Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-02-Speech-1-244-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20120702.26.1-244-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, honourable Members, it is a pleasure to discuss with you the EU’s trade policy towards our Eastern neighbours.
I believe that overall, the report prepared by the rapporteur, Mr Ransdorf, reflects well the fact that Parliament and the Commission share the same views on trade relations with our Eastern partners. I take the numerous amendments proposed, as well as the large support in favour of the report, as proof of Parliament’s commitment to promoting stronger bilateral trade ties with our Eastern neighbours.
I welcome very much the role played by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, which is very supportive in this respect. I can assure you that the Commission fully agrees on the need to promote an ambitious trade agenda as a vector of reform for our Eastern partners and shares the willingness to drive such an agenda forward. We all know that this will not be an easy task. Therefore, it will be essential that Parliament and the Commission continue working in very close cooperation.
I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Ransdorf, for having taken the initiative of this report, as well as all the honourable Members who have participated in the constructive discussions on the text. It covers not only trade in goods but also cooperation in other related fields, for example, investment protection, streamlining customs and border procedures, reducing technical and other non-tariff barriers to trade, strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary rules and other measures.
As you know, the last months have been particularly important for our trade relations with most of our Eastern partners. The negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (in short, a DCFTA) with Ukraine were completed in December and the two parties intend to proceed to the initialling of the DCFTA text on 16 July, once the current legal review of the text is finalised.
It is now up to Ukraine to create the overall political conditions which will allow its signature and ratification. In any case, I want to stress that there cannot be provisional application of the association agreement and, for that matter, of the DCFTA provisions, before the decision concerning the signature of the association agreement and before Parliament has given its view.
The first part of this year has also seen important progress of our bilateral relations with Moldova, Georgia and Armenia; three partners with whom DCFTA negotiations have been launched. The negotiations advanced well, thanks to the thorough preparatory process carried out over the past years. It is now key that throughout the negotiations, the pace of reform started during the preparation phase is maintained.
Indeed, the negotiations of a DCFTA are still only the beginning of a long process of reform. With Belarus and Azerbaijan, the Commission is committed to pursuing a similar agenda as with the other Eastern partners. However, the Commission considers that WTO membership and basic reforms in the trade and trade-related part of the economies of the partner countries are the prerequisite for an enhanced trade agenda.
The decision to enter into trade negotiations should depend on the real capacity of the trade partner to effectively implement DCFTA conditions. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan and Belarus do not currently comply with these conditions and do not currently dispose of such a capacity.
Let me, however, stress that our bilateral trade relations with the Eastern partners cannot be separated from the broader political context in which they operate. This message applies across the board to all our neighbours. I wish to recall that this is also in line with the basic principles of the Eastern partnership, according to which DCFTAs are an integral part of the broader association agreements and therefore cannot be envisaged in isolation.
Given the human rights situation, Belarus only participates in the multilateral track of the Eastern partnership."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples