153. Draws attention to the continued absence of proper information management systems and a system of supervision of the work of the Delegations regarding the evaluation of financial risks, a situation recognised by DG Relex itself in its Annual Activity Report of 2003 and attributed to a shortage of human resources; points out that, while the Commission's candour and its proposals to remedy the situation are to be welcomed, these must be implemented sooner rather than later, and calls on the Commission to issue an interim report on its progress before July 2005;

149. Draws attention to the continued absence of proper information management systems and a system of supervision of the work of the Delegations regarding the evaluation of financial risks, a situation recognised by DG Relex itself in its Annual Activity Report of 2003 and attributed to a shortage of human resources; points out that, while the Commission's candour and its proposals to remedy the situation are to be welcomed, these must be implemented sooner rather than later, and calls on the Commission to issue an interim report on its progress before July 2005;

96c (new) Draws attention to the continued absence of proper information management systems and a system of supervision of the work of the Delegations regarding the evaluation of financial risks, a situation recognised by DG Relex itself in its Annual Activity Report of 2003 and attributed to a shortage of human resources; points out that, while the Commission's candour and its proposals to remedy the situation are to be welcomed, these must be implemented sooner rather than later, and calls on the Commission to issue an interim report on its progress before July 2005;

98. Urges the Commission to withhold export refunds for sugar exports to countries enjoying duty-free access to the European market as soon as possible, considering the present investigations relating to circuitous export schemes and bearing in mind past experiences with export refunds for butter;

R. whereas the LDCs must be given unrestricted duty-free access for all their products to industrialised countries" markets, including the EU, as soon as possible, and whereas the Commission's "Everything but arms" initiative is only a first step and needs to be accompanied by further supporting measures, in particular to expand administrative and logistic capabilities, and must also be brought into line with the Cotonou agreements and the related trade protocols, maintaining guaranteed prices for the main sensitive products for the family-type small farming economy in both northern and southern countries,

Whereas it is necessary to ensure uniform application of the provisions of this Regulation, and hence to establish a Community procedure for the timely adoption of implementing measures; whereas a Committee making it possible to organize close and effective cooperation between the Member States and the Commission in this field should therefore be set up to replace the Committee on Duty-Free Arrangements set up by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1798/75 of 10 July 1975 on the importation free of Common Customs Tariff duties of educational, scientific and cultural materials [3],