SP(2011)1475/2

Results of vote in Parliament

Following a debate which was held in plenary on 10 November 2010, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the forthcoming EU-US Summit and the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC).

The text was adopted in plenary as a joint resolution tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and ECR groups.

The resolution stresses that the transatlantic relationship is unique and broad in scope, including a mutual commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights, fighting terrorism, and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Together the two transatlantic partners account for half the global economy, with their US$4.28 trillion partnership the largest, most integrated and longest lasting economic relationship in the world and a key driver of global economic prosperity. The strength of and commitment to the transatlantic relationship are of even greater relevance given the current global financial and economic crisis. The two partners are committed to cooperating in order to promote growth and jobs in their economies, and the European Parliament continues to advocate the completion of a transatlantic market by 2015 .

EU-US Summit : the resolution insists on the importance of the EU and the US Administration stepping up their strategic dialogue, cooperation and coordination when dealing with global challenges and regional conflicts. Members call on both partners to promote respect for democracy and human rights in the world as a key element of their policy and underline the need for intensive coordination in the area of preventive and crisis diplomacy. The US Administration is called upon to ratify and accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and Members repeat their appeal for the universal abolition of the death penalty .

They regard it as essential that at the EU-US Summit both partners should take a leading role on the implementation of the G20 commitments. The importance of the EU-US cooperation in agreeing on concrete deliverables in order that an international agreement can finally be reached at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-16) in Cancun is also highlighted.

Members call for a re-invigorated Euro-American partnership to address the Israel-Palestinian conflict . They emphasise that the active engagement of the Middle East Quartet in the peace process is needed, recognising the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative and the continuing cooperation with the Arab partners. The resolution urges the Israeli Government to renew the moratorium on settlement building and calls for a more active European engagement vis-à-vis Syria and Lebanon .

Members emphasise that the uncertainties about the nature of the Iranian nuclear programme are endangering the non-proliferation system and stability in the region and the world. Disappointment at the continuing refusal by Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), they call on the Iranian leadership to ensure that Iran meets its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They call on Teheran to ratify and implement the Additional Protocol on the Safeguards Agreement and calls on the US and the EU to coordinate their foreign policies in order to achieve this objective.

The resolution calls for improved cooperation between the EU and the US in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the aim of contributing to peace and stability, democracy, human rights and development in the region.

Members strongly urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to honour its commitments in the context of the Six-Party Talks, including the complete and verifiable abandonment of all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes. They call on the DPRK fully to meet all its relevant nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament obligations.

The resolution emphasises the importance of NATO as the cornerstone of transatlantic security and calls for strategic cooperation between the US and the EU Member States in order to address global security challenges. It considers that relevant developments in this wider security structure should also be addressed in dialogue with Russia and the non-EU OSCE Member States. It underlines the importance of the CSDP and the value of an enhanced European defence capability in strengthening transatlantic security.

The resolution emphasises the importance of a fair and democratic referendum on the independence of South Sudan for the stability of the region. The EU and US are urged to work closely with the Sudanese authorities to ensure that the January 2011 referendum on the future of Sudan is peaceful, fair and transparent.

Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) meeting and strengthening of the TEC : Members are convinced that the TEC constitutes the most appropriate mechanism for managing the transatlantic economic relationship. They urge the partners to use the full potential of the TEC in order to overcome the existing barriers to economic integration and to achieve a transatlantic market by 2015 and they urge it to more strategic in order to address the concerns of all stakeholders. They call for the heads of the Transatlantic Labour Dialogue (TLD) and the Transatlantic Energy Dialogue to be included in the Group of Advisers.

The Commission is called upon to pursue, in the light of the forthcoming TEC meeting, the formal adoption of procedures for the mutual recognition of declarations of conformity for products subject to mandatory third-party testing , in particular for ICT and electrical equipment, to insist on the mutual recognition of legal units of measurement, in particular acceptance of metric-only labelling of EU products in the US, to explore standardisation with US authorities, to establish round tables on standards, focusing on innovative solutions, and to coordinate internationally.

The resolution considers it of the utmost importance to engage in a dialogue in the TEC on novel foods and the use of new technologies in food production. The signing of the second-stage ‘Open Skies’ EU-US aviation agreement in June 2010 is welcomed as a cornerstone of effective cooperation, and the conclusion of the most recent International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) agreement of 8 October 2010 as an important step forward for the transatlantic aviation market.

As regards agriculture , Members call for greater cooperation between the European Parliament and the US Congress on the parallel process of reform of their respective agricultural policies.

The role of the TLD in the TEC : the resolution calls once again on EU and US leaders, and the co-chairs of the TEC, to take account of the crucial role of legislators for the success of the TEC. It urges them to involve the representatives of the TLD fully and directly in the TEC.

Members believe that it is essential to ensure that key members of Congress and of the European Parliament are brought into the Legislators’ Dialogue and the TEC process, in order to make sure that legislation has no unintended consequences for transatlantic trade and investment. They hope that the current TLD can gradually be upgraded to a transatlantic inter-parliamentary assembly , following recommendations made by Parliament in its resolution of 26 March 2009.

Bilateral and international trade : Members emphasise the urgent need to conclude the Doha Development Round as soon as possible. They call for a common approach, involving emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil, to the development of multilateral trade rules and negotiations. They are convinced that the TEC can play an important role in fostering a common approach by the EU and the US to their trade relations with third countries.

Economic and financial crises : recalling that the Basel II Agreement, and its forthcoming revised version, is meant to be a global standard and urging the US speedily to implement Basel II, Members are very much concerned that limitations laid down in various national laws adopted in response to the crisis would result in serious fragmentation in the application of this global standard. They note, further, that consistent global accounting rules are essential for a level playing field and calls on the US to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The EU and the US are called upon to work with China towards settling the global dispute on foreign exchange rates without implementing protectionist or retaliatory measures. Members call on the United States, in implementing its domestic monetary policies, not to exacerbate the problem of the global balance of exchange rates.

Energy, environment, transport, industry, research and science : Members welcome the initialling of a new Energy Star EU-US Agreement on the coordination of energy-efficient labelling programmes for office equipment and cooperation on the development of energy technologies.

The resolution notes that climate change is a global challenge to which there is no single political and technological solution, but that the combination of existing opportunities and a dramatic increase in efficiency in all areas of the economy and society in developed and developing countries would contribute to resolving the problem of resources and distribution and pave the way for a third industrial revolution. Members stress the importance of ensuring common standards and benchmarks in all emerging ETS markets so as to avoid unnecessary regulatory hurdles in this emerging market. The resolution urges the TEC to stimulate cooperation in the field of research.

Intellectual property and consumer protection : the resolution considers it essential to develop a joint EU-US action strategy for the enforcement of intellectual property rights which aims to fight the soaring global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. A transatlantic task force should be created to combat counterfeiting as a much-needed sign of political determination to tackle illegal activities which erode the competitiveness of innovative and creative industries.

Judicial and police cooperation, visas : Member insist that the EU must negotiate as a single entity on admission to the US visa waiver programme, to ensure that the four Member States – Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland and Romania – outside the visa waiver programme do not conclude bilateral agreements with the US to gain visa waiver status. They reiterate that the Commission must continue to raise with the US at political and technical level the issue of the importance attached by the EU to the admission of the four remaining EU Member States to the visa waiver programme as soon as possible.

The resolution urges the EU and US to continue to work cooperatively in order to further counter the renewed threat from terrorism .

The Council is called upon to agree swiftly on an ambitious negotiating mandate for a EU-US data protection agreement . Data transfer demands, as well as other justice and home affairs arrangements, should generally be dealt with in a multilateral US-EU framework, rather than being pursued bilaterally with an individual Member State.

Members welcome the fact that the EU-US agreement on banking data transfers reflects the willingness of the US to respond positively to the data protection demands made by the European Parliament in the SWIFT report.

On the other hand, Members stress their serious concerns about the so-called Travel Promotion Act , and its discriminatory impact in applying only to travellers under the US visa waiver programme, and about data protection concerns stemming from the fact that fees can only be paid using one of the four major credit cards, whose companies are all based inside the US.

T7-0396/2010

B7-0608/2010

B7-0609/2010

B7-0610/2010

B7-0611/2010

RC-B7-0608/2010

Debate in Parliament