Brussels, 13/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - By adopting the own-initiative report of Glyn Ford (PES) by 523 votes in favour, 53 against, with 59 abstentions on Thursday 8 May, the European Parliament has approved the conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA), currently being negotiated between the EU and countries belonging to the Association of South East Asian countries (ASEAN - Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) in respect of WTO rules and the results of the Doha Round. According to Ford, the FTA must still respect social conditions, sustainable development, the fight against counterfeiting and respect for human rights.
The EP has largely condemned the sluggishness of the negotiations launched in April 2007 and insists that the FTA includes provisions committing ASEAN members to ratify and apply the fundamental agreements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), particularly the ban on child and forced labour. He is requesting an impact analysis of the FTA on sustainable development and the introduction of provisions on fighting the destruction of tropical forests. At a sectoral level, the EP highlights respect for intellectual property rights (IPR), particularly for their models and designs, sound recordings, and other cultural goods, as well as the fight against counterfeiting of medicine. He is also asking designations of origin and geographical indications to be respected and for there to be more transparency in public procurement, state aid and other subsidies. More specifically, the EP is highlighting the need for differentiated treatment for least developed countries (LDCs) from the South East Asian block, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, which have been excluded from negotiations in the Commission granted mandate framework. It is also calling for flexibility, such as that contained in the EPA, to enable non-LDCs from the block to tackle the loss of customs duty revenue. Finally, it emphasises the importance of finding a solution to bank secrecy in Singapore. (E.H.)