Brussels, 01/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The EP plenary session will open this coming Monday in Strasbourg with the examination of the report by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (EPP, Spanish) on amendments to the 1996 regulation on financial and technical accompanying measures (MEDA programme) to reform of economic and social structures in the context of Euro-Mediterranean partnership. The report invites the plenary to make several changes to the European Commission proposal and calls for the reference amount for implementation of this programme, during the 2000-2006 period, to be at least equivalent to that of the previous period in real terms on an annual basis. In order to simplify and improve management of the programme, it calls for the Commission to submit, before 30 June 2001, proposals aimed at transferring to its delegations on the ground considerable management powers, together with a considerable increase in the number of staff. The report also insists on the need to strengthen market access and on the prospect of creating a Euro-Mediterranean free trade zone.
During this same debate, the plenary must also examine the report by French Green Yves Piétrasanta on the annual report concerning implementation of the Meda programme in 1998.