The European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) adopted on Monday 10 October the draft report by Bernd Lange (S&D, German) on the anti-coercion tool (34 votes in favour, 0 against and 6 abstentions). MEPs had previously agreed on some 15 compromise amendments (see EUROPE 13033/15).
“Today’s vote brings us one step closer to ensure that decisions in Europe will not be influenced by third countries trying to force their will on us”, said Bernd Lange, chairman of the INTA committee.
The report strengthens the anti-coercion tool to better protect European interests.
However, we must be careful not to be too aggressive, warned Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourgish). The instrument “must remain fully aligned with the rules of the World Trade Organization. Sufficient safeguards must be built in to avoid mission creep and to ensure that it is only activated as a last resort, when all other avenues are closed and consultations have failed”, it said. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)