Activities of Godelieve QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL related to 2014/2228(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) (debate) DE
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT containing the European Parliament’s recommendations to the European Commission on the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) PDF (392 KB) DOC (367 KB)
Amendments (54)
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 6 April 2011 on the future European international investment policy19f __________________ 19f Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0141.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 6 April 2011 on European international investment policy19g __________________ 19g Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0141.
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13
Citation 13
– having regard to its earlier resolutions, in particular those of 23 October 2012 on trade and economic relations with the United States20, 23 May 2013 on EU trade and investment negotiations with the United States of America21, 12 March 2014 on the US NSA surveillance programme, surveillance bodies in various Member States and their impact on EU citizens’ fundamental rights and on transatlantic cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs22, and 15 January 2015 on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman 201323, __________________ 22 Texts adopted, P7_TA- PROV(2014)0230. 20 21OJ C 68 E, 7.3.2014, p.53. OJ C 68 E, 7.3.2014, p.53. 21 Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0227. Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0227. 23 Texts adopted, P8_TA- PROV(2015)0009.
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, given the growing interconnectedness of global markets – up to 40 % of European industrial products are manufactured from imported upstream products – it is crucial that policymakers further and shape the way these markets interact; whereas proper trade rules are fundamental to creating added value in Europe, since industrial production takes place in global value chains;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas we are faced with an uninsufficiently regulated picture of globalisation and a well-designed trade agreement could contribute to harnessing liberalisation; whereas such an agreement should not only focus on reducing tariffs and NTBs but should also be a tool to protect workemployees, employers, consumers and the environment; whereas a strong and ambitious trade agreement is an opportunity to create a framework by strengthening regulation to the highest standards at a global level in order to prevent social and environmental dumping;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas we are faced with an unregulated constantly evolving picture of globalisation and a well-designed trade agreement could contribute to harnessing the far-reaching effects of liberalisation; whereas such an agreement should not only focus on reducing tariffs and NTBs but should also be a tool to protect workers, consumers and the environment; whereas a strong and ambitious trade agreement is an opportunity to create a framework by strengthening regulation to the highest standards at a global level in order to prevent social and environmental dumping;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas even though common high standards are in the interest of the consumers, it should be noted that they also make sense from an economic perspective, as the higher costs stemming from higher standards are more easily compensated by increased economies of scale in a market of 850 million consumers;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas many economic impact studies on TTIP should be taken with caution asthe vast majority of they large built on computable general equilibrium economic models with very optimistic predictions about the capacity of the EU and the US to reduce regulatory barriers to tradenumber of economic impact studies on TTIP forecast positive effects; whereas the TTIP alone will not resolve economic problems in the EU and no false hopes and expectations should be raised in that respecbut it can make a contribution to more growth and employment;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
whereas manythe various economic impact studies on TTIP should be taken with caution as they are built on computable general equilibrium economic models with very optimistic predictions about the capacity of the EU and the US to reduce regulatory barriers to trade; whereas the TTIP alone will not resolve economic problems in the EU and no false hopes and expectations should be raised in that respecarried out up to now are naturally only able to provide forecasts at this point, it can be seen at the same time, however, that all studies project a generally positive impact;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the wellbeing of ordinary citizens, workers and consumers has to be theis a benchmark for aour trade agreement; whereas TTIP should be a model for a good trade agreement responding to these requirements;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the wellbeing of ordinary citizens, workers and consumers has to be the benchmark for a trade agreement; whereas TTIP should be a good model for a goodfuture trade agreement responding to these requirements;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the secret character of negotiations as they have been conducted in the past has led to deficiencies in terms of democratic control of the negotiation process, for reasons of negotiation tactics, not all the information can be published for negotiations, and this poses particular challenges for citizen participation and democratic control of the negotiation process; whereas this has not had an adverse effect in the case of our concluded agreement;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the secret character of negotiations ason they have been conducted in the past has led to deficiencies in terms of democratic control of the negotiation process TTIP agreement should offer the maximum possible transparency; whereas Parliament fully supports both the decision of the Council to declassify the negotiating directives and the Commission’s transparency initiative; whereas the new Commission’s new transparency offensive promotes democratic control of the negotiation process and has already successfully eliminated transparency deficiencies; whereas the negotiations will also always require a certain degree of confidentiality in order to be able to achieve a high-quality outcome;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas President Juncker has clearly reiterated in his Political Guidelines that – while the EU and the US can go a significant step further in recognising each other’s product standards and working towards transatlantic standards – the EU will not sacrifice its safety, health, social and data protection standards or our cultural diversity, recalling that the safety of the food we eat and the protection of Europeans’ personal data and of local public services are non- negotiable;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas many critical voices in the public debate have shown the need for the TTIP negotiations to be conducted in a more transparent and inclusive manner, taking into account the concerns voiced by European citizens, as has been the case up to now; whereas Parliament fully supports both the decision of the Council to declassify the negotiating directives and the Commission’s transparency initiative;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas since July 2013 talks between the US and the EU have been going on, but up to now no common text has been agreed and it is now exactly the right time to undertake a reflection on the state of play;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas since July 2013 talks between the US and the EU have been going on, but up to now no common text has been agreed and it is now exactly the right time to undertake a reflection on the state of playyet;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
Paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
(ii) to emphasise that while the TTIP negotiations consist of negotiations on three main areas – ambitiously improving reciprocal market access (for goods, services, investment and public procurement at all levels of government), reducing NTBs and enhancing the compatibility of regulatory regimes, and developing common rules to address shared global trade challenges and opportunities – all these areas are equally important to be included in a comprehensive package; TTIP should be ambitious and binding on all levels of government on both sides of the Atlantic, the agreement should lead to lasting genuine market openness on a reciprocal basis and trade facilitation on the ground, and should pay particular attention to structural means ofsures for achieving greater transatlantic cooperation while upholding regulatory standards and preventing social and environmental dumping;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
(iii) to keep in mind that there are important offensive interests for the EU in the services sector, for instance in the areas of engineering, telecommunications, media and journalistic reporting, and transport services;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iii
(iii) to keep in mind that there are important offensive interests for the EU in the services sector, for instance in the areas of highly specialised services, engineering, telecommunications and, transport services and finance;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iv
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iv
(iv) to increasstructure market access for services according to the ‘positive list approach’ whereby services that are to be opened up toon the same lines as the EU-Canada foreign companies are explicitly mentioned and new servicese trade agre excludedement while ensuring that possible standstill and ratchet clauses only apply to non- discrimination provisions and allow for enough flexibility to bring services back into public control;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iv
Paragraph 1 – point b – point iv
(iv) to increase market access for services according to the ‘posind adopt a ‘negative list’ approach’ as a basis in services liberalisation whereby all services that are not to be opened up to foreign companies are explicitly mentioned and new services are excludedexcluded, it being ensured that previously unknown or innovative service sectors must not be automatically excluded from the market, while ensuring that possible standstill and ratchet clauses only apply to non- discrimination provisions and allow for enough flexibility to bring services back into public control;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point v
Paragraph 1 – point b – point v
(v) the negotiations should meaningfully address and remove the current US restrictions on maritime and air transport services owned by European businesses, including in relation to foreign ownership of airlines and reciprocity on cabotage, as well as maritime cargo screening;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point vi
Paragraph 1 – point b – point vi
(vi) to ensure an adequate carve-out of sensitive services such as public services and public utilities (including water, health, social security systems and education) allowing national and local authorities enough room for manoeuvre to legislate in the public interest; awelcomes the joint declaration reflecting negotiators’ clear commitment to exclude these sectors from the negotiations would be very helpful in this regard;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point vi
Paragraph 1 – point b – point vi
(vi) to ensure an adequate carve-out of sensitive services such as public services and public utilities (including water, health, social security systems and education) allowing national and local authorities enough room for manoeuvre to legislate in the public interest; a joint declaration reflecting negotiators’ clear commitment to exclude these sectors from the negotiany privatisation obligations would be very helpful in this regard;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point viii
Paragraph 1 – point b – point viii
(viii) to ensure that the EU’s acquis on data privacy is not further compromised through the liberalisation of data flows, in particular in the area of e-commerce and financial services; to ensure that no commitments on data flows are taken up before European data protection legislation is in place;
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point viii
Paragraph 1 – point b – point viii
(viii) to ensure that the EU’s acquis oEuropean data privacy is not compromised through the liberalisation of transatlantic data flows, in particular in the area of e-commerce and financial services; to ensure that no commitments on data flows are taken up before European data protection legislation is in place;
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point ix
Paragraph 1 – point b – point ix
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point ix
Paragraph 1 – point b – point ix
(ix) to ensure that European competition law is also properly respected particularly in the digital world;
Amendment 477 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point x
Paragraph 1 – point b – point x
(x) to keep in mind that the agreement should not risk prejudicing the Union’s cultural and linguistic diversity, including in the audiovisual and cultural services sector, and that existing and future provisions and policies in support of the cultural sector, in particular in the digital world, are kept out of the scope of the negotiations;
Amendment 509 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point xii
Paragraph 1 – point b – point xii
(xii) to promote EU-US cooperation at the international level in order to promote sustainability standards for public procurement, inter alia in the implementation of the recently revised Government Procurement Agreement; at all federal and sub-federal levels of government;
Amendment 517 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point xiii
Paragraph 1 – point b – point xiii
(xiii) to ensure that the US states are included in the negotiation process in order to achieve meaningful, robust and tangible results in opening up US public procurement contracts to EU companies;
Amendment 529 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b – point xiv
Paragraph 1 – point b – point xiv
(xiv) to ensure that the negotiations on rules of origin aim at reconciling the EU and US approaches and establishing effective rules of origin; given the conclusion of the negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between EU and Canada and the potential upgrade of the EU-Mexico free trade agreement, the possibility and scope of cumulation will need to be considered;
Amendment 552 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c – point i
Paragraph 1 – point c – point i
(i) to ensure that the regulatory cooperation chapter promotes an effective, pro- competitive economic environment through the facilitation of trade and investment while developing and securing high levels of protection of health and safety, consumer, labour and environmental legislation and of the cultural diversity that exists within the EU; negotiators on both sides need toshould identify and to be very clear about which regulatory measures and standards are fundamental and cannot be compromised, which ones can be the subject of a common approach, which are the areas where mutual recognition based on a common high standard and a strong system of market surveillance is desirable and which are those where simply an improved exchange of information is possible, based on the experience of one and a half years of ongoing talks;
Amendment 553 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c – point i
Paragraph 1 – point c – point i
(i) to ensure that the regulatory cooperation chapter promotes an effective, pro- competitive economic environment through thea transparent, effective and efficient regulatory cooperation chapter and coherence promote and facilitation ofe trade and investment while developing and securing the high levels of protection of health and safety,, the consumer, labour and, the environmental legislation and of the and cultural diversity that exists within the EU; negotiators on both sides need to identify and to be very clear about which regulatory measures and standards are fundamental and cannot be compromised, which ones can be the subject of a common approach,areas will be the subject of regulatory consistency or regulatory cooperation and which ones will be excluded, and which are the areas where mutual recognition based on a common high standard and a strong system of market surveillance is desirable and which are those where simply an improved exchange of information is possible, based on the experience of one and a half years of ongoing talks;
Amendment 575 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
Paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
(ii) to base negotiations on SPS and TBT measures on the key principles of the multilateral SPS and TBT agreements; to aim in the first place at increasing transparency and openness, strengthening dialogue between regulators and strengthening cooperation in international standards-setting bodies; to recognise, in negotiations on SPS and TBT measures, the right of both parties to manage risk in accordance with the level either deems appropriate in order to protect human, animal or plant life or health; to respect and uphold the sensitivities and fundamental values of either side, such as the EU’s precautionary principle;
Amendment 594 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c – point iii
Paragraph 1 – point c – point iii
(iii) with regard to the horizontal regulatory cooperation chapter, to give priority to fostering bilateral cooperation between regulatory bodies through enhanced information exchange and to promote the adoption, strengthening and timely implementation of international instruments, on the basis of successful international experiences such as, for instance, ISO standards or under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29); to establish that the prior impact assessment for the regulatory act, as defined in the horizontal provisions on regulatory cooperation, should also measure the impact on consumers and the environment next to its impact on trade and investment; to handle the possibility of promoting regulatory compatibility with great care and only without compromising legitimate regulatory and policy objectives and competencies of the legislature on both sides of the Atlantic;
Amendment 595 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c – point iii
Paragraph 1 – point c – point iii
(iii) with regard to the horizontal regulatory cooperation chapter, to give priority to fostering bilateral cooperation between regulatory bodies through enhanced information exchange and to promote the adoption, strengthening and timely implementation of international instruments, on the basis of successful international experiences such as, for instance, ISO standards or under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29); to establish that the prior impact assessment for the regulatory act, as defined in the horizontal provisions on regulatory cooperation, should also measure the impact on consumers and the environment next to its impact on trade and investment; to handle the possibility of promoting regulatory compatibility with great care and only without compromising legitimate regulatory and policy objectives;
Amendment 602 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c – point iv
Paragraph 1 – point c – point iv
Amendment 624 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point i
Paragraph 1 – point d – point i
(i) to combine negotiations on market access and regulatory cooperation with the establishment of ambitious rules and disciplines, inter alia on sustainable development, energy, SMEs, and investment and intellectual property;
Amendment 637 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point ii
Paragraph 1 – point d – point ii
(ii) to ensure that the sustainable development chapter aims at the full and effective ratification, implementation and enforcement of the eight fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and their content, the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda and the core international environmental agreements; provisions should be aimed at further improving levels of protection of labour and environmental standards; an ambitious trade and sustainable development chapter should also include rules on corporate social responsibility based on the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and a clearly structured dialogue with so-called civil society involvement;
Amendment 638 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point ii
Paragraph 1 – point d – point ii
(ii) to ensure that the sustainable development chapter aims at the full and effective ratification, implementation and enforcement of the eight fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and their content, the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda and the core international environmental agreements; provisions should be aimed at improving levels of protection of labour and environmental standards; an ambitious trade and sustainable development chapter should also include rules on corporate social responsibility based on the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and a clearly structured civil society involvementagreement supports the drafting and enforcement of legal provisions and political measures in the area of labour and environmental law and promotes the consideration of core standards and benchmarks laid down by the International Labour Organisation (ILO); calls for the harmonisation of standards in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);
Amendment 643 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point iii
Paragraph 1 – point d – point iii
(iii) toit must be ensured that labour and environmental standards are not limited to the trade and sustainable development chapter but are equally included in other areas of the agreement, such as investment, trade in services, regulatory cooperation and public procurementthe horizontal dimensions of the provisions of labour and social law in the sustainable development chapter are integrated in the relevant operational parts of the agreement in order to ensure a coherent and comprehensive approach;
Amendment 664 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point v
Paragraph 1 – point d – point v
(v) to ensure that employees of transatlantic companies have access to information and consultation ion line withthe same lines as the European works council directive;
Amendment 670 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point vi
Paragraph 1 – point d – point vi
(vi) to ensure that the economic, social and environmental impact of TTIP is examined through a thorough trade sustainability impact assessment with clear involvement of all stakeholders and civil societyupon conclusion of the negotiations;
Amendment 744 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiii
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiii
(xiii) to ensure that investment protection provisions are limited to post- establishment provisions and focus on non-discrimination and fair and equitable treatment; standards of protection and definitions of investor and investment should be drawn up in a precise manner; free transfer of capital should be in line with the EU treaty provisions and should include a prudential carve-out in the case of financial crises;
Amendment 764 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv
(xiv) to ensure that foreign investors are protected and treated in a non- discriminatory fashion and have a fair opportunity to seek and achieve redress of grievances, which can be achieved without the inclus; ensure that a disputes resolution mechanism is established in order to ensure that the conditions of an ISDS mechanism; such a mechanism is not necessary in TTIP given the EU’s and the US’ developed legal systems; a state-to- state dispute settlement system and the uthe agreement on investment are respected, but only on the condition that the mechanism guarantees the right of states to regulate, fulfils requirements for transparency, includes clear and precise definitions of legal concepts such as ‘indirect expropriation’ and ‘fair and equitable treatment’, an appeals mechanism, respect for rules on ethics and prevention of conflicts of interest, prevents abusive recourse to the courts, is accessible to SMEs and does not affect rights of recourse tof national courts are the most appropriate tools to address investment disputes; to ensure that the establishment of the dispute resolution mechanism forms part of medium-term thinking on the establishment of an international organisation responsible for such questions in relation to investment;
Amendment 768 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv
(xiv) to ensure that foreign investors are treated in a non-discriminatory fashion and have a fair opportunity to seek and achieve redress of grievances, which can be achieved without the inclusion of an ISDS mechanism; such a mechanism is not necessary in TTIP given the EU’s and the US’ developed legal sys; to include an ISDS mechanism in the agreement for this purpose, as, despite the highly developed legal systems of the EU and the US, this mechanism is indispensable for enforcing international investment protection standards and addressing investment disputems; a state- to-state dispute settlement system and the use of national courts are the most appropriate tools to address investment disputesto evaluate whether, in the long term, the establishment of an international court of law for settling investor-state arbitration proceedings should be considered;
Amendment 770 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv
(xiv) to ensure that foreign investors are treated in a non-discriminatory fashion and have a fair opportunity to seek and achieve redress of grievances, which cannot be achieved without the inclusion of an ISDSappropriate mechanism; such a mechanism is not necessary in TTIP given, despite the EU’s and the US’ developed legal systems;, in order to ensure the applicability of international agreements, which is not direct in many cases, before national courts and thus the justiciability of contractual obligations entered into in national redress procedures, and to bring an end to the unequal treatment of investors on account of existing agreements of individual EU Member States; in many cases, a state-to- state dispute settlement system and the use of national courts are the mosnot appropriate tools to address investment disputes;
Amendment 782 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xiv a (new)
(xiva) TTIP should include the medium- term perspective of such an international Court;
Amendment 793 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xv
Paragraph 1 – point d – point xv
(xv) to ensure that TTIP includes an ambitious Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) chapter that includes strong protection of precisely and clearly defined areas of IPR, including enhancedthe protection and recognition of European Geographical Indications (GIs), and reflects a fair and efficient level of protection such as laid out in the EU’s and the US’s free trade agreement provisions in this area, while continuing to confirm the existing flexibilities in the Agreement on Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), notably in the area of public health;
Amendment 837 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e – point ii
Paragraph 1 – point e – point ii
(ii) to translate these transparency efforts into meaningful practical results, inter alia by reaching meaningful arrangements with the US side to improve transparency, including access to all negotiating documents, in order to allow Members of Parliament and the Member States to develop constructive discussions with stakeholders and the public, while at the same time maintaining due confidentiality;