successful lobbying in the eu: challenges and opportunities best practices
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Successful Lobbying in the EU: Challenges and Opportunities Best Practices. RA Ralph Kamphöner, Senior Adviser International Trade Zagreb, 19 April 2011. Umbrella EuroCommerce. Commerce in Europe 6 mio. companies Retail, wholesale, international trade 95% SMEs 30 mio. jobs - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Successful Lobbying in the EU: Challenges and Opportunities
Best Practices
RA Ralph Kamphöner, Senior Adviser International Trade
Zagreb, 19 April 2011
2
Umbrella EuroCommerce
• Commerce in Europe
– 6 mio. companies– Retail, wholesale, international trade– 95% SMEs– 30 mio. jobs– 11% EU GDP– 500 mio. consumers
• EuroCommerce
– Since 1993 – Members in 31 European countries
3
International Trade Our Priorities 2011
• Import– Antidumping– GSP, Rules of origin
• Customs
• Trade Policy– WTO– Bilaterals
• Export
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International Trade Horizontal Goals
• Liberalisation
– Import, export– Goods, services
• Framework conditions for economic operators
– Predictability– Legal certainty– Transparency– Dismantling red tape
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Best Practices Examples
• 1 - Antidumping
– Problem: conflict of interest producers importers– Next slides: successful lobbying in adverse policy environment
• 2 - EU Trade Preferences for Developing Countries
– GSP (Generalised System of Prefences)– Problem: matrix of diverging interests
• Producers, importers, developing countries, NGOs• Past GSPs were not simple, stable, predictable enough
– Next slides: successful lobbying by consistency & proactivity
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1 - Antidumping Squaring the Circle?
• EU importers EU manufacturers
– Predictability vs. time needed for AD complaints– Green Paper 2007: confrontation, not reconciliation
• EuroCommerce strategy since 2008
– Constructive dialogue with European Commission– Secure achievables concrete improvements for traders
• Success already achieved
– More transparency• http://trade.ec.europa.eu/tdi/notices.cfm
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1 - Antidumping Opportunities
• Next Step: Constructive Dialogue
– European Commission, EuroCommerce• AD website• Questionnaires• Predictability
– Goal: • Improvements within AD Basic Regulation
• Lisbon Treaty AD decision-making process
– Allocating competences: Commission, Parliament, EU-27– EuroCommerce position July 2010 new rules March 2011
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2 - GSP Improvement Step by Step
• Previous GSP regulations
– GSP 2002-2004• 1 day predictability• various special incentive arrangements• continuous uncertainty on graduation
– GSP 2005-2008• ½ year predictability• GSP plus
– GSP 2009-2011• 1 year predictability, except for GSP plus
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2 - GSP Setting the Points for 2014
• Preparatory activities
– EuroCommerce position paper July 2009– EU consultation spring 2010
• Challenges
– European Parliament: delay?– Complex: 176 countries, thousands of different products– Reconciling different interests
• Developing countries• EU importers• EU manufacturers
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2 - GSP Achievements
• GSP
– Status quo stable until end 2013– Stability– Enough time to publish GSP 2014 by end 2012
• Preferential Rules of Origin
– Reform as from January 2011
– Single Value Added criterion avoided– Form A remains until 2016
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Successful Lobbying
• Key to success
– Realistic targets– Proactive approach– Consensus, reconciliation, dialogue– Relationships built on trust
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Successful Lobbying
• What we can do
– Trade associations, chambers• Long term perspective• Continuous contact with decision-makers• Preventing problems early vs. troubleshooting later
– Companies• Active participation• Input
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New Challenges
• European Parliament
– Lisbon Treaty: new EP competences for trade policy– GSP debate– Antidumping– Trade policy and non-trade concerns– Lobbying needs to start even earlier
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Questions?
• [email protected]• +32.2.737.05.88• www.eurocommerce.be• www.csr-in-commerce.eu
» Thank you for your attention!