2013/2740(RSP) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

- having regard to its resolution of 24 April 2008 on ‘Towards a reform of the World Trade Organization’ (2007/2184(INI)),

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Emphasises the systemic importance of achieving an ambitious and balanced outcome at the Ninth Ministerial Conference that would be acceptable to all WTO Members and which would help set the stage for further multilateral negotiations;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Recalls its firm conviction that development should be at the heart of the process and promotes~~Calls for a trade agenda based on free and fair trade for the benefit of all; stresses the importance of taking full account of the special needs and interests of ~~developing countries and~~ LDCs in the negotiations; reiterates the imperative of ensuring that the principle of special and differential treatment (S&DT) constitutes an integral part of all layers of the negotiations, reflecting the varying economic development levels of WTO members as set out in paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration; ~~considers that meaningful S&DT provisions should be made more precise, subject to periodic reviews and targeted;~~

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Recalls its firm conviction that development shwould be ~~at the heart of the process and~~ promotesd by a trade agenda based on free and fair trade ~~for the benefit of all~~; stresses the importance of taking full account of the ~~special~~ needs and interests of ~~developing countries and~~ LDCs in the negotiations; reiterates the imperative of ensuring that the principle of special and differential treatment (S&DT) constitutes an integral part of all layers of the negotiations, reflecting the varying economic development levels of WTO members as set out in paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration; ~~considers that meaningful S&DT provisions should be made more precise, subject to periodic reviews and targeted;~~

Amendment 13 #

Paragraph 2

2. Recalls its firm conviction that development and poverty alleviation should be at the heart of the process and promotes a trade agenda based on ~~free~~open and fair trade for the benefit of all; stresses the importance of taking full account of the special needs and interests of developing countries and LDCs in the negotiations; reiterates the imperative of ensuring that the principle of special and differential treatment (S&DT) constitutes an integral part of all layers of the negotiations, reflecting the varying economic development levels of WTO members as set out in paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration; considers that meaningful S&DT provisions should be made more precise, subject to periodic reviews and targeted;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Believes that, in order to address effectively the prevailing imbalances in the world trading system, developing countries, and specifically LDCs, should be fully involved in the ongoing trade negotiations in the run up to the Bali Conference so as to secure consensus and ownership of any final results; against this background, expresses its concern that the interests of LDCs are currently marginalised; urges the EU to contribute to finding a satisfactory solution on their four areas of concerns, namely: a) the implementation of the duty-free and quota-free market access Decision (DFQF Decision) taken by Members at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005; b) preferential rules of origin; c) cotton; and d) operationalization of the LDC Services waiver.

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that trade liberalisation ~~is a necessary but not in itself sufficie~~can be an important tool to ensure sustainable economic ~~growth and~~ development, ~~as it needs to be~~if it is phased-in intelligently and accompanied by appropriate flanking policies encompassing macro- and micro economic interventions, education and training, institutional reforms and social policies so as to maximise and distribute better the benefits of trade reforms and effectively counterbalance any negative effects;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that trade liberalisation is a necessary but not in itself sufficient tool to ensure sustainable economic growth and development, as it needs to be accompanied by appropriate flanking policies encompassing macro- and micro economic interventions, including budget transparency, fiscal policies and tax equity, administrative simplification, education and training, institutional reforms and social policies so as to maximise and distribute better the benefits of trade reforms and effectively counterbalance any negative effects;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that trade liberalisation is a necessary ~~but not in itself sufficient~~ tool to ensure sustainable economic growth and development, as it needs to be accompanied by appropriate flanking policies encompassing macro- and micro economic interventions, education and training, institutional reforms and social policies so as to maximise and distribute better the benefits of trade reforms and effectively counterbalance any negative effects;

Amendment 18 #

Paragraph 3

3. Believes that trade ~~liberalisation~~ is a necessary but not in itself sufficient tool to ensure sustainable economic growth and development, as it needs to be accompanied by appropriate flanking policies encompassing macro- and micro economic interventions, education and training, institutional reforms and social policies so as to maximise and distribute better the benefits of trade reforms and effectively counterbalance any negative effects; and to ensure that the wealthy do not profit from trade expansion to the detriment of the poor;

Amendment 19 #

Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that WTO Members have recognised that as many countries do not have the human, institutional and infrastructural capacity to participate effectively in international trade, especially the LDCs who must be the chief beneficiary of this round, the multilateral system needs to be accompanied by improvements in trade capacity which is an essential complement to the Doha Development Agenda;

Amendment 2 #

Recital A

A. whereas the Doha Round was launched in 2001 with the objectives of creating new trading opportunities, strengthening multilateral trade rules, and addressing current imbalances in the trading system by placing the needs and interests of developing countries and especially of the least developed countries (LDCs) at the heart of the negotiations; these objectives stem from the conviction that a multilateral system based on more just and equitable rules, ~~can~~must contribute to fair and ~~free~~open trade at the service of the economic development of all continents and the alleviation of poverty;

Amendment 20 #

Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that WTO Members have recognised that ~~as many~~there are still some countries that do not have the human, institutional and infrastructural capacity to participate effectively in international trade, the multilateral system needs to be accompanied by improvements in trade capacity which is an essential complement to the Doha Development Agenda;

Amendment 21 #

Tokia SAÏFI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that WTO Members have recognised that as many countries do not have the human, institutional and infrastructural capacity to participate effectively in international trade, the multilateral system needs to be accompanied by improvements in trade capacity which is an essential complement to the Doha Development Agenda; considers, however, that help with accession to the WTO for countries which are not yet members remains the priority;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises in this context the ~~important role played by~~success and importance of the Aid for Trade Initiative ~~and~~; regrets nevertheless that for the first time since its launch in 2005 the amount of the commitments were reduced in 2011 due to the financial crisis, which resulted in less support to large projects in economic infrastructure with commitments in the transport and energy sector falling;

Amendment 23 #

Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises in this context the ~~important role played by~~role that the Aid for Trade Initiative has played and regrets that for the first time since its launch in 2005 the amount of the commitments were reduced in 2011 due to the financial crisis, which resulted in less support to large projects in economic infrastructure with commitments in the transport and energy sector falling;

Amendment 24 #

Paragraph 5

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises in this context the important role played by the Aid for Trade Initiative and ~~regret~~notes that for the first time since its launch in 2005 the amount of the commitments were reduced in 2011 ~~due to the financial crisis, which resulted in less support to large projects in economic infrastructure with commitments in the transport and energy sector falling~~;

Amendment 26 #

Tokia SAÏFI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises in this context the important role played by the Aid for Trade Initiative and regrets that for the first time since its launch in 2005 the amount of the commitments were reduced in 2011 due to the financial crisis, which resulted in less support to large projects in economic infrastructure with commitments in the transport and energy sector falling; points out that technical assistance to trade and multilateral initiatives such as the WTO’s generalised tariff preference systems can compensate for this reduction in commitments; calls on the members of the WTO, and especially the developed and major emerging countries, to make greater use of these;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Insists on the need to renew the WTO system, taking into account the requirements of SMEs in international trade and the need for simplified rules, in terms of both trade facilitation and international arbitration court systems, in order to avoid the difficulties involved in disputes with customs or trade authorities in some WTO member countries;

Amendment 28 #

Paragraph 6

6. Draws attention to the Fourth Aid for Trade Review Conference held in July 2013 in Geneva wh~~ere the participants identified~~ich showed the benefits which developing countries draw from global value chains and regrets that there are still trade-related constraints that prevent developing country firms from linking to or moving up value chains, namely inter alia inadequate infrastructure, high transportation and shipping costs, inadequate access to trade finance, inability to attract foreign direct investment, lack of comparative advantage and high market entry costs;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Draws attention to the Fourth Aid for Trade Review Conference held in July 2013 in Geneva wh~~ere the~~ich showed the benefits of Global Value Chains for developing countries; notes that participants identified trade-related constraints that prevent developing country firms from linking to or moving up value chains, namely inter alia inadequate infrastructure, high transportation and shipping costs, inadequate access to trade finance, inability to attract foreign direct investment, lack of comparative advantage and high market entry costs;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the EU has consistently advocated for a strong multilateral rules- based approach to trade, whilst recognising that complementary approaches such as bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements may also foster trade opening, especially by unlocking liberalisation and upgrading rules and disciplines in policy areas tackled less thoroughly in the WTO, and support the multilateral system, provided such agreements are WTO compliant;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Draws attention to the Fourth Aid for Trade Review Conference held in July 2013 in Geneva where the participants identified trade-related constraints that prevent developing country firms from linking to or moving up value chains, namely inter alia tariff escalation schemes in export markets, inadequate infrastructure, high transportation and shipping costs, inadequate access to trade finance, inability to attract foreign direct investment, lack of comparative advantage and high market entry costs;

Amendment 31 #

Tokia SAÏFI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recognises the importance of the agricultural sector to developing countries and notes the proposals made by the G33 group of countries on the issue of food security; believes that the EU should support measures which restore food stocks for developing countries in the wake of the harmful speculation and price volatility in recent years; recalls that in this regard the EU should ensure coherence between the various EU policies which come under its external action as enshrined notably in Articles 20~~7 and~~5 to 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union, namely development policy~~, the CAP~~ and the common commercial policy, taking account of the needs and concerns of both EU Member States and those of developing countries;

Amendment 32 #

Paragraph 7

7. Recognises the importance of the agricultural sector to developing countries and notes the proposals made by the G33 group of countries on the issue of food security; believes that the EU should support measures which restore food stocks for developing countries in the wake of the harmful speculation and price volatility in recent years; believes that the EU should support measures addressing food security which are not trade distorting; recalls that in this regard the EU should ensure coherence between the various EU policies as enshrined notably in Articles 207 and 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, namely development policy, the CAP and the common commercial policy, taking account of the needs and concerns of both EU Member States and those of developing countries;

Amendment 33 #

Ska KELLER, Eva JOLY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recognises the importance of the agricultural sector to developing countries and ~~not~~endorses the proposals made by the G33 group of countries on the issue of food security; in particular, takes the view that small-holder farmers should be entitled to use their production to create stocks for food security purposes, which requires the use of subsidies; believes that the EU should support measures which restore food stocks for developing countries in the wake of the harmful speculation and price volatility in recent years; recalls that in this regard the EU should ensure coherence between the various EU policies as enshrined notably in Articles 207 and 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, namely development policy, the CAP and the common commercial policy, taking account of the needs and concerns of both EU Member States and those of developing countries; recalls that European agricultural export subsidies hampers the agricultural development of poor countries by generating unfair competition with their local agriculture;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the developed countries and emerging economies to follow the EU Everything but Arms initiative, offering 100% duty-free, quota-free market access to the least developed countries (LDCs), and to ensure implementation of the LDC services waiver;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that an binding agreement on trade facilitation would bring significant benefits to all WTO members and ~~relevant economic operators~~particularly developing countries, by enhancing transparency and legal certainty and reducing the administrative costs and the length of customs procedures, which would in turn enable them to fully seize the opportunities provided by the growing prevalence of regional and global supply chains; points out that sufficient capacity building and technical assistance has to be made available to developing countries in order to enable them to increase their production capacities so that they can benefit from a bigger share of the value added in global value chains;

Amendment 36 #

Paragraph 8

8. Considers that an agreement on trade facilitation would bring significant benefits to all WTO members ~~and~~, above all to developing countries and also to relevant economic operators by enhancing transparency and legal certainty and reducing the administrative costs and the length of customs procedures, which would in turn enable them to fully seize the opportunities provided by the growing prevalence of regional and global supply chains; points out that ~~sufficient~~ capacity building and technical assistance ~~has~~should continue to be made available to developing countries in order to enable them to increase their production capacities so that they can benefit from a bigger share of the value added in global value chains;

Amendment 37 #

Paragraph 8

8. Considers that an agreement on trade facilitation would bring significant benefits to all WTO members and relevant economic operators by enhancing transparency and legal certainty and reducing the administrative costs and the length of customs procedures, which would in turn enable them to fully seize the opportunities provided by the growing prevalence of regional and global supply chains; points out that sufficient capacity building and technical assistance has to be made available to developing countries in order to enable them to increase their production capacities so that they can benefit from a bigger share of the value added in global value chains, while ensuring this growth does not come at the cost of environmental or social harm;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that an agreement on trade facilitation would bring significant benefits to all WTO members and relevant economic operators by enhancing transparency and legal certainty and reducing the administrative costs and the length of customs procedures, which would in turn enable them to fully seize the opportunities provided by the growing prevalence of regional and global supply chains and would enable SMEs to take full advantage of the opening of the markets; points out that sufficient capacity building and technical assistance has to be made available to developing countries in order to enable them to increase their production capacities so that they can benefit from a bigger share of the value added in global value chains;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Recalls that a recent EU- commissioned DDA impact study indicates that trade facilitation could be worth in economic terms as much as the gains from goods and services liberalisation together; recalls that improved customs procedures alone have the potential to add 68 billion a year in world GDP and that for many developing countries trade facilitation would be the main source of gains;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the EU has ~~consistently~~always advocated for a strong multilateral rules- based approach to trade, whilst ~~recognising that~~de facto since 2007 undermining this goal by embarking on complementary approaches such as bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements ~~may also foster trade opening, especially by unlocking liberalisation in policy areas tackled less thoroughly in the WTO, and~~which has deviated political attention away from the multilateral arena and has impacted on the support for the multilateral system, ~~provided such agreements are~~independently of whether complementary approaches are formally WTO compliant;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Considers that due priority should be given at WTO level to trade and investment barriers that affect the service sectors, including ICT and telecommunication, professional and business services, financial services, e- commerce, construction, retail and distribution; these non-tariff measures, including domestic regulations, ownership restrictions and various crisis measures (including discriminatory provisions in public procurement), are of particular importance given the higher value-added of services trade and the EU's position as the largest exporter of services;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the opening of negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), which is in keeping with the Eighth Ministerial Conference's objective of exploring new ways for the WTO membership to further liberalise trade in services; stresses the EU's commitment in promoting work in this area and in keeping open the possibility of ‘multilateralising’ the TiSA by taking over therein definitions, rules and principles which form the core of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); underlines the importance of ensuring that any agreement is ambitious, expanding the coverage and deepening the rules regarding liberalisation in trade in services, while preserving WTO Members' national policy objectives and their right to regulate services of general interest, and that the outcome is firmly anchored to the WTO architecture;

Amendment 42 #

Paragraph 9

9. ~~Welcom~~Notes the opening of negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)~~, which is in keeping with the Eighth Ministerial Conference's objective of exploring new ways for the WTO membership to further liberalise trade in services~~; stresses the EU's commitment in promoting work in this area and in ~~keeping open the possibility of~~working towards "multilateralising" the TiSA by taking over therein definitions, rules and principles which form the core of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)~~; underlines the importance of ensuring that any agreement is ambitious, expanding the coverage and deepening the rules regarding liberalisation in trade in services~~, and that the outcome is firmly anchored to the WTO architecture;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes therefore the opening of negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), which is in keeping with the Eighth Ministerial Conference's objective of exploring new ways for the WTO membership to further liberalise trade in services; stresses the EU's commitment in promoting work in this area and in keeping open the possibility of ‘multilateralising’ the TiSA by taking over therein definitions, rules and principles which form the core of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); underlines the importance of ensuring that any agreement is ambitious, expanding the coverage and deepening the rules regarding liberalisation in trade in services, and that the outcome is firmly anchored to the WTO architecture;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Welcomes the opening of~~Is highly concerned about negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)~~, which is in keeping with the Eighth Ministerial Conference's objective of exploring new ways for the WTO membership to further lib~~; recalls that a number of important developing countries oppose this initiative which is further undermining the effectiveness of the multilateral~~ise~~ trade ~~in services; stresses the EU's commitment in promoting work~~ regime; underlines the importance of ensuring th~~is area and in keeping open the possibility of ‘multilateralising’ the TiSA by taking over therein~~at any agreement is fully compatible with the definitions, rules and principles ~~which form the core~~ of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)~~; underlines the importance of ensuring that any agreement is ambitious, expanding the coverage and deepening the rules regarding liberalisation in trade in services, and that~~ and includes the application of the most-favoured-nation clause (MFN) as the ~~out~~comre ~~is firmly anchored to~~principle of the WTO architecture;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers that the transfer of technology can be a vector for economic ~~growth and foster trade; regrets therefore~~development; takes note of the decision to suspend the negotiations on the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement which would have included a set of principles on non-tariff barriers and increased both the product coverage and the countries within its scope; ~~strongly encourages all parties to the negotiations to try to overcome their differences~~recommends all participating parties to recognize existing sensitivities regarding the inclusion of products of secondary IT content, such as refrigerators, and to resume negotiations;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the revision of the WTO plurilateral government procurement agreement (GPA) as agreed in March 2012 and recognises the importance of aiming at an EU ratification of the revised GPA before the Ninth Ministerial Conference with a view to triggering the entry into force of the revised Agreement by 2014; believes that clearer and more stringent rules for award procedures will foster transparency in public procurement and, together with the extended coverage of goods and services and entities, will provide greater opportunities for its signatories; calls on WTO Members, in particular developing countries and current observers of the GPA, to consider joining the agreement, in order to take advantage of the new provisions for developing countries increasing flexibility and to reap its benefits;

Amendment 47 #

Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the revision of the WTO plurilateral government procurement agreement (GPA) as agreed in March 2012 and looks forward to its entry into force; believes that clearer and more stringent rules for award procedures will foster transparency in public procurement and, together with the extended coverage of goods and services and entities, will provide greater opportunities for its signatories; calls on WTO Members, in particular developing countries and current observers of the GPA, to consider joining the agreement, in order to take advantage of the new provisions for developing countries increasing flexibility and to reap its benefits;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the revision of the WTO plurilateral government procurement agreement (GPA) as agreed in March 2012; believes that clearer and more stringent rules for award procedures will foster transparency in public procurement and, together with the extended coverage of goods and services and entities, will provide greater opportunities for its signatories; calls on WTO Members, in particular developing countries and current observers of the GPA, to consider joining the agreement, in order to take advantage of the new provisions for developing countries increasing flexibility and to reap its benefits;

Amendment 49 #

Ska KELLER, Eva JOLY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Is pleased that there was a positive decision taken in June 2013 to extend the TRIPS exemption by another eight years until 1 July 2021 for LDCs ~~which is a further~~; deplores, however, the positioning of the EU against an unconditional waiver; is of the opinion that LDCs should be able to decide themselves about their readiness to apply TRIPS, as a way of ensuring that the world trading system doesn't adopt a one size fits all approach but rather takes account of the specificities of each developing countr~~ies~~y;

Amendment 5 #

Recital B

B. whereas the EU has consistently advocated for a strong multilateral rules- based approach to trade, whilst recognising that complementary approaches such as bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements may also foster trade opening, ~~especially by unlocking liberalisation in policy areas tackled less thoroughly in the WTO,~~ and support the multilateral system, ~~provided~~but only if such agreements are WTO compliant;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Encourages the WTO membership to proactively support ~~the WTO's~~ efforts in establishing working links of the WTO with other international organisations whose work has a bearing on world trade talks, in particular the UN and its agencies and bodies such as the ILO, UNCTAD, FAO, the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the OECD;

Amendment 51 #

Paragraph 13

13. Encourages the WTO membership to proactively support the WTO's efforts in establishing effective and efficient working links with other international organisations whose work has a bearing on world trade talks, in particular the UN and its agencies and bodies such as the ILO, UNCTAD, FAO, the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the OECD;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Encourages the WTO membership to proactively support the WTO's efforts in establishing working links and deeper cooperation with other international organisations whose work has a bearing on world trade talks, in particular the UN and its agencies and bodies such as the ILO, UNCTAD, FAO, UNEP, UNDP, UNFCCC, the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the OECD, in order to ensure mutual support and consistency between trade and non-trade concerns; supports efforts aiming for the adoption of international standards and regulatory cooperation;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Encourages the WTO membership to proactively support the WTO's efforts in establishing working links with other international organisations whose work has a bearing on world trade talks, in particular the UN and its agencies and bodies such as the ILO, WHO, UNCTAD, FAO, the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the OECD;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Regrets that the 9th Ministerial Conference will not deliver minimum requirements for environmental and socials standards; calls on the Commission to promote advances in these areas whenever possible;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Calls for thorough consideration of the issue of how better to address non-trade concerns under the WTO rules, in order to allow its members to pursue legitimate policy objectives while safeguarding market access; stresses in that respect that efforts for the adoption of international standards should be strongly supported and that the necessary aid should be granted to developing countries in order to meet such standards;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Is convinced that the failure to differentiate sufficiently between developing countries, in spite of the wide variety in economic development levels and the specific needs of those countries, could be an obstacle to adopting effective measures to benefit these countries in accordance with the stated objective of the Doha Round and is to the detriment of developing countries which are most in need; urges advanced developing countries to take up their share of responsibility already during the current Round and make contributions commensurate to their level of development and (sectoral) competitiveness;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)

13c. Considers that serious consideration should be given to the issue of categorisation or sub-categorisation, not only of developing countries but also of all other WTO members, on the basis of objective criteria which are not exclusively linked to gross national product, with a view to a possible differentiated application of existing agreements or of those under negotiation;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Believes that concluding the long standing Doha round with its development mandate intact is vital and that ~~Bali~~the 9th Ministerial Conference will mark a turning point in terms of world trade; urges therefore all WTO members to explore all possible options with that end goal in sight in order to achieve a balanced result;

Amendment 59 #

Paragraph 14

14. Believes that concluding the long standing Doha round with its development mandate intact is vital and that ~~Bali will~~Indonesia should mark a turning point in terms of world trade and the alleviation of poverty; urges therefore all WTO members to explore all possible options with that end goal in sight in order to achieve a balanced result;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas open and fair multilateral trade is being constrained more by various non-tariff barriers (NTBs) than by trade tariffs, which are being waived substantially as globalisation progresses;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Believes that concluding the long standing Doha round with its development mandate ~~intact is vital and that Bali will mark a turning point in terms of world trade~~fulfilled is vital; urges therefore all WTO members to explore all possible options with that end goal in sight in order to achieve a balanced result;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Insists that the EU should continue to play a leading role in promoting tangible process in the ongoing WTO negotiations with a view to the full conclusion of the Doha Development Round in the foreseeable future, as well as facilitating the full participation of LDCs in global trade by acting as a bridge between the various positions of the WTO Members;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Recalls, in this sense, the importance to fulfil the commitments taken by developed countries at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005, which reflect priorities for LDCs, in particular the so-called "2005 Decision'" to provide duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access on a lasting basis for all products originating from LDCs, and the commitment to phase out agricultural export subsidies by 2013; recalls also, in this sense, the 2004 commitment to phase out domestic subsidies on cotton production;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Is convinced that the reasons for the continued impasse in the DDA negotiations are not due to the structures or functioning of the WTO as an international organisation, but rather due to the inability of some large members to make compromises; stresses the crucial importance of the WTO in areas of implementing and enforcing binding commitments and resolving trade disputes;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Notes that preferential market access rules did little in practice to foster developing countries' exports and economic diversification; in particular, points out that while developed countries committed to provide duty-free and quota- free market access for at least 97% of products originating from LDCs, the remaining 3% which are not included tend to cover a substantial part of the products exported by LDCs, such as textiles and clothing for which they have competitive gains;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Points out that LDCs are usually not able to take advantage of preferential market access provisions under the DFQF as rules of origin are not adapted to the globalisation of production; reiterates that, in providing duty-free quota-free market access to LDC exports, Members shall ensure that preferential rules of origins applicable to imports from LDCs are transparent and simple, and contribute effectively to facilitating market access;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14d. Recalls that cotton subsidies applied by developed countries do not only have distortive effects on trade but they also have a negative impact on development of cotton-producing developing countries; takes the view that a decision in Bali to phase out domestic subsidies on cotton would give a signal that the intention of the Doha Round is to implement the development agenda seriously;

Amendment 67 #

Christofer FJELLNER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that WTO Members should nevertheless intensify their efforts in other areas identified by the Doha Ministerial Declaration such as trade in environmental goods and services which could significantly contribute to sustainable development and the fight against climate change; calls on the WTO Members to take note of the APEC List of Environmental Goods, and to investigate the possibilities for the initiation of an Environmental Technology Agreement, an agreement reducing tariffs on environmental technology products;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that WTO Members should nevertheless intensify their efforts in other areas identified by the Doha Ministerial Declaration such as trade in environmental goods and services which could significantly contribute to sustainable development and the fight against climate change; Insists that the EU should continue to push for a future agreement on green goods and technologies and seek a clarification of the legal relationship between the WTO rules and multilateral environmental agreements;

Amendment 69 #

Paragraph 16

16. Appeals to the EU Commission and to the governments of the United States and to Nations with emerging economies to live up to their responsibilities and to do their utmost to ensure a success of the Doha Development Round; Calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure the Parliament continues to be closely involved in the preparation of the Ninth Ministerial Conference taking place in ~~Bali~~Indonesia from 3-6 December 2013;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas ~~the WTO Ministerial Meeting to conclude the Doha Round stalled at~~from the start of the DDA negotiations fundamental disagreements between participants over their goals prevailed, including a walk-out of African delegations from the WTO Ministerial in 2003, leading to an impasse since the end of July 2008;,

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure the Parliament continues to be closely involved in the preparation of the Ninth Ministerial Conference taking place in Bali from 3-6 December 2013, promptly updated and, if needed, consulted during the Ministerial Conference;

Amendment 71 #

Jörg LEICHTFRIED, Bernd LANGE, Vital MOREIRA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls on the Commission to continue to make the case to the other WTO Members for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; calls on the other WTO Members to ensure democratic legitimacy by closely involving their parliaments in the WTO matters;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls for strengthening the WTO parliamentary dimension to ensure that parliamentarians get better access to trade negotiations, are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decision making, and ensure trade policies are properly scrutinised in the interests of their citizens; calls accordingly for a permanent European parliamentary delegation to the WTO to be established;

Amendment 8 #

Recital F

F. whereas the Ninth Ministerial Conference will take place in ~~Bali~~Indonesia on 3-6 December 2013;

Amendment 9 #