2023/0038M(NLE) EU/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement
Next event: Vote scheduled in committee 2023/10/24
Lead committee dossier:
Next event: Vote scheduled in committee 2023/10/24
Progress: Awaiting committee decision
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
---|---|---|---|
Lead | INTA | CASPARY Daniel ( EPP) | SILVA PEREIRA Pedro ( S&D), KARLSBRO Karin ( Renew), MATTHIEU Sara ( Verts/ALE), LANCINI Danilo Oscar ( ID), ZAHRADIL Jan ( ECR), SCHOLZ Helmut ( GUE/NGL) |
Committee Opinion | AGRI | ŠOJDROVÁ Michaela ( EPP) | Luke Ming FLANAGAN ( GUE/NGL), Gilles LEBRETON ( ID), Dacian CIOLOŞ ( RE), Francisco GUERREIRO ( Verts/ALE), Mazaly AGUILAR ( ECR), Attila ARA-KOVÁCS ( S&D) |
Lead committee dossier:
Events
2023/10/24
Vote scheduled in committee
2023/05/11
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2023/05/03
EP - ŠOJDROVÁ Michaela (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in AGRI
2023/03/21
EP - CASPARY Daniel (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in INTA
Amendments | Dossier |
77 |
2023/0038M(NLE)
2023/08/04
AGRI
77 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas the EU is New Zealand’s third largest trading partner for goods; whereas agricultural exports accounted for 64.9% (EUR 1.822 million) of its total exports to the EU in 2022, and whereas Spain is the EU’s largest sheepmeat producer;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Recital B b (new) Bb. whereas, with the Green Deal, the EU is embarking on a new development project that is based on raising environmental standards in Europe and around the world;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Recital B c (new) Bc. whereas the increased production of beef and sheep meat brought about by the EU-NZ FTA is expected to have a negative impact on land use in New Zealand, and will therefore put further pressure on New Zealand's biodiversity, in the context where New Zealand already has the highest proportion of threatened indigenous species in the world1a _________________ 1a "Evaluating the Relative Environmental Impact of Countries," Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Xingli Giam, Navjot S. Sodhi Published: May 3, 2010 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010 440
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Recital B d (new) Bd. Whereas liberalising trade can lead to an increase in GHG emissions not only through the increased production volumes, but also through the creation of additional trade flows with higher transport-related emissions; whereas the Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment assumes that an ambitious agreement will lead to an increase in non-CO2 GHG emissions;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the elimination of tariffs on EU agri-food exports, including key products such as pigmeat (current tariff: 5%) and wine and sparkling wine (current
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point 1 (new) (1) Notes with concern that the Agreement does not include the ‘mirror clause’ concept, which is a key demand of farmers aimed at ensuring that all producer countries are subject to the same conditions in terms of agriculture and livestock breeding, thus guaranteeing their ability to compete in the market and improve their production;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Welcomes the fact that the Paris Agreement and the ILO conventions have been included in the general dispute settlement chapter of the EU-NZ FTA, thereby introducing the possibility of sanctions; underlines that this structural improvement must now become a precondition for future FTAs between the EU and third parties; calls, however, for clarity on enforceability and on precisely which actions would be considered a breach of the Paris Agreement; asks for specific targets, actions and timelines to be defined in complement to the primarily cooperative activities to achieve sustainable practices;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls on the Commission and the Council to consider the relevance and necessity of developing trade flows with regions so far from the Union in an era of global warming and to reflect on levers other than FTAs to develop relations with the rest of the world and pursue the geopolitical objectives;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Recalls that New Zealand has not yet ratified a number of ILO Conventions that are relevant for ensuring fair labour conditions in agriculture, namely Fundamental Convention No. 87 on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining and Convention No. 138 pertaining to the effective abolition of child labour;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan defined the ambition of our food system to move towards a more plant- based diet with less red and processed meat and more fruit and vegetables; whereas meat and edible offal products are the most exported goods from New Zealand to the EU and the FTA is expected to moderately increase the Union imports of beef, sheep meat and dairy products from New Zealand;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the protection of geographical indications (GIs) for EU wines and spirits, as well as for other agri- food products; calls on the Commission to further extend this non-exhaustive list of protected GIs in the future; calls on the Commission to ensure an effective protection of GIs, with a particular attention to those under grandfathering clause, in order to prevent counterfeiting products being produced in New Zealand; notes the efforts being made in relation to EU agricultural sensitivities by imposing
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the inclusion of protection of geographical indications for EU wines and spirits in the trade agreement, as well as other food products and calls on the Commission to also ensure an effective enforcement of GIs protection rules in New Zealand; notes the efforts being made in relation to EU agricultural sensitivities by imposing limited and controlled access to highly sensitive products with the aim of protecting EU farmers through tariff rate quotas (TRQs); notes the progress being made in including sustainability and animal welfare provisions;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the protection of geographical indications for EU wines and spirits as well as other food products, as required by the TRIPS Agreement since 1995; notes the efforts being made in relation to EU sensitive agricultural
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the protection of geographical indications for EU wines and spirits, as well as other food products; notes the efforts being made in relation to EU agricultural sensitivities by imposing limited and controlled access to highly sensitive products with the aim of protecting EU farmers through tariff rate quotas (TRQs); notes the progress being made in including s
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the protection of geographical indications for EU wines and
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new) Welcomes the concern about protecting the specific situation of the outermost regions in the Agreement, given that the Agreement affects sensitive products for the economies of those regions;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Emphasises, however, that the upcoming revision of the animal welfare legislation will increase the burden for the Union livestock farmers, in particular regarding additional investments, putting the Union farmers in comparative disadvantage and reducing the level playing field between the Union and imported products;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Insists, nevertheless, that the Commission carefully manage and monitor the TRQs, ensuring that they are used fairly and effectively; requests that the monitoring mechanisms be transparent and easy to understand for all parties involved, and that they be applied in such a way as to avoid any market distortion and any obstacles for European producers;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Insists, nevertheless, that the Commission carefully manage and monitor the TRQs to prevent the negative consequences that these will have on the agri-food sector, especially the meat sector;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Insists, nevertheless, that the Commission carefully manage and monitor the TRQs, and considers that TRQs should be accompanied by minimum entry prices to prevent dumping;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas on 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation illegally invaded Ukraine, and its effects have put food security and the resilience of the global food system at the centre of the political agenda; whereas European food production must therefore be considered a strategic sector and be placed on an equal footing with energy security, defence and the fight against climate change at the Union and international level;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Insists, nevertheless, that the Commission carefully manage and monitor the TRQs and keep the European Parliament constantly informed;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Insists, nevertheless, that the Commission should carefully manage and monitor the TRQs;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls for the EU to implement safeguards, such as seasonality, on the additional TRQs for agricultural products, thus ensuring that seasonal variations in production and consumption will be taken into account, and that additional imports will not distort the market during peak domestic production periods; also encourages the EU institutions to continue to engage in dialogue with farmers and local producers in order to gain a better understanding of their specific needs and the challenges they face in this context;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls for the EU to implement safeguards, such as seasonality, on the additional TRQs for agricultural products, particularly for European sheepmeat for which there are two demand peaks every year that European livestock breeders traditionally use to cover their costs before the mass imports from New Zealand;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls for the EU to implement safeguards, such as seasonality, on the additional TRQs for agricultural products; points out that dairy production is vitally important in economic and social terms in some European regions, such as the Azores;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls on the EU to implement safeguards, such as seasonality, on the additional TRQs for agricultural products, as permitted by the WTO rules which the Commission very seldom uses to protect European market integrity;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls for the EU to implement safeguards, such as seasonality, on a quarterly basis, on the additional TRQs for agricultural products;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 – point 1 (new) (1) Notes with concern the failure to take account of the reduction in production and the loss of competitiveness that farmers and livestock breeders will suffer as a result of this Agreement, which will therefore have consequences for European society as a whole;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 – point 2 (new) (2) Stresses that sheep breeding is a key sector for keeping the population in rural areas;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine demonstrated the need to diversify trade agreements, to decrease dependence on imports and exports from a limited number of trade partners, the importance of concluding trade agreements with like-minded partners and expanding the Union's economic relations in other regions, including the Asia-Pacific region;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 – point 3 (new) (3) Stresses that sheep breeding is extensive, sustainable and vital for keeping upland areas clear and preventing fires;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls for the Commission to be able to adopt safeguard measures, when a New Zealand product is imported under conditions which cause or may cause serious difficulties for EU producers of like or directly competing products: (a) at the request of a Member State; (b) at the request of any legal person or any association that does not have legal personality, acting on behalf of the Union industry, meaning all or a major proportion of Union producers of like or directly competing products; or (c) on its own initiative if it is apparent to the Commission that there is sufficient prima facie evidence of serious difficulties as referred to in this paragraph.
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the Commission, during the development of this Agreement, to ensure compliance with the EU’s social and environmental standards for the European agricultural and livestock breeding sector;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Notes that the New Zealand milk sector benefits from an undertaking with a virtual monopoly over its exports;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that the EU dairy, beef and sheep sectors are under pressure owing to the market access being given to non-EU countries and the level of international prices, which are never balanced prices, but either dumping prices when surpluses are being dumped, or speculative prices when security of supply is at stake; calls on the Commission to consider the cumulative impacts of past and future trade deals on EU farmers and the need
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that the EU beef and sheep sectors are under pressure owing to the market access being given to non-EU countries; calls on the Commission to consider the cumulative impacts of current and future trade deals on EU farmers and the
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that the EU beef and sheep sectors are under pressure owing to the market access being given to non-EU countries; calls on the Commission to consider the cumulative impacts of future trade deals on EU farmers and the need for investment in local EU production; points out, in this respect, that livestock breeding plays a key role in rural areas, in both socio-economic and environmental terms, as it is a job creator and helps to maintain the landscape;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that the EU beef and sheep sectors are under pressure owing to the market access being given to non-EU countries; calls on the Commission to consider the cumulative impacts of future trade deals on EU farmers and the need for investment in local EU production; it is necessary to maintain a level playing field for EU farmers, agri-food producers and workers; therefore, calls for the introduction of appropriate support measures for EU farmers;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that the EU beef and sheep sectors are under pressure owing to the market access being given to non-EU countries; calls on the Commission to consider the cumulative impacts of future trade deals on EU farmers and the need for investment in local EU production; deplores the fact that livestock breeding is too often regarded as an adjustment variable in free trade agreements;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas Italy, Greece and New Zealand are among the largest producers of kiwifruit worldwide; whereas foreign kiwifruit producers can only produce in and export from New Zealand if they are authorized by Kiwifruit New Zealand, in collaboration with Zespri Group Limited, through a collaborative marketing arrangement;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 – point 1 (new) (1) Stresses that sheep breeding is a key sector for keeping the population in rural areas;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Highlights that the EU and New Zealand legislations on the use of pesticides exhibit certain differences, notably in the regulation of seeds treated with pesticides, which may lead to divergent legislative treatment of pesticides or pesticide-treated products and may give rise to unfair competition for farmers using such products; calls on the Commission to clarify how it will ensure coherence in standards applied to imports and the Union products, and whether specific cooperation or mirror measures are considered as a means to ensure protection of biodiversity and soil health in both New Zealand and the EU;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the Commission and the Council to recognize that, regardless of its other advantages, this agreement does not generally benefit the European agri-food sector; calls therefore on the Commission and the Council to finally seriously consider dealing with agriculture and food in a dedicated framework within both bilateral and multilateral trade relations;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the EU to put in place reciprocity measures to ensure that New Zealand imports comply with European environmental, social and animal welfare production standards in order to guarantee fair conditions of competition between European and New Zealand farmers;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the Commission to require both parties to the Agreement to comply with the same standards in order to prevent unfair competition, increased economic pressure in the sector, and loss of competitiveness;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Deplores the fact that the agricultural sector is often used as bargaining chip to be sacrificed during the negotiations of trade agreements in order to obtain concessions in other chapters;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the Commission to refrain from proposing tariff concessions that threaten livestock breeding in Europe;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Warns that increasing the TRQs for sheepmeat will allow the mass import of New Zealand meat at prices with which European producers will be unable to compete;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Underlines that it would welcome exchanges between the EU and New Zealand on good practices, in particular regarding regulations on new breeding techniques and attracting young people into the farming profession; underlines the potential of these collaborations to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability, and to promote attractive and sustainable career opportunities for the young generation; notes that this may include sharing innovative methods in relation to the use of technology, training and skills development, and strategies to recruit and retain young people in the agricultural sector;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Underlines that it would welcome regular exchanges between the EU and New Zealand on good practices, in particular regarding regulations on new breeding techniques and attracting young people into the farming profession; invites the EU and New Zealand to engage in ongoing discussions, involving their respective farming organisations, on developments in farming practices and sustainability standards on both sides, with a view to continuous harmonization and improvement;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas the EU has chosen to develop its open strategic autonomy so that it is less exposed to crises and disruptions in supply;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Underlines that it would welcome exchanges between the EU and New Zealand on
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Underlines that it would welcome exchanges between the EU and New Zealand on good practices, in particular regarding regulations on new breeding techniques and attracting young people, especially female farmers, into the farming profession;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls on the Commission to continue engaging with New Zealand to find long-lasting solutions ensuring the respect of reciprocity in the kiwifruit sector; underlines the importance of preventing the disclosure of confidential business information in the application for the collaborative marketing arrangement needed to export kiwifruit from New Zealand;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls on the Commission to require both parties to the Agreement to comply with the same standards in order to prevent unfair competition, increased economic pressure in the sector, and the loss of competitiveness;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Stresses the need to ensure an adequate monitoring framework at Union level on the enforcement of food safety standards for imported products;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Highlights that the Union intends to update and improve its animal welfare standards in the near future through a review of animal welfare legislation in the near future, including a phasing out of cage farming; recalls that this and future FTAs should provide for mirror clauses related to animal welfare, not only to maintain the competitiveness of the Union farmers, but also to respond to citizens’ expectations, as per Eurobarometer 442; highlights the need for cooperation with New Zealand to ensure shared higher ambitions in light of the upcoming legislative proposals on animal welfare;
Amendment 67 #
6b. Welcomes the cooperation chapter on sustainable food systems and the commitment to engage in the transition towards sustainable food systems;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 c (new) 6c. Calls for both parties to recognise and improve the rights of indigenous peoples, both within the trade agreement and more broadly, in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Recalls that protection of the environment and biodiversity can be better assured through cooperation with indigenous peoples, and that legal mechanisms of involvement and cooperation must be codesigned with indigenous people, in order to ensure their genuine participation.
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas the EU’s agricultural, environmental and trade policies must ensure coherent European political action;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for the EU to monitor and react to the potential impact of UK bilateral trade deals on access to the UK market for EU meat and the potential market instability, if necessary by suspending the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and New Zealand.
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls on the Commission to move towards new and real partnership agreements with States and regional entities that want to cooperate in order to achieve human development goals and the ecological transition, and to organise fair trade; considers that real partnership agreements should be developed by involving civil society in democratic processes and should be implemented with the consent of the local populations affected;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Highlights that in accordance with the environmental ambitions of the European Green Deal, the pricing of agricultural products and foodstuffs should better reflect the costs on society and environment that currently are externalised; calls for working groups to address this issue under the Committee on the Sustainable Food Systems (SFS);
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Welcomes the obligation for the insurance of the effective implementation of the ILO convention and the multilateral environmental agreements, including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, welcomes that the FTA also includes chapters on SPS measures, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, and technical barriers to trade.
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls on the Commission to report annually to the European Parliament on the progress in the implementation of environmental standards and in reducing the carbon emissions linked to this trade agreement, both in the European Union and New Zealand;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Stresses the need to insert mirror clauses in this Agreement, as in every free trade agreement, to prevent European farmers from being adversely affected by unfair competition;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. Calls on the Commission to draw inspiration from the history of commodity agreements in order to secure the supply of raw materials through multiannual government-to-government agreements with restricted prices and thereby break the stranglehold of the large international traders;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. Welcomes the recognition by both parties of the need to phase out fossil fuels and to cooperate to this end; calls for fossil fuel subsidies attributed either directly or indirectly in the parties' respective agricultural policies to be taken into account when reforming and reducing fossil fuel subsidies.
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Recital B b (new) Bb. whereas the agricultural sector is a significant contributor to environmental pressures in both New Zealand and the Union, facing common challenges including increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, loss of endemic species, water pollution and soil erosion;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Recital B b (new) Bb. whereas the EU has a consistent trade deficit with New Zealand in agriculture, accounting for EUR 1.100 million in 2022; whereas the agreement could contribute to increasing this trade deficit;
source: 751.642
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History
(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)
2023-08-24Show (1) Changes | Timetravel
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2023-06-03Show (1) Changes
commission |
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