EU trade ministers to discuss trade relations with United States and China

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in its trade configuration in Brussels on Thursday 25 May. The trade ministers will discuss the EU’s trade relations with the United States and China and preparations for the next Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The ministers will also discuss the EU’s ongoing bilateral trade negotiations.

In their discussion on the trade relations between the EU and the United States, the ministers will especially focus on the EU–US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) held in Luleå, Sweden, on 30–31 May. The TTC, established in 2021, is a forum for the EU and the United States to coordinate approaches to key global trade and technology issues. Finland supports closer cooperation between the EU and the United States to deepen bilateral trade relations and respond to global challenges. 

“The United States is a key partner for Europe. It is important that our cooperation is ambitious and that we make it stronger in concrete ways through the Trade and Technology Council. We should especially focus on facilitating sustainable trade, collaborating to create global standards and pursuing technology cooperation,” Minister Skinnari says.

The ministers will exchange views on the trade relations between the EU and China, focusing on both risk management and opportunities for cooperation. 

“It is important to share with companies fact-based information about China to help them make their decisions on doing business in China independently and from their own perspective,” Minister Skinnari says. 

In preparing for the next WTO Ministerial Conference, Finland and the EU will prioritise the restoring of a fully functioning WTO dispute settlement mechanism. The binding, two-stage dispute settlement mechanism is essential for the international trading system. It creates a stable operating environment for companies.

During a working lunch, the ministers will discuss the EU’s ongoing bilateral trade negotiations. In the current situation, it is particularly important for Finland that the EU is able to conclude new trade agreements and that the agreements already negotiated are implemented.

Inquiries

  • Reetta Härönoja, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, tel. +358 295 350 740 
  • Tuomas Tapio, Director General, tel. +358 295 350 918
  • The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected]