Bernd Lange (S&D, DE), rapporteur on the anti-coercion instrument and Chair of the INTA Committee (International Trade), holds a press conference in the European Parliament, following the third trilogue. The transcription is the result of an automatic process, please check against delivery.

Brussels

EU antidumping law (T)

Committee on International Trade

press conference

LANGE, Bernd (S&D, DE)

Press conference by Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, following the 3rd trilogue on Anti-coercion instrument

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, Yeah. Thanks a lot. And also from my side, thanks for joining this press point. Indeed, we are living in a world where we see more and more that trade is used as a weapon to force countries to change their policies. And therefore the European Parliament requested a new instrument. We requested this in October 2020.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, It is a clear perspective that we need more defensive instruments to defend our economic and political interests in this field of weaponizing of trade and investment. The Commission made a proposal and for me it was not a really wonderful proposal because there are some elements which are not really clear. So there was a lot of room for manoeuvre of the commission.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So I really decided to sharpen this proposal. For example, was a clear timeline. So in the proposal by the Commission, there was no timeline at all. And such an instrument should not lead to a procedure for, or the time ever. So we need this instrument in a timely manner. And I introduce also some other elements.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, For example, also a clear definition what coercion means and also what target of economic coercion could happen. So, for example, we really made clear that coercion could really be focussed on the particular act, which is also covering expression of positions like the resolution of the European Parliament and not only of specific legislation or political activities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So sharpening the whole exercise. And then we saw the Council position. Where, my feeling was that this Council wanted to weaken down the proposal becausem and that's no secret, the Council was not really happy about the instrument at all.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, Back to October 2020, it was a clear request from the European Parliament to have a common declaration where this instrument was requested and some Member States were really sceptical about it and now they really try to water down this.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So, I read in the press this was a danger, this would be a water pistol. I would say the risk would be to have a teethless tiger and this would be not the outcome of such a discussion. So therefore we really discuss with the Council quite intensively and in the third trialogue until four o'clock this morning.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So this was really a tough discussion. So, at the end of the day, I guess we got a lot of elements which we introduced to sharpen the proposal. So we have now clear scope, clear definitions, what coercion is, what the target is, what the Union interest's is. And we have a clear procedure what is happening, under which criteria, to get a definition of coercion, how to proceed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, And in all the stages of this procedure, the Parliament is clearly involved and informed so that there is no, let's say, a room of manoeuvre in a black box. And then, besides this, a sharpening of the procedure, the timeline, it's also in. Now we have a timeline which really limits the whole exercise for one year even this is quite long and I hope this maximum timeline is not used in general, but it is a clear signal that this will not lead to a never ending story.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, And besides this clearness in the procedurem in the timelinem and in the definitions, we have also a clear basket of countermeasures, if there is an economic coercion. And this is also important, and as you know, the Council want also to limit the basket of countermeasures.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, But I think we should really have a basket which is not defined as a specific reaction to a specific coercion, because then, of course, the country, using coercion, could calculate which measure might be the answer to my coercion. And this is should not be the case. We should have the flexibility to react in a specific case, with a specific measure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So we have, of course, the traditional methods like customs in, but we have also market restriction, specifically on chemicals, on SBS or agricultural products. We have the export control in. So this is, it might be also a heavy instrument and we have also the IPR in. So we can really look to this respect to IPR relations or what design or whatever.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, And this is really economically heavily weighted and therefore we have also the possibility to do it. And then of coursem also for us important was to reflect that of course, the people on the ground, the companies on the ground are affected by coercion. So we need also to look for every probation office injury. And this was also one of the key elements of the Parliament. And we introduced this as well.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So there are now a framework for the probation of injuries and perhaps some some single items. So it's, of course, also important that we have a clear competence inside the Commission. The original proposal, it was not clear who is competent for that and how the procedure is follow up. Now we have a single contact point where the competence lies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, So there is the clear obligations for follow ups in legislation, but also the application and also the coordination between different units of the Commission. So I guess this is also important to make this instrument workable.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, We have now an instrument which is not a teethless tiger. It's really a tiger with teeth. It's really not a water pistol, it's a gun. And sometimes it's necessary to put a gun on the table, even knowing that it is not used day by day. So it's also clear this instrument is a last resort.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee and Rapporteur, We really want to avoid coercion. We want to have communication with our trading partners to solve problems. But if there is no possibility, at the end of the day, we have the possibility to defend our economic interests by this instrument. Thanks a lot.

Q&A, Question on the exceptions to the anti-coercion instrument in relation to the China-Lithuania case.

Q&A, Question regarding the procedures for the exceptions to the anti-coercion instrument.

Q&A, Question regarding the use of the ACI in response to retaliation against European Parliament resolutions.

Q&A, Question on Commission and the Council. Second procedures of the anti-coercion instrument regarding the question regarding the final date of its adoption.

Q&A, Question regarding the timetables's procedures of the Council and the Commission in relation to the anti-coercion instrument.

Q&A, Question regarding the importance of the Council's decision during the anti-coercion intrument procedures.