On Friday 27 November 2015, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, chaired the 'Foreign Affairs' - Trade Council of the European Union (EU) in Brussels.
The meeting had been organised to take stock of the preparations for the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which will take place in Nairobi from 15 to 18 December 2015. The Minister exchanged views on the overall balance of the package that the EU could agree in Nairobi on issues related to development, export competition in the agricultural sector and transparency before examining post-Nairobi negotiations, particularly with regards to the Doha agenda.
In the presence of the European Commissioner of Trade, Cecilia Malmström, the Ministers then provided an update on the status of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US. The Ministers welcome the Luxembourg Presidency's successful closing of the debate on the modernisation of the Investment Court System, the revision of the EU tariff offer and the sustainable development chapter, which aims to maintain high standards on labour and the environment.
Jean Asselborn reiterated the words of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel at the 'TTIP - What's in it for the Social Partners?' conference earlier this month that "there will be no TTIP at all costs, we want a comprehensive and qualitative agreement which, it must be emphasised, is not intended to call into question our European model" before assuring that "the right of governments to pursue their public policy objectives for the protection of the health of workers, consumers and the environment is in no way called into question". He further added that the trade agreement does not prevent governments from providing or supporting the provision of services in areas such as water, education, health and society.
The 28 EU Ministers then discussed trade negotiations that the EU conducts with the countries of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) and with Asian countries, including Japan, as well as a number of ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Finally, the Council used the opportunity to take stock of trilateral talks between the EU, Russia and Ukraine. The current crisis of the steel industry in Europe was discussed, in the wake of the extraordinary 'Competitiveness' Council organised by the Luxembourg Presidency on 9 November. Talks were then conducted on China-EU commercial, strategic and political relations in the presence of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
Photo by European Union (cropped) L-R: Cecilia Malmström, Member of the European Commission; Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Minister of Immigration and Asylum.
