20 Amendments of Margarida MARQUES related to 2023/2107(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Japan is the EU’s closest partner in the Indo-Pacific region; whereas in 2022, the EU was Japan’s third largest trading partner, while Japan was the EU’s eighth largest trading partner; whereas together the EU and Japan account for almost a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force on 1 February 2019; whereas bilateral trade flows caught up to pre-pandemic levels in 2021 (EUR 124 billion) and in 2022 bilateral trade flows increased by 13.4% to EUR 140.6 billion in goods; whereas in 2022, EU exports to Japan amounted to EUR 71.5 billion in goods and EUR 35.4 billion in services;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that entered into force on 1 February 2019, is a landmark trade agreement benefittis a landmark trade agreement that goes beyond trade, strengthening bnoth only economies; underlines that since then, bilateral trade in goods and services between the EU and Japan has increased, with a positive trade balance for the EUc ties, but also consolidating bilateral cooperation at a global level, which is based on democratic values, the rule of law, free and fair trade, sustainable development, as well as a rules-based multilateral world order;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes that since the entry into force of the EPA, bilateral trade in goods and services between the EU and Japan has increased, with a positive trade balance for the EU; welcomes the results after four years of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan, with an increase of 14,9 % of EU exports of good in 2022 over the previous year and an increase of 11,9 % of EU imports of good in the same period;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that simplified procedures for obtaining tariff preferences and strong rules of origin have facilitated exports from EU companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to Japan; calls on the Commission to continue its outreach events to enable smaller companies to access information and benefit from the agreement;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises that the EPA has opened new markets for several agri-food sectors, including for fruits, vegetables, meat and wine, resulting in an increase of more than 30 % in EU agri-food exports to Japan since 2018; calls for further cooperation with Japan on the sustainability of global food systems, also taking into account that, in July 2023, the EU fully lifted the import restrictions for food in place following the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the ongoing work towards the extension of the list of geographical indications protecAsks the Commission to accelerate the remaining work for the third amendment to the list of geographical indications annexed to the EPA , bringing us closer to the protection of 300 geographical indications; highlights that the extension of geographical indications so far agreed by the EU and Japan is unprecedented uander the EPA believes it is an important step forward in the protection of EU geographical indications at the global level;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls the importance ofUnderlines that the implementingation of the EPA fully and effectively, includinghas overall been smooth and successful but demands further progress in the areas of government procurement to ensure transparency, and in the implementation of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) commitments to speed up and simplify import procedures;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Welcomes the progress made since the EU-Japan Summit 2023 on SPS import procedures, especially on the project for mutual recognition of zoning in the area of animal health;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on both parties to enhance regulatory cooperation in the fields of green technologies, notably on offshore wind power and renewable hydrogen, stepping up joint work on the energy and green transitions under the EU-Japan Green Alliance; welcomes the signature of a memorandum of cooperation on hydrogen to help establish a rules-based and transparent global hydrogen market;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the negotiations on data flows under the EPA provided that these provisions will properly protectUnderlines the need to complete the EPA with provisions ensuring the free flow of data; welcomes the negotiations on data flows under the EPA and calls on both parties to agree on modern digital trade rules that preserve the high level of personal data and privacy protection in the EU;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the launch of the EU- Japan digital partnership to advance cooperation on digital issues; welcomes, in this regard, the conclusion of the digital trade principles and the signature of the memorandum of cooperation on semiconductors, promoting a human-centric digital transformation based on democratic principles; welcomes, in this regard, the conclusion of the digital trade principles, covering data governance, digital trade facilitation as well as consumer and business trust, and the signature of the memorandum of cooperation on semiconductors, which namely foresees an early warning mechanism of critical disruptions in the semiconductors supply chain;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that the EU has a new approach to trade and sustainable development, which includes the possibility of sanctions as a last resort in cases of serious violations of the Paris Agreement and the core International Labour Organization (ILO) standards; believes that the Economic Partnership Agreement should be a ‘living agreement’ and calls on both parties to find ways to implement a number of innovative sustainable elements into the trade agreement;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the Japanese ratification of the fundamental ILO convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour (No. 105); encourages Japan to continue the works towards the ratification of the remaining ILO core convention on Discrimination in respect of Employment and Occupation(No. 111);
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses the important role of civil society organisations and the domestic advisory groups in the monitoring and implementation of the agreement; asks Japan to develop ways of participation of civil society in the dialogue around the Trade and Sustainable Development provisions of the EPA; calls for closer cooperation between the EU and Japan domestic advisory groups and expects that their views on sustainability issues are taken into account in the government-to- government consultations provided in the agreement;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Takes note that the negotiations for an agreement on the protection of investment are stalled and recalls the European Parliament resolution of June 2022 on the future of EU International Investment policy;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Calls on both parties to continue to pursue a full and effective implementation of the EPA, strengthening the resilience of bilateral trade and investment relations and ensuring that citizens and businesses, especially SMEs, fully benefit from the opportunities that the agreement creates;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Welcomes the decision of Japan to join the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement, which is an alternative system open to all World Trade Organization (WTO) members for resolving WTO disputes, pending the restoration of a reformed WTO dispute settlement system;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Asks the EU and Japan to explore the possibility of establishing a joint Trade and Technology Council, following the model existing between the EU and the USA; asks the Commission and Japan to explore ways of developing common strategies in economic security and technological cooperation; calls for further cooperation with Japan in the digital and green transitions, economic security, the resilience of global supply chains in strategic sectors, as well as in other relevant issues such as anti- coercion, export controls and investment screening, as the EU and Japan share common values and our strategic interests increasingly converge;