AP. whereas Safe Harbour Principles may be limited 'to the extent necessary to meet national security, public interest, or law enforcement requirements'; whereas, as an exception to a fundamental right, such an exception must always be interpreted restrictively and be limited to what is necessary and proportionate in a democratic society, and the law must clearly establish the conditions and safeguards to make this limitation legitimate; whereas the scope of application of such exception should have been clarified by the US and the EU, notably by the Commission, to avoid any interpretation or implementation that nullifies in substance ...[+++]the fundamental right to privacy and data protection, among others; whereas, consequently, such an exception should not be used in a way that undermines or nullifies the protection afforded by Charter of Fundamental Rights, the ECHR, the EU data protection law and the Safe Harbour principles; insists that if the national security exception is invoked, it must be specified under which national law;

AO. whereas Safe Harbour Principles may be limited 'to the extent necessary to meet national security, public interest, or law enforcement requirements'; whereas, as an exception to a fundamental right, such an exception must always be interpreted restrictively and be limited to what is necessary and proportionate in a democratic society, and the law must clearly establish the conditions and safeguards to make this limitation legitimate; whereas the scope of application of such exception should have been clarified by the US and the EU, notably by the Commission, to avoid any interpretation or implementation that nullifies in substance ...[+++]the fundamental right to privacy and data protection, among others; whereas, consequently, such an exception should not be used in a way that undermines or nullifies the protection afforded by Charter of Fundamental Rights, the ECHR, the EU data protection law and the Safe Harbour principles; insists that if the national security exception is invoked, it must be specified under which national law;

– having regard to the large number of petitions from EU citizens requesting the establishment of an EU legal framework for the protection of pets and stray animals (1613/10, 1274/2011, 1321/2011, 1377/2011, 1412/2011 and others),

– having regard to the Commission Communication of 19 January 2012 on an EU Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012–2015 (COM(2012)0006),

The aim of this Communication is to take stock of the European Union's contribution to effective consular protection in third countries as announced in the Commission's Action Plan 2007-2009[2] and to present the way forward based on the experience gained and the renewed institutional framework.

is innovative in nature by also giving legal protection to the peoples of the European Union in respect of new threats to fundamental rights, for example from the fields of information technology and biotechnologies, and confirms, as an integral part of fundamental rights, and especially women's rights, the general non-discrimination clause and environmental protection;