Brussels – The European Commission (EC) turns east after having concluded trade agreements with the countries of Mercosur, Mexico and the United States, and will seek to establish similar agreements with countries like India, Indonesia and Malaysia. This was declared by the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Safety Maroš Šefčovič in an interview with the Tasr Brussels correspondent.
Maroš ŠefčovičWho played a decisive role in the conclusion of trade agreements with Mercosur, Mexico and the United States in the name of the EU executive, said on Wednesday September 3 that Europeans should not fear the implications of the agreement with the four South American countries of the Mercosur-Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay groups, because there are sufficient legal guarantees of the EU. He also confirmed that his mission to seek new strategic commercial partnerships was not over and that his next business trips will mainly lead to the East, in Asia.
It will be a free trade agreement with the largest Muslim country
“The negotiations where we have made the most progress concern Indonesia. If we manage to conclude this agreement, it will be a huge free trade agreement with the largest Muslim country. We are talking about 200 million people. This is a very rapid growth in Southeast Asia,” said Šefčovič described the situation.
He added that there is a significant interest from several members of the Association of Nations of Southeast Asia (Anase) to cooperate closely with the EU. Currently, the European Commission is negotiating with Thailand and Malaysia, and there is an interest in Vietnam.
“I believe that we will be able to achieve our political commitment and despite complicated negotiations, we will also reach an agreement with India,” said Šefčovič. During Wednesday’s meeting with journalists at the headquarters of the European Commission, he suggested that he could go to India in late September.
Negotiations with Australia and CCG
According to him, negotiations with Australia are also underway, and he said that his last working meeting with the Australian Minister of Commerce was stuck on the theme of agriculture.
“We will have to come back and see if we can find another solution and unlock the negotiations that were moving in a very good direction,” he said.
He also recalled that another region is at stake, because the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) wants to cooperate more closely with the union. There have already been several cycles of expert level negotiations with Saudi Arabia, and the two parties, according to Šefčovič, are interested in rapid progress. He believes that if these negotiations succeed, it will open the door to a wider regional agreement with other Gulf countries.
“We have already covered America and Latin America; we must now focus on the East and the Far East. And for Africa, there are several agreements, but they are slightly different from the free trade agreements,” said Šefčovič at the end of the interview. (September 4)
About The Author
