17 Amendments of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2018/2010(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU Trade Agreement with Colombia and Peru (the Agreement) is a rules-based relationship, anchored on common values and international standards for labour rights, human rights, environmental standards and standards on sustainable development, that has the potential of having a strong positive impact on the socio-economic development of the parties to the Agreement, on economic integration, on sustainable development, human rights and on bringing the countries and their citizens closer together and whereas the Agreement replaced the GSP+ scheme where Colombia and Peru’s trade preferences existed in return for ensuring the effective implementation of 27 fundamental human-rights and environmental conventions, including the ILO’s four Core Labour Standards;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. reminding that according to UNHCR during the first 7 months of 2018, 19.000 persons had been victims of massive displacement in Colombia, more than during the whole year 2017; considering the assassination of 366 social leaders from the beginning of 2016, 22 of them during the period of the new Duque Government; considering that 77 ex-guérilleros that accepted to enter in the peace process scheme, and 18 of their relatives, have been killed;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is of the opinion that the Agreement is an opportunity toStresses that the implementation must be closely linked with the peace agreement and foster at the peace agreement in Colombiaground improved compliance of democracy, social rights, Human Rights obligations, and sustainable development;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Takes note that trade between the EU, Colombia and Peru has declined since the Agreement entered into force, in particular by the diminution by 41,4 % of Colombia to the EU from 2013 to 2018 and a diminution of the exportation of the EU to Colombia by 13,8% during the same period; is, however, of the opinion that the Agreement has partially offset negative trends in terms of international trade flows, declining commodity prices and the economic slowdown in Latin America, and has had a stabilising effect; considers that in both Colombia and Peru, the manufactory industry and the job linked to them have been affected by the agreement; takes not that the trade deficit of Colombia with the EU has increased from 2013 to 2013, and again during the first 5 months of 2018 after the increase of the price of commodities;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points out that the Agreement has contributincreased to the modernisation and diversification of exports fromof both Colombia and Peru and that it has had a positive impact on Colombian and Peruvian SMEsof their traditional commodities' exportation, -and to their diversification at very limited scale-, while reducing their industrialization and the creation of jobs linked to it;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that since the provisional entry into force of the Agreement, 1 155 Colombian companies – of which 328 are SMEs – and 2 328 new Peruvian companies – of which 90 % are SMEs – have begun to export to the EU; those figures are similar to the increases registered in previous periods, before the provisional application of the FTA;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the fact that EU exports of agricultural products to both countries have increased significantly since the provisional application of the Agreement, but asks to monitor closely and to inform the European Parliament about the effects of the agreement for the subsistence of small and middle farmers producing food for the local market in both Colombia and Peru, and now Ecuador as well; expresses deep concern for the consequence of palm oil and other agrobusiness exportation for the access to land and to water and other resources for small farmers and for the conservation of tropical forests including Indian territories;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Expresses deep concern concerning the situation of Human Rights in Colombia and calls for the immediate stop the systematic killing of social activists and Human Rights defenders on the whole territory, and calls on the Commission to consider the suspension of the provisional application if those assassinations do not stop, and if impunity prevails for massive Human Right violations and crimes against Humanity; Insists on the effective implementation of the specific provisions related to the road map on human, environmental and labour rights, as called for in its resolution of 13 June 2012 on the EU trade agreement with Colombia and Peru, such as enforcing and implementing legislation and policy measures that guarantee freedom of association, the right to bargain collectively and strict labour inspections;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to increase its support to assess the Colombian Government to fight impunity and therefor insists on the implementation of the Special Unit for Investigation of the Attorney General´s Office for the dismantling of armed groups responsible for the attacks and killings of Human Rights Defenders and social leaders, that was agreed upon in the Peace Agreement between the Colombian Government and the Farc-EP.
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Acknowledges that an agreement concluded in 2017 between the Colombian Government and the public sector trade unions brought about improvements for more than one million workers; calls the Colombian authorities to stop criminalizing trade unionists and social leaders;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the factNotes that, according to the OECD’s Trade Union Advisory Committee, there has been an limited and still very insufficient increase in the number of inspectors in Colombia; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to support Colombia inlombian Government to increase its efforts to strengthen labour inspections, which represent an enormous challenge for the Colombian Governmentis easier now given that the state had lostcan recover the control of parts of the country where it had lost it during the long armed conflict, and expects that additional and effective controls are carried out, especially in rural areas;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Expresses its concerns over the effective implementation in Peruboth countries of certain aspects of the chapter on trade and sustainable development (TSD) with regard to both labour and environmental provisions, and especially by Peru as regards the implementation of ILO conventions 87 and 98, which are fundamental; therefor underlines the importance of the Domestic Advisory Groups; calls on the Commission to duly inform the European Parliament on how it will process on an independent way the official claim introduced by the Peruvian organized civil society;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the decision of Colombia to create a consultation group independent of the government; calls on Peru to establish a similarlyand Ecuador to recognize an independent domestic advisory group;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to continueincrease its effort to implement fully the 15-point plan to make TSD chapters more effective;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes Colombia’s accession to the OECD on 30 May 2018, in what amounts to a recognition of the important reforms the country has undertaken, such as by reforming its justice system, improving its governance of state-owned enterprises and complying with the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention; encourages Peru to continue its reforms under the Country Programme agreement with the OECD; urges Colombia to take the necessary measures to stop the violence against union workers, human right defenders, social and ethnic community leaders, according to its international obligations, including those taken under the OECD rules;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on Austria and Belgium to ratify the AgreemenRecognizes the important work done by the national parliaments in their process of ratification of the Agreement and call them to pursue it, and calls on those Member States that have not yet done so to ratifyto begin the process of examination of the ratification of the accession of Ecuador to the Agreement;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, and to the Governments of Colombia and Peru, and to the General Director of the OECD.