The successive disasters and near-disasters show that much time is often wasted because it was not clear who was responsible for what or because those competent to take a decision had to call on the expertise of a team which often had to be set up on an ad hoc basis.

I therefore support the Commission’s approach, which aims to improve the procedures at first instance – ‘front-loading’ – because high quality decisions at first instance will be particularly beneficial for victims of persecution insofar as they will enable the competent authorities to deliver robust decisions, improve the defendability of negative decisions, and thus reduce the risk of them being overturned by appeal bodies, better identify cases of unfounded or abusive applications, and reduce reception and proc ...[+++]edural costs in the Member States, while supporting their efforts to expel asylum seekers whose applications have genuinely been rejected.

I therefore support the Commission’s approach, which aims to improve the procedures at first instance – ‘front-loading’ – because high quality decisions at first instance will be particularly beneficial for victims of persecution insofar as they will enable the competent authorities to deliver robust decisions, improve the defendability of negative decisions, and thus reduce the risk of them being overturned by appeal bodies, better identify cases of unfounded or abusive applications, and reduce reception and proc ...[+++]edural costs in the Member States, while supporting their efforts to expel asylum seekers whose applications have genuinely been rejected.

2. To be eligible to apply for membership of the Conference, a Regional Economic Integration Organisation must be one constituted solely by sovereign States to which its Member States have transferred competence over a range of matters within the purview of the Conference, including the authority to make decisions binding on its Member States in respect of those matters.

That said, we condemn the hypocrisy of decision-makers within the European Parliament, other European Union institutions and national bodies who broadcast their concern for human rights, non-discrimination and equality loud and clear, but who ultimately refuse to take action or adopt binding measures forcing companies to employ people with disabilities, for example, or to adapt modes of transport for access by people with disabilities simply because they see profit-making as more important than meeting basic human needs, even though society does have the necessary resources to address these needs.

Under the same conditions, the Commission shall keep Parliament systematically informed about, and facilitate access as observers for Members of the European Parliament forming part of Union delegations to, meetings of bodies set up by multilateral international agreements involving the Union, whenever such bodies are called upon to take decisions which require the consent of Parliament or the implementation of which may require the adoption of legal acts in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.