Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-18-Speech-3-102"
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"en.20030618.8.3-102"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner Lamy, your position deserves to be welcomed unreservedly, especially in that everything in the negotiations is to be based on the principle of reciprocity and in that you have also mentioned a point that strikes me as very important – the fact that additional accompanying measures are to be taken in order to make the textile industry more competitive with effect from 2005, and that this is already happening. Whether this amounts to the creation of clusters or to something else, this is a very important measure, but it will probably need money.
Perhaps, Commissioner, there is one thing that I should point out. Let us assume that, in 2005, European tariffs on textiles will be the lowest, and that barriers to trade, whether these be in the form of tariffs or not, will be being removed. What I say to you, though, has to do with the history of the European Union’s textile industry; it is that we will still, probably, have to deal with protectionist measures, or with the maintenance of protectionist measures, on the part of the United States or of Japan. That is my main concern in all this, and there are signs that this is again happening already. It is something we have often seen over the past twenty years. How many times, or for how much longer, must these two textile power blocs be allowed to do as they please with Europe’s textile industry? I see that as one of the core issues.
What we need when it comes to the removal of barriers to trade, whether these be in the form of tariffs or not, is fairness; that is what needs to be promoted in this regard, both here and in the accession countries, where, I believe the main development in the textile industry will be. I can see China and India being another major problem with which we will have to deal. If China in particular is not induced to accept mechanisms of self-restraint, Europe can write off even its top-quality and most capital-intensive textile industry. We should not lose sight of that when we go to the negotiating table. Last, but not least, I would like to point out, having just come from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, that we continue to be concerned that core labour standards and principles of human rights should not be shelved, and that they are of great importance, particularly where China is concerned.
We trade unionists in the textiles industry have made a series of documentary films in countries such as Bangladesh, showing where problems with child labour and discrimination are really to be found."@en1
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