38 Amendments of Enikő GYŐRI related to 2019/2197(INI)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the Common Commercial Policy, composed of trade agreements and legislative measures, should serve the objective of creating a stable, predictable and fair trading environment in which EU businesses can thrive and the interests of EU citizens are asserted;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas the Commission published on 14 October 2019 its third report on the implementation of EU free trade agreements (FTAs) that shows that in 2018, 33 percent of EU exports and 29 percent of EU imports were traded with FTA partners;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas between the years 2007 and 2017 global GDP increased with more than 70 percent; comparing the EU increase of 17 percent to other countries like the United States (60 percent), India (80 percent) and China (315 percent), the EU is falling behind in global competitiveness;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
B d. whereas world trade is expected to fall by between 13 and 32 percent in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19; extra- EU27 exports of goods and services by 9.2 percent, and extra-EU27 imports by 8.8 percent; and the IMF expects EU GDP to decrease by 7,5 percent;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
B e. whereas in 2018, the EU had a trade surplus of €84.6 billion with FTA partners compared to its overall trade deficit of €24.6 billion;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B f (new)
Recital B f (new)
B f. whereas 36 million EU jobs depend on exports outside the EU, out of which 13.7 million are occupied by women;
Amendment 46 #
B g. whereas according to a recent report by the European Commission exports to the EU from developing countries using special trade preferences (GSP) grew by 16.2 percent between 2016 and 2018 with an increase in its value from 158 billion euro in 2016 to 183.6 billion euro in 2018;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that significant aspects of the global context have been shifting and have proven to be unpredictable in the last two years; reiterates its support for an open, free, rules- based, predictable and fair multilateral trading system that needs to be safeguarded;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Insists that EU trade strategy must continue to promote EU interests and values when contending with new challenges worldwide in order to keep and increase the competitiveness of its industry; considers, therefore, that an ambitious multilateral and plurilateral agenda, the conclusion of win-win trade agreements and their effective implementation and the elimination of unjustified trade barriers and using the trade defence tools, when necessary, constitute the best way to make the EU more competitive in a globalised world
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes the increase of transparency in trade policy; welcomes the decision of the Council to publish the mandate on the negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements with the ACP regions on 13 December 2019; expresses satisfaction with the recent efforts of the new Commission to inform the EP more regularly about the state of play of ongoing negotiations, thus making the work of the Commission more transparent, such as making available detailed reports on specialised committees under CETA and South-Korea;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that it is a critical moment for promoting multilateralism and forstering the global trading system that requires active steps and commitments from all WTO Members;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a substantive reform of the WTO, based on modernising its rule-book in order to make it more effective by providing structural and long-term solutions; encourages WTO members to reach an ambitious and balanced agreement on the long-standing issue of fishery subsidies during the ministerial summit in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstanconference in 2021 and send out a clear signal that the WTO is still able to deliver on its negotiating function;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls on the Commission to continue working closely together with like-minded WTO Members to address unfair trading practices, including intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, distortions created by state-owned enterprises and overcapacity;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Regrets the lack of agreement in solving the blockage of the Appellate Body of the WTO, which materialised on 11 December 2019, and welcomes the initiative taken by the EU and 16 WTO Members to develop a temporary multi- party interim appeal arrangement that will allow the participating members to preserve a functioning and two-step dispute settlementsystem at the WTO in disputes among them; notes that the interim arrangement is a good step to overcome the current crisis; while encouraging a long-term solution including as many member states as possible; notes the Commission proposal for revisions to the Enforcement Regulation, commits itself to speedily find a position on the proposal;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Takes note of the dramatic change insignificant change of direction of the US trade strategpolicy over the past three years, which is focused on bilateral trade and often legally questionableand is concerned by the increase of unilateral trade measures; takes note of the limited progress made towards implementing the joint US-EU Statement of 25 July 2018; stresses the importance of relaunching the EU-US talks on the basis of the existing negotiating mandates adopted in April 2019 by the Councilstresses the importance of relaunching the EU-US talks to resolve issues of common concern, including disputes;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Takes note ofExpresses deep concerns about the dramatic change in the US trade strategy over the past three years, which is focused on bilateral trade and often legally questionable unilateral trade measures; takes note of the limited progress made towards implementing the joint US-EU Statement of 25 July 2018; stresses the importance of relaunching the EU-US talks on the basis of the existing negotiating mandates adopted in April 2019 by the Council; underlines that they should primarily be used to solve the pending problems caused by US actions;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that despite recent tensions in transatlantic relations, the EU should continue to work with the USA as a partner, with whom it has to find solutions to trade issues of common interestengage in efforts to restore mutual trust and close trade relations as well as to settle the present trade disputes;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Invites the Commission to find negotiated solutions with the USA, which include the issue of civil aircraft subsidies, and recalls the agreement found on the allocation of higher share in the tariff rate quota for high-quality beef with the purpose of reducing tensions in transatlantic relations while safeguarding EU interests in the agricultural sectorengage US counterparts to find ways to de- escalate transatlantic trade tensions, including to find negotiated solutions with the US on the issue of civil aircraft subsidies;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Welcomes the negotiations between the EU and USA on the mutual acceptance of results of conformity assessment. Encourages the Commission to accelerate cooperation in other areas of joint interest, too, such as standards and other non-tariff barriers in order to make trade easier, reduce bureaucratic obstacles and slash costs;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Notes that, in the last report on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, more than 80 percent of the seizure of counterfeit and pirated goods originate from China, both in 2018 and 2019; calls on the Commission to explore further tools to address these issues and guarantee a full protection of IPRs;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Deplores that EU companies are still facing numerous obstacles when entering the Chinese market, such as forced technology transfer and discriminatory authorisation procedures, therefore supports the Commission in its efforts to continuously address these issues with China;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Notes with concern that the implementation of the USA-China Phase I Agreement might result in discriminating EU exporting companies by China, in particular concerning market access of agricultural products and SPS authorisations. Calls on the Commission to monitor the situation and take the necessary actions to get assurances from China for a proper market access of the European products;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Implementation of FTAtrade agreements
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Underlines that the protection of geographical indications is one of the Union’s offensive points in trade agreement negotiations and highlights the importance that EU partners are complying with provisions on the protection of geographical indications;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Stresses that those three agreements consolidates the strategic dynamic of the European Union in a key area of the world characterized by a rapid growth of population and incomes with significant opportunities for our operators; furthermore by its stronger presence the European Union could create an alternative to the Chinese domination in the area;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Welcomes the entry into force of the EU-Singapore trade agreement of 21 November 2019; welcomes its consent on the EU-Vietnam agreement and calls for its quick implementationalso the swift adoption of the EU-Vietnam agreements by the EU institutions, calls on the Member States to proceed with the ratifications of the EVIPA so that together with the EVFTA they can enter into force as soon as possible; views these agreements as a step towards concluding an FTA with the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Believes that the current systemapproach already demonstrates some efficiencyallows to address issues of non- compliance with obligations, as seen in the framework of the EU-Korea FTA in which the EU has requested the establishment of a panel following South Korea’s failure to ratify International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on workers’ rights, notably on freedom of association and collective bargaining;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Recalls that the early efforts of the Commission and Parliament in the trade negotiations with Mexico and Vietnam paid off with the ratification by both countries respectively in November 2018 and Julyne 2019 of the ILO Convention 98 on the right to organise and collective bargaining;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Recalls that the efforts to keep rules-based trade must play a crucial role in our trade strategy and in this context recallwelcomes the adoption on the modernisation of trade defence instruments in 2018, and the new foreign investment screening mechanism; stressunderlines that the new foreign investment screening mechanism should never be a tool for protectionismaims to cooperate, potentially restrict foreign investments in strategic sectors in a view to protect the Union and its Member States;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32 a. Calls on the Commission, while promoting free, open and rules based trade policy, to use the existing trade defence instruments when necessary and to develop new defence tools if needed in order to protect EU companies from unfair and hostile actions;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Welcomes the fact that these negotiations bring together a very large number of WTO members and calls for keeping them as open and inclusive as possible;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Notes that SMEs account for approximately 30 % of the value of EU goods exports and more than 80% of all EU enterprises exporting goods; supports the idea that a specific chapter on SMEs should be part of all proposed FTAs, as done in the EU-Japan agreement, and that they should be included when revising existing FTAs; notes that trade barriers and bureaucracy are especially problematic for SMEs that cannot afford the extra work to overcome themburdensome for SMEs;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36 a. Reiterates its call on the Commission to monitor the effects of its trade policy on SMEs, as they play a vital role in international trade. Due to their size and limited resources, administrative costs and bureaucracy affects the SMEs disproportionally;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36 b. Calls on the Commission to help SMEs to face competition and to get access to foreign markets by providing user-friendly, up-to-date and practical information on trade policy and in particular on FTAs;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Asks the Commission, in collaboration with Member States and business, to facilitate the use and understanding of rules of origin for SMEs; reminds the Commission of its objective to launch in early 2020 a dedicated rules of origin self-assessment tool for SMEs on the Access2Market platform, whereto help companies can calculateassess whether a product can benefit from preferences under a given EU trade agreement, as expressed in the letter of 13 November 2019 from Members of Parliament’s Committee on International Train order to the former Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström, in order to improvfacilitate SMEs’ utilisation rate of EU FTAs, which is lower than the averageof preferences under EU trade agreements, and so that SMEs ultimately enjoy the full benefits of trade agreements;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38 a. Welcomes the fact that the export restrictions on PPE that were in force between 15 March and 25 May 2020 were introduced by the Commission in a targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary way;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39 a. strongly believes that the current COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on trade should be thoroughly analysed and should lead to a very rigorous lesson learnt process; emphasizes that some structural dependences revealed during the crisis notably in medical sanitary and pharmaceutical sectors would lead to a deep re-assessment of European strategy in this field having in mind the need for European strategic autonomy; is of the opinion that diversification of supply chains for medical products is certainly key to enforce this autonomy but other options cannot be excluded by principle and should be pragmatically considered, such as relocation of certain activities in Europe when economically and technically feasible;