Brussels, 16/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - A decisive impetus is expected next month in the talks over a free-trade deal between the EU and ASEAN. After the EU27 Trade Council in Brussels on Friday 16 March, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said that only a few questions remained to be settled, but they were important issues and he hoped that it would be possible to reach agreement with Singapore in the long run. He will be meeting members of the Singapore government on the fringes of the EU-ASEAN economy ministers' summit in Cambodia on 30 March to 1 April 2012 to try to remove the final obstacles. The problems are in the domains of financial services, geographical indications, rules of origin and tariff and non-tariff obstacles. De Gucht said the talks would examine what aspects of banking are to be covered and the level of protection of geographical indications in Singapore is problematic. The regional accumulation of rules of origin among the various ASEAN nations is an important question for ASEAN and the EU alike, because a huge number of electronic gadgets are imported from Asia into the EU. (EH/transl.fl)