Strasbourg, 11/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the plenary was almost unanimous in its rejection (520 to 12 with 3 abstentions) of the German proposal of a framework decision relating to the prosecution of unfair anti-competitive practices in the awarding of public contracts. It thus approved its rapporteur, German Christian Democrat Ingo Schmitt, who felt the legal base proposed by Germany, based on articles on justice and not on internal market rules, was not correct (see EUROPE of 8 June, p.15). The legislative resolution, also voted by almost unanimity (524 to 5, with 5 abstentions), calls on Germany to withdraw its initiative and on the Commission to "examine the need to present, where necessary, a proposal for a complementary legislative measure aimed at responding to the aim of the proposal. Mr Schmitt supports the proposal in principle, as he explained in the explanatory statement to his report. The European Parliament was only consulted on this matter, and its vote is not therefore legally binding. The Council, for its part, has not yet really begun to work on this initiative.