Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-23-Speech-3-367"
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"en.20080423.24.3-367"2
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"Madam President, as already stated, the European Union has been negotiating the conclusion of a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council for nearly 20 years.
Since then the Commission’s negotiating mandate has barely changed and has certainly not been properly updated. The result is a somewhat surprising situation whereby the Union is not using the same criteria as a basis for its negotiations with the Gulf states as it uses with its other trade partners, such as Korea or the ASEAN countries. In particular, the negotiating mandate makes no provision for inclusion in the future agreement of any clause on social standards, nor any ambitious chapter on sustainable development. The issue of respect for human rights is scarcely mentioned. Since these elements must be part of the priorities of European action, not only should they be fully integrated in the future free trade agreement, they should also be subject to suspension clauses for cases where the commitments are not fulfilled. It is the EU’s responsibility to ensure that all the trade agreements it negotiates guarantee promotion of, and respect for, the democratic principles of human rights, the conventions of the International Labour Organisation and environmental standards.
In the case of the Gulf states, special attention – and Mr Martin has just mentioned this – must be paid to the living conditions and rights of migrant workers. There are many such workers in the region to support the rapid growth there but they often work under disgraceful and unacceptable conditions.
More generally, over and above the trade that must be developed within the framework of harmonious trade relations, Europe and its Member States must step up their political and social dialogue. We must therefore implement a free trade agreement that not only does not have a negative impact on the people living in the region but, on the contrary, consolidates their political, economic and social rights. That is why it is essential, for example, to ensure that during negotiations on services, the need to guarantee a universal public service that is accessible, sustainable and cheap, and that meets high quality standards, is respected."@en1
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