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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2004 2009 Session document FINAL A6-0065/2004 6.12.2004 REPORT on Bulgaria's progress towards accession (COM(2004)0657 – C6-0150/2004 – 2004/2183(INI)) Committee on Foreign Affairs Rapporteur: Geoffrey Van Orden RR\347309EN.doc PE 347.309v02-00 EN EN PR_INI_art45 CONTENTS Page MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION............................................ 3 OPINION OF THE COMMITTEE ON BUDGETS.................................................................. 6 PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................ 9 PE 347.309v02-00 2/10 RR\347309EN.doc EN MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION on Bulgaria's progress towards accession (COM(2004)0657– C6-0150/2004 – 2004/2183(INI)) The European Parliament, – having regard to the Commission's 2004 Regular Report on Bulgaria's progress towards accession and the Strategy Paper (COM(2004)0657 – C6-0150/2004)1, – having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the Copenhagen European Council of 12 and 13 December 2002, the Thessaloniki European Council of 19 and 20 June 2003 and the Brussels European Council of 12 and 13 December 2003, – having regard to its resolutions and reports since the beginning of the accession process, – having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure, – having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Budgets (A6-0065/2004), A. whereas Bulgaria is a part of the current inclusive and irreversible enlargement process, B. whereas the accession process must be based on the own merits principle and the timing of Bulgaria's accession should not be linked to that of any other candidate countryand Bulgaria should therefore accede to the EU on the basis of an individual accession treaty, C. whereas Bulgaria continues its steady progress on the path to accession to the European Union, having provisionally closed all 31 negotiating chapters, and is therefore well on course to accession in January 2007, 1. Welcomes the conclusion of the European Commission that Bulgaria continues to fulfil the Copenhagen political criteria, that its economic structures and performance have again significantly improved and that the level of alignment and implementation of commitments all place Bulgaria on track for accession within the envisaged timeframe; 2. Strongly supports the ongoing reform of Bulgaria's public administration and the amendments to the Civil Service law strengthening the merit principle; 3. Welcomes the channelling of significantly increased resources into judicial reform and calls for further increased efforts to counter organised crime and corruption as well as people trafficking; urges the Bulgarian authorities to take effective action to prevent abuse of powers by state authorities against persons entering or transiting Bulgaria; calls on Bulgaria further to initiate efforts in order to improve conditions during police custody by introducing adequate training for police officers; 4. Calls on Bulgaria to undertake further effective efforts to prevent trafficking in people, especially women and children including by setting up a reliable data base for abused and missing persons as well as a reliable system of witness protection; 1 Not yet published in OJ RR\347309EN.doc 3/10 PE 347.309v02-00 EN 5. Commends Bulgaria on its efforts to develop a framework to tackle the problems faced by minorities; calls on Bulgaria, assisted by greater targeted action by the European Commission, to take determined measures to expedite the integration of Roma into mainstream society particularly through educational and employment opportunities, improved living conditions and access to health care and family planning, all the time recognising the need for the Roma themselves to adapt and to take up responsibilities in all matters concerned; 6. Welcomes the progress made in child welfare but calls for clarification and strengthening of ministerial responsibility within a single, well-resourced agency, greater transparency in the international adoption system, and significant improvement in the situation of children in institutions and special schools; calls on Bulgaria to pay special attention to the situation of persons placed by public authorities in homes for adults with mental disorders; 7. Supports the Commission's conclusion that Bulgaria is a functioning market economy and commends Bulgaria on its continuous GDP growth, significant decrease in the rate of unemployment and record levels of foreign direct investment while noting that unemployment is still high, many people still fail to see improvement in their economic situation and emigration of highly qualified people as well as a low mobility of regional labour forces creates shortages in some key sectors; 8. Commends Bulgaria on developing the administrative capacity to implement the acquis and notes that it is on track for early completion of the required legislative transposition; 9. Points out that for the years 2000 - 2004 total financial pre-accession assistance to Bulgaria has amounted to around EUR 178 million annually from Phare, EUR 57,6 million from SAPARD and between EUR 93 and EUR 127 million from ISPA; supports the decision to provide additional Phare funding of EUR 550 million over the period 2000 - 2009 to facilitate the changing of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant; 10. Calls on the Commission to improve the management and targeting of Community funds in order to maximise their cost-effectiveness; 11. Assures Bulgaria that the European Parliament will continue to monitor Bulgaria's further progress in its accession preparations; 12. Calls on the Council and the Commission to reward the progress and achievements made by Bulgaria in its preparations by adhering to the principle of ‘own merits’ and concluding negotiations and signing the Accession Treaty as early as possible in 2005, preferably in the early Spring, thus enabling timely ratification and accession on 1 January 2007; 13. Calls on the Council and Commission, once the accession Treaty is concluded, to examine the possibilities to increase pre-accession financial assistance; 14. Expresses its grave concern over the plight of Bulgarian and Palestinian medical workers arrested in 1999 as suspects in a criminal case and the death sentences handed down against them on 6 May 2004; pending the appeal process, trusts that Libya, upon re- PE 347.309v02-00 4/10 RR\347309EN.doc EN examination of existing evidence, may wish to conclude that justice would be served by their release at the earliest opportunity; 15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission and to the Bulgarian Government and Parliament. RR\347309EN.doc 5/10 PE 347.309v02-00 EN 25.11.2004 OPINION OF THE COMMITTEE ON BUDGETS for the Committee on Foreign Affairs on Bulgaria's progress towards accession (COM(2004)0657 - C6-0150/2004 - 2004/2183(INI)) Draftswoman: Bárbara Dührkop Dührkop SUGGESTIONS The Committee on Budgets calls on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions in its motion for a resolution: Financial aspects 1. Points out that for the years 2000 - 2004 total financial pre-accession assistance to Bulgaria has amounted to around EUR 178 million annually from Phare, EUR 57,6 million from SAPARD and between EUR 93 and EUR 127 million from ISPA; supports the decision to provide additional Phare funding of EUR 200 million over the period 2000 - 2006 to facilitate the decommissioning of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant; 2. Underlines once more the importance of timely and effective implementation of the SAPARD programme and of projects funded under Phare and ISPA; 3. Has welcomed in principle the definition of a new framework in spring 2004 to finance the accession of Bulgaria; has noted with interest the Commission's approach to limit this financial package to a period of three years from Bulgaria's accession (2007 - 2009) in order to be able to adapt it to future policy reforms following fundamental changes in the coming financial perspectives; 4. Points out once again that financial assistance will depend on an agreement on a new financial perspective post2006 and an adjustment of the financial perspectives; 5. Considers it inconsistent with this approach if, despite these known limitations, the Commission still makes statements on the phasing-in of direct payments in agriculture for Bulgaria up to the year 2016; 6. Stresses that the current financial perspective will already expire in 2006 so that fundamental changes in the Union's financial framework might already come into effect at PE 347.309v02-00 6/10 RR\347309EN.doc EN the beginning of 2007. RR\347309EN.doc 7/10 PE 347.309v02-00 EN PROCEDURE Title Bulgaria's progress towards accession Procedure number COM(2004)0657 – C6-0150/2004 - 2004/2183(INI) Committee responsible AFET Enhanced cooperation Draftsperson Bárbara Dührkop Dührkop Date appointed 26.10.2004 Discussed in committee 24.11.2004 Date suggestions adopted 24.11.2004 Result of final vote for: 24 against: 1 abstentions: 1 Members present for the final vote Simon Busuttil, Gérard Deprez, Brigitte Douay, Den Dover, Hynek Fajmon, Markus Ferber, Salvador Garriga Polledo, Neena Gill, Louis Grech, Nathalie Griesbeck, Anne Elisabet Jensen, Alain Lamassoure, Janusz Lewandowski, Vladimír Maňka, Jan Mulder, Gérard Onesta, Antonis Samaras, Esko Seppänen, László Surján, Helga Trüpel, Kyösti Tapio Virrankoski,