MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the extraterritorial application of US law

B9‑0117/2020

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the extraterritorial application of US law

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union,

– having regard to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977,

– having regard to the parliamentary report ‘Restore the sovereignty of France and Europe and protect our companies from laws and measures with extraterritorial scope’, submitted to the French Prime Minister on 26 June 2019[1],

– having regard to Rule 143 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Cloud Act which was adopted in 2018 opens access to all the personal data abroad of suspects in the eyes of the United States Department of Justice;

B. whereas cases of the instrumentalisation of the justice system for commercial purposes are increasing;

C. whereas since 2010, French companies have paid more than US $ 14 billion to the US treasury under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act[2];

1. Considers that a State has no right to imprison an individual in order to satisfy the commercial interests of its nationals;

2. Condemns the arbitrary detention of Jean Boustani [3] [4]for almost eleven months;

3. Calls for a European Union protection plan to combat the instrumentalisation of American law for commercial purposes;

4. Recalls that one of the promises made when the euro was launched was that it would compete with the dollar in international trade.