Europees Parlement: "Verdedig Europese belangen in de Doha handelsonderhandelingen" (en)

Success at the Doha trade talks could stimulate economic recovery worldwide, but the European Commission must stick to its negotiating brief on market access for farm and non-farm products and services, said Parliament in a resolution approved in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

A "comprehensive, ambitious and balanced" conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations could be "an important parameter in stimulating worldwide economic recovery", says the resolution, approved with 370 votes in favour, 125 against and 125 abstentions.

Parliament encourages WTO members to fight protectionism in their trade relations and calls on developed countries and emerging economies to follow the EU's "Everything but Arms" initiative, which offers duty-free and quota-free market access for Least Developed Countries. MEPs likewise want to ensure that developing countries have the means to defend and develop their agriculture sectors and local food production.

Parliament also asked the Commission to provide "genuine legal certainty" for producers in the context of the soon to be concluded banana trade agreement.

On agricultural market access, Parliament called on the Commission to strictly respect its negotiating brief, which limits its room for manoeuvre action to the scope of CAP reforms already undertaken and requires "equivalent concessions from trading partners", and to strongly defend the EU's position on Geographical Indications.

Non-agricultural products and services

For non-agricultural products, MEPs want to see substantial cuts in rates applied, while allowing for special and differential treatment. The  Commission should maintain its firm position on enhanced market access for European products and services, says the resolution.

"If we want a conclusion of the Doha Round before the end of 2010, we have to see modalities in place on agricultural and non agricultural market access before the end of March 2010", said Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel in the plenary debate on Monday.

Parliament should be fully involved

With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, European trade policy must be subject to more rigorous democratic scrutiny, says the resolution, which highlights the need to renegotiate the EU's Inter-Institutional Agreement so as to ensure Parliament's full participation.

Background

The Doha Development Round of international trade talks was launched in 2001, to create new trading opportunities, strengthen multilateral trade rules and address imbalances in the trading system, whilst emphasising the need for the economic integration of developing countries. Many ministers at the recent WTO ministerial conference in Geneva (30 November - 2 December 2009), called for the Doha Round talks to be completed by the end of 2010.