Brussels, 20/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - After the new mandate issued by the Council to the Commission, a new round of two-day talks between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries opened in Brussels, on Wednesday, with a view to concluding a free trade agreement. The GCC recently made a significant move forward towards concluding such an agreement by bringing forward to 2003 (instead of 2005) the setting up of customs union between its Member States. The future free trade agreement should aim at gradual and mutual trade liberalisation to ensure that the different parties have a comparable level of opportunities regarding market access, a level compatible with the relevant provisions of the WTO, and that account is taken of the level of development of the GCC member countries. The discussions on Wednesday and Thursday cover all aspects of the future agreement. Negotiators will seek to find common ground on the nature and level of the parties' respective commitments. Talks on the level of customs duties and access to the market are foreseen. The Commission expects rapid progress in so far as the timetable for the upcoming meetings may now be established and as a draft agreement is already on the table. The next round of talks should be held in Riyadh in May.