Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-11-Speech-3-306"
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"en.20091111.23.3-306"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to what is an important debate on this issue.
Mr Fjellner, I have got to deal with your particular point, because you described what I was doing as an improper way of acting. I am not quite sure how parliamentary it is in the European Parliament to describe somebody as behaving improperly, but let me assure that I am not seeking in any way to do that. It is not about any link to anything. What I tried to do while I was talking to Member States about all of these aspects of trade was to pick up, either by the work I had been doing – and specifically, talking to small businesses across Europe, where I have a great concern that they should have real opportunities so that more than 3% of them will start trading beyond the European Union – issues that are either left over – things that we have not resolved one way or the other – or indeed where countries feel particularly strongly.
This is not the only issue, by any means, but it did occur to me that this is an opportunity to try and bring this back. It is about the level playing field. It is about clarity and transparency for consumers. It is about saying that we need to move forward. I hope Parliament will engage with this and help refine this further so that we actually have something extremely positive to take back.
Very finally, I was asked specifically about the question of ‘made in the European Union’. We did consult industry and consumers on that. It did not find favour. There was a concern that that would be expensive. It was not what was being looked for and so we have not pursued that.
If I might begin with Ms Muscardini’s particular points – the feeling that this has dragged on for some time. In my time as a Commissioner, I have been very conscious of talking with Member States about the issues that they are most concerned with and have tried to react when I could see an issue of importance. But, as other Members have said, the reality of political life is that I have to get any proposal through the Council. That means – when it is clear that there is not a solid majority for a particular idea – thinking again about what it is that might make the difference between failing to get something through, where clearly there is a very strong set of views, and success.
It seemed to me that we had the opportunity, by refining what we were describing in order to address the concerns that Member States had, to promote this yet again, because it still rests within the Commission. Especially when a Commission is coming to the end of its life and is now, of course, beyond – some might say – the end of its life, it is important to reflect back on what has not yet been completed.
I cannot give time guarantees; I would like to, but I am in the hands of the Council inevitably on that. But I do make my commitment to carry on with this, because there is a strength of feeling. I will come on to what I think and why I think that is so important.
A number of honourable Members have raised the particular issues about consumers and the opportunity that this would afford for transparency and clarity – to give information to consumers. I think even Adam Smith was quoted in that. It is important that, if you are going to have free trade in the world, you also have to have clarity and transparency for consumers to make the kinds of choices that go alongside free trade. Those concepts go hand in hand, and I would agree with that. Therefore, I think that those honourable Members who raised that point actually get to the heart of what this is trying to do.
It is not about protectionism. This happens all over the world. For most of the countries from which one would buy the kind of products we have listed, you already know where you buy from. As a consumer myself, it matters to me to know where the product is made. I think for many consumers this has been an important part of the way in which they interact with the market. The opportunity to say that we will make sure that we have that transparency, I would argue, is very important. We should not be frightened of it, because, if we are frightened of it, there is something wrong. The point about openness and free trade and transparency is that you face that and actually deal with it appropriately.
Specifically, Mr Schlyter asked me about the expanding of the list. Well, it is subject to further discussion: there is not a final list at all. We have simply tried to put forward what we believe is a realistic list but are very comfortable in actually discussing that further.
I think that it is only right that I also address the concerns that have been raised about whether we are being ambitious enough. Mr Arif said that we should not water this down. Of course – but I am not trying to water down; I am trying to be realistic. If, in the end, I have a proposal that I simply do not have the capacity to put through the Council, I think it is beholden on me to look again and ask whether there are there things we could do, not to water down but to recognise the legitimate concerns and see whether we can put this through, perhaps in a pilot model or a more narrow model in order to test that what I say is true and in order that we can then hopefully broaden out later, because we have actually got an understanding of what it is we are trying to do.
We are looking at the whole Euromed issues as well. That is part of the discussion, as you know, that is currently going on. I also take the point about what we are trying to do in terms of protection of jobs. Honourable Members will know that I have made much about the difference between protectionism and support for industry, support for jobs and consumers and so on. We have got to be clear that trade is not about ignoring all of those things. They go hand in hand."@en1
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