Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-11-17-Speech-3-199"
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"en.19991117.6.3-199"2
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"Mr President, I am not absolutely convinced that the developed world needs free trade with the rest of the world in order to make economic progress. The bigger EU States like France, Germany and the United Kingdom traded about 30% of GDP in the 1960s as against 60% today, but they enjoyed much faster economic growth at that time than they do now. From 1950 to 1970 world economic growth and the expansion of world trade ran roughly in tandem, but since then economic growth has been increasing at only half the pace of world exports: so again there is no evidence there that increased trade leads automatically to further economic growth. It is quite obvious, of course, that small countries like Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg need free trade, but a European Union with a single market or a North American single market is an entirely different proposition.
Nevertheless I believe in free trade. Because of the way the world is changing, globalisation is unstoppable unless, of course, we erect iron curtains or bamboo curtains, and those too would be blown away by the winds of change. Globalisation is happening and while there are risks it presents us with immense opportunities.
The first opportunity is to create a partnership for cooperation and the management of the increased trading activities. Decision making in this way is not to by-pass democracy, it is to extend democracy. It is a new means by which to organise the activities of mankind. Behind our trade barriers there is the risk that we will cultivate the seeds of more international conflict. The rich could dig in behind their barriers, they could buy some essential things from the poorer countries but we would be back to the seventeenth century with the strong exploiting the weak. Those who are concerned about human rights, animal welfare and the environment have a much better prospect of securing improvements in those areas within a legal framework and a World Trade Organisation than they have in a free-for-all, law of the jungle.
I want to congratulate Mr Schwaiger on putting together what I regard as a decent framework within which to move forward. There will be risks, but we have to explain to our people why we cannot do other than proceed."@en1
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