Warum ist die S&D-Fraktion im Handel am Steuer?
Politico heute (11.07.2024):
DRIVING THE DAY
WHY IS THE S&D IN THE TRADE DRIVING SEAT?
The Socialist group has been helming trade policy within the European Parliament since 2009, and it will keep its grip on the international trade committee for another five years when Bernd Lange is confirmed for a third stint next Tuesday.
Third time lucky: Obviously, much of the decision on group leadership of different committees comes down to broader political calculus. But there’s more behind the decision to hand the INTA chair to the Socialists & Democrats one more time.
Bridge-building: “The S&D and Bernd Lange in particular stand for open, fair, and sustainable trade, which covers political ground from the ECR, over the EPP and Renew, to the Greens and the Left and therefore equips the S&D Group and Bernd Lange with a unique bridge-building function in the area of external trade policy,” David Kleimann, a senior trade expert at the ODI think tank, told Morning Trade.
Ain’t that easy: Parliament insiders also stress that the Socialists’ stance on trade policy isn’t that clear-cut within the group and has evolved following Russia’s war in Ukraine to the expense of the environment. What’s more, the more protectionist French socialists made big gains in the European election while the German S&D delegation (to which Lange belongs) shrank. That’s not going to help.
“The S&D are divided on trade policy,” one of them said, “so it’s a bit dicey.”
Even Lange admits that it’s not always easy. “Of course there are different positions,” Lange told Morning Trade in an interview. “But the free trade ideology, based on this Washington consensus, cutting all tariffs, is an illusion. This consensus is really dead. We now have to be in the mood to create fair partnerships.”
It’s a personality question, too. Lange’s predecessor, Vital Moreira, who chaired the committee from 2009 to 2014, was considered an excellent fit thanks to his previous experience as a judge in the Portuguese constitutional court in the context of the Lisbon Treaty reform, said Kleimann.
Honest broker: Lange has, added Kleimann, “earned great respect from his colleagues across party groups for his experience, personal integrity and ability to broker compromises within his own and across other party groups — in the most skillful and yet unassuming manner.”
“Of course, I was always interested in economic and social development,” said the German MEP, who was first elected to the Parliament in 1994.
“But for a long time, trade policy was not in the competence basket of the European Parliament … This has dramatically changed with the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, when the balance of power changed and the Parliament became a big player in the whole game,” he added.
In practice though, lawmakers often have limited say on the end result. What they can do is slow the ratification of trade deals, negotiate hard on policies, and influence public opinion.
Who is he? The veteran lawmaker and Oldtimer fan is a strong proponent of new trade deals with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries, Australia and Indonesia, as well as more sustainability provisions in trade deals. The 68-year-old MEP is a member of the Parliament’s delegation for relations with the ASEAN bloc of Asian nations and an expert on transatlantic relations.
Where Ursula should budge on trade: In a list of key asks from the group, seen by my colleague Giovanna Faggionato, Lange’s group calls on the EU to keep fighting “for responsible business and for sustainable and fair trade globally,” including through the business supply-chain oversight rules, the forced labor regulation, as well as making sure trade and sustainable chapters of trade agreements are sanctions-based.
“Proper dialogue with third countries” is also key, the group says in the 10-page document, to properly implement these measures.