Brussels, 09/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - Adopting an own initiative report on Tuesday 7 April by British PES MEP Glyn Ford, the European Parliament's international trade committee (INTA) approved the conclusion of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations (Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), which respects World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and the outcome of the Doha Round. The committee says the FTA will have to meet certain social, sustainable development and human rights criteria and help in the fight against counterfeiting.
In an explanatory statement, the rapporteur points out that 'in line with the standard position of the Parliament, a partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) should be a precondition for concluding a trade agreement with any country. And it must be possible to suspend preferential tariffs granted under the FTA should there be persistent breaches of core elements of the PCA and, in particular, the human rights clauses.' This detail is to be understood in connection with the situation in Burma/Myanmar. INTA 'believes that the current situation in Burma makes it impossible for that country to be included in the agreement.'
Generally, INTA regrets the slow progress in the talks launched in April 2007 which 'may indicate a lack of political commitment'. It wants the FTA to include measures whereby ASEAN members pledge to ratify and apply the basic International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, particularly the ban on child and forced labour. It calls for an FTA impact analysis vis-à-vis sustainable development and the introduction of measures to combat the destruction of tropical rainforests. It urges the EU to support the ASEAN members that are fighting the illegal exploitation of forest resources and to back, within the EFA, trade in biofuels that respect the environment. When it comes to 'sectoral issues', INTA highlights respect of intellectual property rights, particularly models and designs, sound recordings and other cultural goods, and the fight against the counterfeiting of medicine. It also calls for the protection and respect of geographical indications and appellations of origin, and for greater transparency concerning public procurement, state aid and other subsidies.
Specifically, INTA stresses the need for differentiated treatment for the least developed countries (LDCs) in ASEAN, namely Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, which will be excluded from the talks under the European Commission's current negotiating mandate. It recommends flexibility, equivalent to the flexible measures foreseen in the EPA, to help countries other than the LDCs to cope with the loss of customs revenue. INTA says it is essential that a solution is found to the banking secrecy problem in Singapore. (E.H.)