16/06/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Union is seeking to build an international coalition to facilitate trade in essential medical products and equipment. On 15 June, EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan presented the initiative to the Ottawa Group, an informal group of like-minded countries, at a meeting in Ottawa. The Commission hopes to convince these partners to engage in plurilateral negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). According to the Commission, such an agreement would allow participating countries to improve their collective response to the Covid-19 crisis and to better prepare for future crises by protecting themselves from disruptions in global supply chains and abolishing tariffs on health products. See the discussion paper: https://bit.ly/37zZzEV (HD)