23 Amendments of Willy MEYER related to 2013/2739(RSP)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the revolutionary mass movements in North Africa and the Middle East, referred to as the Arab Spring, hasve brought about dramatic changes to the peoples of the countries concerned and there is considerable expectation that the European Union will respond in a manner commensurate with the commitments it undertook towards its Southern neighbours in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy; whereas almost three years later, there are hardly any results in terms of meeting the aspirations of those who made the revolutions for democratic rights and improved living standards;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU should use its exclusive competence over trade and investment policy to foster greater links and economic integration in the Mediterranean area, with the sole objective of assisting with the meeting of the just aspirations of the people in the Southern Mediterranean countries in terms of a meaningful and lasting increase in living standards, democratic freedoms and the creation of decent and unionised jobs;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the evolving political landscape in the Southern Mediterranean is very fragile and necessitates a clear and supportive response by the European Union in order to consolidate and broaden the democratic gains achieved to date and support those whose realisation is still underway; whereas trade based on the principles of solidarity and sustainable development in the interests of the majority of the people and the environment, potentially offers genuine opportunities of lifting countries out of poverty and creating new opportunities in order to meet the social demands of the people which have so far not been met;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the useEuropean Union's design of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs) where the economic and political requiich focus on further liberalisation and market opening in the areas of procurements are met offer a means of furthering the economic links between the European Union and the SMCs, particularly as regards regulatory convergencend services does not sufficiently take into account the asymmetries between the EU and the respective countries and are therefore not likely to be beneficial for the majority of the people, both in the EU and the SMCs;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas trade liberalisation in the Mediterranean area, in particular in the agricultural sectors, should be beneficial to all Mediterranean regions and not undermine EU regions' economyis most likely to have detrimental effects for small farmers on both sides of the Mediterranean;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas on 19 November 2012, the Polisario raised five pleas in law in support of its action against (i) Council Decision 2012/497/EU of 8 March 2012 on the conclusion of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures on agricultural products, processed agricultural products, fish and fishery products, the replacement of Protocols 1, 2 and 3 and their Annexes and amendments to the Euro- Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part (OJ 2012 L 241, p. 2) and (ii) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 812/2012 of 12 September 2012 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 as regards tariff quotas of the Union for certain agricultural and processed agricultural products originating in Morocco (OJ 2012 L 247, p. 7);
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas many SMCs suffer from serious economic weaknesses and obstacles to growth such as poor governance and, corruption and nepotism, partly inherited from the old dictatorships but also partly carried on by the new rulers as well as chronic unemployment where large sectorions of the population, and young people in particular, are excluded from the job market and whereas according to the ILO Euromed countries have the highest ratio of women compared to men in low quality jobs;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the already strong trade links between the European Union and the SMCs through the Association Agreements need to be furthered strengthened exploiting the possibilities and opportunities offered by these Agreements; in particular is of the opinion that economic diversification is key and given; underlines that the preservices sector is becoming increasingly significant for the SMCs, supports offering the SMCs more integraation and the development of strong and democratically run public services is another important precondition into the EU's internal market for servicesguarantee sustainable development in the region;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out the vulnerability and fragility of the economies of the Southern Mediterranean countries and insists that those asymmetries need to be taken into account when engaging in trade relations with those countries in order for the benefits of economic reforms, political, social and environmental commitments to be enjoyed by the whole population of the partner country; is therefore convinced that DCFTAs and a fully-fledged Southern Mediterranean Free Trade Area are not the right tool to advance regional integration and the social and economic development of the region;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Reiterates its position that it consider the public external debt of the countries in North Africa and the Middle East to be odious debt considering that the debt was built up by dictatorial regimes, mostly through the enrichment of the political and economic elite and the purchasing of arms often used to oppress their own populations; therefore calls for the cancellation of this debt, and notably that related to arms expenditure;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Strongly opposes the conditionalities with regard to demands for economic, structural adjustment programmes stipulated in the MoU for IMF loans and the EU's Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) Scheme, as they contribute to the worsening of living standards of workers and the most vulnerable layers of society;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WelcomesTakes note of the future establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean trade and investment facilitation mechanism (TIFM), which should provide economic operators with the necessary information on doing business in the region, including inter alia on regulations and trade and investment flows;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Is deeply concerned about the European Union's relations with the deeply undemocratic Kingdom of Morocco, urges the European Union to suspend the advanced status it has granted the country and not to conclude the fisheries agreement or the negotiations for a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement while Morocco continues with its policy of systematic human rights violations in the occupied territories of Western Sahara;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Reiterates that Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara has never been recognised by international law, as noted by the opinion of the International Court of Justice in The Hague in October 1975; states that Morocco is illegally occupying the territory of Western Sahara and does not, therefore, have any sovereignty over its natural resources; calls on the EU to demand that the Kingdom of Morocco respect international law regarding the exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara; therefore stresses the urgent need to complete the decolonisation process of the Non- Autonomous Territory of Western Sahara as established by international law in order to put end to the Moroccan occupation;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the mobility partnership signed with Morocco in June 2013, the first of its kind between the Union and a Mediterranean partner, which will facilitate the issuing of visas for certain groups of people such as business professionals and researchers; hopes that the ongoing negotiations on mobility partnerships with Tunisia and with Jordan will be concluded in the near future; stresses however that ordinary citizens, including trade unionists and political activists encounter enormous difficulties when applying for visas to enter the European Union, underlines that this situation is unsustainable;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Is opposed to the agreement between the EU and Morocco concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures on agricultural products and fishery products as well as any steps towards concluding free trade agreements with the countries of the Mediterranean; is of the opinion that the conclusion of free trade agreements will adversely affect small farmers, working people and young people, as well as the environment, in both the Southern Mediterranean and the EU;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Reiterates that the Western Sahara cannot be included in any agreement that the EU concludes with the Kingdom of Morocco, is of the opinion that the door should be opened to separate agreements with the Western Saharan people, concluded through their legitimate representatives, if they wish to pursue this course;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Condemns the military coup d'état in Egypt, demands an immediate end to all EU military aid to Egypt and stresses that the release of all political prisoners the right to a fair trial and a return to civilian rules based on the objectives of the 2011 revolutionary movements with regard to democratic and social rights and freedoms as well as an improvement of living standards is an absolute precondition before entering into ant negotiations for a possible DCFTA with Egypt;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Expresses its concerns about political developments in Egypt and condemns the military coup d'état of 3 July 2013; is of the opinion that the leaders and generals of the Egyptian army cannot offer a way forward to advance the rightful demands of the Egyptian people, as the army's leadership holds powerful economic positions within Egypt and represents different economic and political interests from those of the workers, the poor and young people who demand social justice and higher living standards; reiterates that meeting those demands of the Egyptian people must be the sole objective of the EU's trade policy towards Egypt;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Highlights the importance of the uniform implementation of the principle of territoriality in conformity with international law by all Parties to facilitating the expansion of cooperation and commercial exchange, as well as securing the fundamental rights of all peoples of the region in a climate of peace;