European Parliament resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the EU approach to the WTO Millennium Round (COM(1999) 331 - C5-0155/1999 - 1999/2149(COS))
Date: 1999-11-18
Institutions: Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, European Parliament
Subjects: World Trade Organisation, agricultural trade, competition policy, consumer protection, electronic commerce, environmental protection, fair trade, intellectual property, international commercial arbitration, international trade, investment abroad, liberalisation of trade, public contract, services contract, tariff negotiations, trade by product

7.7.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 189/213

Thursday 18 November 1999

3. WTO Millennium Round

A5-0062/1999

European Parliament resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council and
the European Parliament on the EU approach to the WTO Millennium Round (COM(1999) 331 ’
C5-0155/1999 ’ 1999/2149(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the communication from the Commission (COM(1999) 331 (cid:1) C5-0155/1999 (cid:1)

1999/2149(COS)),

(cid:1) having regard to its resolutions of

(cid:1) 14 December 1995 on the communication from the Commission entitled ‘A level playing field

for direct investment world-wide’ (1),

(cid:1) 14 November 1996 on competition policy in the new trade order and the communication from

the Commission on trade and environment (2),

(cid:1) 11 March 1998 on negotiations in the framework of the OECD on a multilateral agreement on

investments (MAI) (3),

(cid:1) 18 June 1998 on the Second Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (4),

(cid:1) 13 January 1999 on the communication from the Commission on the trading system and inter-

nationally recognised labour standards (5),

(cid:1) 4 May 1999 on multilateral commercial relations: the European Union and the developing part-

ner countries of the European Union (6),

(cid:1) having regard to the declaration by the WTO Ministerial Conference of 20 May 1998 setting out the
framework for preparations for the adoption of the agenda for a new multilateral round of negotia-
tions,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and
the opinions of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence
Policy, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, the Committee on Legal Affairs and the
Internal Market, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on the Environ-
ment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the
Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport and the Committee on Development
and Cooperation (A5-0062/1999),

A. whereas in the past 50 years the multilateral trade system has made it possible to increase world trade
in goods 17-fold, which is more than double the increase in aggregate output, although this has not
brought about any substantial reduction in the world’s economic inequalities, nor has such progress
been translated systematically into an improvement in the quality of human life and relations,

B. whereas the current trade liberalisation process has not yet brought significant benefits for large parts
of the populations of developing countries, especially the poor; whereas the interests and concerns of
developing countries must therefore be taken fully into account in the world trade system,

C. whereas Parliament acknowledges the importance of the EU’s partnership with the ACP countries and
its particular commitments to those developing countries under the Lomé Convention and any suc-
cessor agreement,

(1) OJ C 17, 22.1.1996, p. 175.
(2) OJ C 362, 2.12.1996, p. 243.
(3) OJ C 104, 6.4.1998, p. 143.
(4) OJ C 210, 6.7.1998, p. 222.
(5) OJ C 104, 14.4.1999, p. 63.
(6) OJ C 279, 1.10.1999, p. 34.

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D. whereas free, fair and socially balanced world trade must be further developed and consolidated under
the multilateral world trade system; whereas protectionist measures would hinder the developing
countries and would reduce the possibilities for them to participate in the international division of
labour; whereas protectionism is causing a deterioration in working conditions in the developing
countries and counteracts the objectives which they claim to support,

E. whereas the increasing globalisation of the economy makes it necessary to further develop multilateral
rules which enable all nations to benefit from the development of trade, whilst respecting the diverse
nature and resources of the developing countries so that a balance is struck between the interests of
Europe and third countries,

F. whereas there is a greater need to manage properly and effectively the globalisation process by
improving cooperation between the WTO and other international institutions, including the Bretton
Woods institutions and other UN organisations, with a view to a more consistent approach to trade,
monetary, financial and political issues,

G. whereas the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995 created an institutional
framework for the multilateral trade system and whereas that system must as a matter of urgency be
made more democratic and be operated in a more transparent fashion,

H. whereas the European Parliament endorsed the outcome of the GATT Uruguay Round negotiations in

December 1994,

I. whereas it was laid down in the Uruguay Round agreements that new negotiations on trade in agri-

cultural products and on services would begin by the end of 1999 (the ‘built-in agenda’),

J. whereas agriculture must be one of the topics to be discussed at the multilateral trade negotiations

which are due to open in Seattle,

K. whereas the interpretation and application of WTO rules has had a significant and detrimental impact
on a range of EU and third country policies and legislation with non-trade objectives; whereas this has
aroused serious concern about the relationship between WTO rules and other legitimate national and
international policy objectives,

L. whereas compliance with and full adherence to the Uruguay Round agreements is the starting point

on which any new negotiations must be based;

1. Welcomes the proposal by the Commission to advocate at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle
that a comprehensive trade round (Millennium Round) be launched which, in addition to the topics of the
built-in agenda, should consider other fields, this being a precondition for a balanced outcome to the
negotiations for all parties; this approach can contribute to economic growth throughout the world and
is necessary for the preservation and creation of prosperity and employment in Europe and the world;

2.
Stresses the importance of these negotiations, which are intended not only to open up markets to a
greater extent but which, in response to the accelerated globalisation of international markets, could also
result in a first step towards the formulation of a genuine, comprehensive regulatory framework;

3.
Endorses the general negotiating approach for the Millennium Round set out in the communication
from the Commission, in which the Commission has incorporated many of the demands made in previous
resolutions of the European Parliament, and observes that the proposed fields for negotiation should be
seen as a complete package and guided by the principle of a single undertaking in order to ensure that the
priorities of all WTO members are given equal attention throughout the negotiation process;

4.
Understands the thinking behind the proposal that the Millennium Round should be limited to three
years, but considers that ultimately the quality of the outcome of the negotiations is more important than
bringing them to a close on schedule;

5.
Attaches importance, in this connection, to a carefully thought out and coherent EU negotiating
strategy which will optimise the prospects for the success of this overall approach; this applies to the
general problem-solving approaches, the flexible pursuit of the objectives of the negotiations and the man-
ner in which the negotiations proceed;

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Individual fields for negotiation

Trade in agricultural products and fisheries

6.
Considers that the decisions of the Berlin European Council on reform of the common agricultural
policy constitute the basis for negotiation with the objective of making it possible for the EU to secure the
European agricultural model, based on family farms and characterised by multifunctionality, sustainable
production of agricultural goods and management of the environment and preservation of the countryside;
believes, in view of the plural nature of the European agricultural model, that particular attention must be
paid to those forms of agriculture which are most at risk, namely small family-type farms, less-favoured
areas and areas subject to environmental constraints;stresses the importance of agricultural trade, as Europe
is the second largest exporter and largest importer of agricultural products;

Believes that European farming must continue to participate in and benefit from international trade,

7.
without undermining the founding principles of the common agricultural policy;

Points to the particular desire of the developing countries for free market access for agricultural

8.
products, an issue of crucial importance to the successful conclusion of the WTO Millennium Round;

Believes that the EU should ensure that WTO rules relating to the agricultural sector do not have an
9.
adverse effect on the economies of developing countries and that security of food supply should be con-
sidered as a multifunctional aspect of agriculture;

Calls for provisions established under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, which allows ongoing
10.
support for environmentally oriented programmes, to be maintained and extended to include a wider
range of relevant non-trade objectives, on the one hand, and in order to support a transition towards
sustainable environmentally-friendly agriculture with good animal welfare standards, on the other;

Calls for the agricultural support systems of the WTO member countries to be made public and

11.
adjusted so that a fair assessment of farm subsidies can be carried out;

12.
Notes that the liberalisation of trade in the fisheries sphere must take account of the existing legal
framework, in particular the United Nations International Convention on the Law of the Sea and the
objectives of international agreements on environmental preservation and natural resource management
and of the International Fisheries Agreement, and therefore calls for a list of sensitive products to be
drawn up in order to ensure that the international fishery industry complies with the principles governing
responsible fishing methods; notes the important role played by the EU’s common fisheries policy, not
only in safeguarding employment and keeping the social and economic fabric intact, but also by making
a vital contribution to supplying the Community market;

Consumer protection

Calls urgently during the revision of the agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS)
13.
for food safety policy to be based on the precautionary principle, so as to enable the EU to continue to
pursue its policy of a high level of food safety and consumer and environmental protection;

14. Welcomes in particular the EU’s position that the precautionary principle should be explicitly
included in the WTO rules, with particular regard to Article XX GATT;

15.
Emphasises the need to harmonise the definition of the precautionary principle, in order to avoid
misunderstandings or differences in interpretation; notes that the definition of the precautionary principle
as adopted at the Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio could become an internation-
ally accepted model and calls for the recognition of this definition within the WTO; is of the opinion that
the structure and working methods of the Codex Alimentarius should also be radically revised to ensure
open and democratic policy-making in relation to food safety; regards it as essential, further, to lay down
appropriate food safety measures;

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16.
Notes that the precautionary principle is a legally binding criterion for action evaluation under the
EU Treaty and therefore welcomes the Commission’s recognition that this principle needs to be integrated
into WTO rules; cautions, however, that in seeking to achieve this there should be no attempt to narrow
its scope or otherwise make its application conditional on trade interests;

17.
Calls, in the framework of the SPS and TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) Agreements, for levels of
acceptable risk to be subject to internationally agreed guidelines; in this context, points out the important
role of mutual recognition agreements in resolving disputes;

Points out that labelling is not the solution in disputes concerning food safety, but that labelling

18.
improves consumers’ freedom of choice;

Services

19.
Notes that in the first five years of its existence the agreement on services (GATS) permitted sub-
stantial progress towards liberalisation, particularly with regard to financial services and telecommunica-
tions;

20.
Stresses that negotiations should be comprehensive and bring about a deeper and broader package
of improved commitments from all WTO members to market access and national treatment and that
GATS disciplines should be strengthened with the aim of ensuring a transparent and predictable regulatory
environment; negotiations should also include unfinished discussions on specific issues (safeguards, subsi-
dies, government procurement);

21. Welcomes the fact that in a period of instability on financial markets the additional agreement on
financial services has come into force and will thereby make a contribution to the transparency of financial
transactions throughout the world and increase the capital supply available to companies and consumers;
hopes that the other WTO contracting parties will make substantial commitments under the agreement on
financial services;

Urges that the negotiating parties should seek to ensure that the basic telecommunications agree-

22.
ment (BTA) is developed further and that more states accede to it;

23.
Is convinced, however, that (cid:1) with adequate accommodation of public sensitivities relating to sec-
tors or services of public interest (cid:1) other sectors should be included; insists that further liberalisation must
not prejudice Member States’ rights under the Treaty to determine the respective roles of the private and
the public sectors in the provision of health and education services and their right to regulate the provi-
sion of such services; calls on the Commission to consult it before including further areas;

24.
Urges that sectors and services with a specific social mandate, such as health, education and cultural
policy, should be dealt with exclusively in a framework laid down by the state concerned and asks the EU
to ensure that these sectors are not dealt with in the context of the revision of the GATS Agreement;

Takes the view that progress towards further liberalisation should be made contingent on the ability

25.
of the contracting parties to regulate access to public services in order to guarantee universal coverage;

26.
In recognition of the European audiovisual sector’s special role in sustaining cultural pluralism, a
healthy economy and freedom of expression, reaffirms its commitment to the freedom of action in the
sphere of audiovisual policy obtained at the Uruguay Round; takes the view that the GATS rules on cul-
tural services, in particular in the audiovisual sector, should not jeopardise the cultural diversity and auton-
omy of the WTO contracting parties;

27.
Urges the institution of an arbitration system to approve subsidies to minority languages and cul-
tures which are both genuinely necessary and distort international competition to the least possible extent;

Public procurement

28.
Takes the view that the substance of the Uruguay Round decisions on liberalisation in the sphere of
public procurement must above all be consolidated and that, in addition, principles such as transparency,
reciprocity and national treatment must be applied; further-reaching negotiations must be conducted
which take account of the level of development of each individual country;

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Electronic commerce

29.
Regards it as essential that electronic commerce should be incorporated on a long-term basis into
the GATS framework, within which it can receive support with a view to its worldwide promotion;
in addition, vital international agreements on principles in the spheres of liability, taxation, standardisation
and technical standards must be laid down and existing trade barriers abolished, particularly for small- and
medium-sized undertakings;

Supports the Commission proposal that all GATS provisions, whether relating to general obliga-
30.
tions (MFN, transparency, domestic regulation, competition, payments and transfer) or specific commit-
ments (market access, national treatment or additional commitments), and general derogations from
GATS should be applicable to electronic deliveries;

Investments and competition policy

Calls for the establishment under the auspices of the WTO, as the appropriate institution, of a
31.
multilateral legal framework governing direct foreign investment which takes account, on the one hand,
of the interests of the developing countries in a manner acceptable to them, and, on the other, of the
Member States’ social, environmental and cultural laws, and urges that the same problems should not
arise as those created by the MAI, which had been prepared by the OECD;

32.
Proposes that the ILO’s Declaration of Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy,
the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the Principles of Corporate Governance should
be incorporated into the draft WTO agreement on investment; takes the view that every investment agree-
ment should be negotiated at WTO level;

33.
Advocates, therefore, negotiations on a multilateral investment agreement in the context of the
Millennium Round which offers foreign investors greater legal certainty and clarity than all the bilateral
agreements and gives the recipient countries the opportunity of pursuing sustainable economic and envir-
onmental development;

34.
Points out that the opening-up of markets agreed between the WTO contracting parties could be
undermined by anti-competition practices in the private sector, and calls therefore for the inclusion in the
multilateral trading system of rules for an effective competition policy;

35.
Emphasises that this agreement lays down basic principles for an effective competition policy
through the establishment of uniform minimum standards for the prevention of anti-competitive practices,
such as the formation of cartels, the abuse of a dominant position in the market, the prevention of vertical
and horizontal restrictions on competition, as well as the establishment of independent competition autho-
rities in all WTO member states to enforce minimum competition law standards; steps must be taken to
ensure that a situation does not arise in which companies would have to comply with differing national
interpretations of competition law;

36.
Points out, in this connection, that the introduction and application of multilateral rules to govern
the conduct of an effective competition policy by the WTO contracting parties could, in the longer term,
reduce recourse to the trade protection measures which are still needed as part of an anti-dumping policy;

Tariffs and technical barriers to trade

Calls for a further reduction in duty on industrial products and for the abolition of tariff peaks and

37.
tariff escalation, which is particularly disadvantageous to developing countries;

38.
Urges the Commission to take into account, during the negotiations, the needs of small- and med-
ium-sized undertakings, particularly as regards the simplification of procedures and rules in the field of
customs and product certification;

39.
Recognises the need for developing countries to receive tangible benefits from the Round if a suc-
cessful conclusion to the WTO Millennium Round is to be secured and therefore welcomes the Comission
proposal to make commitments at Seattle, prior to the start of the negotiations, with respect to providing

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tariff-free access for virtually all the products of the least developed countries (LDCs), taking into consid-
eration the exporting interests of these countries; proposes that further commitments are made to reduce
non-tariff barriers, to remove the remaining duties over time and to help poorer countries build up their
trade capacity;

40.
Takes the view that the negotiations on tariff and non-tariff barriers must succeed in establishing
conditions governing market access which enable European industry to compete on fair terms on a global
basis, in particular in those sectors where differences in the conditions governing market access serve to
distort competition;

Regards it as important that the WTO should continue to facilitate international trade, with due

41.
regard to people’s quality of life;

42.
Considers that the Millennium Round offers a unique political opportunity to strengthen the exist-
ing provisions of the agreement, to settle a number of outstanding issues and to broaden the scope of
some of the agreement’s provisions, to the benefit of both industry and consumers;

43.
Emphasises the need to dismantle existing non-tariff and technical barriers to trade and prevent the
introduction of new non-tariff and technical barriers by means of an appropriate and legally binding pro-
cess for monitoring and resolving such issues;

Trade and the environment

44.
Regrets that the work of the WTO in this area has hitherto failed to produce any tangible results
and regards it as essential to ensure the compatibility of trade policy rules with the requirements of sus-
tainable development; because trade liberalisation may also lead to increasing traffic volumes, particular
attention must be paid to transport-related environmental damage;

45. Welcomes, in this connection, the gradual acceptance of the EU’s trade and environment policy
instruments by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the EU and by Turkey;

46.
Calls, therefore, for negotiations on this issue to be included in the Millennium Round, although it
must be made clear to the other contracting parties that the EU is not seeking to achieve any protectionist
aims in the form of ‘eco-protectionism’, but, rather, that it has made the health of the people of its Mem-
ber States a priority;

Is aware that the WTO cannot be a substitute for the conclusion of multilateral environmental
47.
agreements (MEAs), believes on the other hand that WTO practices should recognise international envir-
onmental agreements and that the relevant conclusions should be drawn as regards the dispute settlement
procedure; calls, therefore, on the EU negotiators to ensure that countries which have acceded to multi-
lateral environmental protection agreements can give effect to those agreements on their territory by
means of legislation and other measures;

48.
Notes that EU policy on animal welfare has been particularly affected by WTO concerns and there-
fore welcomes the proposal of both the Council and the Commission to address this issue in future nego-
tiations;

49.
Calls on the Commission to ensure that the question of processes and production methods (PPMs)
is included in the negotiations, in order to enable consumers to distinguish between products on the basis
of their PPMs, and to consider the feasibility of allowing trade measures against products if it can be clearly
shown that the environmental damage caused during production is significant and transboundary and that
the measures taken are both non-discriminatory (between domestic and foreign goods) and commensurate
with the damage caused; it should also be possible to consider such measures on account of the problems
arising from the stringent legal requirements applicable to European farmers in such fields as environmen-
tal protection and animal welfare; notes that particular account should be taken of conservation measures
and of impact on global climate;

50.
Stresses that the concept of environmental protection must be included in all areas of the World
Trade Organisation and the agreements to be negotiated in the context of the Millennium Round (main-
streaming);

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Protection of intellectual property

Insists on the need for effective protection of intellectual property, which is a vital element of fair

51.
trade;

52.
Is aware of the difficulties faced by many developing countries in implementing the undertakings
entered into under the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPs), and there-
fore calls on the Commission to offer such contracting parties comprehensive technical aid in implement-
ing an effective policy on the protection of intellectual property rights which require the preparation and
implementation of effective framework conditions;

Takes the view that the ‘built-in agenda’ on TRIPs concerning the extension of protection on the
53.
basis of indications of geographical origin and the filing of patents should be followed up and scrutinised;
a cautious approach should be adopted on additional agreements to the TRIPs Agreement, taking into
account the concerns and interests of all countries as well as users and rightholders; initiatives launched
outside the WTO, in particular in WIPO and other official international institutions, must be taken into
account;

54.
Is also aware of the objections to the patenting of living organisms raised by many countries and
calls on the Commission to evaluate the existing TRIPs agreement; should such an evaluation necessitate
changes, the Commission should act accordingly;

55.
Draws attention, more particularly, to the need, in the context of the TRIPs agreement, to improve
the protection of indications of geographical origin, a vital competitive asset for European agricultural
products; hopes that the extent to which the TRIPs agreement affords effective protection of trademarks
which are used as domain names on the Internet will be reviewed;

56.
Believes that granting the least developed countries longer transitional periods, under the Millen-
nium Round, for implementing the undertakings under the TRIPs agreement is a possible way of resolving
this problem, but is opposed to any comprehensive renegotiation of the agreement, and emphasises that
the TRIPs agreement should contribute to enhanced transfer of technology and know-how to developing
countries;

Trade and development

57.
Is convinced that an open, multilateral trading system satisfies the desire of developing countries for
sustainable economic development, but at the same time stresses the need to take better account of the
specific requirements of the least developed countries in the WTO, and emphasises that different countries
must be allowed to have different national development strategies, which should not be hindered by WTO
rules;

58.
Endorses the objective of ensuring that the negotiations are genuinely a ‘development round’ and
calls on the Commission to pay particular attention to development policy in all the areas covered by the
Millennium Round negotiations;

59.
Underlines the need to assist the developing countries in capacity-building in order to enable them
to participate fully in the WTO and in the Millennium Round negotiations, strengthen their negotiating
capacity and help them to make better use of the WTO’s dispute settlement body;

60.
Acknowledges the particular importance of the development partnership of the EU with the ACP
countries and therefore calls on the Commission to ensure that a worthwhile, effective and coherent EU
development policy which exploits the full scope of the Lomé Convention remains possible under the new
WTO rules;

61.
Calls for the System of Generalised Preferences to be used more effectively as an incentive system to
ensure the necessary implementation of social and environmental clauses by developing countries; calls on
other industrialised countries to adopt similar incentive schemes to encourage improved environmental
and social standards;

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Core labour standards

62. Welcomes the fact that the Commission has taken up Parliament’s call for the ILO’s core labour
standards to be taken into consideration in the world trade system and expects that this issue will be
resolutely addressed at the Ministerial Conference in Seattle;

63.
Supports the recent Council agreement to promote the creation of a joint ILO/WTO Standing
Working Forum on Trade, Globalisation and Labour Issues and the suggestion that its remit include a
dialogue between all interested parties on the relationship between trade policy, trade liberalisation, devel-
opment and fundamental labour rights;

64.
Points out that in 1998 the ILO member countries adopted a Declaration on Fundamental Princi-
ples and Rights at Work and the follow-up to that declaration, which must serve as a reference point for
all international organisations;

65.
Believes that the ILO’s core international labour standards and workers’ fundamental rights should
be considered in the WTO and calls, therefore, for a joint WTO and ILO working programme to imple-
ment the ILO’s 1998 conference Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, for example
through the establishment of a permanent forum;

Emphasises, with that aim in view, the importance of granting the ILO observer status within the

66.
WTO;

67.
Regards the right to establish free trade unions and free employers’ organisations as a basic human
right and as the cornerstone in creating a social market economy which will ensure that a level of protec-
tion reflecting a country’s level of development is achieved; urges that the implementation of this right in a
free and fair manner should also be addressed in the joint WTO and ILO working forum;

68.
Strongly endorses incentives that bring developing countries closer to compliance with fundamental
social standards and help them to integrate into the world economy, and calls, therefore, on the industria-
lised countries represented in the WTO to provide the developing countries with exemplary aid in the area
of schooling and vocational training which will enable them to take action on their own initiative against
industrial forms of child labour in particular and in the sphere of gender mainstreaming;

Dispute settlement procedure

Notes that the WTO’s new dispute settlement procedure has proved successful in many cases, but
69.
that some of its rulings have caused a controversy over trade interests and non-trade concerns; calls on
WTO members to make proper use of the dispute settlement mechanism;

70.
Calls for greater transparency in the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures, particularly as regards
public access to the proceedings, which would reflect the paralegal nature of panels, and looks forward to
the establishment of an independent international trade jurisdiction in the framework of the dispute settle-
ment procedure;

Calls on the Commission to make the relationship between the WTO’s dispute settlement pro-
71.
cedure, on the one hand, and such procedures under international agreements, on the other, a subject of
negotiation and to ensure that an appeal may be made to other obligations in the WTO dispute settlement
procedure:

Institutional aspects

Calls on the Member States of the EU to show a united front at the Ministerial Conference in Seattle
72.
and throughout the talks under the Millennium Round so that the Commission, as the EU’s chief negotia-
tor, can bring the full weight of the EU to bear in the negotiations;

Demands that the Commission not give its consent to a limited negotiating agenda which does not

73.
refer to the need for a broad negotiation round;

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Calls on the Council and the Commission to examine the possibility of setting up a WTO Parlia-

74.
mentary Assembly to achieve greater democratic accountability;

75.
Calls on the Commission to coordinate its activities at the Ministerial Conference in Seattle in close
cooperation with the countries applying to join the EU and the developing countries associated with the
EU in order to achieve a broad consensus on the global negotiating approach proposed by the EU and to
enable the EU to take a leading role in the Millennium Round;

Strongly supports the need for greater transparency, fairness and predictability throughout the

76.
whole negotiating process, taking into account the interests and concerns of civil society;

Regards it as the natural function of the European Parliament to be the prime forum for political

77.
opinion-forming on the Millennium Round in Europe;

78. Welcomes the initiative of the Commission to conduct a ‘Sustainability Impact Assessment’ of the
new round and supports the establishment of an ongoing programme of impact assessment, including
gender impact assessment; asks the Commission not to neglect the assessment of the impact of previous
liberalisation processes;

Calls for the establishment of a Code of Conduct on environmental and labour standards for Euro-

79.
pean multinationals operating in third countries and similar initiatives elsewhere in the world;

Calls on the Commission to keep it fully informed, in accordance with the undertakings given by
80.
the Commissioner for Trade during the EP hearings, before and, to an equal extent, during the Ministerial
Conference in Seattle and throughout the Millennium Round, and to discuss with it, as soon as possible in
accordance with a strict timetable laid down after the Seattle Ministerial Conference on the basis of the
resolutions adopted by Parliament, in the form of an ongoing and wide-ranging consultation the essential
elements of the EU’s negotiating strategy; underlines the urgent need for new procedures which will ensure
full provision of information to it on the work and calendar of and the decisions taken by the 133-com-
mittee;

81.
Reserves the right, in the course of the Millennium Round, to give the Commission recommenda-
tions, pursuant to Rule 97(5) of its Rules of Procedure, on the individual items being negotiated, and calls
on the Commission to take due account of such recommendations;

Insists on being consulted, pursuant to the assent procedure set out in Article 300 of the EC Treaty,

82.
on the conclusion of the results of the Millennium Round;

83.
Instructs its delegation, during the Ministerial Conference in Seattle, to explain, and forcefully put
across, to the representatives of the other WTO contracting parties its position outlined in this resolution
on the Millennium Round;

Calls on the Council to consult Parliament before it adopts the negotiating guidelines it will lay

84.
down prior to the opening of the new WTO negotiating round;

Calls on the Council to consult Parliament prior to the conclusion of the agreements, whether they

85.
take the form of sectoral agreements or a single undertaking;

Calls on the Council and Commission to inform and consult Parliament regularly and in good time

86.
on all negotiations on specific sectors;

87.
Calls for changes to the Treaty at the next IGC to extend the authority of the Commission to
negotiate on behalf of the European Union to areas other than goods, in particular services and intellectual
property;

Calls for changes to the Treaty at the next IGC to give a formal role to the European Parliament
88.
during the course of the WTO negotiations and to any WTO agreement automatically subject to Parlia-
ment’s assent;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments

89.
and parliaments of the Member States and the Secretariat of the WTO.

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