31 Amendments of Willy MEYER related to 2011/0303(NLE)
Amendment 3 #
Proposal for a decision
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to its recommendation of 15 March 2007¹ to the Council on the negotiating mandate for an Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the countries of Central America, of the other part, ______________ ¹ OJ_C301E, p. 153, 13.12.2007.
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a decision
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
having regard to its resolutions of 5 May 2010 on the EU strategy for relations with Latin America¹ and of 21 October 2010 on the EU’s trade relations with Latin- America², __________________ ¹ P7_TA(2010)0141 ² P7_TA(2010)0387
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a decision
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
- having regard to the report on the trade chapter of the EU-Central America Association Agreement of March 2012¹, ________________ ¹ (PE 433.864)
Amendment 6 #
Proposal for a decision
Citation 5 b (new)
Citation 5 b (new)
- having regard to the final report on the EU-Central America Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (TRADE08/C1/C14 & C15 – Lot 2)¹, ________________ ¹ "Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment of the Association Agreement to be negotiated between the EU and Central America".
Amendment 8 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas for the development of EU- Latin America partnership relations to be of mutual benefit and bring advantages to both parties it is essential that respect for democracy, the state of law and full human rights for all members of society be seen as key elements of political dialogue; that the fight against poverty and inequality be seen as a key element of biregional cooperation relations; and for trade exchanges to include fair conditions of mutual benefit based on the principles of complementarity and solidarity, founded on an awareness of the asymmetries in development existing between the two regions,
Amendment 11 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the aim of the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America should be to promote sustainable development, the consolidation of democracy and the state of law, full respect for human rights, social cohesion and regional integration,
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the Agreement includes a legally binding human rights clause which requires the signatory parties to ensure proper monitoring of human rights,
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas there is a high incidence of assassinations of trade unionists in Central America; whereas there is a very high rate of feminicide;
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas the Agreement includes a trade and sustainable development chapter which should help to maintain a high level of socio-environmental and labour protection,
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Central American region is characterised by conditions of severe poverty, social exclusion and socio- environmental vulnerability,
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas with the entry into force of the Association Agreement the Central American countries will leave the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) special scheme under which they receive preferential trade conditions in exchange for guaranteeing the effective application of 27 international treaties, including the four fundamental treaties of the International Labour Organisation,
Amendment 24 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas the social and environmental impact report predicted that production would be focused on primary sectors such as fruit, vegetables and dried fruits; that there would be more pressure on land and water resources and that social conflict would increase,
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas the Council proposes a provisional implementation of the trade component before the entry into force of the trade and cooperation pillars,
Amendment 27 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Cf. whereas the Agreement provides for the creation of a Parliamentary Committee of the Association; whereas the European Parliament has recommended the provision of an annual report by said committee,
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point d a (new)
Paragraph 1 - point d a (new)
(da) Recalls that the Central American integration process has been subjected to severe pressure as a result of political crises in and among the region’s countries, as well as the lack of interest shown by some members in supporting the institutions of the Central American integration system;
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point d b (new)
Paragraph 1 - point d b (new)
(db) Regrets that this Agreement, as the first comprehensive partnership between regions, gives precedence to the trade component over other aspects, thereby demonstrating the EU’s interest in prioritising its commercial strategy. This has reduced the Agreement to a free trade agreement along closely similar lines to that signed between the Central American countries and the United States, CAFTA;
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point e
Paragraph 1 - point e
(e) Highlights the fact that the Association Agreement with Central America is the logical conclusion of the EU’Regrets that the EU has in this way relegated to second place its policy to support the peace process, stability and democracy in the region launched in the 1980s with a substantial political commitment expressed through the various peace accords and the Contadora Process;
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point f
Paragraph 1 - point f
(f) Welcomes the extraordinary new impetus that the political dialogue enshrined in the Association Agreement brings to the bioregional relationship in terms of dialogue between governments, parliament and civil society, a qualitative leap forward with regard to the old San José dialogue process begun in 1984; regrets that the institutional framework promoted by the Agreement does not include an institutional mechanism for dialogue with civil society in a broader sense, as it only provides for periodic meetings in order to exchange information;
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point g
Paragraph 1 - point g
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point h
Paragraph 1 - point h
(h) Stresses that the Association Agreement reached with Central America contains a number of important elements which help to secure the goals of the EU's external action, as enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union and, in particular, to develop and consolidate human rights and democracy, aignores one of the aims outlined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union: to ‘foster the sustainable economy andic, social and environmental development of developing countries, with the primary aim of eradicating poverty’;
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point j
Paragraph 1 - point j
(j) StresseRegrets that the Association Agreement with Central America should be seen asis not, as it stands, an ideal framework for joining forces, as equal partners, to combat social inequality, to foster inclusive development and to address the remaining social, economic and political challenges;
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point l
Paragraph 1 - point l
(l) Notes that the new Association Agreement opens up new possibilities for dialogue on the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, in line with the Regional Security Strategy endorsed by the Central American presidents; welcomes the various commitments to coordinate efforts to combat drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorist financing, organised crime and corruption; recalls that national and regional security strategies in Central America centre on police and military action, which incurs the risk of human rights abuses, in some cases threatening the safety of human rights defenders and paying little attention to the root causes of the lack of public safety; calls on the EU to emphasise prevention, the fight against impunity and the participation of civil society in security strategies;
Amendment 51 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point n
Paragraph 1 - point n
(n) Stresses that social cohesion is a priority objective of regional cooperation policy; insists that social cohesion can only be achieved by reducing poverty, inequality, social exclusion and all forms of discrimination; stresses that social inequality has not been sufficiently reduced in recent years and that; urges the EU to contribute through cooperation to resolving the structural causes of the lack of public safety which is a matter of great concern in Central America;
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point n a (new)
Paragraph 1 - point n a (new)
(na) Alerts the EU to the danger of using the Agreement to focus cooperation on the implementation of the trade component, supporting the major Central American exporters instead of strengthening the development of SMEs and interregional trade, which is crucial to building integration and to the development of the region and is a fundamental axis for development and integration;
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point o
Paragraph 1 - point o
(o) Points out that commitments have been made to cooperate in modernising the state and public authorities, improving systems for tax collection and transparency, combating corruption and impunity, strengthening the legal system and encouraging the involvement of civil society in public life;
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point r
Paragraph 1 - point r
(r) StresseRegrets that the current trade provisions, which are of a provisional nature and based on a unilateral system of generalised preferences, will gradually give way to a reciprocal, negotiated structure for the gradual liberalisation of trade in goods and services and of public procurement, as well as for action to encourage investment. This will lead to a predictable framework of legal security and certainty, able to inspire mutual trust, which which essentially benefits the European Union, given its essential to building trade and investmentsubstantial competitive advantage in these sectors;
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point r a (new)
Paragraph 1 - point r a (new)
(ra) Regrets that the requirement to comply with labour and socio- environmental standards established by the Agreement is below that set by the currently applicable GSP+ system, due to the fact that the trade and sustainable development chapter neither includes nor is linked to the dispute settlement mechanism; furthermore regrets that the Agreement prioritises the trade pillar, thereby neglecting the social cohesion objective and jeopardising the achievements made so far;
Amendment 62 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point t a (new)
Paragraph 1 - point t a (new)
(ta) Expresses its concern at the foreseeable socio-environmental impact of the Agreement and the consequences of this for a region already worryingly prone to natural disasters, even before taking the climate change variable into consideration; urges the Association Parliamentary Committee to closely monitor the situation as it develops, request information from the Association Council and deliver an annual report;
Amendment 63 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point t b (new)
Paragraph 1 - point t b (new)
(tb) Points out that the Agreement consolidates a primary export model for the Central American countries, which will increase pressure on land and water resources and concentrate production in a few sectors, such as fruit, vegetables and dried fruits, as has been recognised by the socio-environmental impact assessment carried out by the European Commission;
Amendment 64 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point t c (new)
Paragraph 1 - point t c (new)
(tb) Urges the Association Council to carry out an impact assessment five years after the implementation of the Agreement; considers that the Agreement should be reviewed on the basis of the findings and the impact observed;
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 1 - point t d (new)
Paragraph 1 - point t d (new)
(tc) Draws attention to the way in which the discussions on this Agreement have totally ignored the signs that democracy is receding in the region, the tendency towards militarisation and the human rights violations that continue to take place in some countries and are reappearing in others, including the increasing number of murders of trade union activists and the persistence of feminicide; urges the Association Parliamentary Committee to closely monitor the situation as it develops, request information from the Association Council and deliver an annual report;