THE EU IS INTERESTED IN STABLE AND GLOBAL RULES-BASED TRADE RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURS IN THE EAST, LITHUANIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS
The European Union is economically interested to reach an agreement on stable and global rules-based trade relations with its neighbours in the East as soon as possible, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said during the meeting with Péter Balás, Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade in Vilnius on 11 May.
The goal of this meeting was to discuss important issues of the European Union’s (EU) trade policy. Special attention was dedicated to the EU’s trade relations with Russia and Ukraine, projects of the Eastern Partnership initiative and an appropriate use of EU’s instruments of trade protection.
During the conversation the Minister stressed that during negotiations with Russia on the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the European Commission must persistently aim at having Russia’s clear commitments in the area of foreign trade, in compliance with the rules that are set out by the World Trade Organization, as it is especially important for the economy of the European Union.
In Minister A.Ažubalis’s opinion, during the negotiations with Ukraine on free trade the EU has to aim to make an ambitious agreement and, at the same time, the EU has to be prepared to demonstrate flexibility, especially regarding the opening of the agricultural produce market. It is important to conclude this agreement as soon as possible and in this way to support European integration aspirations of Ukraine.
When discussing the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme, the Minister said that Lithuania aimed to use the projects that were based on this initiative to have the EU open talks with Georgia on Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible.
According to Minister A.Ažubalis, instruments of trade protection must remain an important means of ensuring fair trade.
P.Balás comes from Hungary. In September 2005, he became Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade. The Deputy Director General is responsible for the EU’s trade relations with non-EU European countries and Central Asian countries, public procurement, intellectual property, affairs of the World Trade Organization, instruments of trade protection, etc.
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