EU Trade Ministers failed to agree on the text of the conclusions on the trade policy review on Thursday 20 May. The Portuguese Presidency had presented several versions of the text in recent weeks, which failed to reach agreement among Member States (see EUROPE 12722/5).
“There is broad support for the European commission communication on the trade policy review, but still we have to work a little harder to reach consensus”, said Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva.
Three sticking points remain on the EU Council conclusions: – the balance between trade openness and the need to defend European business and sustainable development; – compliance with the Paris Agreement as an essential clause in free trade agreements; – whether or not the agreement with Mercosur is mentioned in the text.
Some Member States, such as France, consider that the text should be clear on the issues related to the agreement with the Mercosur countries. “We say that if the agreement is to be mentioned, it must be made clear that it cannot be signed as it stands, without clear and verifiable guarantees. That it cannot be signed at any price”, French Trade Minister Franck Riester told EUROPE. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)