Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-09-14-Speech-1-180"
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"en.20090914.26.1-180"2
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"− Mr President, a large potential for new exporting opportunities lies in the Asian markets that have high growth rates but also, of course, high barriers to entry. Apart from the multilateral talks, an important way to overcome these barriers is through the leverage available to us in free trade agreement negotiations.
Concerning the car industry specifically, I want to signal first of all that we also have an interest in enhancing market access for European cars in Korea. Our car exporters are by far the strongest importers on the Korean market, with strong growth rates. They can develop this further since they will benefit from the combination of elimination of tariffs – EUR 2 000 saved on a car worth EUR 25 000 – and the removal of technical obstacles.
The agreement negotiated includes the most ambitious disciplines for non-tariff barriers ever negotiated with a third country. Korea will accept from day one that a car that conforms to international standards will be considered as complying with those Korean regulations that have been signalled by our industry as representing significant obstacles.
There are also provisions by which Korea accepts the equivalence between European and Korean environmental regulations. Indeed, even before the agreement enters into force, Korea has agreed to apply certain transitional derogations from the Korean environmental standards important for our exporters and we are monitoring very closely discussions in Korea about new regulations to limit CO
emissions in order to make them show that they are not an impediment to trade.
We are aware of the sensitivities of the car sector. We defended long transition periods for the liberalisation of our most sensitive car segment, namely small cars. Tariffs will only be eliminated in year five of the agreement, and that allows time for adjustment. We should remember the significant Korean investment in the car sector in Europe.
Moderately, we have changed the rules of origin by increasing the permissible limit of foreign value in Korean cars from 40% to 45%, and we agreed a bilateral safeguard clause which lets us put up tariffs in case of a surge of imports and a threat of injury to our industries.
On duty drawback, my final point, this is nothing new. Such policies are legitimate under the World Trade Organisation. Duty drawback also does not create a significant competitive disadvantage for our car producers since our tariffs on car parts are generally very low and will be further reduced. And we have negotiated a special clause that would enable us to limit duty drawback efficiently.
I underline the strength of support from European manufacturing sectors, as well as agriculture and service organisations, for this agreement. This is important, and it is a clear signal of our determination to pursue market access interest in key emerging Asian economies.
That is why Member States have asked the Commission to launch a new generation of trade agreements with key Asian economies. These free trade agreements should be ambitious in creating new exporting opportunities for many sectors.
With Korea, this is what we have achieved after two intensive years of negotiations. This is the most ambitious free trade agreement ever negotiated by the European Union.
There is consensus in that in two of the three main sectors of our economy, the benefits from the free trade agreement are overwhelmingly in our favour: first of all, our competitive service providers will gain massively from the agreement. For example, in areas such as telecoms, transport, construction and environmental services, doing business in Korea will be much easier in the future.
Secondly, for agricultural products, Korea will eliminate almost all of its particularly high tariffs – they average 35%! That will give a boost to farming exports of, amongst other things, pork, wine, whisky or dairy products. We will also secure the protection of European geographical indications, such as Parma ham, Rioja or Tokay.
But the free trade agreement will also bring major benefits to European manufacturing exporters. Overall, European manufacturing exporters will save some EUR 1.2 billion of tariffs annually, of which EUR 800 million are saved on day one. For example, exporters of machineries would save EUR 450 million annually on annual duty payments while exporters of chemicals would save over EUR 150 million on duties.
Duty elimination will also allow our exporters to strengthen their foothold in the Korean market, and thus expand sales. Korean customers buy some EUR 25 billion worth of EU goods every year. This makes Korea one of our most important export markets in Asia.
In addition, there was a special focus on rules. The agreement includes transparency on regulation, efficient enforcement of commitments, better protection of intellectual property rights and ‘WTO-plus’ rules on subsidies which will all be to the benefit of all manufacturers selling in Korea.
Moreover, ambitious disciplines have been established on industrial technical barriers to trade, notably for cars, electronics and pharmaceuticals based on the regulatory model of Europe and they respond to longstanding demands by European business in these sectors. Korea will need to changes its domestic regulations to comply with these commitments, whereas no such change would be needed in Europe."@en1
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