Your rapporteur believes that the review of the GSP scheme should seek to extend benefits to poorer countries which remain in the scheme, in order to increase the development potential.

21. Emphasises the need for optimal coordination between EU disaster responses and other EU instruments – such as CSDP civilian and/or military missions – which are already being deployed on the ground or which could be set up in the aftermath of a crisis; takes the view that in many cases a too rigid distinction between military and civilian crisis-management operations reflects rather outdated institutional patterns and that civil-military interaction can better respond to the realities on the ground; emphasises, therefore, the need for a systematic case-by-case evaluation of the needs in order to ensure the most appropriate response ...[+++]s since certain crises may require a combination of military and civilian instruments, based on a comprehensive understanding of the links between security and development;

21. Emphasises the need for optimal coordination between EU disaster responses and other EU instruments – such as CSDP civilian and/or military missions – which are already being deployed on the ground or which could be set up in the aftermath of a crisis; takes the view that in many cases a too rigid distinction between military and civilian crisis-management operations reflects rather outdated institutional patterns and that civil-military interaction can better respond to the realities on the ground; emphasises, therefore, the need for a systematic case-by-case evaluation of the needs in order to ensure the most appropriate response ...[+++]s since certain crises may require a combination of military and civilian instruments, based on a comprehensive understanding of the links between security and development;

– (PT) Mr President, Commissioner, it is good to hear Commissioner De Gucht guarantee that, in short, the Commission will send Parliament the legislative initiative aimed at revising the scheme of generalised preferences so that the legislative process can be given enough time to prevent the expiry of the present scheme of generalised preferences, which is due to finish at the end of next year.

The Commission must proceed by considering two main options: a focused review (5.1), or a more comprehensive set of changes (5.2), on the matters highlighted by the social partners in their replies.

However, many of us were looking forward to receiving some indicators, and I actually miss them a little in this Laeken Declaration. There has not been the slightest hint of reaching political agreement between Heads of State and Government about the direction which we need to take with Europe.