Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) will question the European Commissioner-designate for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič, on Monday 4 November (see other news). Ahead of the hearing, MEPs sent him a series of questions, copies of which have been sent to Agence Europe. Written responses are expected by 22 October.
The questions are general in nature, focusing on economic security, the implementation of trade policy and the procedure for ratifying agreements.
Economic security. At a time when the concept of economic security is gaining momentum in trade discussions, INTA Committee members ask Mr Šefčovič what next steps he plans to take in this area. “Do you see any gaps in the existing toolkit? What will be your next steps with regard to export control and outbound investments?”, they ask.
According to MEPs, trade must increasingly be used as a geostrategic tool.
Free trade agreements. The questions do not deal with free trade agreements (FTAs) on a case-by-case basis, but the elected representatives ask the Commissioner-designate which of the current negotiations he will prioritise.
They would also like more details on future ‘Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships’.
Where FTAs are not an option with certain third countries, the EU should support sectoral agreements, particularly on critical raw materials, say MEPs. This is why they are questioning the Commission’s intentions in that regard.
MEPs also warn against the provisional application of certain agreements without consulting Parliament, and want to know how the Commissioner intends to deal with this issue.
Cooperation with third countries. In addition to partnerships, the INTA Committee believes that work is needed on cooperation with third countries affected by certain unilateral EU measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR). Maroš Šefčovič will have to provide answers on how to strengthen cooperation in this area.
See the questions: https://aeur.eu/f/dt5 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)