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  • 01-03-2021 17:59

EU/Presidency: Deals with Africa, Mediterranean, Latin America among EU trade review goals - minister


Lisbon, Mar. 1, 2021 (Lusa) – Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs on Monday highlighted agreements with Africa, the Mediterranean and Latin America among the objectives of the European Union's trade policy review, which the 27 member states will discuss on Tuesday.

Augusto Santos Silva chairs this informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU), in the Trade dimension, in which the 27 will "hold an initial debate on the EU's trade policy review proposed by the Commission last week," so that the Council may approve conclusions at the formal meeting scheduled for May.

Stressing that the trade policy review "is one of the most important dossiers in European policy", Santos Silva explained to Lusa that it aims "to favour the open strategic autonomy of Europe", that is, "to make the European economy more competitive, to ensure that in the economic relations between the EU and its trade partners the sustainability issues are duly taken care of" and to make the EU "more assertive in the defence of international trade rules" and "of its interests".

The concrete translation of this review, he detailed, pursues several objectives in the medium term: "support the green deal and the digital transition", "contribute to the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)", "contribute to the increase of economic partnerships with neighbouring countries and Africa" and "strengthen the commitment to the implementation of trade agreements already negotiated".

"Of these objectives I would particularly call attention, as far as Portuguese interests are concerned, (...) to the development of trade and economic partnerships with Africa and also with the Mediterranean, on the one hand, and on the other, compliance with trade agreements already concluded, including agreements with Latin American countries, namely the agreement with Mexico and the agreement with Mercosur," he said.

In relation to Africa, he said, the Portuguese presidency's ambition was to conclude negotiations on the post-Cotonou agreement, the new general framework for cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa, as well as to "focus on investment partnerships, namely supporting the green deal in Africa," as part of which Portugal is organising, in April, with the European Investment Bank, a forum on green economic growth in Africa.

Santos Silva also noted the importance of continuing work already underway, such as negotiations with Morocco and Tunisia for a comprehensive free trade agreement, and to begin others, "hopefully this year," such as continent-to-continent negotiations with Africa.

"From the moment Africa advances in its continental free trade area and the EU is itself a single market, we can start thinking not of trade agreements between the EU and this or that or some other African country, not of trade agreements between the EU and African sub-regional organisations, but agreements between the EU as such and the African Union," he said.

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