| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
EU: ACP Economic Partnership Agreements
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The EU is currently negotiating economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, which have been the source of some concern for Members of the House. I warmly welcome the recent commitment made by Peter Mandelson, the European Trade Commissioner, to introduce a much stronger development focus into EPAs. I agree with him that these agreements should promote development by combining aid with wider opportunities for all ACP countries to trade with each other on an integrated regional basis, and with the EU. In this Statement, I would like to set out how the UK believes a stronger development focus could be delivered.
EPAs must be designed to deliver long-term development, economic growth and poverty reduction in ACP countries. To do so, we believe that in its work on EPAs with ACP regional groups, the EU should take a non-mercantilist approach and not pursue any offensive interests.
Developing countries can benefit from liberalisation in the long run, provided they have the economic capacity and infrastructure they need to trade competitively. However, without the capacity or the right conditions, trade liberalisation can be harmful.
Each ACP regional group should make its own decisions on the timing, pace, sequencing, and product coverage of market opening in line with individual countries' national development plans and poverty reduction strategies. Regional groups should have the flexibility to move towards more open markets along a non-linear path if necessary. We will not force trade liberalisation on developing countries either through trade negotiations or aid conditionality.
EPAs must ensure that ACP regional groups have maximum flexibility over their own market opening. The EU should therefore offer all ACP regional groups a period of 20 years or more for market opening, on an unconditional basis. Each regional group should be offered this full period.
Within EPAs, the EU should make an upfront offer of complete duty and quota-free market access to each ACP regional group, with no strings attached. In addition, the EU should further simplify and liberalise rules of origin under EPAs. There should be an effective safeguard mechanism for ACP countries to use if faced with a surge of subsidised EU imports.
EPAs should be accompanied by additional resources to enable the ACP countries to benefit from trade reforms and build their export competitiveness. The EU,
22 Mar 2005 : Column WS30
in co-ordination with international financial institutions and other donors, must provide additional financial assistance to support the ACP countries. This assistance must support them in building the infrastructure and economic capacity they need to benefit from trade with the EU and the rest of the world, and put in place the institutions to help manage change and protect vulnerable people, supporting poorer countries with the cost of transition.
Investment, competition and government procurement should be removed from the negotiations, unless specifically requested by an ACP regional negotiating group. It is for ACP regional groups to judge the development benefits of any agreements on these issues and the EU should not push for them to be discussed. If included, any negotiations on government procurement should be limited to transparency.
A review mechanism for EPAs—with full ACP regional group ownership and participation—should be introduced to ensure they are delivering the intended developmental benefits. The Commission should be ready to provide an alternative to an EPA at the request of any ACP country. Any alternative offered should provide no worse market access to the EU than is currently enjoyed under Cotonou preferences.
In addition, the EU should propose within the WTO that Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade should be reviewed as suggested by the Commission for Africa, in order to reduce the requirements for reciprocity and increase the focus on development priorities.
Implemented along these lines, economic partnership agreements should provide real development benefits to the ACP countries.
Patent Office: Key Performance Targets 2005–06.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I have tasked the Patent Office with managing and shaping an intellectual property system which encourages innovation and creativity, balances the needs of consumers and users, promotes strong and competitive markets and provides a firm foundation for the knowledge-based economy. During the coming year, the Patent Office will develop these new activities and form partnerships through which new services will be delivered.
I have also set the Patent Office the following targets for 2005–06:
22 Mar 2005 : Column WS31Grant 90 per cent of patents within 21.5 years of request.
Give good customer service in patent search and examination in 95 per cent of quality assured cases.
Register 95 per cent of correctly filed design applications, to which no substantive objections have been raised, within three months of the date of application.
Register 90 per cent of processed trade mark class applications, to which no substantive objections are raised or oppositions filed within eight months of application.
Achieve an average of 23 weeks to issue a decision in trade marks inter partes cases once the case is ready.
Make the correct decision on registrability for at least 98.5 per cent of trade mark applications.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |