7. Emphasises the urgent need for new, modernised, smart and flexible energy infrastructure at all network levels, especially smart grids, to allow for more flexible back-up and balancing power capacity, including individual microgeneration and storage systems, new electricity uses (such as electric vehicles) and demand-response programmes; stresses the need to ensure greater cooperation on the part of transmission system operators and the determined, transparent, coordinated and timely involvement of all stakeholders in the extension and modernisation of the energy infrastructure; welcomes the strong emphasis placed on smart energy projects of common interest in the Connecting Europe Facility, while regretting that only two smart grid pr ...[+++]ojects were included in the current two-year list; stresses that smart grid projects at distribution system level must be taken into account; emphasises that infrastructure projects must fulfil sustainability and competitiveness criteria and be underpinned by an integrated approach, which shall be ensured by involving distribution system operators; also underlines the importance of developing North-South energy connections in the Mediterranean;

We noted that, in circumstances where there are delays, the managers at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, INAC, as it was previously known, used other approaches and informal approaches to advance negotiations between the first nations and the department.

38. Stresses the importance, for the democratisation of any society, of protecting the rights of girls and women, including the rights to equal treatment and education; firmly supports all initiatives, incentives and capacity-building measures included in EU external policies with a view to promoting participation by women in decision-making at all levels in both the public and the private sphere; highlights the fact that equal participation by women and men in all spheres of life is a crucial element of democracy and that women's participation in development constitutes a fundamental and universally accepted value and precondition for ...[+++] socioeconomic development and good democratic governance; therefore urges the EU institutions to make gender equality a priority on their agenda for democracy promotion; stresses the importance of supporting defenders of women's rights and female parliamentarians, inter alia by developing gender budgeting capacities; in particular, calls on the EU to support financially, and provide capacity-building to, women's rights organisations and female political candidates; supports mainstreaming and reinforcing gender equality issues in thematic priorities and through the use of participatory approaches in programme design and development, with an emphasis on combating gender stereotypes and all forms of discrimination and violence against women;

15. Considers that a new Black Sea policy approach cannot be limited to economic cooperation but should also aim at creating an area marked by sustainable democracy, good governance and the rule of law, and underlines, in particular, the importance of political and judicial reform and effective implementation of commitments; stresses that fostering respect for human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms is one of the main pillars of the EU's external policy, and emphasises the need to mainstream those values respectively both in ...[+++] bilateral relations and in the regional approach, irrespective of the degree of willingness shown by partner governments; calls upon the European Union to address the issues of regional cooperation in these fields within the human rights dialogues and consultations with the Black Sea countries, as well as within multilateral fora; encourages the Commission to make full use of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and of the Black Sea Synergy in order to promote regional cooperation among civil societies;