Top 5 Trade – All you need to know for the Slovak EU Presidency
In this special briefing, Joanna Sopinska – Trade reporter for EU Trade Insights – picks out the Top 5 Trade priorities that will be discussed by the European institutions under the Slovak EU Presidency:
The Slovak Presidency will seek reaching an agreement on conclusion, provisional application and signing of CETA, the EU-Canada free trade agreement. The signing ceremony is scheduled at the EU-Canada summit on 27 October 2016.
The Slovaks will facilitate discussions in the Council on TTIP, the EU-US free trade agreement, at the critical phase of negotiations in the second half of 2016. These will include Informal Trade Council on 22-23 September 2016 in Bratislava and the European Council meeting on 20-21 October 2016 in Brussels.
After the European Commission puts forward its proposal on the Market Economy Status (MES) for China in the autumn, the Slovak Presidency will seek reaching a political deal by the end of 2016 within the Council and then between the Council and the two other institutions- the European Parliament and the European Commission.
Other legislative files that are waiting completion under the Slovak Presidency:
Finally, Bratislava will facilitate discussions in the Council on the multilateral negotiations on the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) and on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA).
The Presidency is expected to wrap up the technical talks on the draft regulation on conflict minerals by the end of its mandate;
Bratislava will also try to secure formal backing from the Council for the political agreement on the revised anti-torture regulation;
The Slovaks will continue technical talks on the reform of the EU’s Trade Defence Instruments (TDIs).