Cooperation EC/Latin America and Asian countries: aid to uprooted people after 31/12/2000

The European Commission has announced that it can accept all of the 35 amendments proposed by the European Parliament following its first reading in plenary on 5 July 2001. The draft Regulation has been amended accordingly. The European Commission is of the opinion that the nature of the amendments, overall, enhance the text by making the definitions more precise, improving the overall readability of the text, underlining the importance of democratisation and human rights; make explicit the importance attached to helping vulnerable groups and clarifying the role of the Regulation in terms of relief and rehabilitation. The Commission can accept amendment 27 which fixes the financial framework for the duration of the Regulation. The Commission takes note of Parliament's wish for operations financed under this Regulation to receive financial resources beyond the amount already programmed. Lastly, the Commission accepts the December 2004 deadline for the expiry of the proposed Regulation.�