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The AK supports the idea of strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy. It prefers multilateral WTO negotiations to bilateral free trade negotiations (FTA) currently held by the EU and insists on policy coherence in trade policy concerning the compliance with international agreements in particular with regard to human and labour rights. Basically, liberalisations require redistribution mechanisms so that the foreign trade contribution – worldwide, but also within the EU – is distributed more fairly. We welcome the importance attached to environmental and social standards in the current bilateral trading strategy of the EU; the proposed sustainability chapters, however, have to be furnished with effective enforcement mechanisms.

Further priorities resp. offensive interests of the AK include the improvement of market access for environmentally friendly goods and services in all trade agreements. Sustainability impact assessments should take all relevant aspects of social and economic effects of the agreements into account. The defensive interests of employees refer in particular to services in the public interest and free movement of persons (mode 4). This means that it is essential to take public services out of bilateral negotiations. In addition, the liberalisation of the free movement of workers (mode 4) beyond the GATS level resp. the CARIFORUM Agreement has to be excluded in general. In case of negotiations with developing countries, the EU should fundamentally forego reciprocity and base its demands on these countries‘ stage of development.<br /><br />Concerning the geographical selection of trading partners, the AK, in view of these dimensions, doubts that the advantages of these FTAs will justify the administrative and negotiation-related efforts.

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Éva Dessewffy

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