Brussels, 19/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - Adopting last Thursday the report by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL, P) on the Conciliation Committee's joint text establishing an action programme to encourage cooperation between Member States to combat social exclusion (codecision, third reading), the European Parliament took the view that the agreement reached at the Conciliation Committee meeting on 18 September last is satisfactory, since it goes well beyond what might have been envisaged before second reading. The EP noted that the increase in the total budget of the action programme to EUR 75 million, the ceiling on EU financing for NGOs participating in the programme (which in exceptional circumstances amounts to 90% of the project cost) and the EP's stronger role represent considerable progress over the Council's common position of 12 February last.