Activities of Nicola CAPUTO related to 2014/2228(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) (A8-0175/2015 - Bernd Lange) IT
Amendments (39)
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. Whereas the impact of a future TTIP on the EU environmental, health and food safety acquis as well as its larger environmental impact will strongly depend on the precise provisions of the agreement
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the degree of divergence between the regulatory systems of the EU and the US is very wide in key areas for the protection of health and the environment, including food safety and consumer information, owing to different legal and political cultures (epitomised by the controversy over the precautionary principle);
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. Whereas in certain areas some convergence may be possible without undermining the respective levels of protection in the EU and the US (e.g. mutual recognition of emission standards for motor vehicles), in some cases, the differences are so significant that they seem unlikely to be bridged (e.g. cosmetics or medical devices) and in other areas, the main differences are a result of diverging approaches to risk analysis and risk management which may also be difficult to bridge (e.g. food and nutrition sector)
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas geographical indications are independent intellectual property rights and not a species of brand;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas, thanks to advances in research, the development of ex-ante assessments of the risks related to the harmfulness of food can be supported by using advanced computational methods based on the analysis of large volumes of data and backed up by high-performance computing structures that are able to improve the application of the precautionary principle;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the US Trade Representative consistently denounceders EU standards in these areas as trade barriers without taking into account the overall benefits for society of these standards;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas this could make the safety requirements of consumers compatible with the requirements of companies concerned about the time it takes to place new products on the market;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas ISDS can be a huge disincentive to pass legislation to protect consumers, public health and the environment due to the concern of being challenged by the industry;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the European Commission recently committed to increasing the transparency of TTIP negotiations12 ; 12. http://ec.europa.eu/news/2014/docs/c_201 4_9052_en.pdf
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas trade and investment are not goals in themselves but constitute a means to raise standards of living, improve well- being as well as protect and promote public health, ensure full employment while allowing for the optimal use of the world's resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
D c. whereas universal health systems are part of the European social model and Member States have the competence for the management and organisation of health services and medical care;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers it misleading on the part of the Commission to try to appease public concerns about the TTIP by statingas a minimum requirement that existing standards will not be lowered, as this disregards the fact that manynd highlights that certain standards have yet to be set in the implementation of existing (framework) legislation (e.g. REACH) or by the adoption of new laws (e.g. cloning or endocrine disrupting chemicals);
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is concerned that the TTIP negotiations might have already affected Commission proposals and actions relating, for example, to food safety and climate protection (e.g. pathogen meat treatments; implementation of the fuel quality directive, labelling of meat from cloned animals and their offspring);
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
ba. commit to promoting a strategy with a view to the swift adoption of innovative ex-ante risk assessment protocols relating to the harmfulness of food and to the development and support of research activities that can improve the scientific chances of predicting effects on humans and on the environment in order to make the precautionary principle effective and feasible in innovative ways;
Amendment 143 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is very concerned that the objective of regulatory convergence, including in particular the creation of a Regulatory Cooperation Council, willcould lead to a lowering of future EU standards in key areas for the protection of human health, food safety and the environment in light of the significant differences as compared with the US;
Amendment 153 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses that the TTIP negotiations should not slow down or block EU legislative initiatives pertaining to improvements in the areas of public health, food safety and the environment;
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Agrees withEndorses Commissioner Malmström's statement that all areas where the EU and the US have very different rules or approaches should be excluded from the negotiations12 ; __________________ 12See speech by EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström of 11 December 2014.
Amendment 174 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Urges the European Commission to exclude from the TTIP negotiations any provisions which may undermine the precautionary principle and thus jeopardise an appropriate level of environmental and public health protection;
Amendment 195 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
e. secure significantly improved protectionthe full protection and strengthening of EU geographical indications and better consumer information as an essential element of a balanced agreement, taking the relevant chapter of the CETA with Canada as a good example;
Amendment 201 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 1 a (new)
- encourage the import into the EU of poultry meat treated in antimicrobial solutions containing sodium hypochlorite;
Amendment 221 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 a (new)
- lower the EU’s animal and plant health standards, causing a subsequent deterioration of public health;
Amendment 223 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 a (new)
- lead to a weakening of existing European safety standards in the sanitary and phytosanitary area, including rules on hormones and growth promoters or using chemicals to decontaminate poultry
Amendment 223 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
fa. engage in a transparent, timely and comprehensive manner with all research institutions, both public and private, that work in the area of food safety and can provide considerable input and add substance to all aspects of the negotiations.
Amendment 228 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 b (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 b (new)
- water down or weaken the design of regulatory measures or the implementation of existing regulations on endocrine disrupting chemicals
Amendment 231 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 c (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 c (new)
- impair EU developments - in particular under the new EU Clinical Trials Regulation and at the European Medicines agency - to move towards ensuring proactive public access to safety and efficacy data of medicines;
Amendment 233 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 d (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 d (new)
- limit directly or indirectly the national competence of Member States to tailor their pricing and reimbursement policies to ensure sustainable access to affordable medicines
Amendment 236 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 e (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 3 e (new)
- affect the organisation of the health systems and their regulatory mechanisms in the Member States
Amendment 242 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Stresses that the TTIP negotiations should not undermine the introduction of EU measures which may contribute to combatting the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), ensuring the efficiency of antibiotics for both humans and animals;
Amendment 264 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is strongly opposed to the inclusion of ISDS in the TTIP, as ISDS risks fundamentally undermining the sovereign rights of the EU, its Member States and regional and local authorities to adopt regulations on public health, food safety and the environment;
Amendment 273 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Considers that the TTIP should intensify the level of cooperation between the EU and the US in the area of e-health with the objective of improving the efficiency of their respective healthcare services;
Amendment 275 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Acknowledges and welcomes the efforts of the European Commission and Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in moving towards greater transparency in the TTIP negotiations;
Amendment 284 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is deeply concerned about the lack ofUrges the European Commission to further improve transparency in the negotiations, and urges the Commission to give all Members of the European Parliament easy access to the negotiation texts, in particular the consolidated ones.
Amendment 307 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses that greater transparency would have a positive impact on the TTIP negotiations, strengthening their legitimacy and improving confidence in civil society.
Amendment 309 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Calls on the Commission to pay particular attention to ensuring that a future TTIP allows both parties to maintain the level of environmental, health and food safety protection they deem appropriate, as set forth in the negotiating guidelines
Amendment 310 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Highlights the fact that the TTIP agreement should support setting out a pathway to reduce both the US and Europe's dependence on fossil fuels and that the agreement must not undermine any EU and/or international processes leading to decarbonisation in the transport
Amendment 311 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7 d. Calls on the Commission to conduct Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment on the TTIP agreement
Amendment 312 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7 e. Highlights that any proposed clause should be thoroughly reviewed and assessed with a view to its potential impact on the regulatory acquis and the EU's freedom to pursue non-economic policy goals in the future and calls on the Commission to assess any proposed clause with a view to its necessity and whether the purported aim could be reached equally well through other means
Amendment 313 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7 f. Calls on the Commission to avoid ambiguities to prevent expansive interpretation by arbitration tribunals by ensuring that the essential terms used in the agreement are clearly defined
Amendment 314 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Paragraph 7 g (new)
7 g. Encourages the Commission to support the work on alternative methods to animal testing and to push for the progressive phase-out of animal tests worldwide and calls on the Commission to encourage closer future cooperation on animal welfare issues