18 Amendments of Niccolò RINALDI related to 2013/2740(RSP)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU has consistently advocated for a strong multilateral rules- based approach to trade, whilst recognising that complementary approaches such as bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements may also foster trade opening, especially by unlocking liberalisation and upgrading rules and disciplines in policy areas tackled less thoroughly in the WTO, and support the multilateral system, provided such agreements are WTO compliant;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises the systemic importance of achieving an ambitious and balanced outcome at the Ninth Ministerial Conference that would be acceptable to all WTO Members and which would help set the stage for further multilateral negotiations;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that trade liberalisation is a necessary but not in itself sufficient tool to ensure sustainable economic growth and development, as it needs to be accompanied by appropriate flanking policies encompassing macro- and micro economic interventions, including budget transparency, fiscal policies and tax equity, administrative simplification, education and training, institutional reforms and social policies so as to maximise and distribute better the benefits of trade reforms and effectively counterbalance any negative effects;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises in this context the important role played bysuccess and importance of the Aid for Trade Initiative and; regrets nevertheless that for the first time since its launch in 2005 the amount of the commitments were reduced in 2011 due to the financial crisis, which resulted in less support to large projects in economic infrastructure with commitments in the transport and energy sector falling;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Draws attention to the Fourth Aid for Trade Review Conference held in July 2013 in Geneva where theich showed the benefits of Global Value Chains for developing countries; notes that participants identified trade-related constraints that prevent developing country firms from linking to or moving up value chains, namely inter alia inadequate infrastructure, high transportation and shipping costs, inadequate access to trade finance, inability to attract foreign direct investment, lack of comparative advantage and high market entry costs;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the developed countries and emerging economies to follow the EU Everything but Arms initiative, offering 100% duty-free, quota-free market access to the least developed countries (LDCs), and to ensure implementation of the LDC services waiver;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that an binding agreement on trade facilitation would bring significant benefits to all WTO members and relevant economic operatorsparticularly developing countries, by enhancing transparency and legal certainty and reducing the administrative costs and the length of customs procedures, which would in turn enable them to fully seize the opportunities provided by the growing prevalence of regional and global supply chains; points out that sufficient capacity building and technical assistance has to be made available to developing countries in order to enable them to increase their production capacities so that they can benefit from a bigger share of the value added in global value chains;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls that a recent EU- commissioned DDA impact study indicates that trade facilitation could be worth in economic terms as much as the gains from goods and services liberalisation together; recalls that improved customs procedures alone have the potential to add 68 billion a year in world GDP and that for many developing countries trade facilitation would be the main source of gains;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the opening of negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), which is in keeping with the Eighth Ministerial Conference's objective of exploring new ways for the WTO membership to further liberalise trade in services; stresses the EU's commitment in promoting work in this area and in keeping open the possibility of ‘multilateralising’ the TiSA by taking over therein definitions, rules and principles which form the core of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); underlines the importance of ensuring that any agreement is ambitious, expanding the coverage and deepening the rules regarding liberalisation in trade in services, while preserving WTO Members' national policy objectives and their right to regulate services of general interest, and that the outcome is firmly anchored to the WTO architecture;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the revision of the WTO plurilateral government procurement agreement (GPA) as agreed in March 2012 and recognises the importance of aiming at an EU ratification of the revised GPA before the Ninth Ministerial Conference with a view to triggering the entry into force of the revised Agreement by 2014; believes that clearer and more stringent rules for award procedures will foster transparency in public procurement and, together with the extended coverage of goods and services and entities, will provide greater opportunities for its signatories; calls on WTO Members, in particular developing countries and current observers of the GPA, to consider joining the agreement, in order to take advantage of the new provisions for developing countries increasing flexibility and to reap its benefits;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Encourages the WTO membership to proactively support the WTO's efforts in establishing working links and deeper cooperation with other international organisations whose work has a bearing on world trade talks, in particular the UN and its agencies and bodies such as the ILO, UNCTAD, FAO, UNEP, UNDP, UNFCCC, the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the OECD, in order to ensure mutual support and consistency between trade and non-trade concerns; supports efforts aiming for the adoption of international standards and regulatory cooperation;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Regrets that the 9th Ministerial Conference will not deliver minimum requirements for environmental and socials standards; calls on the Commission to promote advances in these areas whenever possible;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that concluding the long standing Doha round with its development mandate intact is vital and that Balithe 9th Ministerial Conference will mark a turning point in terms of world trade; urges therefore all WTO members to explore all possible options with that end goal in sight in order to achieve a balanced result;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Insists that the EU should continue to play a leading role in promoting tangible process in the ongoing WTO negotiations with a view to the full conclusion of the Doha Development Round in the foreseeable future, as well as facilitating the full participation of LDCs in global trade by acting as a bridge between the various positions of the WTO Members;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Is convinced that the reasons for the continued impasse in the DDA negotiations are not due to the structures or functioning of the WTO as an international organisation, but rather due to the inability of some large members to make compromises; stresses the crucial importance of the WTO in areas of implementing and enforcing binding commitments and resolving trade disputes;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that WTO Members should nevertheless intensify their efforts in other areas identified by the Doha Ministerial Declaration such as trade in environmental goods and services which could significantly contribute to sustainable development and the fight against climate change; Insists that the EU should continue to push for a future agreement on green goods and technologies and seek a clarification of the legal relationship between the WTO rules and multilateral environmental agreements;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure the Parliament continues to be closely involved in the preparation of the Ninth Ministerial Conference taking place in Bali from 3-6 December 2013, promptly updated and, if needed, consulted during the Ministerial Conference;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to continue to make the case to the other WTO Members for increasing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the WTO; calls on the other WTO Members to ensure democratic legitimacy by closely involving their parliaments in the WTO matters;