Preparations for the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to be held in Nairobi this December, will be underway on Friday in Brussels at the 'Foreign Affairs' Council - Trade of the European Union (EU).

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, will join the meeting, where the strategy for the Nairobi conference taking place from 15 to 18 December 2015 will be discussed. Tomorrow's talks will focus on the results to be made, particularly regarding issues related to development, export competition and transparence. Ministers present will also discuss priorities for post-Nairobi negotiations.

In the presence of European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, the Ministers will continue discussions of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnertship (TTIP) between the EU and the United States, taking stock of the state of these negotiations with the US partner as well as looking at hoe to enhance transparency within these negotiations, an issue for which the TTIP has previously been criticised.

The 28 EU ministers will discuss future trade negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela; the countries of Asia, including Japan; and several ASEAN Countries, such as Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Finally, the Council will take stock of the trilateral talks between the EU, Russia and Ukraine, as well as on relations between the EU and China. In the presence of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, ministers will discuss the latter with regards to commercial, strategic and policy areas.

 

Photo by MAEE/Nicolas Gierten (L-R: Belgian Foreign Minister, Didier Reynders; Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni; Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn; High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini)