Those Terms of Reference respect the specificities of the EUMS and the particularities of its functions, in accordance with point (a) of Article 4(3) of Council Decision 2010/427/EU establishing the organisation and functioning of the EEAS, as adapted to the new command and control arrangements approved by the Council, and replace the Terms of Reference of the EUMS annexed to Council Decision 2001/80/CFSP on the establishment of the military staff of the European Union, which ar ...[+++]e no longer applicable.

2. Acknowledges the recent steps by the EU to increment transparency in its trade agreements; urges the Commission to continue to increase transparency and democratic accountability in the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiation process; recognises the EU institutions' ongoing engagement with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the process; encourages the Commission to continue, and possibly enhance, this proactive approach to transparency in the EU's trade policies; stresses the need to take into account concerns expressed by trade unions and civil society organisations ...[+++], including the CSOs of developing countries; urges the Commission to increase the accessibility of all public consolidated negotiation documents, as these are the only democratic means by which concerned civil society organisations and citizens can be informed about and become involved in the process; encourages the Commission to commission an independent study on TiSA’s impact on developing countries as regards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in third countries and to give careful consideration to its outcomes;

28. Points out that borders are not an obstacle to organised crime; considers it necessary, therefore, for the external dimension of organised crime to be integrated into the framework of Europe's effort to combat the phenomenon; notes that it is important, to that end, to involve more deeply the European External Action Service and the Joint Situation Centre (SitCen); calls on the Commission to continue to hone the effectiveness of and regularly update agreements on judicial and investigative cooperation with non-EU countries aimed at combating cross-border organised crime; calls, furthermore, for due account to be taken when drafting such agreements of the specific threats that organised crime in the individual countries poses to the ...[+++]EU's internal and external security; calls on Europol to produce more frequent and more detailed analyses of non-European criminal organisations whose activities have a direct or indirect impact on the European Union; considers it essential to continue and step up the efforts being made by the EU and the international institutions in the Balkans, particularly in connection with action to combat organised crime; calls on the Commission, in collaboration with Europol, to develop a joint project with Interpol to support the establishment and implementation of a regional system for the exchange of police and judicial information with West Africa, while making available to the Economic Community of West African States the necessary know-how and resources, not least in the field of training and follow-up;

28. Points out that borders are not an obstacle to organised crime; considers it necessary, therefore, for the external dimension of organised crime to be integrated into the framework of Europe's effort to combat the phenomenon; notes that it is important, to that end, to involve more deeply the European External Action Service and the Joint Situation Centre (SitCen); calls on the Commission to continue to hone the effectiveness of and regularly update agreements on judicial and investigative cooperation with non-EU countries aimed at combating cross-border organised crime; calls, furthermore, for due account to be taken when drafting such agreements of the specific threats that organised crime in the individual countries poses to the ...[+++]EU's internal and external security; calls on Europol to produce more frequent and more detailed analyses of non-European criminal organisations whose activities have a direct or indirect impact on the European Union; considers it essential to continue and step up the efforts being made by the EU and the international institutions in the Balkans, particularly in connection with action to combat organised crime; calls on the Commission, in collaboration with Europol, to develop a joint project with Interpol to support the establishment and implementation of a regional system for the exchange of police and judicial information with West Africa, while making available to the Economic Community of West African States the necessary know-how and resources, not least in the field of training and follow-up;

29. Points out that borders are not an obstacle to organised crime; considers it necessary, therefore, for the external dimension of organised crime to be integrated into the framework of Europe’s effort to combat the phenomenon; notes that it is important, to that end, to involve more deeply the European External Action Service and the Joint Situation Centre (SitCen); calls on the Commission to continue to hone the effectiveness of and regularly update agreements on judicial and investigative cooperation with non-EU countries aimed at combating cross-border organised crime; calls, furthermore, for due account to be taken when drafting such agreements of the specific threats that organised crime in the individual countries poses to the ...[+++]EU’s internal and external security; calls on Europol to produce more frequent and more detailed analyses of non-European criminal organisations whose activities have a direct or indirect impact on the European Union; considers it essential to continue and step up the efforts being made by the EU and the international institutions in the Balkans, particularly in connection with action to combat organised crime; calls on the Commission, in collaboration with Europol, to develop a joint project with Interpol to support the establishment and implementation of a regional system for the exchange of police and judicial information with West Africa, while making available to the Economic Community of West African States the necessary know-how and resources, not least in the field of training and follow-up;

We attended the NATO assembly a few days ago, where the president of the North Atlantic assembly stated that the Western European Union was merging into the European Union, that the EU had a parliament, that NATO had a parliament and that the WEU assembly therefore had no further raison d’être.