Thirty-Fifth Review of the Council's Work : 1 January — 31 December 1987
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General Secretariat of the Council of the European Communities THIRTY-FIFTH REVIEW OF THE COUNCIL'S WORK 1 JANUARY — 31 DECEMBER 1987 General Secretariat of the Council of the European Communities THIRTY-FIFTH REVIEW OF THE COUNCIL'S WORK 1 JANUARY — 31 DECEMBER 1987 This publication is also available in: ES ISBN 92-824-0596-6 DA ISBN 92-824-0597-4 DE ISBN 92-824-0598-2 GR ISBN 92-824-0599-0 FR ISBN 92-824-0601-6 IT ISBN 92-824-0602-4 NL ISBN 92-824-0603-2 FT ISBN 92-824-0604-0 Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1989 ISBN 92-824-0600-8 Catalogue number: BX-53-88-172-EN-C © ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels · Luxembourg, 1988 Printed in the FR of Germany Contents Introduction 5 CHAPTER I — Work of the institutions 11 A — Council 11 Β — Institutional affairs 13 C — Parliamentary affairs 17 D — Court of Justice 29 E — Economic and Social Committee 29 F — Conventions 30 CHAPTER II — Internal market 31 A — Free movement of goods and approximation of legislation — Customs union — Industrial policy — Iron and steel industry ... 31 Β — Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 41 C — Intellectual property 44 CHAPTER III — Economic and social policy 47 A — Economic, financial and tax questions and export credits 47 Β — Social policy 52 C — Regional policy 58 D — Development of a Community energy policy 61 E — Transport 68 F — Research 76 G — Environment 79 H — Health 85 I — Other matters 89 CHAPTER IV — External relations and relations with the Associated States 95 A — Commercial policy 95 Β ■ Relations with the industrialized countries 99 C — Relations with the Statetrading countries 105 D — Development cooperation 107 E — Relations with the ACP States and the overseas countries and territories 114 F — Mediterranean — EuroArab Dialogue — Gulf States 118 G — Latin America — Asia 131 H — NorthSouth Dialogue 133 CHAPTER V — Common fisheries policy 141 A — Community system of resources management 141 Β — Common organization of the markets in fishery products 148 C — Research policy 151 D — Relations between the Community and certain nonmember coun tries with regard to fisheries 151 E — Countries of Africa and North Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean 154 F — International organizations 156 CHAPTER VI — Common agricultural policy 157 A — Overall form of the common agricultural policy 157 Β — Management of the common agricultural policy 164 C — Coordination of the position of the Member States with regard to international matters 171 D — Harmonization of laws 172 E — Policy on agricultural structures 175 CHAPTER VII — Budgetary and administrative matters 181 A — Budgetary matters 181 Β — Other budgetary matters 189 C — Staff Regulations 190 Tables ... : 195 List of abbreviations 199 Index 203 Introduction The entry into effect of the Single European Act on 1 July 198 7 had such an impact on the Community that it overshadowed all the other events of the year. It demonstrates that, far from marking time, European integration b well under way. The Single European Act is in itself a pointer: internally it shows Europeans that their Community is a living organization and to the outside world it demonstrates the European Community's dynamism and international standing. The Council has attached great importance to the implementation of the Single Act, since it is keen to put into practice the ideas behind it: to strengthen economic and social cohesion, to complete the internal market by the end of 1992, to stabilize agricultural expenditure, and to introduce new Community policies on the environ• ment and research. The Commission's proposals in these variousfields and those pro• viding for new resources (Delors package) were discussed in depth: at its meeting in June 198 7, the European Council laid down a number of specific guidelines. It also laid down a procedurefor the rapid adoption of all the decisions necessary to achieve the objectives set by the Single European Act for the creation of a common economic area. On this basis, the Commission put before the Council key proposals on financial and agricultural questions and on the subject of economic and social cohesion. The Council was particularly assiduous in dealing with these proposals, particularly at the Copenhagen European Council in December 1987. Work on completing the single market, which is another vital element in the Single Act, continued under the new procedure introduced by the Single Act, involving mainly cooperation with the European Parliament. The Council signed or accepted various international customs conventions, in• cluding the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System. It also completed its work on the majority of the proposals for eliminating technical barriers to trade, particularly for motor vehicles and phar• maceutical products. The introduction of a new nomenclature for the Common Customs Tariff and that of a new Community document for customs and statistical purposes were further important steps towards the single market. Several measures to encourage the development of new telecommunications technologies were also adopted. The Council kept a close watch on the process of restructuring in the steel industry and decided to accept the extension of the quota system and to re-examine the post-1988 funding of welfare arrangements for workers in this sector. Work continued on establishing freedom to provide services in the mortgage sector and on other measures under discussion concerning financial institutions, the liberal professions, insurance, company law, and broadcasting. Agreement was reached on technical reforms to strengthen the European Monetary System, in particular the extension of official use of the ecu. Measures were im• plemented to increase the transparency of export credits, and at the same time the Council continued its examination of the Commission's proposals on the elimination of tax frontiers. Discussions on the completion of the 1987 budgetary procedure continued on the basisofa Commission letter of amendment to the 1987 draft budget, following which the Council and Parliament were able to come to an agreement in February 1987. Owing to the loss of revenue caused by the sharp fall in the dollar and to increased expenditure by the EAGGF Guarantee Section, the appropriations entered in the 1987 budget proved inadequate. A supplementary and amending budget drew, among other measures, on the VAT resources stillavailable in 1987up to the maximum of1.4%. As for the deliberations on the 1988 draft budget, they had not been concluded by the end of 1987. The year saw steady economic growth: private consumption rose by an average of 3.1%, while inflation fell by the same amount, employment rose by 0.8%, and unemployment fell very slightly. It is against this background that the Council asked the Commission to pu t forward an action programme to assist the long-term unemployed, comparing and improving the national programmes in this field, with emphasis on the need for continuing education for adults. It abo decided to implement a programme intended mainly to back Member States'efforts to provide vocationaltraining forallyoung people in addition to com• pulsory schooling. The Council also expressed its concern at the difficulties ex• perienced by women in the employment market and stressed the need to improve and adapt policies for the vocational training of women and for promoting equal oppor• tunity. The problems involved in establishing new industries in regions affected by structural difficulties, such as the decline in the shipbuilding or steel industries, were examined in the context of new action programmes. Research and technological development became a Community concern with theen- try into force of the Single European Act on I July 1987. The Council accordingly adopted an initial multi-annual framework programme for 1987 to 1991, laying down the scientific and technical objectives, the priorities and certain financial provisions in this field. Several specific programmes had already been adopted under this framework programme by the end of the year. With a view to the creation of a people's Europe, the Erasmus programme to promote mobility among students in the Community and cooperation between universities in all the Member States became operational from the beginning of July 1987. One of the aims behind this programme is to produce qualified people with direct ex• perience of living in other countries. Although the energy situation is at present favourable, the Council is keeping a close watch on developments in national policies and on possible trends in the energy market. This is why it is seeking to increase energy efficiency and is examining both the situation in the building sector and the use of electricity. The Council considers that natural gas, which is ecologically clean and guarantees security of supply, should be distributed via a more integrated European network. The Council also intends to promote both information on new and renewable energy sources and their more widespread use. The Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 remained among the Council's main con• cerns. The relevant measures for consumer health protection were reviewed and their period of application extended. Furthermore, as regards radiation emergencies, the Community is to participate in a rapid information system under an international convention. The Council also adopted a system for laying down without delay the maximum permitted levels of radioactivity in foodstuffs and feedingstuffs. In addi• tion, it wishes to bring about an international agreement on this subject. During the year the Council continued its efforts — backed by the adoption of the Single Act —for environmental and consumer protection by increasing its financial contributions to various Community projects and by endeavouring to reduce pollu• tion by motor vehicles and by various toxic substances. It also took steps to ban substances harmful to health or safety and, in international negotiations decided to help to reduce emissions of certain chlorqfluorocarbons to protect the ozone layer in the stratosphere.