The meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) took place in Brussels on 11 November 2021. The Hungarian delegation was led by H.E. Tibor Stelbaczky, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU.
The Council reviewed the state of play regarding the preparation of World Trade Organization (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), which will take place from 30 November to 3 December 2021 in Geneva. Hungary considers it crucial to preserve the multilateral trading system and we are committed to the comprehensive reform of the WTO.
Ministers took stock of the state of play and latest developments in the EU-US trade relations, including the advancement of the positive agenda, the Trade and Technology Council and progress made towards the resolution of bilateral disputes. Hungary supports the strengthening of EU-US trade relations and welcomes the recent positive developments. At the same time, it is important to find long term negotiated solutions for our remaining conflicts in line with EU’s economic interests.
Under “Any Other Business”, Executive Vice President Dombrovskis presented the annual report on the implementation of EU trade agreements. The Council received information on the ongoing review of the EU’s approach on Trade and Sustainable Development chapters in trade agreements. During the working lunch, ministers received an overview of the state of play of bilateral trade negotiations, focusing on Chile and New Zealand.
After the formal part of the Council meeting, ministers had an opportunity to exchange views with the United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai on bilateral trade relations, WTO reform and expectations for MC12.
