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Lithuania supports pragmatic European Union’s trade policy that is based on protection of clearly expressed business interests. Objectives for a future EU trade policy in the areas of economic growth promotion and strengthening the EU’s competitiveness were discussed at the informal meeting of the EU external trade ministers on 10 November in Brussels. At the meeting, Lithuania was represented by Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Egidijus Meilūnas.

Participants of the meeting said that a slight, but obvious economic growth in some EU member states after the economic downturn proved that industry and export played an essential role.

The Ministers stressed that the EU’s trade policy should continue to support European business interests and to contribute significantly to the development of industry, including the implementation of innovations and opening up new opportunities in global markets.

In Lithuania’s opinion, the coherence of trade policy and other EU’s external policy areas would strengthen the EU’s negotiating abilities and would help to meet the objectives.

During the discussions, European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht presented the new Communication “Trade, Growth and World Affairs” that the European Commission had issued on the eve of the meeting. The Communication is dedicated to the implementation of the European Commission’s EU 2020 strategy in the trade policy area.

The Commissioner highlighted the special importance of relations with strategic partners the U.S.A., China, Russia and Japan in searching for new cooperation opportunities and employing all the existing trade policy formats and tools.

Lithuania calls on the EU to dedicate special attention to the cooperation with neighbouring countries in the trade policy area, which would help to create stable and liberal business environment in the EU and gradually expand the EU’s common market.

Closer cooperation in this field would increase the volume of the EU trade, investment, business confidence and security.

Therefore, in the short run the EU has to conclude the negotiations for a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with Ukraine and open without delay the negotiations with other Eastern Partnership countries that are members of the World Trade Organization: Georgia, Moldova and Armenia.