Greens, Catalan), at first reading Parliament made certain modifications to the regulation on the registration of income taxes and social security payments. This regulation seeks essentially to ensure greater comparability of statistics: as this is a genuine modification (the EP/Council codecision procedure applies), the EPP group requested a transition period of two years at most. The Commission cannot accept this amendment, or the others that would delay implementation of the regulation, said Pedro Solbes Mira.