Calenda: new European approach for MES to China issue, we will be waiting for concrete follow up
“Today's debate in the Informal FAC Trade Council – about China MES (Market Economy Status) – has finally shown a first, partial step forward in the right direction”, the Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Carlo Calenda, stated at the end of the meeting of the EU Ministers in charge for trade, held in Amsterdam.
“For months – Mr. Calenda underlined - Italy has requested the Commission to adopt a more transparent attitude in the discussions on the MES dossier and has asked for a full involvement of both the European Parliament and the European civil society. The Italian appeals were based on the unavoidable need to consider as well the effects on growth and jobs of the possible granting of the MES to China: this was also the reason why the Italian demarche included also a request of a real impact analysis”.
“In the last month – Calenda said - there has been a change of attitude, due to the intervention of both the President of the Commission and of some leading Members of the European Parliament – but also thanks to concrete involvement shown by some other EU Member States in the talks on the dossier: we now look forward to the concrete results of this new approach”.
“We underlined again to the Council the need to carry on a broad public consultation, a deep analysis of the impact of the granting of the MES to China as well as a risk assessment (the latter concerning the threats related to the possible increase in Chinese overcapacity, that in the next future could encompass also sectors other than those who are in such a situation today); at the same time we emphasized the necessity to closely coordinate our position with the US on this dossier; this all in order to prevent the dangerous effects of the diversion of trade flows.
“The Italian Government - the Italian Deputy Minister so concluded - will continue to work on this matter, so as to ensure that there will be no harmful and unnecessary leaps forward, that Europe and Italy could pay with the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs”.