10 Amendments of Judith SARGENTINI related to 2011/2115(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the Commission is pushing for a comprehensive investment liberalisation framework with the aim of achieving maximum protection for EU investors; underlines that different case studies show how international investment rules may inhibit governments from putting in place policies aimed at protecting public health, regulating access to land and water or ensuring adequate standards of living for a vulnerable social group; recalls that it is vital that investment treaties provide a better balance between the rights and obligations of investors and host governments; urges the EU not to ban the use of performance requirements (local content, technology transfer, environment sustainability, etc.) as they are often prerequisites to ensure that foreign investment benefits the domestic market;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that the Commission is pushing for a more assertive approach to ensure that European companies gain access to third country markets, especially in emerging countries, in the ambit of services, investments, public procurement markets, intellectual property rights and the supply of raw materials;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that access to land and water is essential for ensuring food security and poverty reduction; but notes that in many developing countries, domestic laws are not well suited to guaranteeing the sustainable management of natural resources or affording vulnerable groups adequate protection; recalls that, in line with the principle of policy coherence for development, the EU must strive to promote the equitable and sustainable use of the world’s natural resources and design its trade policy accordingly;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Notes with concern that the EU is pushing for investment liberalisation that would increase the rights of foreign companies to tap raw materials; recalls that foreign investment in the extraction of mineral resources in Africa has generated few development benefits, as foreign investment has been characterised by secret tax deals and concessions depriving African governments of important mining revenue, low levels of technology transfer and repatriation of profits out of the countries; considers that in the absence of regulations governing natural resources extraction, increased openness to foreign investment can accelerate unsustainable use of natural resources;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Condemns the fact in several African countries, especially in DR Congo, income from extraction of minerals have contributed to enriching rebel groups and fuelling civil wars and other armed conflicts; reiterates its call for addressing effectively ‘conflict minerals’ in Africa that have resulted in the death and displacement of millions of people; urges the Commission to propose a legislative initiative on conflict minerals on the line of the US Dodd-Frank Act;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. CRecalls that many African countries are trapped in commodity dependence, relying heavily on a few primary commodities for most of their export earnings; calls on the EU to ensure that trade agreements and the raw materials initiative reflect developing countries’ need to break away from commodity dependence and to diversify their economies; stresses that fair agreements on investment entail allowing developing countries to discriminate among types of investment based on their contribution to development objectives;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that export taxes are one of the few remaining trade policy tools at the disposal of developing countries with which to pursue development goals; in particular, underlines that export taxes are permitted under the WTO rules, and that the majority of WTO members using export taxes are developing and least developed countries; recalls that low income developing countries are more dependent on trade taxes than other countries and it is often very difficult for them to replace revenues lost due to tariff reductions, because of the narrow existing domestic tax bases; accordingly, calls on the EU to fully respect the right of developing countries to regulate or use export taxes in their public interest; henceforth, urges the EU to refrain from attempting to ban the use of export taxes at the WTO and in bilateral trade agreements and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), as it would limit their policy space to use this tool for value-addition, diversification, infant industry protection, food security, revenue and environmental considerations;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. SNotes with concern that the EU is seeking liberalisation commitments from developing countries on intellectual property that go well beyond what they could agree to in multilateral fora; stresses that higher intellectual property (IP) standards negotiated within bilateral trade agreements erode the flexibilities available to developing countries under the multilateral IP protection regime; calls on the EU fully to respect TRIPS flexibilities, especially those relating to public health and access to medicines, so as to leave the developing countries policy space to address public interest concerns; urges equally the EU to identify the salient barriers to technology transfer allowing developing countries to benefit from the innovation and hence facilitating societal progress, i.e. in the ambit of environment and climate change;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets the fact that, in spite of opposition from developing countries, the EU is pushing for binding liberalisation commitments in General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations, regardless of their concerns that it could lead to harmful import surges, thereby undermining the development of the developing countries’ domestic services; calls on the EU fully to respect flexibility mechanisms in the GATS; highlights the fact that without a comprehensive assessment of trade in services, developing countries are unable to assess the costs and benefits of GATS liberalisation;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Points out that the introduction of the reciprocity principle regarding public procurement is purely theoretical, while being harmful for developing countries, as it will i.e. hamper the development of infant industries and processing; urges therefore the EU to respect fully the ‘special and differential treatment’ granted to developing countries;