18 Amendments of Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE related to 2023/2868(RSP)
Amendment 8 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the WTO was created to further the liberalisation of trade in goods and services, strengthen multilateralism and foster an fair, open, inclusive, rules- based and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, in order to improve the welfare of people around the world; whereas the overall objective of EU’s trade policy is to contribute to the harmonious development of world trade, the progressive abolition of restrictions on international trade and on foreign direct investment, and the lowering of customs and other barriers, as well as ensuring the welfare of people; whereas trade is vital and a key instrument for supporting and complementing efforts to advance sustainable growth and improve standards of living, ensuring full and better-quality employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income in accordance with the objective of sustainable development;
Amendment 13 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. wWhereas a strong, open and inclusive multilateral trading system plays an essential role in reaching global goals on climate change and achieving net zero through, for example, the exchange of the goods and serv,services and practices, essential for clean- energy technologies and a circular economy;
Amendment 19 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the rules-based multilateral trading system is currently under a great deal of pressure, subject to geopolitical tensions andcaused by the decisions of WTO members using it for political purposes and the unilateral measures taken by them, as well as an unjustified reliance on General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) exceptions by some of its members, which is already resulting in a more fragmented and less predictable context for trade policy; whereas the outcome at MC12 proved that the WTO can still deliver multilateral agreements and respond to emergencies;
Amendment 23 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies agreed at MC12 is the first ever multilateral trade agreement with environmental sustainability at its core, addressing overcapacity and overfishing subsidies which represent more than half of all fisheries subsidies and prohibiting by establishing a binding set of global rules to curb the harmful subsidies provided by governments to the fishing sector, as mandated under SDG 14.6; whereas the agreement does not yet include disciplines on fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, on which negotiations are still ongoing and must be pursued;
Amendment 29 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas as of 11 December 2019, the WTO Appellate Body ceased to be operational, which brought to a standstill the functional, independent and impartial appellate stage; whereas at MC12, WTO members committed to conducting discussions with a view to having a fully and properly functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all WTO members by 2024, but this ambition is still blocked by the decisions of WTO members;
Amendment 31 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates its full commitment to the enduring value of multilateralism and underlines that a modernised multilateral system to govern trade is essential; calls for a trade agenda based on fair and rules- based trade for the benefit of all, which contributes to sustainable economic growth and prosperity, thereby strengthening peace and security; emphasises the importance of the SDGs, social, health, environmental and human rights and ensuring that multilaterally agreed and harmonised rules are applied by all;
Amendment 36 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges all WTO members to commit to a successful outcome of MC13; believes that MC13 should be the starting point for advancing and modernising the WTO to ensure it can play a role in addressing the challenges of the 21st century, including issues such as climate change and sustainability; urges all WTO members to step up their efforts to focus on tangible outcomes that show that the WTO can address current challenges; welcomes the guidance given by the Senior Officials’ Meeting on 22 and 23 October 2023; asks WTO members, in particular, to conclude the second phase of the multilateral agreement on fisheries subsidies and to overcome the remaining stumbling blocks in order to finally adopt a comprehensive package onf institutional reforms, including a decision that would lead to a fully functioning dispute settlement system;
Amendment 41 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that it is now a matter of urgency to proceed to a substantive reform of the WTO and that this should be reflected in the outcome of MC13; welcomes all the work that has been carried out in this regard since the last Ministerial Conference; calls on WTO members to adopt a comprehensive package reviewing the monitoring, negotiating, deliberative and dispute settlement functions of the WTO, in which due attention should also be given to the parliamentary dimension of the WTO, with a view to increasing the WTO’s effectiveness, inclusiveness, transparency, credibility and legitimacy;
Amendment 47 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges all WTO members which have not yet done so, to swiftly ratify the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, in order for the agreement to enter into force as soon as possible, for which ratification by two thirds of the membership is required; stresses the crucial importance of also reaching an agreement swiftly on disciplines on fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, in order to achieve ocean sustainability;
Amendment 58 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the need to reinvigorate discussions on State support for industrial sectors within the WTO, with a view to increasing transparency and adapting the WTO rulebook on subsidies in order to respond to contemporary challenges, to the unfair practices of certain WTO members, and effectively address negative spillover effects such as overcapacity; takes the view that MC13 should launch a time-limited work programme to allow for deliberation on State intervention in support of industrial sectors, in order to provide recommendations for MC14;
Amendment 60 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need to make progress in the agriculture negotiations in order to obtain credible results on issues such as food sovereignty, public stockholding for food security purposes, domestic support, market access, cotton, export restrictions and export competition, and strengthening the agricultural sector to respond to contemporaryurrent challenges, including rural livelihofair incomes for farmers and rural populations environmental sustainability and fairer conditions of competition taking into account modes and environmental sustainabilityof production; highlights that the EU should advocate for higher sustainability criteria and engage with international partners to jointly develop the benchmarks and international standards for sustainable food systems, in accordance with WTO rules, working progressively towards achieving higher and ambitious standards in line with the objectives of the Green Deal;
Amendment 73 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the conclusion of the negotiations on the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement in order to create a more fair, transparent, efficient and predictable environment for facilitating cross-border investment and the participation of developing countries in global investment flows; supports the incorporation of this agreement into the WTO rulebook under Annex 4 on Plurilateral Trade Agreements, as established in Article X.9 of the WTO Agreement and considers that this can serve as a model for future plurilateral agreements;
Amendment 78 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Highlights the importance of regulating digital trade, as it currently accounts for 25 % of total trade, both at multilateral and plurilateral level; supports the efforts to find a fair and permanent solution for electronic transmissions related to the moratorium; welcomes and supports the broad membership, ambitious negotiating agenda and progress made to date in the WTO plurilateral negotiations on e-commerce; highlights the importance of the free flow of electronic transmissions, which are fundamental to digital trade and reduce trading costs, increase consumer welfare as well as export competitiveness, and bring significant benefits, particularly to SMEs and developing countries; recalls its position that a potential agreement needs to guarantee a fair market access for e- commerce-related goods and services in third countries, as well as the protection of consumer and labour rights, and facilitate business innovation; stresses that a potential agreement on e-commerce needs to comply with existing as well as future EU legislation related to data flows, data localisation and source code, and that it guarantees sufficient policy space to regulate the digital realm; calls on all partners to fully engage in and support efforts to conclude negotiations by MC13;
Amendment 82 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls the WTO’s commitment to MSMEs and recalls that MSMEs account for a substantial part of the global economy and have untapped potential in global value chains; urges members to continue to identify solutions that would help MSMEs increase their participation in world trade, while taking into account their specific needs of developing countries;
Amendment 87 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Believes that the outcome of MC13 should provide an action-based agenda for trade policy supporting the 2030 SDGs and the Paris Agreement; strongly encourages WTO Members to consider all possible measures to contribute to limiting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the UNFCCC , reinforce alignment with the Paris Agreement and climate neutrality, and enhance cooperation in the WTO on measures adopted domestically; welcomes the constructive discussions carried out in the framework of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD); emphasises the need to advance the discussion on goods and services that help address environmental and climate challenges; urges the EU to raise awareness about its sustainability legislation such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and deforestation, and explain the motivations behind it to make sure it is recognised as a genuine attempt to make trade more sustainable and that it is not discriminatory;
Amendment 91 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on WTO members to ensure democratic legitimacy and transparency by strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO and the parliamentary conference; emphasisecommends the importance of thet work of the joint European Parliament and Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Parliamentary Conference on the WTO; stresses the need to ensure that parliamentarians have better access to all trade negotiations and are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decisions;
Amendment 94 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on WTO members to enhance the exchange with all stakeholders, including civil society and business organisations, and to step up cooperation with other international organisations such as the International Labour Organization and more broadly the UN system; expects leaders to communicate more at differentevery levels about the benefits of rules-based trade;
Amendment 95 #
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, and the IPU.