Brussels, 30/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 30 October, the European Commission decided to ask the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for an opinion on the competence to sign and ratify the free trade agreement with Singapore - which was initialled in September 2013 and for which the chapter on investment protection was finalised on 17 October.
“I have been saying for months that we need to clarify the interpretation of the Lisbon Treaty as regards trade matters (…) The Court can solve an ongoing difference of opinion between the Commission and the Council on the interpretation of the Lisbon Treaty, clarify which procedures to follow and increase EU predictability towards our trade partners”, says outgoing European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht in a press release.
The Commission wants to clarify the situation on which provisions of the EU-Singapore free trade agreement fall within the EU's exclusive or shared competence, and which remain the exclusive competence of the member states and must be approved by national bodies. The Commission's legal service will now prepare an official request to the CJEU, which the Commission will present “as soon as possible”, the Commission states.
Recalling that each trade agreement has its own characteristics, the Commission also states that in the case of the talks for the EU-US free trade agreement (TTIP) “there will most likely be a number of elements that will require ratification by national parliaments”. (EH)