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Presidency Conclusions, Brussels European
Council
PRESIDENCY CONCLUSIONS
BRUSSELS EUROPEAN COUNCIL
12 DECEMBER 2003
1. The European Council met in Brussels on 12 December 2003. The meeting
was preceded by an exposי by the President of the European
Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, followed by an exchange of views concerning the
main items on the agenda.
א. ECONOMIC GROWTH
European Action for Growth
2. The European Council endorses the European Action for Growth, on the
basis of the reports presented by the ECOFIN Council, the Commission and
the EIB. The Action covers material as well as immaterial investments in
two broad areas: the trans-European network infrastructure (TENs)
including transport, telecommunications and energy, and innovation and
R&D including environmental technology. It is an important step in the
implementation of the Union's Lisbon agenda to improve competitiveness,
employment and the enlarged Union's growth potential through higher
investment in both physical and human capital to complement structural
reform. The European Council welcomes the work carried out by the
Commission, the EIB and the relevant formations of the Council on the
establishment of a "quick start programme" and on the
identification, according to a strict set of criteria, of a provisional
list of projects for immediate action; these projects will be considered
by the EIB and EIF in accordance with the principles set out in the ECOFIN
Council report. If other projects fulfil the same criteria the list may be
complemented, in accordance with the procedure followed for its
establishment, in the framework of the annual reporting cycle to the
Spring European Council.
3. The Action for Growth rests on close collaboration between the Member
States, the Council, the Commission and the EIB. All relevant actors have
to play their role in order for the Action to succeed, in particular by
taking the necessary steps to ensure implementation of the
"quick-start programme", so that the EIB and other relevant
actors can provide appropriate financing. The mobilisation of private
resources to finance qualifying projects is the cornerstone of the Action
for Growth. The Action for Growth assumes the part-financing of projects
from national budgets, in particular by optimising the use of existing
public resources, a contribution from the EU and the EIB and enhanced
coordination between all relevant sources of financing. The European
Action for Growth will be consistent with the BEPGs, the Stability and
Growth Pact, the Financial Perspective and the agreed framework for the
EIB's capital. The European Council welcomes the political agreement in
the Council on the TENs financial regulation providing for a higher rate
of Community co-financing for some specific projects or sections of
projects.
4. The European Council therefore invites:
the EIB, in accordance with the ECOFIN Council report, to
implement the financial instruments aiming at leveraging private capital,
and to develop Securitisation Trusts and within the limits of the Bank's
Statutes and subject to Eurostat rules work with the Member States as they
seek to mobilise resources by bringing infrastructure assets to markets,
Member States to complement the Action for Growth by national
measures and programmes and, together with the Commission, to act rapidly
to eliminate technical, legal, administrative and accounting obstacles to
the implementation of PPPs, TENs and innovation and R&D projects and
improve the non-financial framework conditions for these projects,
the Commission, in accordance with the ECOFIN Council report, to
redirect expenditure where appropriate towards growth-enhancing investment
in physical and human capital and knowledge, and, in cooperation with the
Member States, to further examine the necessity of developing a specific
Community guarantee instrument for certain post-construction risks in TEN
transport projects, to report on the results of that examination and, if
appropriate, to present a proposal in this regard,
the Commission and the EIB, to provide a mid-term evaluation of
the Action for Growth by the end of 2007, on the basis of the following
criteria: (i) effects on growth; (ii) impact on the internal market and
cohesion in the enlarged EU; (iii) mobilisation of private sector capital,
(iv) acceleration of the implementation of TENs and innovation and R&D
projects including environment projects; (v) progress in reducing
regulatory barriers; (vi) the impact on the environment and employment.
Connecting the Internal Market
Transport TENs
5. The European Council welcomes the Council's political agreement on the
new Community guidelines for the development of the Trans-European
Transport Network, based on the work carried out by the Van Miert Group.
These will allow all Member States of the enlarged Europe to participate
fully in the Internal Market.
6. The priority projects identified by the guidelines are crucial to the
strengthening of Internal Market cohesion, especially in view of the
forthcoming enlargement of the European Union and of the need to remove
bottlenecks and/or complete missing links in the circulation of goods
(transit) across natural or other barriers or across borders.
7. As far as transport TENs in the context of the Action for Growth are
concerned, the European Council takes note with satisfaction of the
political agreement by the ECOFIN Council to increase the upper EU
contribution from 10% to 20% for cross-border projects, and emphasises how
the Action for Growth, in the case of transport, is entirely in line with
the transport priority projects proposed by the Commission and approved by
the Council on 5 December.
8. The European Council welcomes the presentation by the Commission of a
proposal for a new Eurovignette Directive. It urges the Council to speed
up its work in order to allow agreement on the Community-wide framework by
March 2004 and, subsequently, to find an agreement with the European
Parliament.
Telecommunications
9. The European Council invites the Commission to propose in its
telecommunications report to the Spring 2004 European Council concrete
actions to be taken by the Member States to improve the conditions of 3G
mobile communications and broadband development in Europe.
Competitiveness
10. The European Council takes note with interest of progress on defining
an integrated horizontal approach to competitiveness, i.a. through
coherence, synergies and complementarities between policies, and invites
the Council to assess further the Commission's communication, in
particular identifying, in cooperation with the Commission, proposals
having a significant impact on competitiveness or creating an excessive
burden for certain sectors of industry. In this context further
cost-effective ways of implementing EU decisions in the field of climate
change and the potential cost of inaction should be considered. Conscious
of the importance of the industrial sector for the competitiveness of the
European economy and in view of the objectives set by the Lisbon strategy,
the European Council looks forward to receiving the Commission's report on
de-industrialisation in the first half of 2004.
11. The European Council welcomes the important agreement on a general
approach on take-over bids, which is an essential component of the
Financial Services Action Plan for the integration of European financial
markets by 2005. The European Council also recalls the need to approve the
Community patent on the basis of the common political approach already
reached in March 2003. It stresses the need to develop broadband
telecommunications and for the full and effective transposition of the new
regulatory framework for electronic communications.
12. In view of the forthcoming international meeting in Washington on 19
December 2003 the European Council welcomes the decisions reached in the
Competitiveness Council on the European candidate site for hosting ITER
and supports the efforts to ensure the success of this candidacy.
Employment
13. The European Council welcomes the report on "Creating more
employment in Europe" presented by the Task Force chaired by Mr. Kok
as well as the results of the work of the extraordinary Social Summit for
Growth and Employment of 11 December on this issue.
14. The Task Force Report underlines the need to accelerate the
implementation of the necessary reforms on employment. Europe has a large
gap to bridge to achieve the employment objectives set at Lisbon. Economic
growth is insufficient and unemployment is much too high. This is all the
more urgent in the light of the wider, longer-term challenges Europe
faces, such as globalisation, worldwide economic transformation and the
consequences of the ageing society.
15. The European Council stresses that, in accordance with the view of the
Task Force, improving the EU's employment performance in the context of
the Employment Strategy depends on meeting four essential requirements:
increasing adaptability of workers and enterprises,
attracting more people to the labour market,
more and more effective investment in human capital,
ensuring effective implementation of reforms through better
governance.
16. The European Council underlines that employment will be one of the
central aspects of the 2004 Spring European Council. It therefore invites
the Commission and Council to consider the Task Force report in the
preparation of the Joint Employment Report.
ב. FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE
Managing the Union's common borders
17. The European Council welcomes the political agreement reached by the
Council on the main elements of the Commission proposal for a Council
Regulation establishing a European Agency for the Management of
operational cooperation at the common borders. It also invites the JHA
Council to finish examining this important proposal as soon as possible so
that it can be adopted in time to allow the Agency to become operational
by 1 January 2005.
18. The European Council also welcomes the adoption of the programme of
measures to combat illegal immigration across the maritime borders, which
takes into account the results of the feasibility study carried out for
the Commission on maritime borders. It calls on the JHA Council, in close
cooperation with the Commission and the Member States, to ensure the
implementation of the measures set out in the programme in order for the
European Council to evaluate the results.
19. In the context of enlargement, the European Council welcomes the
measures aimed at easing control procedures at the borders between Member
States and acceding States, as well as those aimed at supporting the
latter in their process of alignment with the acquis on external borders.
Controlling migratory flows
20. The European Council welcomes the general approach reached by the
Council on the two Commission proposals for Council Regulations on
biometric identifiers in visas and residence permits and invites the
Commission to submit in due time a proposal for the introduction of
biometric identifiers in passports. On the basis of the forthcoming
Commission communication, it invites the Council to take the necessary
decisions on the development of the Visa Information System (VIS) as soon
as possible.
21. The European Council calls for more rapid progress in the field of
return. Moreover, confirming the request it made in Thessaloniki, it
invites the Commission to present at the beginning of 2004 a proposal for
a financial instrument aimed at supporting a common approach in the area
of return policy.
22. The European Council welcomes the significant progress achieved in the
negotiations on the adoption of the two Council Directives on asylum
qualification and procedures. It takes note of the persisting political
obstacles that have been delaying the conclusion of these negotiations. On
the other hand, it reaffirms the importance of developing a common
European policy on asylum and invites the JHA Council to complete its work
as soon as possible to ensure that the first phase of the establishment of
a European Asylum system is fully implemented within the deadline set in
Tampere.
23. Finally, the European Council reaffirms the importance of the dialogue
with third countries of origin and transit of migratory flows and
underlines the importance of continuing to assist those countries in their
own efforts to stem such migratory flows. This was also emphasised at the
meeting of five Western Mediterranean EU Member/Acceding States and the
five countries of the Maghreb Union held in Tunis on 5 December 2003. It
welcomes the interinstitutional agreement reached by the European
Parliament and the Council on the Regulation establishing the new
financial instrument relating to cooperation with third countries in the
area of asylum and migration. It also welcomes the adoption by the Council
of the mechanism for monitoring and evaluating third countries in the area
of the fight against illegal migration and invites the Commission to
present the first report on its implementation by the end of 2004 at the
latest.
Judicial and Police Cooperation
24. The European Council welcomes further progress achieved by the Council
in the area of police cooperation, taking into special consideration the
signature of the Protocol amending the Europol Convention. On this basis,
Europol will assume an increasingly important role in the action carried
out by Member States in fighting organised crime and terrorism.
25. The European Council urges the Council to invite the competent
authorities of the Member States to use more effectively the existing
instrument of judicial and police cooperation, including joint
investigation teams. It also welcomes progress in the intensification of
police cooperation with several third countries of strategic importance
for the EU as far as the fight against organised crime is concerned.
26. The European Council also welcomes the political agreement reached by
the Council on the Commission proposal for a Council Framework Decision
laying down minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal
acts and penalties in the field of drug trafficking. The European Council
welcomes the adoption of the Resolution on the importance of the role of
the family in preventing drug abuse by adolescents, the Resolution on the
posting of liaison officers with particular expertise in drugs to Albania,
the Resolution on combating the impact of psychoactive substances use on
road accidents and the Decision concerning control measures and criminal
sanctions in respect of new synthetic drugs.
Interfaith Dialogue
27. The Heads of State or Government were informed of the results of the
Conference on Interfaith Dialogue which took place in Rome on 30 and 31
October 2003 and took note with satisfaction of the Statement on
Interfaith Dialogue and Social Cohesion adopted by Ministers of the
Interior. Conscious of the importance of this issue, they encourage the
relevant Ministers to support a sustained, open and transparent dialogue
with the different religions and philosophical communities as an
instrument of peace and social cohesion in Europe and at its borders.
28. The Heads of State or Government reaffirm the EU's firm commitment to
oppose any form of extremism, intolerance and xenophobia, which undermine
peaceful and democratic coexistence, and their condemnation of any type of
violence and terrorism.
29. The Heads of State or Government underline its deep concern at the
increase in instances of anti-semitic intolerance and strongly condemns
all manifestations of anti-semitism, including attacks against religious
sites and individuals.
ג. ENLARGEMENT
30. The European Council welcomes the findings and recommendations of the
Commission contained in its Comprehensive Monitoring Reports, the Strategy
Paper and the Regular Reports presented on 5 November 2003.
New Member States
31. The Union looks forward to welcoming the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia
as full members of the Union on 1 May 2004. Integrating the new Member
States into the European family will fulfil the aspirations of European
citizens throughout our continent.
32. The European Council invites the new Member States in the run-up to
accession to intensify and complete their final preparations for
membership. The European Council endorses the Council conclusions of 17
November 2003 on monitoring their state of preparedness for EU membership.
In this context, it notes the Commission's determination to take, wherever
necessary, all appropriate measures to safeguard the smooth functioning of
all EU policies in the enlarged Union.
33. The European Council also notes with satisfaction the advanced state
of the ongoing process of ratification of the Accession Treaty and looks
forward to its timely completion.
Bulgaria and Romania
34. The European Council underscores the continuity and irreversibility of
the ongoing enlargement process of which Bulgaria and Romania form an
integral part. Over the past year, these countries have significantly
brought forward their preparations for membership, which is reflected in
the well-advanced state of their accession negotiations.
35. Welcoming Bulgaria and Romania in January 2007 as members of the
Union, if they are ready, is the common objective of the Union of 25.
Negotiations will be concluded on the same basis and principles applied to
the ten acceding States. Bulgaria and Romania should continue
energetically their preparations and make further progress on the ground,
so that the accession negotiations can be brought to a successful
conclusion in 2004 on the basis of own merits, and the Accession Treaty
can be signed as soon as possible in 2005. The European Council underlines
the determination of the Union to facilitate this time line. To this end,
it is crucial for both countries to bring their administrative and
judicial capacity up to the required level.
36. Furthermore, the European Council encourages Bulgaria and Romania to
continue on the path of economic and structural reform in order to take
full advantage of the benefits offered by the accession process. Close
monitoring by the Union of the commitments undertaken and of the effective
implementation of the acquis will continue to guide Bulgaria and Romania
in their membership preparations.
37. Regarding the financial framework for Bulgaria and Romania, the
Commission is invited to submit its proposal at the beginning of 2004, so
as to enable the Council to give the necessary guidance for the Commission
to present draft Common Positions on the relevant negotiating chapters in
Spring 2004. In this context, the European Council takes note of the
Commission's intention to base its proposal on the principles and
methodology developed for the negotiations with the ten acceding States.
The European Council restates its resolve that discussions or agreement on
future policy reforms, or the new financial perspective, will neither
impede the pursuit and conclusion of accession negotiations nor be
prejudged by the outcome of those negotiations.
Turkey
38. The European Council welcomes the considerable and determined efforts
by the Turkish government to accelerate the pace of reforms, many of which
are significant in political and legal terms. The legislative packages so
far adopted, the first important steps taken to ensure effective
implementation, as well as the progress in addressing many priorities
under the Copenhagen political criteria and in the revised Accession
Partnership have brought Turkey closer to the Union. Turkey has also made
significant progress in meeting the Copenhagen economic criteria. However,
further sustained efforts are needed, in particular as regards
strengthening the independence and functioning of the judiciary, the
overall framework for the exercise of fundamental freedoms (association,
expression and religion), the further alignment of civil-military
relations with European practice, the situation in the Southeast of the
country and cultural rights. Turkey also has to overcome macro-economic
imbalances and structural shortcomings.
39. The European Council underlines the importance of Turkey's expression
of political will to settle the Cyprus problem. In this respect a
settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on the principles set out in
section IV. below, would greatly facilitate Turkey's membership
aspirations.
40. The European Council encourages Turkey to build on the substantial
progress achieved so far in its preparations for launching accession
negotiations and underlines its commitment to working towards full
implementation of the pre-accession strategy with Turkey, including the
revised Accession Partnership, in view of the decision to be taken by the
European Council in December 2004 on the basis of the report and
recommendations of the Commission.
ד. CYPRUS
41. In line with its relevant conclusions, the European Council reiterates
its preference for a reunited Cyprus to join the Union on 1 May 2004, in
order to allow all Cypriots to enjoy a secure and prosperous future and
the benefits of EU accession. It considers that there is a good prospect
of reaching a just, viable and functional settlement by 1 May 2004,
consistent with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The European
Council therefore again urges all parties concerned, and in particular
Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership, to strongly support the UN
Secretary General's efforts and, in this context, calls for an immediate
resumption of the talks on the basis of his proposals. The Union
reiterates its willingness to accommodate the terms of a settlement in
line with the principles on which the EU is founded. In this context, the
European Council welcomes the Commission's willingness to offer assistance
for a speedy solution within the framework of the acquis. Following a
settlement, the Union is ready to provide financial assistance for the
development of the northern part of Cyprus and the Commission would be
called upon to prepare all necessary steps for lifting the suspension of
the acquis, in accordance with Protocol 10 to the Act of Accession.
ה. EXTERNAL RELATIONS, CFSP, ESDP
I. EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Western Balkans
42. The European Council takes note of the positive developments since the
EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki on 21 June 2003. The future of
the Western Balkans lies within the European Union and the speed of
movement ahead lies in the hands of the countries of the region. The
Commission's report on the preparedness of Bosnia and Herzegovina to
negotiate a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) has been
presented and a similar feasibility report for Serbia and Montenegro is
being prepared. The negotiations on an SAA with Albania continue. The SAAs
with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and with Croatia are under
ratification. The Croatian application for EU membership is currently
under examination by the Commission, whose opinion is expected in Spring
2004. Concrete progress has been made in promoting regional cooperation,
particularly in the areas of free trade, energy and infrastructures.
43. In certain cases, however, the pace of the reform process remains
slow. The European Council therefore calls on the countries of the region
to intensify their reform efforts, especially in areas which are essential
for EU integration, in particular public administration, the judicial
system and the fight against organised crime and corruption. It also
expects all countries of the region and parties concerned to cooperate
fully with the ICTY. In this respect, the European Council welcomes the
Joint Conclusions of the meetings of Foreign Ministers and of Ministers
responsible for Justice and Home Affairs, held on 9 December and on 28
November 2003 within the framework of the EU-Western Balkans Forum, and
expects the relevant commitments to be rapidly translated into concrete
actions.
44. Recalling its conclusions in Thessaloniki, the European Council
reiterates its determination to fully support the European perspective of
the Western Balkan countries. It welcomes progress already made in
enriching the Stabilisation and Association Process with elements drawn
from the enlargement experience: a draft Council regulation for individual
European Partnerships during Spring 2004 is under examination;
preparations for the participation of the Western Balkan countries in
Community programmes and agencies are ongoing; twinning is about to be
extended to the entire region; economic dialogue will start in early 2004;
political dialogue and cooperation in CFSP matters have been enhanced.
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
45. The European Council reaffirms the strategic importance of the
Mediterranean for the European Union, and confirms its resolute
determination to reinforce cooperation significantly with the
Mediterranean partners.
46. The European Council notes with satisfaction the successful outcome of
the VIth Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Ministers recently held
in Naples and welcomes the results of the Euro-Mediterranean Conferences
held in Palermo (trade), Venice (agriculture) and Rome (energy,
infrastructures and investment).
47. In particular, the European Council emphasises the spirit of
cooperation displayed by all participants at the Naples Conference and
notes that following the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean
Parliamentary Assembly and the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the
Dialogue of Cultures, and the reinforcement of the Euro-Mediterranean
Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership, the Barcelona
Process now has more effective instruments for pursuing its objectives.
The achievements of Palermo, Venice, Rome and Naples open up new avenues
for cooperation between the Euro-Mediterranean partners and help to bring
the civil societies in the region closer to the Barcelona Process.
48. In this context the European Council welcomes the ECOFIN Council
decision to develop further the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment
and Partnership (FEMIP) by reinforcing the FEMIP within the European
Investment Bank. In line with the Barcelona European Council remit, the
decision was taken on the basis of the performance of the FEMIP, which was
evaluated positively, and consultation with Mediterranean partner
countries. The European Council invites the ECOFIN Council to assess the
incorporation of an EIB majority-owned subsidiary dedicated to the
Mediterranean partner countries in December 2006, on the basis of an
evaluation of the reinforced Facility's performance, and taking into
account the outcome of consultations with the Barcelona Process partners.
Iraq
49. The European Council reaffirms that the stability of Iraq is a shared
interest and reiterates the Union's commitment to supporting the political
as well as the economic reconstruction of the country, within the
framework of the relevant UNSC Resolutions. It stresses that an adequate
secur
Ian Boag
Ambassador and Head of Delegation
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