Minister Stubb to the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of trade ministers
Press release 242/2011
22 September 2011
The European Union's Foreign Affairs Council (trade ministers) will convene in Brussels on Monday 26 September. Finland's representative in the meeting will be Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb.
In the meeting, the trade ministers will discuss the Doha Round of trade negotiations conducted in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the future WTO work programme. Finland supports the Commission policies with an aim to agree on a comprehensive work programme in the regular WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in December.
The trade ministers will also discuss Russia’s accession to the WTO. In these negotiations, only a few questions still remain open. Russian WTO membership is one of the most important trade policy priorities for Finland. Finland hopes that these negotiations would be concluded by the WTO Ministerial Conference in December.
Furthermore, the Ministers will take stock of the state of ongoing negotiations on EU/India and EU/Ukraine free trade agreements. Finland is striving for an ambitious and comprehensive agreement with India. With Ukraine, the negotiations are at a crucial stage, and Finland supports conclusion of the talks by the end of the year. Also on the ministers’ agenda are the challenges of the Southern Mediterranean region. Finland’s aim is to strengthen the Union’s support for the social and economic reforms in the North African and Middle Eastern countries, and to promote trade and economic interaction, which is of great importance for both parties involved.
As far as other issues are concerned, the Ministers will hear a Commission report on the circumstances of the signing of free trade agreements with Peru, Colombia and Central America. Over lunch, ministers will discuss trade aspects regarding EU relations with the USA and China.
Further information: Antti Timonen, Press Attaché for the Minister, tel. +358 40 590 7231, and Okko-Pekka Salmimies, Head of Unit for the EU's Trade Policy and Economic Relations, tel. +358 9 40 742 8420