43 Amendments of Momchil NEKOV related to 2018/2005(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on a balanced and progressive trade policy to harness globalisation1 ; underlines the importance of this communication for a European agriculture sector that is suffering from unbalanced competition on both the EU and foreign markets; _________________ 1 with several global players which have developed intensive, export oriented and highly competitive farming systems; _________________ 1 COM(2017)0492. COM(2017)0492.
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to Article 27 of the UN Convention on Human Rights on the right to participate in cultural life;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Citation 2 b (new)
Citation 2 b (new)
– having regard to the Commission and European External Action Service Joint Communication ‘Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations’;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Acknowledges that the EU is the single largest exporter of agri-food products; perceives in this context the double phenomenon that on one hand, there is the need to maintain its market orientation and its compatibility with WTO rules whilst, on the other, that specific agricultural sectors cannot withstand full trade liberalisation and unfettered competition with imports;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU has the right to adopt policies on trade in cultural and audiovisual services with the aim of protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Underlines that the trade and agricultural policies are intertwined and that the EU trade policy is a tool in promoting EU’s agricultural interests and therefore can contribute to the achievement of objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP);
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Highlights that trade and agricultural policies lie at the core of implementing Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. Focusing on inclusive, free and fair trade policies and aligning trade with the SDGs can significantly contribute to eradicating poverty and hunger worldwide.
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Underlines that trade agreements and globalization can lead to increasing inequalities in and between countries, threatening ecological and social stability and fostering unsustainable production and consumption patterns. EU trade policy include the Agenda 2030 as their guiding principle to avoid negative impacts.
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1f. Calls on the EU to systematically evaluate the impact of its trade policies on the objectives of sustainable development and calls for establishing an evaluation mechanism to assure policy coherence of all EU strategies and policies
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 g (new)
Paragraph 1 g (new)
1g. Acknowledges in this context that the WTO itself is a negotiating forum that offers rules and that the member countries themselves decide how far they want to go in removing trade barriers and distortions; reminds that with bilateral agreements the EU can set trade conditions over and above the WTO safety net;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas in the context of globalisation, international cooperation and exchange, a broad definition of culture is needed to include new hybrid forms of cultural expression as well as tangible and intangible cultural heritage including indigenous and traditional art practices, in order to reflect the fluid and evolving nature of culture;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the cultural and creative industries contribute approximately 2.6 % of the EU’s GDP, with a higher growth rate than the rest of the economy, and notably remained one of the most resilient sectors during the financial crisis;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that harnessing globalisation should involve both strengthening global discipline to prevent unfair competition and distortions of trade in agriculture, and avoiding undue exposure of sensitive EU agricultural sectors to competition from imports of products that are not subject to similar standards, costs and constraints as regards, for example, environmental protection, fundamental labour rights and animal welfare;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that harnessing globalisation should involve both strengthening global discipline to prevent unfair competition and distortions of trade in agriculture, and avoiding undue exposure of sensitive EU agricultural sectors to competition from imports of products that are not subject to similar standards, costs and constraints as regards, for example, environmental, human, plant and animal health or consumer protection;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Urges that no trade agreement will ever lower levels of regulatory protection; stresses that consumer rights need to be safeguarded when comprehensive trade agreements are negotiated and concluded and consumer welfare should be added among the objectives of future agreements; calls therefore on a self- standing chapter on “trade and consumer” within trade agreements commit to a high level of consumer protection;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas innovation and creativity are needed to ensure a more sustainable development of cities, regions and societies as a whole, and are key to providing solutions to the societal challenges our societies face today;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas craft and the production of artworks are particularly key to local development;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
Ed. whereas intercultural dialogue fosters respect and mutual understanding, and encourages fairer social and economic exchanges, including trade, helping to develop practices that promote the interests of all parties in a more balanced and respectful way, and fight unfair practices such as abusive clauses and imposed unilateral conditionalities;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that culture and education can, including lifelong learning, are common goods and that access to culture and education are Human Rights, and that culture and education can therefore not be considered or managed in the same way as a discretionary good or service;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls for common measures of product information and labelling, the introduction of a mandatory country-of- origin labelling scheme for meat;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Urges to incorporate the precautionary principle as laid down in Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU in all trade agreements under negotiations and future agreements, to ensure a higher level of protection through preventative decision- taking in the case of risk to human health or the environment without restrictions from trade partners or the WTO whenever required;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Reminds that the precautionary principle as laid down within the framework of the WTO agreement does not reflect the precautionary principle as practised in Europe; demands therefore, in contrast to the WTO provisions in force, that precautionary measures can be adopted in the case of legitimate suspicion without a scientific proof (e.g. trade- restrictive measures like placing ban on imports, rejecting market authorisation, etc.) and therefore calls for the reversal of burden of proof of scientific evidence onto the proponent/developer/producer/importer of substances/products which have been considered to harm human health or are considered as environmental hazard in particular with regard to lower sanitary and phytosanitary standards, hygiene problems at meat-production facilities and with regard to possible pesticide residues;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Calls for an improvement in the control of imports of goods to ensure they strictly meet European health, food safety, social and environmental rules notably by strengthening the checks on imported agri-foods at origin and upon their arrival in the EU;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that cultural and educational exchanges between the EU and its partners can contribute to mutual sustainable development, growth and the creation of quality jobs, in line with the coIntext of globalisationrnational Labour Organisation's Decent Work agenda, including in the co- operative sector;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Urges to exercise utmost care when it comes to the liberalisation of the market access in vulnerable agricultural sectors and consideration of various procedures when it comes to the most sensitive products (including their exclusion);
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that culture and education policies are key to ensuring resilience, fair distribution of wealth and competitiveness, and can provide the skillsocial and transferable skills, such as intercultural skills, entrepreneurship, problem solving, creativity and critical thinking, required to faceaddress globalisation;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Therefore calls for mainstreaming education for sustainability, fair trade and ecological citizenship across disciplines, in particular in entrepreneurship learning, including social entrepreneurship, and digital literacy and skills;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Asks the Commission and Member States to promote and develop tailor-made high-quality mobility and scientific cooperation schemes to enable international collaboration and knowledge exchange, whilst also broadening STEM to STEAM;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses its serious concerns with respect to the possible concluscurrent direction of the ongoing free-trade negotiations with Mercosur involving majorwhich does not point to a fair and balanced agreement according to leaked news; the possible conclusion of the negotiations might result major and causeless concessions in sectors such as beef, sugar, poultry and biofuels which could endanger the viability of local production in certain partmany regions of the EU;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Recalls the specific role of culture in external relations and in development policies, in particular for conflict prevention and resolution, peace-building and empowerment of local populations; therefore considers that an ambitious and sound cultural strategy, including cultural diplomacy, is needed to achieve a new consensus on development;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Recalls that sport is a highly globalised economic activity but also a social tool for inclusion, empowerment and individual and collective development, hence recalls the need to ensure high standards of ethics and transparency in governance of international trade and economic activity in the sports sector;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Believes that the Brazilian authorities are not yet able to guarantee the safety and quality of Brazilian poultry meat due to anomalies in their food control system; calls on the European Commission to remove poultry meat from the scope of the free trade negotiations with the Mercosur until the Brazilian meat scandal will be properly screened and a 100 % guarantee of compliance with South American meat imports to EU rules will be provided.
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Recalls the need to ensure transparency and democracy in trade agreements and decision-making processes, furthermore encourages participation in decision-making processes by citizens whose working conditions, environments, health and well-being will be affected.
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls its two resolutions of 26 October 2017 on the negotiating mandates for trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand2 and draws attention to the resolution of the Parliament on the current situation and future prospects for the sheep and goat sectors in the EU adopted on 2 May 2018 and especially its paragraph 62 which urges the Commission to exercise caution in negotiating the new FTAs with New Zealand and Australia pending its analysis of the impact of Brexit on sheep and goat farming, especially as regards the future of the 287 000 tonnes carcass weight equivalent quota for sheep meat granted by the EU to New Zealand; _________________ 2 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0419 and P8_TA(2017)0420 respectively.
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls its two resolutions of 26 October 2017 on the negotiating mandates for trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand2 and the emphasis placed by this Parliament on the need of “respecting the fact that there are a number of sensitive agricultural products which should be given appropriate treatment, for example, through tariff-rate quotas or allocated adequate transition periods, taking into proper consideration the cumulative impact of trade agreements on agriculture and potentially excluding from the scope of the negotiations the most sensitive sectors”; _________________ 2 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0419 and P8_TA(2017)0420 respectively.
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reminds that the total number of farms in the EU has dropped by 26% from 2005 to 2013; points out that the agricultural production in some MS within the EU now takes place in fewer, larger and more capital-intensive farms and points out that this consolidation process is expected to be continued and already has and will continue to have an impact on the generational renewal in particular in the context with access to land and maintaining farm viability;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of strong coordination between Member States for the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the EU market; draws attention to the need to avoid the excessive concentration of farmland and forests in foreign (non-EU) hands; recalls, in this respect, its resolution of 27 April 2017 on the state of play of farmland concentration in the EU3 ; _________________ 3and calls on the European Commission to clarify the guideline on legal limits of Member States' intervention on regulating land purchase issued last autumn and supplement it with the introduction of additional good practices making land-grabbing much harder; believes that the Commission has not done everything yet to efficiently reduce land-grabbing in the EU; _________________ 3 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0197. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0197.
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of strong coordination between Member States for the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the EU market, especially in the areas of farmland and forests; draws attention to the need to avoid the excessive concentration of farmland and forests in foreign (non-EU) hands; recalls, in this respect, its resolution of 27 April 2017 on the state of play of farmland concentration in the EU3 ; _________________ 3 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0197. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2017)0197.
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to react strongly to US attacks against the WTO- compatible mechanisms of the CAP through the imposition of unjustified trade defence measures; recalls, in this respect, its resolution of 15 March 2018 on US measures on EU farm support under the CAP (in the context of Spanish olives)4 and expresses its concern with respect to the possible proliferation of such measures against other recipients of payments under the CAP; _________________ 4 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0091.
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative to create an advisory group on EU trade negotiations composed of representatives of a wide and balanced group of stakeholders; insists on the need for thea strong representation of EU farming organisations in such a group in view of the major impact of most of the negotiations in question on the agricultural sector.
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative to create an advisory group on EU trade negotiations composed of representatives of stakeholders and waits for the establishment of this group as soon as possible; insists on the need for the strong representation of EU farming organisations in such a group.
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Asks the Commission to ensure that recommendations of the advisory group are binding and enforceable.