Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 5 July 2016 - Strasbourg

A forward-looking and innovative future strategy for trade and investment (A8-0220/2016 - Tiziana Beghin)

  Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D), in writing. ‒ The report contains Parliament’s reaction to the Commission’s ‘Trade for All’ Communication on its future trade policy. It welcomes the communication as a significant shift towards value-based trade in line with our Group’s position but insists that the Commission must deliver on its promises.

The report reaffirms Parliament’s previous recommendations on the TTIP and TiSA negotiations and its opposition to granting market economy status to China. Since it is a horizontal report it does not prejudge any final position by our Group on any particular trade agreement or the proposed Investment Court System. Instead it refers to ongoing debates. The report emphasises the need to account for the needs of SMEs and the manufacturing sector in trade policy which must be in line with a re-industrialisation strategy and SMEs. It deplores the Council’s inactivity on the reform of trade defence instruments.

I believe Europe needs to be open to trade in the interest of jobs and growth. But that openness needs to be flanked with the right international rules and domestic safety nets to ensure ordinary people can benefit from trade.

I support the call on the Commission to deliver on its promises on value-based trade and demand that the TTIP transparency initiative is extended to all ongoing trade negotiations.