BETA


2012/2149(INI) Trade and economic relations with the United States

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead INTA MOREIRA Vital (icon: S&D S&D) QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL Godelieve (icon: PPE PPE), SCHAAKE Marietje (icon: ALDE ALDE), JADOT Yannick (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), STURDY Robert (icon: ECR ECR)
Committee Opinion IMCO
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2013/03/01
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2012/10/23
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2012/10/23
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 526 votes to 94, with 7 abstentions, a resolution on trade and economic relations with the United States.

Parliament recalls that following the EU-US Summit in November 2011, the EU-US Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) established the High Level Working Group (HLWG) and tasked it to identify options for increasing trade and investment to support mutually beneficial job creation, economic growth and competitiveness. It welcomes the fact that the HLWG has jointly analysed a wide range of potential options for expanding transatlantic trade and investment, and has in its Interim Report of June 2012 reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies, as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries , would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit

It notes that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. It recalls a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic. In this context, the EU-US partnership would constitute the most important economic relationship at global level. Parliament calls on the HLWG to reach a comprehensive agreement that would 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. It 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.

Parliament stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. Specifically, it calls for negotiations between the EU and the US and other partners on how to work collectively to tackle the environmental crisis and climate change. It calls also for more joint commitment to achieve financial market stability.

Negotiations: by 516 to 102 votes, with 8 abstentions, Parliament calls following careful and thorough preparation and consultation, for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013 , building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations.

While supporting EU interests in fields such as environmental, health and animal protection standards, food safety, cultural diversity, labour rights, consumers' rights, financial services, public services or geographical indications, among others, while also ensuring that the specific interests and sensitivities of both partners are safeguarded in a balanced way, Parliament considers there are many areas where progress would be greatly beneficial, in particular regarding:

the removal of trade barriers; the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment; the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR); the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity, the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin; the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;. the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade.

Even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs. However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers . Parliament supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, with the objective of achieving a substantial elimination of tariffs upon entry into force of the agreement and a phasing out of all but the most sensitive tariffs in short time-frame. Parliament reinforces the HLWG's claim that any deal negotiated that would exclude regulatory cooperation and reform would be economically insignificant and politically untenable on both sides. It stresses that regulatory compatibility is the foremost challenge of an ambitious transatlantic agreement, and recalls in this respect that regulatory differences and behind-the-border measures constitute a particular barrier to trade for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

It also recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately , an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare .

Parliament 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together, where possible, to establish joint positions.

Other issues: the resolution goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data protection standards, cyber security threat and e-commerce. It recognises that expanding trade in services, and taking steps to promote investment and procurement, should be a key component of any future transatlantic agreement, in order to bring additional benefits to both economies. Parliament calls for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency; recommends increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles. It calls, in particular, for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets , given the positive effects this would have on both sides of the Atlantic in a reasonably short time frame. It is also strongly convinced that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision.

Parliament goes on to call for:

· the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed , arguing that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so in the Union, is a hurdle that must be overcome;

· the further opening up of the parties’ public procurement markets to each other in a bid to achieve full reciprocity and transparency in this field ;

· the significance that high standards be maintained for IPR protection and enforcement , while promoting the free flow of information and access to the internet.

Lastly, Parliament calls for the HLWG to build on the experience and achievements of the TEC and underlines the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees . It considers that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress. It considers that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office.

It should be noted that an alternative motion for resolution tabled by the GUE/NGL group was rejected in plenary.

Documents
2012/10/23
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2012/10/22
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2012/10/15
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report by Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) on trade and economic relations with the United States, welcoming the Interim Report of the EU-US High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG) of June 2012 which reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies , as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries, would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit. Members note that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. They recall a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic.

The report stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. It 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. It asks for the final result of HLWG’s work by the end of 2012, and for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013, building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Members 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:

· the removal of trade barriers;

· the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment;

· the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR);

· the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity,

· the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin;

· the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;.

· the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade.

Members recognise that even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs . However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers. The committee supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, considering that EU-US bilateral trade to a large extent consists of intra-firm trade.

It recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately, an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare. They call 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together where possible to establish joint positions.

The committee goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data privacy and the rising cyber security threat, intellectual property rights, the service sector, public services and financial markets.

It underlines that the EU and the US maintain highly different definitions of public services and services of general economic interest, and recommends precise definitions of these terms, noting that increased regulatory coherence in services could also improve the integration of the single market in services within the EU and the US. Members call for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency and recommend increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles.

They also call for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets , and encourage the discussion of the inclusion of a financial services chapter, stating that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision.

The committee goes on to call for the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed, and argues that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so here, is a hurdle that must be overcome in order to unlock the true potential of the transatlantic economic relationship.

Lastly, Members underline the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees. They consider that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, and that high-level meetings, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress, should be held on a more regular basis. They state that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office.

Documents
2012/10/11
   EP - Vote in committee
2012/09/21
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2012/09/13
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2012/09/07
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2012/07/11
   EP - MOREIRA Vital (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in INTA

Documents

Votes

A7-0321/2012 - Vital Moreira - § 33 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 516, -: 102, 0: 8
IT PL GB DE ES RO HU BE NL BG EL SK IE CZ DK SE PT FI SI AT LT LV EE MT LU CY ?? FR
Total
58
42
59
80
42
30
17
20
25
15
19
13
12
19
11
17
17
11
7
17
6
8
6
4
5
4
1
60
icon: PPE PPE
222

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

3
2
icon: S&D S&D
161

Netherlands S&D

3

Finland S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
71

Italy ALDE

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Spain ALDE

1

Greece ALDE

1

Slovakia ALDE

For (1)

1
3

Slovenia ALDE

2

Lithuania ALDE

1

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
41

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
26

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

Against (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Slovakia EFD

Against (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
22

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Abstain (1)

5

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
26

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Ireland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

1
3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
56

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

For (1)

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (2)

2

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

A7-0321/2012 - Vital Moreira - Résolution (commission INTA) #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 526, -: 94, 0: 7
IT PL DE ES GB RO HU NL BE FR EL BG SK CZ IE SE PT FI DK SI AT LT EE MT LV LU CY ??
Total
61
43
80
43
57
29
17
25
19
59
20
15
13
20
11
17
18
11
11
7
17
5
5
5
8
5
4
1
icon: PPE PPE
229

Czechia PPE

2
3

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
2
icon: S&D S&D
161

Netherlands S&D

3

Finland S&D

2

Denmark S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
69

Italy ALDE

Against (1)

3

Greece ALDE

1

Slovakia ALDE

For (1)

1
3

Slovenia ALDE

2

Lithuania ALDE

1

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
38

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
25

United Kingdom EFD

For (1)

4

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1
icon: NI NI
22

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

France NI

2

Bulgaria NI

Against (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
29

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Ireland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
4

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
53

Spain Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

For (1)

3

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (2)

2

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
123 2012/2149(INI)
2012/09/21 INTA 123 amendments...
source: PE-496.471

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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  • body: EC dg: Trade commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
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  • date: 2012-09-21T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE496.471 title: PE496.471 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2013-03-01T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=22068&j=0&l=en title: SP(2013)71 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2012-09-13T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2012-10-11T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2012-10-15T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-321&language=EN title: A7-0321/2012 summary: The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report by Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) on trade and economic relations with the United States, welcoming the Interim Report of the EU-US High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG) of June 2012 which reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies , as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries, would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit. Members note that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. They recall a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic. The report stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. It 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. It asks for the final result of HLWG’s work by the end of 2012, and for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013, building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations. Members 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: · the removal of trade barriers; · the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment; · the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR); · the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity, · the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin; · the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;. · the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade. Members recognise that even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs . However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers. The committee supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, considering that EU-US bilateral trade to a large extent consists of intra-firm trade. It recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately, an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare. They call 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together where possible to establish joint positions. The committee goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data privacy and the rising cyber security threat, intellectual property rights, the service sector, public services and financial markets. It underlines that the EU and the US maintain highly different definitions of public services and services of general economic interest, and recommends precise definitions of these terms, noting that increased regulatory coherence in services could also improve the integration of the single market in services within the EU and the US. Members call for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency and recommend increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles. They also call for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets , and encourage the discussion of the inclusion of a financial services chapter, stating that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision. The committee goes on to call for the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed, and argues that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so here, is a hurdle that must be overcome in order to unlock the true potential of the transatlantic economic relationship. Lastly, Members underline the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees. They consider that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, and that high-level meetings, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress, should be held on a more regular basis. They state that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office.
  • date: 2012-10-22T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20121022&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=22068&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-388 title: T7-0388/2012 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 526 votes to 94, with 7 abstentions, a resolution on trade and economic relations with the United States. Parliament recalls that following the EU-US Summit in November 2011, the EU-US Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) established the High Level Working Group (HLWG) and tasked it to identify options for increasing trade and investment to support mutually beneficial job creation, economic growth and competitiveness. It welcomes the fact that the HLWG has jointly analysed a wide range of potential options for expanding transatlantic trade and investment, and has in its Interim Report of June 2012 reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies, as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries , would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit It notes that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. It recalls a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic. In this context, the EU-US partnership would constitute the most important economic relationship at global level. Parliament calls on the HLWG to reach a comprehensive agreement that would 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. It 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. Parliament stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. Specifically, it calls for negotiations between the EU and the US and other partners on how to work collectively to tackle the environmental crisis and climate change. It calls also for more joint commitment to achieve financial market stability. Negotiations: by 516 to 102 votes, with 8 abstentions, Parliament calls following careful and thorough preparation and consultation, for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013 , building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations. While supporting EU interests in fields such as environmental, health and animal protection standards, food safety, cultural diversity, labour rights, consumers' rights, financial services, public services or geographical indications, among others, while also ensuring that the specific interests and sensitivities of both partners are safeguarded in a balanced way, Parliament considers there are many areas where progress would be greatly beneficial, in particular regarding: the removal of trade barriers; the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment; the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR); the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity, the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin; the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;. the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade. Even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs. However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers . Parliament supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, with the objective of achieving a substantial elimination of tariffs upon entry into force of the agreement and a phasing out of all but the most sensitive tariffs in short time-frame. Parliament reinforces the HLWG's claim that any deal negotiated that would exclude regulatory cooperation and reform would be economically insignificant and politically untenable on both sides. It stresses that regulatory compatibility is the foremost challenge of an ambitious transatlantic agreement, and recalls in this respect that regulatory differences and behind-the-border measures constitute a particular barrier to trade for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) It also recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately , an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare . Parliament 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together, where possible, to establish joint positions. Other issues: the resolution goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data protection standards, cyber security threat and e-commerce. It recognises that expanding trade in services, and taking steps to promote investment and procurement, should be a key component of any future transatlantic agreement, in order to bring additional benefits to both economies. Parliament calls for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency; recommends increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles. It calls, in particular, for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets , given the positive effects this would have on both sides of the Atlantic in a reasonably short time frame. It is also strongly convinced that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision. Parliament goes on to call for: · the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed , arguing that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so in the Union, is a hurdle that must be overcome; · the further opening up of the parties’ public procurement markets to each other in a bid to achieve full reciprocity and transparency in this field ; · the significance that high standards be maintained for IPR protection and enforcement , while promoting the free flow of information and access to the internet. Lastly, Parliament calls for the HLWG to build on the experience and achievements of the TEC and underlines the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees . It considers that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress. It considers that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office. It should be noted that an alternative motion for resolution tabled by the GUE/NGL group was rejected in plenary.
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
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  • 6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations
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  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee: IMCO
  • body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL Godelieve group: ALDE name: SCHAAKE Marietje group: Verts/ALE name: JADOT Yannick group: ECR name: STURDY Robert group: GUE/NGL name: SCHOLZ Helmut responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2012-07-11T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: MOREIRA Vital
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  • type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0388/2012
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The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report by Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) on trade and economic relations with the United States, welcoming the Interim Report of the EU-US High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG) of June 2012 which reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies, as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries, would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit. Members note that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. They recall a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic.

The report stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. It 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. It asks for the final result of HLWG’s work by the end of 2012, and for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013, building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Members 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:

·        the removal of trade barriers;

·        the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment;

·        the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR);

·        the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity,

·        the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin;

·        the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;.

·        the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade.

Members recognise that even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs. However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers. The committee supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, considering that EU-US bilateral trade to a large extent consists of intra-firm trade.

It recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately, an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare. They call 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together where possible to establish joint positions.

The committee goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data privacy and the rising cyber security threat, intellectual property rights, the service sector, public services and financial markets.

It underlines that the EU and the US maintain highly different definitions of public services and services of general economic interest, and recommends precise definitions of these terms, noting that increased regulatory coherence in services could also improve the integration of the single market in services within the EU and the US. Members call for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency and recommend increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles.

They also call for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets, and encourage the discussion of the inclusion of a financial services chapter, stating that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision.

The committee goes on to call for the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed, and argues that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so here, is a hurdle that must be overcome in order to unlock the true potential of the transatlantic economic relationship.

Lastly, Members underline the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees. They consider that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, and that high-level meetings, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress, should be held on a more regular basis. They state that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office.

New

The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report by Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) on trade and economic relations with the United States, welcoming the Interim Report of the EU-US High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG) of June 2012 which reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies, as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries, would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit. Members note that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. They recall a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic.

The report stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. It 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. It asks for the final result of HLWG’s work by the end of 2012, and for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013, building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Members 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:

·        the removal of trade barriers;

·        the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment;

·        the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR);

·        the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity,

·        the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin;

·        the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;.

·        the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade.

Members recognise that even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs. However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers. The committee supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, considering that EU-US bilateral trade to a large extent consists of intra-firm trade.

It recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately, an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare. They call 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together where possible to establish joint positions.

The committee goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data privacy and the rising cyber security threat, intellectual property rights, the service sector, public services and financial markets.

It underlines that the EU and the US maintain highly different definitions of public services and services of general economic interest, and recommends precise definitions of these terms, noting that increased regulatory coherence in services could also improve the integration of the single market in services within the EU and the US. Members call for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency and recommend increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles.

They also call for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets, and encourage the discussion of the inclusion of a financial services chapter, stating that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision.

The committee goes on to call for the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed, and argues that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so here, is a hurdle that must be overcome in order to unlock the true potential of the transatlantic economic relationship.

Lastly, Members underline the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees. They consider that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, and that high-level meetings, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress, should be held on a more regular basis. They state that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office.

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  • type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0388/2012
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La commission du commerce international a adopté le rapport d’initiative de Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) sur les relations commerciales et économiques avec les États-Unis.

Les députés se félicitent que le groupe de travail à haut niveau a analysé conjointement un vaste éventail de mesures susceptibles d'accroître les échanges et l'investissement internationaux, et qu'il ait provisoirement conclu, dans son rapport intérimaire de juin 2012, qu'un accord global couvrant un vaste ensemble de politiques bilatérales de commerce et d'investissement, ainsi que des questions relatives à des pays tiers qui intéressent les deux parties, serait, s'il s'avérait réalisable, la solution qui présenterait le plus d'avantages.

Ils constatent que bien que les relations économiques entre l'Union et les États-Unis soient parmi les plus ouvertes au niveau mondial, et bien que les marchés transatlantiques soient fortement intégrés grâce à de vastes flux de commerce et d'investissement (avec, en 2011, un volume de commerce bilatéral de 702,6 milliards EUR et un stock d'investissement bilatéral estimé à 2,394 billions EUR), le potentiel de la relation transatlantique est, de l'avis général, loin d'être optimisé. Ils rappellent en particulier qu'une étude effectuée en 2009 pour la Commission a répertorié les principales barrières non tarifaires dont pâtit encore le commerce transatlantique et estimé leur incidence économique, et a conclu que l'élimination de la moitié de ces barrières et de ces incompatibilités réglementaires permettrait une augmentation du PIB de 163 milliards EUR d'ici à 2018 des deux côtés de l'Atlantique nord.

Les députés soulignent dès lors qu'afin de garantir à long terme prospérité et emplois, un engagement et des efforts conjoints sont nécessaires pour créer de nouvelles perspectives pour les grandes et petites entreprises, pour promouvoir l'esprit d'entreprise et pour tirer le meilleur parti des avantages offerts par le marché transatlantique, qui se distingue par son degré élevé d'intégration. Ils demandent spécifiquement l'ouverture de négociations entre l'Union européenne et les États-Unis et d'autres partenaires afin de trouver une manière de collaborer en vue de lutter contre la crise environnementale et le changement climatique. Ils appellent également au renforcement de l'engagement commun afin d'assurer la stabilité du marché financier. Les députés appellent également le groupe de travail à haut niveau à convenir un accord global comprenant une ouverture ambitieuse et réciproque du marché des biens, des services et de l'investissement, et doit également se préoccuper de moderniser les règles commerciales et d'améliorer la compatibilité des régimes réglementaires. Ils encouragent le groupe de travail à poursuivre ses activités en préparant un ensemble, ambitieux mais réalisable, d'objectifs et de mesures concrètes pour les négociations d'un tel accord global bilatéral sur les échanges et l'investissement qui soit cohérent avec le cadre de l'OMC et le complète.

Négociations : les députés demandent, après une préparation et une consultation attentives et minutieuses, que les négociations soient ouvertes au cours du premier semestre 2013 et que l'on profite de la dynamique politique actuelle et du soutien de l'industrie afin de permettre une conclusion rapide et fructueuse des négociations.

Tout en promouvant les intérêts de l'Union dans une série de domaines tels que les normes en matière d'environnement, de santé et de protection des animaux, la sécurité alimentaire, … mais aussi les secteurs sensibles de chacune des deux parties, les députés estiment qu’il serait quand mutuellement avantageux de réaliser des progrès dans de nombreux domaines, en particulier dans :

  • le démantèlement des barrières commerciales,
  • l'introduction de mesures visant à améliorer l'accès au marché, notamment des investissements,
  • la protection des droits de propriété intellectuelle,
  • l'ouverture des marchés publics pour garantir une réciprocité totale,
  • la clarification, la simplification et l'harmonisation des règles d'origine,
  • la convergence vers une reconnaissance mutuelle des normes réglementaires, pas simplement en respectant une norme minimale requise qui se base sur l'accord de l'OMC concernant l'application des mesures sanitaires et phytosanitaires (accord SPS), mais en s'efforçant d'améliorer conjointement la qualité et la coopération lorsque les normes européennes et américaines divergent ;
  • la protection des indications géographiques dans les échanges agricoles bilatéraux.

Bien que les tarifs douaniers des échanges transatlantiques de biens soient en moyenne relativement peu élevés, l'importance de la relation commerciale entre l'Union et les États-Unis implique que les avantages économiques potentiels de cet accord seraient bien plus conséquents qu'un accord de libre-échange qui se contenterait d'éliminer les barrières tarifaires, étant donné que les principaux gains économiques seront tirés de la diminution des barrières non tarifaires. Les députés avalisent dont pleinement l'objectif proposé par le groupe de travail à haut niveau consistant à éliminer tous les tarifs douaniers du commerce bilatéral, afin de parvenir à une élimination substantielle des barrières tarifaires dès l'entrée en vigueur de l'accord et à une élimination progressive de tous les tarifs douaniers, à l'exception des plus sensibles, dans un bref délai.

Les députés reconnaissent également que, si un accord pourrait ne pas résoudre immédiatement tous les problèmes d'ordre réglementaire existants, une institutionnalisation de l'intercompatibilité entre les régimes réglementaires européen et américain faciliterait grandement le commerce transatlantique et établirait une norme mondiale audacieuse. Les députés réaffirment également la nécessité de respecter le droit de chaque partie à réglementer de façon à accorder à la santé, à la sécurité des produits et à l'environnement le degré de protection que chaque partie juge approprié, en tenant compte des divergences transatlantiques historiques sur des questions telles que la plantation d'organismes génétiquement modifiés et certaines questions relatives au bien-être animal.

Les députés appellent au passage les acteurs intéressés de ne pas hésiter à répondre à l'invitation lancée par le groupe de travail à présenter, avant la fin de l'année 2012, des propositions concrètes visant à remédier à l'effet sur les échanges des différences règlementaires qui représentent des obstacles inutiles au commerce. Ils appellent notamment les acteurs intéressés sur les deux rives de l'Atlantique à travailler de concert, dans la mesure du possible, en vue d'établir des positions communes.

Autres questions : le rapport fait ensuite une série de recommandations sur des questions relatives au commerce électronique, les normes en matière de protection des données et la cybercriminalité. Il souligne notamment qu'accroître les échanges de services, et prendre des mesures visant à promouvoir l'investissement et les passations de marchés, devrait constituer un élément essentiel de tout accord transatlantique futur afin de présenter des avantages supplémentaires pour les deux économies. Les députés appellent à l'échange des bonnes pratiques en vue d'améliorer l'efficacité du secteur public sur le plan transatlantique et recommandent le renforcement du dialogue sur l'avenir de l'informatique dématérialisée, ainsi que sur les progrès et la production des véhicules électriques. Dans le même ordre d’idées, ils demandent que tous les efforts soient consentis en vue de créer des marchés numériques et des services financiers transatlantiques intégrés et véritablement ouverts, étant donné les effets positifs que cela pourrait avoir des deux côtés de l'Atlantique dans un laps de temps relativement court. Les députés sont également convaincus qu'il y a lieu de résoudre les questions liées à l'équivalence, la convergence et l'extraterritorialité, car elles sont déterminantes pour comprendre comment l'Union et les États-Unis peuvent faire face à l'insécurité des problèmes économiques et financiers qu'ils rencontrent actuellement et à l'établissement de normes mondiales.

Ils demandent encore que :

  • les restrictions au contrôle étranger des compagnies aériennes américaines soient réformées, sachant que le manque de réciprocité entre les réglementations de l'Union et des États-Unis dans le domaine des transports maritime et aérien et le déséquilibre actuel entre la capacité des entreprises de l'Union à procéder à du cabotage sur le marché américain et la capacité des entreprises américaines à en faire de même dans l'Union constituent un obstacle qui doit être surmonté;
  • l’ouverture maximale de leurs marchés publics respectifs afin d'assurer une véritable réciprocité et transparence dans ce domaine.

Enfin, les députés invitent le groupe de travail à se fonder sur l'expérience et les réalisations du Conseil économique transatlantique et soulignent la nécessité d'associer étroitement les commissions parlementaires concernées. Ils considèrent en effet que, pour garantir la réussite du dialogue transatlantique, il convient de l'intensifier davantage à tous les niveaux, et que des réunions à haut niveau devraient avoir lieu plus régulièrement, non seulement entre la Commission européenne et le gouvernement des États-Unis, mais également entre les membres des commissions concernées du Parlement européen et du Congrès des États-Unis. Ils se réjouiraient donc que le Congrès des États-Unis suive l'exemple du Parlement, qui est déjà représenté à Washington depuis janvier 2010 par le bureau de liaison du Parlement européen.

New

The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report by Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) on trade and economic relations with the United States, welcoming the Interim Report of the EU-US High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG) of June 2012 which reached the preliminary conclusion that a comprehensive agreement that addresses a broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies, as well as issues of common concern with respect to third countries, would, if achievable, provide the most significant benefit. Members note that although the economic relationships between the EU and the US are among the most open in the world, and although transatlantic markets are deeply integrated through large flows of trade and investment (with a bilateral trade volume of EUR 702.6 billion, and a bilateral investment stock valued at EUR 2.394 trillion, in 2011), there is a general consensus that the potential of the transatlantic relationship is far from being fully exploited. They recall a study carried out in 2009 for the Commission identified the most important non-tariff measures that affect trade between the EU and the US, and estimated their economic impact, suggesting that the removal of half of such existing measures and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of EUR 163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the North Atlantic.

The report stresses that in order to ensure long-term prosperity and employment, a joint commitment, and effort, is needed to create new opportunities for businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and to capitalise on the advantages offered by the uniquely integrated transatlantic market. It 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. It asks for the final result of HLWG’s work by the end of 2012, and for negotiations to be launched in the first half of 2013, building on the present political momentum, and on the support of industry, to enable a swift and successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Members 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:

·        the removal of trade barriers;

·        the introduction of measures to ensure better market access, including for investment;

·        the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR);

·        the opening up of public procurement markets to ensure full reciprocity,

·        the clarification, simplification and harmonisation of rules of origin;

·        the convergence on mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and not adhering to a minimum required standard based on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement), but striving jointly to enhancing quality and cooperation when dealing with EU and US divergent standards;.

·        the protection of geographical indications in bilateral agricultural trade with Members supporting the complete cancelation of export refunds in EU-US agricultural trade.

Members recognise that even though the average tariffs on transatlantic trade in goods are comparatively low, the vast size of the EU-US commercial relationship means there is a strong interest eliminating remaining tariffs. However, a tariff-only free trade agreement would not be ambitious enough given that the largest economic gains are to be had in reducing the level of non-tariff barriers. The committee supports the goal proposed by the HLWG of eliminating all duties on bilateral trade, considering that EU-US bilateral trade to a large extent consists of intra-firm trade.

It recognises that, while an agreement may not resolve all existing regulatory issues immediately, an institutionalisation of compatibility between EU and US regulatory regimes would greatly facilitate transatlantic commerce while setting a bold global standard. Members also reiterate the necessity of fully respecting the right of each side to regulate in a manner that ensures the protection of health, product safety and environment at the level that each side deems appropriate, as well as taking into account historical transatlantic divergence on issues such as the planting of genetically modified organisms and certain questions regarding animal welfare. They call 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, urging stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to work together where possible to establish joint positions.

The committee goes on to make a series of recommendations on issues including data privacy and the rising cyber security threat, intellectual property rights, the service sector, public services and financial markets.

It underlines that the EU and the US maintain highly different definitions of public services and services of general economic interest, and recommends precise definitions of these terms, noting that increased regulatory coherence in services could also improve the integration of the single market in services within the EU and the US. Members call for greater cooperation in the exchange of best practices in order to improve transatlantic public sector efficiency and recommend increased mutual dialog on the future of cloud computing, as well as the advances and production of electric vehicles.

They also call for every effort to be made towards the creation of truly open and integrated transatlantic financial services and digital markets, and encourage the discussion of the inclusion of a financial services chapter, stating that it is necessary to tackle the issues of equivalence, convergence and extraterritoriality as those are critical to understanding how the EU and the US can face both the uncertainty of their own current economic and financial problems as well as facing global standard setting and competing models to financial regulation and supervision.

The committee goes on to call for the restrictions on foreign ownership of US airlines to be reformed, and argues that the lack of reciprocity between EU and US rules in both maritime and air transport, as well as the ongoing imbalance between EU firms’ ability to undertake cabotage in the US market and US firms’ ability to do so here, is a hurdle that must be overcome in order to unlock the true potential of the transatlantic economic relationship.

Lastly, Members underline the need for close involvement of the relevant parliamentary committees. They consider that the transatlantic dialogue, in order to be successful, needs to be further intensified at all levels, and that high-level meetings, not only between the Commission and US Administration but also between members of relevant committees of Parliament and the US Congress, should be held on a more regular basis. They state that it would be a welcome development should the US Congress decide to follow the example of Parliament, which has, since January 2010, been represented in Washington through its Liaison Office.

activities/5/docs/0/text
  • La commission du commerce international a adopté le rapport d’initiative de Vital MOREIRA (S&D, PT) sur les relations commerciales et économiques avec les États-Unis.

    Les députés se félicitent que le groupe de travail à haut niveau a analysé conjointement un vaste éventail de mesures susceptibles d'accroître les échanges et l'investissement internationaux, et qu'il ait provisoirement conclu, dans son rapport intérimaire de juin 2012, qu'un accord global couvrant un vaste ensemble de politiques bilatérales de commerce et d'investissement, ainsi que des questions relatives à des pays tiers qui intéressent les deux parties, serait, s'il s'avérait réalisable, la solution qui présenterait le plus d'avantages.

    Ils constatent que bien que les relations économiques entre l'Union et les États-Unis soient parmi les plus ouvertes au niveau mondial, et bien que les marchés transatlantiques soient fortement intégrés grâce à de vastes flux de commerce et d'investissement (avec, en 2011, un volume de commerce bilatéral de 702,6 milliards EUR et un stock d'investissement bilatéral estimé à 2,394 billions EUR), le potentiel de la relation transatlantique est, de l'avis général, loin d'être optimisé. Ils rappellent en particulier qu'une étude effectuée en 2009 pour la Commission a répertorié les principales barrières non tarifaires dont pâtit encore le commerce transatlantique et estimé leur incidence économique, et a conclu que l'élimination de la moitié de ces barrières et de ces incompatibilités réglementaires permettrait une augmentation du PIB de 163 milliards EUR d'ici à 2018 des deux côtés de l'Atlantique nord.

    Les députés soulignent dès lors qu'afin de garantir à long terme prospérité et emplois, un engagement et des efforts conjoints sont nécessaires pour créer de nouvelles perspectives pour les grandes et petites entreprises, pour promouvoir l'esprit d'entreprise et pour tirer le meilleur parti des avantages offerts par le marché transatlantique, qui se distingue par son degré élevé d'intégration. Ils demandent spécifiquement l'ouverture de négociations entre l'Union européenne et les États-Unis et d'autres partenaires afin de trouver une manière de collaborer en vue de lutter contre la crise environnementale et le changement climatique. Ils appellent également au renforcement de l'engagement commun afin d'assurer la stabilité du marché financier. Les députés appellent également le groupe de travail à haut niveau à convenir un accord global comprenant une ouverture ambitieuse et réciproque du marché des biens, des services et de l'investissement, et doit également se préoccuper de moderniser les règles commerciales et d'améliorer la compatibilité des régimes réglementaires. Ils encouragent le groupe de travail à poursuivre ses activités en préparant un ensemble, ambitieux mais réalisable, d'objectifs et de mesures concrètes pour les négociations d'un tel accord global bilatéral sur les échanges et l'investissement qui soit cohérent avec le cadre de l'OMC et le complète.

    Négociations : les députés demandent, après une préparation et une consultation attentives et minutieuses, que les négociations soient ouvertes au cours du premier semestre 2013 et que l'on profite de la dynamique politique actuelle et du soutien de l'industrie afin de permettre une conclusion rapide et fructueuse des négociations.

    Tout en promouvant les intérêts de l'Union dans une série de domaines tels que les normes en matière d'environnement, de santé et de protection des animaux, la sécurité alimentaire, … mais aussi les secteurs sensibles de chacune des deux parties, les députés estiment qu’il serait quand mutuellement avantageux de réaliser des progrès dans de nombreux domaines, en particulier dans :

    • le démantèlement des barrières commerciales,
    • l'introduction de mesures visant à améliorer l'accès au marché, notamment des investissements,
    • la protection des droits de propriété intellectuelle,
    • l'ouverture des marchés publics pour garantir une réciprocité totale,
    • la clarification, la simplification et l'harmonisation des règles d'origine,
    • la convergence vers une reconnaissance mutuelle des normes réglementaires, pas simplement en respectant une norme minimale requise qui se base sur l'accord de l'OMC concernant l'application des mesures sanitaires et phytosanitaires (accord SPS), mais en s'efforçant d'améliorer conjointement la qualité et la coopération lorsque les normes européennes et américaines divergent ;
    • la protection des indications géographiques dans les échanges agricoles bilatéraux.

    Bien que les tarifs douaniers des échanges transatlantiques de biens soient en moyenne relativement peu élevés, l'importance de la relation commerciale entre l'Union et les États-Unis implique que les avantages économiques potentiels de cet accord seraient bien plus conséquents qu'un accord de libre-échange qui se contenterait d'éliminer les barrières tarifaires, étant donné que les principaux gains économiques seront tirés de la diminution des barrières non tarifaires. Les députés avalisent dont pleinement l'objectif proposé par le groupe de travail à haut niveau consistant à éliminer tous les tarifs douaniers du commerce bilatéral, afin de parvenir à une élimination substantielle des barrières tarifaires dès l'entrée en vigueur de l'accord et à une élimination progressive de tous les tarifs douaniers, à l'exception des plus sensibles, dans un bref délai.

    Les députés reconnaissent également que, si un accord pourrait ne pas résoudre immédiatement tous les problèmes d'ordre réglementaire existants, une institutionnalisation de l'intercompatibilité entre les régimes réglementaires européen et américain faciliterait grandement le commerce transatlantique et établirait une norme mondiale audacieuse. Les députés réaffirment également la nécessité de respecter le droit de chaque partie à réglementer de façon à accorder à la santé, à la sécurité des produits et à l'environnement le degré de protection que chaque partie juge approprié, en tenant compte des divergences transatlantiques historiques sur des questions telles que la plantation d'organismes génétiquement modifiés et certaines questions relatives au bien-être animal.

    Les députés appellent au passage les acteurs intéressés de ne pas hésiter à répondre à l'invitation lancée par le groupe de travail à présenter, avant la fin de l'année 2012, des propositions concrètes visant à remédier à l'effet sur les échanges des différences règlementaires qui représentent des obstacles inutiles au commerce. Ils appellent notamment les acteurs intéressés sur les deux rives de l'Atlantique à travailler de concert, dans la mesure du possible, en vue d'établir des positions communes.

    Autres questions : le rapport fait ensuite une série de recommandations sur des questions relatives au commerce électronique, les normes en matière de protection des données et la cybercriminalité. Il souligne notamment qu'accroître les échanges de services, et prendre des mesures visant à promouvoir l'investissement et les passations de marchés, devrait constituer un élément essentiel de tout accord transatlantique futur afin de présenter des avantages supplémentaires pour les deux économies. Les députés appellent à l'échange des bonnes pratiques en vue d'améliorer l'efficacité du secteur public sur le plan transatlantique et recommandent le renforcement du dialogue sur l'avenir de l'informatique dématérialisée, ainsi que sur les progrès et la production des véhicules électriques. Dans le même ordre d’idées, ils demandent que tous les efforts soient consentis en vue de créer des marchés numériques et des services financiers transatlantiques intégrés et véritablement ouverts, étant donné les effets positifs que cela pourrait avoir des deux côtés de l'Atlantique dans un laps de temps relativement court. Les députés sont également convaincus qu'il y a lieu de résoudre les questions liées à l'équivalence, la convergence et l'extraterritorialité, car elles sont déterminantes pour comprendre comment l'Union et les États-Unis peuvent faire face à l'insécurité des problèmes économiques et financiers qu'ils rencontrent actuellement et à l'établissement de normes mondiales.

    Ils demandent encore que :

    • les restrictions au contrôle étranger des compagnies aériennes américaines soient réformées, sachant que le manque de réciprocité entre les réglementations de l'Union et des États-Unis dans le domaine des transports maritime et aérien et le déséquilibre actuel entre la capacité des entreprises de l'Union à procéder à du cabotage sur le marché américain et la capacité des entreprises américaines à en faire de même dans l'Union constituent un obstacle qui doit être surmonté;
    • l’ouverture maximale de leurs marchés publics respectifs afin d'assurer une véritable réciprocité et transparence dans ce domaine.

    Enfin, les députés invitent le groupe de travail à se fonder sur l'expérience et les réalisations du Conseil économique transatlantique et soulignent la nécessité d'associer étroitement les commissions parlementaires concernées. Ils considèrent en effet que, pour garantir la réussite du dialogue transatlantique, il convient de l'intensifier davantage à tous les niveaux, et que des réunions à haut niveau devraient avoir lieu plus régulièrement, non seulement entre la Commission européenne et le gouvernement des États-Unis, mais également entre les membres des commissions concernées du Parlement européen et du Congrès des États-Unis. Ils se réjouiraient donc que le Congrès des États-Unis suive l'exemple du Parlement, qui est déjà représenté à Washington depuis janvier 2010 par le bureau de liaison du Parlement européen.

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2012-09-07T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE492.852 type: Committee draft report title: PE492.852
body
EP
type
Committee draft report
activities/1/date
Old
2012-11-19T00:00:00
New
2012-09-07T00:00:00
activities/1/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE492.852 type: Committee draft report title: PE492.852
activities/1/type
Old
EP 1R Plenary
New
Committee draft report
activities/6
body
EC
date
2012-11-19T00:00:00
type
Prev DG PRES
commission
DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/ title: Trade Commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
activities
  • body: EP date: 2012-07-05T00:00:00 type: EP officialisation
  • date: 2012-09-07T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE492.852 type: Committee draft report title: PE492.852 body: EP type: Committee draft report
  • body: EP date: 2012-09-21T00:00:00 type: Deadline Amendments
  • date: 2012-10-10T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2012-10-25T00:00:00 body: EP type: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
  • body: EP date: 2012-11-19T00:00:00 type: EP 1R Plenary
  • body: EC date: 2012-11-19T00:00:00 type: Prev DG PRES commission: DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/ title: Trade Commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee: IMCO
  • body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL Godelieve group: ALDE name: SCHAAKE Marietje group: Verts/ALE name: JADOT Yannick group: ECR name: STURDY Robert group: GUE/NGL name: SCHOLZ Helmut responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2012-07-11T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: MOREIRA Vital
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/ title: Trade commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
procedure
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 048
reference
2012/2149(INI)
title
Trade and economic relations with the United States
geographical_area
United States
stage_reached
Preparatory phase in Parliament
subtype
Initiative
type
INI - Own-initiative procedure
subject
6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations