Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner for Trade, wants to back up the words given at the G20 by notifying the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Tuesday 7 April of the measures the EU has taken to support its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 30 March, the European Commissioner committed himself and his G20 counterparts to ensuring the greatest possible transparency on all measures taken in their fight against the virus (see EUROPE 12457/13).
The EU is therefore playing the transparency card by notifying the WTO of eight measures that have a direct or indirect effect on international trade.
These are: – requirements for the authorisation of exports of personal protective equipment to the EU (see EUROPE 12451/7, 12460/13); – the temporary suspension of customs duties and VAT on imports of goods to combat COVID-19 (see EUROPE 12461/11); – border management, including green lanes to ensure the availability of essential goods and services (see EUROPE 12452/14); – the facilitation of air cargo operations (see EUROPE 12456/6); – measures to protect human, animal and plant health and animal welfare in order to limit the risks associated with disturbances in the control system due to coronavirus (see EUROPE 12458/7); – guidance on public procurement to enable faster procurement of needed goods (see EUROPE 12459/5).
An estimated $600 billion in trade in medical products
The day before, the WTO had published a report on trade in medical products considered essential to contain the pandemic. Germany, the United States and Switzerland provide 35% of this trade, estimated at $597 billion in 2019 (1.7% of world merchandise trade). According to the report, an average tariff of 4.8% is applied to them, but some products are still subject to high tariffs, such as face masks, a market where tariffs can be as high as 55% in some countries.
To consult this report: https://bit.ly/2RzHrob (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)