12 Amendments of Maurice PONGA related to 2015/2233(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that EU trade and investment policies are interlinked with EU development policies and have an impact on developing countries; calls for the Commission to respect the principle of Policy Coherence for Development in all trade negotiations; stresses the need to focus on the effective implementation and monitoring of the sreflect the recently adopted Sustainable dDevelopment chapters in trade agreements, in line with the Sustainable Development GoalsGoals into EU's trade policy;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Acknowledges that trade liberalization can increase growth in developing countries, help boost development and reduce poverty by increasing commercial opportunities and investment, creating new jobs opportunities, as well as broadening the productive base through private sector development;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Emphasizes that increased trade in services enhances competitiveness in developing countries as well as encourages innovation by facilitating exchange of know-how, technology and investment in research and development, including through foreign investment;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. UrgesWelcomes significant efforts made by the Commission to increase transparency and democratic accountability on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiation process, and on all trade policies, by duly taking into account concerns express; recognises that the level of openness in TiSA negotiations is indeed unprecedented byin trade unegotiations and civil society organisations, including the CSOs of developing countrommends the EU institutions for continuous engagement with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the process; encourages the Commission to continue and possibly enhance this proactive approach to transparency in EU's trade policies;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Rejects TiSA and other macro-trade agreements on the basis that they are a tool to bypass multilateral and democratic fora in which developing countries are properly represented in order to set global standards; recalls that TiSA, contrary to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), does not currently have special and differential treatment provisions; urges the Commission to immediately propose such a clause based on GATS Article IVWelcomes TiSA, the biggest free trade agreement currently under negotiation, as it will unlock substantial economic potential, depending on the level of liberalization achieved; reminds that TiSA is designed to boost liberalization of the global services sector, beyond the current GATS provisions which are outdated in the new digital era; recalls that TiSA is meant to advance the stalled multilateral negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) with those countries that are willing to continue negotiations on trade in services; remains strongly committed to a multilateral solution and in this regards considers TiSA negotiations as a stepping-stone towards renewed ambitions at WTO level;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises that full TiSA benefits will remain limited to TiSA parties but believes that developing countries should be able to eventually join the agreement; encourages the EU negotiators to promote the grant of access to TiSA talks to interested parties, conditional on their acceptance of agreed rules and ambitions; believes that this will facilitate more parties joining the agreement and forming a critical mass needed for the multilarisation of TiSA under the WTO;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls TiSA’s risks of increasing asymmetric international trade relations betweenAcknowledges that TiSA benefits both developed and developing countries as it will produce global gains; reminds that services make 40-70 percent of productivity output and employment in developing countries;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recognizes that some developing countries face internal constraints such as lack of productive capacity, poor infrastructure, poor trade diversification, excessive red tape and difficulties to meet technical standards in high value export markets; in this regards, encourages the EU and its Member States to remain world's leading providers of Aid for Trade, a tool that can assist developing countries willing to join TiSA to take advantage of opportunities created by liberalization of trade in services through facilitating trade reforms, improving the business environment, supporting regional integration and providing opportunities to integrate into global value chains;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Rejects TiSA and other macro-trade deals, minds that public services are important elements for sustaking the view that they are a tool for the privatisation of public services and liberalisation of public procurement, such public services and public procuable development and for ensuring respect for people’s dignity; in this context, expresses the position that TiSA should exclude public services and cultural services from the scope of negotiations, while seeking further opening of markets in telecommunications, transport and professional services; reminds that TiSA, as any other international agreement being key elements for sustainable development and for ensuring respect for people’s dignity; asks th, must be compliant to internationally agreed standards on labour, the environment and human rights and that it must be ensured that its provisions allow all parties to the agreement to ensure Ccommission to respect the policy space of developing countries’ governments and parliaments to take decisions in order to ensure internationally agreed standards on labour, the environment and human rightpliance through national legislation; emphasizes that all parties to TiSA must retain the right to maintain and apply their labour and social regulations, as well as their legislation on entry and temporary stay; in this regards insists on opposing any provisions regarding visas and other entry procedures except those aimed at increasing transparency and streamlining administrative procedures;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls the Commission to mainstream gender equality and women’'s empowermentrights in its trade policy and to consider the negapositive impact that TiSA and other trade agreements may have in this respect in developing countries as an excellent opportunity for further development of women's entrepreneurship and creation of jobs for women;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls the primacy ofat the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union over TiSA and any other international treaty negotiated by the EU, and lays down the fundamental rights that are binding upon the EU institutions and bodies and that apply to national governments when they are implementing EU law; recalls onthat the Court of Justice of the European Union to effectively guarantee this juridical supremacyEuropean Union is based on a strong commitment to promote and protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law worldwide; in this regards insists that human rights are at the very heart of EU relations with other countries and regions;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls Uruguay’s decision to withdraw from the negotiations on the basis of concerns that TiSA could threaten the country’s policy space on strategic sectors and services; urges the Commission to take this withdrawal into serious considerInsists that the rights of national and local authorities to regulate is preserved throughout the TiSA negotiations.