17. Calls on the Commission to submit as a matter of urgency legislative proposals with the aim of creating a genuine convergence process within the EU Semester, based on Europe 2020 objectives and including incentives supporting Member States in the implementation of structural reforms, such as a Competitiveness and Convergence Instrument (CCI), as well as provisions on ex-ante economic policy coordination based on the Community method as a first step towards a European fiscal capacity;

7 || Raw materials || Further develop the “raw materials diplomacy” and promote international regulatory cooperation and convergence, notably vis-à-vis neighbouring countries, in order to accompany the creation of markets for new products and technologies.

7. When operations financed by the EFF fall under Articles 24 or 27, where these form part of a fishing effort adjustment plan referred to in Article 21(a)(i), or fall under Articles 26(3) or (4), the ceiling for the EFF contribution for priority axis 1 shall be increased by up to 10 percentage points in the regions eligible under the Convergence objective and by up to 15 percentage points for the regions not eligible under the Convergence objective.

It is in these very first few months of the year that the Ecofin Council analyses the Member States’ stability and convergence plans for the current year, that is, for 2002, and that review has taken place in the meetings of January and February; the Commission’s recommendations on each of the convergence and stability plans have been unanimously approved at those meetings.

– (DE) Mr President, the Group of the Party of European Socialists endorses the rapporteur’s proposals because it is quite clear from the first published report on the stability and convergence programmes that these programmes, along with the review, are not a mere exercise, rather, for the very first time within the European Union, and especially within the euro zone, it is understood that economic developments, the financial perspectives, and also commitment in terms of budgetary policy, are not just the affair of an individual Member State, but of all Member States.

The life expectancy of the provisions currently proposed or in preparation must be long enough to permit an initial pattern of convergence and to found a certain number of conclusions, possibly proceeding from an initial series of Community court decisions.