Activities of Emilio MENÉNDEZ del VALLE related to 2010/2301(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU and China: unbalanced trade? (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on EU and China: Unbalanced Trade? PDF (320 KB) DOC (243 KB)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the imbalance in bilateral trade between the EU and China has been in China's favour since 1997, and whereas this trade deficit amounted to 168.8 billion euros in 2010 compared to 49 billion in 2000; whereas nearly 85 % of export trade focusing on assembly operations is made by foreign companies settled in China;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. Whereas the impact of the EU Common Commercial Policy is sometimes undermined by the diverging national interests pursued by Member States towards China;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas China's accession to the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) should be eased by the revision of the GPA's rules and the broadening of its scope agreed on 15th December 2011 during the last WTO Ministerial Conference;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas in 2010 over 103 million products suspected of infringing intellectual property rights (IPR) of a value totalling 1.11 billion euros were seized at the EU's external borders and China is the country of origin for 85 % of these goods; whereas an important feature of intellectual property protection is the proper enforcement of existing laws and international commitments, including penalties;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas the implementation of environmental policies in China is still in its infancy and China still relies on high energy intensity production coupled with low efficiency levels; whereas China and the EU could develop strong cooperation on renewable energies;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes that China deplores the existence of trade barriers to the European market such as the EU's significant agricultural subsidies for European farmers, the complex system of agricultural tariffs, technical obstacles to trade, as well as barriers to third country investments in certain Member States;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Deplores that China is developing discriminatory measures vis a vis foreign companies, namely the "buy Chinese" initiative and "indigenous innovation";
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is concerned aboutNotes the problems foreign businesses encounter in accessing Chinese public procurement whereasile substantial access to European public procurement is guaranteed; regrets that China has not acceded to the plurilateralwelcomes the revision and the broadened scope of the Agreement on Government Procurement (AGPA) even though it committed to do soagreed on 15th December 2011 during the last WTO Ministerial Conference; therefore encourages China to make an accession offer to the GPA which is comparable to the level of other Parties to the GPA in line with its commitment in its protocol on accession to the WTO; calls on the Commission to make haste in developing a European instrument to ensure better access for European businesses to foreign public procurement markets and to encourage the EU's trading partners, such as China, to open up their public procurement markets and eliminate protectionist measures;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points out that the main form in which foreign companies are allowed to set up in China is through joint ventures – a mechanism which is very restrictive and too often associated with strategic technology transfers that may favour the competitive development of China to the detriment of European industry in fields in which the EU is at the forefront; is convinced that further openness by China on joint venture combined with better IPRs protection will certainly be beneficial for both sides;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Deplores the inadequate protection of IPR in China and regrets the lack of specific means available to European businesses, and particularly SMEs, to counter IPR infringements effectively; welcomes the Commission's decision to proposer a review of the directive on the enforcement of IPR; calls on the Commission to better defend IPR in all the multilateral organisations where China is a member (the WTO, the World Health Organisation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation); wants China to continue to transpose current international law on the protection of IPR into its national legislation to close the substantive IPR protection gap between the EU and China, and more specifically to combat counterfeiting, and urges the Chinese authorities to appensure enforcement, especially iat correctlya regional level; regrets that China ihas not takingen part in the negotiations on the next international agreement to combat counterfeiting (ACTA); urges the Commission and the Member States to step up customs cooperation in the EU and with third countries, particularly on the seizure of counterfeit goods, and to simplify customs procedures; asks the Commission and the Member States to cooperate more closely in third countries on copyright issues and licensing;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. urges China to renew its fight against corruption and to improve its legal system to ensure the correct enforcement of contractual obligations;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Encourages China to align technical regulations and standards with international standards and avoid "home- grown" standards embodying unique Chinese technologies;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Points out that China holds sovereign debt of Member States in the eurozone; stresses that this fact has taken on a new political dimension as a result of the serious debt problems within the eurozone; calls on the Commission to start discussions with the ECB and Member States on the creation of a coordinated system to identify which parties hold sovereign debt; wonders about the EU's capabilities in trade negotiations with China in view of the latter's contribution to the financial stabilisation of the eurozone;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Member States to demand that foreign enterprises respect European social and environmental standards and ensure the sustainability of employment when they purchase European businesses or set up subsidiaries in the EU; asks the Commission to set up a body entrusted with the ex ante evaluation of foreign strategic investment, along the lines of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), in order to obtain a clear picture of businesses operating and investing in the territory of the EU and to report to the Parliament on a regular basis;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Emphasises China's growing influence in the theatre of international trade; calls on the EU therefore to remain vigilant concerning the economic, social and environmental impact of increasing Chinese investment in developing countries, particularly in Latin America and in Africa;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Reaffirms the need for Chinese investments in Latin America and in Africa, particularly in Special Economic Zones (SEZ), to contribute to economic development and to the development of local production chains by using the local labour force;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Acknowledges that some efforts have been made by the Chinese authorities to promote social and labour rights; encourages them to continue on this path;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the EU to strengthen its economic, budgetary, fiscal and political governance to give it a credible and imposing voice on the international stage; calls on the Council and the Commission to speak with one voice in order to prevent partnerships and bilateral agreements weakening the EU position; urges on the Member States to work closely with the Commission when defining their commercial policy; asks the EU to implement a long-term strategy with regard to China;