26 Amendments of Jérémy DECERLE related to 2020/2117(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that, against the background of a sharp economic downturn, EU agri-food trade has remarkably remained broadly stable over the course of 2020, for both exports and imports, thanks in large part to the best efforts of farmers; and operators in the agri-food chain highlights that the Union’s yearly agri-food trade surplus exceeded EUR 60 billion; recalls in this context that agriculture and agri-food are key drivers for EU exports and economic recovery;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises the remarkable resilience of European agriculture and food production in ensuring food security and security of supply; underlines its socio- economic importance as well as the high number of companies and jobs involved; stresses the importance of Europe’s agri- food production for the vitality of its rural areas;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the mainstreaming of the European Green Deal into the communication on the Trade Policy Review (TPR) and calls for a concrete action plan, roadmap and timeline to make this ambition a reality;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls, however, that some European agri-food markets are in a highly vulnerable situation after a significant loss in sales, threatening their long-term sustainability; notes that the pandemic has had a significant impact on agri-food and drink sector such as the wine, spirit and liqueur sectors, among other as well as fresh food, meat and ornamental plants, given the drop in exports in terms of both volume and value, increase in logistics costs and consumption habits; calls for further support to reactivate these exports and regain market share;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the incorporation of the Paris Agreement as an essential element in all trade, investment and partnership agreements; stresses that ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions and respect for human rights are requirements for concluding FTAs; asks for ambitious chapters on gender and on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as dedicated chapters on digital trade to be included in all trade agreements;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines the importance of including gender equality efforts and gender mainstreaming in trade policy as an important component to foster inclusive and sustainable growth; welcomes the promotion of gender equality through the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and the Gender Action Plan III to promote gender equality; stresses that trade has the potential to promote gender equality, contribute to economic and social empowerment of women worldwide and to more equal, as well as resilient economies globally; highlights that women are disproportionally affected by theCOVID- 19 crisis; welcomes the Commission’s aim to work on data collection and analytical analysis to better understand the impact of trade policy on women; calls on the Commission to engage with the European Parliament in its work on gender mainstreaming of trade policy; calls on the Commission to include specific gender chapters in EU trade and investment agreements;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points outRegrets that brown goods still receive preferential treatment over green goods and that tariffs and trade barriers are working against sustainable trade; underlines that removing tariffs and trade barriers for green goods and services should be designed to contribute to innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis and contribute to the goals of the Green Deal, as well as the SDG’s and sustainable development worldwide; demands that the Commission devise instruments to tackle these distortions and walk the talk of the Green Deal by implementing it in all aspects of trade policy;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that any EU economic stimulus plans and export support measures need to consider agriculture in view of the importance and diversity of the sector; also stresses that the review and overhaul of EU trade policy, as well as the announced reform of the World Trade Organization, must be an opportunity to better defend the European agricultural model and farmers’ interests and to foster international regulatory co-operation while seeking new export possibilities for EU´s high quality agri-food products; in this regard highlights that trade must be based on balanced, fair and transparent rules to avoid distortion of competition; reiterates firmly that agriculture and agri-food products entering the European market must fully comply with EU rules and standards;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that high up-front costs, which willcould only repay themselves over time, and a lack of know-how and equipment are currently preventing developing countries from ‘going green’; demands that the Commission use all trade instruments at its disposal to increase financial support, technical assistance, technology transfers and digital penetration in order to empower developing countries and enable them to achieve sustainable resilience;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Stresses that the implementation of the initiatives and requirements of the European Green Deal should not lead to the leakage of agricultural production and forestry to third countries, which would have negative impact on the environment and climate;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU to take a leading role at a multilateral level to end harmful subsidies by advocating transparency and strict regulation and disciplines in trade agreements and at the World Trade Organization (WTO); stresses the importance of drawing up sustainability impact assessments on an ex-ante, intermediate and ex-post basis; calls upon the Commission to brief the European Parliament regularly on the ongoing and finalised sustainable impact assessments; stresses the need to develop a comprehensive framework with concrete targets to advance the SDGs, the Green Deal and the ILO Decent Work Agenda in trade and investment agreements; emphasises that new agreements should only be concluded once these targets have been fulfilled and that existing agreements should be revised accordinglyincluding these goals in negotiation mandates of future revisions of existing trade agreements;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses the need for more coherency and transparency in scrutinising EU trade policy; underlines that coherent, clear, measurable and objective criteria for the EU’s trade policy and regular discussions between the Commission and European Parliament can contribute to more transparency and engagement of EU citizens, better dialogue between the Commission and the European Parliament, more policy coherence and better scrutiny of all aspects of trade policy; stresses the role of ex-ante, intermediate and ex-post sustainable impact assessment in this regard; calls on the Commission to engage with the European Parliament at all stages of its proposals that fall under the EU’s trade policy and ensure that the European Parliament can exercise its role as scrutiniser;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights the overall importance of a well-functioning internal market in order to, including green lanes and guidelines for seasonal workers, in order to ensure food security and enhance Europe’s export capacity and secure ourEU´s producer network.;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point a (new)
Paragraph 5 – point a (new)
(a) Recalls that the EU Promotion Policy can support agri-food products in both the internal market and third- country markets; calls on the European Commission to take into account the contribution that a reinforcement of this policy can provide to counter the trade related implications of COVID-19;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Emphasizes the importance of transparency and traceability in food supply chain, in particular, in the light of the COVID-19 crisis and zoonotic epidemics and calls the EU to be a forerunner in origin labelling of agri-food products;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance of ensuring fair competition and a level playing field for European businesses in both the internal market and third-country markets; stresses, in this regard, the importance of trade defence instruments and; underlines that the enforcement regulation should have a positive contribution to the goal of ensuring fair competition and a level playing field, and stresses that TSD could be subjected to the enforcement regulation; calls on the Commission to swiftly complete the EU’s trade defence toolbox through legislative proposals in 2021, giving priority to an anti-coercion instrument, an instrument to tackle distortions caused by foreign subsidies and state-owned enterprises and to the conclusion of negotiations on the International Procurement Instrument12 ; underlines the role of the Chief Trade Enforcement Officer (CTEO) in working with the European Parliament in a transparent manner to discuss and address issues related to trade defence instruments; __________________ 12Amended proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 January 2016 on the access of third- country goods and services to the Union’s internal market in public procurement and procedures supporting negotiations on access of Union goods and services to the public procurement markets of third countries (COM(2016)0034).
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is convinced that the EU is too dependent on a limited number of suppliers for critical goods and services; insists that the EU should overcome these undesirable dependencies via a mix of policies to incentivise companies to stockpile, diversify sourcing strategies and promote nearshoring, which could create new trading opportunities for partners in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods; underlines the role that trade agreements should have in diversifying supply and open trade relations for critical goods and services; stresses that shortening or altering supply chains to the EU’s neighbourhood and Africa can have a positive effect on their sustainable, green, inclusive and resilient economic growth, as well as for the EU’s strategic interests;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to come up with a digital trade strategy to increase the market access of European businesses and protect EU citizens’ rights under the GDPR13 ; underlines the acceleration of the digital revolution due to COVID-19 and stresses the importance of the EU taking the lead in setting standards for a sustainable, digital-driven global economy and keeping international data flows open; underlines that the EU can set a global standard for fair and resilient digital trade in its bilateral and multilateral engagements; calls upon the Commission to make meaningful progress on setting ambitious rules for e-commerce in the WTO; underlines that the digital chapter in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement can serve as a model for future trade agreements; __________________ 13Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for incentives for EU businesses to shorten or adjust their supply chains where it is beneficial to do so,, and make value chains more sustainable with a view to ensuringe that external social, environmental and economic costs are fully internalised in the price in line with EU policies such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Biodiversity Strategy and stepping up EU action to protect and restore the world’s forests;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Underlines that international trade governance has an importantessential role to play in the rapid development of medical treatments and vaccines, the rapid scaling up of production, the development of resilient global value chains and equitable market access for the whole world; stresses, in this context, that the COVID-19 pandemic mustshould be used to provide impetus for more concerted international cooperation and to boost global preparedness for health emergencies;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Is concerned about the recent rise in variants of COVID-19, as well as export restrictions on vaccines by the main manufacturing countries such as the US, the UK, China and India and by the EU and emphasises that this endangers the rapid global scaling up of vaccine production capacity; urges the Commission to engage with producing countries to swiftly eliminate export barriers and to replace the export authorisation mechanism with an export and import notification requirement; insists on having timely and comprehensive access to such data;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines that the vaccines against COVID-19 and its variants arshould be a global public good and that multilateral efforts should be focused on ramping up global production capacities and technology transfers, including in low and middle- income countries; strongly welcomes, in this regard, the Global C19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Manufacturing Summit held on 8 and 9 March 2021 and calls for the establishment of structural platforms to rapidly scale up vaccine production in more countries;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Underlines that in order to revive the WTO negotiating function, the EU must work together with likeminded partners to find common ground for WTO reform in the broadest sense; stresses that special attention has to be paid to developing countries and their specific needs in relation to economic growth, sustainable development and WTO reform; reaffirms that meaningful progress in WTO reform needs a broad consensus and coalitions of likeminded partners;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Is aware of the importance of the EU’s multifaceted trade relationship with China; firmly believes that EU-China trade relations require a more balanced and reciprocal approach; stresses that the ratification process of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment can only begin once the EU has the requisite autonomous measures in place, including a ban on products made using forced labour, an upgraded trade defence toolbox and a working sanctions mechanism on human rights; Underlines that China has put sanctions on Members of the European Parliament and some of its entities, making the ratification process of the CAI unthinkable at the moment; demands that the Commission move forward with the Investment Agreement with Taiwan; and remain committed to meaningful engagement in trade and investment relations;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Underlines the importance of the EU-Africa relationship and fostering close political and economic cooperation between the continents; stresses the importance of having a robust partnership with the African continent based on reciprocity, equality and shared interests; underlines that various trade policy instruments can complement the Commission’s efforts in this regard; calls on the Commission to foster an inclusive trade policy approach with Africa and to contribute to sustainable development, economic growth and resilience, taking into account the wide variety in levels of economic development on the continent;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 d (new)
Paragraph 27 d (new)
27d. Welcomes the upcoming review of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) and the Commission’s intention as one of the key objectives to increase trading opportunities for developing countries; underlines that the GSP is a policy tool that has the potential to help developing countries foster sustainable and resilient economic growth; underlines the importance of adhering our partners in GSP+ to international values and possibly update and extend the list of conventions in the upcoming review of the regulation; calls on the Commission to engage with gender equality efforts in relation to GSP, GSP+ and Anything But Arms (EBA);