[autom.vertaling] Vraag naar de betere coördinatie van de EU bij het IMF (en)

MEPs are calling for better coordination of EU representation within the International Monetary Fund, working towards a single voting constituency. By 529 votes in favour to 76 against with 31 abstentions, they adopted an own initiative report from Benoît Hamon (PES, FR) which is Parliament's contribution to the strategic review currently underway at the IMF.

The report says the IMF continues to play an important role, while supporting a re-orientation of IMF policies towards emphasising its core mandate of stabilising global exchange rate fluctuations and as a lender of last resort for countries experiencing serious balance of payment problems.

MEPs believe that, in the interests of its own legitimacy, the IMF should aim to make the distribution of quotas and voting rights more representative of the international economic situation, enabling more appropriate weightings to be given to developing and emerging countries. When it comes to the representation of the EU, they insist that European positions in the EU representation within the IMF must be better coordinated. They call on the Member States to work towards a single voting constituency, possible starting as a euro constituency, with a view, in the longer term, to securing consistent European representation, involving the Ecofin Council Presidency and the Commission, subject to Parliament's scrutiny.

The report says the loan conditions imposed by the IMF have in some cases been too rigid and not always consistent with local circumstances.  It recommends a priority reference to poverty reduction as the goal of all IMF lending to low income countries. MEPs say the liberalisation of developing countries financial systems should be "gradual, sequential and stable," adjusted to take account of their institutional capacities. They strongly urge that "developing countries should not have to open up their markets fully and without restrictions to foreign imports"; instead they should be able to establish protection for certain industries for a limited period so as to permit a steady development - though they say eventually full integration into the world market offers considerable growth opportunities for developing, newly industrialised and industrialised countries alike. MEPs welcome the IMF's emphasis on improving the levels of education and health in developing countries, while stressing that improving governance, combating corruption and efficient use of resources, remain the surest ways to reduce inequality of access to goods and to fundamental rights such as health and education.