RESOLUTION B3-0934, 0936, 0940 AND 0949/92

Resolution on the European Council in Lisbon

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Council, meeting in Lisbon on 26 and 27 June 1992,

-having regard to the statements by the President-in-Office of the European Council and the President of the Commission,

Notes the determination expressed by the Heads of State and Government of the Twelve to take the necessary steps to ensure 'in any case' that the Maastricht Treaty comes into force on 1 January 1993 and after the problems created by Denmark's rejection have been solved; confirms its commitment to work towards this aim in accordance with its resolution on the consequences of the referendum in Denmark for the Treaty of 7 February 1992Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 3;

Hopes that the Danes will find a solution enabling them to continue to take part in the process of integration towards European Union;

Considers that the debate in progress in all the Member States requires a clear undertaking on the part of the national governments and parliaments in favour of further progress towards European union which must be continued, with particular regard to increasing democracy, the transparency of the decision-making process, the political role of the Commission and its powers with regard to external action, and the solidarity and cohesion between the Community's countries and regions; considers that the national parliaments should call on their governments to work towards eliminating the shortcomings of the Treaty of Maastricht to which the European Parliament drew attention in its resolution of 7 April 1992 on the results of the intergovernmental conferencesMinutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 2;

Points out that, while it is in favour of enlarging the Community to include those States which accept its political goals and meet the conditions for membership, it could not accept enlargement resulting in dilution of the Community's power or diminution of its capacity for action and refutes the European Council's claim that the institutional bases provided by the Maastricht Treaty are sufficient in the event of enlargement;

Requests that the principle of subsidiarity be henceforth correctly implemented in Community legislation and action in accordance with the European Parliament's resolution of 14 February 1984 on the draft Treaty establishing the European UnionOJ No. C 77, 19.3.1984, p. 53; does not accept that a restrictive interpretation of subsidiarity will jeopardize the powers assigned to the European institutions in the Treaties and the implementation of common policies, particularly in the social and environmental spheres;

Considers it an established fact that the European Parliament, as co-legislator, will be totally involved in the work (which the European Council invited the Commission and the Council to initiate) on the measures to be taken as regards procedure and practice in order to implement the principle of subsidiarity and to monitor its application by all the institutions concerned;

Regrets that the Council was unable to accept the budgetary implications of the Treaty of Maastricht, particularly as regards the financing of the funds, and notes the contradiction between the Council's determination to maintain the existing ceiling on own resources and its many budgetary priorities, including commitments to non-member countries into which it has already entered;

Deeply deplores the fact that the Council did not have the political will to speed up the implementation of the Commission's social action programme, which remains blocked in the Council of Ministers, where social directives on such important subjects as working hours, the protection of pregnant women, European works councils and atypical employment contracts have not yet been adopted;

Regrets that in the crisis affecting the former Yugoslavia the Community was unable to devise a more methodical approach; nevertheless approves of the part of the European Council's statement concerning the implementation of the UN Security Council's resolutions;

Regrets the postponement of the decision on the seats of Community institutions and bodies and on changing the number of members of the European Parliament; records its astonishment that the European Council should, without even consulting the European Parliament, have discussed Parliament's place of work and working arrangements as part of a package deal involving several institutions and bodies of the European Community, and expresses as its opinion that the European Council:

-cannot take any decision in this matter without consulting the Parliament and respecting its views,

-has to recognize the right of an elected Parliament to determine its own working arrangements, including the place and the number of its plenary sessions;

Recognizes the expediency of the statement on the southern frontier of the Union and approves the priority assigned to measures to promote the strengthening of cooperation and dialogue, which should lead to partnership between the Union, its Member States and the Maghreb States;

Insists on the need for a consistent and effective foreign and security policy and means to achieve it; notes that the recent dramatic events in Europe show that intergovernmental solutions are not effective and that only a common European foreign policy will allow the Community to play a significant and credible role;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the countries which have applied for accession to the Community.