The informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Trade (FAC Trade) took place in Berlin on 20 and 21 September, with the main topics of discussion being the revision of EU trade policy, emergency measures for the European steel industry, and selection of the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization. The Council meeting was hosted by German Economic Affairs and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier. The meeting was attended by ministers and officials from the 27 member states, as well as Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee. Greece was represented by the Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General for Openness, Gregory Dimitriadis.
The Council meeting took place at a critical time for EU trade policy. Trade conflicts, distortion of competition, global disruption of supply chains and the contraction of international trade are the challenges facing the EU, while member-state economies are hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. As Mr. Dimitriadis stressed in his address at the working dinner, “with our countries’ scientific communities and health systems working at full capacity, we have to defend an open system of trade based on international rules.” Given that the European community is facing a new dilemma – in other words, to maintain the benefits of the open economy while at the same time protecting member-state economies from unfair competition and bolstering their resilience – Mr. Dimitriadis stressed that “we need to remain committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [...] now more than ever, because this is the main demand of the younger generation.”
The discussion on the revision of EU trade policy opened with a statement from professor Gabriel Felbermayr of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel) on the Resilience of Global Value Chains, followed by a debate between the European Commission and the member states. Taking the floor, Mr. Dimitriadis set out Greece’s position, which is based on the notion of Open Strategic Autonomy “in order to promote the free market but maintain the security of our supply chains, while keeping our options open, especially for key products.” Mr. Dimitriadis also stressed that careful attention must be paid to SMEs, “which we must provide with the necessary tools – especially the potential for digitization – and further encourage towards innovation and research, facilitating their participation in global trade.”
The revision of EU trade policy bears directly on the openness of Greek enterprises, and Mr. Dimitriadis announced information campaign initiatives being undertaken by business associations through Enterprise Greece and in cooperation with the EU, aimed at substantial participation in the EU consultation process until its completion on 15 November. The goal is the adaptation of the European external trade policy, particularly through the free trade agreements (FTAs) concluded with third countries on todays needs and developments. Particular emphasis is expected on the issues of sustainable development, combating climate change, and protection of human rights.
With regard to the European steel industry, there was a statement from the president of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), Geert Van Poelvoore, and there was a discussion of the EU’s trade defence measures in response to the global surplus of production from Asia and imposition of tariffs by the U.S.
Finally, the Council discussed the five candidates who will advance to the next stage for the selection of two finalists for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), with the selection procedure set to be completed in early November 2020.
The candidates are:
i. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria,
ii. Yoo Myung-hee from Korea,
iii. Amina C. Mohamed from Kenya,
iv. Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri from Saudi Arabia,
v. Liam Fox from the United Kingdom.
It is indicative that three of the candidates who were initially supported by the European Commission and have advanced are women, from Nigeria, Korea and Kenya. Greece supports the unified European line for joint selection of a candidate, as Grigoris Dimitriadis stressed in his address, and, beyond support for the Saudi Arabian candidate, will support one of the three women candidates, while he paid his respects to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away recently, repeating her statement that women belong in all places where decisions are being made.
Finally, Mr. Dimitriadis noted that the high level of expertise of each candidate is hopeful for the future of the WTO and the work it is tasked with at a critical time for the world trade system.
September 23, 2020