4 Amendments of Maria HEUBUCH related to 2015/2067(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises the wide gap that still remains between developed and developing countries' border procedures, and that poor infrastructure, inefficient customs management and excessive red tape create considerable obstacles to the ability of businesses in developing countries to trade; acknowledges that the Trade Facilitation Agreement will give a new impetus to reformsslow down trade; acknowledges that the Trade Facilitation Agreement and trade liberalisation process share the same objective of reducing trading costs to boost exports and economic activity;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that for manAcknowledges that trade facilitation has been a long-lasting request made by developinged countries trade facilitation will be the main source of gains in the Doha Development Agenda;in the Doha negotiations; recalls that developing countries have continuously insisted that food security and assistance to LDCs must advance in tandem with trade facilitation in the remit of the Doha Development Agenda; stresses that developing countries, including LDCs, should have flexibility to implement trade facilitation obligations at their own pace and subject to available resources; in this context, welcomes the extensive provisions on special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed countries; suggests that the novel approach of making commitments and their scheduling commensurate with countries' capacities should serve as a benchmark for future agreements;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Acknowledges that expeditious and comprehensive implementation of the Agreement is in thethe Trade Facilitation Agreement will mostly benefit developed countries, while a possible significant increase of imports in developing countries may cause a deterioration of their trade balance; in reverse, notes that the potential gains from that agreement in terest of all members of the World Trade Organization, given the tangible gains and, in particular, the estimated reduction in trade costs; underlinems of export of developing countries are overestimated, as most of the obligations under the Trade Facilitation Agreement correspond to those rules that are already in place in advanced economies; accordingly, deems that the degree of implementation of the Agreement will be decisive for the benefits derivedcan only be in the interest of all members of the WTO if priorities and concerns of developing countries in the refrommit of the Doha Development Agenda are equally duly reflected;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WUnderlines that many obligations under the Trade Facilitation Agreement necessitate substantial investments in developing countries due to limited financial resources; notes equally that such Trade Facilitation Agreement may lead to irreplaceable losses of tariff revenue, in a context where the share of customs revenue in the total tax collection is much higher in developing countries and LDCs than in developed countries; acknowledges that the implementation of new trade facilitation obligations should not come at the expense of other development priorities of the host country; welcomes the numerous commitments, including by the EU, to provide assistance and support for capacity building in order to help developing and least-developed countries to implement the Agreement; stresses that funding for capacity building should be recipient-driven, based on proper needs assessments; considers it indispensable that aid is properly managed and coordinated, given the number of donors and pledges; underlines the need for appropriate monitoring of, and reporting on, aid flows.