28 Amendments of Daniel CASPARY related to 2015/2105(INI)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas trade is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve prosperity and equality and to raise standards of living;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas new-generation trade policy needs to respond to people’s concerns and expectations;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas trade negotiations such as ACTA, TTIP, CETA and TiSA have brought European trade policy to the public’s attention, and whereas more and more citizens are worried that European regulation and standards could be undermined by the CCPinterested in trade policy;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Deplores the fact that the new strategy is not sufficientlyConsiders the manufacture sector as a vital component for the industrialization of Europe and therefore the strategy should focus mored on the role of the manufacturing sector in the CCP, which is vital for the reindustrialisation of Europe;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is aware that transparency is crucial to gain public support for the CCP but remarks that trade negotiations and the European interests in those negotiations must not be undermined;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that the CCP is to be conducted in the context of the principles and objectives of the Union’s external action as set out in Article 21 TEU; recalls that the EU’s trade and investment policy must be consistent with other external policies; stresses that the EU has a legal obligation to respect human rights, and should foster the sustainable economic, social and environmental development of trading countries; points out that in some cases trade and investment agreements may have negative effects contrary to the EU’s external objectives as enshrined in the Treaties; is of the opinion that the EU has a responsibility to help tackle any negative impact caused by its CCP;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that provisions on human rights and social and environmental standards, and a bindn improving chapter on labour rights based on the ILO’s core labour rights and corporate social responsibility (CSR), must form an esse substantial part of EU trade agreements9 ; calls on the Commission to include sustainable development chapters that are not only legally binding but also enforceable in all EU trade and investment agreements; __________________ 9 OJ C 99E, 3.4.2012, p. 31.
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the importance of effective safeguard mechanisms in trade agreements; calls at the same time for the inclusion of an effective enforcement mechanism for labour and environmental rights to which the human rights clause does not apply; calls for a mechanism according to which civil society representatives, as well as Members of the European Parliament, are is able to request that the Commission commence an investigation into violations by a third party of its obligations under an essential elements clause;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Highlights the importance of Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) and the involvement of civil society in free trade agreements (FTAs); calls for the further strengthening of the work of DAGs; stresses that they should be fully independent; calls on the Commission to take measures to improve the work of DAGs such as providing financial resources, prior information and the possibility of using more advanced media in order to facilitate civil society participation;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recalls that the ILO estimates that 865 million women around the world, if better supported, could contribute more robustly to economic growth; notes that women-owned businesses represent an underutilised lever to boost competitiveness, accelerate business and sustain growth; states that trade policy can have differing gender impacts across the various sectors of the economy; regretstakes note that the Commission does not address the gender dimension of trade agreements in its ‘Trade for All’ communication; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to ensure that both women and men can take advantage of the benefits of trade liberalisation and be protected from its negative effects;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that trade policy must ensure a transparent production process throughout the value chain, as well as compliance with fundamental environment, social and safety standards; stresses the need for mandatory due diligence throughout the supply chain; welcomes the Commission’s desire to work closely with the ILO and the OECD to develop a global approach to improving working conditions in the garment sector; underlines the importance of identifying and assessing new sectoral or geographic opportunities for additional responsible supply chain partnerships; looks forward to the Commission’s upcoming communication on CSR;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission not toRemembers the Commission of the Commissioners agreement in her hearing not requesting provisional application of trade agreements, including trade chapters of association agreements, before Parliament gives its consent; recalls that it could seriously undermine Parliament’s rights and create potential legal uncertainty vis-à- vis the agreement’s other signatory and the economic operators concerned;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to improve the quality of both ex-ante and ex- post assessments; stresses the need to always submit a deep sustainability impact assessment, including on human, social and environmental rights, for any trade policy initiative; expresses its concern at the lack of interim and ex-post assessments and that the quathe most important trade politcy of the existing ones is very low, as demonstrated in the European Court of Auditors Special Report 02/2014initiative; insists that higher-quality interim and ex- post evaluations be carried out in respect of all trade agreements in order to allow policymakers, stakeholders and European taxpayers to assess whether trade agreements have achieved the intended results; asks the Commission to provide data on the impact of the trade agreements which have been concluded with special regard to SMEs and the creation of jobs;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that improvements were achieved at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in 2015; recognises the differences among WTO members on how to proceed as regards the Doha Round, including the need to consider new approaches to solve outstanding issues; welcomes the interest of some WTO members in starting to address new negotiating areas, such as investment, state owned enterprises and competition; believes that the outcome of the Nairobi Ministerial Conference provides an opportunity to give new life to the WTO’s negotiating function; urges the Commission to take the initiative in reforming and strengthening the WTO in order to ensure greater effectiveness, transparency and accountability;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers plurilateral negotiations within the WTO such as TISA, the Information Technology Agreement and the Environmental Goods Agreements to be the second-best option; emphasises that trade policy should also be used as a tool for increasing the competiveness of environmentally beneficial products; stresses the importance of multilateralising the ‘green goods’ initiative and of considering whether bilateral or unilateral trade agreements could provide premium preferences for environmental goods;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to focus in a balanced way on the conclusion of the ongoing trade negotiatiocontinue the ongoing negotiations in view of finalizing balanced and fruitful agreements in the interest of the EU citizens, and to show the potential benefits of the concluded trade agreements before launching new FTA negotiations; reminds the Commission to carry out a thorough, impartial and unprejudiced ex-ante evaluation of European interests before deciding on future FTA partners and negotiation mandates;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Underlines, in the context of the current talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the EU- Japan FTA, the high importance of focusing on core sensitive issuespursuing sensitive and offensive interests for the EU such as the protection of geographical indications (GIs) and public procurement when negotiating FTAs; Stresses the positive dynamic created by the recent trade agreements which have entered into force and the new possibilities of markets access on third markets for the EU companies; also welcomes the conclusions of recent trade negotiations, in particular FTA with Singapore and, CETA and hopes that they will enter into force soon;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Insists that trade negotiations follow a tailor-made regional trade strategy, in particular vis-à-vis Asia, Africa and Latin America, which have been identified by the Commission as crucial regions for European economic interests; In this context welcomes the conclusion of the regional Economic Partnership Agreement with the most of the ACP countries; recalls that Europe and Latin America are natural allies with a combined population of one billion people generating a quarter of global GNP; points out that the potential of this partnership has been insufficiently exploited; welcomes the fact that the Commission’s new trade and investment strategy puts a key focus on Latin America;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Commission to start negotiations for an investment agreement with Taiwan in parallel with the one with China; underlines that, in the context of the migration challenges, special focus should be put on the post-Cotonou framework; asks for further impetus to be given to negotiating FTAs with both Australia and New Zealand;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Underlines that, in the context of the migration challenges, special focus should be put on the post-Cotonou framework; asks for further impetus to be given to negotiating FTAs with both Australia and New Zealand; Reiterates the importance of China as a strategic partner for the European Union; stresses that trade relations between the two parties must be based on free and fair trade fully in accordance with WTO rules; Reminds the importance to develop EU trade relations with India due to the huge potential of this market for the EU industry; in this context hopes that the negotiations for the FTA can be fruitfully resumed;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8
Subheading 8
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Strongly opposes the granting of MES toinsists that China, as it is not fulfilling, for the time being, the EU’s five technical criteria for defining a market economy; underlines the importance of defining a common European strategy to reinvigorate and apply the anti-dumping procedures on various products suffering from the strong trade distortion caused by Chinese exporting companies and State subsidies;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Is aware that the inclusion of provisions relating to financial services in trade agreements has raised concerns regarding their potential negative effects where money laundering, tax evasion and avoidance are concerned; supports the Commission in its fight against corruption; iconsistders that clauses on corruption, money laundering and tax fraud be included in all trade and investmenttrade and investment agreements can offer a greater opportunity to increase cooperation on corruption, money laundering and tax fraud in order to include the relevant clauses in specific international agreements;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. StresseHighlights the importance of further debate with stakeholders aninward and outward investment to the EU economy and the need for the EU's business to be protected fully when they invest in third Pmarliament on thekets; in this context welcomes the recent Commission’s proposal for the Investment Court System in order to better clarify itswhich clarifies and ensures that there is no impact on the ‘right to regulate’,; asks for more information about the annual costs for the EU budget and its compliance with the EU legal order, the power of the EU courts in particular, and more specifically the EU competition rules;
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Calls for the elimination of the current imbalances as regards the degree of openness of public procurement markets between the EU and other trading partners; calls on the Commission to go even further in seeking an ambitious and more reciprocal opening up of international public procurement markets, while guaranteeing the exclusion of services of general economic interests; stresses that European economic operators, but especially European SMEs, need better access to public contracts in third countries;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49 a (new)
Paragraph 49 a (new)
49a. Asks the Commission and the Member States to launch an open debate about the possible shift of Custom authorities from the national to the EU level;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51
Paragraph 51
51. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to find more sophisticated ways of introducing mitigating measures to redevelop industries and regions that lose out; emphasises that in this respect the European Structural and Investment Funds, and in particular both the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund, can play an outstanding role; points out that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund could also be an important instrument if reformed and shaped in a way that it is adequately funded; Considers that an appropriate reflection has to be made on how improve and streamline the process of legal scrubbing and translation with a view to ensuring that all legal texts are presented to the Council and the Parliament for the signature and the ratification process in the shortest time possible;