Activities of Emmanuel MAUREL related to 2018/0356M(NLE)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Amendments (25)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12
Citation 12
– having regard to its resolution of 14 December 2017 on freedom of expression in Vietnam, notably the case of Nguyen Van Hoa5 , condemning the sentencing of Nguyen Van Hoa5 to seven years in prison because of his "legitimate use of freedom of expression", expressing Europe’s "concern about the rise in the number of detentions" - which have risen even more rapidly since 2017 -, "calling on the Vietnamese authorities to release all citizens detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression", "expressing serious concerns about the extensive application of the national security provisions in Vietnam’s Penal Code" and "urging the Government of Vietnam to amend it deeply", denouncing "Vietnam’s use of death penalty", recalling "the importance of Human Rights Dialogue between EU and Vietnam as a key instrument to be used to encourage Vietnam in the implementation of the necessary reforms" ; _________________ 5 OJ C 369, 11.10.2018, p. 73.
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13
Citation 13
– having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2018 on Vietnam, notably the situation of political prisoners6 , deploring that "Vietnamese authorities continue to imprison, detain, harass and intimidate human rights defenders, journalists, bloggers, human rights lawyers and civil society activists in the country", reiterating its previous year’s "call on the Vietnamese authorities to end all restrictions and acts of harassments against human rights defenders", and once again "calling on the authorities of Vietnam to repeal, review or amend all repressive laws and releasing all political prisoners", all of this without any tangible results other than silence and continued repression ; _________________ 6 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0459.
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas this is the second bilateral trade agreement concluded between the EU and an ASEAN member state and is an important stepping stone towards a region-to-region FTA; whereas the agreement, along with Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Singapore to which Parliament gave its consent on 13 February 2019, will alsrisks to serve as a benchmark for the agreements the EU is currently negotiating with the other main ASEAN economies;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas, however, the impact assessment on this FTA forecasts that EU deficit with Vietnam, currently around 30 billion euros per year, will increase by 2035 as a result of suppression of tariffs and non-tariffs barriers;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas Vietnam has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1982 ; whereas its implementation is still largely insufficient, as reported by many international organizations and NGO's
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas a new cybersecurity law entered into force on 1st January 2019, potentially restricting the room for peaceful exercise of freedom of expression as well as posing considerable challenges for internet and social media operators in the country;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H d (new)
Recital H d (new)
Hd. whereas the European External Action Service has repeatedly highlighted a negative trend in Vietnam's human rights record, including most recently during the 8th EU-Vietnam human rights dialogue in March 2019 and in statements in May 2019 and June 2019;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA) is the most comprehensive and ambitious agreement ever concluded between the EU and a developing country and serves as a reference point for the EU’s engagement with developing countries;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that negotiations began in June 2012 and were concluded in December 2015 after 14 negotiating rounds, and regrets subsequent delays in bringing forward the agreement for signature and ratificationbut wishes that INTA committee members and the European Parliament as a whole, which are not responsible for these delays, take all time necessary to study carefully this Agreement;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the economic and strategic importance of this agreement,a partnership as the EU and Vietnam share a common agenda and common values – to stimulate growth and employment, boost competitiveness, fight against poverty and make progress towards achievinge the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is convinced that the agreement willa partnership can make further strides towards setting high standards and rules in the ASEAN region, helping to pave the way for a future region-to-region trade and investment agreement;but stresses that theis agreement also sends a strong signal in favour of open and free trade at times of protectionist tendencies and the questioning of multilateral rules-based tradeunlimited trade of goods in the current non-sustainable and harmful globalization;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines that the agreement will eliminate over 99 % of tariffs9 ; concludes that EU companies will use this as an incentive to outsource plants and jobs from our territory to Vietnam, destructing more jobs in our own manufacturing sector, notes that Vietnam will liberalise 65 % of import duties on EU exports to Vietnam upon entry into force, with the remainder of the duties being gradually eliminated over a 10-year period; notes also that the EU will liberalise 71 % of its imports upon entry into force and 99 % will be duty free after a 7-year period; points out that the agreement will also contain specific provisions to address non- tariff barriers for EU exports; _________________ 9 EU exports to Viet Nam: 65 % of duties to disappear as soon as the FTA enters into force, and the remainder to be phased out gradually over a period of up to 10 years (for example, in order to protect the Vietnamese motor sector from European competition, duties on cars will remain for the full 10 years); Vietnamese exports to the EU: 71 % of duties to disappear on entry into force, the remainder to be phased out over a period of up to seven years.
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses theat improved access under this agreement to Vietnamese public procurement in line with the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), as Vietnam is not yet a member of the GPAwill be limited for many years to the biggest projects, since financial thresholds will remain very high; underlines that the government procurement chapter of the EVFTA achieves a degree of transparency and procedural fairness comparable to other FTAs that the EU has signed with developed and more advanced developing countries, but stresses the fact that Vietnamese administration going on, in spite of recent reforms and significant efforts, to suffer many problems regarding corruption (as highlighted by last Transparency Watch Index), it will be very difficult for EU companies, especially SMEs, to get the same level playing field as Vietnamese local and/or State Owned Enterprises;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Expresses its deep concern about the provisions in the Agreement on the rules of origins, which can lead to the legalization of smuggling of certain goods to Europe, for instance steel or aluminium, through Vietnam from neighbouring China; calls for a special EP-DG Trade working group to study carefully all these provisions and to amend them in a more strict redaction if necessary;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that, in terms of services, Vietnam goes beyond its WTO commitments, provides for substantially better access in a number of business subsectors and offers new market access to sectors such as packaging services, trade fair and exhibition services or rental/leasing; underlines that Vietnam has opened up cross-border higher education services for the first time; takes note that the Vietnamese financial sector will also be liberalized, giving EU banks new opportunities to speculate and inflate the global financial bubble;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that the EVFTA, contrary to official communications issued by the EU Commission, does not includes a ny “robust, comprehensive and binding chapter” on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) dealing with labour and environmental matters; stresses that the TSD chapter is mostly designed for both parties to stick to vague commitments, deprived of any legal force, to contribute to broader EU policy objectives, notably on inclusive growth, the fight against climate change and more generally in upholding EU values; emphasises that it is also an instrument wishful thinking for development and social progress in Vietnam to support Vietnam in its efforts to improve labour rights and to enhance protection at work and protection of the environment;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the concrete steps taken by the Vietnamese Government so far, including amending labour legislation and the legal framework on the minimum age at work, aimed at abolishing child labour and making commitments on non- discrimination and gender equality at work, but insists that all these improvements must entry into force before any step forward to the ratification of the Agreement by Parliament;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses, however, that despite this progress, important challenges remain; welcomes in this regard the ratification of fundamental ILO Convention 98 (collective bargaining) on 14 June 2019 and thbut cannot take for granted a simple commitment by the Vietnamese Government to ratify two remaining fundamental Conventions, namely 105 (abolition of forced labour) in 2020 and 87 (freedom of association) in 2023, following the imminent adoption of the new Labour Codeand insists for these measures to be taken before any step forward to the ratification of the Agreement by Parliament;
Amendment 165 #
14. WelcomesTakes note of the commitment to effectively implement multilateral environmental agreements such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, and to act in favour of the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife, biodiversity and forestry but doesn’t read the effectiveness of this implementation in the provisions in the Agreement; recalls that the Agreement provides for specific measures to fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU) and to promote a sustainable and responsible fishery sector, including aquaculture, which must be implemented by a decrease of Vietnamese fishing fleet prior to the ratification of the Agreement ;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Acknowledges Vietnam’s engagement to address illegal logging and deforestation through the conclusion of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) with the EU; notes that this agreement has been in force since 1 June 2019 and introduces mandatory due diligence obligations for its importers; welcomes the open and constructive participation of all relevant stakeholders in Vietnam in this process but keeps being concerned by NGO’s observations about the continuation of illegal trade of precious wood, transiting to Vietnam from Laos and Cambodia and aggravating deforestation;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Underlines the crucial importance of implementing all provisions and chapters of the agreement, ranging from market access to sustainable development and enforcement of all commitments; highlights in this context the new post of Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, who will work directly under the guidance of the Trade Commissionerdemands that EU Commission and Council make a political declaration, assorted of strict rules of procedures, about the suspension of the Agreement especially in case of new human rights violations by the Vietnamese Government;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that the involvement of civil society in monitoring the implementation of the agreement is crucial, but is forced to admit that Vietnamese civil society does not enjoy any autonomy, free will or independence from Vietnamese’s State, and calls for the swift establishment of really free and autonomous domestic advisory groups followingprior to the entry into force of the agreement and for the balanced representation of civil society therein;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Acknowledges the institutional and legal link between the FTA and the PCA, which theoretically ensures that human rights are placed at the core of the EU- Vietnam relationship; regrets that the Commission has always refused to define the grounds of which human rights could be invoked in order to stick effectively to the PCA and its linkage to art. 21.1 TEU: “The Union's action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles which have inspired its own creation, development and enlargement, and which it seeks to advance in the wider world: democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principles of equality and solidarity, and respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. The Union shall seek to develop relations and build partnerships with third countries, and international, regional or global organisations which share the principles referred to in the first subparagraph”
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Demands the immediate release of all political prisoners, members of civil society such as bloggers or independent labour unionists, currently detained or convicted, notably those listed in EP 14.12.2017 and 15.11.2018 resolutions;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Demands a comprehensive reform of the Vietnamese Criminal Code aimed to meet basic international standards on fair trial, defence’s rights and abolition of death penalty;