2018/2084(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Stresses that trade liberalization and global competition act over the long run as an engine for economic growth; stresses equally that progressive integration of developing countries into global value chains has significantly contributed to its wealth creation and poverty reduction;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation is ~~not positive, per se, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated~~a great driver of poverty eradication and inequalities; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules- based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote ~~the~~further modernisation and democratisation of the WTO;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls, however, that trade liberalisation ~~is not positive, per se,~~can have negative effects in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and ~~that it can even have negative effects~~ on sustainable development in general if it is not ~~properly regulated~~based on global rules; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules-based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues and is set to contain trade disputes and effectively deal with unfair competition; insists that the EU should continue to promote the ~~democratisation~~reform of the WTO;

Amendment 12 #

Cristian Dan PREDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation ~~is not~~can have positive~~, per se,~~ effects in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and that ~~it can even have~~potential negative effects on sustainable development ~~if it is not~~should be addressed properly by regulatedion; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules-based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;

Amendment 13 #

Ignazio CORRAO

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation is not positive, per se, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules-based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;(Does not affect the English version.)

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses the unicity of WTO among international bodies in its ability to punish countries, with the result that countries give precedence to the WTO over UN institutions that cannot penalize them for broken agreements in other fields (such as human rights, labour conditions, health and environmental protection), given the lack of dispute settlement mechanism to enforce those rights; believes that the achievement of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Agenda 2030 implies to reverse the hierarchy of norms so as to make trade an effective tool to achieve SDGs;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Recalls that the lack of integration of human rights norms and standards into global rules governing trade and investment makes it difficult to hold companies accountable; stresses the need to rebalance trade and investment law with human rights law, notably in global supply chains; to this end, calls on the EU to make initiatives in the WTO for the regulation of a specific global supply chain, notably in the garment sector as a first step; in addition, reiterates the importance of the EU being actively involved in the process of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (OEIGWG) and to uphold the primacy of human rights over trade interests;

Amendment 16 #

Paul RÜBIG, Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for a trade agenda based on fair trade for the benefit of all, which puts development and social, environmental and human rights at the centre of the process and has a special focus on the needs of low-income developing countries and least-developed countries; takes the view that, since the Doha Round was launched in 2001, the world has changed dramatically in economic, political and technological terms, and that the digital transformation offers unique opportunities to developing countries to escape the poverty trap; thus encourages to combine the challenges of the Doha Development Agenda with new challenges, such as e-commerce, digital trade, investment transparency, subsidies and overcapacity, global value chains, public procurement, domestic regulation for services, micro, small and medium- sized enterprises; demands increased support for Aid for Trade projects in the framework of development aid in order to turn digital opportunities into trade realities for developing countries;

Amendment 17 #

Ignazio CORRAO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for a trade agenda based on fair trade for the benefit of all, which ~~puts development and social, environmental and human rights at the ce~~respects the needs of low-income developing countries and least developed countries and which focuses primarily on human beings and their inalienable rights; reiterates that trade must always serve the interests of ~~the process and has a special focus on the needs of low-income developing countries and least-developed countrie~~sustainable development, social rights and the environment; urges that these principles and values be translated into concrete and binding rules as part of every trade agreement; urges that human rights be genuinely protected and that systems be instituted for the resolution of disagreements concerning human rights violations that are effective and accessible for individuals;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for afree trade agenda ~~based on~~ preventing unfair trade practices for the benefit of all, which ~~puts development and social,~~will enable poverty eradication while respecting environmental and human rights ~~at the centre of the process and has a special focus on the needs of low-income developing countries and least-developed countries~~; emphasises that low-income developing countries and LDC countries must also fulfil their obligations in proportion to their level of development;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation ~~is not~~can play a positive~~, per s~~ role, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and ~~that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated; underlines, in this context,~~in advancing sustainable development if it is accompanied by appropriate policies and institutions that maximise and distribute better the benefits of trade and economic growth; reiterates the importance of promoting policy reforms in the multilateral trading system which support development-related objectives; underlines the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules-based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. CRecalls that developing countries form the majority of the WTO membership; calls for a trade agenda based on fair trade for the benefit of all, which puts development and social, environmental and human rights at the centre of the process and has a special focus on the needs of low-income developing countries and least-developed countries; stresses the need to reform the WTO, including the Dispute Settlement Mechanism on this line, so as to have a fair and balanced multilateral trading system;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 22 #

Mireille D'ORNANO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for a world trade agenda based on the principle of fair trade for the benefit of all, which puts ~~development and~~ social, environmental and human rights at the centre of the process and has a special focus on the needs of low-income developing countries and least-developed countries;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for a trade agenda based on ~~fair trade for the benefit of all~~multilateral rules-based system, which puts development and social, environmental and human rights at the centre of the process and has a special focus on the needs of low-income developing countries and least-developed countries;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Urges the EU and its Member States to duly reflect the difficulties met by the developing countries in implementing the obligations under the WTO agreements. These problems include i.e.: (a) the prohibition of investment measures and subsidies, making it harder to encourage domestic industry; (b) import liberalization in agriculture, threatening the viability and livelihoods of small farmers whose products face competition from cheaper imported foods; (c) the negative impact of a high-standard intellectual property right (IPR) regime on access to medicine and transfer of technologies; and (d) increasing pressures on developing countries to open up their services sectors, which could undermine the viability of local service providers;

Amendment 27 #

Cristian Dan PREDA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Reiterates its call on the EU to ensure that its activities with developing countries, both in the field of development and trade, are based on a balanced framework among equal partners, are aligned with the principle of Policy Coherence for Development established in Article 208 TFUE, and are aimed at the promotion and respect of human rights;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Underlines the importance for WTO members who are developing countries to decide on their own pace and sequencing of trade liberalisation according to their level of development;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Welcomes the entry into force of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement on 22 February 2017 and notes that this agreement should bring significant benefits in particular to developing countries; recalls the importance of providing targeted and sustainable technical, financial and capacity building assistance to support the developing country Members, in particular least- developed countries, to implement the agreement and to adjust to the reform process;

Amendment 3 #

Paul RÜBIG, Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Rec~~all~~ognises that ~~trade liberalisation is not positive, per se, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated~~a dramatic increase in developing country participation in trade has coincided with an equally sharp decline in extreme poverty worldwide; welcomes that fact that developing countries now constitute about half of world trade, up from 33 percent in 2000, and that the number of people living in extreme poverty has been cut in half since 1990, to just under one million people; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules-based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Takes the view that WTO rules and other multilateral trade agreements should enlarge the scope for Special and Differential Treatment to enable a more active use of infant industry promotion tools; in particular, urges the EU and its Member States to secure the principle of “Special and Differential Treatment” (SDT) for all members classified by the World Bank as developing countries;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Highlights that trade agreements can impact negatively on food security in developing countries; regrets that the two instruments proposed by developing countries in the remit of negotiations at the WTO to promote the livelihoods of small farmers, food security and rural development, namely Special Products (SP) and a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) have not been established; calls on the EU to support developing countries' demands to protect their food production and to protect their population from the potentially destructive effects of cheap imports, including in the remit of Economic Partnership Agreements;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Regrets that the WTO 11th Ministerial Conference did not secure progress on issues of key importance to developing countries; welcomes however enhanced preferential treatment previously secured at the WTO for LDCs including preferential Rules of Origin and treatment for service providers and emphasises the need to undertake capacity building measures that would allow suppliers from LDCs to benefit from the LDC Services Waiver;

Amendment 33 #

Paul RÜBIG

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Insists that the WTO should clearly recognise the role that trade can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs ~~and the fight against climate change,~~with a particular focus on climate governance using the Paris Climate Agreement ~~commitments as a minimum benchmark~~as a benchmark for further commitments; emphasises the importance of the provision of sufficient good-quality food, clean water and the building of additional wastewater disposal facilities in order to deliver on SDG 2 and 6; furthermore, draws the attention to the scale and implications of energy poverty in developing countries and demands additional action to reduce energy poverty in line with SDG 7, in particular in remote rural areas in off-grid energy regions;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Insist~~Stresses that the WTO should clearly recognise the role that trade can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change, using the Paris Agreement commitments as a minimum benchmarkobjective of sustainable development should become the overriding principle guiding the work of the WTO, whose rules and operations should be designed accordingly, using the Agenda 2030 and Paris Agreement commitments as a minimum benchmark; to this end, calls for the full recognition of the right to discriminate a product based on the Process and Production Methods (PPM) to combat social and environmental dumping;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Insists that the WTO should clearly recognise the role that trade can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change, using the Paris Agreement commitments as a minimum benchmark; underlines, moreover, the importance of ensuring global value chains sustainability and alignment with human rights and social and environmental standards;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Insists that ~~the WTO~~States should clearly recognise the role that ~~trade~~relocation of the means of production and short supply chains can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change, using the Paris Agreement commitments as a minimum benchmark;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Insists that the WTO should clearly r~~Recognises the role that trade can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change, ~~using~~based on the Paris Agreement ~~commitments as a minimum benchmark~~;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Insist~~Stresses how important it is that the WTO should clearly recognise the role that world trade can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change~~, using~~; stresses that the Paris Agreement ~~commitments a~~represents a minimum benchmark;

Amendment 39 #

Ignazio CORRAO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Insists that the WTO should clearly, and as a matter of urgency, recognise the role that trade can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change, using the Paris Agreement commitments as a minimum benchmark;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Recall~~Considers that trade liberalisation is ~~not positive, per se, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalit~~a process, amplified by the single market and the single currency, which strengthens strong countries, and that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules- based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the weakens those that are already weak; recalls that the WTO is the successor to the GATT, a private lobbying organisation founded by the United States to promote free trade as the generally accepted principle at a time when such trade, coupled with the dollarisation of the world economy arising from lend-lease agreements, the Marshall Plan and the Bretton Woods agreements, was in the interests of the USA, in order to secure its domination of the world economy; believes that this structural defect of an organisation based on an ideology concealing State interests renders the prospect of 'democratisation' of the WTO illusory;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Insists that the WTO should clearly recognise the primordial role that trade ~~can~~ plays in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the fight against climate change, using the Paris Agreement commitments as a minimum benchmark;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Insists that the WTOs Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) should have a more developmental focus; recalls the paramount importance of ensuring access to medicines for all, and to this end encourages a more comprehensive use of TRIPS flexibilities as enshrined in the Doha Declaration; expresses its concerns on current trends of seed privatization while undermining people’s right to food; calls on the Commission to further explore and adopt measures against biopiracay;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Expresses its support for the mechanism of Carbon border tax adjustments as an important tool to guarantee fair competition for companies taking action to reduce their climate impact;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Calls on the EU to engage in rebalancing the global system of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in order to foster the legal transfer of climate-friendly technology in developing countries; to this end, calls for the adoption of a Declaration on “IPR and Climate Change”, comparable to the Doha Declaration of 2001 on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health; calls equally for the revision of WTO industrial subsidy rule, which should include waivers or peace clauses on climate relevant products;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Stresses that WTO should be supportive of and not run counter to the Convention of Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol; underlines that the provisions of Art.27.3(b) of TRIPS Agreement, which relates to the patentability or non-patentability of plant and animal inventions, and the protection of plant varieties, have raised serious concerns in developing countries for its consequence on biopiracy; supports the proposal of developing countries to amend the TRIPS agreement so that patent applicants are required to disclose the origin of genetic resources and any traditional knowledge used in the inventions, so as to avoid unappropriated patenting;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Deplores that the obligations under the WTO-Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPA) do not acknowledge the right of States to adopt regulation based on the precautionary principle; urges the EU and its Member States to defend full recognition of this principle in WTO obligations;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Is concerned, in the above context, that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements could lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and thus undermine the role of the WTO~~; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to once again place the WTO at the centre of global trade governance~~, notably in a context where bilateral and regional free trade agreements (RTAs) contain provisions which are more stringent than those adopted at WTO; recalls that developing countries are the most in need of multilateral system to defend their interests; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to once again place the WTO at the centre of global trade governance and to refrain from requesting from developing countries WTO + provisions in plurilateral or bilateral treaties, thereby undermining flexibility mechanisms of WTO, set explicitly to protect their interests;

Amendment 47 #

Mireille D'ORNANO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Is concerned, in the above context, that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements could lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and thus undermine the role of the WTO; c~~Calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to once again place the WTO at the centre of global trade governance;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 5 #

Louis MICHEL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation ~~is not positive, per se, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated~~may have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not regulated by law, if there is no social justice, and if it is not accompanied by a fair redistribution of the wealth created; recalls that competitiveness and economic growth are not goals in themselves, but means to be put to use for the benefit of human beings; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules- based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Is concerned, in the above context, that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements could lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and thus undermine the role of the WTO and have negative consequences for developing countries; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to once again place the WTO at the centre of global trade governance;

Amendment 51 #

Paul RÜBIG

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Is con~~cerned, in the above context, that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements could lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and thus undermine the role of the WTO~~vinced that multilateral trade solutions should be preferred to bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to ~~once again~~ place the WTO at the centre of global trade governance;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Is concerned~~Considers, in the above context, that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements cshould lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and thus undermine the role of the WTO; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to once again place the WTO at the centre of global trade governancedevelop on the basis of recognition of the principles of the Havana Charter and of the Paris Climate Agreement; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to dismantle the WTO and to rethink the organisation of international trade within the United Nations system;

Amendment 53 #

György HÖLVÉNYI

4. Is concerned, in the above context, that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements could lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and ~~thus undermine the role of the WTO; calls, therefore, for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts~~calls, therefore, for the democratic operation of the WTO to be restored and for it to con~~ce again place the WTO at the centre of~~tinue operating effectively in global trade governance;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Is concerned, in the above context,~~recognises that bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements ~~could lead to the fragmentation of international trade policy and thus undermine the role of the WTO; calls, therefore,~~play an important role in international trade complementary to the multilateral agenda however calls for the EU and its Member States to make additional efforts to oinc~~e again place the WTO at the centre of~~rease the effectiveness of the WTO in global trade governance;

Amendment 55 #

György HÖLVÉNYI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

~~5. Expresses its utmost concern that the US is blocking the appointment of several vacant posts on the Appellate Body of the WTO;~~deleted

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Expresses its utmost concern that the US~~Notes that the US is blocking the appointment of several vacant posts on the Appellate Body of the WTO; considers that this deadlock, which follows the failure of the Doha round, shows that, for at least 10 years, the United States has wanted to put an end to a WTO which no longer serves its power interests, given its trade deficits and the fact that China has overtaken it economically; notes that the mercantilist model, as exemplified by Germany with its per capita trade surpluses eight times larger than those of China, has reached its limits; calls on the Union and its ~~blocking the appointment of several vacant posts on the Appellate Body of the WTO~~Member States to follow the example of President Trump by halting the dismantling of industry and using trade measures, including customs tariffs, against countries with excessive trade surpluses, such as Germany, including within the internal market; considers that the desire of the world's leading economy to see the demise of the WTO should be taken as an opportunity for European States to restore the rules of international trade, adopting a cooperative and multipolar approach, in particular by involving the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the BRICS, taking as a basis the principles of the Havana Charter, signed on 24 March 1948;

Amendment 57 #

Paul RÜBIG, Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Expresses its utmost concern that ~~the US is blocking~~several vacant posts on the aApp~~ointment of several vacant posts on the Appellate Body of the WTO~~ellate Body of the WTO remain vacant and that this circumstance hinders the proper functioning of the dispute settlement mechanism; thus invites the European Commission to come forward with concrete proposals to resolve this unfortunate deadlock;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Expresses its utmost concern that ~~the US is blocking the appointment of several vacant~~several posts on the Appellate Body of the WTO remain vacant;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Considers that the extraterritorial application of US sanctions, as well as the imbalances in international trade, must also lead to negotiations on phasing out the dollarisation of the world economy; considers that the Member States should, to this end, endorse the initiatives undertaken by the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in this field;

Amendment 6 #

Mireille D'ORNANO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Calls for the EU to continue to make the case for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO~~Expresses its believe that parliamentarians have the right to scrutinise trade negotiations in the interest of their citizens; calls on WTO members to ensure democratic legitimacy and transparency by strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; ~~stresses, in this connection, the need to ensure that parliamentarians have better access to trade negotiations and are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decisions.~~

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls ~~for~~on the ~~EU to continue to make the case for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; calls on WTO members to ensur~~Member States to ensure the democratic legitimacy and transparency of their trade policy by strengthening ~~the~~its parliamentary dimension ~~of the WTO~~; stresses, in this connection, the need to ensure ~~that~~better access for parliamentarians ~~have better access to trade negotiations and are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decis~~to trade negotiations.

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls for the EU to continue to make the case for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; calls on WTO members to ensure democratic legitimacy and transparency by strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; stresses, in this connection, the need to ensure that parliamentarians have better access to trade negotiations and are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decisions and that trade policies are properly scrutinised in the interests of their citizens.

Amendment 63 #

Paul RÜBIG

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls for the EU to continue to make the case for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO, in particular by an increased financial and personal support to the responsible secretariat; calls on WTO members to ensure democratic legitimacy and transparency by strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; stresses, in this connection, the need to ensure that parliamentarians have better access to trade negotiations and are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decisions.

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Calls for the EU to continue to make the case for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; calls on WTO m~~Urges the Union to insist that WTO Members to ensure the democratic legitimacy and transparency ~~by strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO~~of their organisation; stresses, in this connection, the need to ~~ensure that~~reform the WTO and to give parliamentarians ~~have~~ better access to trade negotiations and ~~are~~to involved them more in the fwor~~mulation and implementation of WTO decis~~k of the WTO, in order to comply with citizens’ expectations.

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation ~~is not positive, per se, in terms of reducing pov~~, if propertly ~~and inequalities, and that it can eve~~regulated, can have ~~nega~~positive effects on sustainable development ~~if it is not prop~~by reducing poverlty ~~regulated~~and inequalities; underlines, in this context, the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules-based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; ~~insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;~~

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that trade liberalisation is not positive, per se, in terms of reducing poverty and inequalities, and that it can even have negative effects on sustainable development if it is not properly regulated; underlines, in this context, that trade should remain a tool to development goals and not an end in itself; underlines the potential of the WTO as an efficient rules- based multilateral negotiating forum which provides a platform for open discussion on global trade-related issues; insists that the EU should continue to promote the democratisation of the WTO;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

source: 627.038

2018/10/15 INTA 78 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

– having regard to the Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, adopted by the United Nations' General Assembly on the 1st of May, 19741a; __________________ 1a http://www.un- documents.net/s6r3201.htm

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the EU has consistently advocated a strong, multilateral, rule-based approach to trade, as the EU economy ~~is high~~, and workers and consumers in the EU and its partners, are increasingly integrated with global value chains and depends on predictable developments in international trade for both imports and exports, and in social and environmental conditions;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas 10 December 2018, marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights; whereas its Article 28 states that Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized; whereas Article 30 states that “Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein”.

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas despite important exceptions such as the Trade Facilitation Agreement, WTO trade reform have lagged since the 2000s;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the Appellate Body ~~of the WTO~~is the "jewel in the crown" of the WTO owing to the binding character of decisions and its existence as an independent and impartial appellate review; where the Appellate Body is approaching the minimum number of judges it needs to function, as the United States is blocking the appointment of new members; whereas this deadlock could lead to the collapse of a system that is essential to managing disputes among ~~the world’s most powerful trading nation~~all WTO members;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the Appellate Body of the WTO is approach~~ing~~ed the minimum number of judges it needs to function, asfter the ~~United States is blocking the appointment of new members; whereas this deadlock~~ending of the term of Judge Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing, leaving only three judges appointed; whereas this deadlock, caused by the US administration, could lead to the collapse of a system that is essential to managing disputes among the world’s most powerful trading nations;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its full commitment to the enduring value of multilateralism and calls for a trade agenda based on free, fair and rule-based trade for the benefit of all, which ~~supports the sustainable development agenda by including social, environmental and human rights, and ensuring that multilatera~~contributes to peace, security, the sustainable development of the Earth through achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, solidarity and mutual respect among peoples, eradication of poverty and the protection of human rights, in particular the rights of the child, as welly a~~greed and harmonised rules are uniformly applied to all;~~s to the strict observance and the development of international law, including respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its full commitment to the enduring value of multilateralism and calls for a trade agenda based on ~~free,~~ fair and rule-based trade for the benefit of all and the achievement of the 1,5° C goal, which supports the sustainable development agenda by including and enhancing social, environmental and human rights, and ensuring that multilaterally agreed and harmonised rules are uniformly applied to all; underlines that trade is not an end in itself but a tool for reaching globally defined development goals;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its full commitment to the enduring value of multilateralism and calls for a trade agenda based on free, fair and rule-based trade for the benefit of all, which supports the sustainable development agenda by including social, environmental and human rights, and ensuring that multilaterally agreed and harmonised rules are uniformly applied to all; stresses that the WTO must also contribute to promoting fair trade and combating unfair practices;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its full commitment to the enduring value of multilateralism and calls for a trade agenda based on free, ~~fair~~ and rule-based trade for the benefit of all, which supports the sustainable development agenda by including social, environmental and human rights aspects, and ensuring that multilaterally agreed and harmonised rules are uniformly applied to all and effectively upheld;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that it is now a matter of urgency to proceed to the modernisation of the WTO in the light of the latest developments, and to fundamentally review several aspects of the functioning of the WTO with a view to increasing both its effectiveness and its legitimacy; considers, in this perspective, as utmost important that other WTO ~~members, in particular our major trading partners, should be involved in the debate from the beginning~~Secretariat creates opportunities for all WTO members to be involved in the debate from the beginning; calls on the Commission and the EU members in the WTO to reach out to other WTO members, in particular our major trading partners, for agreeing on common positions;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

– having regard to the Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, effective since November 2016;

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that it is now a matter of urgency to proceed to the modernisation of the WTO in the light of the latest developments, and to fundamentally review several aspects of the functioning of the WTO with a view to increasing both its effectiveness and its legitimacy; underlines that this legitimacy must be derived also from the organisation's contribution to master the most pressing global environmental and social challenges; considers, in this perspective, that other WTO members, in particular our major trading partners, should be involved in the debate from the beginning;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that it is now a matter of urgency to proceed to the modernisation of the WTO in the light of the latest developments but also to the long lack of progress on the Doha Development Agenda, and to fundamentally review several aspects of the functioning of the WTO with a view to increasing both its effectiveness and its legitimacy; considers, in this perspective, that other WTO members, in particular our major trading partners, should be involved in the debate from the beginning;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that it is now a matter of urgency to proceed to the modernisation of the WTO in the light of the latest developments, and to fundamentally review several aspects of the functioning of the WTO with a view to increasing both its effectiveness and its legitimacy; considers, in this perspective, that other WTO members, in particular our major trading partners, s~~hould be involved in the debate from the beginning~~uch as the United States, Japan, China, Canada, Brazil and India, should be involved in the debate from the beginning; is encouraged by the initial statements from the EU-China Summit on the reform of the WTO;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Expresses the view that whilst the multilateral trading system experiences increased pressure, WTO members should undertake commitments according to their current economic weight and level of competitiveness; this status should be regularly updated according to objective and internationally recognised criteria;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes in this regard the mandate given by the European Council to the Commission on 28-29 June 2018, and supports the approach outlined in the conclusions; welcomes the Commission’s concept paper on WTO modernisation that sets out three goals: to strengthen the WTO Secretariat in Geneva to help monitor compliance with WTO rules and better support negotiations, restore the negotiation capacity of the WTO as a round of negotiations has not been concluded since the organisation was founded in 1995 and reform the dispute settlement system’s Appellate Body; welcomes the proposals by Canada that seeks to improve the effectiveness of transparency and notifications, modernise trade rules to address new challenges and address the United States’ criticisms of the Appellate Body;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Welcome~~Considers in this regard the mandate given by the European Council to the Commission on 28-29 June 2018~~, and supports the approach outlined in the conclusions~~ insufficient;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes in this regard the mandate given by the European Council to the Commission on 28-29 June 2018, and ~~supports~~takes note of the approach outlined in the conclusions;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses its utmost concern over the fact that several posts on the Appellate Body remain vacant, severely constraining the work of this crucial body by threatening to undermine the current and proper functioning of the dispute settlement process, and calls firmly on the United States to engage with the Commission's proposals to resolve this situation in a way that allows for the ~~expeditious replenishment of vacant Appellate Body seats; invites the Commission to come forward with concrete~~vacant Appellate Body seats to be filled expeditiously; welcomes the Commission's proposals on how to resolve the deadlock by addressing some of the concerns that have been raised, for example through transitional rules for outgoing members or changes to the length of terms on the Appellate Body or to the maximum time allowed before the publication of a report; notes that the United States’ concerns regarding the Appellate Body extend beyond procedural changes and entail significant reforms to the rulings of the body’s judges; recalls that in cases brought to the Appellate Body to address China’s unfair trade barriers have often made at least some progress towards greater market access as China has a high rate of compliance, according to the Appellate Body’s own reports; supports the Commission’s decision to join the United States’ action against China following a “Section 301” investigation of China’s trade practices relating to intellectual property (IP), technology transfer and innovation;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses its utmost concern over the fact that ~~several~~only three posts on the Appellate Body remain ~~vacant~~filled, severely ~~constraining the work of this crucial body by threatening to~~ undermineing the current and proper functioning of the dispute settlement process, and calls firmly on the United States to resolve this situation in a way that allows for the expeditious replenishment of vacant Appellate Body seats; invites the Commission to come forward with concrete proposals on how to resolve the deadlock by addressing some of the concerns that have been raised, for example through transitional rules for outgoing members or changes to the length of terms on the Appellate Body or to the maximum time allowed before the publication of a report or to flexible and adaptable adjudicative procedures to the diverse nature of dispute;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)

– having regard to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued on 8 October 2018, showing that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is still possible, if countries ratchet up their Nationally Determined Contributions by 2020;

Amendment 30 #

Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Views the decision of the United States to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium products on 31 May 2018 on grounds of “national security” under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is unjustified, do not address the challenge posed by excess steel in global markets and does not comply with WTO rules; strongly encourages the Commission to work with the United States to address trade disagreements and remove barriers to trade within the WTO’s rule-based dispute settlement framework;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Underlines that stability and predictability offered through a neutral and efficient WTO Dispute Settlement are key for business all over the world; stresses the importance of finding a solution to the impasse in the dispute settlement process within the existing framework, but emphasizes that those members willing to maintain a functioning dispute settlement process must be allowed to look into alternative solutions if the impasse continues;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Shares the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to develop new rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to ldevel ~~the playing as~~op a well differentiated and balanced approach regardsing subsidies, and state-owned enterprises, ~~investment~~taking due consideration of different levels of economic development, and strategic development interests of societies; to improve and ease the use of instruments to combat social and environmental dumping; to define rules governing the obligations for investors after market access; and ~~regulatory barriers to services and investment; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as:~~to safeguard the right to regulate of governments, including in the event of erecting necessary regulatory barriers and monitoring mechanisms to services and investment; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to support the creation of the necessary regulatory framework to cope with technological developments, including e- commerce;, digital trade;, 3D-printing and global value chains~~; public procurement; domestic regulation for services;~~, with an emphasis on supporting the ILO Decent Work Agenda, tax justice, and the protection and enforcement of individual rights; underlines that public procurement shall be exercised in the best interest of the respective tax-payers; expresses its support for a positive list approach regarding the liberalisation of services, including the legitimacy of domestic regulation for services in the interest of the people; emphasises the reform needs to increase the local, regional, and global market share of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); ~~and greater compatibility~~stresses the need for policy coherence between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Shares~~Is of the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to deliver on some of the outstanding issues of the Doha Round, especially regarding food security in the form of agreements on Special Products and the Special Safeguard Mechanism, as well as to develop new rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to level the playing asfield, including with regards to subsidies and state-owned enterprises, ~~investment market access~~ and regulatory barriers to services and investment; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as: e- commerce; digital trade; global value chains; public procurement; ~~domestic regulation for services;~~ micro, small and medium- sized enterprises (MSMEs); and ~~greater~~systemic compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Shares the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to ~~develop new~~better distinguishing the activities to develop a flexible rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to level the playing as regards subsidies and state-owned enterprises, investment market access and regulatory barriers to services and investment and to monitor the implementation, administration and operation of existing agreements; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as: e- commerce; digital trade; global value chains; public procurement; domestic regulation for services; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and greater compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Shares the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to develop new rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to level the playing as regards subsidies and state-owned enterprises, investment market access and regulatory barriers to services and investment, including but not limited to conditional technology transfers, requirements of joint ventures and local content requirements; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as: e- commerce; digital trade; global value chains; public procurement; domestic regulation for services; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and greater compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Shares the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to develop new rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to level the playing as regards subsidies and state-owned enterprises, investment market access and regulatory barriers to services and investment; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as: e- commerce; digital trade; global value chains; public procurement; domestic regulation for services; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and greater compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then; stresses how important it is for its members to abide by and properly enforce the rules laid down by the WTO;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Shares the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to develop new rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to level the playing as regards market-distorting subsidies and state-owned enterprises, IP protection, technology transfers, investment market access and regulatory barriers to services and investment; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as: e- commerce; digital trade; emerging technologies; global value chains; public procurement; domestic regulation for services; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and greater compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then;

Amendment 39 #

Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Shares the view that, as a way to address the root causes of the current crisis, it is necessary for the WTO to develop new rules to address current gaps in the rulebook in order to level the playing as regards subsidies and state-owned enterprises, investment market access and regulatory barriers to services and investment as well as forced data localisation and forced source code disclosure; believes that in order to remain relevant, the WTO also needs to address new challenges in areas such as: e- commerce; digital trade; global value chains; public procurement; domestic regulation for services; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and greater compatibility between trade, labour and environmental agendas; welcomes, in this regard, the joint statements that were adopted in Buenos Aires on e-commerce, domestic regulation, investment facilitation and women’s economic empowerment, as well as the work that has been done on these issues since then;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)

– having regard to the Joint statement of the 20th EU-China Summit, establishing a joint working group on WTO reform, chaired at Vice-Ministerial level;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Understands that the WTO's pursuit of global harmonisation of an extensive range of national rules had brought considerable strain among Members, contributing to the failure of the Seattle and Cancun Ministerial Conferences; stresses the importance to find a balance between objective needs relating to globalisation, and local interests by recognizing and preserving local regulatory autonomies; stresses the need to provide for flexibility also in the implementation of mandatory WTO requirements, and to be responsive to differences in national capacity, also by providing for international assistance;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Strongly welcomes the ratification by two thirds of the WTO membership of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in February 2017; notes that this is the first WTO agreement since the late 1990s and offers significant potential to signatory countries, in particular developing countries; views the challenges moving forward to be the complete ratification of the agreement, namely members in Africa who are forecast to benefit the most from the agreement, the effective implementation of the TFA and the notification of the development assistance under the agreement;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses the importance of the WTO adapting to today’s global trading environment and achieving progress in terms of negotiating new rules, as businesses all over the world depend on an open and rules-based environment in order to efficiently deliver their best products and services; underlines that the WTO should be able to start discussions on new issues, such as rules related to digital trade, investment, subsidies and competition, as well as consider the increased role of services and the importance of cyber security for the economy;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses that the regulation of e- commerce represents a real challenge at international level and that digital technology must, therefore, be an integral part of the work carried out by the WTO, including during the process of modernising it; stresses that the European Union should emphasise its rules on privacy and data protection so that they may be promoted at international level and become a benchmark for the development of international and multilateral standards;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. In view of greater compatibility between trade rules and global environmental goals, calls on the EU to engage the WTO membership in rebalancing the global system of Intellectual Property Rights in order to enable the legal transfer of climate- friendly technology in developing countries, in the form of a Declaration on IPR and Climate Change to the example of the Doha Declaration of 2001 on TRIPS and Public Health

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Recalls that access to public procurement is one of the European Union’s priorities in its trade negotiations and that, as such, the fulfilment of WTO members’ commitments to sign up to the agreement on government procurement, to improve the functioning of the agreement and compliance with its provisions is expected in a spirit of reciprocity and mutual benefit; notes that for any potential improvements in the oversight of state aid and the role of public companies to be fully effective, progress must be made in this area;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. In view of greater compatibility between trade rules and global environmental goals, retains that the needed revision of WTO subsidy rules should allow for exceptions, waivers or peace clauses on a set of primarily relevant climate products whose market penetration should be enabled also by way of state subsidisation, under the condition of full transparency and prior notification;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. In view of greater compatibility between trade rules and global environmental goals, calls on the EU to engage the WTO membership in a revision of the TRIPS Agreement relating to the patentability of plant and animal inventions, so that the patent applicants are required to disclose the origin of genetic resources and any traditional knowledge used in inventions, so that WTO rule-making becomes supportive to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is convinced that the current differen~~tiation~~ces between developed and developing countries ~~does not reflect the effective situation in the WTO and that this has been~~in the WTO are an obstacle to advancing the Doha Round, to the detriment of countries most in need; urges advanced developing countries to take up their share of responsibility and make contributions commensurate to their level of development and (sectoral) competitiveness; notes the Commission’s concept paper calls for rules under which developing countries will graduate from their low-income status as they grow richer; believes the special and differential treatment (S&DT) mechanism should be examined further as a policy tool for developing countries to link implementation of multilateral agreements with receiving assistance from richer countries and donor organisations;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is convinced that the current differentiation between developed and developing countries does not reflect the effective situation in the WTO and that this has been an obstacle to advancing the Doha Round, to the detriment of countries most in need; urges advanced developing countries to take up their share of responsibility and make contributions commensurate to their level of development and (sectoral) competitiveness; considers that the principle of Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) remains a useful tool for development, if its criteria are reformed to better reflect human development indexes;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

– having regard to the concept paper of the European Commission on WTO modernisation of 18 September 2018,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is convinced that the current differentiation between developed and developing countries does not reflect the economic reality and the effective situation in the WTO and that this has been an obstacle to advancing the Doha Round, to the detriment of countries most in need; urges advanced developing countries to take up their share of responsibility and make contributions commensurate to their level of development and (sectoral) competitiveness;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Underlines the urgent need to review the growth-centred economic development approach pursued in the WTO, and to promote trade patterns that are reducing climate-relevant emissions, reflect awareness of the need to reduce resource consumption, and support differentiated approaches for sectors requiring de-growth and other sectors requiring expansion, while being fully aware of the needs and rights of the global population living in poverty or disadvantaged conditions;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Is convinced that the Trade Facilitation Agreement sets an important example and could provide a model for future WTO deals, taking into account the differences in the development status and needs of the members; encourages the WTO members to take responsibility and keep to their commitments according to their real economic power and capabilities;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Acknowledges that, on the whole, China’s accession to the WTO in 2001 has increased access to their domestic market, which has benefited the global economy; expresses concern that China does not apply the spirit and principles of the WTO’s tenets of national treatment;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Takes the view that it is necessary to revise the functioning of the negotiating process by introducing more flexibility than has currently been the case under the consensus rule, while recognising that the Single Undertaking approach has limited the effectiveness of multilateral trade governance; expresses its support for the concept of flexible multilateralism, whereby WTO members interested in pursuing a certain issue where full consensus is not yet possible should be able to advance and conclude plurilateral agreements either through so-called WTO Annex 4 agreements, in accordance with Article II:3, Article III:1, and Article X:9 of the Marrakesh Agreement, or via ‘critical mass’ agreements that extend negotiated concessions to the WTO membership on a most-favoured-nation (MFN) basis; encourages the Commission not to use these articles as an alternative to constructive dialogue with all WTO members to address barriers to trade and reform of the WTO and its functions;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Takes the view that it is necessary to revise the functioning of the negotiating process by introducing more flexibility than has currently been the case under the consensus rule, while recognising that the Single Undertaking approach has limited the effectiveness of multilateral trade governance; expresses its support for the concept of flexible multilateralism, whereby WTO members interested in pursuing a certain issue where full consensus is not yet possible should be able to advance and conclude plurilateral agreements either through so-called WTO Annex 4 agreements, in accordance with Article II:3, Article III:1, and Article X:9 of the Marrakesh Agreement, or via ‘critical mass’ agreements that extend negotiated concessions to the WTO membership on a most-favoured-nation (MFN) basis; calls for the re-start of plurilateral negotiations, notably the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) and the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA);

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Takes the view that it is necessary to revise the functioning of the negotiating process by introducing more flexibility than has currently been the case under the consensus rule, while recognising that the Single Undertaking approach has limited the effectiveness of multilateral trade governance; expresses its support for the concept of flexible multilateralism, whereby; while the principle of consensus must remain the centre of WTO rule making, expresses its support for an approach, whereby a critical mass of WTO members interested in pursuing a certain market access issue where full consensus is not yet possible should be able to advance and conclude plurilateral agreements ~~eith~~under th~~rough so-called WTO Annex 4 agreements, in accordance with Article II:3, Article III:1, and Article X:9 of the Marrakesh Agreement, or via ‘critical mass’ agreements that extend~~e condition that it is not objected to by a threshold of WTO members to be determined and that negotiated concessions are extended to the WTO membership on a most-favoured-nation (MFN) basis;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Considers a more flexible approach to the decision making process in the WTO, through which the Secretariat would be able to take a more active role, as a viable solution which would allow more progress, especially in the negotiating pillar of the WTO; considers in this regard that Members should increase the WTO budget according to the extended needs to maintain the same quality of work, in general, the monetary contributions of new members should increase the WTO budget and not lead to smaller member fees of the existing members;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Supports the trade liberalisation witnessed through the proliferation of bilateral, regional and plurilateral trade agreements in the past decade; insists that such agreements must complement and not undermine the multilateral agenda, in particular the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda, and not be used as an alternative fora to address trade barriers, but rather as a stepping stone towards progress at the multilateral level;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Points out that SMEs are the driving force of the global economy and calls on the WTO to pay particular attention to SMEs and to include specific provisions for them at all stages of its work and in the drafting of multilateral and plurilateral rules;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas since its creation, the WTO has played a pivotal role in strengthening multilateralism, promoting an inclusive world economic order and fostering an open, rule-based and non- discriminatory multilateral trading system; whereas the WTO members were recognizing that their relations in the field of trade and economic endeavour should be conducted with a view to raising standards of living, ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand, and expanding the production of and trade in goods and services, while allowing for the optimal use of the world's resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in a manner consistent with their respective needs and concerns at different levels of economic development;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the EU to advance an initiative in the WTO regarding the regulation of a specific global supply chain, notably in the garment sector, with regard to social and environmental conditions for market access with reduced tariffs, in order to test a more flexible negotiation approach;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Considers that serious consideration should be given to the issue of categorisation or sub-categorisation, not only for developing countries but also of all other WTO members, with a view to a possible differentiated application of existing agreements;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Views the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) as a significant plurilateral initiative for signatories to mutually open their government procurement markets to open, fair and transparent competition; calls on the Commission to work with those members who are in the process of acceding to the GPA to accelerate their efforts in order to extend the benefits of procurement liberalisation among WTO members;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Is convinced that WTO members should explore different options under plurilateral agreements; notes that in this regard members, which would like to move ahead in setting new rules should be allowed to do so, in a way that is open to other members, who are not convinced or ready at the particular moment, to join later;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Recalls that the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) plurilateral negotiations strives to increase market access, trade and investment and improve international regulation, thereby shaping globalisation to ensure that it reflects EU values and principles; strongly encourages the Commission to work with WTO members to resume TiSA negotiations; is encouraged by the plurilateral discussions on 'services domestic regulation’ and supports the Commission’s work on this;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the importance of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of the Paris Agreement commitments in the fight against climate change, and of the role which trade can and must play in contributing towards their achievement; underlines that beyond the negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the WTO must now define the more concrete action that needs to be taken in this regard; reminds that the WTO concept of Process and Production Methods (PPM) offers possibilities to differentiate among so-called "like- products" for their environmental impact; suggests to revitalize the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) with the mandate to elaborate criteria for combatting environmental free riding and to establish closer links to the UNFCCC Secretariat;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the importance of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of the Paris Agreement commitments in the fight against climate change, and of the role which trade can play in contributing towards their achievement; underlines that beyond the disappointing progress made at MC11 on negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the WTO must now define the more concrete action that needs to be taken in this regard; regrets that the Environmental Goods Agreement was blocked in 2016 and recalls its potential to provide greater access to green technologies and help achieve the targets agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the importance of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of the Paris Agreement commitments in the fight against climate change, and that both should become the main benchmark by measuring the success of the role which trade can play in contributing towards their achievement; underlines that beyond the negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the WTO must now define the more concrete action that needs to be taken in this regard to protect marine life;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the role trade can play for development, the importance of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of the Paris Agreement commitments in the fight against climate change, and of the role which trade can play in contributing towards their achievement; underlines that beyond the negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the WTO must now define the more concrete action that needs to be taken in this regard;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reaffirms the links between gender equality and inclusive development, as also expressed in SDG 5, emphasising that women’s empowerment is key to the eradication of poverty and that removing barriers to women’s participation in trade is critical for economic development; welcomes the increased focus of the WTO on issues related to trade and gender, and encourages all 121 signatories to the 2017 Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment to deliver on their commitments; notes the importance of initiative such as SheTrades to highlight the positive role of women in trade and encourage greater participation of women in international trade around the world;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reaffirms the links between gender equality and inclusive development, as also expressed in SDG 5, emphasising that women’s empowerment is key to the eradication of poverty and that removing barriers to women’s participation in trade is critical for economic development; welcomes the increased focus of the WTO on issues related to trade and gender, and encourages all 121 signatories to the 2017 Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment to deliver on their commitments; emphasises the need for a systemic gender approach to all fields of WTO rule-making in the form of gender specific impact assessments;

Amendment 71 #

Daniel CASPARY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Draws attention to the conclusions of the 6th Global Review of Aid for Trade, held in Geneva in July 2017, entitled ‘Promoting trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable Development’; supports the view that this should be translated into concrete action in order to facilitate e-commerce, and turn digital opportunities, such as blockchain, into trade realities, for developing countries as well; notes, in this regard, that investment in both infrastructure ,and digital infrastructure, crucial to achieving progress in this area, remains a key challenge; calls, therefore, on the WTO members to promote investment in both infrastructure and digital infrastructure, encouraging, among other initiatives, public-private partnerships;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses that transparency is a key element in ensuring a stable and predictable trading and investment environment; believes it is important to enhance the transparency of monitoring procedures by increasing incentives for WTO members to comply with notification requirements and by providing capacity building if needed, while wilful non- compliance should be discouraged and challenged;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses that transparency is a key element in ensuring a stable and predictable trading and investment environment; believes it is important to enhance transparency by increasing incentives for WTO members to comply with notification requirements, reducing their complexity and burdens and by providing capacity building if needed, while wilful non-compliance should be challenged;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses that the role of the WTO Secretariat in facilitating and safeguarding a bottom-up approach for the active participation of all members is critical and that it should be further strengthened in support of various negotiating processes, as well as in implementation and monitoring functions; considers it necessary to strengthen the financial and human means and resources available to the WTO Secretariat;

Amendment 75 #

Daniel CASPARY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses that the role of the WTO Secretariat is critical and that it should be further strengthened in support of various negotiating processes, as well as in implementation and monitoring functions; considers it necessary to strengthen the financial and human means and resources available to the WTO Secretariat; urges the WTO members to mutually fulfil their responsibilities in this regard;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Expresses the view that the regular work of the WTO committees should also be revitalised by giving the chairpersons a more active role in developing and proposing solutions and compromises beyond just moderating the contributions of members and this extended task should be supported by the Secretariat;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Calls on~~Urges the WTO members to ensure democratic legitimacy and transparency by strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the WTO, and to support a memorandum of understanding establishing a formal working relation with the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO; stresses, in this regard, the need to ensure that parliamentarians have ~~better~~full access to trade negotiations and are involved in the formulation and implementation of WTO decisions, and that trade policies are properly scrutinised in the interests of their citizens;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Stresses how important it is that the European Union and the WTO continue and redouble their international cooperation efforts with other international organisations such as the United Nations, the OECD, the World Customs Organisation and the ILO, given the wide variety of subjects and sectors that international trade currently encompasses;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas scientific evidence indicates that a continued expansion of the production of and the trade in goods is unsustainable; whereas the WTO should redefine its role in a global post-growth economic scenario;

Amendment 9 #