Strasbourg, 23/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament considers that there should be a greater possibility for sanctions if Union values are breached. The EP adopted by 384 votes for, 30 against and 52 abstentions on the report by Austrian Green Johannes Voggenhuber on the European Commission communication on way to apply Article 7 of the Union Treaty. The EP wants "a higher level of protection" because "neglecting the need for sanctions would create the impression that the Union did not have the will or the means for using everything at their disposal to defend its values".
Parliament, whose opinion is not binding in the area of justice and home affairs also spoke on the following proposals:
European funds for refugees: the EP supports the proposal for maintaining and strengthening the funds, whose first phase finishes at the end of this year. The report by Gérard Deprez (EPP-ED, Belgian) supports the renewing of the second phase until 2010, as well as the increasing its means. The European Commission has assessed its budget for 6 years at EUR 687.48. The EP would not, however, like these funds to be used for forced repatriation.
Devising travel documents for third country nationals: the EP is approving the Commission's proposal for systematic documentation to allow for proof to be provided of entry onto Community territory. By a very small majority (262 for, 260 against, 4 abstentions), it is requesting that this is clearly indicated when presenting all documents proving the cancelled date of entry if the person has gone beyond the authorised three months of stay without a visa.
Visas: the EP was against the Commission's proposal to create a visa data base (VDB) and sent this case back to the public freedoms committee. The EP is refusing to give its opinion on this draft because it only involves an internal proposal, already outmoded given developments on the subject at the Council, explained the rapporteur drawing on his rejection proposal (Carlos Coelho, EPP-ED, Portugal).
Migration management: the EP has approved the Commission's proposal for setting up an information and secure coordination network on the web for services from Member States that work on immigration. The report by Eva Klamt (EPP-ED, Germany) is calling for this kind of information on this network to be clearly delineated.
Small-scale EU border traffic: the EP approved the Commission's two proposals for facilitating minor cross-border traffic at the future external borders of the EU, as well as internal borders when Member States are not signatories to the Schengen agreement (reports by the Spanish Socialist Carmen Cerdeira Monterero and British Conservative, the Earl of Stockton).
European Police College: the EP supports the amendment to its statutes, to provide greater visibility (report by Martine Roure, French socialist).
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction: the EP approved the report by German Social Democrat Ozan Ceyhun.
Passenger data bases: the European Parliament rejected and sent back to the committee, without an explanation, its report on the Spanish proposal to send passenger data of those flying to the European Union, on which the Council reached a political agreement during its last session (report Jorge Salvador Hernandez Mollar, - Partido popular).