- Published: 22.05.2018.
FM Pejčinović Burić attends FAC meetings on trade, development
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić 22 May 2018 in Brussels attended two Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings, one on trade and the other on development
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić 22 May 2018 in Brussels attended two Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings, one on trade and the other on development.
The FAC meeting in trade configuration authorised the opening of free trade talks with Australia and New Zealand, and agreed on a new approach to negotiating and concluding EU trade agreements, which highlights the commitment to open and free trade based on rules, strengthening of the multilateral trade system and an ambitious approach to the ratification of trade agreements.
The Council discussed current challenges facing the multilateral trade system, following the results of the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference of December 2017.
The ministers also discussed free trade agreements with Japan and Singapore, as well as recent developments in trade relations between the EU and the US, namely the measures which the US has imposed on steel and aluminium imports, and the future of transatlantic relations in that light.
The meeting on development discussed a draft mandate for talks on relations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries after the Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020. After the mandate is adopted, negotiations on a new agreement will begin to replace the existing one.
The ministers also discussed the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, which was formally launched at the Valleta summit on migration in November 2015. It serves to promote stability and contribute to better migration management, as well as deal with the root causes of destabilisation, forced displacement and illegal migration.
The Council exchanged views on the proposed multiannual financial framework for the 2021-2027 period, specifically on the section concerning the financing of EU external actions. The Commission’s first proposal presented on 2 May foresees a budget of EUR 1,135 billion (1.114 per cent of the EU member states’ GNI).
At the informal part of the meeting, the ministers discussed possible activities by the member states in promoting gender equality.