BETA

149 Amendments of Joe HIGGINS

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

~~1. Points out that internationalisation and innovation are key drivers of competitiveness and growth and are crucial to the EU 2020 strategic goals;~~deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Points out that the EU has seen its worst social and economic crisis since its existence, the end of which is still not in sight; this crisis has led to high unemployment, particularly amongst young people, and cuts in social services in many European countries;

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that standardisation can lead to innovation and competitiveness by facilitating access to markets and by enabling interoperability; encourages the Commission to increase the promotion of European standards internationally;deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses therefore that all strategies in relation to transforming Europe for a post-crisis world need to be guided by sustainable job creation, strong and effective public services that are run in the interests of workers and users of public services;

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Considers that, in the EU's innovation policies, particular attention must be paid to supporting eco-compatible, energy- saving and low-carbon production, protecting IPR, improving SMEs‘ access to funding, making SMEs internationally active, liberalising protected markets, stabilising exchange rates, fostering the legal protection of EU companies abroad and combating unfair competition and counterfeiting;deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Underlines that, given the severe implications of climate change internationally, there is an urgency to invest in more research on how to combat and reverse the effects of climate change; the research into a sustainable economy can only be successful when done on a cross-border level and conducted in the interests of the well being of the population and not in the interest of enhanced competitiveness and profit- making;

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Regrets that our international partners have not opened their internal public procurement markets to EU companies in the same way that the EU internal market is open to third-country enterprises;~~deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Notices the strong drive by European investors and big business to open up public procurement and services "markets" through international trade agreements; underlines the negative effects this has on the quality of services as well as wage levels; stresses that all institutions concerned with research and development must be democratically run, publically funded and exempted from market principles;

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

~~5. Insists on the need to focus particularly on non-tariff barriers, which, as tariffs are gradually reduced or eliminated, tend to become the main obstacles to international trade;~~deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Acknowledges that technology transfer in the interest of development and with respect to achieving the MDGs needs to be an important aspect of European trade policy;

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Encourages the simplification of SME innovation and start-up policies; supports the creation of a European service to facilitate Innovation Partnerships; regards political and financial support as crucial in fostering innovation;deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Reiterates the negative effects of enforcing stronger IPR rules and patent rights in the interests of large corporations in general and the pharmaceutical industry in particular; emphasises that combating counterfeiting must have as its sole objective the protection of consumers’ interests, their health and general well being;

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Points out that the single European patent and the European Company Statute need to be adopted to promote the transition to extra-Community trade; underlines the need to reduce costs for EU patents in order to make them more competitive vis-à-vis US and Japanese prices;deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2245(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

~~8. Acknowledges that the transfer of EU high-technology knowhow to third countries should be monitored in order to avoid unfair competition, piracy and counterfeiting.~~deleted

2011/02/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Strongly insists that the European Union´s trade policy must be guided by the active promotion and defence of democratic and human rights; recalls that women in particluar suffer from structural discrimination and in many cases are subjected to the use of violence which is backed by the law in the countries that compose the Gulf Cooperation Council; therefore rejects any further negotiations on the conclusion of a possible EU-GCC FTA;

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Deeply regrets that negotiations on the EU-GCC FTA have been repeatedly delayed, and deplores the GCC decision to suspend these negotiations in 2008; believes that it is high time that a definitive solution to these negotiations be found, in order to unblock benefits for societies and the business communities on both sides;deleted

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the GCC is currently the EU's sixth largest export market and that the EU is currently the GCC's second trading partner; notes that, notwithstanding this already intensive level of trade, there is still scope for deepening it, as well as room for more diversification between the two parties; is of the opinion that the conclusion of the EU-GCC FTA would greatly favour closer ties and further diversification;

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Welcom~~Notes the fact that over the past two decades EU-GCC economic relations have been intensifying and that trade between the two sides has increased significantly~~, despite the failure to conclude an FTA; takes this as a sign that an FTA would further enhance this natural growth and embed it in a more open, predictable and secure environment~~;

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that the bulk of the work on the FTA has already been done, and is of the opinion that the scope of the FTA as it stands promises great advantages to both parties; calls on both parties, therefore, to look upon this FTA as a major and important endeavour for both regions and their peoples;deleted

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Is ~~firmly of the opinion~~not convinced that an EU-GCC FTA would be substantially advantageous to both parties; believes that an FTA with the EU would benefit the internal integration of the GCC and that, following the establishment of the GCC Customs Union, it may also provide a greater impetus to important projects such as the GCC common market, and the completion of a GCC Monetary Union with a single currencyfor workers and poor in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Europe;

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Strongly ~~supp~~deplortes the message that the HR/VP Catherine Ashton sent during the EU-GCC Joint Ministerial in June 2010 and more recently on 22 September, during the EU-GCC meeting on the margins of the Ministerial of the UN General Assembly, indicating that the EU is ready to make a final effort to conclude these negotiations; ~~also welcomes the reaction of the GCC, which also confirmed its wish to conclude the negotiations;~~

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Notes that there are 15 million migrant workers in the six nation Gulf Cooperation Council states and that those workers make up 40% of the total population; recalls the precarious situation of migrant workers in the Gulf States which were highlighted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and supports its call for a minimum wage in the region in order to not further deteriorate the position of domestic and migrant workers; also supports the right of all workers to form and join trade unions in order to defend their interests;

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Believes that a concluded FTA would greatly enhance the current relations between the EU Member States and the GCC countries, particularly the recent Joint Action Programme, by providing increased capacity and institutional framework building; regrets that the diplomatic presence of the EU in the GCC countries remains minimal and hopes that under the new EEAS the EU will increase its diplomatic presence in the region, including a Union Delegation in each one of the six GCC countries; believes that a more significant diplomatic presence would greatly increase the chances of a speedy conclusion of the FTA and its subsequent implementation;deleted

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Welcom~~Notes the fact that over the years the EU and the GCC have become major investment partners; ~~is of the opinion~~notes that the conclusion of the FTA, or at least the official reopening of the negotiations, will ~~surely~~ open the way to further agreements which will ~~encourage and~~ facilitate mutual foreign direct investments (FDIs); recalls that following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, FDIs now fall within the competence of the EU~~, and therefore provide further scope for the desirable rapid conclusion of an EU-GCC FTA~~;

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 13

~~13. Suggests the use of the euro in all types of trade between the EU and the GCC;~~deleted

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 14

14. Notes that all six GCC countries currently benefit from preferential access to the EU market under the EU's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP); ~~is of the opinion that, given the level of economic progress in the region, the FTA would be a better tool to spread commercial benefits throughout the region;~~

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2233(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 15

15. Reaffirms that the primary objective of the EU in its relations with the GCC should be to conclude the FTA; but, until this happens, and following what some of the GCC major trade partners have already done, encourages the HR/VP and the Commissioner for Trade to assess alternative approaches to future commercial relations with the GCC countries, in the form of bilateral agreements between the EU and those of the Gulf States that already feel prepared to engage in a further commitment with the EU.deleted

2010/12/08
Committee: INTA

2010/2205(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that the defence and enlargement of labour and social rights are core issues when it comes to transforming Europe in the interests of the working population in Europe and internationally, therefore strongly insists that every trade agreement between the EU and third partners must include strong and legally binding sustainability chapters, with the respect of all ILO standards as a minimum requirement;

2011/02/18
Committee: INTA

2010/2205(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

~~3. Calls also on the Commission, during the negotiations, to adapt the level of its requirements to the degree of development of each partner country;~~deleted

2011/02/18
Committee: INTA

2010/2205(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Points out that investment policy has become an additional competence of the EU; calls on the Commission to refrain from insisting on investor-state dispute settlement provisions in international trade and investment agreements as this heavy handed tool undermines the position of trade unions in social conflicts;

2011/02/18
Committee: INTA

2010/2205(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that the implementation of these basic standards by partner countries should be subject to continuous monitoring by elected trade union bodies, local communities and human rights organisations, and that effective and transparent procedures should be in place to penalise non-enforcement or infringements in the territory of the partner country and in the Member States;

2011/02/18
Committee: INTA

2010/2205(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Points out that CSR rhetoric of large corporations is often not matched by the reality of their actions; particularly noticeable are infringements of CSR agreements in the mining sector and in large areas of the supply industry; draws the conclusion that CSR is often simply used as a marketing tool for multinationals;

2011/02/18
Committee: INTA

2010/2205(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Considers CSR at large to be an ineffective tool for protecting workers’ rights, the rights of local and indigenous communities and the environment and calls for stringent legislation and effective trade union organisation to ensure workers’ rights and environmental protection, rather than relying on companies non-binding commitments;

2011/02/18
Committee: INTA

2010/2110(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Reiterates the potential importance of agriculture in the context of poverty alleviation and the achievement of the MDGs in developing and LDCs; stresses that this potential can only be utilised to the full if it is in line with the principles of supporting food sovereignty and food security, compliance with the highest environmental, health and safety standards, the protection and development of sustainable domestic agriculture in the interest of small farmers and producers; therefore urges the Commission to fundamentally review its agricultural policy with special focus on export subsidies and the asymmetric distribution of agricultural subsidies within the EU which favour big agro business;

2010/11/12
Committee: INTA

2010/2110(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the agreement on trade in bananas, which settles twenty years of WTO disputes and constitutes an important step towards the consolidation of a rule-based multilateral trading system; notes that the agreement on trade in bananas makes a decisive contribution to the resolution of issues relating to tropical products and preferences in WTO negotiations; believes that this agreement further consolidates the EU’s position on agriculture in the Doha round; calls upon the EU to build upon this important breakthrough to push WTO negotiations forward;deleted

2010/11/12
Committee: INTA

2010/2110(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls upon the Commission to continue ~~to seek, as one of its major priorities,~~, in the interest of safeguarding consumer interest by providing consumers with reliable and relevant product information, to seek more effective protection of geographical indications (GI) in the WTO by extending the higher level of protection currently available for wines and spirits (Article 23 of the TRIPS agreement) to all GIs, and by establishing a system of notification and registration of geographical indications;

2010/11/12
Committee: INTA

2010/2110(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Emphasises the importance of strict implementation of the preferential rules of origin~~; calls for a review of all trade preferences given to emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil by the European Union~~ in order to guarantee the development of domestic economies in developing and LDCs and to avoid abuse of the preferential rules of origins by foreign based corporations; calls for a review of all trade preferences given to emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil by the European Union; insists strongly that any such review must not harm those sections of society in the respective countries that still live in poverty and/or on very low incomes;

2010/11/12
Committee: INTA

2010/2102(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that the objective of ~~liberalising~~ trade with ~~the~~ developing countries must be to promote ~~the~~ sustainable economic growth and the socially, environmentally and economically responsible development of these countries; notes that the elimination of customs duties ~~will inevitably~~ entails a loss of customs revenue and must therefore be ~~under better control, be more gradual~~reviewed and go hand in hand with the implementation of tax reforms ~~mobilising alternative forms of revenue to make up the shortfall (VAT, property tax, income tax)~~in the interest of the majority of the population in the developing countries, including the progressive taxation of income and a tax on corporate profits;

2010/10/28
Committee: INTA

2010/2102(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for systematic ~~implementation, in the framework of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), of measures to support tax reforms, in the form of both~~ material assistance (IT systems) and organisational assistance (legal and tax training for tax authority staff), if requested by any developing country; underlines the need to make a special effort with African countries which still do not receive long-term assistance on taxation matters;

2010/10/28
Committee: INTA

2010/2102(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Reaffirms the need to enhance the coherence between the European Union's development policy and its trade policy; recalls that the crisis has exacerbated the volatility of commodities prices and has caused capital and aid flows to developing countries to dry up; stresses that, in this context, it is a priority to put in place an efficient tax system that exempts people with low incomes and does not discriminate against people with medium incomes so as to reduce developing countries' dependence on ~~foreign aid~~international financial institutions and other, unpredictable external financial flows;

2010/10/28
Committee: INTA

2010/2102(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that a system of low-rate taxation for low and medium incomes founded on a broader tax basis and excluding all discretionary tax exemptions and preferences, including for the extractive industries, is indispensable; emphasises the need ~~for incentive measures to involve investors more closely~~ of public investment into projects with a positive local impact in economic, social and environmental ~~terms;~~

2010/10/28
Committee: INTA

2010/2102(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers that the development of an efficient tax system that does not discriminate against low and medium incomes and therefore introduces progressive taxation and taxes on corporate profits that must be paid in the country where profits were accumulated must be one of the objectives of the new EU investment policy in developing countries in order to establish an environment more favourable to foreign and domestic p~~rivate~~ublic investment and to create the conditions for more effective international assistance; recalls that the EU's investment policy must encourage innovation, public service efficiency, public-private partnerships and knowledge transfer to promote growthin the interest of sustainable development, knowledge transfer and poverty eradication and to create the conditions for more effective international assistance;

2010/10/28
Committee: INTA

2010/2102(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls for the creation~~, in the EPA framework,~~ of an independent monitoring mechanism to assess the net tax impact of removing customs duties and at the same time progress being made in the area of tax reform in each country; calls for a clause to be introduced providing for a mandatory overall review of all EPAs after ~~fiv~~three years and for the provisions of each agreement to be amended~~, where necessary, in line with the requirements identified therein.~~ in the interest of poverty eradication, sustainable development and regional integration;

2010/10/28
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that the EU’s trade policy, set against the multilateral background of the WTO and a transparent and regulated market, needs a~~n effective~~ production base that is supported by appropriate sectoral policies and targeted at ~~growth and~~ecologically sustainable growth, development, investment into environmentally friendly production and innovation and at the creation of decent and unionised jobs;

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is convinced that innovative, good- quality industrial production is vital to the EU’s trade policy and its ~~competitiveness, in line with the EU 2020 Strategy and as a~~ response to the economic and financial crisis, the aim being to ~~cut Member State debt and unemployment figures, redistribute wealth more equally~~halt "internal devaluation" and to cut unemployment figures, achieve equal wealth distribution and to protect the European social model;

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Considers that in its industrial policies the EU must pay particular attention to supporting eco-compatible production, the protecting intellectual property, building up SME capital, to making SMEs internationally active, liberalising protected markets, stabilising exchange rates, to legal protection abroad, and to combating unfair competition and counterfeitingon of trade union, workers and human rights as well as the safeguarding of health and safety and social standards;

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that the economic recovery, spurred on by decisions taken by the EU and in conjunction with the Member States, will favour new opportunities for European firms as they find themselves increasingly competing in open, transparent global markets;deleted

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4a (new)

4a. Acknowledges that the economic and financial crisis has caused a rise in unemployment, particularly amongst the youth; insists that the debate on increasing retirement age in the private and public sector does not contribute towards a sustainable industrial policy in the interest of the working population;

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4b (new)

4b. Highlights the importance of the international trade union movement in shaping a worker-friendly Industrial Policy for the Globalised Era, notices the pressures that are exerted on the trade union movement as a result of increased competition in a globalised world; calls for closer collaboration between the rank and file trade union movement in the international arena and for the recommendations of the trade union movement to be integrated into the new Industrial Challenges for the Globalised Era in order to meet the challenges of the future;

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2095(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4c (new)

4c. Notices the ongoing threat of job losses due to delocalisation of production to low wage countries; calls for the nationalisation under democratic workers control of companies threatening with delocalisation in order to prevent de- industrialisation, increase in unemployment and decline in purchasing power as a result;

2010/11/15
Committee: INTA

2010/2072(INI)

Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Marian HARKIN, Marije CORNELISSEN, Joe HIGGINS, Proinsias DE ROSSA

Draft opinion
Recital B (new)

(A) whereas the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) does not impose any active labour market measures on a Member State that have to be implemented in the framework of an application for the fund but to put in place a coordinated package of personalised services designed to reintegrate workers into the labour market in accordance with Article 3 of the EGF regulation[1] which preserves fully the flexibility of the Member States to adapt the measures targeting the redundant workers to the local and individual needs of each application, ([1] Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2009 on establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund as amended by regulation (EC) No 546/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009.)

2010/06/09
Committee: EMPL

2010/2072(INI)

Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Marije CORNELISSEN, Joe HIGGINS, Proinsias DE ROSSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Asks the Commission to present a proposal on how the EGF regulation should be amended in order to allow the inclusion of all workers made redundant because of the same event, across sectors and regions;

2010/06/09
Committee: EMPL

2010/2072(INI)

Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Marian HARKIN, Marije CORNELISSEN, Joe HIGGINS, Proinsias DE ROSSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States benefitting from the EGF to be very effective and to adopt a personalised approach to assistance for redundant workers, particularly in cases of large-scale redundancies, so as to improve workers' opportunities on a labour market that is undergoing profound restructuring; to this end, recommends that the Member States step up their exchanges of good practice, especially making use of Progress;

2010/06/09
Committee: EMPL

2010/2072(INI)

Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Marian HARKIN, Marije CORNELISSEN, Joe HIGGINS, Proinsias DE ROSSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Reminds undertakings of their social responsibility to do all they can to ensure that workers can, right from the start of their period of unemployment, authenticate their experience acquired, so as to ensure that their retraining is as specific and as rapid as possible and that they obtain new, stable jobs with a promising future;

2010/06/09
Committee: EMPL

2010/2072(INI)

Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Marian HARKIN, Joe HIGGINS, Proinsias DE ROSSA, Marije CORNELISSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Asks the Commission to provide the Member States with a set of guidelines for the design and the implementation of the applications for EGF funding seeking a fast application procedure and a broad consensus of the stakeholders for the strategy to apply and the measures to be put in place for an effective reintegration of the workers into the labour market;

2010/06/09
Committee: EMPL

2010/2072(INI)

Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Marian HARKIN, Joe HIGGINS, Proinsias DE ROSSA, Marije CORNELISSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Asks the Commission to provide assistance also to the Member States, the social partners and the workers associations during the process of implementation of the measures;

2010/06/09
Committee: EMPL

2010/2037(INI)

Yannick JADOT, Joe HIGGINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Points out that achieving the MDGs ~~should~~must remain a key objective for the European Union ~~despite the fact that progress towards it is threatened by the financial and economic crisis, negative or stalling economic growth, diminished resources and possible reductions~~ ; emphasises that poverty reduction through the achievement of the MDGs must be recognised unambiguously as the overarching framework for EU policy and that this must be reflected clearly in all relevant policy, including trade policy, and legislative proposals; believes that the MDGs should not be seen as a technical matter which will be resolved simply by providing more money or more trade opportunities without identifying aind ~~flows from donor nations~~tackling the underlying causes of poverty;

2010/03/24
Committee: INTA

2010/2037(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses that the figures given in the recent UN report 'Rethinking Poverty' are not only alarming but a clear indication that the risk of not meeting the Millennium Development Goals is real: the number of hungry people worldwide rose from 842 million in 1990-1992 to 873 million in 2004-2006 and to 1.02 billion people during 2009, the highest level ever; this was largely a result of reduced access to food because of high food prices and the global financial and economic crisis, which has lead to lower incomes and higher unemployment;

2010/03/24
Committee: INTA

2010/2037(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Stresses that the UN Secretary General regards a lack of commitment from UN member states as an important reason for a possible non-achievement of the MDG; recalls that according to the World Bank an estimated 64 million more people would live on less than $1.25 a day this year than would have been the case without the crisis; therefore insists that additional efforts need to be made to compensate for the effects of the crisis in developing and least developing countries; on the level of trade relations this must include an end to free trade agreements which promote the liberalisation of public procurement, incorporate a "most favourite nation" clause and defend intellectual property and patent rights in the interest of multinational companies etc.;

2010/03/24
Committee: INTA

2010/2037(INI)

Yannick JADOT, Joe HIGGINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is convinced that trade can be a powerful engine of economic growth; believes that the slow progress of the Doha Round negotiations is hampering the contribution of the international trading system to the MDGs; stresses that a positive conclusion of the Doha Round would deliver an economic sin certain cases and under certain conditions be a powerful complement to national economic growth; takes note of the host of studies by UNCTAD and other institutions that show that the extensive trade liberalisation in LDCs has seldom translated into sustained and substantial poverty reduction, and has contributed to a decline of the terms of trade of developing countries, in partimcul~~us package globally~~ar of African countries;

2010/03/24
Committee: INTA

2010/2037(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Reiterates that the EU should support those developing countries which use the so-called flexibilities built into the TRIPS Agreement in order to be able to provide medicines at affordable prices under their domestic public health programmes.; stresses that those agreements which guarantee access to generic medicines must not be undermined in free trade agreements; strongly supports the idea of taking the pharmaceutical industry into democratic and public control;

2010/03/24
Committee: INTA

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the biggest part of demographic change has already been coped with successfully over the last 100 years; whereas e.g. in Germany in 1900, for one retired person there were twelve workers, and in 2000 this ratio had gone down to four workers per one retired and is expected to further decline to two workers per one retired by 2040; whereas thus for the coming four decades Europe will only have to cope with the comparatively minor demographic effect of the ageing of the 'baby boomer generation',

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. whereas demographics are blind to productivity gains and ignore the significant increases in productivity that have occurred over the last number of years,

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Opposes the drive across Europe led by big business and their political representatives to increase retirement ages and diminish pension rights;

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Takes the view that ~~a policy for justice between the generations must aim to create the necessary bases and tools for conducting an op~~there is no conflict in interest between younger and older workers and that all share a common interest in defending the right to retirement and ~~frank intergenerational dialogue with a view to achieving win-win situations~~secure pension benefits that provide for a decent standard of living;

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Council and the Commission to make particular efforts and to devise practical measures – one of which should be a European Youth Guarantee – to ensure that, ~~after a maximum period of six months" unemployment, young people are offered a job~~immediately upon facing unemployment, young people are guaranteed a suitable well-paid job in line with their qualifications and skills, an apprenticeship, additional training or combined work and training, with the additional proviso that th~~ose concerned support the process of their integration into work through their own efforts~~e apprenticeship, training or combined work and training must include a wage at least at the level of the minimum wage or relevant collective agreement in the sector and should not be used to depress wage levels generally;

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 – point i

~~i) increasing the proportion of the workforce, of both sexes, aged over 50 in paid employment to 55%,~~deleted

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 – point ii

~~ii) gradually eliminating early retirement and the financial incentives for it,~~deleted

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 – point iv

~~iv) developing incentives for workers over the age of 60 to remain available for work and for companies to recruit such workers;~~deleted

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

~~20. Is convinced that it must be up to the workers concerned to decide for how long they wish to remain in work beyond national retirement ages;~~deleted

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Emphasises that ~~the family is the cornerstone of our society and is inherently associated with the transmission of values and with cooperation in a spirit of solidarity; emphasises too that~~ work and family life are rendered compatible in all the Member States through the provision of affordable, high-quality care and education for young children;

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Advocates the right of workers to choose flexible working hours ~~and~~, job sharing and a reduced working week with no loss of income, as measures that contribute to compatibility between family life and work;

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

~~30. Underscores the fact that consolidating public budgets and effective debt reduction are matters of justice between the generations;~~deleted

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Is convinced that a sense of identification, participation on an equal footing and responsibility are prerequisites for successful integration and that integration can work only where immigrants are prepared to adapt and locals are receptive;deleted

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2027(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Emphasises that, irrespective of their income level, age or social status or the degree of health risk they face, people must receive affordable, high-quality, publicly funded medical treatment and care, free at the point of use;

2010/06/15
Committee: EMPL

2010/2026(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Emphasises that trade which is to benefit working class people, small and landless farmers and indigenous peoples, both in Europe and Latin America, needs to be based on not-for-profit-driven exchange of goods and services that has as its primary objectives the protection and development of social, trade union and human rights, quality of life, food security and food sovereignty, the environment and environmental standards as well as public services, including health and education;

2010/09/07
Committee: INTA

2010/2026(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that trade which is meant to be carried out in the framework of equal partnership also requires equitable wealth distribution within the respective countries; underlines, therefore, the urgent need for democratic land reform and land distribution in many countries of Latin America;

2010/09/07
Committee: INTA

2010/2026(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Underlines in that respect the important steps in that direction undertaken by the Veneuelan and Bolivian Governments which aim at directing oil and other revenues towards poverty eradication and social programmes; notes, however, that those revenues are dependent on the volatility of prices on the world market; points, therefore, to the need to overcome the principles of capitalist market economy and outlines the need for coordinated price controls that eliminate speculation and favour human and social development;

2010/09/07
Committee: INTA

2010/2026(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Stresses that if the EU is to be a genuine promoter of values such as human rights, social standards and democracy, the ratification process of the FTA between Colombia and Peru as well as the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America needs to be put on hold; all further negotiations can only take place in a transparent manner and with the direct participation of all relevant stakeholders, such as trade unions, representatives from the indigenous communities and NGOs;

2010/09/07
Committee: INTA

2010/2026(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29a. Welcomes the process of closer regional integration, the setting up of ALBA and the proclamations about building “Socialism in the 21st Century”; is concerned, however, that further progress in that direction will be jeopardised if capitalism is not fundamentally broken with and natural resources, land and the key sections of the economy are not swiftly brought into public ownership, with democratic control and management by the working class, indigenous people and the poor;

2010/09/07
Committee: INTA

2010/0289(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)

(4a) The main objective of any emergency measures taken by the Commission should aim at sustainably supporting the rebuilding of livelihoods and in improving the living standards of those affected by the floods; the Commission should therefore seek close collaboration with the trade union movement in Pakistan in general and those of the textile sector in particular.

2010/12/14
Committee: INTA

2010/0289(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 b (new)

(4b) The effects of the autonomous trade preferences should be able to be measured in concrete terms of job creation, poverty eradication and the sustainable development of Pakistan's working population and poor.

2010/12/14
Committee: INTA

2010/0289(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 4

4. This Regulation shall apply until 31 December 2013, to this end insists that the duration of the measures largely depend on the effects they have on rebuilding the livelihoods of Pakistani people affected by the floods; therefore concludes that a definite timeline for the measures can only be put in place after a full impact assessment has been conducted in collaboration with the trade union movement in Pakistan and the EU.

2010/12/14
Committee: INTA

2010/0057(NLE)

Proposal for a recommendation
Paragraph 1

1. CDeclines to consents to conclusion of the Agreement;

2010/12/10
Committee: INTA

2010/0056(COD)

Draft legislative resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Adopts its position at first reading, taking over~~Rejects the Commission proposal;

2010/12/10
Committee: INTA

2010/0056(COD)

Draft legislative resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Commission to ~~refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text~~withdraw its proposal (and submit a new one);

2010/12/10
Committee: INTA

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas there are few possibilities for young people to find permanent regular employment; whereas young people mainly enter the labour market via atypical, highly flexible, insecure and precarious forms of employment (marginal part-time, temporary or fixed term employment etc.), and the likelihood that this is a stepping stone to permanent employment is low,

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas traineeships and internships seem to be more frequently used by employers to replace regular employment, by exploiting the obstacles to entering the labour market that young people face; whereas such forms of exploitation of young people need to be addressed and effectively eradicated by Member States,

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recognises that, in times of crisis, young people seek education and should be encouraged to do so; calls on all Member States to secure equal access to education for all by guaranteeing a minimum right ~~of 12 years fre~~to free well-funded education, including third level and postgraduate education, and securing financial support for young students, and invites Member States to invest further in education and training, even if fiscal constraints are present;

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – introductory part

12. Appeals to Member States to include ~~all four flexicurity~~four components in the national designs for youth employment strategies, namely:

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – point a

a. ~~flexibl~~secure and reliable contractual arrangements,

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – point c

c. effective active labour-market policies that focus on skills, quality employment and inclusion,

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Recognises the importance of young people being able to be financially independent and calls for Member States to ensure that all young people are individually entitled to a ~~minimum~~decent level of income that secures for them the possibility of creating an independent adult life;

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Invites the Commission to examine whether legislation in some Member States, such as the lower minimum wage for young people as for adults in the UK, the reduced employment benefits for young people in Denmark, the exclusion of young people under 25 from the Revenu minimum d'insertion in France and from the housing allowance component of ALG II in Germany constitute discrimination based on age;

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2221(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Suggests that the Council and the Commission come forward with a European Youth Guarantee securing the right of every young person in the EU to be offered a ~~job~~suitable well-paid job in line with their qualifications and skills, an apprenticeship, additional training or combined work and training ~~after a maximum period of 6 months"~~immediately upon facing unemployment;

2010/04/06
Committee: EMPL

2009/2219(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the European Union to uphold the principles of managed and fair trade, rejecting protectionism that serves the interests of European big business or any attempt to undermine the legitimate comparative advantages of developing countries that do not undermine human and trade union rights, but applying a different interpretation of WTO Article XXIV to allow for the exemption of vulnerable manufacturing and other sectors from trade agreements where this is justified;

2010/02/26
Committee: EMPL

2009/2219(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the link between trade, human rights and social and environmental standards ~~has~~should become a key part of economic and trade relations and ishould be integral to negotiations on free trade agreements,

2010/10/06
Committee: INTA

2009/2219(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Confirms that all trade agreements must require all parties to have ratified and effectively implemented at least the core conventions of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Rights and Principles, and that the Sustainable Development chapter has the same binding status as the market access provisions and is subject to the same dispute-settlement mechanism;

2010/02/26
Committee: EMPL

2009/2219(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the use of Sustainability Impact Assessments, but deplores failures to act fully on their findings, as in west Africa; in the case of Colombia, with which country the EU should conclude no trade deal, given its record of human rights abuses, including the murder with impunity of many trade union activists; emphasises the EU's leverage to pursue concrete improvements in respect for labour and human rights in advance of trade agreements, as well as during their implementation;

2010/02/26
Committee: EMPL

2009/2219(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recognises that current and future trade agreements are being negotiated in the context of an economic depression; that off-shoring by multinational companies in search of higher profits accounts for a high proportion of job losses~~; and~~, that EU ~~trade~~ policy ~~should seek to prevent an excessive or over-rapid decline in EU market share and employment~~ has encouraged the 'race to the bottom' in workers' wages and conditions, as seen in recent judgments of the European Court of Justice in relation to Sweden, Germany and Luxembourg, and that the EU Globalisation Adjustment Fund is a complevtelsy in ~~any given sector; calls for trade agreements to be concluded in the light of the scope for the EU's Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide adequate assistance towards restructuring~~adequate response; calls for major enterprises which threaten substantial job losses to be taken into public ownership, while steps are taken to maintain cooperation with and assistance to developing countries;

2010/02/26
Committee: EMPL

2009/2219(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls therefore for the European Union’s future trade strategy ~~to preserve European commercial interests and for the EU and~~and that of its trading partners mutually to respect the application and implementation of clauses on human rights and social and environmental standards; considers that the EU should adopt a positive approach in its negotiations; underlines that including provisions on sustainable development, particularly in bilateral agreements, will benefit all parties;

2010/10/06
Committee: INTA

2009/2219(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for complaints about social problems to be the subject of public independent expert decisions, follow-up and review, involving representative workers' and community organisations;

2010/02/26
Committee: EMPL

2009/2219(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4a (new)

4a. to this end calls for all trade agreements to require all parties to have ratified and effectively implemented at least the core conventions of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Rights and Principles;

2010/10/06
Committee: INTA

2009/2219(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5a (new)

5a. Calls for any “Human Rights” or “Sustainable Development” chapters in Free Trade Agreements to have the same binding status as the market access provisions, and calls for those agreements to be subsequently ratified by all member states;

2010/10/06
Committee: INTA

2009/2219(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12a (new)

12a. Condemns the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia as being contrary to the notion of promoting human rights, given that the right to strike in Colombia is severely limited and two thirds of all trade unionists killed in the world each year are killed in Colombia – with more than 500 murdered since 2002;

2010/10/06
Committee: INTA

2009/2215(INI)

Draft opinion
Point 2

2. Underlines the importance of relations between the European Union and the Mediterranean region, not just in terms of trade, but a~~cademically and culturally~~lso in terms of development, transfer of technology, improvement of social rights and protection of the environment, and also academically and culturally; this must include mutual, horizontal exchange of experience and opinions on the basis of full participation of civil society organisations in relation to those challenges,

2010/03/22
Committee: INTA

2009/2215(INI)

Draft opinion
Point 3

3. Urges the Commission to est~~rengthen~~ablish clear criteria for the reduction of social inequalities, diversification of the local economies, sustainable development of agriculture, industrialisation, food sovereignty and security when strengthening its role as investor and partner,

2010/03/22
Committee: INTA

2009/2215(INI)

Draft opinion
Point 6

6. Hopes for an improvement in the economic and legal environment in the region, an essential guarantee for future investment; underlines that the preservation and the development of strong and democratically run public services is another important precondition to guarantee sustainable development in the region,

2010/03/22
Committee: INTA

2009/2215(INI)

Draft opinion
Point 8

8. Underlines the need to establish a regional agricultural policy which observes the requirements of food sovereignty, food security, and the preservation and development of small and middle farming adapted to sustainable development and preservation of the cultural diversity,

2010/03/22
Committee: INTA

2009/2215(INI)

Draft opinion
Point 12

12. Calls on the Commission to contribute towards regional stability, crisis prevention, and democratisation including the full respect of freedom of speech, independently from the existence of economical interests of EU investors or trade partners,

2010/03/22
Committee: INTA

2009/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the CSR rhetoric of these companies is often not matched by the reality of their actions, and CSR is often simply used as a marketing tool for multinationals,

2010/10/07
Committee: INTA

2009/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas regardless of CSR, the chief priority of major companies remains the maximisation of profit, which comes at the expense of working people and the environment,

2010/10/07
Committee: INTA

2009/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas regardless of CSR, the chief priority of major companies remains the maximisation of profit, which comes at the expense of working people and the environment,

2010/03/29
Committee: EMPL

2009/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital E b (new)

E b. whereas the CSR rhetoric of companies is often not matched by the reality of their actions, and CSR is often simply used as a marketing tool for multinationals,

2010/03/29
Committee: EMPL

2009/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers CSR to be an ineffective tool for impro~~ving competitiveness, occupational safety and the working~~tecting workers' rights, the rights of local and indigenous communities and the environment;

2010/03/29
Committee: EMPL

2009/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Calls for stringent legislation to ensure workers' rights and environmental protection, rather than relying on companies' non-binding commitments;

2010/03/29
Committee: EMPL

2009/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Considers CSR to be an ineffective tool for protecting workers' rights, the rights of local and indigenous communities and the environment and calls for stringent legislation and effective trade union organisation to ensure workers' rights and environmental protection, rather than relying on companies' non-binding commitments;

2010/10/07
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

having regard to the Policy Department's Analysis of the 2009 annual programme for Turkey under the Pre- accession Instrument (IPA) in the context of the 2OO9 enlargement package,

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E (new)

whereas average unemployment in Turkey has reached an alarming 13% in 2009, youth unemployment stands at 24% and the latest Poverty Survey (2007) indicates that 18.56% of Turkey's population lives below the poverty line,

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F (new)

whereas according to 'Analysis of the 2009 annual programme for Turkey under the Pre-accession Instrument (IPA) in the context of the 2OO9 enlargement package', “ the EU is often perceived as an international organization that puts primacy to issues of economic efficiency and macroeconomic stability, rather than social issues […]” , which underlines the need to fully address social standards, human and trade union rights in trade negotiations,

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Joe HIGGINS, Helmut SCHOLZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital G (new)

whereas there are serious regional differences within Turkey which require a serious and lasting commitment by the Turkish Government to an overall, balanced development and modernization of the country, with an emphasis on improving quality of life and human rights, poverty alleviation and the extension of adequate social protection to vulnerable individuals and groups, in particular the elimination of child labour,

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1b new

Regrets that Turkey is on the path of becoming a completely open economy; states that, under the pretext of an open economy, further privatisation programmes (for example the privatisation of former state enterprise, TEKEL) are under way; highlights that another 12,000 jobs will be lost due to the latest phase of TEKEL's privatisation alone; warns that domestic demand and purchasing power of the population will be undermined as a result;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 new

Stresses the fact that workers in so-called open economies are vulnerable to international competition and attempts to drive down wages; is therefore convinced that workers need to be protected by collective agreements and strong trade union organisation; notes with concern that, by the end of 2006, less than 10% of workers in Turkey were protected by collective agreements;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Helmut SCHOLZ, Joe HIGGINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Welcomes the upturn in Turkey’s economy after the global financial and economic crisis; ~~congratulates Turkey on the~~takes note of Turkey's serious reforms of its banking system, that proved resilient to the financial and economic crisi~~s, as reflected in the upgrading of its credit rating~~s; stresses the importance of further cooperation between the EU and Turkey to overcome difficulties in both trade and investment;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Notes Turkey’s potential for further economic development, given its young and dynamic population; encourages both the EU and Turkey to pay due attention to their interlinked economies~~, to pursue further openness, to refrain from hidden protectionism and to capitalise more on Turkey’s geo-political position when setting trade targets~~;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Helmut SCHOLZ, Joe HIGGINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

~~Regrets~~Is worried about the low level of participation of women in the labour market and their employment in the informal sector; is equally worried about the low women labour force participation rate because only one in four workers in the labour market is a woman; urges Turkey to put women employment at the heart of the employment policies and to pursue active labour market policies; urges Turkey to take effective measures to combat the informal economy and urges the Commission to share best practice in this area;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Helmut SCHOLZ, Joe HIGGINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5a new

Stresses the severity of the youth employment situation and the lack of specific actions to tackle the problem; refers to a recent ILO study which describes employment creation in general and women's and youth employment in particular as the key labour-market challenge for Turkey's development; calls, therefore, for an employment strategy which is targeting the youth employment in general and the situation of young women in particular;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Helmut SCHOLZ, Joe HIGGINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5b new

Points to the findings of a recent ILO study on child labour in Turkey and related conclusions, that despite large- scale projects to curb child labour in recent years there is the possibility that because of the economic crisis child labour might become a major problem once again; welcomes therefore the efforts of the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which has set itself the goal of entirely eliminating the worst forms of child labour by the year 2015, and which has planned the implementation of new projects until 2013; asks the Commission and the Member States to provide financial and technical assistance to support these efforts;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Highlights that the CU covers manufactured goods and processed agricultural products; ~~looks forward to the inclusion of agricultural products in the CU, with the adoption of the CAP; considers that other areas such as services and public procurement should fall within its scope;~~

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Joe HIGGINS, Takis HADJIGEORGIOU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9a new

Calls on Turkey to immediately comply with all its obligations deriving from the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement, in a non- discriminatory way, what will contribute to the further development of its trade relations with all EU Member States;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Joe HIGGINS, Takis HADJIGEORGIOU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

~~Acknowledges that interfering with the proper functioning of the CU for political reasons would be harmful to the economic interests of both the EU and Turkey;~~Delete

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10a new

Underlines the importance of policy coherence in all aspects of the European Union’s policy spheres and in this context condemns Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code as it is used to oppress ethnic minorities, trade unionists and government opponents in general and has assisted in the indefensible banning of the Demokratik Toplum Partisi (Democratic Society Party, DTP);

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

~~Welcom~~Notes Turkey’s dynamic international trade strategy and its conclusion of 16 FTAs to date; encourages the EU and Turkey to work together to deepen trade relations with Central Asia;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

~~Welcom~~Notes the fact that 88% of total FDI stock in Turkey comes from the EU; points out, however, that the share of FDI in Turkey’s GDP is relatively small; ~~invites the Turkish authorities, therefore, to implement the necessary structural and institutional reforms to create an environment for investment;~~

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17a new

Points out that the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) identifies Germany, the USA and Israel as the three largest arms providing countries for Turkey; is deeply concerned that the driving force behind the increase in trade between Turkey and Israel is due to their intense defence cooperation and notes with strong disapproval that a significant proportion of Turkish imports from Israel consists of arms purchases;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Joe HIGGINS, Takis HADJIGEORGIOU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

~~Welcom~~Notes Turkey’s ~~important~~ role in the Mediterranean region as a founding partner of the Barcelona Process and a key player in the establishment of a Euro- Mediterranean Free Trade Area, noting that Turkey has the most complete network of South-South FTAs; welcomes Turkey’s leading role in promoting Pan- Euro-Mediterranean Cumulation of Origincalls on Turkey to fully respect all the states partners of the Process; emphasises that there is huge scope to improve Turkey’s trade in the Mediterranean basin;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Notes that Turkey and the EU face similar challenges in energy supply; stresses the need to ~~define a common external energy strategy; urges Turkey to ratify th~~invest in publicly owned sustainable and environmentally friendly energy resources and is therefore opposed to Turkey’s recent investment in nuclear energy; regrets all attempts to liberalise Eenergy ~~Charter Treaty Trade Amendment~~and water distribution services, is therefore opposed to the first privatisations of the electricity distribution services;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a new

Notes that Turkey is among the top three states (together with Mexico and Slovakia) that display the greatest disparity in GDP per capita across the regions (OECD 2009), underlines that this development is intertwined with the ongoing oppression of and repression against the Kurdish population in the south east of the country; underlines the necessity of halting the discrimination against Kurdish people and other minorities and respecting the Kurdish right to self-determination;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2200(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24b new

Calls for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus; defends the right of return of people displaced by the process of occupation; calls for a united movement of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot workers to build a democratic socialist federation of Cyprus that can provide peace, economic development and prosperity;

2010/06/09
Committee: INTA

2009/2150(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that ~~the significant decrease in export revenues in developing countries is threatening to shatter the growth and development of the South~~developing countries, and in particular those which have been most integrated into the world economic market and opened their economies to international financial institutions, have been hit hardest by the economic crisis; calls on the Commission – when negotiating and implementing trade agreements, in particular the Economic Partnership Agreements – to ~~strength~~implement EU Policy Coherence for Development and the ~~promo~~creation of decent work and to ensure respect for the priorities of each country and adequate consultation of key actors and civil society;

2010/02/02
Committee: INTA

2009/2150(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is convinced that a ~~fair and development-oriented conclusion of the Doha Round in 2010 could help the WTO in aiding the economic recovery from the crisis and continuing the fight against protectionism and could~~reorientation of international trade towards full respect for people’s economic and social needs could more effectively contribute to poverty alleviation in developing countries, the creation of good-quality jobs and the reduction of consumer prices;

2010/02/02
Committee: INTA

2009/2150(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Asks the Commission and Member States to support measures to ease developing countries’ access to credit, including the subst~~Underlines the need to cancel all debt of developing countries in order to foster sustainable development and to support access to credit through alternative, democratic and publicly owned finantcial ~~capitalisation of multilateral development bank~~institutions that act in the interests of the social and economic emancipation of developing countries;

2010/02/02
Committee: INTA

2009/2150(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Welcom~~Notes the Agreement on the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP), a mechanism established by 22 developing countries to reduce tariffs and other barriers to the export of goods traded between them, in an attempt to boost South-South trade.

2010/02/02
Committee: INTA

2008/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 5 a (new)

(5a) In order to be in line with the Union´s stated commitment in the field of policy coherence for development, Regulation (EC) No 428/2009 ensures that exports (such as computers and related equipment) which serve the purpose of technology transfer in the interests of development will be included in the EU general export authorisations.

2010/10/20
Committee: INTA

2008/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 5 b (new)

(5b) In the interest of transparency, democracy and efficient implementation of Regulation (EC) No 428/2009, this Regulation should provide for a mechanism that gives stakeholders such as human rights and peace monitoring organisations and trade unions a say in the decision making process that leads to the updating of the countries of destination as well as the updating of goods identified as dual use items.

2010/10/20
Committee: INTA

2008/0195(COD)

Ilda FIGUEIREDO, Thomas HÄNDEL, Gabriele ZIMMER, Patrick LE HYARIC, Georgios TOUSSAS, Joe HIGGINS

Proposal for a directive– amending act
–

The European Parliament rejects the Commission proposal.

2010/02/09
Committee: EMPL

2006/0167(COD)

Proposal for a decision
Recital 3 c (new)

(3c) Developing and consolidating democracy, respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, as stipulated in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), should be used as a guide for all projects financed by officially supported export credit agencies based in the Union, including the overarching environmental principles contained in the TEU, fundamental human rights referred to in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and standards incorporated into the body of Union environmental and social legislation relevant to sectors and projects financed by officially supported export credit agencies.

2010/11/16
Committee: INTA

2006/0167(COD)

Proposal for a decision
Recital 3 d (new)

(3d) The climate objectives of the European Union and its Member States in terms of their Union and international commitments should guide all projects financed by officially supported export credit agencies based in the Union. These include: the final declaration by the heads of State and Government at the G20 Pittsburgh Summit on 24 and 25 September 2009 to phase out fossil fuel subsidies; the Union objectives to reduce its GHG emissions by 30% compared to 1990 levels, to increase energy efficiency by 20% and to have 20% of its energy consumption coming from renewable sources by 2020; and the Union objective to reduce its GHG emissions by 80 to 95% by 2050. The removal of fossil fuel subsidies must be accompanied by measures to ensure that the living standards of workers and the poor are not adversely affected.

2010/11/16
Committee: INTA

2006/0167(COD)

Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 a (new)

Annex 1a 1) The Member States shall report to the Commission annually on each Member State's implementation of the Arrangement. The Commission must also take reports from civil society organisations on the ground such as trade unions, social and environmental NGOs, human rights groups and local communities on the impact of the investments and operations of ECA backed firms. These reports shall also be published by the Commission. All notifications from Chapter IV: PROCEDURES – taking into account the provisions outlined in Annex V to the Arrangement - shall be reported also to the Commission, including all aspects of the premium methodology, calculation, rules and procedures used in the operations of Member States' Officially Supported Export Credits, which shall subsequently publish all the relevant information. 2) The Member States shall report to the Commission annually on each Member State's compliance with the provision in Article 23 of the Arrangement that requires the risk of non-repayment of export credits to be covered by premium charges, in addition to interest charges. These Member States' reports shall be open to the scrutiny and comment of civil society organisations on the ground such as trade unions, social and environmental NGOs, human rights groups and local communities The Commission shall take the opinion of these groups into account. 3) The Commission shall submit an annual report to the European Parliament summarising the data received, with the base material included in an Annex. The report will include: a) the methodology for the Country Risk Assessment model, detailing factors that are taken into account and their weight in relation to projects with high impact, as defined by the OECD, and approved during the year to which the report relates; b) the methodology for the premiums charged, including the pricing of environmental, social, labour and human rights risks, detailing the factors taken into account and their weight in relation to projects with high impact, as defined by the OECD, approved during the year to which the report relates; c) the methodology for Minimum Premium Rates (MPRs) for country and sovereign credit risk, the cash flow and accruals approaches and, where appropriate, private market indicators; d) the differentiations in the MPRs which take account of the differing quality of export credit products and percentage of cover provided; e) the use of off-balance sheet vehicles and the methodology for incorporating any operational costs of such vehicles; f) the use of any other risk mitigation instruments. 4) No later than five years after the entry into force of this Decision, the Commission shall assess the operation of Member States' Officially Supported Export Credits with regard to - benchmarking against the following social, labour, human rights and environmental standards: - the implementation of decent working conditions including the right to trade unionised employment with decent pay and working conditions as defined by the trade union movement; - the need for reporting requirements on carbon emissions in order to enable the measuring of the carbon footprint of projects; - the implementation of the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies. The removal of fossil fuel subsidies must be accompanied with measures to ensure that the living standards of workers and the poor are not adversely affected.

2010/11/16
Committee: INTA