Some Member States are impatiently waiting for the conclusion of new trade agreements for the EU, according to several statements by Ministers at the opening of the Trade Council on Friday 3 June in Luxembourg. “We need to do more, much quicker, because we need to be a relevant trading partner. We have a number of trade deals on the table, we need to conclude them now. With the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council coming up next spring, we hope we can push this agenda forward more quickly”, says Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg.
Her Finnish and Spanish counterparts also spoke in favour of strengthening the EU’s trade links with new partners in order to diversify sources of supply, and also to find new destinations for European exports.
EU Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis also shared this view: “The new reality requires that we build new relationships with trusted trade partners”, he stressed.
However, the EU Council seems to be shy in expressing unanimously this willingness to open up quickly to new trading partners.
For French Trade Minister Franck Riester, free trade agreements contribute to the resilience of European economies and strengthen strategic autonomy, but it is important that they are consistent with sustainable development goals. “It is perfectly compatible for us to combine the development of trade with sustainable development. The Commission’s new approach to this issue will demonstrate this”, he added.
France is one of the countries that do not wish to rush certain agreements, in particular the one with the Mercosur countries, where it has concerns about deforestation and sanitary and phytosanitary standards. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)