The European Parliament's Committee on International Trade on 13 July 2026 debated three distinct policy areas: used-textile export controls, outbound investment screening, and macro-financial assistance (MFA) conditions, revealing cross-party differences on trade defence and geopolitical risk management.
On textiles, Dr Tony Sharma of India's National Institute of Fashion Technology told MEPs that used-textile exports face lighter scrutiny than imports, with 40% of bales unsellable in Ghana, and called for better customs tools and a trusted-operator scheme. Jörgen Warborn (EPP) questioned whether low prices automatically prove market distortion, arguing they can reflect comparative advantage. L. Gálvez Muñoz (S&D) defended sustainability tools and raised concerns about copied designs. S. Bricmont (Greens/EFA) noted inconsistency between regulated imports and weakly monitored used-textile exports. Michael Gahler (EPP) supported digital product passports but not further trade defence measures.
On outbound investment, Alexandra Cotoiu Gliedou of the European Commission's DG TRADE outlined evidence-gathering on risks in AI, semiconductors, and quantum technologies for military applications, stressing the exercise is country-neutral and not yet legislative. Anna Stürgkh (Renew) asked about patterns from Member State monitoring, citing BASF in China. Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (EPP) queried the relevance of US outbound controls. R. Kennes (The Left) argued for broader scrutiny including human rights and job losses. Warborn urged a narrow security focus to avoid harming growth.
On MFA, Stéphanie Pammes of the Commission presented support for Ukraine, Egypt, Jordan, and North Macedonia. K. Van Brempt (S&D) challenged Egypt's positive assessment, citing civic space restrictions. L. Boylan (The Left) argued dialogue substitutes for real progress. Warborn backed Ukraine MFA but questioned support for states with BRICS ties.
The Commission will assess outbound investment reports over summer and return in early autumn; written replies on textiles will follow. The debate highlighted tensions between trade liberalisation and sustainability, security-focused vs. broad-based investment screening, and geopolitical versus human-rights conditionality in MFA.