As usual, I would like to round off the week with a few comments on news which we have already reported on in our previous bulletins.
On China. Cautious though it is, any European initiative to bring the explosion of Chinese textile exports back down to normal and acceptable levels has given rise to shouts and protests from organisations and bodies with the self-appointed task of defending trade freedom. And the tone they use! This isn't reasoning, it's laying down the law and invective. Applying the procedures of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) means, in their view, being protectionist (oh, the legend of fortress Europe- no matter that it's the largest importer in the world!), penalising consumers (who won't be able to remain so if they can't be producers at the same time) and harming the poorest countries (although these are the worst hit by Chinese tactics). I've just got two comments to make:
- EU initiatives respect WTO rules and procedures, by calling for consultations with China, with the possibility of applying a legitimate safeguard clause, which was agreed to at the time by the Chinese authorities, should the result prove unsatisfactory. Let Beijing protest, all's fair in love and war. But the cries of protest from the FTA, or Oxfam, or other similar bodies seem to have been dictated word for word by big business, major distributors and multinationals producing in China;
- Why establish a hierarchy within WTO rules? Banning quantitative restrictions would thus be untouchable, whereas dumping, counterfeiting and brand piracy, which are all condemned on paper, would in practice be tolerated. The rules must all be on the same level: any country not respecting these ones cannot insist that its partners observe the others. And let's not forget globally accepted environmental and social norms, union rights and bans on child labour.
Geographical indications and fairness. The Court of Justice of the EU has banned the “Tokaj” denomination for wines produced anywhere but Hungary, because this geographical indication is reserved for a Hungarian region. This is quite logical: the EU is fighting at world level for denominations of origin to be respected, and it has to start by respecting its own. The annoying thing is that it is the abusive use of European denominations (Parmesan cheese and Parma ham to name but two) happens in a lot of third countries. Banning false denominations, which protects honest producers and consumers too, can only be fair and effective if it is an obligation everywhere. The EU must be a lot tougher in international forums, not hesitating to invoke safeguard or retaliatory measures. Otherwise only European producers will ever be penalised in case of infringements.
An unmistakable sign. The two latest EIB (European Investment Bank) loans, to a central European country (Hungary) and a western Balkan State (Serbia and Montenegro) will pay for a loan mechanism for students plus investment in teaching. This proves that these two countries, which are still relatively poor, are putting education at the top of their priority list. This reminds me of a short trip I made a few years ago to Slovakia. I asked a Slovakian official what, in his view, were the main assets of his country in terms of its accession to the EU, and after thinking for a second, he replied: “our education system”, referring to things such as the teaching of Latin. Confidence in education is an unmistakable sign.
Attac goes ignoble. The campaign in France on the Constitution is a bitterly-fought battle, we see further evidence of this every day, but I'd never have thought anyone would go quite this low. The movement Attac has, however, in one of its pamphlets. There's a photograph of a “young Slovak”, who says: “I came here to work in a massage parlour. But I found myself on a street corner, in the hands of the mafia”. Conclusion in black and white: “Europe is a hothouse of prostitution, but the Constitution makes no attempt to fight it. Therefore, vote no!”. I thought it had to be a forgery at first, but it was all there: Attac's address in France in Montreuil-sous-bois, the telephone number and even the name of the printer. Exploiting a young girl's unhappiness (real or invented) to win a few votes and to present her despair as the consequence of a Constitution which will, in point of fact, help to make the European area of freedom, security and justice a reality, if it's approved, which will make it easier to fight just such mafias on a multi-national level (which is the only way that'll work), it's ignoble and deserves nothing but contempt, for the person who wrote this pack of lies and those who distributed it.
(F.R.)