Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-24-Speech-3-218"
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"en.20030924.6.3-218"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner Lamy has asked us whether, after the failure of Cancún, we intend to go for a multilateral or bilateral approach. If you go by what the Group of the Party of European Socialists and the European Parliament's resolution say, we will be operating primarily multilaterally, for in a global village, it is a choice between corrective global rules to make world trading fair, or regulations
where the law of the jungle rules. The law of the jungle leaves no room for social and environmentally-friendly agriculture. It leaves no room for development of Africa, which only has 2% of world trade to its name. It does not provide any protection against unfair competition via state aid in South Korea or against products made involving slavery or child labour which enter Europe via China, for example.
Although globalisation offers opportunities, it also makes our citizens anxious – and with good reason – about the future of their jobs. This is why global rules for protection are necessary. Not everything can, or should, be done through the WTO. A great deal can be achieved through other multilateral organisations, such as the UNDP and the ILO, but also through human rights protection and the right of organisation for independent trade unions. The WTO, however, should first be reorganised towards this end. It has to function more intelligently, faster and more democratically. On a practical level, it has to join forces more with the UNDP and the ILO.
Politically, we witnessed in Cancún the birth of a new world order in response to Iraq and George Bush's unilateral power politics. Political debate and cooperation with the G-21 and the new Alliance is of major geopolitical importance to Europe. This requires new initiatives from the Commission and the Council. We cannot afford to wait and see, for the US is on a unilateral mission. Europe must seek alliances with the developing countries based on its social values. Together, we can take initiatives to reorganise the WTO and put them on the table. At the same time, we must pursue our own agricultural reforms convincingly, and continue to put the US under pressure to do the same. In short, I am arguing in favour of consciously investing, politically speaking, in short-term alliances with developing countries in the short term and avoiding situations where the US and Europe get caught up in the same trouser leg, for then we will stumble, as we did in Cancún. Confidence-building measures are required if a new global coalition of fair traders is to be brought about.
Export subsidies in Europe for products that seriously affect the developing countries must be abolished. This does not only apply to cotton and sugar, but also to cereal and meat. This should, however, be directly linked to aid for multifunctional agriculture. Furthermore, reinforced financial support for the transfer of knowledge and the development of production capacity in the developing countries is needed, as well as priorities in political contacts and the debate with the new alliance. We must bring the debate with the developing countries on social dumping, child labour and slavery back on the negotiating table. They are more open to this now that they are being increasingly threatened by China. In short, we need new initiatives to get the development round back on track via new avenues.
As for the Singapore issues, Mr President I should like to ask you to find out whether, in addition to the intense technical preparation for Cancún, which was perfect, a new initiative should not be taken to take the pressure of the negotiations away from the topics, and thus to create a freer forum for a political debate with the developing countries about pros and cons. After all, they also know that transparency and rules for them are necessary, because they will otherwise be faced with the arm-twisting of the large trading blocs, such as the US and China.
Despite all the disappointment surrounding the failure of Cancún and the appeal I am making here to invest politically in this new global coalition of fair traders, we should also emphatically mention, as a significant result of the Doha round, the agreement on cheap medicine for Aids, tuberculosis and malaria patients in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as Europe's commitment to it.
Thank you, Commissioner Lamy, for your open and direct cooperation with us. With your own responsibilities, over which we have clashed once or twice, for example concerning the Singapore issues, you have behaved as a true democrat, as has your fellow-Commissioner, Mr Fischler."@en1
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