Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-22-Speech-3-209"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060322.16.3-209"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, first of all I wish to thank my colleague, Mrs Martens, for her excellent speech and the amendments that she has proposed. This approach strengthens the report before us and supports its objectives to make Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) a workable means of implementing the EU’s targets for development cooperation.
WTO rules force us into separate Economic Partnership Agreements, because the trade relationship based on the Lomé Conventions and Cotonou Agreement is non-reciprocal and therefore inconsistent with the WTO’s enabling clause. Under this clause, industrial countries are permitted to give unilateral and non-reciprocal preferential treatment to just two categories of countries: either all Least Developed Countries or all developing countries. Since the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) regions include countries from both groups, the original preferences granted to the ACP countries are incompatible with current WTO rules, and our transition period giving entitlement to waivers expires in 2008.
In order to make the EU-ACP trade relationship WTO-compliant in the long term, a solution has been sought in the EPAs. Under the proposed EPAs, the trade relationship between the EU and the different ACP regional groups will be reciprocal. Under Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), countries at different levels of development can enter into a reciprocal free trade agreement provided that the liberalisation of essentially all trade occurs within a reasonable length of time. In the context of the EPAs, this has come to be understood as roughly 90% of trade within 10-12 years.
It is clear that implementing a reciprocal free trade agreement will be a major challenge for the ACP countries, whose level of development varies a good deal. Reciprocity represents a major shift in the EU’s approach to development and trade policies with ACP partners.
On the other hand, we know that the support allowed by Lomé and Cotonou did not halt the decline in ACP market share. Since we are worried about premature liberalisation, we need to ask whether in this context there is such a thing as timely liberalisation. Sometimes bold steps have to be taken, which means we must at the same time make sure that the eventual outcome of negotiations on agreements leaves sufficient time for ACP domestic and regional markets to adapt.
I myself also think that it is important to allow everyone unobstructed access to nature’s own ‘free’ services. Therefore, on World Water Day, I feel it is necessary to mention how essential it is, for example, that water resources are managed fairly.
The opening up of markets in some cases has also led to the spread of poverty in developing countries, and for that reason the progress of talks should be monitored carefully. The negotiations must be impartial, and no pressure should be put on any party while they are taking place."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples