11. Takes the view that, in a rapidly changing and volatile geostrategic environment marked by emerging security challenges, the US rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific region, and the impact of the financial crisis, the EU needs, without duplicating existing activities within the NATO framework, to assume its responsibility as a global political player and a credible security provider, particularly in its neighbourhood and with real strategic autonomy, in order to promote international peace and security, to protect its interests in the world and to ensure the security of its citizens; underlines, in this connection, the need for the E ...[+++]U to be consistent in its policies and faster and more efficient in taking up the aforementioned responsibilities;

7. Points out that older women constitute an economic resource and a fund of experience and provide vital support to the community and to families as carers of dependent persons and also as advisers in work matters, bearing in mind their extensive professional experience, and, moreover, that they are helping to preserve the rural world;

7. Points out that older women constitute an economic resource and a fund of experience and provide vital support to the community and to families as carers of dependent persons and also as advisers in work matters, bearing in mind their extensive professional experience, and, moreover, that they are helping to preserve the rural world;

To develop the technologies and knowledge for building capabilities needed to ensure the security of citizens from threats such as terrorism, natural disasters, and crime, while respecting fundamental human rights including privacy; to ensure optimal and concerted use of available technologies to the benefit of civil European security, to stimulate the cooperation of providers and users for civil security solutions, improving the competitiveness of the European security industry and delivering mission-oriented research results to reduce security gaps.

RECALLS that Recommendation 2009/C 151/01 and Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare request that patients receive healthcare in accordance with safety and quality standards and guidelines and clarify the right to receive information, in a clear and transparent way, as regards safety and quality measures in place and complaints procedures and redress mechanisms.

This implies (a) effective coordination between national and European research activities, (b) systematic analysis of security-related capability needs, from civil security to defence, (c) full exploitation of synergies between defence, security and civil research, (d) specific legal conditions and funding instruments for security-related research at the European level, and (e) institutional arrangements that are both efficient and flexible enough to combine Member State and Community efforts and to involve other interested partners.