Strasbourg, 16/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - By adopting a resolution on Thursday tabled by Stephen Hughes for the Socialist Group, Elspeth Attwoll for the Liberal Group, Jean Lambert for the Greens/European Free Alliance, and Herman Schmid for the European United Left/Nordic Green Left, the European Parliament asked the Council to recognise articles 42 and 308 of the EC Treaty as legal basis for the simplification of Regulation 1408/71, simplification proposed by the European Commission in 1998 regarding the coordination of the social security of migrant workers and other categories of migrants, to render their free movement possible. In its resolution, plenary recalls that, in virtue of the treaties, it is "associated through co-decision in this legislative work", and states that, in a matter relating to citizens' Europe, it is essential that the chosen legal basis allows for full involvement of the Parliament elected by the citizens of the Union. Calling on the Council to do all it can to adopt a common position on the Commission's proposal concerning the extension of this regulation to nationals of third countries legally resident in the European Union, Parliament, by adopting an amendment tabled by Ria Oomen-Ruiten for the EPP/ED Group, states that it "will not examine any other proposed amendment to Regulation 1408/71 where changes to national legal prescriptions are in question as long as the Council has not provided any follow-up to its idea of simplifying and modifying this regulation" (the initial text stated that, except in exceptional circumstances, it was no longer possible to proceed with annual "technical" adaptations to this regulation without a political undertaking by the Council to progress towards "re-shaping" this text).
"What is the reason for this inadmissible delay?", French Socialist Michel Rocard, Chair of the Committee on Social Affairs and Employment, asked of the Council, noting that apparently "we want to remove" the European Parliament's right of co-decision, and hoping that the Swedish Presidency may be able to contribute to finding a solution to this "sensitive issue" - of which the President-in-Office of the Council, Lars Danielsoson, recognised the importance during the debate. The Commission's proposal in view of a simplification of the Regulation has been the subject of technical analyses, but we must now move on to the stage of political negotiations, said Danielsson.