Activities of Marietje SCHAAKE related to 2012/2149(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on trade and economic relations with the United States PDF (170 KB) DOC (103 KB)
Amendments (14)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the global economy remains vulnerable, with a negative impact on the everyday lives of people all over the world, affecting jobs, trade, development, and the environment, and whereas the ongoing financial and economic crises, both in the EU and in the US, are threatening the stability and prosperity of our economies and the welfare of our citizens, calling for a closer economic cooperation between the EU and the US, in order to combat andmake use of the benefits of international trade in overcomeing these crises;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Interim Report of the HLWG and the preliminary recommendations contained therein, and agrees thatcalls for the launch of negotiations of a comprehensive free trade agreement which should include an ambitious reciprocal market opening in goods, services and investment, and address the challenges of modernising trade rules and enhancing the compatibility of regulatory regimes; encourages the HLWG to continue its work preparing an ambitious yet feasible set of objectives and concrete deliverables for the negotiations of such a comprehensive bilateral trade and investment agreement, which would be consistent with (and supportive of) the WTO framework; stresses the importance of mutual respect and recognition of each other's laws and regulations and jurisdictional autonomy for a fruitful process and successful outcome;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the importance of continuing with the strengthening of transatlantic economic relations but without threatening EU policies, including in fields such as environmental standards, cultural diversity, social rights, public services or geographical indications, among others; emphasises that while the specific interests and sensitivities of both partners must be safeguarded in a balanced way, there are many areas where progress would be greatly beneficial, in particular as regards the removal of trade barriers, the introduction of measures to ensure better market access and appropriate investment conditions, the relevant protection and reform of intellectual property rights (IPR), the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity, and the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards; considers that such an intensification of economic relations would also allow for greater alignment of EU and US approaches towards addressing global economic challenges;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recognises that unnecessary differences and overly burdensome regulatory standards serve as significant barriers to trade, and that additional growth could follow from addressing such barriers; underlines the need to avoid creating new (even if unintended) barriers to trade and investment, especially in key emerging technologies and innovative sectors; supports efforts towards upstream regulatory cooperation on standards, regulatory coherence, and better alignment of standards, to further promote trade and growth that could improve efficiency and effectively address NTBs;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recognises that unnecessary differences and overly burdensome regulatory standards serve as significant barriers to trade, and that additional growth could follow from addressing such barriers; underlines the need to avoid creating new (even if unintended) barriers to trade and investment, especially in key emerging technologies and innovative sectors; supports efforts towards maximum upstream regulatory cooperation on standards, regulatory coherence, and better alignment of standards, to further promote trade and growth that could improve efficiency and effectively address NTBs;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that regulatory compatibility is the foremost challenge of an ambitious transatlantic agreement; underlines the importance of the principle of mutual recognition and recalls in this respect that regulatory differences and behind-the- border measures constitute a particular barrier to trade for SMEs;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the stakeholders to make full use of the invitation launched by the HLWG to present, before the end of 2012, concrete proposals to address the impact on trade of the regulatory differences that unnecessarily impede trade; urges stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together where possible to establish joint positions;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises that expanding trade in services, and taking steps to promote investment and procurement, canshould be a key prerogative for any future transatlantic agreement in order to bring additional benefits to both economies, as well as create opportunities for collaboration on trade issues of common concern;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the service sector represents the predominant source of employment and GDP in both the EU and the US; Supports the ambition of the HLWG to keep and share the highestgo beyond the level of services liberalisation achieved by the EU and the US in existing free trade agreements, while improving market access through addressing remaining long- standing barriers and recognising the sensitive nature of certain sectors by addressing remaining long-standing barriers, including modes of services delivery, while also recognising the sensitive nature of certain sectors; considers that these provisions should be rooted in the framework of GATS, whilst using negative instead of positive listing, and aligned with negotiations for a plurilateral agreement on services so that these efforts remain consistent with the multilateral system; believes that increased regulatory coherence in services could also improve the integration of the single market in services within the EU and the US;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Supports, in recognition of the importance of investment for boosting economic growth, the aim proposed by the HLWG of negotiating investment liberalisation and protection provisions on the basis of the highest levels of liberalisation and protection that both sides have negotiated to date; reiterates the necessity to define without delay a strong common investment protection policy, including a system of investor-state- dispute-settlement, so as to equip the Commission with a solid basis for future negotiations; cautions that if the EU-US negotiations include an investor-to-state dispute mechanism, this should also be balanced by provisions guaranteeing the right to regulate in a non-discriminatory manner particularly in sensitive areas such as environmental protection, consumer protection and health and safety legislation;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on both parties to open up further their respective public procurement markets to each other in order to ensure full reciprocity, and supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of enhancing business opportunities through substantially improved access to public procurement opportunities at all levels of government on the basis of national treatment; considers that the procurement chapter should not only address existing market access issues but include a mechanism to prevent the development of new barriers; recalls the significance for transatlantic trade of open procurement markets that offer equal access to all suppliers, in particular to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); reiterates the view that EU SMEs should have the same level of advantages and possibilities as regards public tenders in the US as they enjoy inside the EU;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Affirms the importance of IPR to stimulate job and economic growth, and the significance, therefore, that high standards be maintained for relevant IPR protection and enforcement, while promoting the free flow of information and preserving the open nature of the internet; agrees with the assessment of the HLWG that even thoughwhile both the EU and US are committed to high level of IPR protection and enforcement, it might not be feasible, in eventual negotiations, to seek to reconcile across- the-board differences with regards to the IPR obligations typically included in EU and US trade agreements; underlines, however, that the approach proposed for negotiations should be ambitious, aiming at solving the areas of divergence, while dealing with the IPR matters in a mutually satisfactory manner; believes, that copyright reform is essential for optimizing the opportunities for both EU and US businesses and content providers in the global digital economy; considers the new EU-US Information and Communication Technology principles as an encouragement for increased synergy;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Notes that the EU has negotiated or is negotiating free trade agreements with other members of NAFTA, Mexico and Canada; therefore, asks the Commission and its US counterparts to consider formulating a provision in the potential EU-US free trade agreement allowing for a future harmonisation of these agreements to form a region-to-region EU-NAFTA agreement;