Traduction de «Union européenne à quinze » (Français → Anglais) :

Whereas around 73 million people, some 19% of the EU15 population, live in regions where average GDP per head in the years 1999 to 2001 was below 75% of the EU average, according to the latest estimates, almost as many, some 69 million of the 74.5 million who will become EU citizens in 2004 (92% of the total), live in regions with GDP per head below 75% of the EU25 average in the new Member States.

27. Considers that employment-targeting should be a mainstream concern of all EU policies and a fundamental objective of economic and monetary policy; stresses that work represents not only a source of income, but a fundamental aspect of social inclusion in all areas of society, as well an element of personal development; notes that in 2005 the employment rate in the EU-15 was 65.2% and in the EU 63.8%, far from the Lisbon Strategy objective of 70% in 2010; asks for an EU commitment to achieving this target and asks for the next Spring Council to increase the 70% target for the employment rate by 5 percentage points; stresses that em ...[+++]ployment increases do not necessarily lead to unemployment reduction, therefore considers that unemployment-targeting should also be an EU priority and asks for an EU commitment to reduce the EU average unemployment rate by 4 percentage points by 2010; .

5. Takes at all events the view that, with the expected change in the European structural funds for the EU of 15 after 2006, a reassessment will have to be made in good time of the relationship between European regional policy and national regional aid;

23. Considers that the independence of the Court of Auditors or its equivalent in each candidate country must be safeguarded and that, prior to accession, it must be granted and guaranteed the means of enforcing its findings; encourages the continuation and furthering of the contacts between the institutions responsible for financial control in the candidate countries and those in the Member States; encourages the development of the twinning programmes in the framework of technical assistance, in accordance with the needs expressed by the candidate countries, and the continuation of the seminars organised by the Commission; expects the candidate countries on accession to do their utmost to achieve the same level of protection of the EU's ...[+++] financial interests as that provided by the 15 current Member States; expects the candidate countries to become fully involved as of now in combating fraud affecting the financial interests of the European Union and to ensure that the introduction, as soon as possible, of systems aimed at combating fraud appears in their national programmes for the adoption of the acquis communautaire (PNAA, revised annually); considers that those candidate countries which have not yet done so should sign and ratify as soon as possible the international conventions and protocols on protection under criminal law; expects the candidate countries to carry out, before their accession, the reforms necessary for the smooth operation of the system of collecting own resources and adopt the harmonised calculation of GNP;

90. Reaffirms its desire to see further countries admitted to the European Union; points in this connection to the positive experiences of previous accessions; is, however, of the opinion that, in the agricultural and fisheries sectors, further efforts must be made both by the current EU, as regards its ability to absorb new Member States, and by the candidate countries, as regards their readiness for accession;

93. Calls on the Commission to take account during its negotiations of the macroeconomic equilibrium within the current EU and within the candidate countries and also of the financial and structural guidelines contained in the decisions of the 1999 Berlin European Council; considers that assistance to farmers in the candidate countries should be restricted to measures aimed at structural reform of the agricultural sector; stresses also the need to ensure that, following accession, farmers are entitled to income support in the form of direct payments designed to compensate for price falls only where they actually suffer a loss of income ...[+++] and where immediate structural change is not possible, but not in cases where prices on domestic markets are rising because of continuing inflation and internal demand for agricultural produce;