Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-22-Speech-2-510-000"
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"en.20120522.21.2-510-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, Ms de Sarnez, it goes without saying that failing to comply with social and environmental standards and human rights also creates an imbalance between the EU and China. However, we also need to put our own house in order. There would be no such imbalance with China, no such lack of consistency in the EU approach, if we had a common European position with regard to China. China has imposed multi-bilateral relations on Europe, and the burden of responsibility for having such an imbalance with China lies heavily with Member States.
Of course, all Chinese products entering the European market must comply with internal standards. That is the law. Once the European Union is a genuine player in multilateral negotiations on achieving, in particular, binding social and environmental standards, and countries like China refuse to accept a framework of internationally binding standards, we believe that Europe is then entitled to impose standards regarding these equally international issues right at the entrance to the European market. These could include, for example, freedom of association. When this time comes, would Europe not be legitimate in deciding that all products entering the European market must come from countries that respect freedom of association? The protection of workers is a given fact here and this should also be the case in those countries.
Then there is the issue that is key right now, namely, the issue of the photovoltaic industry. The European Union has always been at the forefront of renewable energy. In Europe, we try to have both targets for renewable energy and, until recently, a renewable energy industry. China has launched a price war on renewable energy and, in particular, photovoltaics. Through subsidies, it has developed production overcapacity that is killing off the European photovoltaic industry.
This is a key point, a crucial moment for Europe. Do we, like the United States, protect our photovoltaic industry to support our goals for renewable energy or do we not? Thousands of jobs are currently being lost, which is why we call on the European Commission to come back to Parliament with an analysis of China’s strategy in the photovoltaic market and whether the US response is the right way to go. We clearly want to be thinking along these lines. We cannot be defending our targets for renewable energy without defending the European renewable energy industry."@en1
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