On 13 April 2005, the European Parliament held a debate on the subject of the Spring European Summit of 22 and 23 March and adopted, by 363 in favour, 92 against and 39 abstentions, a resolution which refers in particular to the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact and calling to be involved in changes to the regulations on the monitoring of the budgetary positions of the Member States and on the excessive deficit procedure (EUROPE 8927). It is worth noting that prior to the Summit, the Parliament approved a resolution on the relaunch of the Lisbon Strategy, which was broadly reflected in the conclusions of the European Council (Document 2402 of 16 March 2005).
European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the European Council in Brussels on 22 and 23 March 2005
The European Parliament,
having regard to the Presidency Conclusions following the European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005,
having regard to the European Council report and the Commission statement on the European Council meeting of 22 and 23 March 2005,
having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
I. Stability and Growth Pact
Welcomes the fact that, after months of controversial signals, political agreement was reached at the European Council on a reform of the Stability and Growth Pact designed to improve the coordination and monitoring of economic policies whilst introducing more flexibility and to revitalise the commitment to fiscal discipline as the basis for a stable currency and for economic growth and job creation;
Welcomes in particular the moves to strengthen the Pact's preventive arm, the increased attention given to debt levels and the agreement to link the Pact to the Lisbon objectives and policies, but is concerned by the lack of clarity in the rules of the coercive arm of the Pact;
Calls on the Council and Commission to come forward with the agreed changes to Regulations No 1466/97 and No 1467/97 and to involve the European Parliament fully, in order to ensure that the remaining concerns are addressed;
Calls on the Commission to make full use of its right of initiative and the procedures at its disposal in order to ensure the proper implementation of the Pact and to play an active role in macroeconomic coordination; expresses doubts about this aspect of the reform, in which an opportunity was missed to strengthen the role of the Commission;
II. Relaunching the Lisbon Process
Welcomes the commitment made by the Council and Commission to giving the Lisbon Strategy a new dynamism with a new focused approach based on a three-year cycle, and its endorsement of many of the positions adopted by Parliament before the meeting of the European Council, such as the restatement of the interdependence of the Strategy's economic, social and environmental dimensions;
Expects the Commission to show leadership in the relaunch of the Lisbon Strategy by presenting a Community Lisbon programme which sets out a clear roadmap for action by the Community institutions; insists on detailed consultation with Parliament on its content and on the creation of an effective Commission-Parliament mechanism for joint programming;
Supports the idea that Member States should make a larger and more practical contribution to growth and employment, and endorses the idea of introducing "national reform programmes" following open discussion with stakeholders and consultation of national parliaments;
Regrets, however, that the recommendation of the high-level group that the Commission should report annually on which Member States perform best on the Lisbon goals and which Member States lag behind was not endorsed by the European Council;
Recalls that the well-being of EU citizens is a prerequisite for Europe's economic and competitive success; welcomes the prospect of a Green Paper on demographic trends in the EU and reiterates the need for this to be followed by concrete action;
Reiterates its view that the Lisbon Strategy should be a means to reinforce the European social model through greater social cohesion, to raise the rate and quality of employment, to improve adaptability of workers, to invest in human capital, to modernise and secure social protection, to promote equal opportunities and gender balance, and to facilitate the balance between work and family life;
Confirms the need for a solid industrial fabric throughout Europe's territory and the necessity of pursuing an active industrial policy;
Notes that the vital role of SMEs in innovation, growth and employment is explicitly recognised;
Shares the view that environmental policy plays an essential role in sustainable growth which contributes to employment, and underlines the importance of focusing on eco-innovation and environmental technologies, thus allowing the EU to take up a number of challenges in the area of natural resources and the environment, such as bio-diversity and climate change;
Welcomes the European Council's commitment to a fully operational internal market in services compatible with the European social model in order to enhance competitiveness, job creation and growth, while guaranteeing social responsibility, protection of consumers" rights and social and environmental standards; agrees that all efforts should be undertaken within the legislative process to secure a broad consensus for a directive on services that meets all these objectives;
Agrees and confirms that REACH has to reconcile environmental and health concerns with the need to promote the competitiveness of European industry, while paying particular attention to SMEs and their ability to innovate;
Emphasises the need to guarantee the necessary financial resources for implementing the Lisbon Agenda at the level of the EU budget and the national budgets;
Requests that national and European budgets, including the future Financial Perspective 2007-2013, be an expression of the goals pursued in the framework of the Lisbon Process; welcomes the strong support of the European Council for the priority projects of the Trans-European Transport Network and calls on the Council and the Member States to speed up the planning and to allocate the necessary financial resources from national budgets for the priority projects, especially for the missing cross-border links;
Welcomes the position of the European Council regarding the importance and role which it assigns to cohesion policy and sustainable transport in the relaunch of the Lisbon Strategy and the growth and employment objectives;
Welcomes the fact that the overall objective of 3% investment of the EU's GDP in the field of Research and Development has been retained, with an appropriate split between private and public investment; calls on the Member States and the EU to give priority to research programmes that match the objectives of enhancing quality of life and strengthening a sustainable economy; points to the importance of investment in innovation and new technology as a key component in dealing with the challenges facing the EU in a globalising world;
Believes that a more coherent European investment initiative is essential to the success of the Lisbon Strategy;
III. Sustainable development
Shares the view that environmental policy represents an important contribution to sustainable growth and employment and that the EU must take up a number of challenges related to natural resources and environment, such as climate change and environmental technologies; welcomes the focus given to environmental policies as an asset for growth, employment, competitiveness and, last but not least, the quality of life; supports the Council's call for rapid implementation of the action plan for ecotechnology;
Is disappointed by the timetable agreed upon for reviewing the EU's Sustainable Development Strategy, because it believes that environmental policy could offer substantial economic opportunities, especially considering its effects on industrial innovation; therefore urges the Commission to act decisively and submit the appropriate proposals as soon as possible; believes that it is necessary to allocate adequate financial resources to achieve the goals defined under the revised Lisbon Strategy;
Reiterates the need for sustainable management and use of natural resources and asks the Commission to include this in its strategy;
Believes that the Mid-Term Review should give due weight to the contribution that new technologies with a promising future, as well as environmental technologies and high environmental standards, can make to a winning competitive strategy; calls for increased support for eco-technologies and eco-efficient innovations; more broadly, underlines the role of quality of life as a factor in investment and industrial location; believes that ignoring climate change and loss of biodiversity will seriously impair the ability to achieve these goals;
Recalls the need to pay urgent attention to the threat of communicable diseases, especially a potential influenza pandemic which could particularly affect the most vulnerable sections of the population such as children and the elderly;
IV. Climate change
Welcomes the will to explore options for a post-2012 arrangement in the UN climate change process together with the development of a long-term EU strategy, and the consideration of emission reduction pathways in the order of 15-30% by 2020 as a target for developed countries; insists that the EU should retain its leading role in international efforts to tackle climate change and present concrete proposals for an ambitious programme beyond 2012;
Emphasises that the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol are an essential condition for a global strategy on climate change, but that further targets need to be set for the period after 2012, and global emissions should be reduced by half by 2050 in order to contain global warming so that it peaks below 2°C above pre-industrialisation levels;
Stresses that additional policies and measures are necessary to achieve the collective EU-15 Kyoto target, particularly in the energy and transport sectors, where emissions are projected to continue to grow significantly;
Urges the Member States to take further measures to increase energy saving, improve energy efficiency and switch to renewable energy sources, and reiterates its demand that international agreements should be negotiated so as to incorporate emissions from international flights and shipping in the emission reduction targets for the second commitment period from 2012;
V. Preparing for the UN Summit
Welcomes the priority attached by the European Council to the preparations for the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in September; emphasises that the EU and the Member States must demonstrate their commitment to development and the Millennium Development Goals by increasing the proportion of the EU budget allocated to development and improving the effectiveness of aid by, for example, working towards the complete untying of all development aid;
Strongly supports the European Council's assertion that the Union's support for Africa should be reinforced; welcomes the initiatives on Africa proposed by the Commission for 2005; stresses that this focus on the poorest countries, which is in line with efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and the Union's commitment to poverty eradication, must be supported by a large increase in aid from both the Union and the Member States;
Strongly supports the UN Secretary-General's call on the Heads of State and Government of developed countries to establish clear timetables for achieving the target of 0.7% of GNI for official development assistance; urges Member States to approve without delay the forthcoming Commission proposals for such a concrete timetable;
Fully endorses the UN Secretary-General's call on the Heads of State and Government of developed countries to agree upon the launching of a series of "quick-win" initiatives as proposed by the UN Millennium Project headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs;
Urges the Member States to show their dedication to respect for human rights by supporting the UN Secretary-General's proposal to replace its Human Rights Commission with a stronger and more credible Human Rights Council;
VI. External relations
Recalls that Parliament has repeatedly insisted that the arms embargo on China should not be lifted under current conditions and notes with satisfaction that the European Council did not take any further steps towards lifting the embargo;
Welcomes the European Council's decision to create a task force to report on Croatia's progress in meeting the conditions for opening accession negotiations with the European Union, and urges the Council and Commission to send the Monitoring Task Force to Croatia as soon as possible in order to provide the next Council meeting with reliable results as a basis for decision-making;
Reiterates its position on the ongoing situation in Lebanon, and welcomes the announcement by the Syrian Foreign Minister that all Syrian troops, military assets and intelligence apparatus will be withdrawn fully and completely by 30 April 2005 in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004); calls on the Member States and the Council to raise the question of stabilisation of Lebanon in the UN Security Council; hopes that a new government will be formed as a contribution to the stability of the country with the aim of organising free, fair and transparent elections as foreseen; urges the Council to provide for an EU election observation mission, including in the run-up to the elections, in agreement with the Lebanese authorities;
Considers that recent events in Kyrgyzstan show the Kyrgyzstan people's desire for democratic change, and endorses the Council declaration asking the newly appointed leaders of that country to start a dialogue in order to guarantee the democratic process, which includes full respect for the rule of law and human rights, through national reconciliation;
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments of the Member States and of Bulgaria and Romania.