Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-23-Speech-3-343"
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"en.20080423.23.3-343"2
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"Madam President, at a time when the negotiations under the Doha Round are losing direction and getting bogged down, the issue of the WTO’s operation is more relevant than ever.
Is it not possible to move beyond this impasse by reforming the WTO? Failing an agreement on the substance, could the process for achieving such an agreement be improved? This revival of the WTO seems possible and will enable it to operate and make decisions more effectively.
Two levels of reforms are envisaged: those aimed at improving the negotiating procedure and those aimed at improving the WTO’s legitimacy, a key factor of its organisation. To this end, it is important to emphasise the parliamentary dimension in the WTO and to make the most of us, the citizens’ legitimate representatives, thereby making globalisation issues more transparent and democratic.
Much work is needed to ensure the consistency of international policies. There is no point in eliminating the obstacles at the borders if behind them lie obstacles to investment, disdain for social rights and infringements of environmental standards. An effective WTO is therefore essential to guarantee the objective of more trade and liberalisation regulated by the markets. However, rules do not mean protectionism. In fact, liberalisation without any safeguards is not the solution to all evils, particularly those we are experiencing today as a result of the rise in the cost of agricultural raw materials and the consequent spread of hunger.
The Falconer proposal to reduce customs duties is thus unacceptable for our European agriculture and would have untold consequences on the agricultural production of the poorest countries.
Moreover, in order to conclude the Doha Round, it is essential to restore balance to the negotiations and reach genuinely reciprocal agreements on market access. We are not yet ready to sacrifice our agriculture and our role as contributors to food security just to obtain, shamefully, a few reductions in industrial tariffs."@en1
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