Compte rendu in extenso des débats

Mardi 12 mars 2019 - Strasbourg

10.1. Accord de partenariat volontaire UE-Viêt Nam sur l’application des réglementations forestières, la gouvernance et les échanges commerciaux (A8-0083/2019 - Heidi Hautala)

Oral explanations of vote

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – Madam President, it’s nice to be first. I welcome this important partnership agreement and commend the work done by the rapporteur, MEP Hautala and my colleague, Mr Franck Proust. The protection of forestry is an extremely important element in the overall protection of the environment and in slowing down climate change. The illegal timber trade has a devastating environmental effect and so I welcome this recommendation warmly as a step in the right direction for both the EU and Vietnam.

The preservation of habitats and biodiversity can only be accomplished by working with third countries to ensure that not only does the EU not export illegal timber, but equally does not support the trade of imported illegal timber. I am hopeful that this Voluntary Partnership Agreement will achieve this, and I welcome the firm commitments given by Vietnam to set up the necessary structures to enforce the commitments included in this agreement.

  Daniel Hannan (ECR). – Madam President, I’m in favour of this accord. It seems a perfectly sensible thing for the European Union to work with Vietnam on sustainability. But I’d ask Members just to stand back and contemplate the miracle that has made this report possible: that sees Vietnam exporting a sum equivalent to its GDP.

In the mid—1980s, Vietnam was one of the poorest countries in the world. GDP was a little bit over USD 200. Now it has increased by 1 000% – by 2 000% if we measure by purchasing power parity. What an extraordinary thing, when we think of the lengths that the USA went to to stamp out communism by military means – spending a trillion dollars at today’s prices, losing 60 000 of its soldiers, 250 000 South Vietnamese, a million North Vietnamese – and it failed! Yet a couple of decades of free trade have led to the rule of law and the development of economic freedom in that country.

It’s the same lesson every time. Let goods and services cross borders so that soldiers don’t have to.