Brussels, 14/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - In a position paper on awarding China market economy status, which was published on Monday 14 March (and which is available at the following address: http://goo.gl/Ce43tW ), the group of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) at the European Parliament has based its demands and proposals on the need to observe equitable trade conditions in the EU's trade policy towards China.
The S&D group also calls for a strategy to rally the EU's WTO partners to ensure that the market economy status (MES) is not granted to China until it is actually complying with the rules of the multilateral trade system.
“We believe in the mutual benefits of EU-China relations and pragmatism is a driving force in relation to the issues arising from China's WTO accession protocol. Compliance with WTO rules is essential, but it is equally essential to have all the necessary tools in place in a timely manner to protect a healthy EU economy”, commented the vice president of the S&D group with responsibility for external relations, Romania's Victor Boºtinaru, calling on the Commission to make its promised impact assessment of the impact on the EU economy of China being granted the MES available “as soon as possible”.
“Europe must defend its jobs in industry in the face of unfair competition (…). Whilst valuing the economic benefits of greater cooperation with China, Europe must not be a soft touch”, commented the British MEP David Martin, S&D spokesperson on trade, calling for the trade defence measures to be modernised and use to be made of all available tools to protect European industries against dumping and other harmful trade practices.
'Counter-public consultation' at the EP. Under the banner of the MES China action group, a transnational and trans-partisan group of members of the European Parliament led by French Socialists Édouard Martin and Emmanuel Maurel and their Italian colleague, David Borrelli (EFDD), will launch a 'counter-public consultation' on Tuesday 15 March, on the question of granting the MES to China. This initiative, which will run until 1 May, “aims to examine the blindspots of the Commission's public consultation, by gathering analyses and statements regarding all possible options”, they explained on Monday. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)