Activities of Cristiana MUSCARDINI related to 2008/2205(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European SMEs in international trade (A6-0001/2009, Cristiana Muscardini) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT Report on enhancing the role of European SMEs in international trade PDF (230 KB) DOC (146 KB)
Amendments (21)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation (new)
Citation (new)
– having regard to the GAERC conclusions of 12 February 2007 concerning the WTO's GPA and SMEs,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas internationalisation generates growth and competitiveness, helping businesses expand and thus increasing employment, and SMEs create 80% of new jobs in the EU,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas European SMEs should take advantage of trade liberalisation; whereas SMEs stop developing when they operate in markets that are limited in size or growth; whereas SMEs that do not internationalise are exposed to competition without benefiting from new import-export markets,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas SMEs engaged in international trade have a role to play in reshaping the European economic landscape to become the next-generation large enterprises that the European Union needs to achieve the figure of 3% of GDP on R&D,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the low number of SMEs involved in international trade can be explained by a number of reasons such as the high costs of tariff and non-tariff barriers, access to information and administrative formalities, and by shortfalls in human and financial resources at all levels of the company,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas SMEs, by definition, do not have the same resources, the same geographical coverage or the same experience in the international market as a large enterprise, and whereas the slightest obstacle to trade is disproportionately costly for them and dissuades them from internationalisation,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas EU SMEs have a key interest in markets that are closest geographically and culturally, i.e. in regions bordering the Union such as the Mediterranean and the Western Balkans,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas competitiveness also depends on the ability to guarantee SMEs adequate protection against unfair trading practices; whereas manufacturing production in Europe is an important sector for economic growth and employment,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Supports, in particular, the adoption of a firm stance in the negotiations on trade facilitation procedures, in order to lower the costs of customs procedures which can account for up to 15% of the value of the goods traded, via transparent and simplified procedures, harmonised international standards, effective recording of the origin of goods, and updated customs controls;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Considers that SMEs are in need of reciprocal trade liberalisation and, given these needs, feels that the Commission should come up with an explicit response to the export difficulties facing European SMEs, explaining which national or European instruments the Union could use to help SMEs improve their performance in global markets;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Considers that the Commission, whilst adopting a neutral position in the anti- dumping and anti-subsidy investigations, should provide more specific and qualified assistance to industrial sectors complaining of breaches of WTO rules;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses that the TDI system must continue to be a quasi-judicial procedure, based on objective and factual considerations, while any assessment which jeopardises legal certainty and may lead to the politicisation of the system, should be strictly avoided;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to react quickly and in an appropriate manner to third countries that make arbitrary use of trade defence instruments, particularly when these measures affect Community SMEs;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Draws attention to the significant increase in recent years in infringements of intellectual property rights affecting European SMEs, and to the fact that counterfeiting does not just affect large industrial companies but also SMEs that have managed to create high quality competitive products and suffer severe consequences from counterfeiting that in some cases can threaten their very existence;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Appreciates that the Commission and the Member States are seeking to improve customs control systems, the exchange of information between authorities and cooperation between rightholders and customs bodies, criminal penalties against counterfeiting and piracy, and measures to combat electronic piracy;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Supports the creation, in the key Indian and Chinese markets, of European Business Centres, which work together with national Chambers of Commerce and business representatives to help SMEs find partners with the skills to enter these local markets;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Considers that the success of the market access strategy also requires solidarity in terms of information and greater powers of influence for national chambers of commerce outside the EU; supports the bilateral programmes promoting specific access for SMEs to third-country markets, given the success of AL INVEST (Latin America), MEDINVEST (Mediterranean) and PROINVEST (Africa);
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes the Commission's Small Business Act initiative, submitted on 25 June 2008, an important opportunity to gear all EU policies towards SMEs effectively; considers it necessary, in this connection, to fully involve the Member States and institutions to ensure that the 'Think small first' principle is applied;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Encourages the strengthening of all SME innovation and start-up policies; supports the creation of European centres of competitiveness open to SMEs that may reach the critical mass required to survive in the face of international competition; also supports the updating of programmes giving SMEs access to international development finance; points out that the single European patent and the European Company Statute should be adopted as quickly as possible to promote the transition to extra-Community trade;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Considers that informed and effective action needs to be taken by the EU to secure equal rights for European companies, and particularly SMEs;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Considers that public procurement should be a key chapter of all bilateral and regional trade negotiations undertaken by the EU, with a view to opening up public procurement markets on a balanced basis;