Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-16-Speech-3-567-000"
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"en.20110216.18.3-567-000"2
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".
Mr President, tomorrow we will be voting on the free-trade agreement with South Korea. I must say that it looks good at first glance. The delegation of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) is a strong supporter of free trade. Unfortunately, the European Union could not resist adding a safeguard clause to the trade agreement. This means that non-competitive companies will be protected when unable to hold their own when faced with competition from Korean products.
In other words, should the European consumer choose to buy Korean products, rather than European ones, for the simple reason that the former may be better quality or cheaper, then trade barriers will once again be erected. Look how the vicious European reflex towards protectionism and market intervention is rearing its head again.
Mr President, free trade that does not entail any disadvantage for European industry is, of course, an illusion. Therefore, trying to overcome this by including a safeguard clause and offering compensation to disadvantaged industries is a totally misguided solution.
This will allow industries that are competing poorly to carry on doing what they have always done, instead of adapting to the competition. Worse still, who will ultimately be footing this bill? Exactly: our citizens, unfortunately. As consumers, they will be forced to pay over the odds for their purchases and, on top of that, as taxpayers, they will even have to cough up the required compensation.
How am I supposed to explain to my constituents that they will soon have to foot the bill if, for example, Fiat loses some of its market share to Kia? These rules have no place in a free trade agreement. In practice, this is nothing other than subsidising inefficient companies on the backs of European citizens. Free trade? What a great idea, but please let us drop this safeguard clause."@en1
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