MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

9 December 1999

further to the Council and Commission statements
pursuant to Rule 37(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Schwaiger, Elles, Renato Brunetta, T. Mann, Wuermeling, Ferrer, Rübig, Hansenne and Hieronymi
on behalf of the PPE/DE Group
on the Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation in Seattle

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B5-0317/1999

B5-0319/1999

Resolution on the Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation in Seattle

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to the communication from the Commission (COM(1999) 331 – C5-0155/1999 – 1999/2149(COS)),

- having regard to its resolution of 18 November 1999 on that communication[1],

- having regard to the outcome of the Third WTO Ministerial Conference of 30 November to 3 December 1999 in Seattle,

1. Regrets that the WTO member states could not reach an agreement on an agenda for a new comprehensive round of trade liberalisation; nevertheless confirms its commitment to further multilateral trade liberalisation;

2. Supports the resolution, based on a proposal made by its delegation and adopted by parlamentarians of WTO member states present in Seattle, calling for a parliamentary standing body in order to ensure transparency and democratic accountability in future WTO deliberations; calls on the WTO Secretary-General to implement this resolution;

3. Welcomes the close cooperation between the Commission and its delegation; underlines the need for a common approach and a joint negotiating strategy of the institutions and the necessary flexibility in the negotiating process;

4. Stresses the importance of multilateral trade liberalisation for the benefit of all countries and peoples in order to increase employment and welfare; hopes that a new round of trade liberalisation talks in the WTO can be launched in the near future;

5. Asks the Commission to pay particular attention to the linkages between trade and development; underlines that special efforts, in particular opening markets for the products of developing countries, have to be made to facilitate the active involvement of developing countries in future trade talks; considers that the new EU/ACP-Agreement should reflect these considerations;

6. Asks the Commission to examine, together with the EU's main trading partners, the possibility of further discussions within the WTO in order to enlarge the built-in agenda, and to inform it in due time of the results;

7. Calls on the WTO Secretary-General to submit suggestions for new ways of organising trade talks with 135 member states in order to prevent procedural and organisational shortcomings from hampering political debates;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Secretary-General of the WTO.

• [1]  See "Texts Adopted" of that sitting, Item 3.