19 Amendments of Jens HOLM related to 2008/2004(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union is the most competitive actor regarding trade in services; whereas the Union is the world's largest exporter and the biggest service provider with more than 28% of the world total export and its transnational undertakings therefore hasve a strong interest in ensuring that new markets for goods, services and investments are opened,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, in view of its economic weight, the EU has a particular responsibility to ensure that international trade facilitates the harmonious development of the various sectors of the economy, that the liberalisation of services does not hamper development, or destroy any sectors of the local economy or public services and that the poorest sectors of the population are not excluded from financial services as a result of the liberalisation thereof,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the multilateral trading system, embodied in the World Trade Organization (WTO), remains the most should guarantee an effective legal framework for achieving fair and equitable trade on a global basis, by developing appropriate rules and ensuring compliance with those rules,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the liberalisation of services had the following results: - the poorest or most isolated sections of the population have been deprived of essential services, the latter having been reserved for the more affluent, - national and regional service providers have gone into liquidation, - capital from the sale of services has been exported instead of being reinvested into the region providing the service,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas GATS is and must be the multilateral framework for the liberalisation and deregulation of trade in services; whereas this does not prohibit states and notably the EU from negotiating agreements which have further reaching schedules of specific commitments,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas Article V of the GATS requires substantial liberalisation of services, thereby preventing the selective liberalisation of sectors genuinely needing foreign investment; taking the view in addition that the provision authorising greater flexibility for developing countries is not being implemented to a sufficient degree by the EU,
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Draws attention to the high level of external competitiveness of European services providers; calls on the Commission to pursue, in trade negotiations, both the progressive and reciprocal liberalisation of services and and those operating in certain emerging countries; considers that suitable regulation of services is essential for ensuring that it is possible to choose the type of society desired for all; calls on the Commission to pursue, in trade negotiations, a policy of increased transparency and predictability of rules and regulations, in order that citizens and entrepreneurs of developing countries can have access to a wider range of services, some of which may be provided by highly competitive European services providers;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that public services are essential for the functioning of democracy; considers that the EU must refrain from encouraging competition between essential services such as those providing access to water, health, education or energy, which inevitably leads to their privatisation;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the Commission must take the different Member State interests and those of the developing countries, together with economic inequalities between individuals, into account when negotiating commitment schedules;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is convinced, that services constitute the backbone of every economy; reiterates that for this reason the greatest prudence on the part of the European Union regarding liberalisation of services is therefore important not only for developed countries, but particularly for developing countries;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Acknowledges states' sovereignty and thus their right to regulate in all areas of services, including particular in the area of public services, irrespective of whether commitments have been undertaken in the framework of the GATS, provided that any such regulations are made in conformity with Article VI of GATS on Domestic Regulation; believes that service markets require clear, non-discriminatory regulations to operate efficiently;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Takes the view that, in order to ensure favourable results, liberalisation of a new services sector, particularly in the developing countries, must in every case: - be accompanied by new regulations and supervision and implementation mechanisms, so as to contain the impact on the population and the environment and limit any abuses of a dominant position or concentration; - be phased in and accompanied by the necessary ancillary measures; - be limited to services whose liberalisation is considered necessary and which cannot be supplied by local or regional providers;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Suggests that the efficiency gains that could be obtained thanks to opening markets to services competition would allow less developed countries to provide services in areas that would otherwise be out of reach for the state due to its limited resources; considers that in this reg, regarding the developing countries and in particular the least advanced opening up the services markets could jeopardise opportunities for them to develop their own services industry; considers that essential public services must be guaranteed by strengthening the countries concerned, particularly by resolving their external debt problem, given that they alone arde as much emphasis should be placed on government failure as is put on market failureble to provide such services for poor, marginalised and isolated populations;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the need for rules and standards to govern liberalisationin the services and other sectors; encourages compliance with environmental, social and quality standards in a reasonable and objective manner, without constituting unnecessary barriers to tradeobjectives;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Encourages a quickbalanced and equitable resolution on the package of modalities on negotiations on agriculture and on Non- Agricultural Market Access (NAMA), so as to move ontogether with the negotiations on GATS; underlines the importance of WTO members presenting substantial offers; regrets that this has so far not been the case for most members seeking to improve WTO and GATS rules in the light of favourable and unfavourable past experience; regrets that this has so far not been the case for most members and calls on the EU, in view of its economic importance, to initiate ambitious measures in this area;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a.Is concerned at the fact that free trade agreements, such as that negotiated by the EU with the CARIFORUM countries: - do not allow countries to select a limited number of services sectors for negotiation purposes, since Article V of the GATS requiring substantial liberalisation and the EU does not authorise sufficient use of the flexibility offered to developing countries, - have a regulatory framework which seeks above all to protect investors rather than ensuring access to quality services in the recipient countries, thereby limiting the partnership arrangements now negotiated by the European Union, - limit the possibility for these countries to regulate capital movements, - contain an MFN clause, which does not allow these developing countries to sign more advanced agreements with other countries of the south; calls on the Commission to remedy these problems in the course of negotiations, including those currently underway;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that no WTO member has yet made any commitments on the water distribution sector; recall, which is nonetheless, that any state is free to do so should it consider itself unable to provide the service which its citizens need; stresses that should a such commitment be made it does not prohibit the state from setting levels of quality, safety, ply to be expected, given that this is an essential service, the provision of which cannot be made subject to market forces or profit maximisation, since it must be accessible to all, riceh or other policy objectives as they see fit, and the same regulations would apply to foreign suppliers as to local supplierspoor, near or far, something which only a public service can guarantee;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that opening up the market in financial services in developing countries offers citizens and entrepreneurs access to funds in order to create local jobs and alleviate poverty since they are no longer forced to rely on state monopolies or institutions with links to ruling elithas frequently resulted in the poorest sectors being deprived of access to the necessary credit for the development of their farms or enterprises;