Brussels,29/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The decision to adopt the British Conservative MEP, Caroline Jackson's report on a first reading, last Wednesday, on the Draft Decision establishing a new programme on financing environmental NGOs, clearly indicates the Parliament is in favour of the approach put forward by the Commission. As central and eastern European countries will be included in the programme from the beginning of next year, the EP hopes that small financially dependent organisations, particularly those that operate in candidate countries are not excluded. The European Parliament is of the opinion that the actual services performed out in the field by voluntary workers, on which small organisations are principally dependent, are counted as expenses in the organisations' accounts. The EP wants to tighten the relationships between local and regional NGOs, as well as including animal protection agencies in the new programme. It also calls for selection criteria and funding procedures to be more open.