The Commission's stance on the future of the WTO system at the Tenth Ministerial Conference (Kenya, December 2015)

28.10.2015

Question for written answer E-014206-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández (S&D)

In 2011, the European Parliament urged the European Union to commit to proposals to overhaul the WTO system with a view to making it more effective, more transparent and more accountable.

With regard to the WTO Ministerial Conference that is to be held in Kenya in December 2015:

Will the Commission advocate an overhaul of the WTO system in order to strengthen the multilateral governance of international trade?

Does the Commission intend to make clear to the WTO the need to boost the social dimension of trade and investment rules in line with the increasing importance that is being placed on including sustainability chapters in trade agreements? As the EU and the USA did in the run-up to the Third Ministerial Conference in 1999, will it once again raise the need for labour standards to be addressed within the WTO?

Will the Commission specifically advocate the importance of making progress with regard to stepping up multilateral governance in international public procurement, on the basis that there is still much to be done in that area? In that connection, what is the Commission’s assessment of the need to include corporate social responsibility criteria in international public procurement rules?