7 Amendments of Catherine GRÈZE related to 2010/2205(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that observance of the core labour standards (CLS) and of the ILO's decent work agenda is essential in order to achieve the MDGhave a positive impact on the economy of a country, by guaranteeing the socio-political stability and by raising the skill levels of a country's workforce; believes in this context that the inclusion of a social clause in WTO agreements is of utmost importance since labour standards are essential to achieve the MDGs and to boost endogenous development in poor countries; expresses disappointment that the social provisions of EU preferential trade agreements are presented as objectives to be achieved rather than legal commitments to be enforced, as there is no provision for genuine enforcement mechanisms;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Underlines that repeated infringements of core labour standards have been reported in several countries with GSP-Plus status, but did not lead to suspension of preferences; considers that the lack of enforcement of conditionality undermines the EU ambition of promoting social policy and core labour standards globally and contradicts the principle of Policy Coherence Development;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. DRegrets that the EU does not have a homogenous formula for a "social clause" to be inserted in all bilateral trade agreements; deplores the fact that FTAs contain few references to social standards; urges the EU to incorporate a social clause reflecting ILO core labour standards into all EU external trade agreements, including those coming within the ambit of the WTO;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. DNotes with concern that the EU tends to emphasise market integration and trade issues more than social issues in its external relations, thereby undermining third countries' alignment to the ILO; in particular, deplores the poor implementation and enforcement of social standards, especially the ILO conventions and CSR principles; emphasises that the ILO permits the imposition of trade sanctions on countries that do not comply with their international obligations; calls on the EU to pursue an approach based on incentives and sanctions in the context of bilateral and regional agreements, so as to ensure that the social provisions of EU preferential agreements are effectively enforced; stresses that the GSP and the GSP + should be monitored coherently, while the process of monitoring should be made more transparent;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the EU to mainstream social policy in the context of the External Action Service and to increase development aid to ensure the ratification and implementation of the CLS, while avoiding derogations from general regulations, e.g. in export processing zones, as such exceptions include a risk of a "race to the bottom", thereby undermining certain social standards;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Insists that trade negotiations pursued within the WTO must not jeopardise social development; reasserts that the ILO should be allowed to submit expert reports to the WTO during trade disputes, and that there should be an appeal route to the ILO where a decision by the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body questions the findings of an ILO decision; considers that Article XX GATT, which enumerates the general exceptions that a WTO Member may invoke to restrict access to its market, should be interpreted as allowing the restriction of trade in goods produced in a manner violating human rights, including core labour standards;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that the heterogeneity of the concept of CSR raises the issue of comparability, whereby different companies have developed different standards regarding social accounting, auditing and reporting, raises the issue of comparability; acknowledges the efforts made by the EU to apply more general guidelines for the definition and use of CRS; points out however that the diversity and heterogeneity of the concept still remain; urges the EU to move CSR away from a purely voluntary approach and to identify clear legal obligations on corporations as regards human rights and CLS, along with effective ways to hold them accountable in the event of breaches; considers for instance that when Member States are asked by multinational companies for investment guarantees, they should bind those guarantees to the implementation of the official CSR- guidelines.