The EU Trade Ministers will meet in Brussels on 20 May for a Trade Council, during which they will exchange views with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the US Trade Representative, Katherine Tai. There are many items on the agenda for this morning-long meeting.
International Procurement Instrument. The European Commission and the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council will inform Ministers on the progress of the discussions on the international procurement instrument. This session will be public and broadcast live.
The Commission had proposed a revision of its proposal for a regulation in 2016, but the blockage remains in the Council. “The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council has invested time in intensifying efforts on this text, with the aim of reaching an agreement in the EU Council before the end of its Presidency”, an EU diplomat said on Wednesday 19 May.
According to a second European source, the prospect of an agreement on this text is close. “Several proposed compromises take into account the difficulties of balancing the administrative burden and the effectiveness of the instrument”, the source told EUROPE.
Review of trade policy. While the adoption of conclusions on the trade policy review was expected at the ministerial meeting, this prospect seems to be receding.
As of Wednesday, Member States’ ambassadors to the EU had not agreed on the text of the conclusions, according to an EU source (see separate news item). This text should establish the EU Council’s position on the European Commission’s February 2021 Communication (see EUROPE 12661/1).
WTO reform. Ministers will report on the current negotiations on WTO reform and on the preparations for the 12th Ministerial Conference, to be held from 30 November to 3 December 2021.
Member States are fairly aligned on these issues, according to an EU source.
The Trade Council will be an opportunity to take advantage of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s presence in Brussels to hold an exchange with her.
EU-US relations. The European Commission’s announcement earlier this week of a suspension of its tariff increases on US imports (see EUROPE 12720/14) will provide an opportunity for Ministers to take stock of relations between the two partners. They will discuss this with Katherine Tai via video conference.
Protective measures for steel. Not unrelated to the transatlantic trade relationship, the Ministers will take stock of the latest developments in global steel overcapacity. The European Commission is expected to provide an update on this issue.
Mercosur. Again, the Ministers are expected to report on the latest developments regarding the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.
The European Commission is expected to inform them on this subject, on which the Member States are rather divided. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)