Brussels, 25/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which will be taking over from Spain on 1 July 2010 for six months, has conclusion of the Doha trade round at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as its main priority for EU trade policy. Other priorities include the signature procedures for approving and signing free-trade agreements between the EU and South Korea, Colombia and Peru and the association agreement with Central America. The Belgian Presidency wants to ensure progress in the talks with Canada, India, the Ukraine and EuroMed countries, along with multinational talks on the signing of an anti-counterfeiting trade deal (ACTA). Other issues to be covered during the Belgian Presidency are negotiations with Singapore, the opening of talks with other ASEAN countries, economic partnership agreement (EPA) talks with ACP states and the re-opening of trade talks with Mercosur. The Presidency expects to open a debate on the next generation of the EU's special trade preferences and to continue to open up the EU common market to trade from non-EU countries. The Presidency will try to make progress in the EU's regulatory talks with the United States and China and to help Russia join the WTO. In its work, the Belgian Presidency will be working alongside the European Parliament with its additional powers under the Lisbon Treaty, and will use a Commission report to be published in October as an opportunity for adding the EU's common trade policy to the foreign action dimension of the new EU-2020 strategy. (E.H./transl.fl)