12 Amendments of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2011/0303(NLE)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
The Committee on International Trade calls on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, as the committee responsible, to propose that Parliament decline to give its consent.
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the PA was supposed to meets the EU’s objective of promoting regional integration through trade, as laid down in Commission Communication ‘Trade, Growth and World Affairs’ and in line with the Europe 2020 strategy, the result uses trade as an engine for the Union's competitiveness and developmentinfluence,
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the trade provisions of the PA should not be applied prior to the entry into force of the political and cooperation chapters,
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. stressing the magnitude of the trade part of the PA that qualitatively and quantitatively extends the range of goods and services that will benefit from a free trade area and establishes a framework for legal security and certainty that will stimulate the flow of goods, services and investsocial and ecological consequences of the free trade component of this agreement and its likely polarising effect on societies, which may have very negative consequences concerning governability and democracy, as seen in the case of the EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreements,
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Recital F
Recital F
F. reiterating the positive effects for both partiedoubting that the effects of establishing athis framework for strengthening legal security and encouraging an increase in trade and investment flows andof investors will be positive for both parties; expecting that an increase in trade and investment flows would not be bi-directional and that the requisite sectorial and geographical diversification process in CA will be slowed down; anticipating that the most significant effect for the EU will be the savings resulfor EU investors and corporations benefitting from the staggered reduction or elimination of tariffs and trade facilitation, and investment in particular if investors in mining a framework of stability and mutual trust, stressingnd other sectors continue to ignore the commitment of both regions to international standards, especially those of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO)including environmental standards and those of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); deploring the reduction of effective mechanisms to guarantee the implementation of those commitments compared to the GSP+ scheme; noting that for CA it willould imply a greater international presence, a strategic partnership with an established market, and an opportunity for diversification and for attracting long-term productive investments, of much more powerful economic actors and an additional obstacle to industrialisation, diversification of its economy and sustainable development and social stability; recalling the Sustainability Impact Assessment analysis, which found that this FTA would increase the specialisation of the economy of CA countries in mining and the exportation of raw materials and primary goods such as fruits, vegetables and dried fruits, as well as increasing the pressure on land and water,
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital G
Recital G
G. recognising that the asymmetry of the PA, indicated, inter alia,s of a temporary nature, indicated by the graduation and the establishment of different transitional periods for both regions,; stressing that its provisions are not sufficient to enablinge productive structures to be adapted to new economic and commercial realities resulting from its implementation,
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Recital I
Recital I
I. emphasising that the commitment of both regions in respect of geographical indications and intellectual property in accordance with international standards, will in the years to come unilaterally benefit European producers and exporters; observing the lack of infrastructure, administrative support and access to finance or credit for citizens of CA states, which would enable them to become registered right holders for the purposes of this agreement, in particular with regard to traditional medical knowledge,
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital J
Recital J
J. recalling that currently all states in CA benefit from the Generalised System of Preferences Plus scheme (GSP+), which will cease to apply on 31 December 2013; noting that the new GSP scheme will not; noting that after the entry into force of the new GSP scheme on 1 January 2014, it will no longer apply to those countries with upper- middle income, and so Costa -Rica and Panama would lose their right to benefit from this system; further noting that the GSP is unilateral, temporary, revisable, covers a smaller range of products and excludes most agricultural products, whereas the PA will improve the trading position of all CA states by establishing a new, more comprehensive, secure and mutually beneficial legal framework; welcoming the fact that this new scheme will permit progressive liberalisation in the exchange of goods and services, public procurement and the promotion of investment without compromising the achievements made in complying with international standards on society, labour and the environment;with the beginning of the provisional application of the PA, the CA countries would lose the benefits of the GSP+ that grants them non-reciprocal access to the EU market in exchange of the application of 27 international conventions,
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas the chapters on financial services and establishment run counter to the Union's efforts to tackle the root causes of the financial and economic crisis by regulating and controlling the banking and financial sectors and by abolishing shadow banking structures; is concerned that the PA creates new loopholes enabling toxic assets to re-enter the European banking and financial system, offers additional incentives for speculation and provides opportunities for tax evasion; warns that these provisions make CA an attractive target for drug money and that the new money- laundering opportunities could lead to collaboration between European and Latin American organised crime,
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point iii
Paragraph 1 – point iii
iii) Ensure compliance with the conditions defined in the PA, seeking greater synergy between both regions but without sacrificing general interests, including geographical indications and intellectual property rights, and EU economic and trade prioritianalyse the long-term effects of free trade agreements on countries in order to learn lessons from examples such as Mexico, which has signed more than 40 such agreements focusing excessively on export activities and non-inclusive economic strategies, and where social inequality has greatly increased and environmental degradation has accelerated, whilst different mafias are dominating vast regions and businesses;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point iv
Paragraph 1 – point iv
iv) Promote regional integration and cooperation in CA with appropriate technical and financial resources in strategic sectors for both regions, particularly on trade and sustainable development, and scientific and technical cooperation in areas such as institutional capacity building, harmonisation of standards, customs procedures and statistics, intellectual property, provision of services, government procurement, electronic commerce, industrial development, sustainable resource management, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, support to SMEs and diversification; recognise the importance of modernisation and technological innovation and use this PA as an instrument with which to achieve themcure the rapid implementation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement of 2003, which recently entered into force, as an adequate instrument;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point v
Paragraph 1 – point v
v) Invite the private sector and civil society to become involved through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy that enables them to have a smooth relationship and brings about greater sustainable economic development for social cohesion and economic growth; call on the Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal on how to monitor compliance by Union-based investors with their environmental, social and labour law standards obligations, including the imposition of penalties and the award of compensation in the event of violations;