Procedure completed
Legal Basis RoP 128-p5
Activites
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2003/09/25
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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T5-0414/2003
summary
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the EU's contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Plan of Implementation. Parliament stated that very little effort had been made by industrialised countries to move towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. On the first anniversary of the WSSD, it reaffirmed the need to act urgently on the commitments made in Johannesburg. It is imperative that the EU promote and implement policies to fulfil the Johannesburg commitments and take new initiatives which are needed to achieve the long-term goals of sustainable development. Parliament welcomed the provisions of the draft Constitution Treaty, which require all external actions and aspects of Union policies to be consistent with the objectives of sustainable development, poverty eradication and environmental protection in developing countries. On the question of the EU Water Initiative, it felt that the countries themselves must be committed to implementation and feel ownership of the proposed activities. Parliament asked the Commission to ensure that, in the current WTO negotiations on services (GATS), equitable access to water resources is guaranteed for the local communities. Parliament advocated the establishment of a European Water Fund from the European Development Fund and believed that additional funding will be needed in future for the implementation of the EU Water Initiative. It welcomed the EU Energy Initiative, but deplored the fact that no new financial resources have been allocated to address effectively the energy/poverty nexus as well as the energy/environment nexus. The establishment of a special EU Sustainable Energy Fund - like the one considered for water - would represent a significant contribution to the solution of energy poverty. Parliament asked the Commission to make sure that the primary purpose of energy programmes, within its development portfolio, is local development, facilitated by the involvement of local actors in programme implementation and by the decentralisation of energy programmes. Technology should be used to improve energy efficiency, while using clean and renewable energy sources. One of the key lessons of the WSSD is the need to create a coherent and integrated system of global environmental governance. This should, therefore, be the priority for policy-makers in the next few years. Furthermore, the EU must bring its influence to bear to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg commitments are taken into account in its own activities, as well as in the activities of the various UN bodies. There is a need for a political dialogue between the EU and the UN. Parliament went on to acknowledge that EU agricultural subsidies and their effects on developing countries have become a barrier for a good working relationship between the EU and G77 countries. There must be a reform of the CAP, giving access to developing countries' agricultural products, to ensure the credibility of EU commitments on sustainable development. Parliament also looked for further clarification of the relationship between WTO rules and multilateral environment agreements to ensure that sustainable development objectives are not weakened by trade rules. Parliament called on the Commission, Council and Member States to promote corporate accountability and corporate social responsibility at international level by integrating such principles in external relations, development and trade policies. These concepts should be promoted among export credit and development finance agencies and other institutions involved in foreign direct investment. Finally, Parliament felt that monitoring of the WSSD commitments and timetables must be carried out as systematically as possible. It undertook to do this on an annual basis, and asked the Commission to prepare an annual stocktaking of the Johannesburg, Cardiff (environmental integration) and Göteborg (EU sustainable development strategies) processes in the context of its synthesis report.�
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T5-0414/2003
summary
- 2003/09/24 Debate in Parliament
Documents
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0414/2003
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