Resolution on textile dumping by third countries
Date: 1999-05-07
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Czechoslovakia, power of decision, third country













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51999IP0455

Resolution on textile dumping by third countries  


Official Journal C 279 , 01/10/1999 P. 0504 





B4-0455/99Resolution on textile dumping by third countriesThe European Parliament,A. whereas the textile and clothing industry is one of the EU's major industrial sectors with some 2.3 million persons employed and a turnover of EUR 189 billion,B. whereas the industry is facing growing globalisation and during the last decade has proved its innovative capabilities and its determination to modernise itself by improving productivity at the same pace as other industrial sectors,C. whereas this industry is facing unfair trade conditions due to the financial crisis in several parts of the world; whereas it has to compete, on the European market, with fraudulent imports and, on third-country markets, with insurmountable tariff and non-tariff barriers,D. whereas the implementation of the Uruguay Round commitments has not resulted in comparable market access conditions; whereas the tariff reduction commitments have not been complied with; whereas non-tariff barriers have, on the contrary, increased; whereas, in particular, the gradual reintegration of textile and clothing products in the GATT disciplines did not, as initially envisaged, lead to a reduction of the excessive barriers preventing access to third-country markets,E. whereas the announcement of a new multilateral round of negotiations begs the question of the advisability of pursuing any further bilateral agreements before the new multilateral framework is finalised,F. whereas it is necessary, against this background, to ensure fairer and more equitable trade conditions for the textile and clothing industry; whereas this concern has largely been taken into account by the Bangemann initiative for the textile and clothing industry which has resulted in an Action Plan shortly to be released,G. whereas recent trends, such as an increase in imports from certain countries and for certain products under non-market conditions, make it all the more necessary for EC trade policy towards the textile and clothing industry to be consistent,The European Parliament,1. Requests that with a view to a new WTO Round the Commission and the Member States ensure that the commitments of the previous Round - tariff dismantling, reduction of non-tariff barriers, agreements on subsidies and on intellectual property - are fully complied with;2. Calls for an assessment of the terms of access of textile and clothing to third-country markets to be carried out under the aegis of the WTO and in close cooperation with the Commission;3. Demands that, in the framework of the new WTO Round, tariffs be harmonised at the level of those applied by the EU and that the commitments to tariff harmonisation and market access should be on the basis of reciprocity;4. Asks the Commission to reassess the consistency of the EU's preferential and bilateral trade agreements and, if necessary, to align the negotiating timetable on the multilateral deadlines;5. Urges the Commission to avail itself of the trade defence instruments to prevent an increase in imports at unfair trade conditions;6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council.