14 Amendments of Joachim SCHUSTER related to 2015/2038(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas the European Parliament’s 2010 recommendations which were not implemented notably included: - the consolidation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept in the EU’s Common Commercial Policy (CCP), including elements that are binding on companies such as a requirement to publish CSR balance sheets and a requirement for undertakings to show due diligence; - the inclusion of CSR in all EU trade agreements and provisions for greater enforcement, notably the possibility to carry out investigations on alleged cases of breaches of CSR commitments and the establishments of EU contact points modelled on the OECD contact points; - the inclusion of comprehensive, legally binding and enforceable Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD)chapters in all EU trade agreements; - the reorientation of TSD chapters towards greater implementation, in particular through enhanced monitoring by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Social Partners, including complaint procedures directly accessible to Social Partners, appeal mechanisms to independent bodies to settle disputes and the recourse to trade agreements’ general dispute settlements on an equal footing with the others parts of the agreements, with provisions for fines or at least temporary suspension of trade benefits; - the launch of investigations under GSP+ if consistent evidence indicates that some countries are not implementing their commitments; - the inclusion in the GSP regulation of CSR conditionality; - active support by the European Commission to set up a Trade and Decent Work Committee at the WTO;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas TSD chapters have displayed a decreasing level of ambition in successive EU trade agreements, from EU-Korea and EU-Colombia/Peru to EU- Canada and the Economic Partnership Agreements with regional groupings of African countries; whereas this trend is extremely alarming and must be reverted;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas the European Commission’s 2015 ‘Trade for All’ strategy makes TSD a priority for the EU; whereas in order for this strategy to give proper impetus to the TSD agenda, the European Commission must now turn its much welcomed ambition into resolute and concrete actions;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas concerns about the implementation of TSD standards on the ground should not lead to a weakening of the EU’s ambitions; whereas incentives to comply with TSD requirements can only be effective if backed by deterrents;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the Commission and Council’s efforts to insert legally binding HR clauses into all the free trade agreements (FTAs) in accordance with the common approach; regrets that HR clauses arhave not been included in treaties such as thosehe agreement with Korea, Vietnam and Canada (CETA) or in the TTIP and Vietnam negotiations; calls for the inclusion of legally binding HR clauses in the future agreement with the USA (TTIP);
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – introductory part
Paragraph 6 – introductory part
6. Firmly demands that all future EU trade agreements have sustainable chapters (TSD) withRecalls its 2010 request that each EU trade agreement, whether bilateral or multilateral, should include comprehensive, legally binding and enforceable TSD chapters, with the following features:
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 6 – point a a (new)
(aa) a complaint procedure directly accessible to Social Partners;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point b
Paragraph 6 – point b
(b) a general dispute settlement mechanism directly accessible to the social partners and civil society,recourse to trade agreements’ general dispute settlements on an equal footing with the others parts of the agreements;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point c
Paragraph 6 – point c
(c) more than a merely incentives-based approach: sanctions must cause an effective suspension of trade benefits in the form of countervailing duties. In addition to sanctions, a decision may require aneffective deterrents, in the form of monetary remedies or the suspension of trade benefits, possibly linked to action plans that could include legislative and/or regulatory reforms;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Take note of the criticisms often voiced by participants to Domestic Advisory groups set up by the EU under existing trade agreements that their deliberations have no practical impact; calls on the Commission to systematically respond in a concrete manner to concerns raised by EU DAGs and ensure appropriate follow up to initiatives proposed by EU SCOs and Social Partners in this framework;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls for TSD chapters in EU trade agreements to lay out basic logistical provisions to enable effective implementation, in particular resources and timetables, as these aspects have proven to be serious hurdles; recalls the importance of accompanying measures in this respect, such as technical assistance and cooperation programmes;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Regrets the many discrepancies displayed by TSD chapters in the various EU trade agreements; calls on the European Commission to uphold the highest level of consistency in all trade negotiations, in particular when dealing with developing countries; calls in this respect for a common approach to be defined and implemented for HR and Sustainable Development monitoring with respect to ACP countries, in the framework of the Economic Partnership Agreements;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the lack of involvement of the EP in assessing the compliance of FTAparties to EU trade agreements with HR and TSD obligations, and; recalls its request to the European Commission to be granted observer status in EU trade negotiations; calls on the Council to consult Parliament on any decisions to revise or even suspend the application of an agreement if this is necessary;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s decision to carry out ex ante and ex post sustainability impact assessments (SIAs) for all trade agreements in accordance with the integrated guidelines, while noting their limited capacity to influence the concrete outcomes of the FTAs and IPAs; calls on the European Commission to ensure proper involvement of SCOs and Social Partners in the development of SIAs; recalls the need for the timely publication of SIAs in order to enable the public and its elected representatives to properly assess any proposed agreement;