MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the upcoming EU-US Summit on 28 November 2011
9.11.2011
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Jan Zahradil, Charles Tannock, Martin Callanan, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Hynek Fajmon, Oldřich Vlasák, Milan Cabrnoch, James Nicholson, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Robert Sturdy, Geoffrey Van Orden, Adam Bielan, Evžen Tošenovský, Ivo Strejček, Struan Stevenson, Ryszard Czarnecki on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0577/2011
B7‑0577/2011
European Parliament resolution on the upcoming EU-US Summit on 28 November 2011
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on EU-US Summits and transatlantic relations,
– having regard to the Joint Statements and progress reports adopted at the previous Transatlantic Economic Council meetings, including the 5th TEC Council from 17 December 2010,
– having regard to the EU-US Memorandum of Cooperation in civil aviation research and development,
– having regard to the EU-US air transport agreement from March 2011,
– having regard to the Framework for Advancing Transatlantic Economic Integration between the United States of America and the European Union,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the cooperation between the EU and US is a cornerstone of the EU’s external policies;
B. whereas the EU and the US have a strategic role with regard to global economic challenges, as their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) represents more than half of the global GDP and is a key driver of global economic growth, trade, and prosperity, representing the largest, most integrated and longest standing economic relationship in the world;
C. whereas the EU export of goods and services to the US in 2010 totalled EUR 411.6 billion, while imports reached EUR 300.5 billion;
D. whereas the EU and the US also have common political interests and a shared responsibility in the global political arena for promoting peace, respect for human rights and stability and for tackling various global dangers and challenges such as, among others, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, climate change, energy security and the eradication of poverty;
E. whereas current economic crisis and fiscal problems of some of the Eurozone countries will have serious impact on both the EU and US economies if not tackled appropriately;
F. whereas four of the EU Member States are still subject to the restrictive US visa regime;
G. whereas the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) plays an important role in overseeing and accelerating bilateral cooperation between the EU and the US with the aim of advancing mutual economic integration; whereas TEC’s current role should be strengthen, especially with respect to the promotion of convergence in technical standards;
1. Reaffirms that the EU-US relationship is the most important strategic partnership for the EU and insists on the importance of intensifying the strategic dialogue, cooperation and coordination when dealing with global challenges and regional conflicts;
2. Underlines the importance of NATO as the cornerstone of transatlantic security; calls for further strategic cooperation between the US and the EU Member States in order to address global security challenges; welcomes the role played by the NATO forces in bringing about the democratic changes in Libya;
3. Reiterates its call on both partners to promote respect for democracy and human rights in the world as a key element of their policy;
4. Calls on the EU and the US to strengthen cooperation in dealing with common global challenges, in particular with regard to non-proliferation and disarmament, respect for human rights, counterterrorism and energy security;
5. Welcomes the US position on the Palestinian application to the UN; calls on the US and EU to continue their full engagement in the works of Quartet in order to bring the Palestinians and the Israelis to the negotiating table, as only bilateral talks can produce tangible results and bring peace to the region, with the objective of a two-state solution with an independent, viable Palestinian state;
6. Reiterates the importance of both partners’ promoting, in a spirit of trust and transparency, coordinated approaches in their policies towards Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan;
7. Calls on the EU and US to work on the common approach to changes taking place in North Africa and to coordinate their support for democratic forces in countries such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt in order to help them develop their respective countries into true and strong democracies; in this regard, calls on both partners to work closely and exert pressure on authorities of Syria and Bahrain to stop harassment and brutal actions taken against their citizens and implement necessary democratic reforms allowing for the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and protection of citizens’ basic rights;
8. Urges the US to lift the visa regime for the remaining Member States and to treat all EU citizens equally and on the basis of full reciprocity;
9. Calls on the EU and US to continue the frank dialogue commenced at the G20 Summit in Cannes on finding ways to solve the eurozone debt crisis, which has threatened the world economy;
10. Welcomes the agreement on promotion, provision and use of GALLILEO and GPS satellite-based navigation systems, to which the European Parliament recently expressed its consent;
11. Welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on the second-stage Air Transport Agreement between the EU and the US, containing a number of incentives to encourage legislative changes in the US, which – when implemented – will enable both sides to establish an Open Aviation Area;
12. Welcomes the first successful tests of trans-Atlantic responses to cyber incidents, including cyber attacks, which took place on 4 November 2011 in Brussels;
13. Commends the positive role played by TEC, which held five meetings so far; believes that the TEC can play an important role in fostering a common approach of the EU and the US in their trade relations with third countries;
14. Notes the commitments made at 2010 TEC summit on issues such as authorised traders, raw materials and principles for trade in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) services, but considers a thorough analysis should be undertaken to assess the progress made; underlines that joint work in some areas, in particular regulatory dialogue, tariff elimination, removal of unjustified non-tariff barriers (NTBs), and creation of common standards lifting up technical barriers to open and fair trade, should be stepped up;
15. Commends the EU and the US for their membership in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) alongside other industrialised, emerging and developing countries that have joined forces at the international level against counterfeiting and piracy;
16. Recalls its proposal for a Transatlantic Growth and Jobs Initiative, considers that this should be reviewed at the summit with a view to setting out a guidelines to follow in the months ahead;
17. Recalls the importance of foreign direct investments within the transatlantic relations and the need to create a stable and attractive environment for investors, contributing to investments ‘certainty, growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic;
18. Is convinced that trade between the EU and the US has a great potential for further economic growth; in this regard urges both sides to engage in dialogue on reducing the unjustified non-tariff barriers (NTB); recalls, that the removal of half of the existing NTBs and regulatory divergences would translate into an increase in GDP of €163 billion until 2018 on both sides of the Atlantic;
19. Calls on the Commission and the US government to commit themselves in both bilateral and multilateral fora to fight the global trend towards protectionism; calls for the EU and US to put in place an early warning mechanism to detect and deter protectionism in bilateral relations;
20. Welcomes the conclusion of long-running WTO disputes (e.g. memorandum of understanding on high quality beef), but is resolved to continue to call on the US to implement the outstanding WTO panel reports and rulings and remove obstacles to trade; urges the US in particular to reconsider the 100% container scanning obligation, to comply with the ruling of the WTO Appellate Body on the practise of zeroing when adopting anti-dumping measures, to seriously improve the inadequate protection of geographical indications (GIs), to finally implement the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) recommendations concerning BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) and to allow the import of all beef products originating in the EU;
21. Underlines the need to conclude the Doha Development Round in the near future; considers, however, due to the persistent deadlock in the original architecture and objectives of the Doha Development Agenda, that it is mandatory to resume as soon as possible the debate on how to strengthen the WTO and how to prepare it for the upcoming challenges;
22. Calls on both parties in TEC to stimulate bilateral cooperation in research to better capitalise on the potential of the extended EU-US Science and Technology Agreement and to develop cooperation towards energy diversification and promotion of an eco-efficient economy;
23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the US Congress, the co-chairs of the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue and the Transatlantic Economic Council co-chairs and secretariat.