EU position in world trade | Brussels, 26 November 2015

This Friday, 27 November, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström will meet with the trade ministers of EU Member States as they gather in Brussels for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council devoted to external trade relations.

During the meeting the Commissioner will seek Member States' endorsement to the foreign trade strategy for the coming years, as outlined in the recently published document "Trade for All – Towards a more responsible trade and investment policy". Some of the major ongoing and new EU initiatives in the area of trade and investment are also on the agenda:

• Efforts undertaken by the EU to ensure the upcoming ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Nairobi can deliver on issues that will benefit the poorest nations and prepare grounds for the multilateral discussions beyond Nairobi. The EU has recently tabled a proposal on export subsidies together with Brazil.
• Progress and increased transparency in the negotiations on trade and investment between the EU and the US.
• EU trade relations with a number of Asian and Latin American partners, including the nearly concluded agreement with Vietnam, as well as the scoping of the upcoming negotiations with the Philippines.
• The implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with Ukraine as of 1 January 2016 and the efforts to find practical solutions to concerns raised by Russia in this respect.
• Trade policy measures that could address unfair trade practices affecting the EU steel sector.

Over lunch, ministers will discuss the EU's trade and investment relations with China.

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