20 Amendments of Caroline LUCAS related to 2008/2205(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas more than 96 % of SMEs in the EU have fewer than 50 employees and less than EUR 10 Miillion in annual turnover which limits their possibilities to export goods and services outside their national borders, due to the high fixed costs attached to international trade; whereas in developing countries, the share of micro and small enterprises of the total of SMEs is even higher than in the EU,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas their international performance is inadequate, in that onlytherefore structurally weak, though 8% of SMEs in the 27- member Union export goods outside their national borders and almost 3% of SMEs view the export of goods outside the Union as a priority; whereas by contrast the top ten European companies account for 96% of EU exports and foreign direct investment (FDI),
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas trade and investment liberalisation increases competitive pressure on SMEs throughout the world; whereas collateral rules to trade and investment liberalisation increase also the fixed costs of engaging in international trade; whereas trade and investment liberalisation is therefore more of a threat than an opportunity for those seeking to access new markets, especially for micro enterprises, and especially in developing countries,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Recognises that trade and investment liberalisation imposes high costs and adaptation requirements on SMEs in the EU and all over the world, which must be mitigated by rules in the multilateral trade arena in order to safeguard SME interests;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the need to review thoroughly the WTO system to ensure that it takes greater account of the role of SMEs and their interests; points out that the WTO needs the support of SMEs just as SMEs need a clear and functional international normative framework;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make active efforts with a view to reaching a multilateral global agreement on 'trade facilitation', inter alia to enable European SMEs to benefit fullymore from globalisation and the opening of third-country markets;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Supports the Commission's efforts to provide the EU with a global strategy covering all external aspects of European competitiveness and helping to ensure that the Lisbon Strategy objectives are fully achieved, but notes with regretNotes with regret the orientation of the Global Europe Strategy to only meeting the interests of large multinational corporations, leading to the absence of any specific initiatives in favour of SMEs which provide two-thirds of employment in the EU; calls on the Commission and the Council to remedy this shortcoming without delay and to set ambitious and, at the same time, realistic objectives to safeguard the interests of SMEs and make the necessary means and resources available;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls onTakes note of the efforts of the Commission and the Member States to commit themselves with renewed vigour to preventing and combating counterfeiting by means of appropriate internal policies and international initiatives, at both multplurilateral (e.g. the ACTA Agreement) and bilateral (new economic cooperation agreements with third countries) level, taking due account of the impact of counterfeiting on SME; underlines that for SMEs the protection of geographical indications and of patent rights are equally if not more important than the protection of trademarks and copyrights;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Points out that opening upthe reciprocal opening up of markets entails high adjustment costs especially for SMEs, which must be valued against realistic assumptions of their effective access to new markets, especially in emerging countries, toand the role of European SMEs meansin creating new jobs and defending existing jobs, safeguarding know-how and specific features of European industry and giving EU countries a guarantee of solid and lasting economic growth;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that the internationalisation of SMEs isstrengthening of a healthy business environment for SMEs within the EU must be a primary objective of trade policy and should constitute a cornerstone of the European Small Business Act, which will act as a stable, homogeneous, binding and global framework for the Commission's policies for SMEs;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Regards political and financial support to foster product and process innovation, as well as research cooperation and technology transfer, as the most suitable means to increase the productivity of SMEs, which is at the base of any successful internationalidation strategy of SMEs;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to give closer attention to assessing the potentially negative impact which the new generation of free-trade agreements negotiated with third countries can have on European SMEs and to take account of this assessment at the negotiation phase;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Takes the view that the Commission should refrain from concluding free-trade agreements or other trade agreements that are notmight onlybe favourable to the large corporations or the European economy as a whole and, but not to SMEs in particular or that do not provide for trade concessions at similar level, except in the cases of developing countries;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Emphasises that Free Trade Agreements with developing countries may have also important negative consequences on the economic survival of SMEs in the partner countries and their important function in providing a healthy social fabric;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recalls that public tenders are one of the most promising economic sectors for the European economy and for SMEs in particular; expresses concern at the persisting restrictions in many third countries, which refuse to guarantee European companies similar access to their tender procedures or which apply standards that, in many cases, lack transparency and fairnesunderlines however that public tenders at sub-national levels are an important instrument for regional governments to support SMEs, in Europe as well as in developing partner countries;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Takes the view that the development and internationalisation of European SMEsof European SMEs and their adaptation to challenges deriving from trade and investment liberalisation calls for special attention and support in the formulation of EU trade policy;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate amongst themselves with a view to establishing a coherent and wide-ranging policy enabling European SMEs to develop in a harmonious manner and gain access to new markets and, more generally, to expand their export activities and internationalisationallow for their better access to new markets;