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- Ελληνικά
The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU), composed of Trade Ministers, met today in Brussels. Cyprus was represented by the Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr Marios Panagides.
The discussions focused on preparations for the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to be held in Abu Dhabi between 26 and 29 February 2024. In his intervention, Panagides stressed the importance of achieving tangible results and welcomed the European Commission's efforts in this direction. In this context, he stressed in particular the need for a functioning dispute settlement mechanism, the completion of negotiations on the ban on harmful subsidies in fisheries as well as the promotion of joint declaration initiatives with emphasis on e-commerce.
In the discussion that followed on the preparation of the signing of the Interim Trade Agreement with Chile, the Member States that took the floor, including Cyprus, stressed the geopolitical and economic importance of the agreement.
In the discussion that followed on the preparation of the signing of the Interim Trade Agreement with Chile, the Member States that took the floor, including Cyprus, stressed the geopolitical and economic importance of the agreement.
Subsequently, and in the context of the discussion on EU-US trade relations, Panagides, acknowledging the challenges, praised the European Commission's efforts to reach agreement on the Sustainable Global Arrangement for Steel and Aluminium, as well as on the Critical Raw Materials Agreement, which is a key action to mitigate the impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act. Further, and in view of the 2024 elections, Panagides stressed the importance of continuing the positive agenda with the US through the Trade and Technology Council, which is the main forum for cooperation and promotion of transatlantic trade facilitation.
Finally, during a working lunch, the "27" had the opportunity to learn and exchange views on the current state of the EU's bilateral trade relations with third countries. Particular emphasis was placed on trade relations with Mercosur and Australia.
(NΓ/EAθ)
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