During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

LANGE, Bernd (S&D, DE)

CASPARY, Daniel (EPP, DE)

EU trade policy (T)

THEURER, Michael (ALDE, DE)

ZALBA BIDEGAIN, Pablo (EPP, ES)

EU - South Korea (T)

DE GUCHT, Karel (LDR, BE, EC)

EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement: extract from the debate

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES), rapporteur, These are amendments of great importance as regards the application and the effectiveness of the safe guard clause, at the same time there was the decision that we should not close the door to a possible agreement in first reading, because we believe firmly that it will be possible once Council has clarified its position.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES), rapporteur, We believe that the report includes a whole series of improvement, such as the creation of an online platform, which will facilitate procedures and the possibility for the industry to be equipped to carry out investigation procedures, the reporting obligation upon the EU COM and the improvements in the monitoring and the surveillance procedures on the Korean imports. These are points on which we have reached an agreement principle with the Council and I think that is a very good result, but it is not enough yet, there are other points which are even more fundamental and which deserve the attention of negotiators.

SOUNDBITE (English), Karel DE GUCHT, European Commissionner for Trade, An agreement was reached on such important issues such as granting the EU industry the right to request the initiation of safe guard investigation or inclusion of internal rules on duty draw back into the safe guard regulation. I'm aware that the most difficult issues have not been discussed in the informal meeting, I hope that the next meetings between the EP, COM and Council will be organised in the nearer future and will bring substantial progress and an agreement to be reached even on the most difficult issues. 

SOUNDBITE (German), Daniel CASPARY (EPP, DE), We had the 1st reading in July, this evening we are having the main debate and if it would be up to the EP we would be in a position to vote on the safe guard clauses tomorrow. However it is now up to other institutions in particular to the Council to take some actions, because it is not impossible for them to agree, as a result of this we can't vote tomorrow. I hope Council will be present and I hope they will speed up their pace of their deliberation.

SOUNDBITE (German), Bernd LANGE (S&amp;D, DE), If you got Korean manufactures who are taking 3rd country spare parts, introducing them on to their market and taking them on without any kind of duty and than re-exporting them towards Europe, that is an issue, because it means that is not good for EU manufactures as they don't have the same kind of duty cancellation and possibility.

SOUNDBITE (German), Michael THEURER (ALDE, DE), It cannot be that through duty draw back we have a one way door for cheap products, cheap imitation products that are from China and other Asian countries which are coming through South Korea. And the non tariff barriers for example, the CO2 rules for the automobile sector, which should be removed by Korea, so that we don't have and want things getting through the back door.