Activities of David MARTIN related to 2009/2218(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION Policy Coherence for Development for Development and the 'Official Development Assistance plus concept' (ODA +)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the Commission's strategy paper entitled 'Global Europe: Competing in the world' is by no means ahas not been the best contribution towards Policy Coherence for Development, but instead underlines the predatory nature ofhas sought to raise the competitiveness of EU companies by gradually opening up markets in developing countries; notes that the strade promoted by the EU in the interests of EU-based multinationalstegy has failed to be consistent with development objectives; urges the Commission therefore to reform its external policy in this regard, to ensure that trade becomes a tool for development and sustainable development worldwide;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls the adoption, in October 2007, of the EU Strategy on Aid for Trade, with a commitment to increase the collective EU trade-related assistance to €2 billion annually by 2010 (€1 billion from the Community and €1 billion from the Member States);
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines the fact that the so-called 'Singapore issues', such as liberalisation of services, investment and government procurement, the introduction of competition rules and stronger enforcement of intellectual property rights, do not serve the aim of achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals; underlines that the Singapore issues were removed from the Doha Round negotiations because of developing countries' opposition;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the safeguard clause on food security drafted into the Economic Partnership Agreements, and encourages the Commission to ensure its effective implementation;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the Commission's recent comments to the effect that it will look again at Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003, which has had unintended consequences for the transit through the EU of generic medicines which were ultimately destined for developing countries;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Believes that initiatives such as the Unitaid patent pool for HIV/Aids medicines can help bring coherence to the EU's health and intellectual property policies;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Welcomes the Commission's support for proposals to help indigenous communities to exploit and benefit from their traditional knowledge and genetic resources;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Welcomes the Commission's comments to the effect that the EU could lower tariffs on environment-friendly goods with like-minded countries in the event that an agreement cannot be found within the WTO;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Supports the Commission in facilitating the transfer of technology to developing countries, specifically low-carbon and climate-resilient technology which is essential for climate change adaptation;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7f. Recognises the important role that the EU's GSP+ system can play in encouraging good governance and sustainable development within developing countries, and encourages the Commission to ensure that this tool is effective and that ILO and UN conventions are properly implemented on the ground;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Paragraph 7 g (new)
7g. Suggests to the Commission that a Trade and Sustainable Development Forum under each bilateral trade agreement could be a useful method of gaining input from workers' organisations and trade unions on the implementation of social, labour and environmental standards in third countries;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 h (new)
Paragraph 7 h (new)
7h. Acknowledges the economic importance of remittances to developing countries, but stresses the need to address the issue of 'brain drain' in the implementation of bilateral trade agreements, in particular within the health sector;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 i (new)
Paragraph 7 i (new)
7i. Highlights the work done by many civil society organisations on tax evasion by EU multinationals in developing countries, such as the recent report by the British NGO Christian Aid, and asks the Commission to take their recommendations into account in future negotiations;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 j (new)
Paragraph 7 j (new)
7j. Supports the Commission's proposal to make the Sustainability Impact Assessment process more effective, and recommends a more inclusive approach as well as earlier publication of each stage of the Assessment, which could ensure that results are better taken into account during the negotiations.
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for the cessation of export subsidies; irrespective of the successful conclusion of the ‘Doha Round’, to avoid dumping of EU products on markets in developing countries and the economic loss that this generaten this view, recalls the commitment made in Doha in 2001 by all WTO members to conclude a Development round of negotiations aiming at rectifying the existing imbalances in the trade system and aiming to put trade at the service of development, contributing to poverty eradication and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Urges the Commission to revise the Global Europe strategy, as the trade component of the Lisbon strategy, in order to make of international trade a tool for job creation, poverty eradication and sustainable development worldwide;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Asks that the "aid for trade" strategy benefit all developing countries, and not only those agreeing to a greater liberalisation of their markets, notably in the context of Economic Partnership Agreements;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Calls on the Commission, during trade negotiations, not to encourage developing countries to agree to liberalisation beyond their existing WTO commitments, and stresses in particular that the ‘Singapore issues’ should under no circumstances be imposed in negotiations against the wishes of developing countries;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)