Brussels, 05/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 5 June, the countries of the G7 (Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) reaffirmed their commitment against protectionism and in favour of the double process of trade liberalisation, at both bilateral and multilateral levels.
On Thursday, the G7 leaders welcomed the partial agreement in the framework of the multilateral negotiations of the Doha round at the WTO, which was concluded in Bali in late 2013, the central result of which is an agreement on trade facilitation. The G7 leaders undertook to “prioritise full and swift implementation” of the Bali package, and to “fully support efforts in the WTO to secure (…) a balanced work programme for completing the Doha round”. They pledged to complete multilateral negotiations on the sidelines of the WTO for an international agreement on services (TiSA) and in favour of the liberalisation of the trade in environmental goods and services.
The G7 also reviewed and give new impetus to the bilateral negotiations they are carrying out amongst themselves: EU-Canada negotiations, EU-Japan negotiations, EU-United States negotiations (TTIP), Canada-Japan negotiations and negotiations for the trans-Pacific partnership.
For the first time, the G7 leaders “agreed (…) to come out stronger in public on explaining the advantages of trade opening in terms of concrete consequences on growth and jobs, addressing especially the concerns of those most vulnerable and those who feel sometimes alienated from the advantages of trade liberalisation”, said Commission President José Manuel Barroso. French President François Hollande reiterated that, “for France, these trade negotiations are possible only if they respect the principles of reciprocity and allow us to have high standards which can be references for all commercial relations”. This point of view is shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also stressed “[the need] for very high standards and increased transparency for consumer protection”. (EH with AN/CG/MB)