Our World in 2017

y Tokia Saïfi
Member of the European Parliament
from France in the Group of the European
People's Party.
ISSUE#1193 | January 2017
QUO VADIS EUROPA?
NEW EUROPE: OUR WORLD IN 2017
Page-25
www.neweurope.eu
The unity of the EU and the trust of
citizens in the EU must be restored!
BELGIUM - BRUSSELS
After a turbulent 2016 in international trade
(questioning of the TTIP on both Atlantic
coasts, Wallonia blocking the CETA signature
process etc.), 2017 promises to be equally
dense and will oblige us to define which
European trade policy we want.
First of all, it is worth remembering that
the EU trade policy is one of the founding
policies of the Union. All the criticisms, which
the EU trade policy is facing, certainly reflect
the current questions that the European
citizens have about the European Union, its
values and its objectives.
However, in the context of contested
international trading practices and beyond
the whole process of globalization, the figures
point out that one in seven jobs in Europe
depends on exports and that we cannot ignore
the key role of trade in our economy.
Where will we seek out European growth
and jobs if we turn our back on our trade
policy?
International trade has intensified for
several years, but at the same time, the WTO
is losing momentum and experiencing a
crisis that is akin to a deadlock. Any reform
or relaunch appear to be compromised and
several WTO members, including the EU,
have therefore chosen to negotiate free trade
agreements on a bilateral basis in order to
develop their trade relations.
The opening of new markets is an
opportunity for our economic players,
especially our SMEs, and can contribute to
enhance the European economic growth as
well as to create new jobs.
Furthermore, at a time when Asia gains,
everyday, more and more economic power,
the European Union cannot be left out of
this international dynamic. For many years,
Europe has set exemplary standards ensuring
better consumer safety and guaranteeing the
competitiveness of our companies. Why
should the EU not use its experience and
these trade negotiations as an opportunity to
fix European standards as global references?
Future international trade practices and rules
cannot be minimum standards, the EU must
move forward and share its expertise.
However, the intensification of trade
negotiations in recent years has raised fears
and questions.
Discourses have created and strengthened
the feeling that trade agreements would
modify the European social model.
As a member of the European Parliament,
I would like to clarify this point: we will
never accept a trade agreement which opens
the EU market to chlorinated chicken, nor
which would allow the destruction of our
agricultural model or which would endanger
our public services. The European Union is
based on common values and every European
A double exposure of the Wallon region cock fight flag and Paul Magnette, Minister-President of the French-speaking region of Wallonia giving a speech on the
latest developments on CETA during a plennary session of the Wallon region parliament in Namur, Belgium, 28 October 2016.
EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
The Walloon episode
has undermined
the credibility of the
European Union on
the international
stage. The long and
complex procedures
of mixed agreements
may endanger the
credibility of our
policy.
policy must respect them and promote them.
The European model cannot be sacrificed
on the altar of free trade. Trade agreements
cannot be concluded at any price and the
negotiations must be conducted in a spirit of
reciprocity and mutual benefits.
In order to counter these discourses
that intend to destroy any perspective of
trade, negotiations need to be made more
transparent. Each actor must fulfill its
role and contribute to a constructive and
inclusive dialogue. Hence, it is fundamental
that negotiating mandates are published in
order to be able to assimilate the objectives
of each negotiation and the basis on which it
is established.
The European Commission must
disseminate more information on the
ongoing negotiations and create a dialogue
with civil society and businesses. At the
same time, Member States have a role to
play in the transmission of information at the
national level and must cease their doublespeaks
which prevent any clarification of
the debate, sow trouble and cause a loss of
public confidence. Moreover, the European
Parliament and national parliaments must also
be kept informed.
The Walloon episode has undermined
the credibility of the European Union on the
international stage. The long and complex
procedures of mixed agreements may
endanger the credibility of our policy. How
would a trading partner agree to negotiate
with us if the European Union can at the last
moment destroy an ambitious and balanced
agreement after several years of negotiation?
The unity of the European Union and the
trust of citizens in the EU must be restored
as soon as possible. There is also a need to
communicate more about the benefits of
trade agreements; for example, the effects of
the agreement with Korea are widely ignored
and yet : since the trade deal entered into
force, EU exports to Korea have increased by
55%. This type of information is too often left
behind in favor of discourses which distort
reality.
Finally, the European Union trade
policy cannot be summarized merely by the
negotiation of free trade agreements. Europe
also aims, through this policy, to fight against
any unfair competition that our companies
could face. The current trade defense
instruments of the European Union have been
established more than twenty years ago and
there is an urgent need for them to be more
reactive, more efficient and more accessible,
in particular for our SMEs. In this context,
the debate on the question of China's market
economy status reminds us how the EU
should act in order to protect the European
industry.
In the face of so many cases of dumping,
Europe must stop being naive and must be
offensive. China is not a market economy and
we must firmly arm our businesses to fight
against any case of unfair competition, from
any country. Unfair trading practices must not
harm our economy and our jobs.
And the EU trade policy is also about
promoting a more responsible, fair and
balanced trade. Consumers want to know
more about the production methods, the
actors involved in the supply chain and
the origin of the different components of
any product in the EU market. Again, the
European Union must provide information
and ensure that our trade practices meet the
values that we defend and promote to our
partners. However, all this must be achieved
without harming our businesses and ensuring
that their competitiveness on the international
scene.
At a crossroads of questions about
the relevance of the European Union and
globalization, our trade policy must be able
to renew itself.
It is by standing for clear and shared
objectives in accordance with our values and
interests that the European Union will be
able to prove that its project is still useful and
crucial for Europeans and for the rest of the
world.