Policy | Brussels, 10 July 2019

As part of its transparency commitment, as well as its ongoing initiative to engage with civil society, the European Commission held two meetings yesterday with stakeholders on the ongoing trade policy agenda, as well as the state of play on the EU-US Executive Working Group (EWG) work programme.

On 9 July, Ms Sabine Weyand, Director-General for Trade, debriefed civil society organisations on the current state of play of EU Trade, as well as future challenges.

Discussions took place on a number of issues, including the recent conclusion of the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations, the modernisation of the WTO, the EU’s values-based agenda, and the implementation and enforcement of the EU’s trade agreements. Additionally, Ms Weyand answered a number of questions raised by civil society regarding animal welfare, CETA implementation, and engagement with China and India, among other topics.

DG Trade held a further meeting to debrief civil society organisations and stakeholders on the state of play of the implementation of the Joint Statement agreed by European Commssion President Jean-Claude Juncker and US President Donald Trump last July.

The discussions were steered by Directors Ignacio Garcia Bercero (DG Trade) and Eric Mamer (DG Grow; responsible for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs). In addition to the general state of play of EU-US trade relations, discussions focused on progress made in the Executive Working Group on regulatory issues, including conformity assessment, standards and voluntary cooperation in a number of sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cyber security. Further attention was dedicated to potential future cooperation in emerging economic sectors, such as automated vehicles, robotics, added manufacturing and the so-called ‘Internet of Things’.

More information:

Update on EU-US Executive Working Group: EU Stakeholder Consultation (Synopsis Report; 9 July 2019)