MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
8.11.2006
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Helmuth Markov
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on the European Union’s Generalised System of Preferences
B6‑0578/2006
European Parliament resolution on the European Union’s Generalised System of Preferences
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 980/2005[1] of 27 June 2005 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences,
– having regard to Commission Decision 2005/924/EC[2] on the list of the beneficiary countries which qualify for the special incentive arrangements for sustainable development and good governance provided for by Article 26(e) of Council Regulation (EC) No 980/2005 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the special incentive arrangements provided for in Commission Decision 2005/924/EC for sustainable development and good governance involve granting preferential access to European markets for goods originating in developing countries implementing certain international standards in human and labour rights, environmental protection, the fight against drugs and good governance,
B. whereas the Commission, in its decision of 21 December 2005, granted special incentive arrangements to Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Sri Lanka, Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, El Salvador and Venezuela,
C. whereas all these countries, with the exception of Georgia, Sri Lanka and Moldova, were already beneficiaries of the previous GSP scheme’s special incentive arrangements to combat drug production and trafficking and protect labour rights,
D. whereas all the countries granted GSP+ have ratified and implemented the relevant labour and human rights conventions, with the exception of El Salvador, for which a special temporary derogation has been granted in accordance with Article 9.2 of the GSP Regulation, owing to specific constitutional constraints,
E. whereas the new GSP+ scheme should act as an incentive for beneficiary countries to attain development objectives, and whereas most of the applicant and beneficiary countries have made, and should continue to make, substantial changes to their legal systems, including the setting up of appropriate institutions to comply fully with the rights enshrined in the ILO conventions, as exemplified by Venezuela and Colombia’s ratification in 2005 of the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention,
F. whereas El Salvador must make a greater effort to comply with the legal requirements of GSP+ in order to ensure that it is not expelled from the system,
G. whereas the progress made in the implementation of the conditionality of GSP+ is also linked to developments in government policy, administrative capacity and other institutional, legal and budgetary constraints which are pervasive in developing countries and which can only improve over time,
H. whereas the implementation of the UN/ILO conventions should be assessed solely on the basis of the conclusions of the relevant monitoring bodies, including the ILO itself, and in accordance with a regular procedure, with due regard for the opinion of the European Parliament and the beneficiary countries, in order to avoid unilateral decisions,
1. Notes that, despite their ratification of the relevant ILO conventions, repeated and widespread infringements in relation to workers’ rights have been reported as occurring in many of the GSP+ beneficiary countries, particularly in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala and Moldova;
2. Calls on the Commission to assess actual implementation of the core human and labour rights of UN/ILO conventions in GSP+ beneficiary countries, as well as of the conventions relating to environment and governance principles; calls also for this commitment to extend to the rest of the GSP beneficiary countries, particularly as regards child and forced labour, and for measures to be taken to combat social and environmental dumping;
3. Asks the Commission to inform Parliament about the system actually used to monitor and control the implementation of ILO/UN conventions and to take into account the opinion of trade unions and civil society; calls on the Commission to make recommendations to beneficiary governments, and stresses that their failure to demonstrate progress towards genuine implementation could lead to temporary withdrawal of the GSP+ privileges;
4. Recalls the stated position of the European Parliament to the effect that the Commission is automatically to initiate an investigation in all cases in which the ILO Conference Committee on the Application of Standards has approved a ‘Special Paragraph’ on labour practices in a beneficiary country with regard to the core labour standard;
5. Calls on the Commission to inform Parliament and the GSP+ beneficiary countries if flaws in the implementation of ILO/UN conventions are identified, and to take the necessary steps to promote and ensure compliance with the commitments provided for in the GSP Council Regulation; recalls that the Commission’s decision to grant or withdraw preferences should be based on the findings of the appropriate monitoring institutions, with due regard to the opinion of the European Parliament and in accordance with the procedures set out in the GSP Council Regulation;
6. Calls on the Commission to inform Parliament about the level of compliance by GSP+ beneficiary countries with the relevant ILO/UN conventions, and, in particular, to state if there are serious and systematic violations of the principles laid down in international human rights and labour conventions in any of the current GSP+ beneficiary countries which would justify a temporary withdrawal of preferences in accordance with Article 16 of Council Regulation (EC) No 980/2005;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to Council and the Commission.