Addressing the 2017 European Business Summit in Brussels, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström set out the state of play for the EU’s ambitious agenda of trade policy.
This includes working with partners including the USA, China, Canada and Japan as well as Latin America, southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The Commissioner noted the benefits trade can bring including cheaper products and services, and the creation of new jobs. She called for an approach which responds to people’s concerns, with a trade policy which is transparent, based on values and which shapes globalisation.
With regard to the UK, Ms Malmström expressed her personal sadness at the Brexit vote.
“But we’ll have to respect it and get on with it,” she continued. “Negotiations will resume after the election. The first priority is to ensure it’s an orderly withdrawal.”
In her speech, the full text of which, is available at trade.ec.europa.eu, the Commissioner gave an overview of progress in the trade agreements currently under discussion.
She also took the opportunity to attack the rise of protectionism and populism, and stressed that trade must not lead to a race to the bottom, with each side undercutting on standards.
The Commissioner closed by calling for a strengthening of the open, rules-based global trade system. The EU, she said, is open for business.
