Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-04-13-Speech-3-377"
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"en.20050413.23.3-377"2
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"Mr President, I note with satisfaction that we have this evening debated issues that really ought, in fact, to be debated and decided upon in this House. It is, unfortunately, all too common for MEPs to devote themselves to debates and decision-taking that, according to the principle of subsidiarity, do not belong in this House. In this case, the matter is clear, however.
The EU has a common trade policy. Parliament therefore has strong reasons for monitoring compliance with the rules governing global free trade. Such a system is the most important way of increasing prosperity in both poor and rich countries, but the system presupposes that individual countries and trading blocks will not engage in protectionism, which often takes the form of customs duties and other trade barriers. It may also take the form of subsidies or special rules for certain forms of production, designed to attract or retain activities that would otherwise not cope with international competition.
Such issues are regulated by the WTO. I agree with the other speakers in the House who have demanded that the Commission as soon as possible take measures against countries and EU Member States that breach the WTO’s regulations. It is, however, important to be aware of the fundamental difference between permitted and prohibited instruments, or between production-friendly policy and dumping. It is not prohibited to choose a generally low level of tax in order to promote growth. What is forbidden is to favour selected companies or industries with tax benefits. That is called tax dumping. It is also permitted for a country to have relatively low ambitions in terms of environmental policy during a phase when the country is poor and has to give priority to growth. That is what today’s rich countries did when they were poor. What is prohibited is to allow special dispensations from current environmental requirements with a view to favouring individual companies or industries. That is known as environmental dumping.
I propose that, in its analysis and in the measures it takes, the Commission clearly distinguish between legitimate rules for promoting growth and prosperity, and illegitimate dumping methods."@en1
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