As the European Commission’s public consultation on EU trade policy ended on Sunday 15 November, 18 MEPs are publishing an opinion editorial to advocate a more sustainable and fairer trade policy.
As a reminder, on 9 November the Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) approved the resolution on the trade policy review. The text, carried by INTA committee chair Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany), also calls for the new trade policy to be subject to conditions of fairness and sustainability.
In the op-ed published on Monday 16 November on the Euractiv website, 18 MEPs in the cross-party Fair Trade Working Group call on the EU to actively engage in fair trade. Among them are INTA Commission President Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany), Udo Bullmann (S&D, Germany), Marie-Pierre Vedrenne (Renew Europe, France) and Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA, Belgium). For them, the EU’s trade strategy must not only impose binding rules to comply with ambitious standards, but also support grassroots initiatives that promote fair trade. They also consider that this strategy must be cross-cutting in order to combat inequalities and violations of rights. In other words, that equity be taken into account in other areas of EU action.
In a similar vein, the Dutch government confirmed its intention last month to reorient its trade policy towards more responsible trade. In connection with that, it recalled that the European level was the most appropriate one for initiating new, more responsible standards. Referring to the ongoing EU Trade Policy Review, the Dutch government expressed confidence in an ambitious action plan from the Commission.
The European Commission will publish the results of the public consultation on trade policy, launched in June, on 1 December.
See the op-ed: https://bit.ly/36Ih2v4 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)