Activities of Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU related to 2020/2117(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the trade-related aspects and implications of COVID-19
Opinions (1)
OPINION on the trade-related aspects and implications of COVID-19
Amendments (67)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication of 13 May 2020 on tourism and transport in 2020 and beyond (COM(2020)0550) and to the adoption of the Tourism and Transport Package,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 25 March 2021 on establishing an EU strategy for sustainable tourism (2020/2038(INI)),
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented health, economic, social and humanitarian crisis on a global scale, with asymmetric effects for least developed countries (LDCs); calls for the EU to tailor its commitments and approach, which were hit the hardest by the trade downturn triggered by the pandemic in a number of sectors and even more so in services, including tourism; opines that, consequently, LDCs are more in need of support to revive their economies and trade than other countries and that the EU has a responsibility to act as a global player; calls for the EU to respect its commitments to developing partner countries and LDCs accordingly, and to adopt a tailored approach that takes into account their particular circumstances;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I (new)
Recital I (new)
I. whereas the pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of global value chains, has created major challenges for international production, especially in combination with rapid technological change and digitization acceleration, and has highlighted the need for enhanced resilience and diversification at a global, regional, and local level;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J (new)
Recital J (new)
J. whereas the COVID-19 outbreak has further increased inequalities and has added to the already growing concern among citizens about job loss in certain sectors, the changing nature of work and the pressure on workers’ wages and rights, and these problems must be addressed in order to retain public support for global trade;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K (new)
Recital K (new)
K. whereas the divisions within the WTO and the urgent need for its reform, complicated the coordinated response to keep global supply chains open, and the priority now must be to rebuild trust in multilateral institutions being able to deliver global answers, by rapidly moving forward on the discussions on the WTO Trade and Health Initiative;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. CHighlights that the COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst of change in the global order; stresses the fundamental importance of strengthening the EU’s partnerships with developing countries and calls on the Commission to mount an assertive and coordinated international trade policy response geared towards a multilateral, resilient and sustainable recovery in developing countries; calls on the Commission to deepen EU-Africa trade relations through economic partnership agreements, while making the most of the EU’s Aid for Trade Strategy; strongly welcomes the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA) as an instrument to improve Africa’s access to global markets;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L (new)
Recital L (new)
L. whereas COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic, giving rise to an unprecedented global health, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis, which created bottlenecks and disruptions of an unseen scale to international trade, causing it to plunge as the virus spread and slashing global production and employment, decreasing the level of Foreign Direct Investment, and increasing geopolitical tensions;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M (new)
Recital M (new)
M. whereas the Trade Policy Review needs to be complemented with a realistic strategy to increase EU resilience and strategic autonomy, including tailored policy measures and instruments in the area of domestic production, nearshoring, diversification of suppliers, and stockpiling;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N (new)
Recital N (new)
N. whereas the EU’s large network of trade agreements makes it the biggest actor on the world trading scene and is a key driving force for the development of the European Union’s economy and for the achievement of its geopolitical objectives, including the implementation of EU standards, values, and sustainability frameworks in partner countries;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O (new)
Recital O (new)
O. whereas the COVID-19 outbreak risks creating a set-back in the worldwide fight against climate change, yet, we need global action and cooperation to develop policies and streamline climate action in internal and external policy, as the vaccine alone will not be sufficient to address the social, environmental and economic crisis COVID-19 has caused;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P (new)
Recital P (new)
P. whereas the pandemic has demonstrated strategic vulnerabilities in the EU and global supply chains, including for critical raw materials, essential medical goods such as personal protective equipment and active pharmaceutical ingredients;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q (new)
Recital Q (new)
Q. whereas the Communication on the Trade Policy Review needs to be complemented with continued dialogue and transparency with the European Parliament, which will play a key role in its implementation;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T (new)
Recital T (new)
T. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has shown that the services sector is the backbone of the global economy and the most dynamic component of international trade; stresses to this sense that tourism plays a crucial role for the economic growth of the different Member States and, in particular, represents a significant added value for the economic, social and cultural development of the Outermost Regions;
Amendment 24 #
3. ERecalls that against a backdrop of already-fragile economic conditions, the pandemic has had massive consequences causing international trade to plunge and creating a plethora of disruptions of an unprecedented scale; hence, as a lesson learnt from the pandemic in particular also in Europe, it is indispensable to keep borders open; encourages the EU and the Member States to helpshare their experience and assist developing countries and regions to keep their borders open and to set up ‘green corridor mechanisms’ , to allow as much as possible, the unhindered flow of essential goods, agri-food products and humanitarian aid across border (especially medical supplies and personal protective equipment), agri-food products and humanitarian aid across borders in emergency situations; stresses the importance of maintaining an open, multilateral trading system allowing for transparency about trade-related policy intentions and actions, and limiting unnecessary trade barriers and export restrictions;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the mainstreaming of the European Green Deal into the cCommunication on the Trade Policy Review (TPR) and calls for a concrete action plan to make this ambition a reafor an assertive trade policy geared towards multilateralism, resilience, and sustainability;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Invites the Commission to adapt its trade policy in order to help developing partner countries to boost the resilience and diversification of their value chains at a global, regional and local level, including reshoring and nearshoring, in order to be better prepared for future systemic shocks;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the incorporationat the EU will propose the respect of the Paris Agreement to be considered as an essential element in allfuture trade, and investment and partnership agreements; stresses that ratification of the International Labour Organizgreements; reminds the Commission that the respect and implementation (of ILO) core conventions and respect for human rights are requirements for concluding FTAcommitments of its recent trade agreements; asks for ambitious chapters on digital trade, gender, and on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to be included in allnew trade agreements;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the incorporation of the Paris Agreement as an essential element in all trade, investment and partnership agreements; stresses that ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions and respect for human rights are requirementimportant considerations for concluding FTAs; asks for ambitious chapters on gender and on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to be included in all trade agreements;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WHighlights that public health problems caused by COVID-19 can only properly and effectively be managed anywhere in the world as long as measures including vaccines are accessible worldwide; welcomes the commitment shown by the EU and its Member States , acting together as ‘Team Europe’, in tackling the wider impact of COVID-19 on developing societies and economies, in particular through the Coronavirus Global Response and COVAX initiatives; recalls on the Commission to coordinatethat with the COVAX initiative only being able to cover vaccinations for 20% of the world population, a united initiative of industrialised, open, democratic countries in the form of a Vaccine Alliance is needed; reminds the Commission of the interconnected nature of the global economic recovery and that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) vaccine delays in poorer nations are likely to threaten the European Union’s own recovery because of continued disruptions to international trade and global supply chains; calls on the Commission to coordinate closely with the World Health Organization and the African Union in order tobuilding and scaleing up vaccine production for developing countries to overcome the pandemic, while preventing the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the post-COVID-19 recovery is a unique opportunity to set the agenda forpromote sustainable growth; calls on the Commission, therefore, to present its review of the 15-point action plan on TSD chapters without delay;in 2021 and expects the review to address the enforceability of TSD commitments as a matter of urgency, as it is not currently includedconsider the effective implementation and enforcement in trade agreements; recalls, in this regard, the non-paper from the Netherlands and France on trade, social economic effects and sustainable development11 ; suggests that, as a minimum, recent advances in enforceability should be applied to EU trade policy, namely the ability to tackle any non-compliance by partners through unilateral sanctions, including the introduction of tariffs or quotas on certain products or the cross- suspension of other parts of an agreement; __________________ 11 Non-paper from the Netherlands and France on trade, social economic effects and sustainable development, accessed at ‘the Netherlands at International Organisations (permanentrepresentations.nl)’.
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the post-COVID-19 recovery is a unique opportunity to set the agenda for sustainable growth; calls on the Commission, therefore, to present its review of the 15-point action plan on TSD chapters without delay; expects the review to address the enforceability of TSD commitments as a matter of urgency, as it is not currently included; recalls, in this regard, the non-paper from the Netherlands and France on trade, social economic effects and sustainable development11 ; suggests that, as a minimum, recent advances in enforceability should be applied to EU trade policy, namely the ability to tackle any non-compliance by partners through unilateral sanctions, including the introduction of tariffs or quotas on certain products or the cross- suspension of other parts of an agreement; emphasizes the role of the Chief Trade Enforcement Officer in this regard, calling for close cooperation with the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee in the monitoring and scrutiny of TSD enforcement; __________________ 11Non-paper from the Netherlands and France on trade, social economic effects and sustainable development, accessed at ‘the Netherlands at International Organisations (permanentrepresentations.nl)’.
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Commission to move away from a “brown/green” product distinction, which dictated “good” and “bad” goods and services, and instead promote life cycle analysis and impact assessments to achieve fair and accurate sustainable trade;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that brown goods still receive preferential treatment over green goods and that tariffs and trade barriers are working against sustainable trade; demandRequests that the Commission deviselooks into instruments to tackle these distortions and walk the talk ofhat support the Green Deal by implementing itation in all aspects of trade policy;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. UDeplores that export restrictions and trade barriers have disrupted agri- food markets and supply chains worldwide, severely impacting developing countries; urges the Commission to identify the appropriate measures to ensure that this pandemic does not precipitate a food crisis in the developing world; supports actions to facilitate trade with a view to promoting food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary measures in response to COVID-19;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that high up-front costs, which will only repay themselves over time, and a lack of know-how and equipment are currently preventslowing developing countries from ‘going green’in their green and digital transitions; demands that the Commission use allits trade instruments at its disposal to increase financial support, technical assistance, technology transferscapacity building and digital penetration in order to empower developing countries and enable them toto support the achievement of sustainable and digital resilience;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that COVID-19 has accelerated the shift towards digitalisation, which presents opportunities to facilitate international trade, to reduce face to face processes and allow for efficient logistics and strategic stockpiling with enormous potential, in particular for developing partner countries; underlines that developing countries and LDCs trail behind in the digital economy and calls on the Commission to collaborate with developing partner countries in order to facilitate digital infrastructure, establish policy strategies and harmonise regulatory frameworks for e-commerce.sustainable e-commerce, to support skills training and to modernize trade and customs management tools, electronic payment and automated procedures;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Considers that the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development dictates that we work in a multilateral context and coordinate policies at the international and national levels to deal with the enormous challenges to these aspirations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and to factor in the Sustainable Development Goals in the rebuilding and restructuring of international trade networks;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU to take a leading role at awithin the multilateral level to end harmful subsidies by advocating transparency and strict regulation and disciplines framework to engage with like-minded countries and trade partners to pursue a strong environmental agenda, including trade agreements and at the World Trade Organization (WTO)he progressive development of disciplines against market distorting subsidies; stresses the importance of drawing up sustainability impact assessments on an ex- ante, intermediate and ex-post basis; stresses the need to develop a comprehensive framework with concrete targetsprovide guidance to advance the SDGs, the Green Deal and the ILO Decent Work Agenda in trade and investment agreements; emphasises that new agreements should only be concluded once these targets have been fulfilled and that existing agreements should be revised accordingly;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses the importance of using strategic foresight in order to improve developing countries’ preparedness and resilience to any future shocks and health crises, including the emergence of new disease mutations and future pandemics, aiming to develop future-proof strategies and responses;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU to take a leading role at a multilateral level to end hmarmfulket distorting subsidies by advocating for a common rulebook, including transparency and strict regulation and disciplines in trade agreements and at the World Trade Organization (WTO); stresses the importance of drawing up sustainability impact assessments on an ex-ante, intermediate and ex-post basis; stresses the need to develop a comprehensive framework with concrete targets to advance the SDGs, the Green Deal and the ILO Decent Work Agenda in trade and investment agreements; emphasises that new agreements should only be concluded once these targets have been fulfilledcarefully consider progress in third country efforts to meet sustainability targets and that existing agreements should be revised accordingly in due time;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. EWelcomes the Access2Market gateway and the Commission’s efforts in promoting this tool across the Europe; emphasiszes that transparency and dialogue with stakeholders and citizens are key to creating support for trade policy; insists that the role and responsibilities of and to harness its benefits; insists that the EU must deepen its engagement with Member States, the private sector, civil society, and domestic advisory groups must be clearly defined in the EU’s international agreementsall other relevant actors, as well as with trade partner and developing partner countries, and that financial assistance must be duly accompanied by capacity- building measures to enable itin order for them to function effectively and with particular attention paid to SMEs taking better advantage of trade agreements and to trade facilitation measures;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of fairresilient and sustainable value chains that respect human rights, labour rights and environmental standards; recalls that mandatory due diligence throughout the entire supply chain is a necessaryis an instrument to achieve this; stresses that more attention should be paid to the vulnerabile positiones of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), especially in developing countries, wheremarkets and in their manufacturing capacities as large companies are more likely to overcome a sudden drop in demandexogenous shocks;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that global value chains often involve an uneven distribution of risks, particularly in the garment sector; deplores the fact that during the pandemic this uneven distribution has led to European businesses offloading the costs of lower demand onto producers in developing countries by cancelling orders that were already produced and in some cases even shippedsymmetrical effects and distribution of risks; deplores that least developed countries (LDCs), low-income and middle-income (LICs and MICs) countries were hit the hardest in numerous sectors by trade disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic; calls the Commission to act as a global player and to tailor its support towards LDCs, LICs and MICs, while taking into consideration the particular circumstances of COVID-19; calls on the Commission to engage with Member States, local governments, the private sector and civil society to achieve a fairer distribution of risksnegative impacts and across the supply chains;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses that the tourism value chain is one of the main European industrial ecosystems; emphasises, in this regard, that due to restrictions on travel and supply chains disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis, tourism related sectors such as HORECA, as well as other major industries (aeronautic, automotive, steel, shipbuilding and marine) are suffering trade and economical collapse;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance ofNotes that Member State investments are often drastically cut during crises and assets in strategic sectors, such as healthcare, are exposed to a risk of undervaluation and sale to foreign investors; stresses that, while openness to trade is part of the economy’s resilience and competitiveness, effective rules ensuring fair competition and a level playing field for European businesses in, both in the internal market and in third- country markets; stresses, in this regard, the importance of trade defence instruments and calls on the Commission to swiftly, are necessary to guarantee mutually beneficial trade relations with international partners and protect the single market from aggressive investment strategies from non-EU actors trying to take advantage of the current crisis; stresses that increased investments of state-owned enterprises from third countries may be even more likely to cause distortions in case of leveraging of their privileged position within a closed and non-transparent domestic market; calls on the Commission to swiftly fill the gaps of the EU’s regulatory framework and complete the EU’s trade defence toolbox througwith legislative proposals in 2021, giving priority to an to strengthen our strategic autonomy, where priority should be given to instruments tohat deter and counteract coercive actions by third countries and that tackle distortions caused by foreign subsidies and state- owned enterprises and to the conclusion ofding the negotiations on the International Procurement Instrument12 ; __________________ 12Amended proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 January 2016 on the access of third- country goods and services to the Union’s internal market in public procurement and procedures supporting negotiations on access of Union goods and services to the public procurement markets of third countries (COM(2016)0034).
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is convinced that openness should go hand in hand with safeguarding our strategic sectors and should be closely connected with an ambitious, forward- looking industrial policy in line with the Green Deal and digital strategy, which can increase the EU’s capabilities to withstand future shocks in strategic sectors and ensure the competitiveness of EU businesses, creating quality jobs and ensuring that Europe plays a crucial role in the production of innovative goods and future services;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is convinced that openness should go hand in hand with safeguarding our strategic sectors and should be closely connected with an ambitious, forward- looking industrial policy in line with the Green Deal and digital strategy, creating quality jobs and ensuring that Europe plays a crucial role in the production of innovative goods and future services; supply chain diversification and resilience should be a key priority for the revised EU Trade Policy; highlights the coupling of trade and security interests and calls for a proportional strengthening of FDI Screening, complementing Member State efforts to safeguard European strategic sectors, preventing the establishment of detrimental and exploitable economic dependencies with non-EU actors;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is convinced that the EU is too dependent on a limited number of suppliers for critical raw materials, goods, and services, and that this undermines its strategic autonomy and geopolitical objectives; insists that the EU should overcome these undesirable dependencies via a horizontal mix of policies tohat incentivises companies to stockpile, increase manufacturing, diversify sourcing strategies and promotes nearshoring, where necessary, which could create new trading opportunities for partners in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods; stresses that related policies need to be tailored to the specific characteristics of the sectors and global value chains(GVCs) under consideration, as no general policy approach exists, and that GVC configuration is a business choice;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that fooagri-food markets and supply chains remained operational during the pandemic, but deplores that export restrictions and trade barriers have disrupted it; notes that the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), which brings together the principal trading countries of agricultural commodities with the aim of enhancing food market transparency and the policy response for food security, can be regarded as an example of good practice; calls on the Commission to explore whether this model could be used in other value chains as well; supports trade facilitating actions taken to promote food safety standards and sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) in response to COVID-19; calls on the Commission to identify the most appropriate measures to ensure that this pandemic does not translate into a food crisis in the developing world;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to come up with a digital trade strategy to, which increases the market access of European businesses, strengthens digital infrastructure, harmonizes regulatory frameworks, modernises trade and customs tools, and protects EU citizens’ rights under the GDPR13 ; underlines the acceleration of the digital revolution due to COVID-19 and stresses the importance of the EU taking the lead in setting standards for a sustainable, digital-driven global economy and keeping international data flows open to rapidly overcome a range of trade barriers and bottlenecks; calls on the EU to facilitate the building and readiness of digital infrastructures, particularly in the e-commerce sector and its supply capacities with the aim of reducing face to face processes and allowing for efficient logistics and strategic stockpiling; calls on the Commission to support skills training to enable more businesses and consumers to use online services and digital platforms; stresses the importance of engaging with the United States and like-minded partners on setting a joint regulatory framework and standards at the WTO level; __________________ 13Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to come up with a digital trade strategy to increase the market access of European businesses and protect EU citizens’ rights under the GDPR13 ; underlines the acceleration of the digital revolution due to COVID-19 and stresses the importance of the EU taking the lead in setting standards for a sustainable, digital-driven global economy and keeping international data flows open; encourages in this regard meaningful progress in the e-commerce negotiations ahead of the WTO ministerial conference at the end of the year; __________________ 13Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for incentiveslooking into providing incentives across the board for EU businesses to shorten or adjust their supply chains where it iscould be beneficial to do so, with a view to ensuring that external social, environmental and economic costs are fully internalised in the price in line with EU policies such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Biodiversity Strategy and stepping up EU action to protect and restore the world’s foreststhe EU's economy, resilience, geopolitical objectives and/or strategic autonomy;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for incentives for EU businesses to shorten or adjustfacilitating and enabling EU businesses to increase the resilience of their supply chains where it is beneficial to do so, with a view to ensuring that external social, environmental and economic costs are fully internalised in the price in line withEU supply chains can contribute to the goals of EU policies such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Biodiversity Strategy and stepping up EU action to protect and restore the world’s forests;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Underlines that international trade governance has an important role to play in the rapid development of medical treatments and vaccines, the rapid scaling up of production, the development of resilient global value chains and equitable market access for the whole world; stresses, in this context, that the COVID-19 pandemic must be used to provide impetus for more concerted international cooperation and to boost global preparedness for health emergencies;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Emphasises, in this connection, the detrimental effects of unilateral measures such as export restrictions and prohibitions and the lack of transparency on global stocks and the subsequent price speculation on scarce essential goods, not least for low and middle-income countries; calls, therefore, forthe EU to encourage the adoption of the WTO trade and health initiative by the end of 2021 and for greater transparency on the supply and production of essentialto encourage stronger global cooperation, including increased transparency, production of medical products, resilience of global healthcare system, and accessible and affordable medical products and services;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Is concerned about the recent rise in export restrictions on vaccines by the main manufacturing countries such as the US, the UK, China and, India and by the EU and emphasises that this might endangers the rapid global scaling up of vaccine production capacity; urges the Commission to engage with producing countries to swiftly eliminate export barriers and to replace the export authorisation mechanism with an export and import notification requirement; insists on having timely and comprehensive access to such data; ; reaffirms that the EU export authorisation mechanism is a temporary measure, only to be used as a very last resort, that should evolve in the long-term into a transparency mechanism; stresses, however, that for the time being a targeted export authorisation mechanism with criteria of proportionality and reciprocity works towards ensuring the safety and well-being of European citizens; emphasises that the increased transparency provided by the EU export authorisation mechanism has increased European citizens trust in the EU’s vaccine rollout and management of the COVID-19 pandemic while demonstrating the EU's cooperative approach as a vaccine export champion;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines that the vaccines against COVID-19 and its variants are a global public good and that multilateral efforts should be focused on ramping up global production capacities and on promoting voluntary partnerships and technology transfer agreements, including in low and middle-income countries; strongly welcomes, in this regard, the Global C19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Manufacturing Summit held on 8 and 9 March 2021 and calls for the establishment of structural platforms to rapidly scale up vaccine production in more countries, which could take the form of a Public-Private- Partnership clearing house to bring together private and public parties to enable and scale up partnerships, monitor bottlenecks, and identify measures to support vaccine manufacturing and deployment;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines that the vaccines against COVID-19 and its variants are a global public good and that multilateral efforts should be focused on ramping up global production capacities and technology transferlicensing agreements, including in low and middle- income countries; strongly welcomes, in this regard, the Global C19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Manufacturing Summit held on 8 and 9 March 2021 and calls for the establishment of structural platforms to rapidly scale up vaccine production in more countries;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Emphasises that international trade policy must play a proactive role in this endeavour by facilitating trade in raw materials, alleviating shortages of qualified and experienced personnel, solving supply chain problems and revisiting the global framework for intellectual property rights for future pandemics; insists, in this regard, on a constructive dialogue about a temporary wai; recognises the critical role of the existing intellectual property framework in enabling an unprecedented leverl of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in order to ensure that countries do not face retaliation over COVID-19 related patent infringements during the pandemicspeed in developing vaccines and therapies against COVID-19 and in facilitating the broad collaboration amongst governments, research institutions, and pharmaceutical companies;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Emphasises that international trade policy must play a proactive role in this endeavour by facilitating trade in raw materials, alleviating shortages of qualified and experienced personnel, solving supply chain problems and revisit; insists, ing the global framework for intellectual property riis regard, that no concrete evidence has been broughts for future pandemics; insists, in this regard, on a constructive dialogue abouward showing that IP rights constitute a barrier to combatting COVID-19; considers that a temporary waiver of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in order to ensure that countries do not face retaliation over COVID-19 related patent infringements during the pandemicwill not enhance vaccine production and technology/know how transfer and that destabilising the multilateral IP legal framework, which currently provides protection and incentives, will undermine EU preparedness against mutations and future pandemics; notes that LDCs already are exempt from a bulk of substantial TRIPS obligations;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes with concern that geopolitical competition and tensions have accelerated following the COVID-19 outbreak; stresses that the European Union still has to position itself in this new geopolitical environment and believes that the global pandemic has confirmed the need for a stronger and more effective international trade and development policy;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Invites the Commission to set out concrete and specific actions and a roadmap to implement the concept of open strategic autonomy; recalls the geopolitical significance of a strong, diversified and resilient EU trade policy; stresses that the EU’s market strength, values and adherence to cooperation, fairness and rule-based trade should be the basis of such openness; strongly recommends that the EU seeks out partnerships with like-mindednew and consolidates existing partnerships with like-minded partners; urges, to this end, the Commission to push forward and finalize ongoing bilateral negotiations with international partners; stresses, however, that where cooperation is not possible, the EU should pursue its interests through autonomous measures to protect its values and fight unfair trading practices;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Invites the Commission to set out concrete and specific actions and a roadmap to implement the concept of open strategic autonomy and to ensure that all soft and hard options are on the table, even calibrated threats; stresses that the EU’s market strength, values and adherence to cooperation, fairness, reciprocity, and rule-based trade should be the basis of such openness; strongly recommends that the EU seeks out partnerships with like-minded partners; stresses, however, that where cooperation is not possible, the EU should pursue its interests through autonomous measures to protect its values and fight unfair trading practices;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the Commission to proceed with putting in place the Multilateral Investment Court, building on the EU’s approach to its bilateral FTAs, to fully exercise its prerogative at EU level concerning investments agreements, and to support Member States in implementing effective foreign direct investment screening mechanism;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Urges the Commission to pursue an effective “vaccine & medical supplies diplomacy” for countries with limited access to them and to work effectively towards increasing the EU’s global standing and diplomatic visibility in this area as the acknowledgement of the EU’s leading role will strengthen its international credibility;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Believes that tackling international issues arising from, but not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic, should be handled at the multilateral lever and require further engagement by the European Union and its Member States, acting together as ‘Team Europe’;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the TPR’s affirmation of multilateralism and extensive proposals for the necessary in-depth reform of the WTO across all its functions; shares the Commission’s emphasis on economic recovery, digital trade, unfair state subsidies, and sustainable development in its vision for WTO reform and urges the Commission to bring to bear all efforts to implement a sustainable developmentits agenda; stresses the importance of taking forward the WTO initiative on trade and climate;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the TPR’s affirmation of multilateralism and extensive proposals for the necessary in-depth reform of the WTO; shares the Commission’s emphasis on sustainable development in its vision for WTO reform and urges the Commission to bring to bear all efforts to implement a sustainable development agenda; stresses the importance of taking forward the WTO initiative on trade and climate; stresses the importance of effective dispute settlement to establish stability and predictability in the multilateral trading system and the need to solve the current situation of the appellate body in cooperation with the United States, in order to make it operational again and in this way ensure that trade disputes can be properly solved;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Emphasises that reviving the WTO negotiating function will play a key role in any substantial reform of the organisation; highlights, in particular, the need to address competitive distortions caused by industrial subsidies and state-owned enterprises, particularly from China; calls for the Commission to actively pursue a solution to the mismatch between the level of development and the number of commitments undertaken within the international trading system; is convinced that EU leadership isand transatlantic cooperation are crucial for any meaningful WTO reform to succeed;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Shares the suggestion made in the TPR that the G20 should cooperate and take a leading role in achieving carbon neutrality worldwidestrengthen cooperation on carbon neutrality and other aspects of the Green Deal; stresses, however, that in order for this approach to be effective, some G20 members will need to raise their emission reduction commitments;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Supports the new, forward-looking transatlantic agenda based on common interests and shared values; urges the Commission and the US administration to cooperate closely in order to secure a level playing field and to agree on ambitious social and environmental standards and build on each other’s experience to enforce these more efficiently; calls for joint efforts to overcome the pandemic, speed up the economic recovery and facilitate trade in essential medical goods; reiterates that we should work together to achieve meaningful WTO reform and find common solutions to common problems; supports the Commission’s Communication on ‘A new EU-US agenda for global change’ and calls for the swift establishment of a new EU-US Trade and Technology Council;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Is aware of the importance of the EU’s multifaceted trade relationship with China; firmly believes that EU-China trade relations require a more balanced and reciprocal approach; stresses that the upcoming ratification process of the EU- China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment can only begin once the EU has the requisite autonomous measures in place, including a ban on products made using forced labour, an upgraded trade defence toolbox and a working sanctions mechanism on human rights; demands that the Commission move forward withhas to be accompanied by substantial progress in the elaboration of suitable and effective autonomous measures, to be deployed in efforts to counter market-distorting practices or to defend strategic EU interests, including a ban on products made using forced labour, an upgraded trade defence toolbox and a working sanctions mechanism on human rights; underlines that Parliament will carefully scrutinise the agreement, including its provisions on sustainable development and reminds the Commission that it will take the human rights situation in China, including in Hong Kong, into account when asked to endorse the Iinvestment Agreement with Taiwaagreement; deeply regrets the unacceptable Chinese escalation of placing elected Members of the European Parliament and European Union institutions under sanctions, as this further erodes trust and hinders bilateral cooperation;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Underlines the vital added value of engaging in consolidated economic and commercial relations with the wider Asia- Pacific region, manifesting the concept of Open Strategic Autonomy through a diversification of EU supply chains; stresses the strategic need of contributing to regional and global trade and investment standard-setting, recalling that the normative playing field is an area where the EU needs to exercise its influence, in line with its geo-economic ambitions;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Urges the Commission to move forward with the Investment Agreement with Taiwan, taking the necessary steps for a scoping exercise, impact assessment and launching a public consultation; reiterates the importance of the bilateral structural dialogue, including on matters related to multilateralism and WTO, technology and public health, as well as essential cooperation on critical supplies such as semiconductors;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes the TPR’s engagement towards Africa and the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods and looks forward to concrete steps to deepen the EU’s relations with these partners; stresses the importance of engaging in an effective, sustained and constructive fashion the Eastern Partnership countries, consolidating existing DCFTAs and providing mutually beneficial economic cooperation with these actors of key geopolitical relevance for the EU’s strategic agenda; reiterates the importance of a strategic and sustainable partnership with Southeast Asia, India and Latin America;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the EU to learn from its experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand what it means to be a geopolitical actor in an increasingly tense global environment and stresses the importance of using strategic foresight in order to increase preparedness and resilience for the world emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and for any future shocks and health crises, including the emergence of new disease mutations and future pandemics, aiming to develop future-proof strategies and responses;