On Tuesday 12 June, the European Commission gave assurances that the negotiations on the modernisation of the 2005 EU-Chile association agreement are making "good progress". The negotiations were launched in November 2017.
"The negotiations are making good progress and we have the ambition to conclude them as soon as possible and certainly before the end of this Commission's mandate", European Commission for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides stated.
At the next round of negotiations on the political and cooperation pillar on 21 June, the EU and Chile will also hold an EU-Chile Association Council, which will focus on bilateral issues but also regional and international issues, Stylianides added.
Progress on trade section
The third round of technical level talks, from 28 May to 1 June in Brussels, enabled "good progress" in most areas of the negotiations, the Commission stated at the end of last week.
Over the course of the third round, all the issues covered by the agreement – market access for goods, services and investment, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property rights (including geographical indications), competition and subsidies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade and sustainable development (including trade and gender) – were addressed.
The EU tabled texts for this round on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade and gender equality and trade and sustainable development. A report on the results of the round and the new texts tabled by the EU will be published shortly. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)