The draft own-initiative report by Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D, Belgium) on the trade impact of Covid-19 was adopted by members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) by 29 votes to 3 with 9 abstentions on Tuesday 25 May.
It details the European Parliament’s vision for future EU trade policy, closely linked to environmental objectives and urgent health needs (see EUROPE 12699/18).
In particular, MEPs reiterated their call for a “constructive dialogue on a temporary waiver of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)”. This was expressed in a plenary vote the previous week (see EUROPE 12723/18).
Furthermore, they point to export restrictions for medical products and explicitly mention the US, UK, China, and India.
The need for resilience in value chains is also highlighted by MEPs, who call for the diversification of supply chains.
They also want to send a new signal to the European Commission to speed up its work on trade defence tools. The report calls on the Commission “to swiftly complete the EU’s trade defence toolbox, giving priority to an instrument to tackle distortions caused by foreign subsidies and state-owned enterprises and to the conclusion of negotiations on the international procurement instrument”.
Finally, on the environment, MEPs demand new measures to force the implementation of environmental and human rights compliance in trade agreements. They call on the Commission “to present without delay its review of the 15-point action plan on the trade and sustainable development chapters”.
The concrete measures included in the action plan should, in principle, not be presented before 2022.
“The post-Covid-19 recovery offers us a unique opportunity to make value chains resilient and sustainable, respecting human rights, labour rights, and environmental standards”, said Ms Van Brempt. The report is expected to be voted on in the plenary session in July.
See the report: https://bit.ly/3bTFFrU (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)