Activities of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2020/2023(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Preparation of the European Council meeting of 19 June 2020 - Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Parliament recommendation on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Amendments (43)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the outcome of the EU-UK Joint Committee meeting on 30 March 2020,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
- having regard to the joint statement of the Specialised Committee on issues related to the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on 30 April 2020,
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the UK has submitted various draft texts to the EU which – unlike the EU’s text – are not public and cover, inter alia,cover a trade agreement including annexes, a fisheries framework agreement, an air transport agreement, an civil aviation safety agreement and an agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation via Euratomwith annexes, an energy agreement, a social security coordination agreement, a civil nuclear agreement, an agreement on Law Enforcement and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters, an agreement on the transfer of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and an agreement on the readmission of people residing without authorisation; Urges the UK government to match the level of transparency of the EU Commission, and to make publicly available all future text proposals immediately after they were submitted to the negotiations;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Recalls that Article184 of the Withdrawal Agreement for the EU and the UK are to use their best endeavours, in good faith and in full respect of their respective legal orders, to take the necessary steps to negotiate expeditiously the agreements governing their future relationship referred to in the Political Declaration and to conduct the relevant procedures for the ratification or conclusion of those agreements, with a view to ensuring that those agreements apply, to the extent possible, as from the end of the transition period;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point vi
Paragraph 4 – point vi
(vi) a level playing field, ensuring equivalent standards in social, labour, environmental, competition and State aid policies, including through a robust and comprehensive framework on competition and State aid control;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls for the assurance and commitment that the rights of EU citizens living in UK and UK citizens living in EU should be maintained, namely: the right of residence, the right to equal treatment, the right of access to public health care and education services, the right to family regroup, the right to mobility, the rights to vote and stand in local elections, the portability of social security benefits and the right to mutual recognition of academic qualifications and professional qualifications; calls on both parties to establish mechanisms to monitor changes and difficulties that may be experienced by European citizens living in the UK and British citizens living in the EU, with the aim of identifying situations of legal uncertainty and solve them;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Supports the negotiating directives, which set out that Gibraltar will not be included in the territorial scope of the agreements to be concluded between the EU and the UK, and that any separate agreement will require the prior agreement of Kingdom of Spain;
Amendment 108 #
9 d. Emphasises the importance of implementing the provisions of the Protocol on Gibraltar regarding frontier workers, taxation, the environment and fisheries; calls on the Spanish and the British Government to ensure that the necessary cooperation is put in place to deal with these issues;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, after the end of the transition period the UK, while being a third country, will have the task of implementing parts of the Union Customs Code, which will require unprecedented structures to be set up even before the end of the transition period, necessitating due consideration for the issue of proper implementation and enforcement; calls on the Commission to carry out efficient checks and controls; notes that the term goods ‘at risk of subsequently being moved into the Union’ used in Article 5 of that Protocol is unclear and depends on subsequent decisions of the Joint Committee which are exempt from formal, and insists that such decisions are taken under European Parliament scrutiny; requests to be kept fully informed on the application of that Article and any proposals for decisions of the Joint Committee in that regard;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Is concerned that the United Kingdom lacks behind in the implementation of its obligations to set up customs and other checks under the Northern Ireland protocol, deplores the subsequent lack of clarity for business operators, and warns that time is running out, as adaptation to the new requirements must begin well in advance; notes the British Government’s intention to set up physical trading posts in the ports of Belfast, Warrenpoint, and Larne; calls on the British government to present a detailed timetable for all implementation measures prescribed by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Reiterates its support for the re- opening of a European Union Office in Belfast; calls on the Commission services to offer to provide assistance, if required, to citizens, businesses and administration, in order to avoid disruptions for businesses and services;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Takes note that the UK has chosen to establish its future economic and trade partnership with the EU on the basis of a ‘Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement’ as laid down in the UK’s Approach to Negotiations; emphasises that, while the European Parliament is supportive of the EU constructively negotiating a balanced, ambitious and comprehensive FTA with the UK, by its nature an FTA will never be equivalent to ‘frictionless’ trade; shares the Commission’s negotiating posirecalls Council’s directives for the negotiations, whereby the scope and ambition of an FTA that the EU would agree to, is conditional on the UK agreeing to provisions related to the level playing field, given the geographical proximity and integration of markets, as well as on the conclusion of an agreement on fisheries, while the envisaged partnership should recognise that ensuring sustainable development is an overarching objective of the Parties; insists that negotiations on our future trade and economic relations must be fully transparent, involve the European Parliament as well as Westminster, and encourages transparency and involvement with regard to Member State Parliaments, and also civil society representation;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point v
Paragraph 13 – point v
(v) commitments on anti-dumping and countervailing measures shall address also cases of environmental, social, and tax dumping, and could go beyond WTO rules in this area, as appropriate;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point vi
Paragraph 13 – point vi
(vi) commitments on services should be made with the aim of delivering a level of liberalisation in trade in services well beyond the parties’ WTO commitments, building on recent EU FTAsbased on a positive list approach, while safeguarding the high quality of the EU’s public services in accordance with the TFEU and in particular Protocol 26 on Services of General Interest; public health services should be excluded from provisions related to liberalisation; audio- visual services should be excluded from provisions related to liberalisation; reiterates that under an FTA market access for services is limited and always subject to exclusions, reservations and exceptions; there should be no commitments covering ‚new services’; all modes of supply of services should be covered, including commitments on the movement of natural persons across borders (Mode 4) and provisions, linked to EU rules and the respect for equal treatment of workers and recognition of professional qualifications; the arrangements should include provisions on market access and national treatment under host state rules to ensure that EU service providers are treated in a non- discriminatory manner, including with regard to establishment as well as regulatory coordination platforms; the new arrangements should allow for the temporary entry and stay of natural persons for business purposes with the aim of providing services;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point vi a (new)
Paragraph 13 – point vi a (new)
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point vii
Paragraph 13 – point vii
(vii) there should be opportunities for access to public procurement markets beyond WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) commitments, guaranteeing market access for EU companies in strategic sectors at all levels of government and a degree of openness equal to the EU’s public procurement markets; regretstakes note of the fact, in this regard, that the UK’s initial negotiating position does not cover public procurement; authorities shall be permitted to exclude enterprises from public procurement tenders, which have previously attempted fraud, bribery of public procurement officials, or social or environmental dumping in their offers;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point viii
Paragraph 13 – point viii
(viii) strong and enforceable measures covering the recognition and high-level protection of intellectual property rights, such as copyright and related rights, trademarks and industrial designs, geographical indications, patents and trade secrets, based on the current and future EU legal framework, ensuring the same level of protection as that provided for by the Withdrawal Agreement, without jeopardising access to affordable medicines, such as generics;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point x
Paragraph 13 – point x
(x) for a trade agreement to be comprehensive, it must include provisions to ensure continued regulatory alignment of the UK with the EU in the future; in order to facilitate trade, cross-cutting disciplines on regulatory coherence and non-tariff barriers should be negotiated, mindful of the voluntary nature of regulatory cooperation and the right to regulate in the public interests, while preserving the regulatory autonomy andat, in accordance with the negotiating mandate, the Parties retain their autonomy and the ability to regulate economic activity according to the levels of protection each deems appropriate in order to achieve legitimate public policy objectives such as public health, animal and plant health and welfare, social services, public education, safety, the environment including fight against climate change, public morals, social or consumer protection, privacy and data protection, and promotion and protection of cultural diversity and the fight against money laundering, while preserving parliamentary rights, and recalling that provisions on regulatory cooperation in a trade agreement cannot fully replicate the same frictionless trade as provided for by membership of the single market; regulatory alignment on the market surveillance of products and on robust product standards should be an essential and irreplaceable part of the FTA to ensure a level playing field for EU businesses and a high level of protection for EU consumers;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point xi
Paragraph 13 – point xi
(xi) in order to safeguard financial and regulatory stability and to ensure the full respect of the EU regulatory regime and standards and their application, prudential carve-out and limitations in the cross- border provisions of financial services are a customary feature of EU trade agreements and should be included in this one; the Commission should refrain from an approach of granting equivalence status in financial services, given the announcements of the British government to lower standards and taxes for the U.K.‘s financial services sector in the near future in order to achieve competitive advantages;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point xii
Paragraph 13 – point xii
(xii) ambitious provisions allowing for the development of digital trade, and to address and e- commerce, with a focus on consumer protection and on the right to data privacy, while addressing also unjustified barriers to trade by electronic means, and ensure an open, secure and trustworthy online environment for businesses and consumers, and regulating cross-border data flows, including principles such as fair competition and ambitious rules for cross- border data transfers, in full compliance with, and without prejudice to, the EU’s current and future data protection and privacy rules;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point xiii
Paragraph 13 – point xiii
(xiii) as the FTA would lead to customs checks and verification as soon as goods start entering into the single market, affecting global supply chains and manufacturing processes, customs authorities should be strengthened both with regard to personnel and technical equipment, in order to cope with their additional tasks; the operational procedures of the FTA must be aimed at preserving the rules of the Union’s single market for goods and integrity of the customs union, inter alia by establishing a timely and efficient working arrangement between the EU and the UK in this area; while it is of utmost importance to safeguard the compliance of the goods with single market rules, the Commission is encouraged to propose a system of trusted operators in order to mitigate the risk of job losses and a reduction of economic exchanges;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point xiii a (new)
Paragraph 13 – point xiii a (new)
(xiii a) calls on the Commission and the Member States to take all necessary preparations and precautions for the case of an expiration of the Withdrawal Agreement without an agreement on the future relations, and in particular the trade and economic relations, entering into force on the 1st of January 2021,including contingency measures to reduce as much as possible the harm for workers and enterprises effected;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – point xiii b (new)
Paragraph 13 – point xiii b (new)
(xiii b) Calls on the Commission to propose measures to reduce the impact on third country trading partners of the Union, in particular developing countries, in case no agreement can be found with Britain, as British imports may have constituted a sizeable share of their exports to the European Union;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly believes that the UK should adhere to the evolving standards on taxation and anti-money laundering legislation within the EU acquis, including tax transparency, the exchange of information on tax matters and anti-tax avoidance measures, and should address the respective situations of its Overseas Territories, its Sovereign Base Areas and its Crown Dependencies and their non- compliance with EU good governance criteria and transparency requirements; with regard to the territory of Gibraltar, the negotiating directives and the provisions of the Union's draft legal text are recalled;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Strongly believes that commitments and provisions guaranteeing a level-playing field in the areas of environment, human rights and sustainable development must be made enforceable through the inclusion of the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter of the future FTA between the EU and the UK into the state-to-state dispute settlement mechanism;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Calls on the Commission to guarantee that existing and future principles and tools in the framework of the social, environmental and climate policies of the EU (e.g. anti-dumping measures, European industrial policy, mandatory due-diligence legislation, EU taxonomy for sustainable investment, do- no-significant-harm principle, carbon border adjustment mechanism, sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector) cannot be legally disputed in the framework of the EU-UK FTA and in future trade agreements;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Recognises that gender equality is a prerequisite for efficient management of climate challenges; reminds that meaningful and equal participation of women in decision-making bodies and EU, national and local level climate policy and action is vital for achieving long-term climate goals in the framework of the UK- EU future agreement;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Calls on the European Union to study the impact of gender on the future UK-EU trading agreement; calls for the incorporation of effective clauses and sanctioning mechanism to achieve gender equality and guarantee women's rights and empowerment; calls for the promotion of principles of internationally recognised standards, international Agreements and UN Conventions, specially the Istanbul Convention, and commitments on girls and women rights, gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women in these agreements, based on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the SDGs, the CEDAW and the fundamental ILO Conventions; calls on the EU and the UK to include gender impact of EU trade policy and the future agreement between the UK and the EU in ex-ante and ex-post impact assessments and to ensure that the trade agreement do not exacerbate existing inequalities or create new ones;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Recalls that both the EU and the UK share principles, values and interests and a commitment to promoting global prosperity, security and effective multilateralism; stresses that it is in both sides’ interest to maintain an ambitious, close and lasting cooperation that serves the security of Europe and it citizens and contributes to global stability, the protection of human rights and peace in line with the objectives and principles sbased on the protection of human rights and peace in line with the objectives and principles set out in Article 21 of the TEU; democracy and the rule of law, intersectional and gender equality, disarmament and non- proliferation, international cooperation for development and climate action; calls for the participation of the civil society out in Article 21 ofrganisations in the designing and implementing the TEU; and UK's Foreign Policy agreement;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Underlines the fact that the EU is an important partner for the UK in foreign and security policy, as the need for common responses to address foreign, security and defence policy challenges is crucial to both sides; encourages the exchange of information and intelligence as well as close cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism, space policy, cyberwarfare and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence; stresses that all these actions must be fully respectful of human rights and international law, accountable, transparent and subject to democratic control by the UK and EU institutions;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Considers that the EU and the UK should comply with the Resolution 66/290 of the General Assembly of the United Nations that states that "human security is an approach that helps Member States to identify and overcome widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of their citizens"; underlines that this Resolution calls from "comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented people-centred responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people";
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Considers that the EU and UK should commit to dialogue as the main and primary strategy for conflict prevention, conflict resolution and crisis management as axis of their foreign policies and the agreement between both parties; calls on the EU and the UK to take an active role in the peaceful resolution of major conflicts in today's world, boosting an International mechanism for conflict resolution through dialogue, in full alignment with UN Resolution 1325; stresses that political and financial support based on constructive mediation and the peaceful and democratic resolution of conflicts should be promoted;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Stresses that dialogue and culture of peace should always be the priority in dealing with conflicts; believes that no mission contrary to international law and without democratic approval should be launched; considers that consultations in national parliaments on funding and participation in international and European military operations should be driven, always in compliance with international law and with UN authorisation;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Stresses the importance of global justice and solidarity; calls on the EU and the UK for immediate end of sanctions and economic blockades applied to third countries, in order to facilitate their efforts to assist their populations and deal with the health and economic crisis resulting from the pandemic of COVID- 19;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Recalls that the EU and the UK should adopt the UN's peace and disarmament agenda; recalls that effective international arms control, disarmament and non- proliferation regimes are a cornerstone of global and European security; recalls the importance of a coherent and credible European strategy for multilateral negotiations at global level and on regional de-escalation and confidence-building measures; calls on the UK to commit to remain compliant with the criteria of Common Position 2008/944/CFSPP12 ; _________________ 12 OJ L 335, 13.12.2008, p. 99.
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the European Union and the United Kingdom to support the abolition of nuclear weapons by promoting accession to and signature of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and autonomous lethal weapon systems;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Emphasises the importance of consular cooperation between the EU and the UK, as this would ensure efficient assistance for each other’s citizens and would allow the UK to offer its citizens the possibility of benefiting from consular protection via a wider network of consulates worldwide; calls for the EU and the UK's agreement to ensure that British and EU citizens can benefit from diplomatic and consular protection in third states where one of the two parties has no diplomatic representation, as stated in Article 20(2)(c) of the TFEU;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Insists on the absolute necessity for this governance system to fully preserve the autonomy of the EU’s decision-making and legal and judicial order, including the role of the European Parliament and the Council being the co-legislatures of Union law, and including the role of the CJEU as the sole interpreter of EU law and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; considers that, for provisions based on EU law concepts, the governance arrangements must provide for referral to the CJEU;