Debate: Scheme of generalised tariff preferences
Date: WEDNESDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Heidi Hautala
Country: Poland
Language: EN

By dealing swiftly and efficiently with this prolongation and rollover, the Parliament underlines that it will not let beneficiaries down. The INTA Committee has adopted the proposal unanimously with no amendments.  The 2012 regulation expires at the end of this year. Thus, it was necessary to prolong its validity in order to avoid significant socioeconomic disruptions for the beneficiary countries and, as well, for the companies. The proposal is to prolong the 2012 regulation for another four years until the end of 2027. However, this rollover is an unfortunate consequence of not being able to reach an agreement between the Council and Parliament on the ongoing review of the GSP Regulation. The trilogues are currently on hold since June as after seven rounds of trilogues two outstanding disputed issues remain. Firstly, the European Council imposed to the Commission’s legislative proposal a link between the tariff preferences and the obligation to readmission of beneficiary countries’ own nationals. The European Parliament’s position is against the inclusion of this type of migration policy measures because this is a trade and development policy instrument which benefits two billion people in the developing world. Secondly, the question remains unresolved to date on how to provide sufficient safeguards to European rice producers against market distortions, on one hand, and how, on the other hand, to avoid putting excessive barriers to raise imports from some of the poorest countries. The trilogues will continue and it is vital to conclude them as soon as possible, as soon as acceptable compromises on these two outstanding issues have been achieved. The GSP has been the EU’s preferential trade arrangement with developing countries since 1971. It covers more than 60 countries – LDCs and lower-middle income countries – and indeed it benefits approximately two billion people, as I already said. Hence, it is an absolutely important instrument to promote sustainable development in partnership with developing countries, and it is also an instrument which significantly improves the implementation of international human rights and environmental standards in exchange to the tariff benefits. So, a lot has already been achieved in the trilogue negotiations. Recently, FORUM-ASIA, speaking in the name of 85 member organisations across 23 Asian countries, has very much encouraged the European institutions to secure this reform before the end of this legislature because it crucially enhances the role of civil society and prevents democratic backsliding in the region. Now it is very important that the parliament and the Spanish Presidency go the extra mile and make this review a reality. This will require, however, a change in the approach by the Council on the question of readmissions. We need to preserve the GSP as a development tool and we should not let already agreed improvements in the trilogue negotiations go to waste. Therefore, I ask you to vote in favour of the prolongation tomorrow and I hope that I can also soon bring to you a deal on the revised, modernised and improved GSP Regulation as well.