Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić 5 October 2018 in Innsbruck attended an informant meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on trade.
Held under the motto “Trade. Jobs. Future.”, the meeting started off with an exchange of views on the modernisation of the World Trade Organization and the EU’s role in that process.
The Council discussed the current status of the EU-US trade relations, i.e. the effects of protectionist measures on mutual and global trade flows. Pejčinović Burić expressed support for the European Commission’s efforts to maintain constructive dialogue with the US on topics of mutual interest, in order to find mutually acceptable solutions.
The ministers also discussed the status of trade talks with the EU’s partners, the recently inked trade agreements with Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam, the talks with Chile, Indonesia, Mexico and Mercosur, as well as the recently launched negotiations with Australia and New Zealand.
On the fringes of the meeting, Pejčinović Burić met with members of the upcoming presiding trio, Romanian Minister of Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Stefan Oprea and Finnish Trade and Development Minister Anne-Mari Virolainen. The officials discussed chairmanship plans and priorities and arranged the continuation of consultations.