Activities of Danilo Oscar LANCINI related to 2018/0356M(NLE)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Amendments (18)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that Vietnam is benefiting from the GSP scheme and that EU is currently running a trade deficit with that country, imports from it amounting to EUR 38.2 billion in 2018, compared with exports of only EUR 11.1 billion;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out that Vietnam is a founding member of the TPP and is currently taking part in the RCEP negotiations; notes that, it has concluded a number of free-trade agreements with countries in the region under ASEAN arrangements; highlights accordingly the potential risk of importing from Vietnam agricultural and other products of doubtful origin, some of them from countries with which Europe does not have direct agreements; stresses, therefore, the importance of effective monitoring arrangements to ensure the safety of products imported from Vietnam and verify their origin;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is convincedHopes that the agreement will make further strides towards setting high standards and rules in the ASEAN region, helping to pave the way for a future region-to-region trade and investment agreement; stresses that the agreement also sends a strong signal in favour of open and free trade at times of protectionist tendencies and the questioning of multilateral rules-based tradeprogress in terms of high standards and standards in the ASEAN region;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses theHopes for genuinely improved access under this agreement to Vietnamese public procurement in line with the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), as Vietnam is not yet a member of the GPA; underlines that the government procurement chapter of the EVFTA achieves a degree of transparency and procedural fairness comparable to other FTAs that the EU has signed with developed and more advanced developing countries;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the fact thatStresses that only around 169 EU geographical indications will benefit from recognition and protection on the Vietnamese market at a comparable level to that of EU legislation, in view of the fact that Vietnam is an important export market in Asia for EU food and drink exports; points out that this list will need to be substantially increased in the immediate future;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes with concern a number of major shortcomings in respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of association; is deeply concerned by the numerous systematic infringements of fundamental rights;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. RecallNotes that the system of intellectual property protection is still too muddled, containing a number of gaps and several inconsistencies with European rules; hopes that the EVFTA will help Vietnam go further in improvsecuring IPR protection, to the benefit of IPR owners and consumers, as Vietnam will accede to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Internet Treaties, which set standards to prevent unauthorised online access to or use of creative work, protect the rights of owners, and address the challenges that new technologies and methods of communication pose to IPR;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Notes that the country’s rapid economic development, with the expansion of the industry and services sectors, is causing increased environmental damage, which is having a serious impact on agricultural and marine biodiversity, while unregulated intensive agriculture is causing deforestation and soil deterioration, threatening biodiversity and water quality and undermining sustainable development goals; notes that Vietnam should apply a strict protection and conservation plan for the environment and marine ecosystem;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. WelcomStresses the commitment to effectively implement multilateral environmental agreements such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, and to act in favour of the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife, biodiversity and forestry; recalls that the Agreement provides for specific measures to fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU) and to promote a sustainable and responsible fishery sector, including aquaculture, in this context, that Vietnam is the fourth largest polluter of the world’s oceans with plastic waste; points out that, given the effort and commitment required by the European Union of its producers, it makes no sense to conclude trade agreements with partners that do not respect EU environmental values and are not genuinely committed to protecting the environment, since those importing from these countries are simply contributing to environmental damage and encouraging competition with EU companies that are rightly subject to stringent environmental constraints;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes that the fisheries sector is a highly sensitive area regarding relations between the European Union and Vietnam; recalls that Vietnam received an initial warning from the European Commission in October 2017 and is currently under observation and that, if no corrective measures are taken, fishery products from Vietnam could be banned; observes, in this regard, that Vietnam should firmly commit to combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities; takes the view the Union should monitor the situation and require scrupulous checks by Vietnam to ensure that no illegal fishery products arrive on the Union market;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Recalls the major problems faced by the Vietnamese authorities, in particular its oversized fishing fleet, the over-exploitation of marine resources and the inefficiency of controls; expresses the greatest concern, therefore, with regard to imports and calls for the rigorous monitoring of control systems;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Expresses its serious concern, regarding agricultural imports, at the zero-duty rice quota of 80 000 tonnes; fails to understand the reason for such a large amount, given that the average annual quantity of rice imported from Vietnam to date is around 25 000 tonnes; points out that, at a time when Cambodian rice safeguard clauses are being activated, it is risky to establish such a large rice import quota that might damage the European rice industry, forcing it to reduce production, with serious repercussions in terms of quantity and quality;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Recalls that increasing dependence on rice imports from Asia is a major factor in increasing the volatility of rice prices; points out that world global population growth vastly exceeds the capacity to increase world rice production; notes that the combination of import dependency and reduced domestic production could create future supply problems for the EU; points out that water from the Mekong river, one of the most polluted in the world, is being used for rice cultivation; it is therefore necessary to control both the quality of the final product and the production chain in order to verify compliance with European standards and requirements and ensure that no banned substances are used during processing in Europe that might have an adverse environmental impact, even if no trace of them remain in the final product;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)
Paragraph 14 e (new)
14e. Calls for technical management measures designed to progressively dilute and keep track of the effects of the 80 000-tonne quota;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)
Paragraph 14 f (new)
14f. Recommends that the quota be accorded in two half-yearly tranches; if, for one or more of the three sub-quotas - 30 000 tonnes of aromatic rice, 30 000 tonnes of milled rice and 20 000 tonnes of husked rice - a half-yearly tranche is exhausted before the opening of the next tranche, the duty exemption should not apply to quantities imported after the date of exhaustion up to the commencement of the next half-year; calls for a ban on ‘transfers’ from any unused sub-quotas; if, for three consecutive years, a sub- quota, or over 50 %, thereof, remains unused, it should be suspended;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. AcknowledgesExpresses great concern at revelations regarding the illegal timber trade in Vietnam and the numerous instances of illegal timber trafficking from Laos and Cambodia; acknowledges, in this regard, Vietnam’s engagement to address illegal logging and deforestation through the conclusion of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) with the EU; notes that this agreement has been in force since 1 June 2019 and introduces mandatory due diligence obligations for its importers; welcomes the open and constructive participation of all relevant stakeholders in Vietnam in this process; hopes that measures will be taken to ensure full compliance with agreement, accompanied by the envisaged monitoring procedures;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for enhanced monitoring of the agreement and effortsdetailed and rigorous monitoring of implementation of the agreement and for no effort to be spared to ensure that shortcomings are addressed rapidly with our trading partner; calls for specific technical assistance in order to help Vietnam implement some of the commitments via projects and expertise, notably linked to environmental and labour provisions;