Eurocommissaris de Gucht: 'VS moet initiatief nemen hervatting Doha-ronde' (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European trade commissioner Karel De Gucht i has said it is not up to Europe to kick-start the Doha round of multilateral trade talks, instead placing the burden squarely on the shoulders of the United States.
The Belgian politician was speaking to members of the European Parliament's trade committee on Tuesday (22 June), part of the consultation process before the commission comes forward with proposals this October on how to reform the EU's overall trade policy.
"I don't think it is up to the EU to relaunch negotiations," Mr De Gucht told MEPs, referring to a spat between India and the United States in July 2008 as the pivotal reason behind the breakdown in talks. "For Europe, it was an acceptable agreement, not fantastic."
"The US needs to be clear on what they need and then we can restart the talks," said the trade commissioner who took up office in February. "For the time being, we will continue our bilateral free trade agreements, but i do believe we will see Doha."
Observers suggest that American re-engagement may take place once mid-term elections, scheduled for the end of this year, are completed. Supporters of Europe's policy of pursuing bi-lateral deals say the FTAs also place extra pressure on the US to secure a multilateral agreement.
Reform
The EU policy of securing bi-lateral agreements, adopted in 2006 and known as Global Europe, has attracted numerous critics however. Supporters of more vigorous free trade say the strategy lacks direction, while critics say it causes considerable environmental and social harm in developing countries.
Centre-right MEP Daniel Caspary was among those calling for greater ambition, while centre-left MEP David Martin questioned the environmental and social aspects of recent free-trade deals.
"I wonder if it makes sense to negotiate human rights and environmental clauses if we do not then pursue them," said the UK deputy.
Prior to Tuesday's meeting, a group of trade justice campaigners working together in the 'Seattle to Brussels Network' (S2B) called on the parliamentary trade committee to apply greater pressure in this area, saying that in spite of its 'sustainable development' rhetoric, EU trade policy-making remains untransparent and geared towards serving businesses above all else.
The group points to the recent conclusion of FTAs with Colombia and a group of Central American nations, despite a poor human rights record in the former and questions over the legitimacy of the government in Honduras.
The network said it was not optimistic that the EU's future trade policy would be an improvement, despite the greater role handed to MEPs under the EU's new rulebook, the Lisbon Treaty. Parliamentarians now have greater powers to accept or reject trade deals negotiated by the commission, and may also look for greater input right from the start of talks.
"It's an improvement that the parliament has a role but we don't think this is an advantage for democracy. On the contrary, we think it looks like an increase of centralisation of power in Brussels. We do hope that they demand a real mandate to be involved in negotiations," Bruno Ciccaglione, the group's co-ordinator, told this website.
GSP, Mercosur
MEP questions also included the future direction of the policy's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), a trade arrangement through which the EU provides preferential access to the EU market to 176 developing countries and territories.
Member states recently voted to strip a variation of the special treatment, known as GSP+, from Sri Lanka due to the government's human rights violations. "It's true that when we look to GSP and GSP+ in the future, we will need to be much more selective," said the commissioner.
Mr De Gucht also defended the commission's right to restart trade negotiations with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, saying there needed to be "mutual respect for the way powers are shared between the different institutions."
While acknowledging the commission's right to restart the talks, ten member states led by France also expressed their deep reservations last month due to concerns over Europe's agricultural sector.
In launching its a two-month consultation period (2 June - 28 July) on the future shape of the bloc's trade policy, the commission has stressed the need to bring the policy more into line with the EU's plan for growth and jobs, known as the Europe 2020 strategy.
European Commission