Lisbon, Feb. 10, 2021 (Lusa) – The implementation of the Africa Free Trade Agreement will be a first step towards a "more comprehensive" agreement between the European Union and the African continent, Portugal's Deputy Director for European Affairs underlined on Wednesday.

Maria João Botelho, who spoke at a 'webinar' on the future challenges of EU trade policy, pointed out that a future EU free trade agreement with Africa will result in a "privileged relationship" and that Portugal is striving "to bring the two continents closer together".

"We will give full support to the implementation of the African Free Trade Agreement, because it is a way to promote intra-African trade and because they are the first steps towards a more comprehensive agreement between the two regions in the future," she said.

In her speech, Maria João Botelho, a member of Portugal's Trade Policy Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out five main objectives of EU trade policy, among which the development of "more intensive" and "mutually beneficial" relations with different partners.

In this regard, she called for the EU-India Summit as an "opportunity for renewed and closer relations" with the country, calling for a "rebalancing" of negotiations and proposing a "start of discussion on a future investment agreement", given that a comprehensive trade agreement "is not realistic in the immediate term" and that expectations on both sides "do not yet coincide".

On the US side, Maria Joao Botelho stressed that it was "essential" to normalise and renew the transatlantic relationship, starting with "seeking a solution to disputes in civil aviation" through "commitments to define a framework for future support for the sector".

On the investment agreement with China, "a very complex but unavoidable partner", she assured that the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU "will support the need to continue and finalise work on the revision of the text and overall conclusion of negotiations" on investment protection.

The EU-UK relationship was also strengthened as a priority of the Portuguese presidency with regard to "stabilising the relationship" and initially "streamlining all formal procedures" of the agreement.

The review of trade policy was another objective pointed out, given the importance of trade for 'economic growth', 'prosperity' and 'the competitiveness of European business'.

For Maria João Botelho, this is the "opportune moment" for the review because the Covid-19 pandemic "has exposed the vulnerabilities and strategic dependence of development chains that need to find some response".

She considers it necessary "to strike a balance between strengthening the industrial base and the strategic autonomy of the EU, without compromising its openness or giving in to protectionism, by seeking the diversification of partners, which means not only a capacity for decision-making in terms of trade policy, but also for articulation with "policies aimed at the internal market to ensure coherence and consistency".

At the same time, the trade policy review will bring "a greater policy contribution to sustainable development, to coherence with EU environmental objectives".

Finally, she stressed the need for the EU to be more assertive "in all its instruments" and to "publicise the benefits of the agreements", as well as to "overcome the impasse of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)", the first step being to name the leadership of the organisation and, in the long term, to achieve WTO reform.

The webinar, organised under the Portuguese presidency of the EU Council, was attended by the Secretary of State for Trade, Services and Consumer Protection, João Torres, the Secretary of State for Internationalisation, Eurico Brilhante Dias and the High Representative for the Implementation of the European Commission's Trade Policy, Denis Redonnet.

JAYG/AYLS // AYLS

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