One of the main items on the agenda of the European Trade Ministers at their Council meeting in Brussels on Monday 27 November involved taking stock of the state of negotiations for several free trade agreements that the European Union is aiming to conclude, and generating a positive overview of the progress that has been made.
The list is long: the ministers have given the go-ahead for the implementation of the agreement with New Zealand (see other news). At the same time, the EU is holding talks with Mercosur, Chile, Mexico and India. Recently, however, negotiations with Australia came to an abrupt halt and relaunching them is proving to be a struggle.
Latin America as a key partner
Two of these agreements are the focus of much effort, particularly on the part of the Spanish Presidency of the Council: the agreement with Mercosur and the agreement with Chile. According to Xiana Méndez, Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade, who chaired Monday’s meeting, the agreement is “in the process” of being ratified by the Member States. “This is an important step in strengthening our relations with Latin America”, she declared after the Council meeting. The agreement is essentially a modernised and updated version of the free trade agreement already signed between the two parties in 2002.
Negotiations with Mercosur are more delicate. Discussions have been gathering pace for several weeks, but positions remain far apart (see EUROPE 13293/22). According to a senior European official, the conditions “have not been met” for a good agreement. According to him, certain countries, led by France, are calling for European environmental standards to be preserved and for time to be taken before signing the treaty.
Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commissioner for Trade, emphasised the “strategic importance” of the agreement, which would help the EU and Latin American countries to “strengthen their economic security” and “facilitate their green transition”.
The breakdown of negotiations with Australia was quickly discussed. At the last minute, the Australians backed out of points already agreed in the future agreement, notably in relation to beef export quotas. The Commission says it is “always open” to resuming negotiations. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)