Activities of Dominique BILDE related to 2022/2171(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles
Amendments (11)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles as a step forward in tackling the challenges linked to textile and clothes production; welcomes further EU efforts on its commitments towards the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals; strongly encourages the international promotion of this approach and strengthening cooperation with partners, as well as ensuring its coherence with EU trade policy, in particular the granting of generalised trade preferences;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls the principle of policy coherence for development and especially Article 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which states that ‘the Union shall take account of the objectives of development cooperation in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries’; and stresses that this principle is intended to permeate all EU policies, including its trade policy, through free trade agreements and the granting and monitoring of generalised trade preferences, in particular the 'GSP+' and 'Everything But Arms' ('EBA') schemes; 1c _________________ 1c https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to- markets/en/content/everything-arms-eba
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes, in this regard, that textiles are the main category of imports under the generalised trade preferences and that, since the adoption of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012,1a textiles accounted for 42% of imports covered by the generalised trade preferences in 2014 and 50% in 2016 and that the provisions governing these preferences (in particular compliance with the fundamental conditions for the granting thereof) are an effective lever for improving working and production conditions in this sector in the beneficiary countries; _________________ 1a Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 732/2008
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
(3b) Regrets that a number of countries, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, which benefit from the 'GSP+' and 'Everything But Arms"'generalised trade preference schemes respectively, are characterised by significant shortcomings in the area of labour law; stresses that, in general, future generalised trade preference provisions must provide an opportunity for implementing more effectively the criteria for granting such advantages;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that T&C from Europe are often exported to third countries for disposal and that only a tiny proportion of the textiles in question is actually recycled; stresses that this practice shifts environmental problems arising from the disposal of T&C to third countries; recommends that T&C to be exported for disposal must be prepared for proper recycling and that innovative recycling solutions for used textiles be promoted and developed to avoid the use of landfill or incineration;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the preponderance of synthetic fabrics in textile production is adversely affecting the environment, in particular because of the oil consumption and plastics pollution involved; it has been estimated that the fashion industry contributes to approximately 31% 1b of total plastic pollution in our oceans and that measures to encourage the production of certain natural fibres such as hemp or linen could have beneficial effects on the environment and on employment, through the revival of local agricultural and industrial sectors, as in the Grand Est region of France; _________________ 1b 'It is believed that the fashion industry accounts for 31% of total plastic pollution in the ocean" Sustainable Approaches in Textiles and Fashion, Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu, Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Stresses the need to promote research and innovation into less resource- and energy-intensive recycling options that are more affordable for businesses and increase the life cycles of the products concerned;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that working conditions in the textile industry in third countries are often substandard and have a direct impact on workers’ living standards due to low wages, poor working conditions and inadequate safety standards; highlights that women are in particular frequently make up the majority of textile workers and are in an even more vulnerable position; is equally concerned about persisting child labour in the industry;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes, in this connection, that the European Commission is continuing to grant preferential trade regimes to Pakistan (GSP +) or Bangladesh ('Everything but Arms') 1c and stresses that the European Union's new system of trade preferences must be conditional on genuine respect for fundamental principles of labour law and that the issue of working conditions in the textile sector must also be included in the dialogue arising from the Stabilisation and Association Agreements with the Balkan countries, in particular Albania, whose main exports are textiles and footwear; _________________ 1c https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to- markets/en/content/everything-arms-eba
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Strongly encourages the Commission, therefore, to supplement the Strategy with corresponding regional and country programming for developing countries in the framework of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI)-Global Europe and Team Europe initiatives, which should promote projects that help to build T&C production and distribution infrastructure which protects the environment as well as social and labour rights and the generalised systems of trade preferences.
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Encourages the European Commission and the Member States to support national textile production chains, in particular those seeking to relocate production chains in the Member States, flax mills being an example, as well as research and development for resource-efficient recycling solutions that are affordable for economic operators.